Life on the Farm in East Texas

Strange things in the mail

2011-12-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

I got an order for a product I make and a nice sized sample of candy was included with the payment! We've made candy for years and it was better than anything I could get else where. However, these samples seem to have been made with better chocolate than I could ever get. So, yes it's better than what we used to make. The company is Winton Candies (http://www.wintonscandies.com/)
Here's what we got to sample:

There's white chocolate fudge, chocolate fudge and three different caramels in the picture. I like caramel, but I don't like it sticking to my teeth (what few I have left). All of the caramels were good and didn't stick!

So, take it from me, the candy is good and it is shippable by contacting the Wintons and ordering some for Christmas. I thought the prices are reasonable too.

Fried Apples!

2011-11-26T08:03:00.000-08:00

I had worked up a step by step article on fried apples, and somehow it never got posted anywhere. I think it may have been due to the size of the file, so I'll try again here.

Long years ago, my grandmother would buy apples when the truck came around in late fall. She normally got at least two bushels, one of yellow delicious and one of red delicious and sometimes more. The smoke house was a good storage area and they kept well in the central Missouri environment. Her apple pies were fantastic and my wife learned her technique/method well! Of course, she made crust with lard, so we have had to substitute butter for the fat and it turns out just about as good.

Fried apples went with breakfast, where there was usually thin cut ham (cut off of the ham hanging in the smoke house) fried eggs, biscuits and fried apples for a biscuit topping! She fried her apples in the ham drippings.

My wife, in her usual wisdom, learned the method during one of our visits back to the old home place. Grandma usually peeled her apples, but we tend to like the peeling left on, thinking there may be more vitamins left in the finished product. A cast iron skillet is an asset, but not absolutely essential.

With a healthy amount of butter in the skillet, the frying process is started with the addition of the sliced apples (take the core and the stem out first).

As the apples cook down some, sugar is sprinkled over the top, which will help them cook down more as the juice forms.

The amount of sugar depends on how "candied" you want them and how sweet you want them.

On this occasion, we were having pancakes, so we layered the apples between pancakes.

Then we finished off the layers with a goodly portion of apples on top and they were great!

Pictures make it easier for you to see what I'm attempting to describe with words. The excess liquid from the apples is used as a syrup and it helps moisten the pancakes for eating.

The past two years, we have been able to buy Missouri apples through the Mennonites. So, we had 5 bushels to share with children and friends while eating more than a few. They aren't $2/bushel, like my grandmother bought, but they are still very reasonable compared to produce stands and grocery stores. We store ours in a cooler and they keep for a long time. It really doesn't hurt if they wrinkle a little in storage, because they will still fry up in grand fashion!

The pictures are all over the place, but you should get the idea of what goes where. They will get bigger if you click on them. Enjoy, if you get the opportunity!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T07:16:00.000-08:00

As usual, we had a crowd for Thanksgiving dinner! I think there were about 19 here, including our great granddaughter and a few visitors. My girls (wife, two daughters and 3 granddaughters) are all pretty good cooks, so we had an abundance of food and tons of leftovers. I didn't even do the desserts justice, since I was so full of real food!

The table tops we had made really helped with seating. With two tables 6 feet by 4 feet butted together, we can seat 13 or 14 before we have to use the table in the sitting room.

As usual, I didn't get enough pictures, so I'll have to see what my granddaughters captured and figure out how to post them here.

It seems like the "news" for the day is expecting another great grandchild in July of 2012! Out of 8 grandchildren only one is married, so great grandchildren in abundance are still in the future.

Whatever happened to common sense?

2010-08-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

The community I live in had a big pow wow with the County Sheriff this evening and I was amazed at some of the comments. After being told the number of deputies on duty at any given time, which was very few to cover 900 square miles, one person asked why there hadn't been a follow up on the information he supposedly had on possible suspects for the rash of burglaries we've had recently.

It seems the 16 year old daughter was home alone and a couple of men drove up trying to sell an asphalt driveway. Since the length of the driveway would have supposedly made the cost prohibitive, it was automatically assumed it was just an excuse to case the place and see if anyone was home. Without any laws being broken, except maybe endangerment to a minor that was left alone, the Sheriff was supposed to drop everything and send his understaffed deputies out to check on the report?

Another question was whether the state provides information of recently released prisoners. When told the parolees were reported, he wanted to know if those who had served their time were also reported to the sheriff. I always thought when you served your time, your obligation was fulfilled, you were free to go and do as you pleased and the offense wasn't continuously held against you.

Crime, especially burglary, is on the rise due to the economic situation. It's part of the fall out from a failure of the government's stimulus efforts, where there are many people out of work because of policies and laws passed in the last year or so. The government has taken over industries, which is far removed from the powers invested in them through Constitutional directives. There are unfunded mandates that are passed on to the local communities, which are creating economic hardships at every level of society.

There isn't a sense of propriety in much that is taking place now. The people seem to have lost any sense of what is proper in their quest for more things and have allowed the government to dictate what will or will not be done. The existence of the "nanny state" is evident in meetings, like what was held tonight. "They", the Sheriff's deputies, are supposed to protect property and prevent crime from ever happening, which is a ridiculous concept.

I have a gun that goes with me to meet strange vehicles. I don't leave the premises unoccupied very often and that in itself is a deterrent to crime. My wife is proficient with a shotgun, which is probably the best defensive device to use, especially when it's loaded with buckshot. We have made a living right here on the farm since 1987 and were satisfied with what we had (not having a television probably helped keep the "wants" under control). It would probably be better if everyone would heed these words: Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Contentment with what we have would ease a lot of economic burdens and bring over extended credit cards back under control. Taking care of yourself has always been part of being an American, so why would anyone expect the Sheriff to provide protection?

Lunch on the farm!

2010-08-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

It seems like politics and such have been the focus of attention too many times, so how about a visit for lunch?

Meals get harder to prepare when there are only two at home, but it can still be done and my wife excels at it. Much of what we eat is still grown here, which gives us good variety and it reduces the food bill tremendously, especially when it's red or yellow bell peppers and tomatoes that are consumed (fresh asparagus could also be included).

It really doesn't take a lot of time or money to grow your own food and particularly if it's more along the specialty food line. As we advance in age, we look for easier methods to allow us to enjoy fresh food, so we have started what we call "tub gardening". The winter molasses feed for cows has provided an abundance of containers that can feed a pretty large plant and also gets it up higher to eliminate much of the stooping and bending to weed and harvest. Here's a portion of this year's garden. The tub garden is to the left of the outdoor luncheon that was prepared.

All sorts of fruits and vegetables can be grown this way, to include strawberries and blackberries.

We still have a traditional garden, but it's mostly for crops that need more production to supply our needs, like green beans and peas.

Lunch today was a combination of vegetables and leftovers that took the form of beef stew.

Of course, no meal is ever complete without some cat head biscuits.

And a cherry shortcake dessert with real whipped cream!

One of the side benefits of affordable food is the ability to share with others. A portion of this meal will go to a neighbor whose wife is in a nursing home. Home cooked meals are a premium for people in a situation like that and are always appreciated!

Marie Antoinette?

2010-08-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

There's quite a bit of coverage of the Michelle Obama "vacation" in Spain this week. Some of the comments revolve around the concept presented by Marie Antoinette, of lavish living while the working people are having a hard time making ends meet.

There seems to be a real disconnect between the Obamas and reality for the average American. Most are struggling with fewer available jobs (we lost another 131,000 last month and May/June was 91,000 less than reported), or even keeping the job they had. Times are certainly getting better with the economic recovery we're supposed to be in. In fact, it appears to me the recovery is a figment of someone's imagination!

We have an incompetent administration, from the top down, and their bungling has cost America dearly. To make matters worse, we have Republicans voting with these incompetents on every available occasion. That may explain the reason for their 11% approval poll rating.

Elections are less than 3 months away and hopefully much of the damage can be averted by a change in personnel. There are some who have maintained a consistent appreciation of the Constitution and its dominant position in American politics (Louie Ghomert R-TX is a good example). They are who we need to be retained in the next election cycle. There are many who are demonstrably detriments to our survival as a free nation. They are the ones needing to be in the unemployment lines, looking for a new job.

Some changes aren't an improvement

2010-08-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, the SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute) pressure standard for the old .30-30 was 38,000 cup (copper units of pressure). That’s according to Speer #10, page 214. That amounts to 7,000-8,000 cup less than the .357 Mag, by the old SAAMI pressure standards (some say as much as 46,000 cup being the max). Since the piezo transducer method of measuring pressure does have a 3% error and the copper crusher has a 5% error, it still doesn’t add up to the current specifications!

The current SAAMI standard is 42,000 psi for the .30-30, however, the current standard for the .357 Mag is 35,000 psi. What I’m trying to figure out is how the psi pressure goes up by 4000 for the .30-30 and goes down 11,000 for the .357 Mag, when both are compared to cup units of pressure?

Some seem to think there’s some sort of voodoo that is in effect with hand gun cartridges, that makes them behave different than rifle cartridges. Voodoo aside, pressure is still pressure, especially if it’s derived by using the same method.

If the copper crusher method had been thoroughly discredited, there wouldn’t still be a reference of 38,000 cup in Speer #13, page 263 for the .30-30. So, it can only be concluded that copper crusher pressures are still within the standards allowed by SAAMI. That also means the .357 Mag is a higher pressure cartridge than the .30-30 when measured by copper crusher, and there’s no getting around that fact. It’s also a fact that more pressure can’t be less pressure, regardless of the logic being used and/or the higher degree of accuracy afforded by using a piezo transducer.

The copper crusher method was the dominant standard until sometime later than 1975. If the general run of loads in pre-1975 publications is higher than what we see now, that should be ample indication of things being downloaded despite the protestations of SAAMI and their minions.

A look at the 1971 Sierra Reloading Manual, page 205, shows a 125 gr bullet in .357 Mag using 19.0 gr of Hercules 2400 and a CCI 500 primer for 1500 fps. For some reason this is showing up as a suspect image site, but the site is mine, so try this link instead http://www.bbhfarm.com/albums/album16/aab.sized.jpg

A similar bullet in Speer #13, page 528 says (the Alliant website duplicates this data) 17.5 gr produces 1409 fps using a CCI 500 primer.
Reloader's Guide Alliant Powder Reload Recipes

Pistols and Revolvers
357 Magnum * 125 gr Speer GDHP

Minimum OAL (inches) Bbl Length Primer Powder Charge Weight(grains)

Velocity
(fps)
1.58 10 CCI 500 Unique 9.6 1,343
1.58 10 CCI 500 Power Pistol 10.5 1,345
1.58 10 CCI 500 2400 17.5 1,409

Speer #8, from 1970, page 371 says 19.5 gr of 2400 with a CCI 550 produces 1514 fps using the same bullet as Speer #13. For some reason this is showing up as a suspect image site, but the site is mine, so try this link instead http://www.bbhfarm.com/albums/album10/aap.sized.jpg

That’s two copper crusher loads using 19.0-19.5 gr of 2400 with one piezo transducer load at 17.0 gr, so there’s a minimum reduction of 2.0 gr, or roughly 10%, using the same canister powder.

So, let’s look at another powder, Unique, using those same 125 gr bullets. Speer #13 says 9.6 gr with a CCI 500 at 1343 fps. Sierra says 10.0 gr at 1500 fps with a CCI 550 and Speer #8 says 10.5 gr with a CCI 500 at 1545 fps. Again, the later publication uses less powder than the earlier publications.

Further comparisons are difficult due to the powders being reported on having changed over the years, not in composition, but with common powders in the 1970s being out of production now, i.e. Alcan powders.

There are two conclusions for the reductions in powder weights, either the data from days gone by were dangerous due to incompetence on the part of the testers, or the standards have changed to a lower actual pressure.

My experience with Speer #8 loads indicate real world velocities that pretty well agree with what they got in 1970, not what they report now.

New Car Fever?

2010-07-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

I kinda got out of the new car rat race a long time ago. 1977 was the last time we bought a new car for a family vehicle and it was a full size Chevrolet station wagon. I had determined it was to last us 10 years, so the cost of owning it, not including driving it, was only $600/year, plus license plates and insurance. At the time, that broke down to about $75/month, just to own it.

Things have changed a lot since those days and prices are much higher now than they were then. That car cost about $6000.00 and gasoline was about $0.70/gallon (over 3 times as high as it was when we got married in 1966!). Insurance was about $120/year, instead of $160 every six months. It still wasn’t too easy to make car payments of $200/month, especially since I had taken a 20% pay cut and was only making $12,000/year.

There had to be a better way and being a little mechanically inclined, I began driving used cars only. Being pretty selective in what I would drive reduced the cost by a large amount. I didn’t buy it unless it got at least 20 miles per gallon (MPG). I disdained automatic transmissions, because they use more fuel and are more prone to problems. I reverted back to the days of my first automobile, a 1961 VW Beetle, and thought of durability and economy of operation. So, we drove a lot of VWs, Toyotas and Nissans.

Owning a foreign car repair shop made me aware of the strengths and weaknesses of many of the brands and the problems and attending costs of certain features. “Bells and whistles” are nice when they’re new, but they’re money pits when they get some age on them. As far as I’m concerned, computer controlled cars and accessories are a nightmare to work on and expensive to repair, so I avoid them if possible.

I was successful for many years in having simple, easy to repair automobiles, because I bought carbureted, non-fuel injected vehicles. They operate on a 3.5 pound fuel system that’s much safer than the 30+ pound fuel injected systems. It used to be rare to see a automobile fire, but with fuel injection’s rise in usage, it’s much more common now. The simple reason was mostly because of electric fuel pumps, that continue to run after an accident, spewing high pressure gasoline to be caught on fire!

Some will object and claim fuel injection makes for better fuel economy, but it’s hard to beat 35 highway MPG that was obtainable with a 1600 cc 1975 Toyota Corolla, even with the A/C on! My 1973, 1976 and 1979 Datsun 620 pickups would get 25 MPG, with the A/C on, and 30+ years later the new fuel injected trucks aren’t doing any better.

The paint on the 1973 Datsun is still pretty good, it’s just regular enamel, without a clear coat. I made a mistake about 5 years ago, breaking my rule, and bought a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee with clear coat paint, automatic transmission and lots of bells and whistles. When the clear coat began to peal, I checked the price to repair it and was shocked at the suggestion it would take $2500 just to strip and renew the clear coat! Then the overdrive quit working and mileage fell to 16 MPG, another $1500 to repair that. Then the computers started acting weird, so I just parked it and bought another vehicle. It would have taken more to repair it than what it was worth!

Now, I’m driving a 1984 Chevrolet 3/4 ton diesel pickup. It gets 20 MPG on the highway and can haul what needs to hauled, including a 20 foot gooseneck trailer. I bought it for $500 and it only has 104,000 miles on it now, after I’ve been driving it several years. No computers and it has a standard transmission. I replaced the Jeep with a 1987 Mercedes Benz 300 D Turbo. No computer, no clear coat and it’s a diesel. It has over 200,000 miles on it, but may last up to 1,000,000 miles (Mercedes has mileage awards, in the form of medallions for the grill, for 5 levels, beginning at 155,000 miles and going to 1,000,000 miles) . It gets close to 30 MPG, with the A/C on. It was less than $4000, but I had to drive to Austin to get it. (250,000 km is the same as 155,000 miles)

So, tell me how many years you have to drive your new vehicle to make those $300-$500/month payments for 60 months look a little more economical. It certainly won't pay for itself in fuel economy, because new fuel injected cars and trucks don't get any more miles per gallon than the older models did.

Unique positions in life

2010-07-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

I just got back, the early part of this month, from a family reunion in St. Louis, MO. Since my mother was the oldest sibling, I happen to be older than one of my uncles. I was sorta sandwiched in between the last two children and that's actually a unique position. Reunions always bring back memories of the far distant past and this one was no exception. The last visit I had to St. Louis seemed to have encompassed a visit to all of the old "home places" I was familiar with. One on Allen Ave. and one on Oregon Ave. Here's one of the favorite picture taking places on Allen with most of the family, at the time, present (I'm right in the front).

Allen was pretty far back in my memory, but still there. I attended Hogdin Elementary (I don't even know how to spell it anymore) during part of the 2nd grade, while we were waiting to move to Texas in 1952.

Shortly after we moved, they moved too. The "new" house was on Oregon Ave. and looked like this in 1952.

There was a plum tree in the back yard that was big enough to climb in (we don't have any that big around here!). I understand it was an old farm house that had been modernized from its 1850s state, but that may be just "legend".

Part of the year's excitement was after I got out of school for the summer. We got out a week earlier than St. Louis did, so I was there for the last day of school, when a trip was taken to Forest Park Highlands!

The Highlands, as we called it, was originally built in 1896 and burned in 1963, so it had a long history that included being a part of the World's Fair in 1904. Some of those buildings are still in use for their intended purposes.

A tour can be made of the Highlands at this site:
http://www.forestparkhighlands.com (I can't get it to come up as a hyperlink)
There's a video of the fire at that button on the home page, but there's also pictures of the Comet roller coaster and the Flying Turns. It was a great place to visit and provided many great memories!

Sometimes, memories put someone in a unique place, but it may only be unique to that one person. I stayed the week not too far from Herculaneum, MO, in Jefferson County. Most people are unaware of the Doe Run lead smelting operation there and the prominence of making shot and the material for bullets at that location. Here's a mural at the state capitol depicting part of its history. (click on the image for the full view)

I keep looking for a good picture of the shot tower, but never seemed to find one, until now!

The Shot Tower was built in 1856 (By 1813 three shot towers had been constructed on the bluffs) to produce lead shot ammunition. Molten lead was poured from the top of the tower and as it fell, it passed through a series of sieves until it was the proper size for ammunition, and then it landed in a tub of cold water. The balls were then caught in a water basin and taken to an adjoining building to be turned through cylinders to round and smooth the pellets for use as projectiles in firearms. It's one of the few remaining shot towers in the country and the only one west of the Mississippi (barely!).

In 1808 Moses Austin and S. Hammond laid out the town of Herculaneum at the mouth of Joachim Creek near the site of the abandoned New Hartford. "Moses Austin (October 4, 1761 – June 10, 1821) was a leading figure in the development of the American lead industry and the father of Stephen F. Austin, a pioneer settler of Texas."

Stephen F. Austin University is in Nacogdoches, Texas, about 25 miles south of here, so it does sorta come full circle and shows the unique way things link together and all brought about by an excursion into the memories of the past.

A Long Dry Spell

2010-07-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering why I haven't posted anything is about a year and a half. Well, would you believe I have just figured out how to reset my password to be able to access the site?

Don't laugh, it may happen to you, when you get as old as I am.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to finally have a media where I can express my views and maybe bring some reason back to the world as I know it. After the Presidential elections, I was really wondering if there were any reasonable people left. For some reason, the idea of putting someone in the highest office we have in America that had zero leadership experience was so completely foreign to me, I was in shock, and I continue to be in shock, as I see my once great nation being dismantled.

I don't know that I can see a redistribution of wealth taking place, as Joe the Plumber was told would happen, but I do know the value of the dollar has dropped drastically in the past 10 years. From 2001, when gold was less than $300/ounce, it took until 2006 for the price to double. From 2006 to the present it has doubled again. From January of 2009 to right now, the price has risen from $800/ounce to over $1200/ounce. That's over 50% in a year and a half! Here's a 10 year chart on gold prices.

As the government continues to spend what they don't have, there are many who are trying to hedge on a devalued dollar by buying gold. But that's not all! Silver has increased by about the same percentage! That's going from about $4.25/ounce to $17.25/ounce in the same period. Here's the chart for silver prices.

This all means, if the precious metal prices are any real indication of buying power, you can only buy 1/4 now of what you could buy in 2000 with the same amount of money.

I looked at my electric bill this month and saw $450 with $103 going to power factors for the production costs. Every time I go into the grocery store, I see higher prices than the week before and this is the change everyone was hoping for? Here's the 10 year prices for natural gas, which doesn't vindicate the gross increase in power cost adjustment.

We have a serious financial problem and no one seems to care what happens to the average person and their abilities to afford what we consider the basics in life.

The charts can be viewed in their full size by right clicking on the image and selecting "Open in a new window", or something like that. That's not the same as what I posted in the comments, but I didn't remember I could edit that into the original post.

What's with the oil spill?

2010-07-07T16:19:00.001-07:00

It seems like there has been a loss of interest in the Gulf oil spill spewing from the botched BP well. That's really unfortunate that the attention span has been exceeded and has now moved on to more important things, like Lindsey Lohan deservedly being sent to jail.

There has been so much mismanagement and dereliction of responsibilities it makes one wonder if anyone in the present administration really cares about the Gulf coast's environment. We have out of control bureaucrats making decisions when they don't have a clue about the ramifications of those decisions. They only think in terms of the small niche they occupy without any consideration for the big picture. An example, the worry over whether berms requested by Bobby Jindal would have an adverse effect on the environment, even though it's a forgone conclusion that oil in those wetlands would damage that which they purport to be concerned about.

There is going to be some short term damage, but even that could have been averted if there had been an active effort made to prevent the oil from reaching shore, by whatever means necessary.

It's something that could have been avoided with proper action, but instead we got inaction and hands tied for those who would have done something constructive.

The world isn't going to come to an end with this oil spill, since I have land that is an old well site (that surely had oil spilled at times) and I cut hay on it every year. Here's what it looked like when I first began getting it back in shape.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/Paul5388/Goldenrodtractor2.jpg
(I don't know why I can't get the image to appear, but the link is good for a copy and paste)
It's not exactly a barren piece of ground is it? It hasn't been destroyed to never be in condition to grow anything, is it? However, it also didn't have an uncontrolled amount of oil dumped on it for 3 months like what's happening in the Gulf!

Unhappy week

2009-01-08T19:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, this hasn't been the happiest week for me. A good friend has passed away and not only is there void in my life, it also reminds me of how mortal I really am.

Dr. Jon Campbell, of Natchez, Mississippi, passed early Monday morning and his funeral will be held tomorrow at 2 pm.

Here's an older photo of Jon, with a Freedom Arms .454 Casull, with the results of a hog hunt in Louisiana.

Jon was a master of the art of telling stories (not untrue ones) and could truly take you to the place and events, as if you were there. Tales of the "old days" and how we used to do things in those very politically incorrect ways. Times of teens and pre-teens being allowed to hunt by themselves, with something larger than a BB gun!

He was also very knowledgeable on the practices and techniques utilized in casting bullets and handloading. In fact, is where I initially met Jon. That was back some time ago and we became good friends over the years. We visited back and forth while he was still physically able and then it got to where I would have to do the traveling. There are just times when the telephone and/or email just isn't the same as a eye to eye visit.

One of Jon's passions was bullet casting, even when he wasn't physically up to very strenuous activity. He could sit and cast or further process his work, by taking it to the proper size and lubricating it, so it would function properly and accurately. He bought on old mould quite a few years ago that was made by Ohaus for the .45 Auto Rim, but it only had a single cavity. That single cavity is a good way to slow down progress, so he began a quest for more cavities in that bullet design. Well, Ohaus had been out of the bullet mould business since the 1970s, so it was a matter of finding someone to make a new mould. After several tries to get some others to go in on a "group buy", he and another friend in California got NEI to make the mould. Here's the result of that venture, and I present it here as a sort of memorial to Jon.

Sarah Palin takes on the media!

2009-01-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here's an interview that Governor Palin gave recently where she explains some of the bias of the media.

Memories

2008-12-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I do a good bit of whistlin' and I'm not even musically minded. Sometimes I even wonder what it is that I'm whistlin' and if it's just something I've made up in my mind. One of the recurring ones is actually the second song on the embed and I wasn't particularly a Bob Wills fan. You might even say he pre-dates any interest I had in music.

The San Antonio Rose I'm familiar with may have actually been done by Gene Autry in one of his movies by the same name. Regardless, it's stuck with me and maybe you'll enjoy the recording.

Dec. 7, 1941, a day of infamy!

2008-12-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

67 years ago, the United States was drawn into the war in the Pacific by the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese naval forces. There are similarities to the attack on 9/11/2001 by terrorist, who destroyed the World Trade Center and killed thousands of people. Hopefully, our determination to defeat the terrorist mind set and organization will be as strong as our determination to defeat Japan.

What the Second Amendment is REALLY for

2008-12-06T21:52:00.000-08:00

In October of 2003, Texas Representative, Dr. Susanna Gratia-Hupp, gave this testimony before the US Senate. I don't think I need to say much more, because the video pretty well says it all.

Video: Cutting through the "Assault Weapons" Hype

2008-12-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

"Officer Leroy Pyle debunks myths about semi-autos. He uses demonstrations with live firearms and congressional testimony...to show what the truth really is." It's a good informational video that would help many to understand some of the differences and the "trigger" words that tend to incite hysteria.

U.S. stocks on the day after presidential elections

2008-11-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

The following is from Reuters at http://in.reuters.com/article/usMktRpt/idINN0531971420081105 You'll notice the greatest amount of drop was today. FDR in 1932 and Harry Truman in 1948 came close.

The following table shows the percentage rise or decline in the
Dow Jones industrial average .DJI, Standard & Poor's 500 index
.SPX and Nasdaq composite index .IXIC on the day after a U.S
presidential election and who won the Election Day vote.
Year Dow S&P Nasdaq President elect
2008 -5.05 -5.27 -5.53 Barack Obama
2004 +1.01 +1.12 +0.98 George W. Bush
2000 -0.41 -1.58 -5.39 No decision: G.W. Bush v Al Gore*
1996 +1.59 +1.46 +1.34 William Clinton
1992 -0.91 -0.67 +0.16 William Clinton
1988 -0.43 -0.66 -0.29 George H. W. Bush
1984 -0.88 -0.73 -0.32 Ronald Reagan
1980 +1.70 +1.77 +1.49 Ronald Reagan
1976 -0.99 -1.14 -1.12 James Carter
1972 -0.11 -0.55 -0.39 Richard Nixon
1968 +0.34 +0.16 --- Richard Nixon
1964 -0.19 -0.05 --- Lyndon Johnson
1960 +0.77 +0.44 --- John Kennedy
1956 -0.85 -1.03 --- Dwight Eisenhower
1952 +0.40 +0.28 --- Dwight Eisenhower
1948 -3.85 -4.15 --- Harry Truman
1944 -0.27 0.00 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1940 -2.39 -3.14 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1936 +2.26 +1.40 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1932 -4.51 -2.67 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1928 +1.20 +1.77 --- Herbert Hoover
1924 +1.17 --- --- Calvin Coolidge
1920 -0.57 --- --- Warren Harding
1916 -0.35 --- --- Woodrow Wilson
1912 +1.83 --- --- Woodrow Wilson
1908 +2.38 --- --- William Taft
1904 +1.30 --- --- Theodore Roosevelt
1900 +3.33 --- --- William McKinley
1896 +4.54 --- --- William McKinley
* George W. Bush ultimately was determined the winner of the 2000
election.
Source: Reuters EcoWin

It's amazing, but true.

2008-10-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, what's believed is amazing, especially when coupled with the Obama campaign. "I won't have to worry about putting gas in my car and I won't have to worry about paying my mortgage" is what she says makes her so enthralled with Obama. I wonder who is going to pay for those things?

Is the heat being turned up?

2008-10-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

Channel 3 (CBS) Philadelphia seems to be in hot water with the Obama/Biden campaign over this interview.

From the web site of Oldaker, Biden and Belair, LLP:

R. Hunter Biden

Government Relations International Trade and Business Development

Mr. Biden is a founding partner of Oldaker, Biden & Belair, LLP.

Another source says:

R. Hunter Biden is one of Senator Joe Biden's (D-DE) three children. He was a founding partner of Oldaker, Biden & Belair,

Redistribution of the wealth, Obama 2001

2008-10-26T23:50:00.000-07:00

It isn't a new thing with Obama to want to take from them that have and give it to them that don't have. Classic Marxism at work.

Barbara West interview with Joe Biden

2008-10-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well, someone finally has started asking some tougher questions of the Democrats. Here's Barbara West of channel 9 in Orlando interviewing Joe Biden and asking about the "Marxist" connection to "spreading the wealth". There's also a question about the Obama connection to ACORN, which we know exists, even though they deny it. There may not be a direct connection to ACORN, but their subsidiary is certainly in play.

Who is ready?

2008-10-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about the question of which candidate for President is the most prepared, especially in light of Joe Biden's dire predictions of "testing" for Obama in the first 6 months of his presidency, should that befall us.

The whole thing reminds me of a passage in II Chronicles,

10:4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.

10:5 And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.

10:6 And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?

10:7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever.

10:8 But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him.

There is usually wisdom that comes with age, which isn't the same thing as intelligence or education. There is preparation that comes with experience, i.e. "passing through the fire", especially in matters of military concern and foreign relations.

In Rehoboam's situation, "new" thinking out weighed the wisdom of the older generation and as a result, the kingdom was split. That's not exactly what he had in mind, but it happened anyway.

Now, to bring this to our situation, we have someone who has never run anything, aspiring to lead the greatest nation in history. He has no experience, so he has to rely on advisers, like Al Gore, John Kerry, Chuck Lugar, Joe "Mr. Gaffe" Biden, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. You want to throw in Colin Powell? Well, I suppose that would be OK, but it has to be remembered that he really didn't do as much as what was accomplished in the latest Iraq trip, all the way to Baghdad.

Obama and his entourage is a recipe for disaster. The wisdom of age and experience can be chosen much easier, by voting for John McCain on November 4th.

Australian SAS soldier fought on

2008-10-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing story I wanted to share with you. We have some brave allies and that should be recognized!

DESPITE being shot twice during an ambush in Afghanistan, an SAS soldier lashed himself to the front of his patrol vehicle so he wouldn't be left behind if he passed out from loss of blood and kept on fighting.

The Digger is expected to be recommended for a high level bravery award.

Suffering from serious upper body wounds, the soldier struggled on to the front of his SAS long range patrol vehicle (LRPV) and, under heavy fire, used a rope to attach himself firmly between the vehicle's bull bar and radiator.

Once he was secured, and there was no chance that he would fall off if he fainted, he picked up his rifle and resumed firing at the enemy during a two-hour fighting withdrawal.

SAS troops and their special forces comrades from the Commando Regiment are well aware of the slow and painful death that awaits them if they are captured by the Taliban.

The Digger, who cannot be identified, faded in and out of consciousness, emptying several magazines as volleys of enemy rounds and rocket propelled grenades, rained down around him.

He was finally evacuated from the battle field at high speed still lashed to the front of the LRPV.
. . .
A source told The Courier-Mail the Digger was now "up and about" and would recover fully from his serious gunshot wounds. His heroic deeds will be recognised when he is recommended for a high level bravery award.

Here's the link to the whole story. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24537160-5007133,00.html

Sarah Smile by Lloyd Marcus

2008-10-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

Something a little lighter, but still has THE MESSAGE!

Lloyd Marcus is a wonderful singer and talented artist. He grew up in the projects of East Baltimore. The tragedies he saw there as a child made him realize that Great Society projects and welfare destroy people’s lives and their communities.

BTW, I suppose you've seen the Army Times Poll? Here's the pdf on it, with McCain being favored 68% to 23% for Obama. http://www.militarytimes.com/static/projects/pages/081003_ep_2pp.pdf

You might say this picture pretty well validates those numbers, HUMVEE style!

The way it was, and still should be!

2008-10-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

It hasn't been all that long ago that there was some degree of propriety in the way people dressed. That's especially true for women.

As I was perusing some old pictures, I couldn't help but notice the difference in the way people dressed compared to now. Here's a picture from 1963 with my wife, her grandmother, mother and father. Do you see anything noteworthy? Maybe something like Sunday finest, to include hats on the women and a suit with tie on my father-in-law?

We have become a nation of slobs and that isn't just during the week, but also includes Sunday's "finest". I'm appalled at what I see as everyday dress and even more so when I see how people are dressed when they show up for church. The latest "cowboy" church is a good example of people wanting a day of worship to be just like every other day of the week.

It's a Biblical principle to dress in modest apparel, but that doesn't mean to be dressed in rags!

Does this mean I'm old fashioned? I suppose that would be a fitting description, if you consider Biblical standards as being old fashioned.

I guess the Amish and Mennonites have some good perspectives on clothing, even though I would disagree with their "uniform" approach.

William Ayers and a state senator, Barack Obama

2008-10-19T18:41:00.001-07:00

A searing and timely account ... of a state senator who glorified a domestic terrorist turned radical "educator"

[H]ere is a photograph of the short book review written by then Illinois state senator Barack Obama for Bill Ayers' then-new book,

A Kind and Just Parent: The Children of Juvenile Court, as published on page 5 of section 14 of the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, December 21, 1997:

Pages 81-82 of the book:

Just guys in the neighborhood.

"economic policy" = Capitalism

2008-10-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a video from Japan, of all places. However, they seem to have it pegged pretty well, especially Obama's use of a surrogate phrase, "economic policy", when he's actually talking about "capitalism".

Here we go again.

2008-10-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

I keep wondering why there is such a problem with Obama and the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem? Surely he knows better than pulling this type of bonehead stunt. But then again, maybe he's so confident in victory he doesn't have to try to conceal his real feelings of contempt.

Bencal, who sings the anthem for a number of school events and is actively involved in local community theatre, had been contacted by the Obama campaign to sing the anthem. He agreed to do so, then was told later in the evening the anthem had been scratched from the program. Bencal said he was told by the campaign the decision was a simple programming change to make room for another speaker.
"I guess it just wasn't meant to be," Bencal said.
Sandra Abrevaya, communications director for the Obama campaign's Manchester office, confirmed the choice had simply been a last-minute scratch from the rally's program, which included the Pledge of Allegiance.
New Hampshire Union Leader

Handicapped Man "Assited" to Vote for Obama Against His Will

2008-10-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Things seem to be getting desperate when the handicapped are forced to vote for someone they don't want to vote for.

Joe "the plumber" Wurzelbacher again

2008-10-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here's one of the later installments of Joe being interviewed. He has some valid ideas and doesn't seem to be in awe regardless of his surroundings.

HOLLAND, Ohio - Joe the Plumber said Thursday he doesn't have a license and doesn't need one. Joe Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, the nickname Republican John McCain bestowed on him during Wednesday's presidential debate, said he works for a small plumbing company that does residential work. Because he works for someone else, he doesn't need a license, he said.

But the county Wurzelbacher and his employer live in, Lucas County, requires plumbers to have licenses. Neither Wurzelbacher nor his employer are licensed there, said Cheryl Schimming of Lucas County Building Regulations, which handles plumber licenses in parts of the county outside Toledo.

So, Joe doesn't have a license, but does that mean he isn't a plumber? Could someone be trying to discredit Joe? I wonder what it takes to be a licensed plumber in Ohio?

To apply for a plumbing, electrical, HVAC, hydronics, or refrigeration license, you need at least five years of experience in the field. You also have to be a U.S. citizen and have never been convicted of a felony.

The Board will review your application and if you're eligible they'll send you information on the exam they require. You must have 5 years experience to qualify to take the exam. The exam has two parts -- one on business and law and the other on HVAC, electrical, plumbing, refrigeration, or hydronics. Everyone must take the business and law part.

The component listing of the open book exam, as if that's a big deal, can be found here.

http://www.contractors-license.org/oh/Ohio.html

Well, that link to the State of Ohio doesn't satisfy the local UNION.

Mr. Wurzelbacher’s notoriety has raised the ire of Tom Joseph, business manager for Local 50 of the United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Service Mechanics, who claimed that Mr. Wurzelbacher didn’t undergo any apprenticeship training.

"When you have guys going out there with no training whatsoever, it’s a little disreputable to start with," Mr. Joseph said. "We’re the real Joe the Plumber."

Mr. Joseph said Mr. Wurzelbacher could only legally work in the townships, but not in any municipality in Lucas County or elsewhere in the country.

"This individual has got no schooling, no licenses, he’s never been to a training program, union or non-union, in the United States of America," Mr. Joseph said.

The association has endorsed Barack Obama, according to Mr. Joseph.

Of course, the Ohio licensing board didn't mention anything about "apprenticeship training", did it?

"Failed economic policy"

2008-10-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

One of the mantras I heard several times last night, I didn't stop to count them, was Obama's repetition of "failed economic policies of the last 8 years." I have to wonder how failed those policies actually were and what can truthfully be attributed to the Bush administration.

In my memory, I don't remember the economy being an issue, until the last couple of years. Prior to that, we enjoyed a robust stock market and it even reached 14,000 last year. It has only been in the last year that some problems have become evident and they can be mainly attributed to Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and others of the same ilk. It has been the Democrat Congress that seems to have been the primary instigator of economic woes and credit problems. Problems stemming from their insistence on extremely risky loans, when they knew those people didn't have the means to repay what they borrowed.

In my opinion, this has not only been the height of stupidity, but it is an example of a "failed economic policy". So, let's put the shoe on the proper Democrat feet and see how they like wearing what they created!

Disenfranchised?

2008-10-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

There's a big deal being made in Ohio over potential voter fraud and ACORN registrations. The Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, contends voters would be disenfranchised if the mismatched registrations are sent out to the counties for flagging.

It makes one wonder how that is a disfranchisement, since Ohio has the same provisional ballot that we have here in Texas. When I was an election judge, we always had provisional ballots that were for situations like people wanting to vote in the wrong precinct or presenting the wrong address. That doesn't mean they couldn't vote, it just meant it was going to be a provisional ballot, that could be checked for accuracy before it was put in the ballot box with the other votes. After all, we weren't against someone voting, but they should only get one vote, just like the rest of us!

According to Democrat Brunner, the vote should go straight into the ballot box, but there isn't any way to identify that vote, should it later prove to be fraudulent. When you have people in Cleveland being registered 72 times, and if they are allowed to vote all 72 registrations, it's a convenient way of stuffing the ballot box and that isn't what America is all about.

It's past time to prosecute voter fraud, but not just for the pawns of ACORN and the Democrat party. The organization perpetrating the fraudulent registrations and the one doing the registering should be prosecuted also.

Ohio Elections Chief Appeals Court Ruling

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio's top elections chief has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in a dispute over whether the state is required to do more to help counties verify voter eligibility. A spokesman for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said Thursday that an appeal has been filed with the high court. On Tuesday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati sided with the Ohio Republican Party and ordered Brunner to set up a system that provides names of newly registered voters whose driver's license numbers or Social Security numbers don't match records in other government databases. The GOP contends the information will help prevent fraud. Brunner, a Democrat, has called the issue a veiled attempt at disenfranchising voters and that other checks exist to help determine eligibility.

Final debate

2008-10-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

I listened to the majority of the debate tonight on C-Span. My satellite connection doesn't always run smoothly, so I missed a few things, but not many.

One thing I was amazed by was the claim so many make about Obama's "eloquence". I find his stammering and making noises, while he's fishing for a reply, to be less than eloquent.

I also find his basic dishonesty to be appalling. Obama said something like, Ayers and he had served on a committee together and that was about the extent of their contact. John McCain responded by reminding him of The Woods Fund that Obama and Ayers serve on together, which isn't the Chicago Annenberg Challenge committee Obama had admitted to.

Then there was Obama advoiding any continuing association with ACORN, the group that registered the same man 72 times, even though the Annenberg Commission, which Obama was chairman of, granted the Grassroots School Improvement, a group operated by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), $350,000 from 1998-2002. The Chicago ACORN Received Grants Of $45,000 (2000), $30,000 (2001), $45,000 (2001), $30,000 (2002), And $40,000 (2002) from The Woods Fund. In 2008, the Obama Presidential Campaign paid $800,000 to an ACORN subsidiary, Citizen Service, Inc., to operate “get out the vote” efforts, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. That sounds like a whole lot more involvement than what Obama admitted to.

Is there something about Democrats that attract this type of devious individual? I'm reminded of the Bill Clinton years and that isn't a good memory.

Redistribution of wealth?

2008-10-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the plumber that confronted Obama about the tax hike Obama is proposing.

I like the observation of the Marxist/socialist ties to this approach.

Obama's wrong values

2008-10-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Our Country Deserves Better is now running an ad that is essentially a compilation of most of the character and association attacks made against Barack Obama throughout the year. Here's what it looks like, as being run in Nevada right now.

Then there's this Howard Stern piece from January of this year, but maybe we should say something more like wrong values attributed to Obama?

The family milk cow

2008-10-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

I was taking a couple of pictures today and thought I needed a followup on this picture from the spring of 1995. Sweet Pea and I used to take Sunday afternoon walks to help halter break her for easier handling later on.

Well, time has passed right on along and this is what Sweet Pea looks like now, at 14 years, along with her 2 month old 1/2 Limousine "Beauregard".

He'll be pushing 600 pounds by the time he's 6 months old and I figure he's pretty close to 200 pounds right now. His birthday was 2 months ago yesterday.

The economics of a family milk cow are somewhat variable. There are just the two of us now, with all the children married and with children of their own. However, the milk consumed by the calf will take a lot of milking pressure off of my wife and it still allows indirect sale of the milk. Of course, we've used filtered raw milk for a long time and have never had a problem with it. In fact, it's much better than the watered down stuff you get in the grocery store!

Years ago, when I was testing for DHIA, the average fat content allowable for "whole" milk, what we used to call 4% milk, was only 3.2%. Good Jersey milk will average 4%-5%, depending on the stage of lactation the cow is in. That's between a 25% to over 50% increase in butter fat and believe it or not, butter fat does affect the taste.

Feed prices have gone through the roof, like close to a 100% increase, mostly due to transportation cost and competition with alcohol (for mandated gasoline additive) producers. Therefore, a calf won't pay for the feed the cow consumes. That pretty well means the excess milk has to be used in other ways and/or sold.

In Texas, the sale of raw milk for human consumption is pretty well verboten. That doesn't mean it can't be sold for animal use and let the buyer use it for what he/she wants, when they get home. My wife is the "milk maid" and she does a good job of cleaning, prior to milking. The milking claw is her hands and they never drop into the manure, like they do in a milking parlor! We use stainless steel buckets and filters and cool the milk in glass containers as soon as the milking is finished. Sorta like this.

Dead people voting?

2008-10-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that would happen, would you?

According to KPRC, Channel 2 in Houston, there have been 4,000 dead people registered and voting in Harris County. Statewide, there has been "Approximately 23,576 may have been deceased". http://www.click2houston.com/investigates/17671375/detail.html

The March 2008 Primary was no exception. Voting records show Alexis' mom, Gloria Guidry, cast her ballot in person near her South Houston home."It was just very shocking, a little unsettling," said Alexis Guidry.It's unsettling because Gloria Guidry died of cancer 10 months before the March Primary.

Dead people voting in Texas is nothing new, it happens all the time and has been going on for a long time. It's really no different than Cook County Illinois, where the Daley political machine has utilized the tactic for decades.

It's way past time to mandate picture IDs in the polling places, to help curb the practice of dead people and felons voting.

Putting the blame where it belongs

2008-10-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for this all day, since I heard the audio on Rush. Well, I finally found the video and here it is!

Link:

I like it!

2008-10-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

I got this in an email, so I don't know who to credit for the content, but I like it and wanted to share it with you. It'll give you something to think about and it hasn't happened because of sitting down and discussing things, like Obama suggests as a means to accomplish things.

Ayers, more than a terrorist.

2008-10-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

Part of the supposed job Barack Obama was doing in Chicago was to help fix education. Instead, the foundation he was chairman of gave out over $100,000,000.00 to radical left wing education projects, such as the one William Ayers and his wife promoted. The socialist/communist agenda being promoted in Chicago's inept and ineffective education system certainly didn't enhance the learning experience or produce more and better graduates.

Barack Obama's choices of what he supports, i.e. left wing radicals, are the issue at hand.

While it's true the John McCain kept company with communists, it wasn't just a matter living in same the neighborhood and serving on the same boards, when he was at the "Hanoi Hilton."

Obama, the companion of terrorists? Continued

2008-10-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems like Hannity isn't the only one who has covered the connection. Here's what CNN, yes CNN, has to report to the consternation of Anderson Cooper.

It seems there is a much deeper relationship than what the Obama campaign is willing to admit. As the chairman, Obama has demonstrated some of his "executive" experience by doling out large sums of money to Jeremiah Wright's church and a project where Ayers' wife's worked. In my part of the world, we call that nepotism, "Favoritism granted to relatives or close friends, without regard to their merit."

Obama, the companion of terrorist?

2008-10-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hannity had this report on Fox News, but I don't see a lot of other sources taking any interest in Obama's continuing connection to terrorist. It's hard to fathom the degree of bias the media is exhibiting, trying to hide the facts surrounding his choice of people to associate with.

Voting for McCain/Palin video

2008-10-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

I think you'll agree that this video has a lot of truth in it. It took my sorry ISP over 20 minutes to allow me to watch this, but I endured, because he has good thoughts and material.

I find a lot of this type stuff posted in places like http://mudvillegazette.com/ Maybe you need to check it out and see what you can find there.

Ayers, who is that?

2008-10-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

We're beginning to see Obama backing down from having anything to do with William Ayers, but is that really the case?

From Nov. 6, 1997 in the University of Chicago Chronicle,

"Ayers will be joined by Sen. Barack Obama, Senior Lecturer in the Law School, who is working to combat legislation that would put more juvenile offenders into the adult system;"

But that's not all,

"Michelle Obama, Associate Dean of Student Services and Director of the University Community Service Center, hopes bringing issues like this to campus will open a dialogue between members of the University community and the broader community.

"Students and faculty explore these issues in the classroom, but it is an internal conversation," Obama said. "We know that issues like juvenile justice impact the city of Chicago, this nation and -- directly or indirectly -- this campus. This panel gives students a chance to hear about the juvenile justice system not only on a theoretical level, but from the people who have experienced it."

http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/971106/justice.shtml

To use a couple of cliches, I can't figure out if it's "guilt by association" or "birds of a feather flock together." Either way, it seems like Barack Obama has a real problem in chosing associates that exhibit any sort of normal rationality.

Who has the most experience?

2008-10-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking about this issue and I'm puzzled by the fact that it's even being brought up. It should be evident and obvious to the most casual observer that John McCain has the most military experience of any of the candidates and their running mates. After all, he's the only one that has actually served in the military. That certainly gives him a better handle on military matters than any of the others.

Sarah Palin, just like George Bush and Bill Clinton were as governors, is currently the head of the Alaska National Guard. That may not seem like a whole lot of hands on experience, but it does mean she's been to Kuwait for a visit with her troops and it does mean she has participated in some of their weapons familiarization drills (as seen in this video).

Sarah Palin Visits the Troops in Kuwait - The most amazing home videos are here

On the other hand, Barack Obama has zero military experience. I don't even know if he has an inkling of which end of a gun to hold when firing said gun.

The same can be said for Joe Biden, about zero military experience.

Knowing there will probably be a continuing war in Afghanistan, military experience is a matter of some importance.

Out of the four, Sarah Palin is the only one with any executive experience. She has run her own business, she's been a mayor (even though it was a smaller town, it's better than nothing) and is currently the Governor of Alaska.

John McCain was an officer in the US Navy, a US Naval Academy graduate, where he attained the rank of Captain. He has attended the National War College in Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. during the 1973–1974 academic year. He was commanding officer of A-7 Corsair II training squadron located at Naval Air Station Cecil Field in Jacksonville.

During his military service, before retirement in 1981, he was awarded the following medals.

	Silver Star
	Legion of Merit with Combat V and one gold star
	Distinguished Flying Cross
	Bronze Star with Combat V and two gold stars
	Purple Heart with one gold star
	Meritorious Service Medal
	Air Medal with one bronze star and Numeral "2"
	Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and one gold star
	Combat Action Ribbon
	Prisoner of War Medal
	Navy Expeditionary Medal (Cuban quarantine)
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuban quarantine)
	National Defense Service Medal

Barack Obama has never run anything, except parts of his anotomy and the same can be said for Joe Biden.

Now, I ask again, who has the most experience?

As an aside, John McCain, who to my knowledge I have never met, and I were in the same theater of operations off of Cuba in the 1962-1963 Cuban Missle Crisis. Our duty stations were vastly different with his being the USS Enterprise, while I was on the USS Little Rock CLG-4.

Fannie and Freddie

2008-10-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

The NRCC finally starts to speak about the position the Democrats have put us in financially. I wonder why it has taken so long to put the blame where it belongs?

Sarah Palin was right about the "Surge"

2008-10-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to use a trackback to the Mudville Gazette and the article Greyhawk posted on the interviews with General McKiernan where he explained the surge like principles he wants to employ. Well, that didn't work, so we'll go this route instead.

A Surge by any other name

Greyhawk

. . . McKiernan wants an increase in troops, but doesn't want it called a "surge". Since neither campaign is arguing against additional troops in Afghanistan, the argument apparently comes down to what exactly they will be doing there - or what exactly a "surge principle" is. Palin's explanation is "not the exact strategy but the surge principles that have worked in Iraq". Biden offered no additional clarification. A debate moderator could have pressed both for details, but that opportunity slipped away last night. One thing is certain - now that the issue is "politicized" we're not likely to hear General McKiernan explain which candidate is correct.

But we do have the transcript of McKiernan's press briefing. Here are his comments regarding how the additional troops would be used and additional strategies that may be adopted:

More on the article at this site. http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/030915.html

Vets for Freedom ad "Skipped"

2008-10-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

I saw this on http://mudvillegazette.com/ and thought you might like to see it too. I need to figure out this "trackback" stuff, because I just parrot a lot of what I read from other sites.

Media Bias

2008-10-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

I suppose I’m getting old enough to remember too many things. I remember the 1950s very distinctly and the things going on, with the attendant activities of normal people. The 1940s aren’t too clear and some of what I know may influence what I think is really memory. In the elections of 1947, the newspapers had headlines already printed proclaiming Thomas Dewey’s victory over Harry Truman. The Chicago Tribune’s November 3, 1947 first edition is what is pictured and should stand out as a stark reminder to the media. “The headline is a cautionary tale for journalists about the dangers of being first to break a story without being certain of its accuracy.”

It isn’t quite that way today, but there is still the insistence by the media to pick winners and to try to ensure their pick is the actual winner. Quite frankly, I’m getting fed up with it! The media is supposed to be news outlets, not social engineers. They are supposed to present an unbiased account of the news, or as Joe Friday on Dragnet would have said, “Just the facts, Ma’am, just the facts.”

Instead, we are getting the active promotion of one set of candidates to almost the exclusion of the other set. We are getting reports that agree with their political position and the other side is neglected, ridiculed or lied about. As the Eddie Chiles stickers used to proclaim, “I’m mad too, Eddie!” and it stems from an out of control media!

The only alternative to the news media is the blogosphere, where the truth has to be distilled, but is available. By distilled, I mean it has to be weighed against the reputation the blog has for accuracy and truthfulness. Then it has to be checked with other blogs to see if they have the same sources and if the sources are reputable. MoveOn.org isn’t a reliable source for anything that isn’t Democrat and neither is Daily Kos. It isn’t a whole lot different than checking on the veracity of the many emails we get that may, or may not, be urban legends.

The recent attempts to defame Sarah Palin are typical examples of lies being promulgated, with an intent to sway votes in the opposite direction. However, it isn’t just MoveOn.org that is doing it. It’s the national news media that have also joined in and it’s to their discredit, since it certainly doesn’t fit with Joe Friday’s modus operandi.

Grave diggers are a needed vocation, but the “dirt diggers” in the media and other places are less than honorable and obscure the issues at hand in their quest for having their way.

I’m mad too, Eddie!

Elmer Keith on the Chief's Special

2008-10-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

Many people don't know who Elmer Keith was. Well, it's been about 25 years since he died, so many of the younger crew can sorta be excused, due to their youthfulness. It's also true that many people have never read Elmer's book "Sixguns" and as a result, they have continuing questions about the strength of the steel J frame S&W. Here are some Chief's Special excerpts from "Sixguns", with the chapter and page number for the location in the original edition.

History of the Sixgun (original page # 45)
In addition to these fine arms, the Company has also brought out two new and very interesting undercover arms for detectives and plain clothesmen and also to be carried as secondary hidden arms by peace officers and the F.B.I. One is the little Chief’s Special with 2 inch barrel and five shots in caliber .38 Special having a weight in the steel frame of only 19 ounces, and in the aluminum alloy frame of only 10 ¾ ounces. The other is the Smith & Wesson Centennial model. This is a hammerless two inch barrel job, weighing 19 ounces in steel, and much lighter in the aluminum alloy frame but slightly heavier than the 10 ¾ ounce Chiefs Special. The little Chiefs Special has the new short action and the Centennial has an entirely new coil spring action, entirely double action. The Chiefs Special can be cocked and fired single action and is very accurate for its extremely light weight. Both arms are five-shot and both chambered for the .38 Special cartridge and while S. & W. do not advertise the fact, both guns will perfectly handle the .38/44 and other high speed ammunition in .38 Special. We recently made a test run of 500 rounds of this high speed ammunition through each of these guns with no ill effects we could detect either visually or by careful measurement of cylinders and rear ends of the barrels.

Selecting the Handgun (original page # 64)
In true pocket guns for defense use, the best we know of today are the Smith & Wesson Centennial and the Chief’s Special and the Colt Cobra. The Smith & Wesson 2 inch barrel, round butt Military and Police model may be added to this list. These are true pocket guns – all capable of handling the various high speed and super police loads in .38 Special. The smallest and lightest of the lot is, of course, the Chief’s Special with light alloy metal frame. Next come the Smith & Wesson Centennial and the Colt Cobra and lastly the detective specials in Smith & Wesson and Colt. For a true pocket gun the 2 inch barrel is about right. The safest of all pocket guns is the Centennial Smith &Wesson, but Colt also makes a hammer shroud covering the hammer of the Cobra, if desired.

Selecting the Handgun (original page # 65)
This five-shot feature of these little guns enables them to handle heavy loads because the bolt-cuts do not come over the center of a chamber as is true of all six-shot weapons. Rather, the bolt-cut, or indent, is between the charge-holes on these five-shot weapons. This feature allows full thickness of chamber metal over the cartridge case and the little guns will handle High Speed .38 Special ammunition perfectly in spite of their very light weight. Recoil, of course, is very severe from these loads in such extremely light weight guns, but the guns will take it and any man would rather have a sore hand than a slug through his middle. Another feature that adds greatly to the strength of the two little Smith & Wessons is the fact that their cylinders extend forward almost to the frame and leave very little of the rear end of the barrel projecting out of the frame unsupported. The springs are coil an almost unbreakable. They are very reliable little guns. The Chief’s Special is very accurate for aimed single action fire, while the Centennial can only be used double action. On the other hand the Chief’s Special has a hammer that can catch on the corner of a pocket or on the clothes while the Centennial is as clean as a hounds tooth.

Revolver vs Auto Pistol (original page # 194)
The revolver will function reliably in temperatures that will jam any automatic. It will also handle more mud, snow, dust or sand and keep on shooting than will any auto pistol. In either double action or single action, for men trained in its use, it is faster to get into action for the first shot than an auto. The cylinder gun is usually a bit more bulky to carry than the auto pistol, but in small guns it is nearly as compact and handy. The little Chief's Special or Centennial Smith & Wessons are lighter and more compact guns to carry in the pocket than is any comparably powerful auto pistol. These little guns will both handle .38 Special or .38/44 ammunition, and only the Super .38 compares with them in power. The clean high sights on target revolvers are much better for long range work than the low sights on nearly all automatics.

The .38/44 or Hi-Speed .38 Special load produced 1090 fps with a 158 gr lead semi-wadcutter (LSWC), according to the 1973 Gun Digest, page 307. That's considerably more than +P ammunition that's produced today. The round was developed and marketed around 1930, 5 years before the .357 Magnum was introduced.

Where are the Men?

2008-10-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

Since I'm on a roll, here's another issue I wrote on this year. Maybe it'll get a little more exposure in this blog medium.

More and more situations and incidents convince me there’s a man problem in the world today. That may be one of the biggest reasons we see almost the same conditions Isaiah was talking about in Isaiah 3:4-5, 12 (KJV) 4 "And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them." 5 "And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable. "
12 "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." This begs the question of where are the men, men who would prevent this from taking place?

Mankind has a long history of ignoring what God has said and as a result, there have been many problematic times. Start by asking, where was Adam when Eve was tempted/beguiled by the serpent? God created Eve as a helpmeet, not one with the primary responsibility of taking on the world and all of the pressures involved in that responsibility. Of course, it may have been a failure on Adam’s part to accurately inform Eve of what God had said. Gen 2:16 "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: "
17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Have you ever noticed how most men aren’t very good communicators? This wasn’t a suggestion or just a good idea, it was a command from God to THE man (the use of the definite article means a specific man, Adam). Eve wasn’t there, so it was Adam’s responsibility to accurately relay the command, so she would know the penalty for the transgression.

Adam may have been too busy with the “business” of dressing the Garden to be bothered with his primary duty of protecting his other half (Gen 2:24 "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.") I know, no one today thinks about the significance of being one flesh, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still valid. I’m not aware of anyone wearing clothing on their left half and being naked on their right half, especially when it’s either freezing cold or 100+ degrees outside. We, by nature, tend to protect our bodies from the ravishes of the weather, if for no other reason than the discomfort of it. A spouse is a detached half and it’s easy to be unaware of their need for protection too, especially when we’re busy with business. Yes, there are many part time widows, because business consumes the majority of the man’s time. It’s true that men are supposed to provide food and that comes at the expense of sweat and dealing with weeds, thorns and thistles, but too many are striving for much more than the needs of life. This verse tells us what the necessities of life are, 1Ti 6:7 "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." 8 "And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. "

Today, there’s another situation that prevents proper protection for the “weaker vessel”. When women enter the work force outside the home, they are in much the same situation as Eve. They are left depending on their own strength, even with the wiles of the serpent all around. Most, if not all, extramarital affairs happen when the spouse is absent. It happens when men aren’t home tending the garden, but it also happens when women aren’t at home being tended to. When women are in the work force, they usually have someone in a managerial position over them. That’s the same place their husband is supposed to occupy, but the women are under the influence of the manager more than they are under the influence at home. That’s not being chauvinistic, it’s just good Biblical application. Gen 3:16 "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." “Rule over thee” is the principle that needs to be understood, especially knowing there isn’t a separate word in Hebrew or Greek for either “husband” or “wife”. In both cases, it’s either “man” or “woman” and the context determines the meaning. The one doing the “ruling” is the one her “desire” will be for. Through my ignorance, my wife worked outside the home at NASA for the first 8 months we were married, out of 42 years of being married. The warning to avoid that situation wasn’t anything I had ever heard in church and I was totally ignorant of the potential problems.

The ways of the world are not the ways of God. Isa 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." It’s time to get our thoughts under control and quit letting the world dictate what’s right and what’s wrong.

Knowing and understanding the Bible will liberate our thoughts from the chains of the world and evil. That’s one reason the longest chapter in the Bible (Psalm 119) is so repetitious about hiding God’s Word in our hearts, so we won’t sin against Him. His word is what changes our stinkin’ thinkin’ and makes our thoughts proper. 2Co 10:5 "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; " One of the biggest obstacles we have today, in getting our thoughts right, is the television. In 1975, we gave away a 25" RCA color console and haven’t seen fit to watch much television since then. We still have a television leftover from when my mother-in-law was living with us, but we haven’t turned it on since she died 5 ½ years ago. I can get all the news and information I need from the internet and I don’t have to be bombarded with commercials while I do it.

The television is an instigator of many problems. My mother was a faithful watcher of “As the World Turns”. If Penny had a bad day, it affected her day and everyone else’s day as a result. It causes even women at home to take on the cares and problems the “soaps” thrive on. The language is appalling and it’s commonly heard by the preschool children at home. You really didn’t know why women and children cuss like sailors now? It’s just what they hear day after day and they think that’s the normal manner of communicating. There’s a conspiracy between parents to have a television, so they can indulge in their favorite corrupting influence. The women have their game shows and “soaps” while the men have the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders!

While I’m on the cheerleaders, where are the men when their wife’s and daughter’s everyday dress is like something the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders would wear? 1Ti 2:9 "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;" Where are the men when their wife and daughter look more like a man than many men do? Deut 22:5 "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God." Where are the men when their wife and daughter have shorter hair than they do? 1Cor 11:14 " Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" 15 "But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. "

I’ve only scratched the surface of the problem, but maybe it will cause some thought and a reversal of the trends for Christians. We are supposed to be light and salt, not darkness and a promoter of decay. It’s way past time to put this verse into practice. 2Co 6:17 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, "

The Tongues of Men and Angels

2008-10-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Here's another view point on the subject that I wrote on June 6, 2007. I noticed the Greek word "aggelov" just transliterated in the copy & paste, but it was in Greek letters in the original.

Sometimes, I think we all get a little myopic and that causes a sort of tunnel vision, where we don’t see all there is to see on a particular issue. Our first inclination, on hearing the word “angel”, is to think of a supernatural being. That comes, in part, from the Greek word “aggelov” (aggelos) having been transliterated into English and never actually being translated. Sure, it’s a tradition that pre-dates the King James Version, but it would seem like someone would actually translate that word, and others, that have just been transliterated. It might save a lot of confusion in the long run.

The root meaning of aggelos is, “a messenger, envoy, one who is sent”, which can include many more concepts than just a supernatural being.

Recognizing I’m not a great scholar, and it may even be a stretch to consider myself any sort of scholar, I still comprehend the communication skills and words I use may not be the same as the average person. By that, I mean there is no gift of being a messenger (aggelos), but there are gifts that enable the messenger to do his/her job and language skills are a part of that enabling.

As an example, the other night I was reading in Isaiah 7 and part of what came home to me was the need to write. In other words, to perform as a messenger, an envoy, who is passing on that which is heard and making it understandable to the intended audience. Think of it as being a conduit or pipe that transfers something from one point to its destination, without change to the contents.

The incident in Daniel 5 may also shed some light on the concept of angels and their language. If you will remember the king saw a hand writing on the wall, that left this message, Daniel 5:25 “And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” There was a great amount of consternation on the king’s part, so much so, that “his knees smote one against another” (that reminds me of the videos I’ve seen of the Nuremberg trials). For some reason, the astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers couldn’t interpret the writing, but was it because it was some angelic language or just a language they were unfamiliar with? Was the hand an angel, was Daniel an angel, was it both or neither? In Daniel 5:26 and following, Daniel gives the interpretation and I will contend right here, he’s an angel, a messenger who is giving a message by merely acting as a conduit for information. Sure the hand was also a messenger of sorts, but the message must have been unintelligible, except to those who understood Aramaic. So, it wasn’t a mysterious angelic language, only understood by supernatural beings, but a common language for the Jewish slaves and prisoners.

As I think about the various accounts of supernatural beings visiting men, I can’t remember one time there was a failure to communicate. Contrary to Heb 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”, I have yet to remember a time where those visited were unaware of their supernatural visitors (when I refer to being visited, I mean in a form that can be seen, not the “ministering spirits”, like in Hebrews 1:14).

It is also evident that most of us have had strangers in our homes who were messengers from God, we just weren’t aware of it at the time. 3 John 5 “ Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; 6 Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: 7 Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. 8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.”

In conclusion, the passage in I Corinthians 13:1 says, “ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” It’s like being an unclear sound as far as a message is concerned. It may sound pleasing to the ear and have a melodious quality, but the main emphasis of the passage is on charity, not your listening pleasure. Doing for others far outweighs the notoriety achieved by speaking in a language no one understands.

If I had written this in Greek and said, “Here is a message that will change your life for the better, take it and use it to the fullest.” You might think, “That’s Greek to me!” and it would never do you any good, unless there’s an interpreter available.

I’m sure there may be a language used by supernatural beings, I just don’t see any evidence of it ever being used to communicate with earthly beings.

Democrat failure on Fannie Mae

2008-10-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

The embed worked so well, let's try another one.

Economic Crisis and the friends of Barack Obama

2008-10-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Contrary to what Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barney Frank and the rest of liberal Washington wants you to believe, they are the cause of the current economic problems.

If the embed doesn't work, you can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4

Letter to the prison

2008-09-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

I wrote a letter to one of the inmates yesterday and thought I would share it with you. The question was about "tongues", so I addressed the issue, knowing A (short for his name) was Hispanic. Of course, I used some Spanish in the letter, but you can look up the references in an English Bible (preferably a KJV).

Dear A,

It was good to hear from you again! I suppose you’ve recognized I’m much better at letter writing when I have something in particular to discuss. So, let’s get right to it.

The Ryrie Study Bible is pretty clear cut on what “tongues” are. In the note on Acts 2:4 he says, “with other tongues. Actual languages unknown to the speakers, but understood by the hearers (v. 8).” Tongue is another way of saying language, like when I say, “What is your native tongue?” In your case, it would be Spanish or English, the language (lengua) of the country you’re native (originated from) to. Tongue or language is lengua en español.

I began my Master’s thesis 30 years ago on the subject of tongues and I haven’t changed my mind on any of what I studied at the time. So, here are a few points to consider. 1) Tongues are a sign to non-believing Jews. I Cor. 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: I Cor 14:21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
I Cor 14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. The reference to “this people” is from Isaiah 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. Isaiah was talking to the Jews and Paul repeats the same verse to indicate the same people. 2) Every recorded instance of tongues in the Bible is in the presence of Jews, whether it’s Cornelius (he was an Italian, but those accompanying Peter were Jews and so was Peter), or the disciples of John, or even the proselytes in Acts 2. It’s a sign the Jews seek that validates/confirms what God has been doing. 3) Every time there is an encounter with a supernatural being, the conversation is in a language the human can understand. That would lead me to believe there isn’t a need for a “tongue of angels” (the tongues of men and of angels,), if it’s referring to supernatural beings (angel means messenger, which can include people, which may also help comprehending the 7 angels of the 7 churches of Revelation). There really isn’t anything that says the tongue of an angel is any different from men’s tongues and even Spanish doesn’t specify a difference (SI yo hablase lenguas humanas y angélicas), since there are multiple tongues of men that makes a need for using the plural of tongue.
1Co 14:18 Doy gracias á Dios que hablo lenguas más que todos vosotros: Paul was an educated man, which means he was able to speak more than one language. In Acts 21:37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? They had a “private” conversation in Greek, so no one else could understand what they were saying, even the Roman guards, who spoke Latin, and in Acts 21:40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying, (Acts 21:40 Y como él se lo permitió, Pablo, estando en pie en las gradas, hizo señal con la mano al pueblo. Y hecho grande silencio, habló en lengua hebrea, diciendo:) and again in Acts 22:2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

You may also have noticed there is no “unknown” about tongues in your Spanish Bible. I Cor 14:2 SI yo hablase lenguas humanas y angélicas, Even in English Bibles, unknown is normally italicized to indicate an added word, supplied by the translators.

So, where does all of this leave us? Tongues are languages that are understood by some human, somewhere. The truths of God are easily understood in Spanish or English or any other language, so there is no need for a glossolalia (ecstatic utterance) to accomplish what we can do already.

The real question is, are we doing what we already know we’re supposed to be doing? Everyone wants to run before they can walk, do the big things before they are doing the little things, and that is a problem. Song of Solomon 2:15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. (Cazadnos las zorra, las zorras pequeñas, que echan á perder las viñas; Pues que nuestras viñas están en cierne.) It isn’t las zorras that cause the problem, it’s las zorras pequeñas! It isn’t the big raccoons that tear up the corn field, it’s the little raccoons, that can’t reach as high as the big raccoons, that tear the stalks up. When we take care of the little things, the big things begin to fall in line. If you do the do’s, that you already know about, you don’t have time to do the don’ts.

We’re supposed to bear fruit, like the fruits of the Spirit, not more gifts.
Mat 7:16 Por sus frutos los conoceréis. ¿Cógense uvas de los espinos, ó higos de los abrojos?
Mat 7:17 Así, todo buen árbol lleva buenos frutos; mas el árbol maleado lleva malos frutos.
Mat 7:18 No puede el buen árbol llevar malos frutos, ni el árbol maleado llevar frutos buenos.
Mat 7:19 Todo árbol que no lleva buen fruto, córtase y échase en el fuego.
Mat 7:20 Así que, por sus frutos los conoceréis.
Mat 7:21 No todo el que me dice: Señor, Señor, entrará en el reino de los cielos: mas el que hiciere la voluntad de mi Padre que está en los cielos.
Gal 5:19 Y manifiestas son las obras de la carne, que son: adulterio, fornicación, inmundicia, disolución,
Gal 5:20 Idolatría, hechicerías, enemistades, pleitos, celos, iras, contiendas, disensiones, herejías,
Gal 5:21 Envidias, homicidios, borracheras, banqueteos, y cosas semejantes á éstas: de las cuales os denuncio, como ya os he anunciado, que los que hacen tales cosas no heredarán el reino de Dios.
Gal 5:22 Mas el fruto del Espíritu es: caridad, gozo, paz, tolerancia, benignidad, bondad, fe,
Gal 5:23 Mansedumbre, templanza: contra tales cosas no hay ley.
Gal 5:24 Porque los que son de Cristo, han crucificado la carne con los afectos y concupiscencias.
Gal 5:25 Si vivimos en el Espíritu, andemos también en el Espíritu.

Work on these things A and lead the others to do likewise. Learn to be rich soil, that produces an abundance of fruit.
Mar 4:2 Y les enseñaba por parábolas muchas cosas, y les decía en su doctrina:
Mar 4:3 Oid: He aquí, el sembrador salió á sembrar.
Mar 4:4 Y aconteció sembrando, que una parte cayó junto al camino; y vinieron las aves del cielo, y la tragaron.
Mar 4:5 Y otra parte cayó en pedregales, donde no tenía mucha tierra; y luego salió, porque no tenía la tierra profunda:
Mar 4:6 Mas salido el sol, se quemó; y por cuanto no tenía raíz, se secó.
Mar 4:7 Y otra parte cayó en espinas; y subieron las espinas, y la ahogaron, y no dió fruto.
Mar 4:8 Y otra parte cayó en buena tierra, y dió fruto, que subió y creció: y llevó uno á treinta, y otro á sesenta, y otro á ciento.
Mar 4:9 Entonces les dijo: El que tiene oídos para oir, oiga.
Mar 4:10 Y cuando estuvo solo, le preguntaron los que estaban cerca de él con los doce, sobre la parábola.
Mar 4:11 Y les dijo: A vosotros es dado saber el misterio del reino de Dios; mas á los que están fuera, por parábolas todas las cosas;
Mar 4:12 Para que viendo, vean y no echen de ver; y oyendo, oigan y no entiendan: porque no se conviertan, y les sean perdonados los pecados.
Mar 4:13 Y les dijo: ¿No sabéis esta parábola? ¿Cómo, pues, entenderéis todas las parábolas?
Mar 4:14 El que siembra es el que siembra la palabra.
Mar 4:15 Y éstos son los de junto al camino: en los que la palabra es sembrada: mas después que la oyeron, luego viene Satanás, y quita la palabra que fué sembrada en sus corazones.
Mar 4:16 Y asimismo éstos son los que son sembrados en pedregales: los que cuando han oído la palabra, luego la toman con gozo;
Mar 4:17 Mas no tienen raíz en sí, antes son temporales, que en levantándose la tribulación ó la persecución por causa de la palabra, luego se escandalizan.
Mar 4:18 Y éstos son los que son sembrados entre espinas: los que oyen la palabra;
Mar 4:19 Mas los cuidados de este siglo, y el engaño de las riquezas, y las codicias que hay en las otras cosas, entrando, ahogan la palabra, y se hace infructuosa.
Mar 4:20 Y éstos son los que fueron sembrados en buena tierra: los que oyen la palabra, y la reciben, y hacen fruto, uno á treinta, otro á sesenta, y otro á ciento.

I haven’t done anything else on the other Ryrie book, but what I am going to do is send you a copy of the study my wife has been doing on Proverbs. I’m trying to figure out how to bind it, that would be acceptable to the system, so it doesn’t fall apart. Proverbs is a book of wisdom, which is knowing the right thing to do and then doing it. “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. . . But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” (C.H. Spurgeon) Jas 3:17 Mas la sabiduría que es de lo alto, primeramente es pura, después pacífica, modesta, benigna, llena de misericordia y de buenos frutos, no juzgadora, no fingida.
Jas 3:18 Y el fruto de justicia se siembra en paz para aquellos que hacen paz.

When I get it all together, I’ll send one to you and one to P. B.

Yours in Christ,

Paul

Test drive

2008-09-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

The world around us is changing at a rate that's hard to keep up with, especially as age begins to advance. Blogging is a change that seems so natural for the younger generation, but it may not be as easy as what my older mindset can handle. We'll see, as I attempt to share some of life's experiences.

I have been pretty active on several forums and I am presently a moderator on http://forums.handloads.com/default.asp I have over 10,000 post on that forum, so I'm not a total stranger to the systems/methods of posting.

Since I'm retired, I have time to devote to my hobbies, which increases the enjoyment I derive from the hobby and the camaraderie of associating with others with the same hobby.

Here's part of what I used to do, but it was more than just drinking coffee!

There have been other tasks that seemed to occupy our time , like this one. Stirring dirt is just part of farm life and it's always an enjoyable time for me. I like smelling freshly tilled soil, so it isn't drudgery for me. This picture was taken in the spring, in preparation for planting and with the fragrance of the fruit trees making it even more pleasant.

Well, I thought I lost this one in cyber space, but I may get to publish it after all.

There's lot's to discuss, farming/gardening, Christian living, guns, reloading and etc., but I save it for a later date.