Since I said I'd already made my last comment for the old post, I guess I have to start a new one...I
know you're not an idiot. Your intellect could slam mine any day. I just assume that the views I post here will be seen by someone as being idiotic. I'm OK with being the idiot.
Comfort is nice. I like to strive for contentment. It's easier, since you can be content without have comfort. I'm lazy.
As for judgement; live how you want. As of late, if I'm judgemental, in any way it's usually in regards to our reactionary government. I'd prefer the government played a much smaller role in helping (or hindering) the comfort of its citizens.
My letter to the president may have seemed to be judging, but I was really just hoping to get his attention. Since he's always made such a big deal about his faith, I thought that might be a good hook. My goal was to get him to think before lashing out and just reacting. I never even got a form letter back.
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Posted in the section Friends and Family on Thu, Sep 28, 2006 at
5:54 AM
I heard
this commentary on my way to work this morning and was a bit unsure as to my final opinion on the matter.
Why don't y'all help clarify me.
I've always preferred the government taking less of our money and simply doing less. In the end, most Governments tend to create so much "red tape" and regulations that they seem to accomplish less than private entities might when it comes to helping society.
I also feel that the more "charity" work the government does, the less the body of Christ's church (or anyone else) feels they need to do to help those around them.
The excuse being "I pay my taxes..." Thank you Mr. Scrooge.
I'm also not fond of the folks in Washington DC attempting to figure out what would be best for the general public. So few of them are a part of the
general public and a great majority of them are more focused on doing what it takes to get reelected than what it takes to build a great and Loving society.
I also tend to feel that a tax system that generates a huge pot of money could lead to a more Communistic society. I'm all for Pure Communism, with everyone putting all of their wealth/assets into one basket and then everyone taking only what they need. But, I'm not all for a bunch of Rich Men in Washington DC determining what each one of us needs.
I realize that Pure Communism can't work unless all people act selflessly, and therefore Pure Communism could only work in a society with a Strict (even Religious) ethics code.
So, I suppose, I'd rather have the rich folks who made the money spend it to help those in need than to have the rich folks in Washington DC attempt to determine how to best meet the needs of their constituents.
I realize this means that the people with the money might not spend it on causes that I think are all that great, but I'd expect more would get done.
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Posted in the section Government on Wed, Sep 27, 2006 at
6:41 PM
The U.S. Government is not entirely evil. It is not the worst Government on the planet. There are many Governments which are obviously cruel and inhumane.
The U.S. Government, simply, is not perfect.
It is assumed to be the most powerful government in the world.
This power is what concerns me.
When you're the biggest, who's going to stop you from
becoming evil?
Our Founding Fathers did their best to put into place a great many "checks and balances" to avoid screwing ourselves up.
I'm concerned that Bush wants to circumnavigate a few of them, in the name of justice.
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Posted in the section Government on Mon, Sep 25, 2006 at
9:12 PM
Written after President Bush's initial declaration of "War on Terror."To Mr. George W. Bush
I write to warn you of a prophetic bit of wisdom found in scripture. Proverbs 16:18 & 19 states “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.”
Before you continue to seek the counsel of men and before you continue to encourage our nation to be proud; please seek God’s wisdom. Before you make political decisions; please seek to be a Godly leader.
A Godly leader seeks God first. A Godly leader seeks God’s perspective. On our current path, our nation is not “under God,” but is “under pride.” Our responses and future plans are built on the same pride that initially encourage terrorist attacks. In our own wisdom, we automatically assume that retaliation is best, for it shows strength. Retaliation shows more than strength. Retaliation shows that we our proud of our values. Retaliation proclaims that these values are worth the price of killing others.
For what values are we willing to kill? Our nation is expressing pride in money. Our nation is expressing pride in military strength. Our nation is expressing pride in “human perseverance.” Our nation is expressing pride in “freedom.”
“Freedom” and “human perseverance” sound like worthwhile ideals of which to be proud. Are they real, though?
Human perseverance exists anywhere in the world. We did nothing, as a nation, to create or develop it. Human perseverance is the closest humans get to being animals. Granted, we have higher-order thinking skills, which allow us to see more than immediate danger. Granted, we will strive to not only help ourselves, but help others. Why, though, do we help others? We are too often seeking to preserve “pride in American ideals.” We are too often seeking to quickly re-build what we had so that we can disregard any lesson that might have been learned.
Our freedom has enslaved us to money. We are so greatly enslaved to money that one of our first concerns has been “when will the markets re-open?” Our freedom has enslaved us to secular humanism and our own wisdom, ignoring the wisdom of God. Our freedom has enslaved us to power, so much that we feel weak if we do not display any. Our freedom has enslaved us to opinion and emotion, so that we want to act in a way that will seem appropriate, swift, and just to the entire world. Our freedom has enslaved us to our pride.
Our pride has brought us, now, to a point when we must either act in pride or return to God. I can not say what God would have us do, but I know we have not sought Him yet. We have appealed to Him to build us back up. Why would God seek to rebuild that which has sought to tear Him down?
I do not wish to seem unempathetic. There are many dead who ought not to be. There are many grieving who need comfort. We can not bring back the dead. God can comfort and console. We must, though, not allow these deaths to take us further from God. We must not allow ourselves to turn “American Pride” into our God.
Our “American Pride” tells us to lash out at the evildoers. I have heard my President claim that we will wipe out terrorism. That seems like a wonderful goal, but do we truly mean that? Do we truly want to wipe out all of the terrorism in Ireland, Africa, China, and Japan as well as the Middle East? Or do we only want to wipe out terrorism that destroys our pride? Once we’ve finished killing, will the world view the U.S.A. as a wise nation, or a prideful bully?
I beg you, pray for God’s guidance and intervention. Pray, also, that God will guide your prayers. Pray before we leap. Pray before we have fully turned from God.
Thank you for your time in reading this. I do not consider myself to be a prophet, but I do believe God grants me wisdom, from His perspective, from time to time.
William C. Fenstermaker, Jr.
William C. Fenstermaker, Jr.
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Posted in the section Government on Sun, Sep 24, 2006 at
9:12 PM
Mr. Bush and pundits who like him (like Bill O'Reilly) have insisted that the U.S. needs to be able to torture terrorists in order to gain information that could save the lives of millions.
Mr. O'Reilly keeps asking anyone who debates this point, "You wouldn't torture one terrorist to save the lives of millions of Americans?"
The problem with the question stems from an assumption. The assumption is that the folks we're detaining are actually terrorists.
Mr. O'Reilly; "How would you feel if you discovered that the guy you've been torturing for 3 months isn't a terrorist, but just some dentist who happens to look a lot like (or have the same name as) a known terrorist?"
Mr. O'Reilly's question also makes a second assumption. He assumes that bad people should be allowed to be treated inhumanely.
The problem with this logic is that it goes against one of the basic principles we learned in Kindergarten;
"he started it" is never a good excuse.This logic also only goes to fuel further hatred for the U.S., as we travel further down the road of pretentious righteousness
"It's not bad when we do it."
Of course, this is the same reason why I don't care who has "WMD's" or Nuke-E-Lar weapons.
Somebody needs to keep the U.S. in check, 'cause we stopped about 40 years ago.
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Posted in the section Government on Fri, Sep 22, 2006 at
1:26 PM
On a similar note;
is it harder to know the mind of a madman, the devil, or of God?
As I said, a lot of folks seem to have some pretty quick assumptions as to Osama's motives.
Do we sometimes make assumptions just as quickly about Satan's goals? About God's?
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Posted in the section Religion vs. Faith on Tue, Sep 12, 2006 at
8:24 PM
Everyone seems to have come up with a reason for why folks like Osama bin Laden and Al-Keida (however it's spelled) hate the U.S.A. Lots of folks are fairly certain they know exactly why we were attacked on September 11th.
Can someone point me to why, in Osama's own words, they did?
I've always assumed it was because the U.S. (Government and many citizens) is arrogant, puffed-up, and feels its need to bully the rest of the world into being Democratic. Maybe I'm wrong though. Maybe I only thought I read that somewhere. Maybe Osama really does "hate Freedom and Liberty," like Bush keeps saying.
If that's the case though, why didn't he crash planes into those High Schools in Bethlehem, PA...?
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Posted in the section Government on Tue, Sep 12, 2006 at
8:18 PM
So - I've noticed that my daughter seems to only have teething issues during the weeks of a full moon.
Am I raising a werewolf daughter?
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Posted in the section Friends and Family on Sun, Sep 10, 2006 at
8:04 PM
The U.S can't win a war on terrorism.
You can't wipe out pride.
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Posted in the section Government on Sun, Sep 10, 2006 at
9:30 AM
I think so.
They've provoked our government to become less democratic. Is this the government you voted for?
They made our leaders look foolish. Or did our leaders do that?
Your turn.
How else have the Terrorists won?
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Posted in the section Government on Sun, Sep 10, 2006 at
9:24 AM
I am growing concerned about Bush's vow to wipe out "tear-ists."
What does he have against those sweet religious folk who seek enlightenment and peace via ripping up pieces of paper.
Some "tear-ist" philosophy has been regularly used in therapy sessions to calm violent criminals.
Write to Mr. Bush and ask him to leave the "tear-ists" alone.
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Posted in the section Government on Sun, Sep 10, 2006 at
9:21 AM
So - do animals have souls?
Do they all have souls, or just some of them?
How can you tell the animals with sould apart form those without?
Many pet owners will insist that they will see their beloved pets in heaven someday. This suggests that some pets have souls.
I'd like to think that the fine line between having a soul or not is the difference between relying solely on instinct versus having reason and emotions.
But then, the question would arise - which "emotions" are really just "instict."
In truth, isn't every living being selfish? You can't be selfish with out being a bit prideful. Pride is an emotion.
So, in short.
All living creatures possess Instincts. Some exhibit emotions. Some emotions can be perceived as instinct. Which animals have souls?
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Posted in the section Religion vs. Faith on Sun, Sep 10, 2006 at
7:05 AM
On the same note;
Do you have a
Calling?
Profession?
Career?
Duty?
Job?
or is it just "work?"
I'm leaning towards the bottom 3 rungs.
I certainly don't want to be professional.
How dull.
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Posted in the section Job Issues on Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at
8:22 PM
I don't want to go to work tomorrow.
It's our first day back teaching the kids. I enjoy the kids and the job itself, but not the constant change of required details.
It seems that every year (or 3, maximum), we are asked to do our job differently, files papers differently, and generally jump through hoops in a different fashion to get the same job done. The claim is that the new way is always better and will grant "better success" to our kids. Bullocks.
I'm sure this is the same in any job field.
So what changes have been made
for the better at your job?
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Posted in the section Job Issues on Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at
8:18 PM
So - I had a dream featuring an old friend.
I contacted her to let her know, 'cause too often my dreams mean things.
Has this ever happened to you?
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Posted in the section Religion vs. Faith on Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at
4:12 PM
I helped Amy and Walt load up the moving truck for several hours yesterday.
It would seem, I ended up playing a large role in loading the truck. I won't brag too much until they report how much of the stuff got broken.
Years of Tetris, once again, paid off, though.
It's amusing, from my perspective, to see the family tears. I've kept in touch with Amy mostly through these Blogs and e-mail. So - 25 minutes or 3 hours away doesn't make a big difference to me.
Then again, I'm a very social person.
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Posted in the section Friends and Family on Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at
4:07 PM
What it says.
Again.
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Posted in the section Nothing on Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at
2:39 PM
What it says.
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Posted in the section Nothing on Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at
2:27 PM
Some posts from my Powergrade User Blog appeared...
Weird.
Whatever.
This'll work.
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Posted in the section Technology on Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at
11:12 AM
So - I think I'm gonna try a new way to fix my old Blog.
"And There You Have It" is now
HERE.
I'll continue on from this point, in this space...
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Posted in the section Technology on Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at
11:08 AM
What it says.
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Posted in the section Nothing on Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at
12:12 AM