Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Winston Churchill on Dictators

"Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry." -- Sir Winston Spencer Churchill, from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations

Monday, September 28, 2009

Humility, Honesty, Integrity Are Scarce Commodities and Cannot Be Bought in the Commodities Market

By Sandy Shaw

There are times when we need to do more than just say that we are going to return to basics. We need to return to basics. I write this article one year on from the collapse of Lehman's bank which had so many international tentacles resulting in various international disasters.

Many were hurt. Some were ruined. Jobs were lost. Sin is ugly when we view its consequences.

A few made a lot of money, but who would want to make so much money at such an immense price when considering the lives of others?

In the United Kingdom we are reading of a car company where there has been financial ruination but four men have each made around nine million pounds, with some six thousand people no longer having a job.

Writing as a Christian, it is essential that mankind realises that God's ways and God's laws cannot be broken, and neither can we improve upon God's methods.

One thing God says to man is that godliness with contentment is great gain. We brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. However, it is true that we can send it on ahead and Jesus Christ makes that very clear.

Invest in the poor. Invest among the poor. Invest in those ministries which minister to the poor. Invest wisely where there are no moths, and no thieves and no corruption, and where pride and arrogance play no part. That calls for honesty, humility and integrity, and these are scarce commodities in the financial world. These cannot be bought on the commodities markets!

Some people live with the thought that they are going to live forever, and to reach their goals they will use almost any tactics available. Such sowing reaps a horrendous harvest.

Lehman's Bank wanted to be the number one and it really did not matter all that much as to how that position and status was reached. A fundamental knowledge of the Word of God would have taught those at the top just how wrong that type of thinking was. Of course, they can be rescued.

Man can be forgiven and restored and reconciled with God following repentance and faith. That is the good news and that news requires to be proclaimed far and wide and particularly in the business world and also in government circles.

Does The White House and Downing Street London know this?

Honesty, humility and integrity reap a very different type of harvest.

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children's Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary athttp://www.studylight.org entitled "Word from Scotland" on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column.

His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness.

Sandy Shaw - EzineArticles Expert Author

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Politics As Usual and the Move Towards Socialism

Politics is like a drug for society as it is the catalyst, as well as the sound and fury of mankind and his slow progression. Some say that politics is no way to run the human race or our civilization, yet others swear by their leaders, who often enough turn out to be complete hypocrites. Just when you think you have found an honest politician, low and behold we learn that they are not what they purport or the media allows us to believe.

Still, whether you like the idea of the political process or not, and yes, admittedly it has a lot to be desired; it is how we do things here. And so, it makes sense to be informed about our leaders and know what's really going on behind the publicity stunts, political strategists and barrage of mass media advertising. It is for this very reason that I feel compelled to offer you a recommendation for a very good book to help you sort things out and not be fooled by the façade:

"Do As I Say, Not as I Do; Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy" by Peter Schweizer; 2005 by Random House New York.

This author also wrote the bestselling book; "The Bushes and Reagan's War." This book has chapters of some of the leading Democrats that are involved in modern day US politics. People such as the Clintons, George Soros, Nancy Peloci, Barbara Streisand, Edward Kennedy, Al Franken, Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, Gloria Steinem, and Cornel West. Once you read about some of the reality behind these larger than life celebrities and their true exploits it will leave you shaking your heads and running for higher ground.

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance;http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

What Barack Obama has Accomplished So Far


1. Offended the Queen of England. Actually, that one doesn’t bother me, the Queen is not on MY personal list of priorities. But the stupidity exhibited BY Obama was incredible.

2. Bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia. But in ALL fairness,Bush kissed the bastard.

3. Praised the Marxist Daniel Ortega.

4. Kissed Socialist Hugo Chavez on the cheek.

5. Endorsed the Socialist Evo Morales of Bolivia.

6. Sided with Hugo Chavez and Communist Fidel Castro against Honduras.

7. Announced we would meet with Iranians with no preconditions while they’re building their nuclear weapons.

8. Gave away billions to AIG also without preconditions.

9. Expanded the bailouts.

10. Insulted everyone who has ever loved a Special Olympian.

11. Nearly tripled our national debt.

12. Announced the termination of our new missile defense system the day after North Korea launched an ICBM.

13. Released information on U.S. intelligence gathering despite urgings of his own CIA director and the prior four CIA directors.

14. Accepted without comment that five of his cabinet members cheated on their taxes and two other nominees withdrew after they couldn’t take the heat.

15. Appointed a Homeland Security Chief who identified military veterans and abortion opponents as “dangers to the nation.”

16. Ordered that the word “terrorism” no longer be used and instead refers to such acts as “man made disasters.”

17. Circled the globe to publicly apologize for America ’s world leadership.

18. Told the Mexican president that the violence in their country was because of us.

19. Politicized the census by moving it into the White Housefrom the Department of Commerce.

20. Appointed as Attorney General the man who orchestrated the forced removal and expulsion to Cuba of a 9-year-old whose mother died trying to bring him to freedom in the United States.

21. Salutes as heroes three Navy SEALS that took down three terrorists that threatened one American life and the next day announces members of the Bush administration may stand trial for “torturing” three 9/11 terrorists by pouring water up their noses.

22. Low altitude photo shoot of Air Force One over New York City that frightened thousands of New Yorkers. Obama *claims* he knew nothing of this and was, supposedly, outraged.

23. Sent his National Defense Advisor to Europe to assure them that the US will no longer treat Israel in a special manner and they might be on their own with the Muslims.

24. Praised Jimmy Carter’s trip to Gaza where he sided with terrorist Hamas against Israel. (Obama and Carter, closely related perhaps?)

25. Nationalized General Motors and Chrysler while turning shareholder control over to the unions and freezing out retired investors who owned their bonds. Committed unlimited taxpayer billions in the process.

26. Passed a huge energy tax in the House that will make American industry even less competitive while costing homeowners thousands per year.

27. Announced nationalized health care “reform” that will strip seniors of their Medicare, cut pay of physicians, increase taxes yet another $1 trillion, and put everyone on rationed care with government bureaucrats deciding who gets care and who doesn’t.

28. Is trying to push his socialist agenda on our school children by making direct addresses to ALL American school children. The beginning of The Obama Youth perhaps?

Bloomberg: Daschle says, “Health care reform will not be pain free. Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them,” while former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm says seniors have “a duty to die.”

If this does not sufficiently raise your ire, just remember that the President, Senators and Congressmen have their own special Gold Plated Health Care Plan which is Guaranteed the remainder of their lives and they are not subject to this new law if they pass it.

Please use the power of the Internet to get this message out. Talk it up at the grassroots level. We have an election coming up in 2010 and we can reverse the dangerous direction of the Obama administration and its allies. In the interim, we can make their lives miserable. Lets do it!

I got this via email and wanted to share it with all of you. Please, feel free to use it, add to it as you see fit, just keep it real. WE don’t want to become like the loons of the left, we want to post the TRUTH, and nothing but the truth!

http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/the-patriot-1

http://www.pippoproducts.com/products.html

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Our Country's Integrity Gap

By Sebastian I Font

They say that profitability hides a multitude of sins. Yes, they have only recently started saying that; right after the economy crumbled. It can also be said that profitability hides a multitude of integrity gaps.

I have said many times that one of the most important qualities of a good leader is integrity. It can certainly be debated that the troubles with the current state of leadership in our country is rooted in a lack of integrity. Consider the newsworthy events over the last year or two that involved CEOs and elected officials. Those who were at the helm of our government and our corporations and institutions saw their reputations and credibility self-destruct.

Consider the following:

  • We have seen issues with tainted lettuce, pet food, beef, peanut butter, and toys. City Mayors, state Governors, and US senators involved in ethics problems ranging from inappropriate campaign procedures to bribery and prostitution.
  • The CEOs of the Big Three automakers flew to Washington in their separate Big Three luxury jets to beg for bailout money. This was a telling example of the entitlement that has pervaded this country's leaders. In the midst of all that, union leaders from the United Auto Workers vowed there would be no givebacks even while their ship was sinking. Many decades of poor practices now costing us dearly.
  • We have seen record levels of pillaging and plundering by Somali pirates this year. But then again, we've also seen record levels of pillaging by the executives at Bear Stearns, Fannie-Mae, Freddie-Mac, Lehman Brothers, Wachovia, Merrill Lynch, Washington Mutual, and AIG. At least the Somali pirates ran a profitable enterprise and improved the economies of a few Somali villages. In contrast, the leaders of these fallen organizations were major contributors to the downfall of the global economy. Sadly, the incompetence of those leaders did not prevent them from collecting large bonuses or golden parachutes.
  • The world record for pillaging and plundering must go to Bernie Madoff of course. And I tend to wonder if our leaders at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Ratings agencies who oversaw (overlooked) Madoff's dealings should share in that world record. Rather than stepping up for accountability, all of the overseers ran for cover.
  • The leaders at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve, the Treasure Department, and the Financial Ratings agencies, and all members of Congress and the Cabinet are falling all over themselves avoiding responsibility for the sub-prime mortgage mess, and for the Madoff mess as well. Not a single soul stepped up to assume accountability.

Many of our country's highly placed and trusted leaders fell short on integrity in a big way. The harm is deep enough that the American financial system and economy will be impacted forever. The same cannot be said for our political system, as that will probably continue in its current status quo. The public trust is not always a priority for our elected leaders unfortunately.

Yes, a booming economy indeed hides many sins. However, the boom is now behind us and now the sins are exposed and out in the open. The arrogance, entitlement, selfishness, and greed in the corporate and government cultures underscore the integrity issues. An ever widening integrity gap in our country undermines the public trust and the public morale. These times of crisis are when the real leaders step up and provide hope and optimism. We are in a desperate state for leaders with integrity, humility, and a selfless commitment to the greater good. The great leaders are out there. Please show yourselves.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Attack on the Defence of Marriage Act

URGENT ALERT: DOMA Repeal Introduced in Congress!September 15, 2009
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Dear Friends,

The attack on DOMA has begun.

Today, Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) will introduce a bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act-- the only federal law protecting the marriage statutes of 44 states. Reports indicate he has at least 69 co-sponsors in this effort to undercut state marriage laws.

We've known this day would come. President Obama has been advocating the repeal of DOMA since his first day in office. Gay marriage activists have debated the strategy and timing for pushing the bill in Congress.

And we're ready. Already, we are more than 500,000 strong as Americans from every walk of life have joined our ranks to stand firm against radical efforts to force same-sex marriage in every state. Our goal is 2 million Americans by the end of 2010. If each of us were to tell just three friends about TwoMillionforMarriage.com, we'd reach our goal in mere days.

Now it's time to speak truth to power! Gay marriage advocates are divided on DOMA -- evenRep. Barney Frank thinks the DOMA repeal bill is overreaching and has refused to support it. Now is our chance to send a clear message to Congress that will galvanize opposition to the DOMA repeal, and help sway those who are on the fence. The message is simple: Don't mess with marriage.

Just a few years ago, gay marriage advocates spoke of "state's rights" and a "gay marriage experiment" in a handful of states. Obviously, they didn't believe a word of it, and today they want to force same-sex marriage on every state in the nation, "like it or not."

Marriage isn't about inside-the-Beltway opportunism, or scoring political points. It's about honesty and integrity. Protecting children and religious liberty.

The need is urgent. I'm asking you to do three things right now:

1) Visit www.TwoMillionforMarriage.com and send a message to Washington. Use our online form to contact your Senators, Congressman, as well as congressional leadership, and tell them "Don't Mess with Marriage." Even if you've emailed before, let's flood the Capitol with phone calls and emails today, urging our congressmen to oppose Rep. Nadler's DOMA repeal bill.

2) Tell three friends about this new threat to DOMA, and ask them to join us atTwoMillionforMarriage.com today! Or just forward this email to people in your address book -- it's simple, fast, and amazingly effective. We're already 500,000 strong, and together we can stop this bill in its tracks!

3) Help support our TwoMillionforMarriage campaign today. Over the next six months, we need to raise another $1.5 million to fully fund our multi-faceted campaign to recruit 2 million Americans to join us in protecting DOMA. Using TV, radio, internet, telephone, email and direct mail efforts, we are identifying tens of thousands of new marriage activists who have never before been politically involved, but who care about marriage and are willing to do what it takes to stop courts and politicians from trampling the will of the American people. Your gift of $25, $50, or even $1000 if you're able, will help ensure that we reach our goal. Click here to make a secure online donation today.

I'm simply in awe at the outpouring of encouragement and new supporters we keep seeing every day. To those of you who have been with us for a long time -- thank you! And keep up the good work. Together we're getting the message out and making a difference all across the country. And for those of you new to our efforts -- Welcome! We're so glad you've joined us, and look forward to working together in this fight for marriage.

The threat is real, and increasingly urgent. Please take action right now. Don't put it off. Let's make sure Congress gets our message loud and clear today.

Blessings,

Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542

bbrown@nationformarriage.org

©2009 National Organization for Marriage.


Saturday, September 12, 2009

Media Wars Continue Along Political Party Lines

What you can and cannot say is constantly changing, and I am not referring to the laws, although they too are changing due to the introduction of "hate speech" rules. When we talk about what you can and cannot say, we generally mean political correctness, and with a constantly changing society it is amazing how far things can swing. Currently, you do not dare criticize President Obama, but just a year ago it was in Vogue to call President Bush just about anything under the son, with bloggers carrying on for 1,000 word posts.

Well, now things are drastically lopsided or so, conservative talk show hosts say, as they find their dialogue, sponsorship, advertisers, and FCC looking over their shoulder constantly. Perhaps, rather than explain all this to you, it might be better to recommend a very good book that gives credible evidence to this reality, the book is:

"Censorship: The Threat to Silence Conservative Talk Radio; The Fairness Doctrine Exposed" by Brian Jennings; 2009.

The book discusses how Senator Jeff Bingaman wanted all talk radio to be balanced, of course, what he was really saying is that it is not right to allow a conservative talk show host to spout off without an equally powerful advocate of the liberal agenda to counter each and every topic. President Obama said he wants more diverse viewpoints on the radio, and now that he is President, he says that would only be fair.

The directive, FCC regulation, or Congressional Bill might end having the FCC sets up permanent advisory boards to insure that fairness is complied with, or so is one of the plans being floated. The author contends this is a Trojan Horse because, once they start scrutinizing it will ultimately have a chilling effect on free speech.

Further, it is asserted that Liberal Radio has failed in the past and cannot seem to compete with the audiences of conservative radio. And since there are few liberal radio personalities the politics are trying to level the playing field with regulation, something many who think about cringe. I think you might very much like this book.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. Lance Winslow is also Founder of the Car Wash Guys, a cool little Franchise Company; http://www.carwashguys.com/history/founder.html/.

Lance Winslow - EzineArticles Expert Author

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Amazing, History Really Does Repeat Itself

It seems the country has lost it way, people just can’t decide who they hate more the democrats or the republicans. The country has lost the spirit of independence it held in the days of the expansion westward. And an era of unprecedented wealth has made the electorate lazy and ignorant. Is it your political future? http://www.pippoproducts.com

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Health Care Economics

If nothing else, the political process in this country is exciting when it gets heated up. I haven't seen such commotion since I don't know when. Congressmen and senators are having town hall meetings across country attempting to sell a healthcare bill that isn't quite fully written, several versions of which are in excess of 1000 pages and written in a legalese that would make any laymen's head spin. It is enough to make anybody anxious about the future of our health care system.

President Obama tells us that if we don't do something now, the current system will implode. Politicians are calling citizens who disagree with them "Nazis," and the democrats say that all those people that show up at the demonstrations and town hall meetings have been put up to it by the Republican Party. The press and the comedians are as divided as the parties as is hyperbole that comes with any emotionally charged discussion.

So with that said, I would like to take a more simplistic and logical view of the health care issue in the context of our current economic situation. Our current situation appears to be this:

1. 85% of the people have health insurance and are satisfied with the policy they have;

2. The country is currently 7 trillion dollars in debt, (approximately $23,000 of debt for every man, women and child in the county), and that debt is projected to go to 9 trillion dollars over the next ten years.

3. The latest count of illegal aliens currently in the United States is approximately 12 million. When these people visit our hospitals and clinics more often than not they cannot afford to pay the bill.

4. Hospitals by law cannot refuse treatment because of inability to pay. A double edged sword in that, we are showing our generosity to those less fortunate, but the hospitals pass their costs for this unreimbursed mandated care on to the patients who can pay, again raising medical costs and insurance rates. This law turns out to be a mandated subsidy for the poor paid for by the responsible paying patrons of the hospitals.

5. This country is lawsuit crazy. Medical malpractices suits, both frivolous and justified, contribute once again to increasing medical costs and medical insurance costs not only because of the cost of the suits and the large and often time excessive awards, but also through the extreme defensive medical practices that doctors and hospitals employ in order to avoid law suits and avoid loosing law suits.

6. Projections are that both Medicare and Social Security will be paying out more money than they take in a few years. (This item alone should give one pause when considering the resolution of the problem through government programs).

7. The unemployment rate in the country is currently 9.6%.

When considering the above items, why would anyone want a government run health care system? It would be just more bureaucratic waste and inefficiency. The healthcare bills currently in Congress are a smoke screen for the government's failure to control our boarders, provide meaningful tort reform, control wasteful spending and represent its citizens honestly. As it looks now, if anything passes. it will more than likely deal a catastrophic blow to the economy when implemented.

I believe we need to focus on the cause of the problem, not on the symptoms.

  • Let's fix the tort system.
  • Let's enforce the borders and remove all illegal aliens from the country.
  • Let's cut corporate taxes so that corporations find it profitable to have their companies in the United States.
  • Let's implement health saving accounts for standard medical care and have insurance for the big ticket items.
  • Let's take insurance away from employers and put it in the hands of consumers.
  • Let's put America back to work so that more people can have health insurance.

If we do these things I believe, medical services and medical insurance costs will come down, that in turn will help the economy to recover, and that will get more people covered.

Joseph L. Conigliaro

http://www.pippoproducts.com/products.html

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Benjamin Franklin's Epitaph

"The body of Benjamin Franklin, Printer (like the cover of an old book, Its contents torn out and stripped of its lettering and gilding), lies here, food for worms; but the work shall not be lost, for it will (as he believed) appear once more in a new and more elegant edition, revised and corrected by the Author." Benjamin Franklin -- Epitaph on Himself [Composed in 1728] From Bartlett's Familar Quotations