You Don’t Say

It is amazing to me how many things I get daily through E-mails I have not sent many on to friends as I hate to forward with all of the previous senders and receivers listed and copy and pasting seems to take a lot of time, so I usually just delete them I had been wanting to start a page where I could list the ones I really liked and felt would not offend anyone I received the first one below from Mark, a former resident, and figured now would be a good time Enjoy these, and send me some you think would really work well on this page Of course, I will have the final say, but try not to get too wild Just click on the links below

1957

Mark Towne
mltowne@attbi.com
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”.

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?

PRAYER IN THE KANSAS SENATE

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”

TAX IN AMERICA

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

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

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!

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

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

An Ode to America

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

Penicillin Something you may not have known

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

A FEW THINGS ANDY ROONEY HAS LEARNED

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

A NEW ELEMENT IS DISCOVERED

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

STATEMENT READ AT A FOOTBALL GAME

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!

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”

JUST JOINED THE MARINES

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

SO BE IT!

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????