Latest posts

Homage

Adieu, adieu
I thought this through
that vestige glimpse of you
one I never knew
a vision, perhaps true
I have no clue.....

Today's Joke: When Help Is Not What We Are Expecting

When help is not what we are expecting

An old man is sitting on his porch, when suddenly someone drives up in a jeep, yelling, "Quick! Get into my jeep! The dam just burst and this whole place is going to be flooded!"
The old man says, "Naw, you just go on ahead. The good Lord will take care of me!"
The guy in the jeep zooms off. The water starts pouring in, and the old man has to move up to the second floor of his house. Someone paddles by his window in a canoe and says, "Quick! Get into my canoe! The water is going to keep rising!"
The old man says, "Naw, you just go on ahead. The good Lord will take care of me!"
The guy in the canoe paddles off.
The water keeps rising, and finally the old man is sitting on the top of his chimney, with the water lapping at his ankles. A helicopter flies overhead and lowers a rope ladder down. Someone in the helicopter says, "Quick! Climb up! The water's still rising!"
The old man says, "Naw, you just go on ahead. The good Lord will take care of me!"
The helicopter flies off. The water keeps rising. The old man drowns.
The old man finds himself before the Lord in Heaven. The old man says, "How could you let me drown! I trusted you!"
The Lord says, "Hey, I tried. I sent a jeep, a canoe, and a helicopter for you!"


Correction: The Parrot Joke has been sent a second time, instead of this story; there are too many sites to deal with.

The Parrot

Good morning to all! A good laugh brightens the day, and looking occasionally into the floods of on-line jokes we can find real jewels:

The Parrot
A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.
Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.
Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said: "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."
John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

LIBERALS’ VERSION OF THE 23RD PSALM

Christians facing adversity have long derived comfort and reassurance from the words of the 23rd Psalm found in the Old Testament. But how would these hallowed words read if they had been written by a contemporary American liberal instead of King David? I suggest that if written by a contemporary American liberal—the kind who will vote for Hillary Clinton even if she is in jail where she belongs on election day—the 23rd Psalm would read as follows:

The government is my keeper, I shall not want.

It makes me lie down in a field of handouts.

It leads me beside fellow dependents.

It restores my benefits.

It leads me in the path of entitlements for its name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of work,

I will fear no job for the government is with me;

Its handouts and entitlements comfort me.

It prepares a table before me in the presence of working taxpayers;

It anoints my checkbook with subsidies;

My pockets overflow.

Surely income redistribution shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I will be shackled by government dependence forever.

This version of King David's best-known Psalm summarizes succinctly what the eventual Republican candidate for president will face in running against Hillary Clinton. Even those government dependent individuals who will have to cross their fingers behind their backs to vote for Hillary Clinton will still do so because she is the candidate most likely to maintain their access to the federal treasury. So many Americans now derive their sustenance from government handouts that the Democratic nominee for president—any Democrat—begins the race with almost half of the electorate in his or her corner.

If a Republican candidate—any one of them—is going to defeat Hillary Clinton, that individual is going to have to energize as no Republican candidate has before the half of the electorate that is paying for the government entitlements of the other half. This will not be accomplished by continuing the same old wishy-washy, don't-hurt-anyone's-feelings tactics favored by the mainstream Republican Party. Rather, it will require a candidate who is willing to step up to the plate and hurt some feelings that need to be hurt if America is going to survive. This is why Donald Trump now leads the pack among Republican candidates. Some may not like what he has to say, but a lot of Americans admire him for saying it. Those who make their living by actually working in America are tired of weak-willed politicians who tiptoe around the feelings of those who don't work and don't intend to.                                               http://patriotupdate.com/liberals-version-of-the-23rd-psalm/

If Kerry Deserved Prosecution Then, What Does He Deserve Now? by Mychal Massie

Please Support The Daily Rant. Liberals Will Hate You For It. They Apparently Hate Everything American.Donate $1                                                                                                                                                                                               September 14, 2004, I wrote the following syndicated column. It was titled "Kerry Deserves Prosecution, Not Presidency." My reason for reusing it today is to point out what should be obvious and yet that which goes unreported by the mainstream media and that of course includes Fox News.

If John Kerry wasn't fit to be president how is he fit to be Secretary of State? If, as I factually pointed out in 2004, he was an unmitigated liar, why or rather how can we believe a word he is saying about Obama's Iran deal today?

Read the following that I wrote nearly 15 years ago to the day and tell me if you think Kerry has in anyway gained credibility since then.

Let's allow for the sake of argument that Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry is telling the truth about his Vietnam War experience.

Let's also accept for the moment that – as Kerry freely admitted on the "Dick Cavett Show" (June 20, 1971):

[He] did take part in free-fire zones and [he] did take part in harassment interdiction fire. [He] did take part in search and destroy missions in which the houses of non combatants were burned to the ground. And [that] all of these, [he found] out later on ... [were] contrary to the Hague and Geneva Conventions and to the laws of warfare. So in that sense, anybody who took part in those, if you carry out the applications of the Nuremberg principles, is in fact guilty [of war crimes].

Let's allow for the record, all of his aforementioned statement is true. Then it would logically follow, one could argue, Mr. Kerry is unfit to be president – the Senate either for that matter, but that is another subject.

He is unfit because he is a war criminal, who to date has not been brought to trial or even charged.

It would further go without saying that if the opposite is true, and Kerry lied about his participation in these so called "atrocities" (his words not mine), he is equally unfit to be president, perhaps even more so.

Either way Mr. Kerry is "unfit for command" of the United States, because he is either a war criminal or a liar – but he is unfit based upon his own repeated admissions.

But upon closer examination of Kerry's self-confessed atrocities, one can see the clever and insidious Machiavellianism of his confessions.

Free-fire zones, according to a Vietnam veteran I spoke with, were so designated because they were areas in which there were no "friendlys." This veteran told me: "According to reconnaissance, anything you expected to encounter was enemy ... all recon indicated there were only 'hostiles' in these areas."

It was explained to me that normally troops had to seek permission before firing at targets unless fired upon, but in an area populated only by "unfriendlys," to delay while awaiting directions would have been fatal. Hence the designation "free-fire zone."

It should also be pointed out that recon and long-range patrols had done their jobs supplying said intelligence for the protection of the others. In truth, free-fire zones were for saving lives of American soldiers. Kerry should have understood this unless he believed the preserving of enemy lives superseded the safety of American troops.

Kerry claims to have "taken part in harassment interdiction fire." Once again, his parsed dishonesty is apparent for all who would see.

"Harassment interdiction fire" is just that – you are harassing the enemy to buy time until conditions favor your side. I am told it could be for the purpose of keeping the enemy pinned down or contained, but, in any event, it amounted to nothing more than shooting over the heads of the enemy, the alternative being to shoot them.

Search-and-destroy missions have been a necessary part of every war ever fought. Kerry should know this or it is he who is the dumbest presidential candidate of all time. The burning of noncombatants houses is a legitimate way to prevent the giving of aid and comfort to the enemy.

As it was explained to me, if weapons or an overabundance of foods stores were found, it was obvious to our trained personnel that the small village was a comfort and supply station for the enemy. The choices were to destroy it or simply make note of it, allowing it to continue in operation. It should also be pointed out that these were small, tiny areas – they weren't the size of Baltimore.

Kerry's clever parsing is an insult to all who served. He is aware that the supposed crimes he committed were not crimes at all – rather the necessary tools of bringing American boys safely back home.

It is interesting that in testimony before the U.S. Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations, Kerry told how others had:

... raped, cut off ears, taped power wires to genitals and turned on the power, cut of limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks on top of the daily ravages of war; crimes [that were] on a day to day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command.

Yet he did nothing to bring these supposed "Genghis Khan's" to justice. He accused America of the injustice. Ergo, should we apologize to Lt. William Calley for holding him accountable for his atrocities at Mai Lai? If those who Kerry claims to have firsthand knowledge of are going to be given a mention and a pass, why prosecute the alleged offenders at Abu Ghraib?

I submit that if Bill Clinton was deemed unfit to be president because of lying before a grand jury panel, if Pete Rose has been found unfit for the Hall of Fame – his record notwithstanding – for betting on baseball, how can John Kerry be deemed fit for president of the United States? But then, perhaps I answer my own question.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          http://mychal-massie.com/premium/if-kerry-deserved-prosecution-then-what-does-he-deserve-now/?inf_contact_key=774735e7f9ae76e4a134eb7d22b611f3a717a6e9eb095d3fa9c3ee19229194b0

Re: Happy 29th Birthday to me (July 18, 2015).

Better late than never ? So sorry ! Hope it was as good as you deserve !

The Difference Between Democrats and Republicans by Mychal Massie

Please Support The Daily Rant. Liberals Will Hate You For It. They Apparently Hate Everything American.Donate $1                         My friend and I had dinner at a unique (albeit disappointing) BBQ rib "joint" Friday evening. But it was a brief conversation that I had with Christians who believed themselves to be conservatives that I found worse than the meal. They, like so many others, were blind to the reality of the political "game of thrones" ergo they believe themselves sufficiently knowledgeable to understand the political machinations controlling their votes and their opinions.

The obvious difference between the Democrat Party and the Republican Party is that one has an ass for an "avatar" (using the Hindu definition of same), and the other has a pachyderm for a logo born out of an 1874 Harper's Weekly cartoon depicting Republican voters fleeing an ass clothed in a lion's skin. Today, just as in said cartoon, Republican voters are still being frightened away from the truth. Thus we witness two very distinct tactical applications employed to mislead the voters and sustain the personal interests of politicians and their handlers.

Democrats employ a Hegelian Dialectic approach. They either create a problem or seize upon one, then pretend to react, i.e., respond to the problem by instituting a solution that they have already predetermined.

The attack on a personal right such as cigarette smoking is a classic example. John F. Banzhaff III is the murky figure responsible for making lawyers rich and depriving us of our Constitutional right to the pursuit of happiness, and giving Democrat cultural Nazis the power to control our behavior.

Banzhaff's goal as the lead figure of a legal think group was to come up with class action lawsuits that would bring huge fees which would, of course, benefit Democrats since 90 percent of lawyers contribute to Democrats.

And it worked like a charm; exploit and embellish the truth of smoking related diseases and cigarettes ergo the problem. Create a crisis and public outcry based upon a totally manufactured concern and then respond with a predetermined solution, i.e., lawsuits, increased cigarette taxes, and the denial of our right to enjoy life under the guise of government looking out for our safety. All of which was intended to acclimate citizens to the gradual pernicious sublimation of their Constitutional rights.

There is certainly no better example of the Democrats' strategic use of Hegelian Dialectics than obamacare. Democrats since Jimmy Carter have tried to implement a socialized form of healthcare. But it was Obama who used the lies created by Carter and Hillary Clinton to manufacture a problem for which the public supposedly demanded a resolution, which led to Obama and the Supreme Court depriving citizens of their right to self-determination.

Democrats continue to use gun crimes, illegal aliens, so-called women's rights, and a plethora of other manufactured problems that lead to public demands for a solution that they have already predetermined.

Republicans utilize demagoguery and fear tactics that the GOP establishment has used to cement their mobocracy. And to date it has worked like a charm, which makes the pachyderm as a logo most fitting.

Republicans are not our friends any more than Obama, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, or John Kerry, but until recently they haven't found it necessary to change their tactics to control voters given over to supination.

Republican voters were led to believe that they were involved in the process when in reality they have been led through the nose since the post President Reagan years with the fallacious idea that if we do not vote for a bad Republican, a bad Democrat would win. So-called "conservatives", (an assignation most are clueless pursuant to the true meaning), rewarded the lowest dregs of humanity with election and reelection because of sound bites they've heard on Fox News.

After all, as the reasoning has become engrained in said voting block, they might not be your first choice or even the best, but if the base doesn't vote for them, bad Democrats will win. The conservative base held its nose more times than not and the tactic worked until 2010.

But with the Tea Party and then Herman Cain the Republican establishment knew the days of using fear to elect and reelect the likes of John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, et al were threatened. Hence, under the leadership of Karl Rove and Reince Priebus they resorted full out ad hominem attacks. They have sought to alienate the Tea Party by using the NAACP to beat the racism drum and by conveniently finding liars and frauds to drive Herman Cain from the 2012 presidential race.

Since that time they have ratcheted up the threats and attacks to unparalleled levels. Rove and McConnell have led a scorched earth policy against all Tea Party candidates. If Michael the Arc Angel or even our Lord Himself ran for office as Tea Party candidates, the Republican establishment would viciously attack them.

The Democrat Party has always represented that which was antithetical to our personal freedoms, the pursuit of happiness, and our Constitutional rights. But since President Reagan the Republican Party has shown itself to not just scorn the will of We the People, but shown themselves committed to the total destruction of any candidate who argues in favor of the will of the people.

The question is: Are We the People prepared to fight that which I argue is the greatest threat to our freedom since the Crown of England? It cannot be done by allowing the establishment to destroy candidates we support and predetermine candidates for us.

That means, unlike the person I spoke with Friday, it is time for so-called conservatives to stop allowing scare tactics to control us.

TAKE ACTION: Every $1 helps The Daily Rant reach 1,000 new readers with this article.                                       http://mychal-massie.com/premium/the-difference-between-democrats-and-republicans/?inf_contact_key=6b22de5eb2fb6c60ee8663487dc273c0005387737886f98e3c020f4dc5a8adfd

God’s Good Heart – Sunday Thought For The Day by Mychal Massie

The following was written for August 2, 2015, "Our Daily Bread" by Anne Cetas.
**********************

Roger had been through a lot. He had open-heart surgery to repair a leaky valve. Then, within just a couple of weeks, doctors had to perform the surgery again because of complications. He had just begun to heal with physical therapy when he had a biking accident and broke his collarbone. Added to this, Roger also experienced the heartbreak of losing his mother during this time. He became very discouraged. When a friend asked him if he had seen God at work in any small ways, he confessed that he really didn't feel he had.

I appreciate Roger's honesty. Feelings of discouragement or doubt are part of my life too. In Romans, the apostle Paul says, "We can rejoice . . . when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation" (5:3-4 nlt). But that doesn't mean we always feel the joy. We may just need someone to sit down and listen to us pour out our hearts to them, and to talk with God. Sometimes it takes looking back on the situation before we see how our faith has grown during trials and doubts.

Knowing that God wants to use our difficulties to strengthen our faith can help us to trust His good heart for us.

In what ways has God used trials in your life? Are you learning to trust Him more?

God may lead us into troubled waters to deepen our trust in Him.

INSIGHT:
In the letter to the Romans, Paul discusses what salvation means. Today's passage twice mentions that we are justified, which means to be made right with God. In verse 1 Paul says that this happens by faith, and in verse 9 he writes that the blood of Christ justifies us. The sacrifice of Christ's blood for us is what makes justification possible, and faith is how we receive that justification. Hebrews 9:22 tells us: "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (niv). J.R. Hudberg

READ:Romans 5:1-11
5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.      http://mychal-massie.com/premium/gods-good-heart-sunday-thought-for-the-day/

Re: Well; have any of the Sodahead "rejects" shown up yet??

Well I'm in for the long hall......God willing. Had a heart episode this morning. Nothing to go to the hospital over but enough to scare the bejesus out of Linda and I. Popped two nitro's and have been sitting on my fanny all day.

More worried about Nana as he is in bad health with that firbromyalgia thing. From what I understand it is a s.o.b. so I worry about her.

Look deep in the eyes of a man and you can tell what truth if any is in his heart - My Apache Grandfather...Gosheven

Re: Well; have any of the Sodahead "rejects" shown up yet??

To cattastrophy and Serenity:

We will need to be patient, many are juggling with various sites and floods of mails.