Friday, December 27, 2013

Christmas Comes In All Packages

We had a poor man's Christmas this year. Moving into a new house was an expenditure extraordinaire, so we decided to forego any presents and content ourselves with good food and company. My brother and sister-in-law brought us a small basket of goodies and our good friend Monica bought us western style stockings, but that was the only exchange.

Most of the boxes of the move had been unpacked, but the living room was still a mess. The greater space of the house allowed us to empty the two storage sheds that were costing us an arm and a leg every month to maintain. It was the temp controlled type, and they...of course...are the more expensive. These sheds kept  all of Mom's things that she had given to our daughter. I mean all of them. Furniture, piano, china, silver, crystal, etc etc. In addition, they stored things we had packed long ago and sealed. Several of these boxes contain Lulu's collector Barbie Dolls. Some are as old as 1982, the year she was born. It became a fad in the family to buy her these dolls, and it was her decision to keep them all in the box and untouched by human hands. In about twenty years, Amanda might be able to get rich quick.

So, yesterday we began to delve into these boxes to see what we could throw away and what was worth keeping. That was when we had a different kind of Christmas.

I found a baseball that mother had kept. In 1960, the Astros were called the Colt .45's. One day, the St. Louis Cardinals came to town and Dad got tickets. Back then, there wasn't that much separation between the players and the fans. You could see a lot of them in the parking lot, making their way to the stadium along with those attending the game. I was only four, but mom recounted the story several times as I was growing up. There was a gaggle of teenagers surrounding this one baseball player for the Cardinals, hammering him for an autograph, his cap, the ball he was carrying, his glove, you name it. As he was walking by, he didn't see me for the small crowd and bumped into me. Mom said he leaned over and said, "Sorry little fella", and handed me his baseball. Mom watched him walk away and noticed the number on his jersey. She bought a program and found his name. It was Duke Carmel. Even though he was only in the majors about five years, and never put up any Hall of Fame numbers, Mom wrote on the baseball, 'Given to Bob Coward by Duke Carmel, St. Louis Cardinals, 1960'. I hadn't touched that ball in thirty some odd years and it brought a joy to me that I can't explain for me to look at Mom's writing and touching something so happy in my memory banks. I found out that Duke Carmel is still alive at the age of 76. I doubt he plays baseball anymore.

My wife discovered her matchbook collection that exceeded several hundred. They are old, but in great shape. I looked up matchbook collectors on Google and found out they even have a name for it. Phillumenist is how I believe it's spelled. Anyway, some of these dudes sell for as much as thirty dollars. We will be sorting through them in a few weeks to see if we have any hidden treasure.

I pulled out of one box a set of hospital scrubs. I noticed some writing on the right breast and it read, 'Labor and Delivery' on the first line, and then 'Beaumont Medical Surgical Hospital' underneath. These were the scrubs I wore in the delivery room when Amanda was born, twenty-three years ago next month. They looked as new as the day they were packed.

Each box my wife and I reached for next was opened with more and more excitement, and none of them disappointed. I found the small collection of photos of my first visit to Paris that I had thought were long lost in a former move. There I was at the top of the Eiffel Tower. A sweet couple was kind enough to take my picture. I found what used to be my favorite T-shirt and it was still in good condition. It was given to me on my fortieth birthday and said, "In Dog Years I'm Dead". I have it on right now. I love this shirt.

It humbles me to know that when we think we can't afford Christmas....it can be delivered to us from the most unexpected places. No, these presents weren't giftwrapped and they weren't the latest gadget to come from the minds of insane gadget engineers. These presents were reminders of our days past and how the good times do....after all...outweigh the bad. I know who gave me these presents. And I just wanted to tell Him....thank you.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Reliant
The Texans were DONE, and with that I ain't lyin'.
Their jock straps were thrown in the trash without care,
For what they once held, were no longer there.

What coaches were left, shivered in their beds,
While visions of hatchets cut off their heads.
And McNair in his hood, and with Smith by his side,
Showed no mercy for the careers that have died.

When out on the field there arose such a clatter,
McNair and Smith looked into the matter.
Away to the window they flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The season was over with nothing to show,
And no one was safe, after falling so low.
When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,
A Santa in red and he was holding a spear.

He poked the team slackers, so lively and quick,
They knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than Zulus, he struck them with shame,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Out Schaub! Out Joe! Out Kubiak and Tate!
Out Dennison! Out Ninja! Out Wade to your fate!
To the Obamacare line! You're through with the ball!
Now go away! Go away! Go away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When you met with an obstacle, you laid down and died.
Off to the scrap heap St. Nick he flew,
With the sleigh full of has-beens, and John McClain too.

And then, in a twinkling, they heard from the sleigh,
The crying and whining of those who once played.

As St. Nick removed them from Reliant forever,
We hope they come back, like maybe...NEVER.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

A Christmas Memory

I believe the year was 1966. My mother was big on Christmas. She loved putting up decorations in the house and having a resplendent tree with all the trimmings. We never put anything on the outside of the house, but it wasn't because we didn't want to insult our liberal or muslim neighbors. We just didn't do it. In fact, we didn't have muslim neighbors back then and the liberals were few and far between where we lived. Still are.

So, mom is in the store one day and sees something new. It was a self tree flocking machine with the necessary flock. On a lark, she bought the contraption so we could have a Christmas tree with fake snow, or flock. Later in the week she bought a tree and set it up in the garage. Removing the flocker from the box, she read all the instructions and put together the connections and mixed the flock.

Not wanting to make a mistake, she aimed the machine at the garage wall and pulled the trigger. It was a good thing she did. Instead of the flock coming out of the flocker in a spray pattern, it shot a thick stream of goo right at the wall. The flocker sounded like a rapid fire machine gun when it went off, scaring her and causing my mom to jump with fright. Now the stream was flocking the garage wall pretty good with the goo as it trailed upward, hitting the ceiling, with the resultant splatter from the stream coating her hair. Mom turned off the flocking flocker and went to take a shower.

Once clean, and not to be outdone, she returned to the infernal flocking flocker machine and adjusted the output on the nozzle. Being a veteran of flocking flockers now, she held it in both hands and steadied herself, aiming at the tree. This time, she met the challenge with great success as the flocker flocked as it had been originally designed. But the flocking dust from the flock, being sprayed by the flocking flocker machine, began to choke mom to the point where she started coughing and couldn't stop. She accidentally dropped the flocking flocker but had inadvertently placed the trigger in the locking flocking mode. Back then, these types of things didn't have dead man switches. Mom ran out of the garage while the flocker began to spin, spraying its flocking flock all over the garage. When the machine was emptied of its flock, I was sent into the flocked up garage to pull the electrical cord from the socket.

The instructions on the flocker said to let the flock dry for a period of two hours. This she did. At that time, the flocking dust had settled and she went into the garage to retrieve the freshly flocked Christmas tree. I must say that it was beautiful. But...it didn't last. What mom hadn't counted on was the tree had to be transferred from the garage into the living room. This meant it had to go through a door, through the kitchen, through another door and down a small, narrow hallway. The transference of the tree's location was met with door facings, kitchen tables and chairs, hallway walls and living room furniture. By the time it was placed in its desired spot, it had been....shall we say....pretty much de-flocked. It looked like a tree with the mange. In its wake were many little dead flockers and no amount of vacuum power could suck all those little dead flockers up. Mom desperately tried to keep a brave face as she looked at the carnage. Deciding to wait for clean up, she went right into decoration mode. No matter how many decorations she placed on it, though, the tree only continued to look ragged and ill-kempt. The presents underneath helped a little, but we had great fun at her expense that year.

When the tree was finally taken down and put by the side of the street for the garbage men to take away, the flocking flocker machine was in a trash can beside it. I have never had a flocked tree again. Mom said if I wanted another one, she suggested I write Santa for it.

Why All the Angst?

I have yet to watch a single episode of 'Duck Dynasty' and have no clue what the show is about. What's more, I don't care what it's about. But the latest uproar over Phil Robertson and his stance on homosexuality is ridiculous in the least, and hilarious at the most. Oh the horror of it all.

Then you have the mega-churches that stay away from controversial social issues and teach gobble-dee-gook every time their doors open because it's what people pay to hear these days.

For the last 2000 years, every attempt possible that is under the sun has been made and is being made to deconstruct the principles, values, and fundamentals of Christianity. The Soviet Union all but quashed Christianity during its reign. China is the same. Islam is racing across the globe and that for reasons I cannot understand. The last bastion of defense for the faith has been the United States for many decades. Now? The deconstruction of Christianity that has overtaken Europe is not only gaining steam here, it is in full attack mode. Every tenet of Christianity is under siege, whether you wish to believe it or not.

And Christians? They are wringing their hands and shaking their heads and saying, "Oh what shall we do? What shall we do?" My answer? Shut up with the whining. The final victory is near. The battle is not ours, it's God's.

One of my favorite westerns is The Outlaw Josey Wales with Clint Eastwood. An American Indian actor, Chief Dan George, had a great part in this movie. In one scene, he recounts to Wales his meeting with Abraham Lincoln. According to the tale, Lincoln told him and the other chiefs with him they needed to endeavor to persevere. He said they went back and thought about that for a long time. Endeavor to persevere. So they put down their peace pipes, took up their rifles, and declared war on the Union. Too funny. Yet, that is a message Christians of today must take as their mantra. Endeavor to persevere.

I do not promote Christians of this country take up arms to protect the faith. On this matter of the church being under attack, I don't even promote we write our congressmen or senators or president. That would be defined as carnal warfare. To fight this fight with worldly weapons, of any type, would be ridiculous. Paul the Apostle should be our guide here, for he said the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.

As I read the news and see the trends that are taking shape across the world, it gives me great comfort. And, if you are a bonafide Christian, it should do the same for you. It is time...nay, past time....for us all to rejoice at what is going on around us. We were given instructions by Jesus as to what we should look for that would be signs of his return. Are they not evident to you? When you read the paper, it's like reading biblical prophecy. This should excite every Christian.

Peter said that in the last days, there would be a great falling away. A falling away from what? From the church. In Aberdeen, Scotland, you can walk into a magnificent structure of a church building that has been standing for over two hundred years. Its stained glass and opulent wood carved furnishings are enhanced by the 800 tube pipe organ (I think it's 800). But, instead of a church where God is worshipped, it has been turned into a bar/restaurant/casino. The building was historical, and the one time church members had long 'fallen' away, leaving it there to languish and rot from disuse. So the building and land was sold and it was turned into what it is today. You can find it on the internet. It's called, The Soul Bar. I guess they thought that was funny. During my stay in the UK, I saw church building after church building that had been abandoned for years. Many are being bought by enterprising people to use them for other businesses such as the one I mentioned.

In the U.S., it's different. Here, we have empty churches that are filled with thousands of people. Empty I say, because nothing of substance or spiritual value is put on their soul's plate. As has also been written in the Bible, it says that in the latter days, people will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. Notice they don't heap to themselves 'preachers', but teachers. In this country, preaching is fast going the way of the dodo. Yet, the Bible says it is by the foolishness of preaching that men are saved. Not teaching. Those churches in this country who refuse to abandon preaching the blood and the sacrifice and stand firm on the scripture, have many empty seats. This should encourage us. For we know the Master is closer than ever.

Don't get me wrong. The church has failed miserably in its task and judgment will begin with us, just as Peter said. Edmund Burke said, "As the church goes, so goes the world." Take a look at the world today and you see the condition of the church. The salt has lost its savour, and is being thrown out to be trodden under the feet of godless men. We should weep at this result that is of our own making. However, look to the east...for the time is fast approaching.

Those who are glad the world is awash with humanism, liberalism, multi-culturalism, and the ideal that whatever you wish to do, no matter if it's a crime against God or nature, will one day realize their error in thinking. I pray it is not too late for them.

I do not advocate a law that restricts people from living their lives the way they see fit. I do advocate freedom to disagree and freedom to verbally express that disagreement with an alternative solution, whether anyone wants to listen to it or not. If your idea of freedom is to expand one over the other, then your idea of freedom is perverted and possibly beyond repair.

Christians of today, I encourage you to endeavor to persevere. Over the last fourteen years, I have not done this. Yet, I am finding myself drawn back to the roots of my faith. It is a slow process, and my anger with God is subsiding as the wounds are being healed. I am on the road to spiritual recovery, and am committed to persevering.

Continue praying for our leaders and this country. Pray for those who are blinded by nonsensical reasoning. Pray for your State, county, city and neighbors. Be a light for those around you and always be ready to make a defense of your faith by studying the Bible with an open mind and heart, to receive the instruction you need to be a valid witness for Christ. Go to a church that still preaches. Raise your children in the way they should go. Give of your increase. And keep your eyes on the eastern horizon. The day is soon coming. And you might just be here to see it. If...you endeavor to persevere. We've already been told these days were coming. Why are we surprised to see it? Always remember this....nothing you read or see has taken God by surprise. He's still on his throne and in control. Smile at the vitriol that comes your way because of your faith and what you believe in. It will only make you stronger for that day when it comes. Everything....and I mean everything...is going according to His plan. And you can take that to the bank.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Wichita? Really?

What has Wichita done to irritate terrorists....or wannabe terrorists? I looked at the pic of this goober and it says a lot. As with Tila Tequila, we have another village absent its idiot.

After further study of this city, it became apparent why the terrorists would want to blow it up. It is, after all, where Pizza Hut began. Pizza Hut has been the front runner of anti-Islamic sentiment since it opened way back when. They put pork on their pizzas. They allow their female customers to come in, unattended by a male relative. The women have their hair exposed and their faces showing.  They are allowed to pay for their pizza and then drive away. What started in this town then infected the rest of the country, making all of us targets of pizza terrorism.

Kansas is the home of Dorothy and Toto. Icons of anti-Islamic sentiment. If you can't see it, then you're too stupid to know what I'm talking about.

The wannabe terrorist worked for Hawker Beechcraft. You know them. These are the guys who sold a bunch of Texan T-6 trainers to the Israelis. No terrorist likes Israel. The Texan T-6 is a single turboprop that is used to train new pilots. So Beechcraft must be destroyed. Obviously.

I always thought Al-quaida(?), was targeting New York. In New York you have yankees. Nobody likes yankees. In New York, you have the press. That way, you can get your mayhem on the news post haste. In New York, you have all the financial big-wigs, so if you blow them up, you can hopefully ruin our country's economy. There's ALL kinds of reasons to blow up New York.

But Wichita? I don't even know Kansas exists until something like this hits the news. Only Kansans know they exist and they aren't that proud of Wichita, anyway. Wichita doesn't even have an NFL, NBA, or MLB team. What good are they without those, I ask?

What we have here is a mentally messed up dweeb who's life didn't turn out like he wanted it to and finally realized the world would never know he lived, breathed, ate, reproduced and crapped unless he did something spectacular. Like blow up an airport and kill a bunch of people. The major error in his thinking was he believed people elsewhere in the world care about what happens in Wichita. No, he barely made a headline.

But that's okay, Terry. I'll give you a headline. Here it is.....

Some Nobody in Nowhere, America Planned on Blowing Up Airport Nobody Knows About

There. You are now known by millions for being an idiot. All your cellmates will treat you like an idiot....and like a nice, curvy woman...for years to come. Welcome to your new reality. It's going to be a whole lot worse than the one you tried to escape from.

We all want to make some kind of mark in life. But, how about starting at home. Then, be somebody in your neighborhood. Be somebody at work. But, try to be a person who is decent. There is only one you need to impress. Manage that, and you get all the recognition necessary. That is, if you're not an idiot living in Wichita.

Friday, December 13, 2013

An Example of How It Should Be

I want to take a moment to sit back and write about a friend of mine. His name is Kingsley and he is from Nigeria. He has been living in the U.S. for a few years now, and will soon become a citizen. Unless the immigration people get my letter in time....but that's another story.

The first time I met Kingsley he had just been hired by the company I was working for. Someone took him to my office to introduce him to me. The initial words out of my mouth do not bear repeating, but let's just say he took it in stride. It didn't take me long to discover a few things about him.

Here's the good things. He is a decent man with a big heart to match his size. Being very articulate and having a vocabulary that either rivals are exceeds my own, we used to play a game over the e-mail system, trying to give each other words that we didn't know the definition of. Needless to say, it expanded both our minds in the realm of weird words.  Kingsley is a very good engineer, conscientious and thorough. He has an infectious laugh. Even though he is a grown man, when he laughs you can see the 'child' has never truly left him. In today's world, that's a good thing. Too many grow up and become stiff in their demeanor.

Now, here's the bad thing about Kingsley. He's a flaming liberal who would make Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid proud. Not to mention Obama. Kingsley has come to this country and decided the best political action he could take would be the wrong one. Being as highly intelligent as he is, this puzzles me.

He refers to me as a right wing nut job who is one of the most infuriating people he's ever met...politically speaking...and maybe in other categories. We have had some very terse and forthright discussions, sometimes resulting in each of us having to step back and re-evaluate the humanness of the other.

However, one thing has not happened. We have never stopped liking each other. We have never stopped supporting one another. And we have never stopped being friends. I told him the other day that I do not choose my friends based on their political beliefs. He feels the same way. Kingsley has repeatedly contacted me to find out how the movie deal is going and how my book writing is progressing. He called me this morning to check on my wife when he found out she was ill. In other words, Kingsley is a gentleman of the highest caliber. He doesn't allow our diametrically opposed beliefs to interfere with our relationship. We are not enemies. If anything, we are political opponents. If you look in the dictionary, there is a huge difference between the two.

And, this is how it should be in this country. I don't like the Democrat agenda and he doesn't like the Republican agenda. I think the Democrats are taking us down a road to economic destruction. Kingsley is the exact opposite. Yet, we still love each other like brothers. When I was going in for my heart surgery, I asked Kingsley to be a pall bearer at my funeral should I not come out of it alive. That's how much I think of him.

I have other liberal friends who enjoy putting me down on a personal level. It doesn't really bother me. I enjoy doing the same to them. But it doesn't have to be that way. How it should be, is how it is between me and my friend. I think he's crazy. He thinks I'm crazy. And we move on, arm in arm, checking on one other, caring for one another, and supporting one another. He is a good man who will do great things. Of that, I have no doubt.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Liberals Speak with Forked Tongue

Liberals are supposed to be the all inclusive ones. The fair ones. The ones who's heart bleeds when a sparrow falls or a tree is cut down or when the snail darter is in trouble. They are the section of our society who cares about the 'little' guys, the ones that the 'big' guys can't hear or won't hear. They are the saviors of our world. So they think.

Libs are like Muslims. Yep. I said it. Just like 'em. Muslims are all inclusive and fair and their hearts bleed for the little guy....until they aren't the little guy anymore. Once they become the majority, things change fast. Just ask the French or the Dutch and soon the Brits. They aren't so willing to listen to anyone else once they grab hold of political power.

Libs are the same way. Exactly the same way. Exactly.

The libs controlled the House and Senate when Obama was elected. With the majority of the country against the Affordable Care Act (I can't help but laugh every time I say or write that) and without one Republican vote, this poisonous law was forced upon us all. With the libs in control of the Senate, they change the rules so the majority can have a leg-up on the minority and quash their voice. Yes, I was reminded by a flaming liberal one day that the Republicans almost did it, as if that gave some sort of legitimacy for the Dem-lemming-crats doing it. But, liberals have their head stuffed so far up their arse they need a plexi-glass belly button to see where the hell they're going. I just consider the source.

Now, the real proof is in the pudding as to their thought processes as we shift our view to California. It seems the California exchange has been sending out people's private information, who have tried to sign up for insurance, to the insurance companies. Names, phone numbers, addresses and e-mail addresses, all sent out without any of these people's knowledge or consent.

Libs don't believe in living inside a republic. They want a  true democracy. They want 'majority' rule, especially since they are now in the majority. Don't believe me? Here's a quote from the guy in California running the State exchange. "I know some people will be upset, but I also know a lot of people will be comforted in knowing this will expedite them getting the coverage they need."

Back up. There's the difference. 'Some' people are relegated to nothing. While the majority of people are the focus. That's a democracy...not a republic. Okay, let's do it. Here's a couple of places we can start.

Homosexuals:  Gays are a minority in this country. So, throw out gay marriage, gay rights, gay anything. I know this will upset some people, but I also know a lot of people will be comforted in knowing these few will be dealt with as the majority sees fit.

Blacks: We need to pass a law that is retroactive to the sixties civil rights movement. A lot of people didn't want blacks having equal rights or even close to equal rights. We need to take all laws off the books that helped to elevate blacks in the social system and give them opportunities they didn't have before. I know this will upset some people, but I also know a lot of people will be comforted by going back to the old ways of doing things since the majority is in control.

In fact, I find it outrageous that alllll these libs are boo-hooing over Nelson Mandela's death and are shouting at the top of their lungs how great his legacy was and is. How disgraceful. Libs have no more motivation to emulate him than a redneck wants to emulate a cross-dresser. Mandela had every right, when he ascended to the presidency of South Africa, to push a radical agenda and have 'Payback' on his platform for all the ills the white government inflicted on him and his people. But, he didn't. He was truly a man for all the people, despite his socialistic tendencies and his communistic background. He didn't allow his personal views to obstruct his decisions on what would be fair to all, the minority as well as the majority. He knew that to represent his country, he had to represent everyone and let everyone have a voice. And, what's more, he tried his best to make it happen. So, if you're a liberal and you're glad the minority voice is being shut out and you're glad that things are being shoved down our throats and you're glad you're agenda is being espoused over the little guy....then shut up about how much you respected Nelson Mandela. You're nothing like him and you probably never will be.

He was a little guy who became a big guy and never forgot that when the big guys lose sight of where they came from, it's bad for all. This is where the liberals in this country are failing the common good. Their mentality is the same as Valerie Jarrett. Those who stood against her and her ilk are now facing 'payback', and Obama is enabling her at every turn. Obama and his group of thugs don't hold a candle to Nelson Mandela. And those that follow him and support this charlatan should never mention Mandela's name again. It only degrades what kind of man he really was.

Are you glad California is spitting out private information on its citizens without their knowledge or consent? Then you are a part of the overall problem that is seeing this country die as a republic. You want a true democracy? Then, you can only be described as an idiot and your village misses you.