My, Isn't It A Pretty Day!

I know that this doesn't LOOK like a pretty day, but bear with me.
We see a woman who has found a message someone smuggled into her matchbook.

"In China unwanted girl babies are destroyed-take heed, Miss Blane"

Here's the thing. China's policy of aborting female babies isn't a new thing-it was so widely recognized that it was used as a veiled threat in this movie from 1939, "Torchy Blane In Chinatown".
So why do I think this is relevant? Couple things.
Right now the Ukraine and Venezuela are in chaos. Nation altering circumstance happening,
and we don't pay attention.
China has indeed been forcibly aborting babies as a manner of population control for generations.
We don't notice.
Worldwide abortions are a now common occurrence except in Muslim countries.
It doesn't even shock us anymore.
Here's the relevance.
Right now I am following a Bible study series about Heaven by Dr. David Jeremiah.
He re-affirmed today the commonly held Christian belief that babies which are either aborted or die through miscarriage are indeed safe in Heaven. Which is wonderful for the babies, but the sin of murder is added to the guilt of the parents/women/doctors who have agreed to the abortion.
All such sins can be forgiven by God through faith in Jesus Christ but those who do not accept Christ
will bear that sin themselves.
While we may not be paying attention to Venezuela or Ukraine or Ashtabula...God is paying attention.
He will demand justice for every innocent destroyed, whether they be babies in wombs or populations murdered by tyrants.
God is watching.

Interesting sidenote/tidbit: the lady reporter shown above is Torchy Blane, played by Glenda Farrell through most of the Torchy Blane series.
She was a smart star reporter always chasing the story and her boyfriend, Police Lt. Steve MacBride.
In 1938 Torchy was played by another actress, Lola Lane, and here comes history---
Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster  liked the Torchy Blane character so much that they put her in their comic book, borrowing the name of the actress, and Torchy Blane became Lois Lane.

Simple Keep

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting." Psalm 136:1

Lovingkindness. Specifically, God's lovingkindness expressed through His Mercy made available 
by God Himself, Jesus Christ. 

God's lovingkindness is expressed TOWARDS us. 
Not towards angels, or antelope or cats. Us. We sinners, the only ones in need of Mercy.
And God delivers, and will continue to deliver lovingkindness because He is Love.

If you in your life cannot believe that God is loving, that He cares for His Creation of which you 
are a  part...remember that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 
For He is good.

The Better Is Yes To Come

I know that it seems as if the present troubles will last until we are all old enough to cash in on our retirement (allotting 5 minutes for laughter here), but be of good cheer, fellow Americans-all bad things will end.
I believe that President Obama has been one of the worst presidents ever elected. I feel that his political agenda has greatly harmed this country.
He has less than a thousand days left in the Oval office.
Think about that. No more President Obama ignoring the Constitution. No more of his executive directives bypassing Congress.
It will be good for the country to return to representative government. Even if we are stuck with the same batch that have failed us so far-without President Obama to mess things up, we should see some progress.
Here's how we can 'take the temperature' of the country: start talking about abolishing the 22nd Amendment, and see if the Obama Faithful grab the ball and run with it. I'm guessing NOT.

Chilling History Lesson

From the wiki:
"The Enabling Act (German: Ermächtigungsgesetz) was a 1933 amendment to the Weimar Constitution that gave the German Cabinet – in effect, Chancellor Adolf Hitler – the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag. It passed in both the Reichstag and Reichsrat on 23 March 1933, and was signed by President Paul von Hindenburg later that day. The act stated that it was to last four years unless renewed by the Reichstag, which occurred twice. For all intents and purposes, the Enabling Act gave Hitler plenary powers and made him the dictator of Germany." 

Just doing a bit of light reading about the Holocaust, and this fact jumped out at me.
Think hard, now-have we any recent example of a national leader who changes laws by whim or fiat? Hmmmm?
Starts with an "O", ends with a destroyed country? Class? Anyone?

Ukraine

Ukraine is in chaos right now. Please watch this video.

Taking Point

A little dust for the dust up:
The Boy Scouts of America Statement:
"For 103 years, the Boy Scouts of America has been a part of the fabric of this nation, with a focus on working together to deliver the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training.
"Based on growing input from within the Scouting family, the BSA leadership chose to conduct an additional review of the organization's long-standing membership policy and its impact on Scouting's mission. This review created an outpouring of feedback from the Scouting family and the American public, from both those who agree with the current policy and those who support a change.
"Today, following this review, the most comprehensive listening exercise in Scouting's history the approximate 1,400 voting members of the Boy Scouts of America's National Council approved a resolution to remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone. The resolution also reinforces that Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting. A change to the current membership policy for adult leaders was not under consideration; thus, the policy for adults remains in place. The BSA thanks all the national voting members who participated in this process and vote.
"This policy change is effective Jan. 1, 2014, allowing the Boy Scouts of America the transition time needed to communicate and implement this policy to its approximately 116,000 Scouting units.
"The Boy Scouts of America will not sacrifice its mission, or the youth served by the movement, by allowing the organization to be consumed by a single, divisive, and unresolved societal issue. As the National Executive Committee just completed a lengthy review process, there are no plans for further review on this matter.
"While people have different opinions about this policy, we can all agree that kids are better off when they are in Scouting. Going forward, our Scouting family will continue to focus on reaching and serving youth in order to help them grow into good, strong citizens. America's youth need Scouting, and by focusing on the goals that unite us, we can continue to accomplish incredible things for young people and the communities we serve."

So, what have we here? In a nutshell, the BSA has in its history been an organization which has

Honored God and country. In honoring God they excluded any homosexual scouts, as, according to the God’s Word, homosexuality is a sin. This makes sense. If an organization wishes to honor God, they will not dishonor Him by embracing something which He rejects.

You never saw such a fuss as has been raised by those of the world who care not one fig for what God honors. They have been attacking the BSA for decades, using impolite language and vociferous demands to make the BSA acquiesce, allow homosexual scouts. 

So, now it is done. Now the BSA will no longer exclude any Scout because of sexual orientation.

Will that satisfy those ‘social agenda-ists’ who forced the BSA to change?

Not a jot or a tittle. The next step with be the inclusion of homosexual scoutmasters. Then the striking of any mention of God from the BSA Membership standards. 

Eventually, those trouble making activists will only be satisfied when the BSA puts all of it’s force and membership under the leadership of the Democratic Party, sacrificing animals beneath an image of lord Barack Obama. And even then the Scouts will bear watching in case any subversive God honoring Scout DARES to not bow fast enough. 

Ridicule, right? Satire? Let’s take a look at history.

Yale and Harvard began as humble schools for Pastors.

The religions they promote now have nothing to do with God.

Young Men’s Christian Association now has no Christians associating with it.

Many good churches begun by earnest, humble Christians are now in their fourth generation of rejecting God and honoring Man.

In all of the world system, this cosmos, there is continual striving between the people of God and the people against God. So this time, the anti-God elements won a victory, making an organization that was created to be God honoring change into a system which accepts what God rejects.

This isn’t the last of it. Christ will one day return and set this world spinning as HE wishes.

You who make yourselves enemies of God-you haven’t won anything. You would do better to get on your knees now and ask for Forgiveness.

So, what do we do with the BSA? Throw the BSA out with the bathwater? Draw away from the BSA as they are no longer honoring God?

I’m glad that I am not a scout having to face such a decision. There is still overwhelming Good in scouting. As the organization is NOT a church, it does not have the same protections of religious liberty that churches (so far) enjoy.

If any outside entity attempted to tell my church how to act or what to allow, we could respectfully tell that entity to shut up. The BSA? Different story. What say you?

Olympic NUI

Read Olympic "NUI" as ennui. Even I don't get all of my references.
Maybe I'm getting too old to appreciate the Olympics. I'm happy to pay attention a little bit.
Athletes performing for their nations? Great. Happy day. Have a medal.
But success or failure noted by fractions of a fraction of a second? They all look pretty fast to me.
Everybody gets Gold!!!
I joked the other day about the combination of curling and luge being "Rollerball".
I would watch that!
I would also replace the skiing part of the "Biathalon" with 'Free Style Boogie Dance'.
Is there any reason WHY the bobsled runs couldn't have a long jump as part of the course?
That would be (please forgive me) Cooo-ooollll!!!!

Memorial

Today I tip my hat in blogform at the passing of Shirley Temple.
She was of my Dad's generation, and she was special.
Times were horribly bad, no jobs to be found, the 'Great Depression' consuming the world... but there-there was Shirley Temple, singing and dancing and charming audiences, lifting their hearts to help them make it through.
There will be plenty of tributes showing her as a 'moppet' with rings of curls and her bright smile, which is fine. 
I enjoyed her as a smitten teenager who makes life complicated for her sister Myrna
Loy and the object of (both of their) affection, Cary Grant. In the group above Shirley is imagining
Cary as a Knight in armor.
The movie is "The Bachelor And the Bobby-Soxer" and a good time is had by all-check it out.
1928 to 2014...may she rest in peace.

Outrage? NOPE!

An appeal to all Liberals who are silent as President Obama acts:
Look into your hearts, and remember how it was for you under the Bush Administration.
You objected vociferously to every possible action that he took.
Now... look at what President Obama has done during his time in the Oval office.
If President Bush had DARED to enact one bit of law without consulting Congress, you would have
screamed of his outrageous unlawful Presidency. Calls for impeachment, hateful protests from ocean to ocean. You know the drill.
And now you are silent. Now you have nothing to say. Now you approve.
Do you have a soul left?

Getting A Few Things Straight

I guess there are some kinda Olympics going on in Russia that aren't part of the Pogrom.
And Pot. But first Russia.
Up until a few days ago I had no idea that Russia had some sort of problem with Homosexuality.
For all I knew, Putin was homosexual and nobody said boo about it.
But I guess, as strange as it seems, Russia has anti-homosexual laws in place or something.
Ridiculable.
Homosexuality isn't a civil right, or a 'human right'. It's just sad.
They are among the loneliest humans on the planet.
Why?
Because they, in their sin, are separated from God. That is a tough truth to have to live with.
Read chapter one of the book of Romans if that seems like an odd statement.
Here's the thing about Russia anti-homosexual laws, or pro-homosexual laws in certain states
here in the U.S....AND everywhere else in the world, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran where homosexuals are under a death sentence:
Passing a law against or for homosexuality is only Man setting Man's laws.
Man has also, at diverse times, legalized slavery, and disallowed political votes and other rights to women.
Man passing Judgement on man is weak tea compared to God passing Judgement on Man.
It doesn't matter if the entire world voted 100% in favor of homosexuality-if God calls it sin, it is sin.
Same with the Pot stuff going on right now. Even if all 50 states and all the satellites vote yes and allow marijuana to be sold legally, it still is wrong, and stupid to put in your body.
Watch carefully-I'm about to state my opinion!
I think that the most idiotic things you can do are smoking, drinking alcohol, and doing drugs to alter your feelings/consciousness.
How many medical problems exist simply because people abuse their bodies with such chemicals?
CVS Pharmacys are cutting out tobacco products. Good for them, but rather than any altruistic moral stand, I think they recognized that the tax climate, especially on tobacco products, was going to shrink their bottom line to the point where they wouldn't make money. If taxes price a product out of the market, why stay in that market? Also, do you know how many expensive fees and licensing 'go away' when you no longer sell tobacco products? It's a win/win.
If the United States legalizes marijuana, it will be no different than Abortion: legal, yes, but morally wrong.

No, Doug-You're Wrong! My...

Hope that you don't mind, but just for a moment and a few words, I'm going to attempt to suss
out the reasonings and thought processi of the NON-CHRISTIAN:

"No, Doug-you're wrong! You pretend belief in some god so as to feel better about yourself. And
to justify your prejudices against anyone who disagrees with you, anyone who doesn't bow to your imaginary god.
I am a realist-I see the world as it is without your religion. I know LOVE, and the LOVE that I know trumps any hate that you spew in the name of your god!"

Unfair? Miss-stating how you feel, what you believe? Cut slack, please-I don't spend a lot of time in your head.

Here's why I brought up 'LOVE'. If you grew up in a family, you know probably have loved and been loved.
If my 'religion' declares that you and your loved ones are in danger of going to hell, you reject my beliefs and my God Who must be hateful and evil to do such horrible things. 
There are plenty of paganized religions out there; if you grew up in one, if your family has for generations been in some religion that rejects MY religion, then I'm not only talking about you going to hell, but the generations of your family already being in hell. That is intolerable. Unbelievable.
Love trumps religion, trumps any argument that disagrees with your beliefs.

You are right. Love trumps religion. But only God loves perfectly.
It was God's Love for me that saved me from going to hell 30+ years ago.
It was God's Love for others that made the Gospel available down through the ages-your great grands
had opportunity for Salvation in their generation, as I guarantee you that the Gospel was being preached to them also.
It was God's Love that drew Christ to Calvary, to make it possible that you (and I) could be saved.
So, who is right? Who can decide between my beliefs and yours? What makes who 'right'?
God.
Here is the test-any religion which goes against what God has written in His Word, that religion is wrong.
And I mean any.
How can you know what God approves of or disapproves of? It's all in His Word.
You may feel/know in your heart that Doug is wrong, that all true Christians are wrong, are taking God's Word out of context, misquoting the Scriptures so as to appear self righteous.
Here, let me hold up a mirror for you: if you believe that, then it is you who is putting hope in Scripture not saying what it does.
You don't have to believe me. Ask God to open the Scriptures for you, to prove to you what He has said.
You might also feel/believe that the Scriptures cannot be trusted, that they have been changed by selfish man to reflect what we want rather than what God intended.
I suggest to you that a God great enough to create all of Creation is powerful enough to keep man from screwing up what He says. Go to the Scriptures for yourself and ask God to show you the truth.

Soch(eap)

The most fun that I've had today has been reading some of the comments from athletes arriving
at Sochi for the Olympics who have discovered that the accommodations aren't.
Accommodating.
Barely livable is more like it.
If given opportunity to visit anywhere in the world, Russia would be near the bottom of my list.
Right above/below North Korea.
I would love to see Lithuania, Hungary, most of Northern Europe, but Russia? Nyet.
I plan on watching some of the Olympics, but only if there's nothing else on, and no show on my
shelves piques my interest.
It will be fun to see the Bobsled stuff. Mix that up with Curling and you'd have Rollerball.

Well, I Tell You, I've Been To Sochi!!!

Football is done. At last.
The Olympics taking place in Russia have me as nervous as a kitten at a canine "Anti-Cat" rally. 
I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen geopolitically.
You see, I've been to Sochi.
That is, South Chicago. Got off the el and was instantly the only white person in view on the streets.
I had no fear, but I admit to being nervous. A man came up and asked, "Excuse me, but do you know where you are?"
I assured him that I did know, and that I was waiting for a friend who would be picking me up.
Said friend did make an appearance a few minutes later and away we went.
Right here in America, I felt akin to Heinlein's stranger in a strange land. An outsider.
Considering the instability of the middle east right now, and the fact that those countries might not be as emotionally invested in "Winter" Olympics, well, huh.
The Games might be seen as a viable target close to home, but on Russia's soil.
I wouldn't be surprised if something big and nasty happens.
But...we may have Jimmy Carter to thank if the Olympics do go off without catastrophe.
He cancelled our participation in the Moscow Olympics back in 1980. Due to security concerns.
If Putin wants to remind us that Carter's fears were groundless, he may be Putin extra security on the Games to show that all is fine in Mother Russia. Come for the Games, return for the bonhomie.
May God protect the Winter Olympics and all of the athletes, whether they believe in Him or not.

Irrational And Wrong

Very rarely do I visit the topical side of anything, but today Philip Seymour Hoffman was found
dead.
Drug overdose is the news so far-I don't really know what happened.
The title of this post has to do with me, not Hoffman.
It was irrational and wrong of me to get angry when I heard that he had died.
I was thinking, "One more example of life and talent wasted!"
But that is unfair-I had no cause to get angry simply because Hoffman threw his life away.
It was his life to do with as he wished.
God sets the number of our days-each of us remains on this earth only so long as God
has determined that we will. Hoffman's time was up.
We would all like to go into the next world heroically, bravely-saving kids from a burning building,
rescuing souls from a shipwreck, etc.
But how we die is often less than heroic. Many of us will pass on from a hospice bed.
I am sorry that Philip Seymour Hoffman is dead. He was a fine actor.
30

T'wixt

T'wixt. A fancy term for between here and there. That's how I feel right now.
I feel that this is a transition time, that major changes are coming, in society and in our world.
There has been plenty enough of the shaking of fists at God, of rejection of God to bring on the feeling that Judgement will fall soon.
God is Merciful and Loving, but also Just.
When that Judgement comes, the world will change in ways that no one can accurately predict.
May God have mercy on you.