What Would Jesus Say About Torture?

I know a lot of people who are Christians and a great many more who claim to be Christians. Some of them seem to approve of torture. Richard Land says that
'an overwhelming majority of Baptists still support President Bush and his handling of the Iraq war.' Since Mr. Bush says that torture is necessary to fight the war on terrorism and seems to have convinced the congress to pass legislation allowing torture, I have to ask myself what would Jesus say about torture? I certainly don’t clam to be a biblical scholar, but I did find one verse that seems right on target. It is Luke 6:31 (And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.) When I was growing up, the local Coca-Cola bottler gave out rulers with that verse simplified so a fifth grader could understand it. The ruler was imprinted with “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I think that might just be what Jesus’ answer would be if he were asked about torture. To bad that our ‘rulers’ today don’t have that rule imprinted on them.

Lum and Abner

My grand daddy Kelley used to love the Lum and Abner radio program. Back several years ago, there was a radio station out in Bessemer that played a Lum and Abner episode every afternoon. I used to listen to them while I was driving home from work and I got hooked as well. Two years ago, at the Huntsville hamfest, I happened upon a man that was selling old time radio programs on CD. I bought two volumes of Lum and Abner and have been listening to them occasionally ever since.

Today I was listening to the episode from July 16, 1935. At one point in the show, Abner sizes up Lum's situation. He said, "You are too heavy for light work, and too light for heavy work." Well I knew when I heard it that I had found the Rosetta stone for the meaning of my life. Now I realize what has always been my problem. Like Lum, I am too heavy for light work and too light for heavy work. I have to tell you that a great burden has been lifted off my shoulders. All this time I have always felt like I was kind of a screw up. Just not able to get things exactly right. You know the feeling, like you are half a step out of time in the march of life.

Of course the next question is what do you do about it. I suppose I could loose some weight or maybe gain some, but I think I will just keep listening to Lum and Abner. After all if they can come up with a diagnosis of my problem, they can probably also come up with a solution.

11 Billion Here, 11 Billion There, Pretty Soon ....

You are talking about some real money to paraphrase Everitt Dirkson. OK so we spend
eleven billion dollars and countless hours of waiting in line for honest Americans to implement the Real ID act and then what? Well if I were a terrorist and wanted or needed a drivers license, I would just use a fake social security card or fake birth certificate and get me a Real ID drivers license. Or better yet, forget about the drivers license and pick some act of terrorism that does not require a drivers license like contaminating a local food supply with e coli.

I wrote my congressman and told him that I thought that Real ID was an expensive, useless boondoggle. He wrote me back and said he liked it, he had co-sponsored it and he voted for it. Guess who I won't be voting for next November.

Price Controls

Earlier this week I read an article, by Gary North I think but I can't locate it now, that laid out an interesting senario regarding our current national indebtedness and how it may be handled. As you have probably figured out, we as a nation owe more money than we will ever be able to pay under current monetary conditions. Many people feel, and I agree, that the government is gonna ramp up the printing presses and print our way out of debt. This unrestrained printing of money leads to hyperinflation as happened in Germany between the world wars. In the article I read, the author suggested that when prices start shooting up, the government will institute price controls. Of course the price controls will lead to shortages as they always do. Then the government will blame the shortages on hoarders as they always do. I remember reading several years ago that the president had signed an executive order authorizing FEMA to confiscate and redistribute personal property, including food stuffs, in time of emergency. I suppose that means that stock piling emergency food, for the time of shortage, is a waste of time. Probably better to get yourself a rifle or shotgun, some extra ammunition and learn to enjoy squrriel or rabbit. If you live in the city you might consider acquiring a taste for boiled pigeon and dumplings, if you think you can get the flour and shortning for the dumplings. Kind of reminds me of a saying quoted by my eighth grade math teacher, Al Head. "If we had some ham, we would have ham and eggs, if we had some eggs."

Fall

This morning when I opened the door to let the puppies out, I knew that Fall had arrived. In Alabama, when you walk outside in shorts, tee shirt and sandals and you feel an immediate chill, its Fall. I love Fall but it is not without its draw backs. I have known for several days that it was on its way because my allergies have been kicking up. The stuff from the Fall weeds and grasses do a number on my sinus cavaties. Fall is just like everything else, it has its good side and its bad side but I really do enjoy it.

Attention Telephone Solicitors

No, I don't want a satellite system with 'awesome' DVR technology. I already have a prefectly good satellite system. And no, I don't want every carpet in my house cleaned. I also am not interested in additional life insurance. I don't need any light bulbs or brooms. I am considered a senior by some but I am not old enough for medicare perscription drug coverage so don't bother offering it to me. I don't want a new state of the art home security system installed free of charge and no I don't need any steaks. Please refer to this message in the future. It will save you a lot of dialing time and me a lot of phone mail messages.

Mad Money

Back in January of this year, my son-in-law gave me a stock tip that he had gotten off TV. I looked at the stock, liked what I saw and bought a few shares of it. It has done real well. My son-in-law told me where he got the tip, but I am terrible with names so I immediately forgot what he said.

Last week my brother-in-law called me and left me a phone mail message saying that he was watching a show called "Mad Money" on CNBC and that it was a great show. The next night I turned it on and watched it. It was really entertaining. Later on I asked my daughter about where the January stock tip came from and she said it was from a show called "Mad Money."

I've googled "Mad Money" and discovered that the show and it's star Jim Cramer are loved by many and apparently disliked by a few. That does not surprise me. There is nothing in the universe that you can mention that someone on the internet doesn't dislike, object to , or thinks it is probably illegal. Having said all that, I recommend the show. It is entertaining. I find it instructional. Who knows, if you trade in the market, you might do like my son-in-law and I did and pick up on a stock that goes up in value.

USA to declare War on Peanuts?

Today, I read in The Daily Reckoning's free daily newsletter that "Since 2001, terrorists have caused fewer deaths in America than allergic reactions to peanut butter. We are awaiting a War on Peanuts...."

Now I know that the author was being facetious but I suddenly remembered reading a few months ago about some school system that had banned products containing peanuts citing risks to students that were allergic to peanuts. I can see it now, first the Surgeon General will demand warning labels on peanuts and peanut butter. Then, every state in the union will file lawsuits against the companies selling peanuts and peanut butter . As soon as those suits are settled, with each state receiving millons of dollars, individuals who are allergic to peanuts will file a federal class action suit to have the government outlaw peanut farming. When the peanut is declared illegal in the USA, all the peanut farmers and peanut industry workers will be forced into the illegal peanut trade. Gober peas will be smuggled in from Mexico and other peanut producing countries. More prisons will have to be built to house the peanut lords and peanut dealers when they are caught. Possession of a pb&j sandwich will result in community service if it is a first offense. Being caught with a big jar of Jif will get you a mandatory sentence of 10 years. A case of crunchy (you know the 'hard stuff') will get you life without possibility of parole.

Sound strange? Sound ridiculous? Look around you, we are already living in bizzaro world. Judging from what I have seen lately, being strange and ridiculous is all the more reason to expect it to happen.

10 Mile Yard Sale Cullman County Hwy 1545

Saturday, Linda and I took in the 10 Mile Yard Sale on Cullman county highway 1545. Hwy 1545 turns north off state highway 69 east of Cullman. We had a great time. The crowds were good but some of the folks having sales said that the Friday crowd was larger. That is somewhat different than what I have experienced with other highway yard sales. I understand that this was the 6th year for the sale. It is held on the Friday and Saturday after Labor Day.

Just Say No

I read this article by Charley Reese today and was reminded of the Reagan era slogan, "Just Say No". Back then they were talking about drugs. Today I was thinking about incumbents. I know that there are a few public officials that have done a few things right, but most of them have to be screwing up for things to be as bad as they are right now. At least if we vote everyone of them out of office, it will take the new guys a few weeks, possibly months, to become as corrupt and jaded as the current bunch. I still have not made up my mind to vote in November. After all, if you go to a whore house and pick the best looking whore you are still fostering prostitution. But if I do decide to hold my nose in November and vote, I pledge right now to not vote for a single incumbent.

Porkphoria

Well today is Labor Day and we had barbequed pork ribs for lunch. After lunch, Linda and I were discussing how good the ribs were and how great we felt. We decided that eating barbequed pork is a mood altering activity. When you eat barbequed pork, you enter a mellow, content state, that we decided should be called porkphoria. Thats right, porkphoria, kinda like euphoria, only better.

Hallowthankmas is Here

Well it's Hallowthankmas time again. You know what Hallatankmas is don't you? Its that holiday that starts on Labor Day each year and runs until the Super Bowl of the next year. Years ago, we had several distinct holidays, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Over the years, the distinctions got blurred, one holiday blended into the next and the Super Bowl got elevated into near holiday status, kind of like Pulto got elevated to a planet for awhile. Now all those distinct holidays and minor holiday have blended into one long protracted holiday, Hallowthankmas.

Every Dark Cloud Has A Silver Lining

Sometimes I feel really sad about the dismal financial future facing our country. We are for all intents and purposes insolvent. If you look at the obligations of the federal government, present and future, you quickly see that there is no way that this country will ever be able to pay them. So what happens? Well it depends on who you listen to. Some folks think that the government will inflate the money supply, debasing the currency until we have runaway inflation like they had in Germany between WWI and WWII and like they are having in Zimbabwae today. Others say we are going to have severe deflation and wind up in another great depression with no one having any money to buy anything and nothing being produced to buy even if they had any money. Either way the economy will be wrecked and many people will suffer. Hard to find any silver lining in either of those dark clouds, but I have given it a lot of thought and I think I have hit upon something.

The fiscal irresponsibility of our current and former government officials has certainly put us on the road to financial ruin and we are no doubt going to suffer a terrible economic crisis. The economy will certainly be laid low. Thats the bad news. The good news is that a destroyed economy will also destroy the tax base. The flow of money into the hands of the government will dry up. Most of the good people who currently work in all those less than worthless government jobs will be put out of work. I believe that when those good people lose their government jobs, they will go out and find gainful work, probably through self-employment. They will start doing tasks that add value to the economy. When those displaced government workers start doing something worthwhile, their contribution to the economy will help to start rebuilding it. The folks that are already doing gainful work will be better able to produce since they won't have all those government workers hindering them. Pretty soon we will have a stronger, better economy than we have ever had before. Silver Lining!

I only hope and pray that when that day comes, we will all look back and remember history's lesson and never let irresponsibile government officials get us into another mess like we are in right now.

Old Time Vendors

Last evening, Linda and I got to talking about how different things were when we were kids. She was talking about the ice cream truck and how it had a bell instead of music, and how you could get an icicle for a nickel but a big dip cost 30 cents. That caused her to remember the man with the old truck or sometimes an old bus who came through the neighborhood selling vegetables. Linda grew up in the city. Her reminiscences reminded me of my own childhood experiences. I remembered the rolling store, a kind of mini mart in an old school bus that used to come to my grandparents home each week. I remembered buying 'Kits' and other penny candies for a penny. I also remembered that some folks traded eggs to the rolling store man for their purchases. I grew up in the country.

I told Linda that I lived near folks who would go to the river and fish. If they caught more than they needed they would take them to Wetumpka or Montgomery and sell them door to door in the neighborhoods. We both agreed that such activity would be nearly impossible in today's world.

This morning I woke up early and was reading some stories on the Internet when I came across 'Dangerous Worm Peddler' by Vin Suprynowicz. It pretty well validates what Linda and I were figuring would happen to modern day impromptu vendors. The article also gives a highly plausible explanation for why such is the case.

Quiet Hysteria

While I was drinking my coffee this morning I was thinking about the plans someone told me their company had developed to deal with a pandemic. Then I thought about the uproar made this week about the tropical storm Ernesto. After that I recalled the national over reaction regarding the so called binary bomb terrorist plan in England which apparently turned out to be about as valid as John Mark Karr's murder confession. Why did I think of all of these things together? I thought of them together because they all fall into what I see as our current national mindset. Quiet hysteria. This is not the running, screaming, crying type of hysteria. No, this is an inner hysteria. Outwardly people seem calm but in side, they are hysterical. They hear of some real or perceived threat and they go nuts. What can we do about it? Well in the old movies, the treatment for hysteria was a hard slap across the face. Usually followed by a 'thanks, I needed that' for the slapee. But how do you slap the face of an entire nation?

I'm not sure that you can slap the face of an entire nation but with real estate sales beginning to sag and the interest yield curve inverted, the economy may have its arm drawn back for a swipe. Can you say recession?