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Mark Towne
mltowne@attbicom
Subject: 1957
I just got this "over the wire" from my Mom (Carol Lucas who wound up
marrying Tom
Koehn way back in 1958)
The subject was "1957" and I couldn't help but think of the blizzard
Maybe this will help refresh some memories of the things of that time
The year 1957
This came from the USA Today
"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's
going to be impossible
to buy a week's groceries for $20.00".
"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before
$5000 will
only buy a used one".
"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit A quarter a
pack is ridiculous".
"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to
mail a letter?"
"If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside
help at the store".
"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would some day
cost 29 cents
a gallon Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage".
"Kids today are impossible. Those ducktail haircuts make it impossible to
stay groomed
Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the
girls".
"I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more Ever since they let
Clark Gable get by
with saying 'damn' in 'Gone With The Wind,' it seems every new movie has
either "hell" or
"damn" in it.
"I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a
man on the moon
by the end of the of the century They even have some fellows they call
astronauts preparing
for it down in Texas".
"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000
a year just to
play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than
the president".
"I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be
electric. They are even
making electric typewriters now".
"Its too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married
women are having to
work to make ends meet”.
"It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone
to watch their kids
so they can both work".
"Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more; those Hollywood stars seem to be
getting divorced
at the drop of a hat".
"I'm just afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole
lot of foreign business".
"Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half
our income in
taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to
congress".
"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously
doubt they will ever
catch on".
"There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend It
costs nearly $15
a night to stay in a hotel".
"No one can afford to be sick any more; $35 a day in the hospital is too
rich for my blood".
"If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it".
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Sad But True
In light of the many
perversions and jokes we send along to one another for a laugh, this is a
little different:
This joke today is not
intended to be a joke; it's not intended to be funny It's intended to get
you thinking
*Billy Graham's daughter was
interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let
something like this happen?" (Regarding the attacks on Sept 11)
Anne Graham gave an extremely
profound and insightful response She said, "I believe God is deeply
saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to
get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our
lives And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we
demand He leave us alone?"
In light of recent
eventsterrorists attack, school shootings, etc I think it started when
Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently)
complained she didn't want prayer in our schools We said OK
Then someone said you better
not read the Bible in school the Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou
shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself And we said OK
Then Dr Benjamin Spock said
we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little
personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr
Spock's son committed suicide) We said an expert should know what he's
talking about And we said OK
Then someone said teachers and
principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave The
school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a
student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we
surely don't want to be sued (there's a big difference between disciplining,
touching, beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc) And we said OK
Then someone said, let's let
our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell
their parents And we said OK
Then some wise school board
member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway,
let's give our sons all the condoms they want so they can have all the fun
they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at
school And we said OK
Then some of our top elected
officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our
jobs Agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone,
including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the
economy is good
Then someone said let's print
magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth
appreciation for the beauty of the female body And we said OK
And then someone else took
that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and
then further again by making them available on the Internet And we said OK;
they're entitled to free speech
Then the entertainment
industry said; let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity,
violence, and illicit sex Let's record music that encourages rape, drugs,
murder, suicide, and satanic themes And we said it's just entertainment, it
has no adverse effect, nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead
Now we're asking ourselves why
our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and
why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and
themselves
Probably, if we think about it
long and hard enough, we can figure it out I think it has a great deal to
do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW"
Funny how simple it is for
people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell
Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible
says
Funny how you can send 'jokes'
through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending
messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing
Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar
and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion
of God is suppressed in the school and workplace
Are
you laughing? |
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A
Real prayerin the Kansas Senate?
Thought you might
enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of
their Senate
It seems prayer still
upsets some people When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the
new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual
generalities, but this is what they heard:
"Heavenly Father, we
come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction
and guidance We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good,"
but that is exactly what we have done
We have lost our
spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values
We confess that we
have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism
We have exploited the
poor and called it the lottery
We have rewarded
laziness and called it welfare
We have killed our
unborn and called it choice
We have shot
abortionists and called it justifiable
We have neglected to
discipline our children and called it
building self-esteem
We have abused power
and called it politics
We have coveted our
neighbor's possessions and called it ambition
We have polluted the
air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of statement
We have ridiculed the
time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment
Search us, Oh, God,
and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free
Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us, to
the center of Your will We pray openly and ask these things in the name of
Your Son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ
Amen!"
The response was immediate ! !
A
number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest In 6
short weeks, the Central Christian Church, where Rev Wright is pastor,
logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding
negatively The church is now receiving international requests for
copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest
of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any
other he has ever aired
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and
wholeheartedly become our desire, so that we again can be called, "one
nation under God"
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Subject: How taxation in America really
works I hope this doesn't offend too many
Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand Suppose that
every day 10 men go out to dinner The bill for all ten comes to
$100 If it was paid the way we pay our taxes, the first four men
would pay nothing; the fifth would pay $1; the sixth would pay $3; the
seventh would pay $7; The eighth would pay $12; the ninth would pay $18
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59
The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy
with the arrangement until the owner threw them a curve "Since you are
all good customers, he said, I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily
meal by $20" Now dinner for 10 only costs $80
The first four are unaffected They still eat for free Can you figure out
how to divvy up the $20 savings between the remaining six, so that
everyone gets his fair share? The men realize that $20 divided by 6 is
$333, but if they subtract that from everybody's share, then the fifth
man and the sixth man would end up being paid to eat their meal The
restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill
by roughly the same amount and he proceeded to work out the amounts each
should pay
And so the fifth man paid nothing, the sixth pitched in $2, the seventh
paid $5, the eighth paid $9, the ninth paid $12, leaving the tenth man
with a bill of $52 instead of $59
Outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings "I only
got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man pointing to the
tenth, "and he got $7!!"
"Yeah, that's right", exclaimed the fifth man "I only saved a dollar,
too It's unfair that he got seven times more than me"
"That's true," shouted the seventh man "Why should he get back $7
when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks"
"Wait a minute, yelled the first four men in unison "We didn't get
anything at all The system exploits the poor"
The nine men surrounded the tenth man and beat him up The next
night he didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without
him But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something
important They were $52 short!! "
And that, boys and girls and college instructors, is how the tax system
works The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit
from a tax reduction Tax them too much, attack them for being
wealthy, and they may not show up at the table anymore There are
lots of good restaurants in Europe and the Caribbean
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WOODEN BOWL
I guarantee you will remember the tale
of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year
from now
A frail old man went to live with his
son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson The old man's hands
trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered
The family ate together
at the table But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight
made eating difficult Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor When he
grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth
The son and
daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess "We must do something
about Grandfather," said the son I've had enough of his spilled milk,
noisy eating, and food on the floor
So the husband and wife set a small
table in the corner There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the
family enjoyed dinner Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food
was served in a wooden bowl
When the family glanced in
Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat
alone Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions
when he dropped a fork or spilled food
The four-year-old watched it all in
silence One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing
with wood scraps on the floor He asked the child sweetly, "What are you
making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little
bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up" The
four-year-old smiled and went back to work
The words so struck the
parents so that they were speechless Then tears started to stream down
their cheeks Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done
That evening, the husband took
Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table For the
remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family And for some
reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was
dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled
On a positive note,
that, no matter what happens how bad it seems today, life does go on, and
it will be better tomorrow
that you can tell a lot
about a person by the way he/she handles three things: a rainy day, lost
luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights
that, regardless of
your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone
from your life
that making a "living" is
not the same thing as making a "life"
that life sometimes gives you a
second chance
that you
shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands You need to
be able to throw something back
that if you pursue
happiness, it will elude you But, if you focus on your family, your
friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can,
happiness will find you
that whenever I decide something
with an open heart, I usually make the right decision
that even when I have pains, I
don't have to be one
that every day, you
should reach out and touch someone People love that human touch -- holding
hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back
that I still have a
lot to learn
that you should pass this on to
everyone you care about
I just
did
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"A Drug
Problem"
I had a "drug" problem when I was a young
person and teenager:
I was "drug" to church on Sunday morning
I was "drug" to church on Sunday night
I was "drug" to church on Wednesday night
I was "drug" to Sunday School every week
I was "drug" to Vacation Bible School
I was "drug" to the family altar to read the
Bible and pray
I was also "drug" to the woodshed when
I disobeyed my parents
Those "drugs" are still in my veins; and they
affect my behavior in everything I do, say
and think They are stronger than cocaine,
crack or heroin If our children had
this kind of "drug" problem, wouldn't America
certainly be a better place?
Thanks Mother & Daddy! |
|
Subject: Can
you believe this? If you
find that this is not correct, please let me know Pete
Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more
than 500 employees and has the following statistics:
* 29 have been accused of spousal abuse
* 7 have been arrested for fraud
* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
*117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 Businesses
* 3 have done time for assault
* 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
* 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
* 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
* 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year
Can you guess which organization this is? Give up yet?
It's the 535 members of the United States Congress The same
group of idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year
designed to keep the rest of us in line |
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Be A Friend
One
day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my
class was walking home from school His name was Kyle It
looked
like he was carrying all of his books I thought to myself, "Why
would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be
a nerd" I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my
friend tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him They ran
at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he
landed in the dirt His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the
grass about ten feet from him He looked up and I saw this terrible
sadness in his eyes My heart went out to him So, I jogged over
to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear
in his eye
As
I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks They really
should get lives" He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was
a big smile on his face It was one of those smiles that showed real
gratitude
I
helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived As it
turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him
before He said he had gone to private school before now I
would have never hung out with a private school kid before We
talked all the way home, and I carried his books He turned out to
be a pretty cool kid I asked him if he wanted to play football on
Saturday with me and my friends He said yes We hung all
weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him And my
friends thought the same of him
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books
again I stopped him and said, "Damn boy, you are gonna really build
some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just
laughed and handed me half the books
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends When we
were seniors, began to think about college Kyle decided on
Georgetown, and I was going to Duke I knew that we would always be
friends, that the miles would never be a problem He was going to be
a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship
Kyle was valedictorian of our class I teased him all the time about
being a nerd He had to prepare a speech for graduation I was so glad
it wasn't me having to get up there and speak
Graduation day, I saw Kyle He looked great He was one of
those guys that really found himself during high school He filled
out and actually looked good in glasses He had more dates than me
and all the girls loved him!
Boy, sometimes I was jealous Today was one of those days I
could see that he was nervous about his speech So, I smacked him on
the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me
with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled
"Thanks," he said As he started his speech, he cleared his throat,
and
began "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through
those tough years Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe
a coach but mostly your friends I am here to tell all of you
that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them I
am going to tell you a story"
I
just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first
day we met He had planned to kill himself over the weekend
He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to
do it later and was carrying his stuff home He looked hard at me
and gave mea little smile "Thankfully, I was saved My friend
saved me from doing the unspeakable"
I
heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us
all about his weakest moment I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me
and smiling that same grateful smile Not until that moment did I
realize it's depth
Never underestimate the power of your actions With one small
gesture you can change a person's life For better or for worse
God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way
Look for God in others
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Editorial in a Romanian Newspaper
We rarely get a chance to see another country's editorial about us, the
USA When you think the US isn't thought well of all over the world,
read this editorial from a Romanian Newspaper
~An Ode to America~
Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if
you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world
and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations Some of them are nearly
extinct, others are incompatible with one another, and in matters of
religious beliefs, only God can count how many there are
Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a
hand put on the heart Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army,
and the secret services that they are only a bunch of losers Nobody
rushed to empty their bank accounts Nobody rushed out onto the streets
nearby to gape about The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give
a helping hand
After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking
ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national
flag They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on
every car a government official or the president was passing On every
occasion they started singing their traditional song: "God Bless America!"
Silent as a rock, I watched the charity concert broadcast on Saturday
once, twice, three times, on different TV channels There was Clint
Eastwood, Willie Nelson, Robert de Niro, Julia Roberts, Cassius Clay, Jack
Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Sylvester Stallone, James Wood, and many
others whom no film or producers could ever bring together The American's
spirit of solidarity turned them into a choir Actually, choir is not the
word What you could hear was the heavy artillery of the American
soul
What neither George W Bush, nor Bill Clinton, nor Colin Powell could say
without facing the risk of stumbling over words and sounds, was being
heard in a great and unmistakable way through this charity concert
I don't know how it happened that all this obsessive singing of America
didn't sound croaky, nationalist, or ostentatious! It made you green with
envy because you weren't able to sing for your own country without running
the risk of being considered chauvinist, ridiculous, or suspected of
who-knows-what ulterior motive
I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to
the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a
wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey
player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the
plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or
thousands
of people
How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being?
Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned
into a modern myth of tragic heroes And with every phone call, millions
and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a
man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy
What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land?
Their galloping history? Their economic Power? Money? I tried for
hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk
of sounding commonplace
I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion Only freedom can
work such miracles!
The only hope for America is Jesus
The only hope for our country is Him
If we repent of our ways, stand firm and say We need God in America
today
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I do not know if this is true, but if it is it is
quite interesting
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer One day, while
trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming
from a nearby bog He dropped his tools and ran to the bog There,
mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and
struggling to free himself Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what
could have been a slow and terrifying death
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse
surroundings An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced
himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved
"I want to repay you," said the nobleman "You saved my son's life"
"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied,
waving off the offer
At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel
"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked "Yes," the farmer replied proudly
"I'll make you a deal Let me provide him with the level of education my
son will enjoy If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt
grow to be a man we both will be proud of" And that he did
Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, he
graduated from St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to
become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the
discoverer of Penicillin
Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was
stricken with pneumonia What saved his life this time? Penicillin
The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill
His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill
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The following was
written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so
few words I Have Learned
That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of
an elderly person
That when you're in love, it shows
That just one person saying to me, "You've made my
day!" makes my day
That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of
the most peaceful feelings in the world
That being kind is more important than being right
That you should never say no to a gift from a child
That I can always pray for someone when I don't have
the strength to help him in some other way
That no matter how serious your life requires you to
be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with
That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and
a heart to understand
That simple walks with my father around the block on
summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult
That life is like a roll of toilet paper The closer it
gets to the end, the faster it goes
That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything
we ask for
That money doesn't buy class
That it's those small daily happenings that make life
so spectacular
That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants
to be appreciated and loved
That the Lord didn't do it all in one day What makes
me think I can?
That to ignore the facts does not change the facts
That when you plan to get even with someone, you are
only letting that person continue to hurt you
That love, not time, heals all wounds
That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to
surround myself with people smarter than I am
That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a
smile
That there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your
babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks
That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them
That life is tough, but I'm tougher
That opportunities are never lost; someone will take
the ones you miss
That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock
elsewhere
That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him
one more time before he passed away
That one should keep his words both soft and tender,
because tomorrow he may have to eat them
That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your
looks
That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I
do about it
That when your newly born grandchild holds your little
finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life
That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but
all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it
That it is best to give advice in only two
circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life threatening
situation
That the less time I have to work with, the more things
I get done
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|
Subject: Administratium
The
University of California at Berkley has recently announced the discovery
of the heaviest element yet known to science This new element has been
tentatively named "Administratium" Administratium has 1 neutron,
12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 111 assistant deputy
neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312
These
312 particles are held together by a force called morons, which are
surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons Since
Administratium has no electrons, it is inert However, it can be detected
as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact A minute
amount of Administratium causes one reaction to take over 4 days to
complete when it would normally take less than a second
Administratium has a normal half-life of 3 years; it does not decay but
instead undergoes a reorganization, in which a portion of the assistant
neutrons and deputy neutrons and assistant deputy neutrons exchange
places In fact, Administratium's mass will actually increase over time,
since each reorganization causes some morons to become neutrons forming
isodopes This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to
speculate that Administratium is formed whenever morons reach a certain
quantity in concentration This hypothetical quantity is referred to as
"Critical Morass" You will know it when you see it
|
This one comes from the Sauerwein's
STATEMENT AT A FOOTBALL GAME
This is a statement that was read over the PA system at the football game
at Roane County High School, Kingston, Tennessee, by school Principal,
Jody McLoud I thought it was worth sharing with the world and hope you
will forward it to all your friends It shows clearly just how far this
country has gone in the wrong direction
"It has always been the custom at Roane County High School football games,
to say a prayer and play the National Anthem, to honor God and Country"
Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a
Prayer is a violation of Federal Case Law As I understand the law at
this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion
and call it "an alternate lifestyle," and if someone is offended, that's
OK
I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity, by dispensing condoms and
calling it, "safe sex" If someone is offended, that's OK
I can even use this public facility to present the merits of killing an
unborn baby as a "viable means of birth control" If someone is
offended, no problem
I can designate a school day as "Earth Day" and involve students in
activities to worship religiously and praise the goddess "Mother Earth"
and call it "ecology"
I can use literature, videos and presentations in the classroom that
depict people with strong, traditional Christian convictions as "simple
minded" and "ignorant" and call it "enlightenment"
However, if anyone uses this facility to honor God and to ask Him to bless
this event with safety and good sportsmanship, then Federal Case Law is
violated
This appears to be inconsistent at best, and at worst, diabolical
Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone, except God and
His Commandments
Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students
to abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree For me
to do otherwise would be inconsistent at best, and at worst, hypocritical
I suffer from that affliction enough unintentionally I certainly do
not need to add an intentional transgression
For this reason, I shall "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's," and
refrain from praying at this time
"However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise and thank God and ask Him,
in the name of Jesus, to bless this event, please feel free to do so
As far as I know, that's not against the law----yet"
One by one, the people in the stands bowed their heads, held hands with
one another and began to pray
They prayed in the stands They prayed in the team huddles They
prayed at the concession stand and they prayed in the Announcer's Box!
The only place they didn't pray was in the Supreme Court of the United
States of America - the Seat of "Justice" in the "one nation, under God"
Somehow, Kingston, Tennessee remembered what so many have forgotten
We are given the Freedom OF Religion, not the Freedom FROM Religion
Praise God that His remnant remains!
Celebrate Jesus in 2003!
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A Christmas Story
The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve He hadn't
been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away He had no
decorations, no tree, no lights It was just another day to him He
didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate There
were no
children in his life His wife had gone
He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the
last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a
homeless man stepped through Instead of throwing the man out, George,
Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and
sit by the
space heater and warm-up
"Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger "I see
you're busy I'll just go" "Not without something hot in your belly,"
George turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the
stranger "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty Stew Made it
myself When you're done there's coffee and it's fresh"
Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell "Excuse
me, be right back," George said There in the driveway was an old 53
Chevy Steam was rolling out of the front The driver was
panicked "Mister can you help me!" said the driver with a deep Spanish
accent "My wife is with child and my car is broken"
George opened the hood It was bad The block looked cracked from the
cold; the car was dead "You ain't going in this thing," George said as
he turned away "But mister Please help"The door of the office
closed behind George as he went in George went to the office wall and
got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside He walked around
the building and opened the garage, started the truck and drove it
around to where the couple was waiting
"Here,
you can borrow my truck," he said "She ain't the best thing you ever
looked at, but she runs real good" George helped put the woman in the
truck and watched as it sped off into the night George turned and walked
back inside the office
"Glad I loaned em the truck Their tires were shot too That 'ol truck
has brand new tires" George thought he was talking to the
stranger, but the man had gone The thermos was on the desk, empty with a
used coffee cup beside it
"Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought George
went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start It cranked
slowly, but it started He pulled it into the garage where the truck had
been He thought he would tinker with it for something to
do Christmas Eve meant no customers He discovered the block
hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator
"Well, I can fix this," he said to himself So he put a new one on
"Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either" He took
the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln They were like new and he
wasn't going to drive the car
As he was working he heard a shot being fired He ran outside and beside
a police car an officer lay on the cold ground Bleeding from the left
shoulder, the officer moaned, "Help me" George helped the officer
inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a
medic He knew the wound needed attention
"Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought The laundry company had
been there that morning and had left clean shop towels He used those
and duct tape to bind the wound "Hey, they say duct tape can fix
anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at
ease "Something for pain," George thought All he had was the pills he
used for his back "These ought to work" He put some water in a cup
and gave the policeman the pills "You hang in there I'm going to get
you an ambulance" George said, but the phone was dead "Maybe I can get
one of your buddies on that there
talk box out in your police car" He went out only to find that a
bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio He went
back in to find the policeman sitting up
"Thanks," said the officer "You could have left me there The guy that
shot me is still in the area" George sat down beside him "I would
never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you"
George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding "Looks worse than
what it is
Bullet passed right through 'ya Good thing it missed the important
stuff though I think with time your gonna be right as rain"
George got up and poured a cup of coffee "How do you take it?" he
asked "None for me," said the officer "Oh, yer gonna drink this
Best in the city" Then George added: "Too bad I ain't got no donuts"
The officer laughed and winced at the same time The front door of
the office flew open In burst a young man with a gun
"Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled His
hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything
like this before
"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the
officer
"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George "You need to put the cannon
away Somebody else might get hurt" The young man was confused
"Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too "Now give me the
cash!" The cop was reaching for his gun "Put that thing away," George
said to the cop "We got one too many in here now"
He turned his attention to the young man "Son, it's Christmas Eve If
you need the money, well then, here It ain't much but it's all I
got Now put that pea shooter away"
George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man,
reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time The young man
released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry
"I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for
my wife and son," he went on "I've lost my job My rent is due My
car got repossessed last week"
George handed the gun to the cop "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze
now and then The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the
best we can"
He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across
from the cop "Sometimes we do stupid things" George handed the young
man a cup of coffee "Being stupid is one of the things that makes us
human Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer Now sit there
and get warm and we'll sort this thing out" The young man had stopped crying He
looked over to the cop "Sorry I
shot you It just went off I'm sorry officer"
"Shut up and drink your coffee" the cop said George could hear the
sounds of sirens outside A police car and an ambulance skidded to a
halt Two cops came through the door, guns drawn
"Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer "Not bad
for a guy who took a bullet How did you find me?" "GPS locator in the
car Best thing since sliced bread Who did this?" the other cop
asked as he approached the young man
Chuck answered him, "I don't know The guy ran off into the dark
Just dropped his gun and ran"
George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other "That guy
works here," the wounded cop continued "Yep," George said
"Just hired him this morning Boy lost his job"
The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher The young
man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?" Chuck just said,
"Merry Christmas, boy And you too, George, and thanks for everything"
"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there That ought to
solve some of your problems" George went into the back room and came
out with a box He pulled out a ring box "Here you go Something for
the little woman I don't think Martha would mind She said it would
come in
handy some day"
The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw
"I can't take this," said the young man "It means something to you"
"And now it means something to you," replied George "I got my memories
That's all I need" George reached into the box again A toy
airplane, a racing car and a little metal truck appeared next They were
toys that the oil company had left for him to sell "Here's something
for that little man of yours"
The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old
man had handed him earlier "And what are you supposed to buy Christmas
dinner with? You keep that, too Count it as part of your first week's
pay" George said "Now git home to your family" The young man turned
with tears streaming down his face "I'll be here in the morning for
work, if that job offer is still good"
"Nope I'm closed Christmas day," George said "See ya the day after"
George turned around to find that the stranger had returned "Where'd
you come from? I thought you left?" "I have been here I have always
been here," said the stranger "You say you don't celebrate Christmas
Why?" "Well, after my wife passed away I just couldn't see what
all the bother was Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good
pine tree Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just
wasn't the same by myself and besides I was getting a little chubby"
The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder "But you do celebrate
the holiday, George You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was
cold and hungry The woman with child will bear a son and he will become
a great doctor
The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed
by terrorists The young man who tried to rob you will become a rich man
and share his wealth with many people That is the spirit of the
season and you keep it as good as any man" George was taken aback
by all this stranger had said "And how do you know all this?" asked the
old man
"Trust me, George I have the inside track on this sort of thing And
when your days are done you will be with Martha again" The stranger
moved toward the door "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go
now I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned"
George watched as the man's old leather jacket and his torn pants turned
into a white robe A golden light began to fill the room "You see,
George, it's MY birthday"
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LETTER FROM A FARM KID NOW AT
THE MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT
IN
SAN DIEGO
Dear Ma and Pa:
I am well Hope you are Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine
Corps beats working for the old man Minch by a mile Tell them to join
up quick
before maybe all of the places are filled
I was restless at first because you got to stay in
bed till nearly 6 am, but am getting so I like to sleep late Tell
Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine
some things No hogs to slop, feed
to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split,
fire to lay Practically
nothing
Men got to shave but it is not so bad,
there's warm water Breakfast is
strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal,
eggs, bacon,
etc,
but kind of weak on chops, potatoes,
ham, steak, fried eggplant,
pie and other regular food But
tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the
two city boys that live on coffee
Their food plus yours holds you till
noon when you get fed again
It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much
We go on "route" marches, which the Platoon
Sergeant says are long walks to
harden us If he thinks so, it is
not my place to tell him different A
"route march" is about as far as to
our mailbox at home Then the city guys get
sore feet and we all ride back in
trucks The country is nice, but awful flat The Sergeant is like
a schoolteacher He nags some The Capt is like the
school board Majors and
Colonels just ride around and frown They don't
bother you none
This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing
I keep getting medals for
shooting I don't know why The
bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head
and don't move And it ain't
shooting at you, like the Higgett boys at home All you got to do is lie
there all comfortable and hit it You don't even
load your own cartridges They come
in boxes
Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat
training You get to wrestle with them city boys I have to be real
careful though, they break real easy It ain't like fighting with that
ole bull at home I'm about the best they got in this except for that
Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake He joined
up the same time as me But I'm
only 5'6" and 130 pounds and he's 6'8" and
weighs near 300 pounds dry
Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join
before other fellers get
onto this setup and come stampeding
in
Your loving daughter,
Gail
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So Be It!!
Sent to me by Denis Minet. I think it is really close to the way I
feel.
We A L L should read this and pass it on!!
Read the entire article you'll be glad you did
So if the US government determines that it is
against the law for the
words "under God" to be on our money, then, so be it
And if that same government decides that the "Ten Commandments" are not
to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it
And since they already have prohibited any prayer in the schools, on
which they deem their authority, then so be it
I say, "so be it," because I would like to be a law abiding US citizen
I say, "so be it," because I would like to think that smarter people
than I are in positions to make good decisions
I would like to think that those people have the American Publics'
best interests at heart
BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D LIKE?
Since we can't pray to God, can't Trust in God and cannot Post His
Commandments in Government buildings, I don't believe the Government and
it's employees should participate in the Easter and Christmas
celebrations which honor the God that our government is eliminating from
many facets of American life
I'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday & Easter
After all, it's just another day
I'd like the US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday
& Easter as well as Sundays After all, it's just another day
I'd like the Senate and the House of representatives to not have to
worry about getting home for the "Christmas Break" After all it's
just another day
I'm thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all
government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday &
Easter
It shouldn't cost any overtime since those would be just like any other
day of the week to a government that is trying to be "politically
correct"
In fact I think that our government should work on Sundays
(initially set aside for worshiping God) because, after all, our
government says that it should be just another day
What do you all think????
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