Monthly Archives: May 2021

A Matter of Terminology?

Posted in Christian values, Religion by

I have seen the phrases, “Miracles happen.” and “Miracles do happen.” a number of times, especially here lately. I would guess most people who call themselves Christian find no problem with the expressions. Indeed, many not only agree with it but also frequently use it.

However, I have been thinking on it. You look at The Empire State building, you wouldn’t say it happened. Someone had to build it. Seven-forty-seven airplanes don’t just happen. There was a lot of work that went into those planes. They had to be designed, the parts had to be built and then someone assembled them.

The implication of saying miracles happen implies that no one was behind them. It is similar to saying the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty just floated down out of the sky.

I know it’s picky. I am sure that many who have degrees in theology would either disagree with me or they would say I am nitpicking. Maybe I am. Certainly there are thousands of childbirths each day and I do consider each one of them a miracle. I am forced to ask the question, do they just happen? On the other hand, does God take part in each and every birth.

I guess that will be one of the many questions I will ask when I get the chance. Well, for that matter, I can ask Him now. He might even answer me but I suspect it is unlikely. I do sort of wish Moses had asked him while he had the chance.

Regardless, I still don’t think miracles just happen. The natural thing is for an ax head, likely made of iron to sink to the bottom of a creek. If it floats, someone is behind it. When the earth stops spinning on its axis for one full day, it was not a natural occurrence. It didn’t just happen. God intervened in the natural events at the request of Joshua. Think of all the natural phenomenon that had to be altered for that one request. Without God’s intervention, one side of the earth would have froze while the other baked.

Naturally, I can cite many other events recorded in the Bible. Many people can cite their own experiences. In no case did any of the miracles just happen. Someone, intervened. If not, it is not a miracle but a natural event. That does not mean that God cannot use a natural event to accomplish his miracles.

Regardless, I believe the statement is misleading, especially for those who do not believe or those recently saved. Oh. And by the way. Salvation is a miracle. God intervened making it a miracle. The natural result of every man and woman’s life is eternity in hell. Jesus intervened by dying on the cross and then rising on the third day. Then God intervened by giving us the plan of salvation, also known as the Gospel, also known as the good news. He provided the means for all of us. It is the greatest of all His miracles and I assure you it did not just happen. However, He does not force anyone to take part in it. Only those who believe in it and chose to accept the gift will ever go to heaven,

Those who have not chosen to take part in the miracle will, by choice, spend eternity in hell.

Just Who is it that’s Racist?

Posted in Abuse of Power, Christian values, Communism, Communist Takover, Immigration, Important things, Lawyers and Representation, Politcal Opinion, Socialists, The Clintons, The Squad by

Sometimes, people have problems with definitions.  Sometimes folks like to redefine words to suit their purposes.  If things keep going the way they are, the dems will have the entire dictionary rewritten before the beginning of the next decade.

First off, we are no longer permitted to use the term illegal alien, even though that is the legal term.  They might not be documented, but they are definitely illegal if they enter the country illegally.

Now, it would seem that something is bipartisan if they can perform a survey and find one republican in favor of one of their harebrained ideas.

Over the last few years, they have found a favorite term, racism.  Indeed, they have found it and a few other words you might find in your thesaurus.  They throw the words around to the point that the words have become meaningless.  On the other hand, they just might mean anything.

Therefore, for those interested, let me provide some proper examples.

  1. Certainly, Hitler was racist.  The fact is; though, that Stalin killed at least as many Jews and his name is rarely brought up.  After all, to the communist, Stalin is a hero.  Indeed, the Russians were racist toward the Jews long before Hitler arrived on the scene.
  2. An obscure woman by the name of Margaret Sanger was in favor of aborting all black babies.  If you look up the word infanticide, you just might find a picture of the woman.  She was the one who established Family Planning for the sole purpose of ridding the world of “the inferior black race.”  Today, they deny such ideas but they locate 70% of their clinics inside predominately Black neighborhoods.  I don’t think that is by accident.
  3. Anyone who uses people of other races as pawns is clearly a racist.  To them, people are simply objects to be used and cast aside until they are needed again.  This is a good description of the dems.  They not only use and abuse African Americans but also Hispanic and Latinos.  I assure you.  If it did not suit their purposes to leave the boarder open, they wouldn’t.
    Because they want the votes, and because they believe that the Hispanics and Latinos will vote democrat, they have no hesitation using them as pawns.  The fact that some die on the way does not in the least bother them.  The fact that most of the women are raped on the way is no concern of theirs.  The millions that go to work in sweat shops and brothels do not even register on their empathy meter.
  4. The worst of all, every time they don’t like someone for anything, they call him a racist.  That dilutes the word.  It changes the meaning.  It makes it so the true racist is ignored.
  5. And now, even now, people are making every attempt they know how to eliminate the Jewish homeland and the Jews are being painted as the guilty party.  The Jews are called racist and a few other names I’d just as soon not repeat.

Just maybe this would be a good time for the African Americans, the Latinos and the Hispanics to open their eyes and see that they are being used as pawns.  I assure you, if and when the dems do away with The Constitution, they will no longer have any need for minorities and then it will be too late.  They will secure their power and establish something that looks very much like Venezuela.  Then, they will complete the border wall and use it to ensure that no one leaves.

Pipelines and Electric Cars

Posted in Abuse of Power, Biden, Crazy Nuts, Electectric vehicles, Gas vs Electric, Politcal Opinion, Price of Oil by

It has come to my attention that there are many that suggest that electric cars are the answer to pipeline problems. After all they don’t need gas. I have heard, though I was unable to confirm it, that among them was the energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm.

If Granholm was among them, she should be fired. She is supposed to have some working knowledge of energy. Here’s an alert for all who have thought EVs are the solution to pipeline problems. Almost all electricity originates from oil or natural gas. If the oil line stayed down for too long, they would have had to start shutting down parts of the electric grid, then eventually all of it.

Then where will you go to charge your electric vehicle?

As a side note, Granholm has allegedly invested heavily into an electric car company. There are two things I have to say about that. First, it is a dumb investment at this time. It will take decades before EVs will be practical. Second, it would appear as if it was not ethical. She ought not be invested in anything involved in energy or she should resign her post immediately. I think they call that sort of thing a conflict of interest.

Then again, she does have a D after her name. She will be able to get away with it.

Problems with Cyber Attacks

Posted in Computer Hacking by

I do not understand how after all these years, we still have to put up with cyber attacks. Okay. My home computer has been hit a few times, but it’s no big thing. I reload my operating system and off I go. There is no major suffering, all though, with the size of the latest version of Windows, it can take a while to restore a system. (In the old days, it was about 10 minutes. I used to do it once a month just to insure the system integrity. To be sure, the hackers do benefit from large operating systems.)

As I see it, the blame lies in three places. First Microsoft makes it entirely too susceptible. Perhaps a high security version should be available for critical industries and military. No communication would be permitted to or from these systems unless they have the higher security.

Secondly, individuals expose things to the net that simply don’t need to be there. I am still wondering how it is that the pipeline was remotely shut down. Really, do we have to put such control out there so that anyone who can figure out how just shuts it all down.

There is for sure, no hard fast rule that everything needs to be put out there where anyone can get to it. Believe it or not, there are still computers that are not connected to the internet at all. We don’t have to put it all out there where we are completely exposed.

Third, establish secure paths. Before anything comes into a computer, verify that it is coming from a recognized source. I’m not totally sure how this can be done but I am sure it can be. Any computer trying to get into my computer that is not authorized should be suspect and if it continues, the computer should be investigated, shut down or both.

Regardless, in the current conditions or as above, I would always have a pseudo system, a fake system for people to hack. I would let them think they broke into my system and let them do whatever they want. After they wasted a few hours, maybe days looking around, they would likely decide to go somewhere else.

To extend such an idea, maybe we should set out mouse traps. The mouse traps would be computers that would be varying degrees of ease of hacking. The instant someone tries to break in, the source would be flagged and someone could be dispatched to deal with the culprits.

Better yet, maybe a virus could be loaded into the culprit’s computer and cause it to shut down. Let the hackers feel what it is like to be hacked.

If It Doesn’t Matter, Then It Doesn’t Matter

Posted in Abuse of Power, Immigration, Lawyers and Representation, Politcal Opinion by

Considering the recall vote for Newsom, it reminds me of a book I once had about Murphy’s Law and many related subjects. I don’t know what happened to the book. Indeed it was funny, but it was also full of all sorts of wisdom such as, the strongest part of the paper is always where the perforations are.

In this case, I am reminded of a theory consisting of three statements.

  1. If something is bad, this it will likely happen.
  2. If something is good, it will likely never happen.
  3. If it doesn’t matter, then it doesn’t matter.

I find the third one particularly thoughtful. Nonetheless, let us consider the outcomes. If he is not replaced, that would be bad, making it likely. Since replacing him would be good, that is farfetched. On the other hand, none of it really matters because it doesn’t matter. One man, no matter how good he is will ever save that state. If you notice the makeup of the assembly, no governor is going to fix that mess, at least for the next 2 or 3 decades.

Therefore, in this case, I select choice three as the most applicable. All the work and effort doesn’t matter. I consider it sad. I used to live in California, when Reagan was governor. That was before the dummycrats took it over. Now it would appear that it is getting so bad that everyone is leaving, even the liberals.

A Few Redemptions of the White Man

Posted in Abuse of Power, Cancel Culture, Christian values, Communism, Communist Takover, Politcal Opinion, Respect by

If we listen to some, the white man, all white men are the worst creatures to walk the earth. However, let us remember a few redeeming actions of men who were white.

  1. Though he was not successful, Thomas Jefferson tried to make the black people equal under the constitution. He was forced into compromise in order that the revolution might succeed.
  2. During all the years of slavery, white people, under danger of being imprisoned, moved thousands of slaves into Canada. It was not enough to move them into the North. Due to a Supreme Court decision, slaves that were caught in the North had to be returned to the South. The folks who took part in this were white and were referred to as the underground railroad. Moreover, most of them were Christian.
  3. Let’s not forget that the vast majority of those who fought for the North were White. I will admit, many were conscripted. Many had other reasons for which they fought. Yet, they fought and died; and made the black man free.
  4. John F Kennedy, a white man, originated the equal rights act. At the time they voted it into law, those in the Senate and the house were all white. As an aside, this was in spite of the democrats efforts to stop it.

We white folks aren’t aren’t perfect, individually and collectively. However, there are many of us who have tried. That we should be collectively convicted is in itself a crime. I must admit, I have had my moments that I am not so proud of. On the other side of the coin, I have met some men who were black that that had nothing but contempt for me, though they never knew me.

Maybe one of these days, men will learn to look beyond the color of the skin, as Martin Luther King dreamed of. However, at this point, it is certainly not true. It is improper to give one person any privileges over any other person because of the color of his skin, regardless of his or her color. It all leads to disaster. Either way, it will cause anger even if it is not manifested. It can and has led to violence even when there was no provocation.

In the end, there are no magic wands that someone can just wave over the land and all the prejudice will go away. However, there are those who want to take advantage of the natural divisions: black, white; rich, poor; man, woman; Irish, Italian and Asian. I am sure I left some out. Beware of those who know of these weaknesses which we have have created.

Some seek to riches. Some seek power. On the other hand, some of our our opponents seek to use these weaknesses to overtake us and remove our freedoms. Some even want to make our country part of theirs.

Even if there is no outside influence, our civilization will tear itself asunder if there is racism. There will always be racism when there are those who encourage racism for their own purposes. Martin Luther King insisted on non-violent demonstration. Today, it would seem violent demonstration is the only kind. I suspect Martin Luther King would have no part of it.

Personally, I believe it is about time for all of us to respect each other; but then, I have always been a little bit of an idealist.

Call It What It Is: Theft

Posted in Christian values, Compromise, Crime, Deceit, Religion, Respect by

Many want to dance around the subject with fancy words. They try to invent reasons and concepts that just aren’t there.

When a male takes part in a sport intended for women, it is theft, simple and out outright.

In the least, they steal a trophy. At worst, they steal money in the form of scholarships. No one can convince me otherwise.

Moreover, any college that would recognize such a thing is aiding and abetting in the crime. Sorry, I don’t like sugarcoating sin in euphemisms . God said “Thou shalt not steal.” and this is outright stealing.

Those who take part in the theft might think that they are winners but they deceive themselves, perhaps the worst kind of deceit. Those who assist the thieves show their lack of respect for God and women. They too are part of the deceit.

So, if you’re really honest with others and yourselves call it what it is: Theft.

Trains, Cars and Planes

Posted in experience, Gas tax, Politcal Opinion by

I have always had a fascination with trains, especially the steam locomotives. When I was seven, I had an electric train set, though it modeled a diesel. Don’t get me wrong. I love that train. My friends and I had a lot of fun with that train. In fact, from time to time we would combine train sets into a much larger set. The problem was that every time I was done with it, I had to put it up. It meant the next time I wanted to play trains, I had to put it all together.

A neighbor down the way had a train set in his garage. The table it was on could be raised and lowered. It made it far more convenient. More than that, his train only had two rails like the real ones. Mine had three. Besides, his had switch tracks. It didn’t have to go over the same tracks time and again.

Thinking back over it, I sometimes think I should have made my living with trains. I know it is hard work but you know, if it is what you like, it isn’t work.

When I was six, I rode on a train, from Ft Smith to Kansas City to Los Angeles. Then, after a few hours in Los Angeles, we went up to San Francisco. A person can’t do that anymore. Ft. Smith Arkansas no longer has passenger service. However, they do have an airport. From that little airport a person can go most anywhere in the world. Interstate 40 goes just north of Ft Smith. For those with automobiles, a person can go all over the US on the best interstate system in the world.

I guess, if a person from Ft. Smith wants to go on a train, he would likely have to go to Memphis or maybe Oklahoma. I went to a ten week school in Philadelphia and I dove my car. My wife got a friend to watch the kids a few days and we figured she could come up a few days before the school was over and drive back with me.

My first thought was that she could catch a train and save a dollar or two. So I checked. It was about 200 dollars more by train than my plane. So she went by plane. I looked at going on the train to St. Louis for a Cardinal game. Was that An eye opener. We drove.

It used to be that when you couldn’t afford to fly, you took took a train. It would appear now the plane is less, or the car.

I was over in Japan back in 1975 and they had a good inexpensive train system. I rode on them a number of times. I understand the passenger trains are having problems there now.

I absolutely love trains, but it would appear they are a vanishing breed. People keep trying to bring them back. They talk about high speed trains. They talk about light rail. No matter how you look at it they are far more expensive than any other form of transportation and I hate that.

When the railroads first started, they had an enormous advantage. The government provided huge rights-of-way and all sorts of government assistance. It appears their golden age was from about 1850 to 1960 was. However, with the assistance of the California government, they tried a simple high speed train, which was to go more or less from the southern part of the state to the northern part. It failed miserably before the first train ran down the track. Actually, they never finished the track and likely never will. They spent more for the rail than for the entire Transcontinental Railroad. All that tax money and now there is nothing. It is time to give it up. Those of us who hardly ride on a train should not have to pay for those that do.

Nowadays, the trains simply cannot support themselves. Year after year, the tax dollars are poured into the trains systems and they always come up with losses at the end of the year. Amtrak is more of a failure than the post office and I hate that.

If it is the desire of some private firm wants to build a train, fine. I have no problem with it. As I said, I like trains. However, if they plan on doing it, please don’t use the taxpayer to fund another grand failure.

As a side note, I would suspect that the train in California would have come closer to succeeding if they did not waste so much money. It is the problem when the government gets involved in things. For sure some of that money that went toward that train likely ended up in the pockets of some politicians. Government is a beast and it is the nature of the beast.

I like to watch trains and I like to ride on trains. It seems to be such a wonderful efficient means of transportation. Experience proves it wrong. Cars are about the same speed as trains are far less expensive. Worse, the only way you can change the route of the train is to change the tracks. That is very expensive.

I suppose there are some places the trains are holding on. Many people still ride them on the east coast. There is still the famous City of New Orleans that goes between the city of its name and Chicago. I don’t live far from the tracks uses. I have had to stop to let it go by. But considering the price of a ticket, I would suspect it won’t be running much longer.

Indeed, the day is quickly approaching when the only trains you will see are freight trains and the type we put on the floor and play with.

A Sterile Kiss?

Posted in Kamala Harris by

I saw a video last night. It was on a news program. It was of Kamala kissing her husband.

No big deal, right? They still had their masks on. Both of them. Really? And people ask me why I call them dummycrats.

I guess they were afraid of catching each other’s germs. I’m sure the masks were adequate protection. As for me, their logic underwhelms me.