Saturday, December 12, 2009

Minus 16% !!!!!


For those who follow the Rasmussen Presidential Approval Index, be of good cheer. Your early Christmas present is here. For those who don’t, please understand that this poll is taken only among likely voters and reflects the comparison between strongly approve and strongly disapprove percentages.

The graph below, from Rasmussen has tracked this comparison since inauguration day (1/21/09) when the president enjoyed an approval rating of +26%. Around the 4th of July, the positive and negative response reversed and the disapproval gap has widened ever since.


Why Rasmussen? Their long term credibility was firmly enhanced by their habit of not taking general polls but rather those targeting only prospective voters. This targeting enabled them to call the presidential election within 0.2 percentage points. Thus people have come to rely upon them for an excellent feel for the national pulse.

We are not the only people who pay attention to these findings. A 42% aggregate downward change in the national mood has to have an affect on those who play in the political sandbox. To ignore it would be political suicide.

For more results of polling on matters of national interest we suggest you click on the link above and go to their website for data on issues which are close to you personally.



In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Friday, December 11, 2009

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

  
One of my oldest and dearest friends sent this to me and I felt compelled to share it with you readers as well as best wishes for a Merry Christmas.

“There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

This week, I found out. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The “partridge in a pear tree” was Jesus Christ.

-“Two turtle doves” were the Old and New Testaments.

-“Three French hens” stood for faith, hope and love.

-The “four calling birds” were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The “five golden rings” recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The “six geese a-laying” stood for the six days of creation.

-“Seven swans a-swimming” represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The “eight maids’ a-milking” were the eight beatitudes.

-“Nine ladies dancing” were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The “ten lords a-leaping” were the ten commandments.

-The “eleven pipers piping” stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The “twelve drummers drumming” symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol.'

Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone”

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Just a Question or Two

  
Because I have not followed this closely, my pool of information is sketchy at best and should not be relied upon for accuracy.

One of my favorite people in the universe of “well knowns” is in hot water because of marital indiscretions. Much of what most would call private life is now exposed to public view accompanied by “oh my!” and “what a shame” and “how could he?” The check out aisle at the super market is cluttered with his picture and varying claims of the number of his paramours. In general, the attitude of the press has been one of “gotcha.” This man whose public persona has been near perfect over a lifetime, is now an object of derision, deprecating humor, and scandal mongering by those who could never come close to ever duplicating his simplest accomplishments.

Lost in the sea of condemnation is the heavy sigh of relief on the part of millions of men and women that he was the target of discovery and not they themselves. We have demonstrated as a society that we are a pretty two-faced bunch when the evidence of someone’s infidelity oozes to the surface. The difference is that when it’s the guy next door or the gal who lives down the road, there are not regiments of reporters present to chronicle every sweaty moment. Each electronic message is not discovered, aired, analyzed, and dissected to be later exposed for the world to see. Suddenly, extra-curricular sexual activity is the high crime of the day and missing is the admonition: “Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.”

Breaking a vow, any vow, is nothing to be ignored or diminished in importance. Most of us have in the past sworn, before God, to be faithful to our spouse. Some of us have entered into that covenant more than once. There is nothing stipulated in the pact which indicates a clause which says, “until I get caught.” One famous ex-president (no, not Clinton) admitted adultery because he had “lusted after a woman in his heart.” God’s capacity for forgiveness is legendary and actual as well. However, it is well to remember that those decisions are reserved for His judgment and based upon our level of repentance and not our feeble moral appraisals. The outcome of that judgment will become apparent in the afterlife and will not be on the morning news.

This also presents a moment in US history which I have noticed and shall attempt to explain as I see it. We have two prominent men in the public eye, of mixed racial heritage, who are both credited with advancing the cause of black Americans beyond any former status. For both, a level of credulity is allowed because they have both reached the ultimate height of their chosen professions. Historically, the comparison ends here. Their public faces are universally recognized and their accomplishments acknowledged but their methodology in achievement varies widely.

With the first, and at the beginning, we find a tiny child (3 or 4 years old) on the Tonight Show, amazing Johnny Carson with his putting ability. Under the mentoring of an adoring and demanding father he continued to hone his skills and achieved countless awards in collegiate and amateur sports. Immediately after turning pro, he rewarded his followers with a win at the Greater Milwaukee Open and captured the hearts of golfers worldwide. As a result of constant training, relentless practice, and absolute dedication to an ironclad work ethic, he carried on to become one of the, if not the finest in his profession--ever. He excelled in an otherwise “lily white” field to become the best. His fantastic success put the lie to claims of “no opportunity” for Americans because of race. He came to be the absolute personification of total professionalism. In so doing, he became immensely wealthy and shared with the less fortunate to elevate them as well. Through tour wins, investments, and endorsements he became the poster boy for hard won success in America. His most important accomplishment is his position as a role model for young people of every background to strive to achieve the American dream. There is no evidence of benefit from affirmative action in his history.

For the second man, we have a near fatherless youth, schooled in foreign lands, finally winding up under the tutelage and care of grandparents. Much in the actual details of his youth remains somewhat murky, including the particulars of his birth and early sworn allegiances. Although we have been denied the verifiable facts of his schooling, we do know that he went to Columbia and then on the Harvard. His first brush with excellence came when named head of the Harvard Law Review. This was no mean accomplishment but we have little in publication to review his performance.

Upon arrival in Chicago, he became involved in community organizing and although we have little of a concrete nature to attribute to his efforts in that enterprise, he managed to ascend and gain the attention of new friends and sponsors. In that twenty year period, he attracted a large number of people who are best described as not having the country’s best interests at heart. Ayers, Rezko, Wright, et al were examples of those who exerted undue influence and support. Using an age-old device of eliminating competition, he went from the state senate to the US Senate. There, his record of voting “present” on most issues established a pattern of being non-committal and concentrating on his individual personality over the matters of state. A gifted orator, (or reader of Teleprompters) he advanced to the presidency and you currently are aware of his record from there. Without the benefit of access to his records it is unlikely we can determine how much of his success was attributable to affirmative action.

On more than a few occasions, I heard various inquiries about the golfer’s opinion on the 2008 presidential election. In every case, he was non-committal on support or antagonism to either candidate and remained distant from the race. Any bias was undetectable and frankly, welcome in the heat of election. In retrospect, one wonders if there might be some residual resentment because of non-support of a particular candidate. With a compliant press, it would be easy to do a hatchet job of reprisal for non-support. There is no concrete evidence of complicity of the White House to further damage the reputation of the country’s greatest golfer. It does pose a question though.

The issue of the infidelity is, and should remain, a matter of concern primarily to him and his wife. My, or your, belief or disbelief in the facts of the matter as reported are immaterial and actually, none of our business. With news which actually does concern us breaking constantly, it does appear that the media, as usual, has its priorities mixed up.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Who is safer—USDA or Jack-in-the-Box?

  
A free lunch gone wrong.

About 15 to 20% of food used in school lunch programs nationwide is supplied by the United States Department of Agriculture. Mainly beef, chicken and some fruits and vegetables are scheduled for distribution to these kitchens. The USDA claims that they “meet or exceed standards in commercial products.” Words are cheap but rigorous testing is not. Little evidence is found to support the claim.

For firms like McDonald’s, Burger King and Costco, checking for bacteria and pathogens in product is more scrupulous in testing on any given day than the USDA. Ground beef is tested 5 to 10 times more often. Jack-in-the-Box is reliably set at ten times more often.

In a quote from USATODAY we find this: “For chicken, the USDA has supplied schools with thousands of tons of meat from old birds that might otherwise go to compost or pet food. Called "spent hens" because they're past their egg-laying prime, the chickens don't pass muster with Colonel Sanders— KFC won't buy them — and they don't pass the soup test, either. The Campbell Soup Company says it stopped using them a decade ago based on "quality considerations."

Nearly ten years ago, in 2000, then agriculture secretary Dan Glickman called for more stringent rules for meat sent to schools. Today, as increasingly more difficult standards are in effect for commercial operators, the level of scrutiny for schools has lagged behind. This is then coupled with less efficient assurance of local employee ability to monitor cooking times and temperatures to assure killing pathogens which slipped through the less than careful USDA cracks.

Commercial enterprises have several fears which insure their circumspect attitudes toward safety and product inspection. They are liable for failure to detect problems which result in widespread disease. They have to live (or die) with the consequences of a marketplace which has no trust in their product. They have an obligation to their shareholders to insure a constant revenue stream and a profitable operation. Their entire business model centers on providing a safe, edible and tasty product to their consumer. Failure to provide any of the preceding will signal the death of the enterprise.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is the agency which procures the meat for school programs and they claim they get the best products. They claim a zero tolerance for meats which test positive for salmonella or E coli0157:H7 which can cause serious illness or death. This prompts one to ask if there is someone or any agency which does not have that same zero tolerance. No sane person would endorse a group, government or commercial entity that was not on top of detecting these pathogens.

From 2005 to date, six different companies supplied AMS with ground beef including Beef Packers which had been previously suspended three times. Between November ’08 and January ’09 AMS purchased a half million pounds from Beef Packers and Skylark Meats with very high levels of generic E coli which is an indicator for the inclusion of intestinal parts of slaughtered animals which in turn are a gateway to the more dangerous E coli O157:H7.

“Colony forming units” (CFU’s) are the measuring units used to define the dangers. The ground-breaker for establishing industry standards, Jack-in-the –Box, refuses any batch containing an excess of 100 CFU. The acceptable level for AMS is 1000. This statistic by itself would satisfy the question in the title of the post.

As stated before, the fast food giants have a lot to lose by ignoring the warning signs through testing. They are often the butt of “humor” regarding the formation of all beef patties and other products but they take it very seriously; far more so than the federal government apparently. As the feds insist on more and more stringent controls, they lag well behind the industry standards and endanger our most precious and valuable asset—our children. This caught the attention of some in congress who raised a ruckus, called for investigations and then, like they did on so many issues, found the uproar died down when replaced by another crisis.

This is a replay of the same old story. We shall regulate you to bankruptcy but the government shall ignore the rules and cut corners. This issue, however, has the nearly assured potential to have a tragic outcome. The ever popular “mystery meat” served at the school lunch counter then takes on a far more sinister identity. It serves as yet one more example of governmental intrusion into matters where it has no legitimate concern. The administration of our local schools attaches hopes and dreams to the little faces lined up for the school lunch. They know these kids. Some are from their own families. It is unthinkable that they would allow them to be poisoned by some Washington bureaucrat.

The government “thinking” which is outlined here may be expected to carry over to a program of socialized medicine with even far more serious consequences. Nearly every federal program, with the possible exception of the defense establishment, comes complete with inefficiency, waste, incompetence and procedural sloth. Can you say TSA, USPS, Homeland Security, Amtrak, and on, and on, and on. It appears that our citizens expose themselves to more danger from the government than that presented by external forces.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

(Some of the material for this post was gathered by investigative reporters for USA TODAY. For more details and information, go to their article for further enlightenment.)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A Note From my New Buddy, Barack

  
Imagine my surprise when I went to my inbox and found a note from Barack Obama addressed to “Friend.” I guess he meant me since it was in my inbox. I got ready for an invitation to share moonlit walks on the beach and long hot showers together. It turns out that was not quite what he had in mind. To accurately share my feelings in response to the note he sent I shall use the ever familiar device of the red letter answer.

"From: President Barack Obama democrapticparty@democraps.org

Tue, Dec 8, 2009 3:05 pm

Friend – (I don’t really think he reads Zion Beckons.)

As we head into the final stretch on health reform, (I’ve been calling it socialized medicine.) big insurance company lobbyists (I’ll have to keep that high-falootin’ title in mind the next time some one asks what I do for a living.) and their partisan allies hope that their relentless attacks and millions of dollars (His estimate is a little high but I could probably find 7 or 8 bucks in the sofa cushions.) can intimidate us into accepting the status quo. (That would also be known as the finest health care on the face of the earth.)

So I have a message for them, from all of us. (According to Rasmussen, you are about 150 million short of “all” of us.) Not this time. We have come too far. We will not turn back. We will not back down. (Yadda, yadda, yadda!)

But do not doubt -- the opponents of reform will not rest. (You got that right.) So I need you to fight alongside me. (How about when pigs fly? Oh, that's right, Swine Flew. Not close enough.)

We must continue to build out our campaign (I don’t know how to break this to you Sonny but the campaign is over: you got the job.)-- to spread the facts on the air and on the ground, (That’s pretty much where the rest of your promises are spread.) and to bring in more volunteers and train them to join the fight. (The last time somebody started to talk to me using the words “train”, “join” and “fight” in the same sentence, I wound up in Germany for a couple years.) I urgently need your help to keep this 50-state movement for reform going strong. (What about the other seven states, don’t they count?)

Please donate $5 or whatever you can afford today: (Now hold on: this is the second time you’ve sent me to the sofa cushions.)

http://my.democraps.org/FinalStretch

Let's win this together, (Is that like: “win one for the Gipper?”)

President Barack Obama (What happened to the “Hussein” thing? Is it now too cumbersome?)

democraticparty@democrats.org "

How about that; aren’t you jealous you didn’t get an email? What’s the deal on the five spot? Does he actually think an extra fiver from me is going to enable him to swindle the rest of you? I mean, money talks and all but I can’t believe I’d get much influence for a sawbuck. I am a little disappointed because we just kinda first met and already he’s tapping me for a fin.

I guess he has to stay busy now that he decided not to go to Copenhagen for the opening of the climate circus. Maybe he’s smarter than I thought because any kid knows that it’s colder than billy blue there this time of year. It’s also possible that he got a call from Tiger who warned him about Scandinavian cuties packing a five iron.

It’s always nice to have a new pen pal. We’ll just have to see how it works out.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Revised Chart of Federal Debt

 
These figures do not include the insertion of additional debt to support the socialized medicine currently on the table. Billions in debt for America was terrifying to those who comprehend such things. Measuring it in trillions means we have advanced by a factor of 1000. The continuing escalation of these numbers is putting the seal of victory on the efforts of those who would destroy our country in a bloodless coup.



For comparison we shall line up a modest household budget with figures to establish the relationship. We shall assume a rent/mortgage payment of $500 per month. Due to some reverses (braces for the kid, a new patio, a loan to your Irish brother-in-law, etc.,) your credit card balance demands an additional $700 a month to maintain the minimum. The continuing fiscal demands for services (phone, TV, ISP, garbage pick-up, electric bill, gas, water, etc.), add another $600. Your car payment then adds another $300 a month and doesn’t include the insurance and licensing for your and the wife’s car (paid for) of another $100. Food, incidentals, vacation stash, clothing, donations (10% tithing?) and taxes are not included since they are paid from the left over loot.

That indebtedness now amounts to $2200 a month but you got the raise and now make $65,000 a year plus benefits (sick pay, vacation time, health insurance, etc.). That’s almost $5400 a month so it’s no big deal. All of a sudden, things change and you are now responsible for paying 3.7 (the difference between the ’08 budget and ’09 figures) times as much to retire your debt than you did the year previous. That means the $2200 in debt has turned into $8140 a month just to stay even. Whoops, you only make $5400 a month.

All of a sudden, it is no longer fun to answer the phone or go to the mailbox. In both cases, it’s just another dun. Your biggest choice in life has now become a matter of who gets paid this month. You decide that your best move is to get an overall loan to reduce your payments and lower your interest rates. It is then that you call your Chinese brother-in-law and ask him for a loan.

This foregoing tale is entirely fictitious—or is it? This is exactly what is going on with our government. Your figures for your budget were made up but not that far off. The government’s figures are spot on as verified by the Congressional Budget Office and represent reality. You, as a citizen and totally irresponsible, would probably not trade your new Chevy for a Cadillac Esplanade, your 1600 sq. ft. home for a ten room mansion and escalate your credit card purchases to space shuttle heights. Even though you may have made a few bum decisions on the fiscal front, you are not a total idiot and would not do it.

This is a metaphor for the path your president, treasury secretary, and the congress has chosen for the financial future of the United States. Our coinage and currency are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States government. If you were a legitimate lender would you loan a dime to anyone with a credit history of this ilk? No financial officer in the world can fail to notice just how weak our ability to repay a loan would be. They do not have the money available by making sour loans to folks who have passed their ability for repayment. Unless there was an agenda on the side bar to further cripple our economy, any country would be foolish to help us.

To further the possibility of financial collapse, our wise solons have enabled regulatory schemes predicated on dream scenarios to further hamper our greatest asset, the entrepreneurial spirit of our businesses, from enlarging our tax base. Referring to them as “spending like drunken sailors” does a disservice to both drunks and sailors.

Understanding finance is a largely boring study but the fiscal failure of the greatest nation on the face of the earth is an exciting show which no enemy will want to miss. We are under attack from without and within. Only our noble citizenry have the capacity to alter our course. Our leaders won’t.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Monday, December 7, 2009

Continuing Infamy


  
Sixty-eight years ago on a Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan launched an attack on the Untied States at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The result:


This event triggered what has become one of the most compelling speeches to ever be delivered by a president before the congress. On December 8, before a joint session, Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered the famous line, “a day which will live in infamy.” Three minutes after the end of the speech, the body delivered a declaration of war against Japan.        

Ignoring whatever attitudes the citizens may have held on December 6, two days later the country became united in a struggle which would last until August of 1945. On that day alone the toll was 2402 servicemen killed, 4 battleships, 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers, 1 mine layer, and 188 airplanes destroyed. Just as important, the attitude of a nation changed from isolationist indifference to fierce defiance. With a declaration of war from Germany almost immediately thereafter, we found ourselves totally immersed in World War II.

Although Pearl Harbor marked our official entry in the war, it had been waged in various other theaters by other nations for years previous and finally involved nearly every country on earth and resulted in over 70,000,000 dead including civilian non-combatants. Since then, the world has had an occasional respite from the carnage of war but no final relief.

Our eventual success in WWII was a result of selfless resolve plus a near universal attitude of extracting revenge for the early outrages of the war. Before the final days, every American citizen was affected either directly by the waging of and the outcome of the war. We shared the pain of loss and the collective disruption of our lives. No person was exempt.

Sixty years later, on Monday September 11, 2001, we were subject to an equally cowardly attack from a far less understood enemy. The result:



The fact of misunderstanding our enemy did not lessen the severity of the attack. 2976 people (from 90 different countries) lost their lives plus the loss of America’s two largest buildings, several others in the vicinity, 4 civilian aircraft plus severe damage to the Pentagon in Virginia. Although outrage was rampant it was not universal. The responsibility was laid to al-Qaeda terrorists but many were reluctant to assign the guilt to radical Islam. It then precipitated a war in Afghanistan to seek the perpetrators of the heinous attack.

For those of us who were witness to the reporting of each event, although comparative in a one day scope of casualty and property damage, find further comparison unequal. After Pearl Harbor the national mood was one of reprisal and restoration of everything which was good in America. That attitude was unhindered by political correctness, tolerance, diversity awareness, and frankly—mercy. We had a clear objective and the national will to achieve it. The presence of the softening attitudes towards the avowed enemies of our constitutional government have prevented us from using the entirety of our defensive arsenal to achieve the unmistakable restitution which must be enforced to defeat our current foe.

Radical Islam today and Imperial Japan in 1941 are and were both blind rogues on the international stage. Neither is or was deserving of ameliorating language and attitudes to soften our response. Both personify pure evil and deserve the absolute destruction of their core. We accomplished that goal with Japan. It is time to commence the all-out effort to defeat our current enemy. We need to recognize that America has experienced two “days of infamy” and act accordingly.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon








Monday Morning Rant 122

  
The fiery sermon (he preached about hell) by Lee Parsons was actually a reminder that God is everywhere bringing light and Satan is lurking in the darkness to distract us. As mortal men, we face the dark threat armed with only with our faith and the promise of salvation. Immediately after we went to the dining room and enjoyed the annual Christmas dinner.

I am constantly amazed by the quality and abundance which presents itself on these occasions. Although Fellowship Baptist is outstanding in their food offering, experience tells me that they are rivaled by every congregation which I have ever attended and that would be a bunch of them over decades. It is a Christian characteristic shared by churches with a huge variety of names over the doors. May God’s blessing shine upon those who contribute to these occasions.

A False Prophet

Dana Milbank wrote an extremely interesting piece in the Washington Post which was unexpected and true. It was largely concerned with the reaction of Obama’s “true believers” who naively thought that every syllable offered on the campaign trail was to be etched in stone once he reached the white house. If you were not totally hypnotized by the delivery and carefully parsed phrases you found a man hedging his bets and qualifying every concept offered.

His speeches were peppered with escape clauses and equivocation with the full knowledge that implementation of many of his ideas could never come to pass. People being what they are, interpreted suggestions as surety and listened carefully to that which they wanted to hear. The thrust of any politicians speech is rank with those particulars which they hope will find a willing ear and convince the prospective voters. As a nation of individuals, we are not all going to hear the same thing as our neighbor. When a concept resonates with our personal agenda, the deal is closed.

In the face of plummeting poll numbers, Milbank contributed the following: “It was bound to happen eventually. Obama had become to his youthful supporters a vessel for all of their liberal hopes. They saw him as a transformational figure who would end war, save the Earth from global warming, restore the economy -- and still be home for dinner. They lashed out at anybody who dared to suggest that Obama was just another politician, subject to calculation, expediency and vanity like all the rest.”

I strongly suggest you read the rest of this article and see for yourself the huge gap which exists between Obama, the candidate and Obama, the chief executive of this great country. The biggest surprise is that in ran in the Washington Post.

None of this News is Fit to Print

The roll of the disgraced in the leakage of climate change documents which encourage falsification and padding of psuedo-scientific data is ever enlarging. Attendant to that disgrace is the distance which the mainstream media has maintained from reporting the story.

It has been 15 days since the news at East Anglia was disclosed and there has been a deafening silence on the subject from the prominent “main stream” sources. Thanks to the internet and Fox News, we are getting a fairly coherent sense of the magnitude of the scam. And, it is a scam.

As has been previously reported in this space, one of the advantages of ageing is much that is reported as history is actually part of our assembled memories. Events, and attitudes toward them, are not part of a history lesson but rather cataloged as recollections from that period of our lives.

For those who enjoyed the seventies as adults, the memories of a projected “little ice age” are as fresh in our minds as if it were yesterday. The thought of large areas of North America becoming too cold to support agriculture were very scary. Historians advertised the suffering brought about by the Dark Ages. Climatologists wheeled out charts and graphs and furthered the fear mongering. Authors wrote endless books to support the theory. It was a perfect storm of terror prediction which never came to pass.

This was followed a few decades later by the exact opposite prediction of receding oceans, melting ice caps, surging temperatures world wide, and the destruction of life as we knew it. While the prospect of global cooling had faded in our minds the new threats then occupied our terror filled thoughts. Suddenly, the data did not match the desired prediction. The warming became cooling again and required a re-crunching of the bogus numbers.

Are you confused yet?

This would be hilarious if it were not such a serious matter. Trillions of dollars of foolish expenditure are at stake to effect the changes suggested to lessen/increase the temperatures involved in the threat de jour. The crooked scientists in search of yet another federal grant and research paper have taken us all for fools. Not the least of which is the media who are in denial that the climate gods could be cheating. Years ago if you were caught cheating in college you were thrown out. Now, you get a raise, a stipend, and a Nobel Prize if you are on the correct political course.

If you want to keep up on the latest reality show, Tiger’s indiscretions, or a celebrity baby, ABC, CBS, NBC and the rest will keep you advised. If you need the straight scoop on the AGW cheats you are a denier and you had better be an internet freak if you want to learn the details. What a world we live in.

And finally

We certainly did have “climate change” here in the Ozarks this week. At the last minute before the freeze I checked the constant light in the well house and found the bulb burned out. Thank God I found it in time. We’ve had the pipes freeze before and it is no fun. A 100 watt bulb is all it takes to keep the chill off the tiny well insulated house but it has to be running all the time.

The local wildlife, except the birds, has all but disappeared into their winter cover much to the consternation of our dogs. They have gradually become less excited about a trip outside. Otherwise, we’re warm and dry and life is good.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Sunday, December 6, 2009

An Error Which we Regret

  
The death of a blog comes after failure to be scrupulous in facts, pictures and commentary. In this case, we did not dig deep enough and find the absolute truth surrounding the details of a recent picture we posted. In the subject photo we found the military officers in a hand salute, the civilian with his hand over his heart and the president showing no particular respectful posture.

In a film of the proceedings, it was determined that the original picture was taken during the playing of “Hail to the Chief” and required no posture other than that which the president displayed. Subsequent captures from the tape revealed that the president showed the appropriate respect for the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem.




While we did not do it, we noted that several reported that the ceremony took place at Fort Hood shortly after the tragedy there. That was also not true;  it took place at Arlington Cemetery on Memorial Day in May.

Zion Beckons regrets the misrepresentation of these events. We apologize to the president and assure all involved that we vow to be more careful in the future.

We freely admit that we have criticized many issues which have come from the White House. We shall, barring any changes which they make, continue to do so. In the future we shall attempt to fact check more thoroughly to assure our readers that they may depend upon this blog for scrupulous reporting and opinion.

Thank you for Your patience.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon