It's a Searching for The Presence Thing

Dear America,

this morning's daily devotional from Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young:

"APPROACH EACH NEW DAY with desire to find me.  Before you get out of bed, I have already been working to prepare the path that will get you through this day.  There are hidden treasures strategically placed along the way.  Some of the treasures are trials, designed to shake you free from earth-shackles.  Others are blessings that reveal My Presence:  sunshine, flowers, birds, friendships, answered prayer.  I have not abandoned this sin-wracked world; I am still richly present in it. 

Search for deep treasure as you go through this day.  You will find Me all along the way."

It's May 23rd.

It's also the Day After a catastrophic suicide bomber terror attack in Manchester, England, killing 22 souls, and wounding so many others, be it emotionally, physically, spiritually...

It's a day many of us wonder, really....if there be a Good God, why Lord?  What is this all about?   How do I go through another day with such evil living and breathing and having its way with all the rest of us?   No, seriously, this time I want answers.

It's a day when we must purposefully dig deep, unearthing the strength, uncovering the coverage, to fight back with everything we have... for everything we hold dear.

 

Searching for you, God,

searching for that treasure...

A couple of bunnies  usually accompany me, 

sitting in my corner window to the world, 

while I sip my morning coffee...

today, for the record,

they were a no show.

It's unsettling to hear that the United Kingdom is home to around 3500 suspected terrorists right now, having roughly 400 "UK citizens" return from the battlefield in Syria, after fighting on the side of ISIS. If jolly old England can have as much as 3500 terrorists walking around, how does that translate into the number of suspected terrorists living in the United States?  Is it like, 35,000, maybe?

It's realizing one of the lost souls was an eight year old little girl, who, experiencing probably her best day ever was also her last day on earth...oh my Saffie Rose Roussos. 

Searching for you, God,

searching for that treasure...

I can't see it.

why Lord, why is there a link 

to this little girl

 in the middle of my blog?

How could that happen?

Oh, Saffie Rose

 may you rest in peace little love --

may the bunnies surround you, 

may rainbows greet you, 

may you be in the arms of Jesus as we speak.

It's not a day like any other!

It's not the new norm El Rushbo, who is right now sitting on the right side of everything going wrong, as usual... and aiming to bring a sense of calm?  Um no.  Even HE can't handle this now; he's already moving on to other things and now  all I hear is a stinging ringing in my ear that I am virtually unable to shake.  Perhaps this explains how this girl tries not to listen to you, Rush, whenever I venture to write something.........Sing it with me, "You spin me right round, baby  Right round like a record, baby  Right round round round  You spin me right round, baby  Right round like a record, baby   Right round round round"

Searching for you, God,

searching for that treasure...

It doesn't matter what is tweeted,

it doesn't matter what the world's leaders say,

it doesn't matter how many thoughts and prayers go out.

All I can think about is my girl -- 

currently 3500 miles away.

I can hear her in my heart.

shshshshs little baby

It's a new world, alright.

It's a world where political correctness is going to get the best of  us...and I'm talking about your best, my best, my baby's best, your baby's best....it's all up for grabs.  And while this evil reigns in fits and spurts around the globe, these lone wolves, these radicalized Islamic terrorists, will march onward, one by one, unless we actually do something about it.  We MUST ACT FOR AMERICA.

It's a religious war from the perspective of the Islamic Terror groups; they hate Christians to the point of wanting to kill them, just because of the faith they follow; they hate gays to the extent of wanting to kill them all, just because they are homosexual; they hate and control women....being rooted in misogyny through the ages.  The Western World is under attack just for being everything Western -- for the civil rights of freedom and liberty and equality for all is the antithesis of the Islamic Sharia Law, the "law" from which these terrorists live, mandating the killing of infidels of all kinds, no matter where they live.  You see, there truly is no separation of Church and State in the Islamic world; it is one and the same.

Searching for you, God,

searching for that treasure...

At some level, 

we know everything we need to know

in this moment... 

in this moment after terror strikes.

And it isn't waiting for the other 3,499

suspected terrorists  in the UK to 

come out of the shadows waving a white flag.

It's like, what if we really do have 35,000 suspected terrorists in the United States right now ready to make a move?   Oh wait.  It's not 35 thousand soldiers....TRY OVER A MILLION!  If I were president of the United States, I would round them all up, one by one hundred thousand, and send them home, immediately.  No attorneys needed.  [And most important, the entire family would go with him/her, including cousins.]   And I would temporarily shut the borders down, too.  Oh yes, I said it again  --  lock the door, people, lock the door.

It's like, San Diego is not immune; this city has sheltered known terrorists...and to this day, continues to allow these monsters live here with nearly no questions asked (bear in mind that link there is old, it's from 2011!).

Searching for you, God,

searching for that treasure...

my coffee was good this morning, 

there is that.

And later today

this girl will go to work 

as if it's business as usual.

Even though, deep inside I know it's not.

But I will walk with you, anyway, God, 

one step at a time.

I will search for you in the trees

as the rustle of the leaves

speak to me.

And I know they will, 

just as they did yesterday.

It's just not a good day.

May God bless this beautiful world in which we live, the United Kingdom, Manchester, dear Saffie Rose and her family, the president of the United States who is scheduled to meet with the Pope later on today...

and you still think things are random?

Oh there are no accidents; there are no mistakes; there are no tragedies that we don't meet without the proper strength, courage and resilience to set them right side up as we fall down in the pages of history; these tragedies teach us something in the course of our future security within the greater context of God's  Divine Path, a path already lit with the Presence of Something Greater than all of us put together.  God is still on the throne.

talk to me, Jesus...

all yours

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a G-hahd Thing

Dear America,

"If you have a voice, use it."

Katy Perry

Cover of Vogue, May

and not to further disappoint, the article inside is sure to please by going deep -- revealing just what this little cultural icon thinks about "pop, power, and politics..."  Needless to say, it should come as no surprise that this girl didn't buy it, let alone read it; yet, for certain my imaginations run wild with a Katy Perry interview hooking up with the visions of a leftist's wet teenage dream with enough California Gurl firepower to blow up my afternoon.

I would also put my money -- maybe even 400 grand -- on the notion that Katy wasn't speaking to me.  But maybe not; maybe it isn't fair to jump to any conclusions on whether or not she would respect my conservative take on life and culture in America, giving me a kiss on the cheek with a whisper in my ear to, 'rock on, G! you go gurl! '   ........Oh, an American girl can dream, indeed.

Speaking of voices!  All together now: Hip Hip Hip O Crite! Hip Hip Hip O Crite!

And here in lies why I love politics and hate politics all the live long day....it's like an internal G-hahd going on inside me..... and round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows. [On a personal G note: a new muse in my life unknowingly fed me that play on jihad; and at the moment, the gravity of this finding, this play of words, finds me completely dumbstruck on how to thank him....but no doubt, this girl will figure it out....teehee; but let me be clear...under the No Expectations Act of 4/22, muses come and muses go, so this girl stands completely, joyfully, fully independent.] 

But let's not dwell, shall we; back to Obama:  what a hypocrite with a CAPITAL BO. It stinks to high heaven with like seventy-two virgins waiting for him!   I when we talk capital -- besides the larger letters, that are a complete given --- we could also go capital, as in the sudden reaping of wealth, dirty money from the dirty fat cats he assailed,  during both of his dirty presidential campaigns and then throughout the dirty scandal of his eight year administration; what a capital idea!  

Oh, Barry, you've come a long way since your early days of community organizing; from the streets of Chicago, to the presidency, and fundamentally transforming America from the inside out, while making all of America vulnerable to the ways of the ummah (Muslim community) working into every facet of our government, large and small.   THIS IS STUNNING...San Diego news of pure abuse!

Katy Perry might just take issue later on the years, when all of us gurls need to wear a burqa....just saying.  But again, I digress, bigly.

That last link brings you face to face with the way CAIR has somehow or other become a legitimate voice for the Muslim community, and has quietly worked its way into our lives, while most Americans have had their face in the sand and allowing their efforts shameful validation. As they aim to corrupt our republic, little by little, even if it takes them another fifty to a hundred years, we might as well be so ashamed to cover our entire bodies and beautiful faces, leaving only a wee bit of room for the eyes.

Yeah, I stand for equality and diversity and love, too; but this girl is sure as hell not handing over America's foundation, built upon the Rule of Law [Totally incompatible with SHARIA], a law celebrating liberty and freedom, and guaranteeing every person, every individual, the pursuit of happiness, to a wild bunch of sharia enthusiasts with the intention of either converting or the killing of every infidel on the planet, starting with the western world -- kinda like a hostile takeover of the peaceful kind [Oh CAIR, you can kiss my ass].  By the way, you can find CAIR headquarters on Capital Hill; all the while, this link is a great place to start, in order to introduce you to the pure  deception that runs wide and deep with voices beguiling and charming and totally capitalizing on the ability to captivate and hold captive, literally.

AND NOW READ THIS VOICE:  counterjihadreport.
AND NOW READ THIS VOICE:  thedailywire

welcome to the end of the day, of G-hahd day....although this message has been said, voiced, in a variety of ways, many a days before, here on the old G Thing -- today, itself, is a brand new day; as we continue to evolve and learn and grow, we must continually adapt to the ways and means of the enemy, otherwise we may miss an opportunity to capitalize on what we know and when did we know it, and most important, struggle with the conflict of answering the question of what are we going to do about it....as in, how are we going to combat it!  For to stand still, is like sitting down and just taking it -- vogue, strike a pose, and die --  and that just ain't gonna fly!

We are in a fight for our life and our livelihoods just as great as they were in the age of the revolutionary war.   And dare I add, even a Katy Perry would have to agree with me purely based on the potential of being on the receiving end of real misogyny  argument alone.

Namaste.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Yahoo for San Diego Thing

Dear America,

just a few days ago...
in POLITICO...
there was a piece by Alexander Burns, spelling out the divide in dollars and sense and, in essence, letting the AFL-CIO lead the way:

“This is sort of a sword fight — not just about the person, not about the office, but about the agenda we have been building for a long time,” Gebre said. “We’ve talked about a new labor movement, that builds working partnerships with communities and people who share our agenda. This is a first salvo of trying to do that.”

Gebre, being the Executive Vice President  of the AFL-CIO, Tefere Gebre.

And can we get a drum roll please ---  3.6 million AFL-CIO/AFSCME dollars later -- the winner is the republican candidate, Kevin Faulconer.

Hallelujah and can I get an amen...

But please, don't get hung up on the winner just yet.

Let's page up and check out the comment one more time from Tefere Gebre.

It's "not about the person, not about the office, but about the agenda we have been building for a long time."

Exactly.

Saul Alinsky is alive and well  -- and taking America by labor movement, by community, by organizing, and by using tactics and time and tenacity from the original playbook in ways that run roughshod over any and all opposition.  Feel like I've been talking about this all my life here on G Thing, but I digress.

San Diego got lucky.

Now --- bear in mind, if you will -- San Diego split 51.5% of the vote to Obama, with Romney getting only 46.4%.   Upon this mayoral tie splitting special election, Faulconer received 54.5% to Alvarez' 45.5% --  that's a nine percentage point difference in a race that was thought to be neck and neck; while it also reveals a swing of fifteen points, party wise,  from 2012! 

Honestly,  not sure how we did it to tell you the truth.  And to that end, not even sure Faulconer is all that to begin with -- considering his moderate stance and environmentalist leanings.

But the thing is -- upon this happy Wednesday morning -- Bob 'Philanderer/Pervert/Pathetic Excuse of a Human Being' Filner is long gone and San Diego is back with a capital R after the mayor's name.   The result makes San Diego the largest city in America being led by a republican mayor. Yahoo!

Let's hear it for the collective sigh of relief from the R side of the field, shall we?   We don't get much to celebrate these days.

Make it a Good Day,G


 

It's About Living Within Our Own Right Thing

Dear America,

don't you just love people -- especially people for the ethical treatment of animals -- also known as PETA.


Now I am an animal lover.  Big time.  I would save every animal I could -- be it from bondage, cruelty, starvation, you name it, I would save it. But this lawsuit?  seriously?

Papers are expected to be filed, today, in San Diego, claiming that five Orcas -- and listed by name: Tilikum and Katina based at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla., and Corky, Kasatka and Ulises based in San Diego -- are subject to the same rights as humans and thereby protected under the 13th Amendment (for, if you haven't read it lately, the amendment does not limit it's protections to just people).  


"By any definition, these orcas are slaves—kidnapped from their homes, kept confined, denied everything that's natural to them and forced to perform tricks for SeaWorld's profit..." according to Jeff Kerr, PETA's general counsel -- who also happens to have a team of five lawyers under retainer to fight for the orca five (and having already spent 18 months preparing for the case!)     
       hmmmmmmm wonder how PETA donors feel about this use of funds?

So this must be just about getting some free press, or donations, or something?  Whatduhya think?

I mean, c'mon, isn't this what we have done with every family pet in the world?


While considering the season and all, I have a confession.  There have been times -- not every time, mind you -- but if we are gonna be honest here -- there have been times when I have made my dog do a trick without getting a treat....he got nothing, nada, zippo....at best, an "attaboy".  Please.  I beg of you.  Please don't tell BooBoo that this lawsuit lives in San Diego.


And -- if we go there -- which I guess it's where PETA is begging for us to go -- then every farm animal known to man should be jumping on this chuck wagon in only a matter of time.  And then we've got circus animals to address...pet shops...and actually, even the safari adventures in Africa need to have a talking to -- calling upon them to immediately cease profiting off of the wild animals and offer vacations on the savannah for free.  

And why just the orcas?  Are not the dolphins and walrus' people, too?  

And why just Sea World?  Why not attach every zoo in the nation, if not the entire world?




But for the record, "under prevailing U.S. legal doctrine, animals under human control are considered property, not entities with legal standing of their own. They are afforded some protections through animal-cruelty laws, endangered-species regulations and the federal Animal Welfare Act, but are not endowed with a distinct set of rights."  and feel free, you can read more about all this stuff here.

Kerr addresses the involuntary servitude issue against history by adding this -- "The historical context is undeniable, but that's not what this case is about. It's about the orcas in their own right, not whether they are or aren't similar to humans." 

It's all about the orcas "in their own right."   

okay, fine. 
so again, what about dogs -- being "in their own right," right? 

Would not this very condition and experience  -- looking much like a life anchored in being "in their own right" -- pretty much allow them to be born free and live free and die hard without any human care and intervention of any kind?  Wouldn't our world literally look like, and feel like, it has gone to the dogs?  And what gives one animal, like the orca, more rights than another?

 wow.  he ain't heavy, he's my orca, dude.

Be it Tilikum, Katina, Corky, Kasatka and Ulises...from circus elephants to the pet pooch....let's be clear -- they are all animals.

And because humans care, and think deeply about the welfare of others -- including but not limited to all animals -- we do our best to live and work and play with animals with care.  Besides the evidence on film via Whale Wars, there was a time when whales were hunted openly -- and without a second thought or a conscience limiting this avenue stream for profit at all.

Matter of fact, much of the education supporting  the proper welfare of animals from the sea, have come directly from programs and outreach through businesses like Sea World.  Through rehabilitation efforts, and actions in the protection of endangered species, the general welfare of animals by Sea World (and many other community aquariums and facilities) -- especially the orcas -- speaks for itself.  [and how about the back story of that new Hollywood movie, Dolphin Tale...is that profiting off of somebody profiting off of a broken tail? and did they have to go to Morgan Freeman for this? what was Winter's cut?]

"The lawsuit details the distinctive traits of orcas, the largest species within the dolphin family, including their sophisticated problem-solving and communicative abilities and their formation of complex communities."

Is that so...then just why haven't they 'communicated there was a problem' like thirty or forty years ago? 

And clearly, most people today appreciate the efforts made, including the general welfare provided, through business ventures/education/outreach like that of Sea World -- than not.  Otherwise, Sea World would be out of business. 



You know what I'm thinking -- giving where America has been heading these days -- if this lawsuit wins, orcas will potentially have more rights than some of us humans living in America.  say what, G?

Hear my cry -- it kinda sounds like a baby beluga -- but if these creatures all of a sudden become "in their own right" in the midst of many Americans losing their "in their own right," then what does that really say? 

Humans in America were given certain unalienable rights  [by God, mind you] and subsequently documented in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence.  These documents protected us equally under the law; not that we would all be guaranteed an equal outcome, but merely guaranteeing equal opportunity; and then, being fully "in our own right" to live, work and play and hopefully, make enough money to actually profit, or at the very least pay for the bare necessities like food and shelter, and thereby granting the freedom to create a life -- accruing property, wealth, and growing a family and maybe even getting a dog -- to be made available in equal portion for us all.  

Redistribution of wealth/property against America's will is unconstitutional.  So, you all [PETA people] wanna talk about slavery?  ...let's roll and I'll throw in a high jump out of the water for free.


The thing is -- the problem is within this growing and incredible resurgence of the hand picking of special preferences and treatment [much like all government regulations, really...like, take for example, subsidies specific to green energy determined better than oil/gas...or, affirmative action extended to one group of citizens over another....or, orcas deemed eligible for human rights but not dolphins....]   Government does a lousy job playing God for everyone and everything under heaven, just sayin'

But back to the new black -- orcas being enslaved by the profiteering land/aquarium owners, no less...

Let's just hope it goes no further than entertainment and perhaps PETA reeling in a few extra bucks for their efforts. 

And Godspeed to Tilikum, Katina, Corky, Kasatka and Ulises...hope you have some kind of deep pockets helping you all out.


Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

happy Tuesday.

It was a gorgeous Monday morning here in San Diego, the sun was shining high and bright, the temperature already about 70 degrees by 9 am.  My girl, along with one of her best friends, and myself, volunteered at the 3rd Annual Interfaith Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, a gathering of all faiths with a purpose; it was a day to embrace the teachings of MLK, to come together to do something good for a local landmark -- Balboa Park, and work in community with one another.

We began with multiple prayers, offered by a rabbi from Temple Emanu-El and an Imam from the Islamic Center of San Diego, with the welcoming prayer from the minister of First Church of First United Methodist.  All in all, we prayed to 'Moses...Abraham....Jesus...Mohammed...God' all in one fell swoop. 

I knew going into this thing, I would more than likely be hearing how a prayer sounds from faiths different than my own -- and what a beautiful thing, really, to have a chance to experience God, faith, devotion, ritual -- through another man's eyes.  I have to say, it sounded good; it sounded like we appear to have everyone's faith and belief system respected, and safely protected in the right place in our hearts.

Strikingly noticeable, within the collection of the Christian, Judaic, Islamic, Mormon crowd, was the great disparity of race however; there I was, thinking there would have been a natural attraction to such an event by African-Americans -- but the stark reality of the morning, out of a group of about 150 (an unscientific count), only about six were black.

Granted, it turned out to be  a smaller affair than I thought it would be all the way around -- but honestly, six?

Maybe next year, word will get around -- I'll let you know, as we already intend to go back and do it again...

in part, because I just love the idea of being thrown in with a bunch of people I don't know, having no idea what to expect, and just going with the flow -- especially for something like this -- and low and behold, they actually made us work! 

Within minutes from the start, we began with -- for all intents and purposes -- being a link in a chain gang, directed rather authoritatively by a gal who seems to have been here before; before you could say 'I have a dream' we had two lines canvassed up the side of a hill hauling handfuls of St. John's Wort up from the bottom of the gulch.

Fifteen minutes in, we were all sweating, making jokes about the various shapes of the handfuls of debris, forewarning the next guy of the rogue sticks hanging out just waiting to poke someone in the eye, and making long lost friends of the person to the left of us and to the right.

My girl and her BFF took off in the opposite direction, more intrigued by the task of getting a garbage bag and a trash picker-upper in their hands, along with the possibility of running into a makeshift homestead at the bottom of the canyon, a "hobo" or two, a leftover syringe, or disturbing the local bees -- all of which, I had absolutely know inclination to witness firsthand myself, I stuck with the chain gang on the hill and was perfectly happy.

Before you knew it, we filled two dump trucks and it was picnic time, the end of our hard labor, made light in the company of others, was done.

Perhaps it was sucking up the aroma of St. John's Wort for two hours straight...but more than likely, it was the resplendent combination of community service, a good dose of sunshine, and an honest day's work that enlivened the spirits, nearly erasing the depression of the last couple of weeks.  Having signed up for it weeks before the Tucson shooting, it was serendipitously the perfect remedy to restore my faith in people, generally speaking.

Here's a tidbit I didn't know about MLK -- did you know he was the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize?  A prize he wholeheartedly deserved, of course, for his efforts to bring about civil rights coming from his very own non-violent approach and teachings.  We all grew up to love the man for what he stood for and more important, the way he did it.  It is a lesson still worthy, and maybe more so, today.

If you read G regularly, you would probably pick up that I love advertising --  I am easily entertained by the creativity of the well orchestrated thirty seconds time and time again.   In this moment of recognizing the King of Dreams for the equality of life for all people, especially that of minorities, and specifically African-Americans -- I was recently struck in an ah-hah moment listening to a man of color describe what it was like for him to go onto Ancestry.com.  Feeling hesitant, afraid of what he might find, he discovered "his great, great grandfather was born a slave, but died a businessman."  let me hear an amen to that...

The thing is, America has had their good days, and bad, when confronting the inequality of man; but the truth is, our founders set out on a path to correct the wrongs, to change the mindset of the south -- and did so, knowing we would ALL struggle through hard times until we do.  Even Frederick Douglass, embraced the 3/5ths clause, once he realized how it would directly and immediately affect the proportion of representation of the people, and ultimately have the best chance for changing the course of an absolute tragedy of the human condition for an entire nation of people.

What has changed between the time a man was 'born a slave and died a businessman' until now -- what has permeated into the mindset, what is corrupting the forward leaps and bounds, of the African-American today?  Being white, I have no way of understanding how we can begin moving forward, when for all appearances, we have gone three steps back at the same time...what has changed?

Now, of course, I have my own inklings -- ever since we grew a system of entitlements to give the minority a leg up, we have suffered; ever since we ceased raising our children, of all colors and cultures, to make use of our self-reliant roots, we have suffered; ever since we began to pay people, even when not adding, laboring,  for anything in society, we have suffered; ever since we stopped melting into one, we have suffered.

I believe the national democratic party, and it's leaders, have led the minority down a crooked path; taking a cue from the Iron Man movie of sorts, the left seems to cling to the belief, and the teachings thereof, of something more like "I wanna protect the people I put in harm's way."

But now allow me tie in the actual Saturday afternoon movie I watched, JARHEAD (talk about a crazy dose of violence); the young marine's introduction to boot camp came with a Staff Sergeant yelling at the top of his lungs, "you are no longer black! you are no longer brown! or yellow!...you are green!" 

so take that, if you think you are something special just for the color of your skin...that goes for whitey too.  You no longer belong inside a designated box discriminating your personal background or culture, Hispanic, check, African-American, check, Asian, check, Caucasian, check  -- the new culture is conformity, equally along side the brothers and sisters standing up next to you.  that's it. no more no less.

There is no special favor here, just buck up buttercup and melt into one body of solidarity for a common cause and for all concerned, or else you may be responsible for losing your own life, or the life immediately to your left or to your right.  Look around you...you belong to us, the United States Marine Corps and we tell you -- NO, we command you --  to let go of who you think you are and become one of us.

 NOW.

Well isn't that a yankee doodle dandy way to look at things, huh?

What we have lost in this country, if I may be so bold, is the sense that we are melting into one US, as citizens of the greatest country on the planet!

We have fallen victim to separating by color first-- divided by specific needs and wants and entitlements -- without laboring to come together, self reliant and true, respective of our duty to one another, and stand, side by side, with our hand over our heart (the way Christina Green would want it) and say "I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

For some reason, the audience of that famous afternoon, when Martin Luther King was addressing all people, of all color, giving what has turned out to be his most often quoted lines, has changed.  We are no longer standing side by side, carrying equal share of both the load and the bounty; we have stopped listening to his whole speech, the entire message, for the good of all people and the good of this church (aka USA).

We are no longer conforming to the American way... by culture...in language; our colors are not blending into Red, White and Blue...purple mountains majesty, my @%$.  Where, oh where, is our very own sergeant of arms, in our face and in utter disgust, over the overwhelming and blatant lack of attention to such detail.

Thank God, I still have yesterday embedded in my memory, so that I may dream a little dream for tomorrow.

Make it a Good Day, G

Thank you to all the organizers of a beautiful day...Chinmaya Mission San Diego, Congregation Beth Israel, First Church First United Methodist Church, First Unitarian Universalist Church of SD, Hillel, Islamic Center of SD, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Temple Emanu-El, and of course,

San Diego Parks and Recreation!  For doing all the heavy lifting, and the trash picking, every other day of the week, year after year. 

Dear America,

I am surrounded in the realization that there really are no accidents.

Even though while tidying up on Saturday I zigged when my vacuum zagged and put me on the couch for nearly twenty four hours before I could move again, the time served me well.

I read the newspaper cover to cover, clipped coupons, cut out articles I wanted to keep my hands on, and managed to watch back to back (ba dump ba) John Wayne movies.

Inquiring minds wanna know, how many of you read the latest news out of the Library of Congress about a minor (major) detail of the Declaration of Independence? 

Anytime we get a feel for the mindset behind the man of one of our forefathers we must be grateful, but this little tidbit of admission is simply astounding.  The American public, at first glance, were considered to be merely subjects (reverting back to the days physically and emotionally captured under the spell of the King of England, no doubt, hard to escape olde allegiances like that -- bringing to mind the proverb "song a sparrow learns in youth is its song for life"...).

But upon serious second thought, Thomas Jefferson changed the defining text to say "citizens."

Just looking at the printed "digitally enhanced" rough draft, showing the manuscript itself, the actual penmanship of the man widely recognized as the father of our Declaration, gives me goosebumps.  I mean, the guy actually wrote on this historic document -- along with the reality of the many hands of Americans who somehow managed to keep it -- is still here in black and white (or green) is simply amazing. 

Normally, the document is kept under a "130-pound oxygen-free safe" -- outside of it's protective custody for the first time in fifteen years, this magical moment is only made possible through the latest hyperspectral imaging of digital technology.   Unbelieveable.

But oh what Thomas must be thinking nowadays, woe is me...

This morning's news brought immediate anguish as the Federal Government makes widely known of it's intention to sue Arizona for real, over the SB1070 Immigration legislation; all the while, illegals have resorted back to other methods of entry, as in coming by boat -- whereas one of San Diego's own beach cities, Encinitas (just a hop skip and a jump from my backyard) landed a boatload of fifteen illegals, washed up with the Coast Guard waiting for them.

Thank goodness our declaration made the change, no?

Another article in Saturday's Union-Tribune included a two page spread on the immigrants who join our armed forces legally, and await citizenship while serving our country.  Still having to wait years to be able to say the pledge of allegiance for the first time as a bonafide citizen, the military welcomes men and women of honor, and offers an opportunity to be all that they can be in more ways than one.

What a difference in stories.

These people not only wanted to come to America for a better life for themselves, and their families, but they did so by giving something of themselves to America first -- in strength of courage, commitment, and character, they asked what they could do for the country they wished to belong to before demanding anything else.

The thing is, an occasion like this one, here in San Diego harbour (aboard the USS Midway Museum -- note to Chris and remembering one of my best days ever!),  the celebration was ripe for a President to sail in on eagle's wings to lend his gracious thanks and praise for immigrants of this stature --raising awareness to an avenue of citizenship hardly ever mentioned, let alone gain the elevated attention of the Commander in Chief.  How easily a paradigm shift could have been made -- for those who come joyfully and honorably through proper channels such a this. (But that didn't happen, did it.)

Friday's Naturalization Ceremony was a dream come true for 300 people, birthed in nearly 50 different countries!  Maglan Laizer was one of them -- his hometown a village in Aruscha, Tanzania, and son of a Masai tribesman.  Before coming to America, he helped kill a lion as part of a "coming of age" process; I guess, after that, going through the rigorous routine of becoming a member of our fine military and venturing down the path of naturalization, is child's play.

Thank you, Maglan; I realize I don't know you, but in this moment I wish I did.

My brother, Chris, as briefly mentioned earlier, is the most patriotic kid in America --  I say kid, for with his downs syndrome he will remain a kid at heart forever; he's practiced being a kid for 49 years now, and counting.  Did I mention he is my big brother?  Always the older and the wiser; my mind keeps wandering back to him for he is really to blame for me watching the John Wayne marathon...

If it weren't for him, I never would have let the channel surfing hold up on Operation Pacific --  a movie he mentioned to me for the first time while visiting just two weeks ago.  No accidents there, no sir ree.

I teased him, thinking he had it confused with something else... all the while I had no idea John Wayne was even in a submarine movie -- and he teased me back like as if he knew I really was being the idiot -- and we moved on... 

Yes so cut to the chase...long story short... who is the idiot now...

And it was actually pretty good! Never would I have imagined myself getting sucked in, but Wayne, Submarines, and Hollywood oh my  -- did I.

Uncanny the similarities in the personal relationship between the Duke and his wife; with her going off and ranting in one scene... "[how you] don't need a girl, Duke, you don't need anyone" (and just picture Patricia Neal, in every bit of raspy-ness and divine upstaging you can muster) -- change a letter or two, and you've got me fussing and moaning like a conversation of recent days...but I digress.

The other movie I couldn't keep my eyes off of was "The Wings of Eagles" -- a classic tale of the life and times a real officer and a gentleman, Frank "Spig" Wead.  This was no accident either, for what happens to old Spig was a fall down the stairs, upending his naval career (for awhile, anyway) and he lands on a hospital bed for months -- having a slim chance to none for full recovery, unable to walk, and subject to neck and back surgery for decades. Half the movie, Spig is laying out flat on his stomach -- only able to move a pencil -- in which he begins to churn out books and movies made for Saturday afternoons...

This movie had everything you could ever want in a patriotic Fourth of July John Wayne weekend extravaganza -- roses and romance, coming back from paralysis to save the fleet in WWII, in the meantime plenty of wanton shots of scotch, with the bonus of a strong willed wife (played by Maureen O'Hara, whom I adore) moving on to have her own career in posh San Francisco (a picture worth a thousand words if you ask me ...long before feminists ruined it for women... just sayin'...but save for another day...)

Okay, so in between the movies we would get little soundbites of nostalgia.  The one that really brought the aha moment was when I realized John Wayne had never actually been in the military; and apparently, one of the Duke's life regrets.

But after watching his magnificence for a day, one would have thought he had never been anything else.

Today, days after celebrating our country's 234 years, I have surrounded myself with the thought that nothing is by chance, really; the serendipity of life bringing our attention to exactly what we need to hear, see and do in any given moment is around us at all times -- it speaks to us if we stop to listen long enough. While even those moments, with angels unaware, we are restricted from doing anything of importance at all, while laid up on our back perhaps, without direction or ability to move a thing, it remains true and constant. 

As I pour over the clippings and pictures of my mind over the last few days, I have a wish.

I am just hoping Maglan Laizer, with his wife and daughter by his side, not only celebrates his new beginnings here in America -- having proven to be of sound mind, firm footing and exemplary character (just what America needs and is looking for in a new citizen, never a subject) -- but that he uses his liberty wisely(referring obviously to his new-found American Liberty with a capital "L" -- as well as, his everyday "time off" in nav-speak); perhaps spending it watching the good stuff... like an entire afternoon of John Wayne...back to back to back to back...

It will lift him up when he is down, it will fill him up when he is empty, and it will stir deep inside the American Spirit he now recognizes to be his very own.

Make it a Good Day, G

funny side note...as the story goes round and round and the world gets smaller and smaller...one of Spig Wead's daughters, Doris, married a guy named Bill Copley.  For San Diegans, the Copley's are the founders of the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper -- a family of hometown legacy and pride.  She didn't marry the John Birch side (James); she married the other Copley's son, William -- an avantgarde artist, who hung out with actors and Hollywood elite while living in Santa Monica --  a man who, oddly enough,  was also a member of the Communist party.

Dear America,

Things are really strange here; anyone else share the thought 'what the heck is going on in the nation's southwest-forty?'

San Diego is all over the national news, and to date, as far as the last couple of weeks are concerned, only one piece of notoriety has been favorable (and even that is depending upon which side your on, i guess).

We have had the horrific disappearance and discovery of Chelsea King.
We have had racial disturbances from our very own UCSD, in La Jolla.
We have an entire family of four missing since the first week of February, their abandoned vehicle found in San Ysidro, just south of the border.
We have had the Poway School system vs. a teacher, Bradley Johnson, over the word "God" displayed large and wide in his classroom.

Guess which one G finds happiness?

(You all get a gold star.)

Judge Roger T. Benetiz is my new best friend and the Thomas More Law Center is my new happy place.

FOR TWENTY FIVE YEARS mind you,
Mr. Bradley proudly displayed infamous American cornerstones:

 “In God We Trust”

“One Nation Under God”

“God Bless America”

“God Shed His Grace on Thee”

FOR SEVENTEEN YEARS let it be known
a second banner was on display, featuring excerpts from the Declaration of Independence:

“All Men Are Created Equal,

They Are Endowed By Their Creator.”

One fear outlined in the dispute by the Poway Unified School District, mitigated the claim that perhaps a "Muslim student might be offended by the slogans." (Within the Hon. Benetiz' response, he notes "more to the point, an imaginary Islamic student is not entitled to a heckler's veto on a teacher's passive, popular or unpopular expression about God's place in the history of the United States. see link below, pg. 28)

Not worthy of a "heckler's veto" ...love that.

The District believed Mr. Johnson was in violation of offensive display, among other things, as evident in his choice of classroom banners which “over-emphasized” God.

A crucial role in the Judge’s decision -- a simple matter really, one that, oh I don't know, the reality that umpteen other classrooms within the district made other "theism's"  wildly known and displayed, some more outlandish than another, and nobody said a word.
Of the items allowed -- according to the Poway Unified School District -- without reprimand:

• a 35 to 40-foot long string of Tibetan prayer flags with writings in Sanskrit and images of Buddha.

• a large poster of John Lennon and the lyrics to the song "Imagine":

"Imagine there's no Heaven, it's easy if you try"

(we all know the rest...)

• a poster of Hindu leader, Mahatma Gandhi's "7 Social Sins":

Politics without principle
Wealth without work

Commerce without morality

Pleasure without conscience

Education without character

Science without humanity

Worship without sacrifice.

• a poster that says: "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."
• posters of Muslim minister, Malcolm X.
• a Greenpeace poster that says: "Stop Global Warming
• posters of professional athletes and sports teams.
• "Day of Silence" posters.
• Bumper stickers that say:

"Equal Rights Are Not Special Rights,"

"Dare to Think for Yourself,"

"Celebrate Diversity."

• a poster with a large peace sign and the word "peace" in several languages.
• a mock American flag with a peace sign replacing the 50 stars and appearing to be six feet wide and four feet tall.
• an anti-war poster that asks: "How many Iraqi children did we kill today?"
• and there were plenty more...

My new happy place, The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, specializing in preserving the law of the land, has been arguing on Mr. Bradley Johnson's behalf since January 2007, when the district asked that he remove the posters.

An article featured on the Thomas More website includes pieces of Judge Benitez’s MAGNIFICENT 32-page opinion, which by all standards extends an articulate and thorough criticism of the Poway school districts aversion to mentioning the word God, eloquently raking their undeniable bias over the coals:

“[The school district officials] apparently fear their students are incapable of dealing with diverse viewpoints that include God’s place in American history and culture. . . . That God places prominently in our Nation’s history does not create an Establishment Clause violation requiring curettage and disinfectant for Johnson’s public high school classroom walls. It is a matter of historical fact that our institutions and government actors have in past and present times given place to a supreme God."

[Copy of the Decision link]

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel for the Law Center, commented,

“Many school officials exhibit hostility towards our nation’s Christian heritage. Yet, these same officials see no problem in actively promoting atheism or other religions under the guise of cultural diversity and tolerance. Hopefully, Judge Benitez’s decision will help put an end to this double standard. It is the responsibility of our public schools to educate students on the crucial role Christianity played in our Nation’s founding.”

"In his ruling, Judge Benitez acknowledged that public schools provide students with a healthy exposure to diverse ideas and opinions. He then went on to rule,"

“Fostering diversity, however, does not mean bleaching out historical religious expression or mainstream morality. By squelching only Johnson’s patriotic and religious classroom banners, while permitting other diverse religious and anti-religious classroom displays, the school district does a disservice to the students of Westview High School and the federal and state constitutions do not permit this one-sided censorship.”

[TO read more of the full article, go to More.]
 
Of course, today on Glenn Beck, it is only fitting that he will dedicate the entire hour of his daily Fox News Channel program to the "Indoctrination of our Children" -- I can hardly wait.
 
I have highlighted the McGuffey Readers before, but think MORE than ever -- they ring the proverbial bell of what may ail us, and show what fails us, when it comes to the great duty to educate our children.
 
Here's some "Good Advice" as featured in a story found in the First Reader, for the young boys and girls from the 19th Century (this is the way we used to teach our children):
 

Lesson XXXI

 

Good Advice

If you have done anything during the day

that is wrong, ask forgiveness of God

and your parents.

Remember that you should learn

some good things every day.

If you have learned nothing all day,

that day is lost.

If anyone has done you wrong,

forgive him in your heart

before you go to sleep.

Do not go to sleep with hatred

in your heart toward anyone.

Never speak to anyone

in an angry or harsh voice.

If you have spoken unkind words to

a brother or sister, 

go and ask forgiveness.

If you have disobeyed your parents,

go and confess it.

Ask God to aid you always

to do good and avoid evil.

 

It's not like the math teacher, Mr. Johnson, was speaking the gospel, or for that matter saying anything more than what is imprinted on our money or upon the walls and portico's housing the documentation and representation of American courthouses, Capital buildings, as well as the monuments and iconic cultural architecture promenently built by our forefathers; these profound words are everywhere, self evident and steadfast, to carry us onward and upward, instilling the words of a nation to live by. 

 

These words do have history; these words do have meaning; they are not just words.  Back behind the word is the fundamental reason we became a nation -- separating us from England in order to express our religious freedoms in the first place -- and becoming the inherent foundation to everything we are today. 

 

These are not just simple words, they are words that bind us, unite us, declare us exceptional;

"IN GOD WE TRUST" --undoubtedly these words make a lasting impression upon our hearts and minds; "ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL" --  formally setting in stone words of wisdom and prized moments in American history;

"ONE NATION UNDER GOD" -- yet, look at us now; we have become one nation under God under attack at almost every turn. 

 

Oh but the lessons like "Good Advice" from the McGuffey readers don't stop at the end of the verse; the Readers continue to prescribe further supplemental readings for the teacher, requesting that each student turn to their Bible, to see how the lesson conforms to the word of God.  Following the "Good Advice", it recommends Ephesians 4:26 and 31, Ecclesiastes 7:9 and Proverbs 15:1.

 

"A gentle answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger."

 Proverbs 15:1

 

How many times have we witnessed this to be true for ourselves?

 

We no longer have to Imagine a world with "no heaven" -- we seem to be at pace for achieving that within days, unless of course, enough of us like the good teacher have anything to say about it.

 

All the ways Christianity is attacked these days only makes me want to be a better girl and persuades me to teach the importance of "Good Advice" to my own ; the horrific disrespect for another human life, as in the recent loss of a fellow San Diego girl, Chelsea King, only makes me pray harder; the destructive racial tensions and antagonism here in my neck of the woods, only makes me wish we all understood "all men are created equal" to the fullness and depth of our individual responsibility back behind the words;  in the midst of searching for answers to the whereabouts of an entire family so close to home, yet so far away, all I can do IS turn it over to God, for it is out of my hands.

 

BUT, as for the happy ending with Bradley Johnson and the able-bodied band of patriots helping him out at The Thomas More Law Center, I commend you all for your vigilance and applaud your undeniable allegiance to the flag and to the beautiful country we live; and last but not least, I sincerely hope that Mr. Johnson's students appreciate how lucky they are for all of the above.

 

Make it a Good Day, G

 

Somewhere along the way doing the right thing and being a good person has been either lost in translation or buried with bad behavior -- whether it is our own or somebody else's.  While in some cases, being good almost comes out appearing entirely unpopular!

WE must persevere and be of good nature; we must reward our children to be a good citizen -- we must grow more good than bad -- or we simply will no longer be.

If in doubt or feeling overwhelmed by the not-so-good, go to http://www.realamericanstories.com/ for more, real, feel good stories.  WE are there and everywhere, just have to look for it.