A Few Kind Words For Keith Olbermann And Michael Moore

This began last night with my mother attempting to ‘get my goat’ while we were talking about politics. I mentioned that Michel Moore has a video out proclaiming that hurricane Gustav about to hit New Orleans on the first day of the Republican Convention is proof that there is a god.
My mother praised Michel Moore’s intelligence, said that she believed he was right on every single issue. But my goat was not gotten, as I’ve been through such stuff many times over the years.
Actually, I do think that Michael Moore is intelligent; we disagree on virtually every issue, but that doesn’t mean he’s dumb, anymore than it makes me smart.
Moore made millions of dollars in the last 9 years attacking George Bush. Say what you will, an opportunist who can turn hatred into a lot of cash, a mountain of cash, isn’t dumb. Immoral, but not stupid.
Many non-Christians think that Christians are suckers, fools easily parted from their money every Sunday morning when the plate gets passed. Moore has separated many fools from their money, and they love him for filling their hearts with hate, their heads with nonsense. But I wouldn’t want to be Michael Moore on Judgment Day, when he stands before God and has to answer for his sins. Ouch.
Speaking of ouch, Keith Olbermann, a NBC/MSNBC broadcaster, has perfected “the rankle”-the most irritating tone of words ever to come out of a human mouth. What he says about Republicans drips with such contempt that it would be surprising if it doesn’t corrode his insides soon.
I followed a news article about Olbermann back to his ‘Wiki” page and found a few positive things.
He had been a smoker for years; after a health scare, he not only quit tobacco but encouraged others to quit before their health deteriorates. I can amen that.
Olbermann was a sportscaster; I remember him at ESPN, before he made the big time with his own show. He is an ardent baseball fan. So am I, so we share the ‘brotherhood of the ballpark’.
This wasn’t so hard. In the past I have posted sarcastic, but today I am sincere, finding a few praiseworthy things to say about Olbermann and Moore. I can even squeeze out a little praise for Bill Maher, the political comedian. He recently suggested that some of the newscasters gushing about Obama had gone way overboard in their admiration for him.
No argument from me. I’d better quit now before my bona fides stop being bona.

Check Mate. Game Over

Habakkuk 3:17-19

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
18 Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.
For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.
Habakkuk 3:17-19

This scripture was quoted twice last Sunday: by my Pastor in our morning Bible study, and then by another Pastor Sunday night when our church families got together for hymn singing and fellowship. It’s a message of Hope that is important to remember: no matter circumstance, God is greater than events which happen, and He has promised to take care of His children.
We live in a Blessed country, which, scars and all, is wonderful. We have a great economy now, and there are many benefits to living in America. But it hasn’t always been so-the Great Depression, the Civil War, Slavery, all of our Colonies being slaves under King George-no, it wasn’t always as wonderful as it is now.
But even during the most troubling times in our nation, God has extended His Grace, and this nation has survived because of that Grace. Even when crops fail, even when cattle die, even when economies fall into depressions, God is here, and we rejoice.
God is here for ALL of His children. Our brothers and sisters around the world are also upheld and protected by His hand. Their circumstance may be more dire than ours, they may face more persecution, but when their harvest dies, or their flocks are cut off…they rejoice in the Lord.
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.” James 4:10

"Dem-ver Convention-al Wisdom"

Barack H. Obama:
“These are the laws of my administration
No one's allowed to smoke
Or tell a dirty joke
And whistling is forbidden...

If chewing gum is chewed
The chewer is pursued.
And in the hoosegow hidden...
If any form of pleasure is exhibited
Report to me and it will be prohibited.
I'll put my foot down, so shall it be.
This is the land of the free.

The last man nearly ruined this place
He didn't know what to do with it
If you think this country's bad off now
Just wait 'til I get through with it

The country's taxes must be fixed
And I know what to do with it
If you think you're paying too much now
Just wait 'til I get through with it...


I will not stand for anything that's crooked or unfair
I'm strictly on the up and up
So everyone beware
If anyone's caught taking graft
And I don't get my share
We stand 'em up against the wall
And pop goes the weasel.”

From “Duck Soup”: "Just Wait 'Til I Get Through With It,"
Words and music by Burt Kalmar and Harry Ruby

HA. HA. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ……HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ……HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ……HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ……HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ……HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ……HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ……HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ……HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ……HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …SWEEEEET.

Camouflaged Mimes

Mark 2:15-16

“15And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. 16When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?” 17And hearing this, Jesus said* to them, “it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:15-16

‘And they were following Him.’
They may have seen miracles and wanted to see more.
They could have come to mock, but stayed to listen.
They could have been part of the crowds who listened to Jesus teach.

Jesus met them where they lived, ate with them, befriended them…and that blew the minds of those other sinners, the scribes of the Pharisees. They wouldn’t have sat down with a tax collector to save their lives.
I’m sure that Jesus’ rebuke when right over their heads: ““it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The good news is that He is still drawing sinners to Himself. Someone who thinks that they are righteous in their own selves will not heed that call. May God continue to work on you, friend.

Interview with Ilsa Lund-Blaine

Morvern Restal has shared a treasure with the world. Restal, in her twenties, lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband Bruce. She recently graduated from Colorado State with a degree in Art History, but it is her personal history which is the subject of her new book/DVD: she is the granddaughter of Richard Blaine and Ilsa Lund-Blaine.
Lund-Blaine had been married to Victor Laszlo, the great Resistance leader whose efforts against the Nazi war machine served as an example and encouragement to dozens of underground resistance groups across Europe. Laszlo was killed in Cetinje, Montenegro, in 1945 during the final days of the war.
Ilsa Lund, Laszlo’s widow, was wounded in the same battle. She was recovering in Podgorica when reunited with Richard Blaine, a friend whom she had met years earlier in Paris. Blaine was fighting in the “Lapland War” where the Germans were driven out of Finland. He came searching for Lund when Laszlo‘s death was announced. They were married in May, 1945; when the War ended a few months later, the Blaines made their way to America and settled in Phoenix, Arizona. They raised five children; their oldest son Victor is the father of Morvern, which brings us back to the reason for this post.
Morvern interviewed her grandmother Ilsa about her life: her childhood in Norway, her college years studying in Grenoble, where she met her first husband Victor. Watching the interviews captured on video, it’s evident that the wartime years are painful for Lund-Blaine, but she does speak at length, with gentle encouragement from her grand daughter. It’s obvious that Morvern and Ilsa are very close; the interviews, the book/DVD are a work of love, and a wonderful testament from one who was there, her voice soft but still strong.
“I married twice for love. Doesn’t that sound silly? But it was Love, both times.”
“Victor said that most of the Germans were prisoners of Fascism, who struggled in their chains as they raised their arms to salute Hitler. There was as strong an underground resistance in Berlin as in Paris.”
“We were fortunate, Victor and I: we had just a few years together, but those few burned very brightly. Would they have seemed an intense in peacetime, if we had not taken part in such a conflict? Who can say?”
“Richard has reformed me-I used to be such a coward, so unsure of myself. I couldn’t have survived after Victor died if Richard hadn’t come and taken me from that hospital in Serbia. He may seem crass, but that covers up the biggest heart in the world. I had to toughen up to keep pace with him; he couldn’t help but steamroll over any weakling. So he made me strong, and still challenges me every day.”

I encourage you to seek out the book, order the DVD. I’ll put the link in the comments.

Lion To The World

This is a pattern we’ve seen before-just as soon as violence has been quelled in one part of the world, up pops a new war on an old battleground.
Russia waited until the Olympics to start a war. That’s too simplistic; better to say that the Iraq conflict is becoming the Iraq Peace, and the power behind every throne is a bloodthirsty savage who cannot abide peace.

“7The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” Job 1:7

“8Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Satan cannot abide Peace. And he finds willing chess pieces in every human government.
That roaring lion is now spurring on the Russian bear, so to speak. Seeking someone to devour.
It’s not about oil. It’s not about re-establishing the former Soviet Union. It’s not about bringing runaway Republics ‘home‘. It’s always about blood. It’s always about Satan projecting his personal turmoil on a world God had created to be at Peace.
I’ve used ‘always’ twice in the last two sentences; better to say: always, until the King of Peace returns and puts an end to satan and war. Look forward to that day. Amen.

Proverbs 3:5-8 with comments

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
(These two objects put Christians in direct opposition to the world and the worldly. They have to lean on their own understanding; it’s all they have.)
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
(Contrast this with the world ignoring Him)
And He will make your paths straight.
(A promise and a result of acknowledging/trusting Him)
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
(Trust in the wisdom of God, shared with us through His Word)
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
(Fear is analogous to respecting the power of God to punish evildoers;
it gives one great impetus to seek Mercy and avoid being an evildoer)
8 It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.
(Blessing upon blessing upon blessing)

Surrender

Are you willing to entrust your future, your next four years to a junior Senator who has never accomplished anything? Who has shown disdain and contempt for our country? Who has proven to be as facile a liar as any Clinton?
Me TOO!
All Hail Obama the first!
You can't stand still in a hurricane, folks. I've watched enough television interviews, read enough online prose (prosit!) to become a mindless follower of Barack Obama! Yay!
It may take me a while to get up to speed, but I hope that my fellow Obamaniacs will have patience with me. I've never caused any woman to have to abort a baby, but just give me a chance! I will be the advocate's advocate on Abortion, because Barack is the MAN! And he thinks Abortion is cool! Me too!
I haven't ever looked down on my fellow Americans because they have enjoyed 'windfall' profits...but watch out, Wall Street! You're on my list now! What's good for Barack OBVIOUSLY must be good for me also!
Please spare me your excuses about why we are at war, Red staters! (Hey! I'm getting the hang of this stuff!) I feel safe enough with Obama, Reid and Pelosi watching my back!
I'm going to buy another car just so I can overinflate four more tires and save the environment from those wacky oil barons!
As for you Clinton losers who are talking about a ballot fight at the Convention...are you trying to make me cry? Hey! I just realized! That makes me a Victim! How cool is that! I can do and say anything I want, because in Barack's America, I, as a victim, now RULE! No childish left behind!
All of you neigh sayers who don't think that a junior single term Senator with no administrative experience can possibly succeed when placed in the hardest job in the world...phooey. He can so succeed. So there! You are SO obviously racist, which, once Barack and the Dem Congress get their way, will be a Capital crime. Meaning that you race haters better make out your wills,
so you can leave your stuff to the better, brighter next generation of beautiful people. See you at the gallows, Red Staters!

Welcome!

Please, sit down. Deep breaths. You’re not a bad person; you needn’t feel guilty. We’re here to help. The first step is the hardest, so let’s get over that threshold quickly. You don’t want to elect Barack Obama, but as a Democrat, you feel boxed in, stuck…
It’s all right. Normal, even, to hate the choice which was decided for you, not by you. Your candidate didn’t survive the Primary season, and now your peers are demanding that you get on the bandwagon for their choice, Obama, and you just feel sick about it. Deep breaths. You’re not alone.
More of your fellow Dems have been showing up at these meetings; there is hope, and the situ isn’t as bleak as you may believe.
At these meetings, you can express your feelings without fear of mockery by Republicans. This time around, we regular Republicans can‘t claim any high ground. We’re all in the same boat, so to speak.
We understand that this is a special event in all of our lives; no one is expecting that you have had a political change of heart and mind; please don’t think that we are proselytizing. But for this one election, for the good of our Nation, you wish to vote Republican, to defeat Barack Obama. Yes, we think that he’s a dangerous neophyte also. But don’t worry:
No mockery. No jibes or sarcasm here. We welcome you temporary Republicans whole-heartedly, with respect and understanding of how hard this is for you. We can relate.
Yes. The button. We hired a panel of mental health professionals from across a spectrum of specialties.
They suggest that it is unhealthy to be secretive about your temporary Republican status, as if it were something to be hidden, to feel guilty about. A person feels better when they are honest with everyone, including themselves. So we had these buttons made, which we encourage you to wear. Among your friends and family it could help to point out the ‘temporary’ part. You might see the button showing up on the lapels of some of your most strident Democrat friends. Be strong. Deep breaths. There…that’s better.
Welcome, Temporary Republican. Welcome Home.