What do you see and hear today?

I know it has been a while. I took a break from my random rantings because they are not really making the world a better place. There is so much negative junk going on in the world that I decided not to add any more negative spoutings to the collective piles of wordsmith railings that you find on the internet. Today I have a different aspect to explore. I was reading in Isaiah this morning and I found this verse. I feel that it strongly conveys the condition of our nation and our mindset. It says, " You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing. "
Think about it. Over the last year we have seen the war, the deaths from the war ( both civillian and millitary), the tsunami, the earthquake in Pakistan ( collectively those events killed almost 200,000 people in seconds), floods, poverty in Africa, selfishness by all factions of our government, Katrina, Rita, terrorism, kidnappings, murders, and death. IF you watch TV at all, then you have seen these things and heard about them daily. We hear and we see, but yet we do or say nothing about any of it. We pray. We may send some cash, but what do we really think about any of it? The problem is we don't think at all. Sit down and contemplate all of the things that have happened this year. For five minutes, stop worrying about yourself and ask God if there is anything he wants you to do specifically to help in any of these situations or other situations that you my know about.
It is the season of Christmas which is a celebration of God giving us the ultimate gift of his son. That son eventually gave his life for you. Decide to give more and take less. Decide to have an attitude of gratefulness everyday, instead of complaining. Decide to work harder on helping others than working on more things to acquire. Decide to see, hear, and feel all that world and its Creator want to give you. ( I am going to try.)

Random Idiosyncrasy

I have a confession to make. I have a problem that may plague some of you that actually are reading this right now. When I come to a time when I have to use hot or cold water, I sometimes get confused about which knob is hot and which knob is cold. I know this may sound crazy, but it is absolutely true. I know the rest of the world just gets into the shower and they just know which knob is hot and which knob is cold. I also know that you just( because of practice and instinct) know which way to turn the knob in order to increase the volume of the type of water you want. But alas, in my years on this earth, I either never learned this or forgot it somewhere along the way. I have to always repeat that thing that people say, "righty tighty, left loosey" everyday before I take a bath. I have to look at the sink and remind myself that the hot is on the left. I literally have to stand in the shower and sometimes audibly say this to myself. I enevitably get the water to hot or cold and either freeze myself or burn myself in my attempt to regulate my shower water. I have a similar problem in the kitchen when I am cleaning the dishes.
I think this whole thing started when my brother, who is an engineer, "fixed" the water faucet in my parents kitchen. Needless to say, when he was finished you had to turn the knobs to get water the opposite way to get water than the way they were when he started fixing them. I think after years of learning the wrong way to turn things, I got confused.
It is amazing to me that as an adult I still struggle with something so elementary. I especially can't believe that I am telling the world. ( OK I am just telling the two people that actually read my blog.)

The Truth of Evolution Explained by a Creatonist

I have enjoyed reading the thoughts that have been presented on the theory of evolution in the past few weeks. There are a few thoughts that I would like to share that might educate some of your readers about the idea of evolution versus creation.

First of all, there are two different types of evolution as recognized in science. The first type of evolution or change that is accepted by both creationists and pure evolutionists is microevolution. This idea is referring to the small changes that happen over time to living things on earth. It is also known as “survival of the fittest.” In other words, if the environment in which certain species live changes drastically, the only animals that will survive will be those already equipped to survive those changes. These animals’ genetic make ups are not altered or changed in any way. Microevolution does change the gene pool overtime because only animals with certain traits will survive in a different environment. Therefore, the genetic makeup will reflect the traits that better serve for that animal’s survival. It does not support the thought that a species that walked on all fours suddenly one day decided to walk upright just for the fun of it. I could start walking on my hands tomorrow, but it does not mean that my offspring would come out of the womb doing the same thing.

The second part of the theory of evolution is not accepted by creationists. It is known as macroevolution. As the name implies, it is changes that occur on a much larger scale. The idea of macroevolution depends on two things that have never really been known to occur in nature as far as we have observed. These two things are spontaneous generation and spontaneous genetic mutation. Spontaneous generation is the belief that life and creation just came about by chance and that life just began when all the elements came together in perfect order. This whole line of thought goes against the law of entropy in physics. The theory of spontaneous genetic mutation states that over time their have been changes in animals’ genetic codes that have changed them into different species. This part of the theory is based partly on the widely discussed idea of missing links. Now so far, no missing links have been observed living in nature. There are not half ape-half man creatures walking around. The fact of the matter is that genetic mutations do occur. If you are alive, you probably have some slight genetic mutations that occurred in your mother’s womb that you don’t even know about. Large scale genetic mutations that would actually transform a being into another being do not occur and have never been observed. The other important issue to point out is that the fossil record is not as extant as evolutionist would have you believe. Some of the “facts” based on the fossil record are based on bone fragments from which evolutionist create a picture of a whole creature that has never been observed.

As a former science teacher, I know that science is based on observation. I can observe the world around me for about ten seconds and know that it had an intelligent creator. He did not need these processes to make man or anything else. He only needed his spoken word and his power. Now think about it. Look at the facts, what is easier to believe? A bunch of conjecture and incomplete ideas or that God created the world the way he said he did. You decide.

Who wants to play the Hurricane Katrina Blame Game?

I have been devestated by the pictures and images coming out of New Orleans. I am sure if you are reading this you have been too. I never thought that there could be another event that would effect us all the way that 9/11 did. This is so overwhelming. It is a problem for all of America to help solve. I have a few observations that I would like to share.

First of all, I don't want this event to be politicized. That is the last thing we need to see and hear is rantings of who to blame. The truth is that many links in the chain were broken along the way. It is not one person's fault. There are a few things I don't understand though. ONE, why was there not any survival supplies provided for the refugees at the Super Dome? The city had atleast 48 hours to prepare, and someone could have loaded trucks with supplies at the Super Dome and had them ready to pass out to the peope before the flooding got so bad. TWO, why did the police let looting go on in the first place? They did not take command of the situation and they did not let the thugs ( who may have stayed behind on purpose to loot anyway) know that that kind of foolishness would not be tolerated. THREE, why did it take 5 days for the people at the Coliseum to receive any help? FOUR, There did not seem to be a strong central leader. New York had Rudolph Gulliani, who did New Orleans have? I never saw anyone. Maybe there was someone trying, and maybe they couldn't do anything. I heard the mayor and the governor, but I never saw them actually doing anything but talking. I don't know, it was all very confusing. FIVE, Why did this happen in the first place? it is a well known fact by everyone that I know that this was possible. They have made documentaries, shows, and renactments of this exact scenario. That is why I don't understand that the people who were in charge of the city seemed so shocked and dismayed. If I knew it could happen, it seems to me that they would know it too. And lastly,SIX, did the leaders of New Oreans, the parrish in which it resides, or the leaders at the state level have a disaster plan at all? I know this is a concern for me especially after 9/11. I feel that one of the reasons we all feel so strongly about this is because we know that if it can happen to these people it can happen to anyone. It also is just a reminder that we are not in control, and the One who is in control is at work in this. He is there. God is working and protecting people. There will be counltess miracles that come from this tragic event.

And my prayers, money, and anything else I am led to give on behalf of this situation go out to all the victims. I pray that good will come from this tragedy. I hope that people will evacuate more easily now even if it does turn out to be they have left needlessly. I also hope that we as Americans can band together, and not draw political lines in the sand. We are all Americans, even if we disagree. I would like to close by quoting my favorite fictional son of Greenbow, Alabama. "That's all I have to say about that."

Professional Procrastination

A friend once told me about this hat that she almost bought her dad. It stated, "I put the PRO in procrastination." I was very amused by the words on this hat. I am a closet and self obsessed professional procrastinator. In fact, it has taken me decades to perfect this art. It is a difficult art to master. I always put off till tomorrow what I could do today, because if I didn't I would not have anything to do tomorrow. I like to speak my grand plans out loud to anyone who will listen.
"Oh, yes," I say with pride," I am going to plant four dozen rutabagas, and cook for 50 people and single handedly plan my next church social."
I then have to quietly think of how I am going to get it done. Mostly this is done, by either paying someone else to do it, convincing or tricking someone else into thinking that they have to do it, or actually doing it.
Now most of the time, I actually do whatever is expected of me. I am a master at finishing something in the eleventh hour. I am a school teacher by trade, and the more teachers I have gotten to know, the more procrastinators I have discovered. You see teaching is all about delegation and procrastination. I can't tell you how many times I have been up all night completing grade reports at 2am. Then when everyone sees how much I have to do and then sees me finish the task with a no sweat attitude. I hear them as they whisper under their breath, "How does she do it all? I wish I had her time." Well, I was given a special gift at birth, I am and forever will be a woman.
I don't know where the "I can have it all" attitude originated. I am not sure if this all started with women's lib or Martha Stewart, but I am beginning to see that frankly women can't have it all. To be honest I don't want it all. All of "it," OK maybe only most of it, is a headache. I wasn't born a woman to constantly try to be a man in today's world. I use the "OH my goodness, Rhett. I am about to faint" card as much as I can get away with. I am a woman after all. I may be a professional procrastinator, but if I were perfect what would I have to write about today? Cooking , cleaning, organizational tips, and crafts made from tree bark. I don't think so. My name is not Martha Stuart, of course, I wouldn't mind if my friends called me M. Diddy.

Parking for the Uninformed
Why do perfectly sane individuals choose to park in the fire lane (or fur lane if your from the south? )I guess everyone else in America probably refers to this area as an emergency lane. This is the lane that is usually marked by yellow paint and hash marks outside of grocery stores and other large businesses. Just for those who don't know, this lane is for emergency vehicles in case of an EMERGENCY. The fact that you just don't want to park your car and walk across the hot July pavement does not constitute an emergency. I have seen emergency vehicles use the emergency lane when there was not an emergency. In fact once I was trying to leave the grocery store with my infant daughter and as we made our way to the handicapped ramp to roll the buggy down, we were almost hit by an ambulance that decided it had to park in that exact spot. Now I do not disagree with ambulances using the emergency lane to park because an EMT crew may get a call when they are picking up there Rotiserie chicken. This would mean that they would have to leave quickly with little hassle. If I were the one on the receiving end of that call, I would like to know they could leave quickly. The people I have a bone to pick usually drive fast cars and are from the ages of 16-12. They leave there windows down and the music blaring. I don't know what they run in the stores to do, but I never see them shopping. The other people I have a problem with are the people that park in the emergency lane because they don't want anyone to touch or accidentally ding there car. Well, I am waiting for the day that an emergency really does happen and that guy's classic 66 Corvette with the three thousand dollar metallic flake paint job gets run over by a fire engine because there happens to be an emergency on that day. This bad habit of not knowing where you are suppose to park is not limited to those with expensive cars and sound systems. Perfectly respectable people do this also. One day I was going to pick up a pizza at my local pizza provider and I was searching for a parking space. I was almost hit by a little Volvo that just had to park at the door of the establishment. I was looking at the car and blessing them out for all they were worth as I carefully parked my car. As I was walking the 10 extra steps these people were trying to save, I realized that the car was being driven by one of my co-workers. I couldn't believe it. I guess when it comes down to it. This is simply a case of the have and have nots. You are either a person who parks in the legitimate parking spaces, or you are a person who has a special license that gives you permission to park anywhere you want. Man I wish I knew where to get one of those special licenses.

Property Rights in Question

I have long been concerned with the erosion of the personal rights which were guaranteed to us by the Constitution by the founders of our nation. Shall we forget that we have been endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights? In reading the fourth and fifth amendments to the great document, The United States Constitution, it is absolutely clear that the formers of our nation considered ownership a basic right, necessity, and freedom of every future American. Life, liberty, and property are the cornerstones of our freedoms in this county. The decision the Supreme Court of the United States made last week relating to property ownership and the power of eminent domain by a city, state, or national government is the strongest blow to American's personal rights since Roe vs. Wade.
In the Roe vs. Wade decision, the right of life was tampered with and in turn this ruling by the court has been responsible for extinguishing millions of future Americans from being able to live in this nation at all. The idea of liberty is also being slowly destroyed by the rights of a few trampling over the rights of many. Religious and personal freedoms about what we do and say have come into question. The basic fabric of ideas that has made this nation great for 229 years is being slowly picked apart as closed minded and discriminatory. The very thoughts and convictions that the Founding Fathers expressed during the Constitutional Convention would be censored today as to rash or exclusionary.
In the case that was brought before the court about property rights centers on a town in New England that has fallen on hard economic times. Several parcels of land had been purchased for development. The owners of some of the properties did not want to sell their land. A few of these individuals had been on the property for generations. The courts majority decision basically upheld a view point in the Connecticut State Constitution that loosely supports the move by the developers to have the land condemned so that eminent domain could come into play in this matter. The dissenting opinion stated that they found this to be confoundly unconstitutional. According to the United States Constitution the dissenting judges are absolutely correct. An American's right to own property and not to have to worry about the government seizing that property is a basic freedom that needs to remain. Eminent Domain is a circumstance only to be used for the greater good, not to pad the pockets of developers. The sad thing is that if you live on a beautiful piece of property and a developer decides to petition the town where you live to build a hotel on that property because it would generate more tax money for your city then you better be ready to pack your bags. The good news is that the legislature has already been making moves to limit this decisions effect on homeowners across America.
The bottom line is that we live in a time when we can take none of our freedoms for granted. The court system has decided to make itself the overriding authority of the nation. Pay attention to the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States. We need to stand up and renew our conviction that the checks and balances within government should work. I mean I may be confused or something, but Lincoln didn't say, "a government of the court, by the court, for the court," did he? Indeed, I think not.

This post is regarding the decision by a court in SC that prohibits a city council from praying in the name of Jesus before their sessions. It is also in response to the rampant misuse of the phrase "separation of church and state."

The First Amendment to the Constitution reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” There is no specific mention or the use of the words “separation of church and state” in the First Amendment.

This famous phrase came from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote after the Constitution was written. Baptists in Danbury, Connecticut were persecuted because they were not part of the Congregationalist establishment in that state’s government. They wrote Thomas Jefferson a letter, and he responded. In his letter Jefferson used the famously misquoted and taken out of context statement of “separation of Church and State.” In the first amendment, it says that Congress cannot prohibit the free exercise of religion. It is speaking only of the federal level of government. In fact at the time this letter was written, several states like Connecticut had state churches and religious mandates that their citizens had to attend and follow. Now I don’t believe that we should have state churches, but I am trying to point out what the Constitution actually says. I also think that we should take the time to look at the statements by Jefferson concerning separation of church and state and understand in what context it was written. My concern that I stated in my original letter was with the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court’s sole existence is based on their ability to interpret the Constitution. I believe in this case of against High Falls, SC, it is not a place of a court to tell anyone who and what they should pray about or to whom they should pray. As Americans, we have the right to worship and pray freely. There is no reason a governmental body desiring an invocation should not be able to pray in Jesus name. There is no law prohibiting the free exercise of prayer.

I am thankful that I live in a land of government entities that may seek spiritual guidance. No one is trying to make anyone become a particular religion. No on is advocating one religion over another, they are just choosing to exercise their religious freedom.

If this lawsuit indeed does set a precedent, this case may single handedly make it illegal to pray in the name of Jesus at any public gathering that may be directly or indirectly sponsored by the government. In my opinion, that is not a good thing for any American. If the court is given the power to limit our practice or expression of our religious freedoms, what will become of the other rights we hold so dear?

I believe the government should not have to pay for research that takes a human life.
I am ashamed of Bill Frist, the republican majority leader of the Senate. The federal government should not supply money to do embryonic stem cell research. It is already being privately funded by many entities. The government has some lines of study progressing using the few embryonic stem cell testing they have already done. Government funding should not be extended in this matter. The truth is that the only effective stem cell research that has been shown to be truly promising for the future was done with adult stem cells. If you don’t believe me look it up. The theory and it is a theory, that one day we will grow body parts with unspecialized cells is no where near being possible or probable right now. He is a doctor and maybe he is letting his scientific mind get in the way of his good judgment. He said that this would save lives in the future. Well, what about the lives we will be losing in the present? Let the private companies do their research. I do not want my tax money to support this research.

Truth is truth

Truth is not relative. It is certain and unchangeable. If you think that truth is relative then you have no absolutes and that is absolutely not a good way to think or live. Boundaries exist. They exist in nature and in life. Truth is universal.