Don't Blink!

I heard Kenny Chesney's song this morning. How true! I feel like life has gotten so fast that I'm gonna get a ticket! (That's saying somthing for this leadfoot!)
It started accelerating when Ben got school age. Well maybe when Megan did. I began taking the kids to school rather than putting them on the bus, so we got a second car. I hadn't had a car of my own for years. That seemed to start the race. Since then there is always somewhere I need to be or something that I should be doing. Here's my list of things I "should" be doing:
Got to the gym
Take your vitamins
Eat balanced meals (preferably homemade rather than processed)
Got to work
Get your degree
Do your calling
laundry
cooking
grocery shop
get gas (ouch)
pay your bills
balance your chekcbook
brush the dog
walk the dog
bathe the dogs
get your food storage
genealogy
missionary work
check on my elderly neighbor
yardwork
mop the floors
wash the cupboards
wash the windows
dust
sew my clothes because I hate what the stores carry
go to the doctor
and on and on and on and on.....
This song "Dont Blink" reminds me to slow down and smell the roses. Others have told me that time will get faster the older I get. That scares me. I don't want this life to slip by and not enjoy it. I'm doing so many things that I want to do, but not enjoying them like I wanted to. I used to want to live to be 100 years old, but now I'm not so sure. I surely have enough things to do to last me that long, but this isn't what I expected! Why is it so hard to enjoy this life? I'll bet it's a universal problem. Somehow I need to be able to focus on the moment and not remember all the "shoulds" running in the back of my mind.

A Living Sacrifice: Motherhood

I just read the most beautiful article about women giving birth. This is one I will reread and keep in my journal. Read it at Meridian here We need more such things to read as mothers these days.

Those poor illegal immigrants who are just trying to feed their families.....

Yea right.... Read this article and see what one of these poor harmless illegals did and how it effected a hardworking red blooded American. You know it is happening millions of times- once for every hardworking illegal they tell us about. It has to be or they wouldn't be able to work here. It might be happening to you, but your government doesn't want you to know that.
This kind of thing is an outrage and Congress and the White House had better realize it soon. Of course John McCain will only say this is justification for a guest worker program so that these poor illegals don't have to use our social security numbers. VOMIT!
He wants to keep the 500 billion dollars that are anonymously coming into the social security system so it doesn't fail on his watch. Apparently that money doesn't go to the real owner of the social security number, it gets vaporized somewhere in the US budget because the names don't match. It's a typical government shell game! I've written to my Congressman (Doc Hastings) and asked him what he intendeds or has done to solve this enormous problem in America.

Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg

I just finished Epicenter by Joel Resenberg. It is the most remarkable book I've read in a long time. He tells about the plot lines in his novels The Last Jihad, The Last Days, and The Ezekiel Option and how he came up with them. What makes them all remarkable plot lines is that major elements of the stories have come to pass very quickly after he wrote them. In Epicenter he recounts the many experiences he had interviewing world leaders, reporters, and not so average people. He focuses the chapters in Ezekiel 36-39, which talk about the last days, to come up with the premise that Russia and Iran will jointly lead a coalition against Israel and threaten her so badly that no other nation will come to her aid. God will save her and show all nations that He is the God of Israel.
Joel Rosenberg is an evangelical Christian, but also a Jew. He calls himself a Messianic Jew. That is a Jew who believes that Jesus was the Messiah and will come again to earth. He had traveled the world in many capacities and had many remarkable experiences that seem to have allowed him to see the fulfillment of the Battle of Gog and Magog. In Epicenter he shows the world events that are happening and how they might lead to the fulfillment of the prophecies in Ezekiel. His theories are not so far feched. While many people including world leaders, refuse to believe that these things could happen, many of them are happening right in front of us if we will see them. He has set up a website to continue to bring events to our attention.
It is a powerful testimony of a true believer and one that I think everyone who waits on the Lord should read, if only for another possibility.
Here are the books he cites that helped him in his discernment:
The Coming Peace in the Middle East by Dr Tim LaHayne
A Place Among the Nations by Benjamin Netanyahu
Hatred's Kingdom by Dore Gold
The Final Thrust South by Vladimir Zhirinovsky
Endgame: The Blueprint for Victory in the War On Terror By General Thomas McInerney
Saddam's Secrets: How an Iraqi General Defied and Survived Saddam Hussein by General Georges Sada
The Rise of Babylon by Charles Dyer
Light Force: A Stirring Account of the Church Caught in the Middle East Crossfire by Brother Andrew
Fear No Evil, and The Case for Democracy by Natan Sharansky

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

This book is great! Mr deBecker knows his stuff and well he should. Growing up in a violent home, he learned very young how to handle violence. He is in the business of handling risk and his biggest ally is fear. He tells us to trust our senses to tell us when something is wrong and he uses many examples to show us what he means. Using examples of extreme crimes without the gruesome details he shows us how criminals work, how to have appropriate and helpful reactions to our modern society, and explodes the myth that violence is unpredictable and random. There is alot of useful wisdom here. I plan to educate my family with this book. He mentions other good books throughout his writing, and thankfully he has a list of recommended reading in the back, because I didn't want to stop reading to write all the titles down! I also read a small book that was new in our library called What Teens and Parents Need to Know About Sex Offenders by Bobbie G. Hopes, PhD which was timely to read with Mr deBecker's book. It can be a scary world out there if you don't understand that God gave us intuitive protective functions to help us protect ourselves, and best of all he gave us the Holy Ghost to warn us. This book shows us how fear properly respected and heeded can be a great gift.
Recommended reading from Gavin De Becker:
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goldman
Fatherless America by David Blankenhorn
It Takes a Village by Hillary Clinton
Whoever Fights Monsters by Robert Ressler
Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher
Trust Your Instincts (Video)

Can NOT Wait for New Narnia!!!!!!!!!

Movie Trailer

Easier To Take Children Than a Computer

It appears that in the State of Texas, it is easier to take children out of a home, than to take a computer or other evidence of a crime.

A second newborn baby has been declared to be in imminent danger of being married off. Texas stole the baby of an FLDS woman whom they think might be underage. The day the baby was born it was taken into CPS custody. She claims to be 22 years old.
Does anyone remember that annoying Amendment that had to do with search and seizure?

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Apparently that doesn't include children. According to precedent, a judge must give consent to the police going into a home and removing evidence of a crime. Did a judge consent to removing over 400 children? Was it because they were a certain religion? Was it because they were in imminent danger of being married off? Was it because they might be pregnant? Or that they might be having sex? (Without a state run sex education class? We all know how effective they are!)
I am so upset at what is happening in this situation. It is so wrong. These women and children are being victimized by the state.

Cool Site About The Declaration

I found a site that has the text of the Declaration of Independence and a link to a biography for each of the signers. Cool!

What Liberals Really Think...

Don Feder gives a great illustration of the "two America's" that exist in America and the diffeence between what Liberals think and what Conservatives think. We need to study this list and be prepared to face its truth when we see it so we do not join it.

The left’s disdain for ordinary Americans colors its entire agenda. Because we’re too stupid to know how to spend our income, taxes should be confiscatory. Since we’re too improvident to plan for our retirement, Social Security must remain sacrosanct.

Because we’ll pass our bigotry on to the next generation, government needs to indoctrinate our children – with multiculturalism, skepticism and an appreciation for alternative lifestyles.

Due to our violent nature, we can’t be trusted with guns. So government should make it progressively harder for citizens to own them.

Because we won’t vote responsibly (for “progressive” politicians), increasingly, political power should be vested in the courts, which are insulated from the will of the people.

We are two nations divided by a cultural/ideological chasm the width of the Grand Canyon. One resides in San Francisco, Grosse Pointe, Manhattan’s Upper East Side and Chevy Chase. The other lives in towns two hours off the Interstate.

One thinks guns are more dangerous than criminals. The other thinks gun-control means a good grip and a steady aim. One believes in capital punishment. The other looks at a serial killer and asks where we, as a society, went wrong.

One feels for illegal aliens denied amnesty. The other feels for the black teens in Newark murdered by illegals last year.

One thinks abortion is a constitutional right. The other thinks it’s an abomination.

One thinks Islamism is a menace. The other thinks it might just have a point.

One thinks parents should raise their children. The other thinks the proverbial Village -- au pairs, Guatemalan housemaids and daycare workers– should shoulder the burden.

One believes society should support marriage. The other thinks it’s passé – except for gays.

One believes in moral absolutes. The other believes in relativism. One believes in free will and personal responsibility. The other believes in Sigmund Freud, Dr Spock and Oprah.

One believes in God. The other believes in government.

It’s hard to warm to a candidate who thinks you’re a malicious moron who takes solace in a .45 and a type of Shiite Christianity.

Global Warming and the War on Families

Don Feeder writes an excellent article exposing the Global Warming crowd’s real target- families and religion.

http://www.ldsmag.com//ideas/080501globe.html

 

 

Texas FLDS Polygamy and Mormons

Apparently the New York Times has shown just how ignorant and lazy it is. They are saying that the LDS church in the 19th century was no different than the modern FLDS. The Church Historian put out a statement correcting the Times. The Deseret News article had a lot of comments about this, most universally condemning the FLDS and this "reporter" at the Times. One especially good comment was from Matthew:

Modern society considers it normal and acceptible for most teenagers to be sexually active. Modern society just doesn't want them getting married or having children. Modern society embrasses (embraces) serial polygamy (marry, divorce, marry, divorce, marry, etc.) Modern society encourages 15 year-olds to pose nude, drapped in a sheet and then criticises them for doing it. Modern society causes teenage girls to have eating disorders and teenage boys to use steroids. Modern society embraces abortion as a convenient form of birth control. Modern Society produces teenagers that want to, and try to, kill all of their school mates.

Even if all of Egan's falsehoods about 19th century Mormons were true, it would still shine in comparison to his precious modern society. Given that they are not true, he ought to be focusing his efforts on improving the society he is part of.

This is the point I akwardly tried to make in my previous posts. I responded this way:

Right on Matthew!
I have another observation. Everyone in America (some LDS included) are assuming that all the "reporting" on the FLDS is correct. They have been found guilty without even a shred of evidence.
I watched the interviews of the women who have lost all their children and it broke my heart. These families are being ripped apart by a prank phone call. There has been no evidence of any abuse- only the accusations and imaginings of reporters. Yet we all condemn them anyway.
We (LDS) need to watch out that we don't do the same things to them that we claim are being done to us.
In reading articles about the FLDS and LDS I have been cured of any trust in our media. They are biased, lazy and elitest and can't be believed anymore. We seem to be in a catch 22. Experience is directly at odds with what our media is trying to convince us of.
Certainly these two religions are not any more similar than Baptists and Catholics, but it's not necessary to convict them just to make ourselves look better. Government is abusing these folks.

Since I had limited words let me elaborate a little more.
What I see on these comment boards and occasionally in person is arrogance. We love to assert our righteousness and sometimes assert that because we are persecuted, we must be right! Well as one commenter pointed out the FLDS and many other groups could use that logic. We need to learn to talk to people without all the Sunday language. It's not testimony meeting. We need to talk about the doctrines. But we first must know them. Often we need to know our history. In this case a knowledge of our history is essential and those who don't know it only get in the way with their Sunday School answers. The world needs fact and doctrine without the condescension. What we think is common sense or obvious is not so to everyone. And too often I see LDS commenters assuming that what they "know" is commonsense and obvious to everyone, and anyone who doesn't get it must be evil or stupid. We should be the best defenders of other religions in the world. Instead, I see us whining about our own persecutions and participating in persecutions of others.
The government is abusing these women at this Texas ranch. We should be angry about that because it could easily happen to us. Instead, we are afraid of being lumped with them and so we willingly condemn them to protect ourselves. It's shameful. I certainly hope that when the time comes that LDS children are removed from their mothers for some prank phone call, that the Baptists, FLDS, Catholics, Muslims, and Buddists, will stand up for me!

I'm Boycotting Organic and My Lazy Toilet

Have you noticed the increase in products claiming to be "organic" and the corresponding higher price of those items? This going green craze is out of control. Do they think we are really that dumb?
Have you heard about a "lazy toilet?" Well a lazy toilet is simply a toilet that was installed between 1994 and 1999. That's the only criteria. Do you have a lazy toilet? Is this perfectly ridiculous or what? Marketers are going to new heights of silly to get us to buy new things. Now simply because your toilet was installed in a five year period (what about toilets installed in 1993?) it's destroying the earth a gobbling up your drinking supply. Oh no! We will all die of thirst from our lazy toilets!
And then, you know all your products and food must be organic or you will be poisoned by horrid chemicals (that have been all around us for many years by the way). The new Lowe's catalog came to our house yesterday. I usually drool over this catalog and all the beautiful scenes I wish I could create. But this time I was rolling my eyes by the time I got through it. It seems like the only persuasion they know is that we need to save the Earth. I don't have time to count how many products were labeled "organic" but it was way too much. Make sure your meat is free range, and your sheets are made of non chemical using organic cotton. The other buzz word was natural. But if we went natural Lowe's would be out of business. So its a bit funny to see them peddling natural scenes. And then there is the scare about chemicals in your carpets and paint.
Its getting to be too much. I don't need any additional guilt about what products I'm buying. I'm tired of all the PC nonsense. I don't care how the cotton in my sheets and pillows grew. I just care that my sheets and pillows don't fall apart too quickly. I don't expect my paint to stop smelling and I don't care if my toilet is lazy! I don't believe that we are destroying the earth. And I don't need the PC induced complication to my life or the organic scam that charges me more to assuage my earth-destroying guilt. I don't care if my jam is from chemical free fruit. I don't care if my beef is free range or in a pen (nor my milk either!).
Enough!

Freedom Requires Judgment

In one class we are having a discussion of partial birth abortions and the ruling in Nebraska. After getting sickened by all the folks who say they oppose abortion but cannot or will not judge others who do it I wrote this:

It IS up to us to judge. When we live in a free society where the people have the power we definately are placed in the position to judge, and by refusing we allow evil like these partial birth abortions to get hold. So many of the arguments that "support" abortion are red herrings and straw men. And so many people fall for it because they wont think deeply about it. This is a disturbing subject and most people won't go there. They'd rather plug their ears and talk loudly about something else.

"All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men (and women) to do nothing" -Edmond Burke