Those Were the Days

First, we must give credit to a Common Sense Citizen Commentator who in turn gives credit to My Random Blog for this insightful observation of what I personally enjoyed as a child. It should serve as a reminder of how much freedom has been lost. Read the piece and when you get to the end, I shall have some commentary.

“TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE

1930's, 40's, 50's,

60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps, not helmets on our heads.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. WHY? Because we were always outside playing...that's why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill; only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem

We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Born in ’32, I can vividly remember each and every situation mentioned in the above. I would add a couple of things which the author neglected.

If you dropped a cookie on the ground, kitchen floor, or the dog dish, you picked it up and ate it.

The kid’s 6th birthdays were noted with their own .22 cal., single shot, bolt action rifle. Strangely, none turned into serial killers.

The threat of physical discipline was an ever present danger in a classroom. No diversity training, anger management, or “time outs,” just a whack on the wrist or the butt.

Jealousy was rampant because the Catholic kids got out early on Friday for religious instruction. Even worse, we never got meat on Fridays even though we were Methodist.

The traditional cure for tears was a quick swipe of the eye with the corner of an apron.

Even though born in the Great Depression, we had little appreciation of the event.

“Those were the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end.” But they have !!


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Obama Anonymous

  
I have belabored you previously on the subject of extracting a bountiful life from degradation and despair through Alcoholics Anonymous. I make no apology for doing so because I am obligated to share the benefits with others that they might consider a similar path to improve their lives.

Nearly thirty years ago I drug my sorry butt to a meeting and altered, with God’s help, an ingrained life style which had cost me everything—wife, the love of my kids, treasure, friends, respect and self-esteem. As a result, I have regained all, except the treasure which no longer seems important. I will not bore you with a “drunk-a-log” to saddle you with every excruciating moment on my descent into a personal hell. I shall rather mention some basic truths I learned on my journey back to a rich full life.

I do this because our nation and its citizens will require a similar exercise to recover from the Marxist direction which has dominated every issue the last few months in Washington. Tens of millions of our people have an actual addiction to Mr. Hope and Change. Although the number lessens by the day, real progress cannot be made until these sufferers are able to put a name on their problem. Any AA member will admit that recovery really only begins when he able to stand at a meeting and introduce himself thusly: “Hi, I’m Cec and I am an alcoholic!” One must identify his problem openly and sincerely if he ever hopes to get on the long road to recovery. His opening would then become: “Hi I’m Joe, and I’m an Obamaniac.”

His next step is to then recognize that there is a Power greater than himself. This does not require immediate baptism into the church of his choice or becoming a street corner evangelist. All it requires is the sublimation to a directive spiritual force which may be identified as God, Jehovah, Jesus, Buddha, Fred or whatever; anything so long as it is not himself. We enact the course of our lives but satisfactory alteration requires the intervention of a higher power. Otherwise, as your own personal god, you may do what you please to the exclusion of all others. Is the Obamanism becoming recognizable at this point?

So now the Obamaniac has named himself and acknowledged he is not God—now what? It is time for a decision to seek relief from your addiction. This decision can only come from within but it must become essential to every aspect of your being. The actual implementation is only possible with the help of your assigned spiritual force or in my case, God. To become relieved of one’s suffering, this is absolutely necessary. This decision then becomes a promise to you to seek help. Awareness of the possibility of recovery from Obamamaniaism then is placed in your hands with the help of God. It is highly recommended that this promise is reviewed every morning upon arising. Since there is no formal organization with meetings nightly to attend, it is suggested that you acquire a sponsor to share your struggle for abstinence from your former life. Obviously, you should pick someone who has “been there and done that.” A Tea Party is an excellent place to meet those who are not currently suffering from Obamunism. This body of people is increasing by the day and will help you avoid the further influences to which you are constantly subjected. Since they are the finest, friendliest people you will ever meet they will be eager to help and guide you on your way.

Now comes the tough part; you must admit to yourself through a personal inventory the false ideas and ideologies which you have maintained. Make a physical list of those things which you have held which have proven to be false. As you add to this hard copy and more things appear there, the enormity of your Obamanism will become more and more apparent and become a substantial aid to recovery. Be honest with yourself.

After the list is underway, it becomes necessary to admit to your higher power, yourself, and another human being the exact nature of your wrongs and be ready for God to remove them all. This is easily accomplished by simply asking Him to do so. These expressions will allow you to vent your missteps and help clear your mind of the oppression of false ideology.

The next logical progression is to list those we have harmed and be prepared to make amends. If one has made the grievance publicly, the amends should be made the same way. If one to one, the same rule applies: one to one. In any case, so long as making amends would not do them further injury, the sincere attempt should be made. As the personal inventory continues, any further wrong should be promptly admitted. Both the alcoholic and the Obamamaniac hold the lie as a standard of behavior. In both circumstances the immediate apology and reconciliation is required.

Further prayer and consultation with our higher power to seek His will and power will, over time, increase our personal strength to carry out His direction and hurry our recovery. Each prayer raised further establishes this valued relationship and confirms that, indeed, we are not God. If offered in honesty from the heart, the progress will be remarkable.

Finally, once we have the spiritual awakening we must continue to implement this program in all our affairs. Further, and this is important, this result must be shared with others who may also have the same problems we once had. Were you not grateful that God saw fit to help you find the truth and banish your former stinking thinking?

Much of this post is borrowed or adapted from the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous as outlined in the “Big Book” with that title. For relief from the demons of addiction, tweaking the steps is a simple matter. It is a program used universally for overcoming those many tempting diversions which work to ruin our lives.

There is little doubt in my mind that the socialist president has lured many of his followers by devious means to work on his ruinous programs. Our concern is not so much about why they succumbed in the first place but rather how they may escape the clutches of this brainwashing. By accepting the wisdom outlined in the above steps, you will find a new and true freedom which has been heretofore unknown. If you are not in need of this; copy it and pass it on to one who does. Welcome back to sanity!


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

The Moose Hunter vs. The Terminator

  
In a moment of mid-week idiocy, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took a shot at Gov. Sarah Palin and global warming. His advice was to take her opinion with a “grain of salt.” This came from a guy who has taken one of the richest states in the union and turned it into a welfare state of epic proportions. He is hardly one you would turn to for advice on governance or for that matter, any topic. Actually, anything which the California governor says risks turning him into a “pillar of salt.”

Palin, not one to avoid a fight, took his criticism to heart and fired right back:

“Why is Governor Schwarzenegger pushing for the same sorts of policies in Copenhagen that have helped drive his state into record deficits and unemployment? Perhaps he will recall that I live in our nation’s only Arctic state and that I was among the first governors to create a sub-cabinet to deal specifically with climate change. While I and all Alaskans witness the impacts of changes in weather patterns firsthand, I have repeatedly said that we can’t primarily blame man’s activities for those changes. And while I did look for practical responses to those changes, what I didn’t do was hamstring Alaska’s job creators with burdensome regulations so that I could act “greener than thou” when talking to reporters.”

This was on her Facebook page and further demonstrated her realization of the electronic advantages of this type of communication with the electorate. By his carping about Palin he has shown that he is part of the problem crowd who really see anthropogenic global warming more as an opportunity for control than a genuine threat to the earth. She, on the other hand, cares deeply about the affect on the people and has positioned policy to get answers for their benefit and protection instead of making ironclad demands on their activity. She has quickly recognized that the science is not verified sufficiently to alter our total economic system to humor the graph designers.

In the final analysis, I question the wisdom of a “Republican” governor declaring war on a true Republican candidate for vice-president; a politician with even more executive experience than the “governator.” If he had any sense at all, he would see her as the lightening rod which the party can center on to provide relief from the onrushing socialism being forced on the people. He may eventually come to realize that run-of-the mill citizens understand taking meat from the woods to put on the table far better than they do complicated psuedo-scientific gadgetry created for celluloid film to enchant teenagers.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Taunton, Mass – A Christmas Story

 

What’s a teacher to do? She has a set of rules she must enforce with a policy which came from on high. We have a kid who has been taught that the Christmas season is about Jesus Christ. It is a classic tale of rigidity meets religion.

What started as a report on a classroom incident in which some rules were broken has now become an attack on the schools and browbeating of the kid. The first report stated that the teacher asked the class of 8 year olds to draw something which showed the meaning of Christmas. The younger Master Johnson allegedly turned in a drawing of a stick figure on a cross. The teacher then looked at the drawing and saw the horror and the crude torture depicted and the alarm bells went off. “We have a “zero-tolerance” for violence here in the second grade and this will not be tolerated.” was probably what went through the teacher’s mind. This, in turn, demanded reporting to a higher echelon, counseling, and action up to and including suspension.

After this exchange, the father, Chester Johnson, a goodly and a Godly man, responsibly made a considerable fuss and sought to find out what these folks at school are thinking. It appears he took the kid to a local shrine as a pre-Christmas treat where the youth was exposed to various Christian icons which included crucifixion statues. He made the connection of the birth celebration as the introduction to the entire life of  Christ and wisely discovered that the beginning led to the glorious end in the death and resurrection. Not bad for an eight year old.

Back at the school this rare theological insight continued to be lost on the educators. There, the concentration was still on the violent death. Now comes the rub. The school officials, now under all out assault from Christians nation-wide, are denying complicity in any of this. They claim the drawing shown by Mr. Johnson is not the same as the one turned in by his son. They also assert that they did not threaten him with any punishment of any stripe for violating the non-violence policy. Julie Hackett, the superintendent, who was formerly unable to return calls of inquiry has now come out with a formal statement to disclaim almost the entire affair.

As a father of boys and grandfather of an ever increasing number of lads as well, I may assure you that an eight year old boy is far more likely to be fascinated by a cross than a crèche. To them, a guy (Jesus Christ) with a spear in his side and wearing a crown of thorns is far more interesting that some dinky kid (also Jesus Christ) wrapped in rags in a manger. These kids are probably not aware of the significance of the fulfillment of Old Testament predictions of His miraculous appearance and deliverance by the Virgin Mary. If you don’t believe this, gift wrap a Barbie doll and a blunderbuss and watch the reaction on Christmas morning.

The villains here are those who are not capable of understanding little boys. Those who wish to turn them into little automatons with squishy, feel-good outlooks, who have been taught to shun any thing which might turn them into solid respectable men. Those who would wish to suppress the natural state of those who would become men to forward a personal questionable outlook are the ones at fault—counter claims not withstanding.

Mr. Chester Johnson of Taunton, Mass. is my hero. He is a real father who will go to any lengths to protect his son from these vultures. His early training of his son, demonstrated by the visit to the shrine, will stay with that kid far longer than the clap trap spewed at the school. Young Johnson has that rare gift of a father who loves and cares for him.

Chester, a word to you: this has nothing to do with race. If my kid had done this, they would have nailed him just as easily and ignorantly. Our public schools have become an “equal opportunity” destroyer of young boys. You may well have bona fide racial grievances but this isn’t one of them.

In conclusion, we wish both Chester Johnson and his son a very Merry Christmas. May God shine His light upon you.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Our Country is in Big Trouble

  
I found this on American Thinker and will not risk altering it in any way. If you ever needed a competent analysis of our current problems: this is it. The author is Larrey Anderson.

“Our country is in big trouble ... huge trouble. It is time that Americans took a hard look at our values, our conception of justice, and our standards for truth. This piece is intended as a first step in that direction.

1) Values

The story of Tiger Woods and his (now admitted) "infidelity" is everywhere. The Woods' story has piqued the prurient interests of America and the world. The story has dominated the mainstream media for days while the injustice being committed against our Navy Seals and the revelation of the computer code from the CRU (exposing the biggest hoax in the history of the world) have gotten scant attention.

Tiger Woods was on the cover of every magazine and tabloid that I saw while standing in line at the grocery store yesterday. Those publications and those stories are on the grocery stores' racks for a reason: Americans are buying them.

We are more interested in the private life of a guy whose claim to fame is that he can hit a little ball with a stick better than anyone else in the world (whoopee!) than we are about the destruction of our culture.

It is not Tiger Woods' moral values that concern me. (Celebrities of his stature face enormous temptations from all kinds of hustlers and harlots everyday of their lives.) It is the facts that while our freedoms and Constitution crumble before our eyes ... we are focused on Tiger and his bimbos.

This is our iniquity -- not Tiger's.

2) Justice

Meanwhile our politically correct military has arraigned two Navy Seals for allegedly punching Ahmed Hashim Abed in the lip. Abed was the terrorist who, several years ago, led the murder and the brutalization of the corpses of four Blackwater security people in Iraq.

Al Qaeda instructs its members how to claim and/or fake being tortured if a member of the terrorist organization is captured.

But Al Qaeda is not the real issue here. We are. America has become so politically correct that a terrorist/murderer/sadist, who bitches about his bloodied lip, might get some of the best and bravest men on this planet thrown into jail. Americans had better pay attention, and soon, to this nonsense.

Very special and highly trained military men, including these Navy Seals, are all who stand between a worldwide Islamic war of Jihad and you and me. If we do not rise up to defend these brave soldiers, and demand a full pardon and their immediate release, here is what will happen: Dedicated young men and women will refuse to put their lives on the line if a poke in the face, of someone who would kill them in a heartbeat, gets the soldiers time in the brig.

Would you take that job? Make those sacrifices? Put your life on the line? Would you complete your mission, catch the bad guy, and then be thrown into jail for your efforts? I wouldn't. No rational human being would.

Justice in the real world is not politically correct. "Pretty please" or "We respect your unmitigated desire (and efforts) to kill us" are not phrases that matter to a mass murderer. And the next time some whiny PC liberal tells me "We are better than they are," my reply is going to be, "Of course we are. That's why Ahmed Hashim Abed only got (allegedly) punched in the face. He wasn't shot in the head, beaten with sticks, burned, and hung on a bridge. How much better than they are do we have to be to make you happy?"

3) Truth

Since the release of the CRU documents that prove the fraud of the science behind man made global warming, Al Gore has said at least three times (Andrew Bolt of the Herald Sun puts it at four) that the emails and information were all ten years old. This is a lie. It has been repeated again and again by Al Gore. Some of the emails are less than two months old. And dozens upon dozens are less than ten years old. And everyone -- but Al Gore -- knows it.

Watch the video of the CNN interview with Gore here. One reporter does say to Gore, as a kind of aside, "Some of them [the emails] were from ten years ago, but many of them were far more recent than that."

Gore ignores the statement. Neither of the two reporters further disputes Gore's "ten year old" fabrication. No follow-up challenge from the CNN reporters to Gore's out right lie. None.

The mainstream media has downplayed the significance of the CRU documents. The headline of a recent AP story proclaims that the science from the CRU was not faked. Really? As (among others) Marc Sheppard, Lord Monckton, and I have proven the CRU findings most certainly were doctored. The raw date was manipulated to "prove" that the world is exponentially warming. There is no doubt about this.

And still, the mainstream media has not challenged Al Gore on the blatant absurdity of his claim that the documents were at least ten years old and have no real impact on the AGW debate. CNN did ask him to recite his new poem on the impending doom of mother earth. See that video here. (But not if you have recently eaten a meal. You could lose it.)

John 8:32 states the following:

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

The corollary of this brilliant piece of scripture should also be written. It would go something like this:

If you ignore the lies, the lies will imprison you.

Wake up America. The time for the truth to set us free is growing very, very short."

Larrey Anderson is a writer, a philosopher, and submissions editor for American Thinker. He is the author of The Order of the Beloved, and the memoir, Underground: Life and Survival in the Russian Black Market.

For other well thought articles and commentaries, I strongly recommend that you click the first link and check out the further wisdom available at American Thinker.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Monday Morning Rant 123

  
At last, a “springy” day came to interrupt the recent cold snap. The sun is always welcome without regard to how long it hangs around. If the forecast is correct, we’re headed for a white Christmas. Like most thing in the wonderful world of climate, it remains a crap-shoot. I am constantly amazed that folks fully realize that their local forecast is chancy and yet think that the same type of science can predict weather patterns 10-20-50 years in the future. They would also, no doubt, be in the market for a bridge across the East River.

Who’s in charge?

The easy answer, and the obvious to his supporters is, the president. To the non-Kool-Aid drinking types and those with any vestige of objectivity left, the answer is not so simple. His activities over the last ten months should prompt some serious thought on the matter. Even though he is hyped as being an exceptionally intelligent individual his presentations sometimes have a contradictory nature in the phrasing. Often that which appears firmly stated is then clouded with modifying additions plus disclaimers which ameliorate the message first offered. We all understand that the electronic press and opponents hang on every word and leap to an opportunity to criticize; therefore the construction of public remarks must be done very carefully.

It is possible that bloggers may have a better grasp of this problem than most because the responsible ones agonize over phrasing, word choice, grammar and most important, truth. Most presidents have a staff of writers and consultants who are valuable assistants to help parse the “golden” words which come from the executive’s mouth. The question then becomes: are these aides responsible for tuning the words and ideas for the president or do they emanate from some other source. In plain language: does he think this stuff up all by himself?

The presence of a common thread is always there. Spending excessively, exerting further governmental controls, glossing over the fiscal threat to the republic, ignoring confirmed opposition, and larding the public payroll with extreme left wingers best characterize the total effort. Sometimes it seems as though each person close enough to have influence has been given a “play book” with the overall game plan. Even his appointed personnel, when before any microphone, all sound pretty much the same. Some are more direct than the president, but, carry an equivalent message:

Even the higher officials in the congress are carrying water from the same font. Reid, Pelosi, et.al. are nearly indistinguishable from the executive in their approach to problems of state. This element of shared direction is so common that one suspects a person or group of immense power is actually pulling some strings.

Puppet governments are certainly not unknown in history. The biggest problem, if it were indeed true, is in identifying the hidden direction. Other than the thoughts expressed here is there any additional evidence which might be presented? If it were available we would be delighted to report it.

The University of Delaware

Under the heading of “don’t be insane, it couldn’t happen here” we have a discovery which sent chills up the spine. Univ. of Delaware had a program to be administered by resident advisors to new students which was mandatory for the “newbies”, graded, and could have led to counseling. Here follows a small extract from some of the printed material in the handbook to be taught to the newly arrived students:

"A RACIST: A racist is one who is both privileged and socialized on the basis of race by a white supremacist (racist) system. 'The term applies to all white people (i.e., people of European descent) living in the United States, regardless of class, gender, religion, culture or sexuality. By this definition, people of color cannot be racists, because as peoples within the U.S. system, they do not have the power to back up their prejudices, hostilities, or acts of discrimination….”

The program was pure thought control from the beginning with emphasis on political correctness and assumed grievances toward “white racists” which by the school’s definition would be “all” whites. Fortunately, the school attracts intelligent youngsters who quickly recognized the outrageous behavior of the school who balked and complained to various officials and third party investigative sources. Thanks to these courageous kids and their high school civics teachers who did their jobs well, they recognized the absolute illegality of the program of ideological reeducation.

As a result, President Patrick Harker made an announcement on the cessation of the illegal actions which included this closing paragraph:

“Under the recommendation of Vice President for Student Life Michael Gilbert and Director of Residence Life Kathleen Kerr, I have directed that the program be stopped immediately. No further activities under the current framework will be conducted," he said.

It would be great to report that this is the end of it. Actually, it is just the beginning. Other universities have similar, if not identical, programs to the University of Delaware. For more information on this subject I would recommend you check with World Net Daily which has many additional links on this subject. For all the losses we have suffered over the last ten months, the US Constitution is still in effect and ready to protect our citizens as it has for the last two and quarter centuries. Thank God.

And finally

Over the next few months we will be facing some of the most difficult days our republic has ever seen. I am convinced that the people and not the leadership will be the only salvation which is available for success. We have discussed this before and I make no apology for bringing it up again. It is absolutely essential that all citizens take on a new and refreshed view of his individual role in our society. Each needs to assume responsibility for awareness of the national scene and to be aware of how best to use his talents and resources, regardless of how limited, for the betterment of the nation. It will take an army of Davids to fend off the warped desires of the Philistines in Washington. It has become increasingly obvious that they seek the absolute destruction of the United States as we know and love it. God, help us all.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon