Ezekiel was instructed by Almighty God to say these words to His people.  When you read the words of Ezekiel do they ring a bell inside your mind?  Do these hearers of Ezekiel’s words parallel many of us here in the United States of America?  And, are they not the same words as the good news of the Gospel of Jesus?   Can it be more simple than this?

 

Ezekiel 33: 12-16  ESV

“And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousnesswhen he sins.  Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die.  Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.

 

Ezekiel 33: 30-33 ESV

“As for you, son of man, your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to his brother, ‘Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’  And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.  And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it.  When this comes—and come it will!—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

  I’m not the most intelligence person in the World, however, I do understand some of the simplest things, essential things, especially things that must be accomplished in order to survive another day of life. I know to stay dry and get out of the cold rain, to stay off peaks during a lightning storm, to remove tiny pieces of gravel from the inside of my boots while hiking, to take cover before or during a hail storm, not to play with fire near an open container of gasoline or other combustibles and the list goes on. There are thousands of useful bits of knowledge that I know. A vast majority of people understand these simple things, even the most ignorant of IGMOS understand.

  Why on earth is it a good idea to send pain and death to Syria? The only beneficiary is the Military-Industrial Complex. Why don’t we develop a TRUTH-Industrial Complex. How long will we the people be duped by politicians who have been in bed with the Military-Industrial Complex since the end of WWII and before? Are we stupid? Or what? Forrest Gump said it right when he said, “Stupid is as stupid does.” If any of our Congressmen or Congresswomen vote to send death and pain to Syria, then, we should vote totally against them. TOTALLY!

 

 

I experienced one more adventure after my struggle to the top of Mt. Elbert, 14,450 ft ASL. On my drive back to Oklahoma from Colorado, I thought that I would stop by The Black Mesa and climb to the top of Oklahoma, which is 4973 ft. ASL.  In my imaginary bag of High Points I already have a total of four states.  I thought to myself why not make it five.  There was Humphreys Peak, 12,633 ft. ASL, Highest Point in Arizona, done that.  There was Wheeler Peak, 13,161 ft. ASL, the highest point in New Mexico, done that.  There was Guadalupe Peak, 8751 ft. ASL, the highest point in Texas, done that too.  And, of course Mt. Elbert which I had just hiked, the highest point in Colorado.

 

While hiking Mt. Elbert, I met a young man who claimed that he had just climbed Mt. McKinley, 20,320 ft. ASL.  That is the highest point in Alaska and North America.  (It’s possible that he did and was telling me the truth, but it is so easy to say you did when you didn’t, if you know what I mean.)   If I were to do all the high points in the fifty states I would have to do that one too, which is also known as Denali.  Real danger is in involved in hiking that mountain.  From 1903 through the end of the 2006 climbing season, ninety-six individuals died on Denali. The fatality rate is slowly declining and is around 3.08/1,000 summit attempts.  Forty five percent of these fatalities were due to injuries sustained by falls.  I’ll make that hike the last one on my list to attempt.  By then I’ll have age as an excuse for failure, I should be in my seventies or eighties by then, if I am blessed enough to live that long.

 

In the glove box of my pickup I had several old road maps.  I had Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas, but not New Mexico so upon my arrival in Clayton, NM I plugged the name Kenton, OK into my GPS.    I followed the directions and it led me straight to Kenton.  Kenton  seemed totally empty, there was nothing open, no service station, no McDonalds, no place to spend a dime, with the exception of the Post Office.  Luckily for me, I was there before it closed or I could have missed out completely.  I limped into the Post Office which was nothing more than a doublewide portable building.  It was extremely quiet, not even the sound of an electric fan could be heard.  Suddenly a nice lady appeared from the back part of the structure.   I asked her if she knew where the trailhead for the highest point in Oklahoma was and she told me in detail where to go.  I then asked about the population of Kenton.  She said that it was around seventeen but there were more than fifty if you counted all the ranchers in the area.  I asked if she knew the length of the hike to the top of Oklahoma.  She replied, “four miles.”  I asked one way or round trip.  She wasn’t sure but said that she hoped it was round trip for my sake.  Although my feet were blistered and sore I thought to my self, what the heck, it can’t be that bad.  I can handle it.  The vertical assent was only a little over 600 ft.  That would be a piece of cake, compared to the hill I had just climbed.   Four miles wasn’t going to be that bad.  I headed for the trailhead.

 

Not only is the state of Oklahoma filled with wonderfully hard working folk, it is a place of variety.  I have sprayed crops in Oklahoma, and I knew of the agriculture in the panhandle and the high plains.  I had worked in the oil and gas industry.  I am familiar with the cattle ranches out west, the Black Diamond Water Melons grown in the center of the state, the hills in the eastern and northeastern part of the state.  I love the tall woods with huge deep blue lakes found in the eastern, and central parts.  But, I hadn’t been to this part of the state.  It was different.  It was high desert with many mesas and a beauty that only the high desert provides.   Lucky for me there had been a lot of rain recently and the wild flowers were everywhere. Their vibrant colors lit up the landscape.  The beauty was breath taking which made my spirit soar.  God is so good to me to allow me to see so much of His creation and its beauty, and to see it in a time of peace.

 

A little preparation was needed before I started down the trail.  I was out of water, with the exception of a half bottle that was left over, that I had purchased back in Pueblo, Colorado.    I still had some ice and melted water in my cooler, and I used it to fill my camelback bladder.  I put on fresh socks and a lighter pair of hiking boots and made sure I had a few snacks to munch on along the way.  I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a four-mile hike or an eight-mile hike.  There was one SUV in the parking area, so I assumed that I would see someone on the trail. 

 

Before I had hiked a mile, I met a young woman who was headed in the opposite direction.  I asked her if the mesa to our south was the one that was the high point.  She said no it was quite a distant west of where we were standing.  She also told me that her brother was behind her, but she had decided to quit before reaching the summit because it was too hot.  The temp was around 90 deg f.   I still didn’t know for sure whether or not this would be a four-mile or an eight-mile hike.  I continued on.  I saw a bench that was imprinted “Mile One,” and a mile farther on another bench that was imprinted “Mile Two.”   I started to realize that it would probably be more than four miles.  The trail started to rise to a mesa that was south of where I had been hiking.   As I was climbing, I met a young man with a OSU baseball cap on his head.  He told me that once on top of the mesa that the trail continued for a little less than a mile and the elevation gain wasn’t more than fifteen feet from there.   I climbed farther and another bench that was imprinted “Mile Three.”  Once on top of the Mesa, it was about eight tenths of a mile to the monument.  The flowers were awesome.  The hike was easy but long.  I recommend it.  It’s a wonderful hike.  Probably best done in the early morning.

Below are some snapshots I took on this hike.  Enjoy!  The photos don't do justice to the beauty there.

I have just completed the highest hike of my life, 14,450 feet above sea level. Mt Elbert is the 14th fourteener (a mountain over 14,000 feet above sea level) that I have hiked. Hiking to and above 14,000 ASL is a hobby of mine. I’ve been doing it for more than ten years.  Often, as it was in this case, my hiking buddy is Ray Shem. We have done several together, (he has done 39 so far), and I have done several solo. It is a kick, and an adventure that fewer than one percent of the world will ever experience. Because of physical exertion you get high on endorphins that begin to flow in your blood stream. Finally you are so highabove everything that in any direction you look, you’re looking down on God’s creation.  One of the greatest benefits is that you never meet a jerk or anyone with a negative attitude above twelve or thirteen thousand feet. I’ll probably do it as often as possible until I am no more on this Earth.

To enjoy the hike fully a person should get physically fit and then spend as much time as possible at a higher altitude (6,7,8 or 9  thousand feet ASL) which will give their bodies enough time to acclimate to the thinner atmosphere. The climbing is always strenuous, and the air is always thin. On this particular occasion, I had been working out on a bicycle and hiking the steepest hills I could find near my home in Mustang, Oklahoma. I would run up and down the bleachers at the high school so that my legs would be accustomed to that sort of effort. I was in decent shape, not the greatest, but not too bad for an older guy. The FAA believes me to be too old to fly Airliners because I’m closer to seventy than to sixty. Oh well! It is always exhilarating to hike a fourteener. Most of the other hikers are young, healthy,upbeat and interesting. Although, all kinds of people hike fourteeners ––– I’ve met people at the summit in their eighties, and some very obese and unfit, but they all had a “can-do” attitude or they never would have made it. They may groan about sore muscles or tired feet, they may mention having a headaches or feelings of nausea, but they are doing it, and it requires much effort. I love people who try as hard as they can, who may hurt a little but never whine or complain. Of course, some don’t make it to the top for many reasons, but I applaud them for their effort, even if their limit is just a few hundred feet above the tree line. They are awesome for giving it a shot. Hiking the first fourteener doesn’t require superhuman ability but it does require determination. The second is much easier, because you know the way the accomplishment will make you feel.

I became slow and cautious on my way down after an ankle break three years ago. On this particular day, I was the next to the last person to leave the top and the guy behind me was in no hurry to start down. I started far enough ahead of him that I never saw him again.  The hikers ahead of me were faster, and I watched them disappear into the tree line below.  Soon, I was the only person on the mountainside.   We had selected the trailhead that required a horizontal hike along the “Continental Divide Trail” for three or four miles before the final assent began. This was an easy trail to follow, however, there were several ups and downs of more than a couple hundred feet. (When hiking up the side of a mountain one hates to give back altitude that one has already gained, therefore, at the time, ups and downs seem to be such a waste of productivity.) On my way down, I reached the “Continental Divide Trail.” I remembered to turn left which was north. This all looked familiar as I checked the time. I should be back at camp by not later than sixteen hundred or four o’clock pm. I was excited. The assent took me a little over an hour for each thousand feet of altitude gain. (Every time I think about 1000 feet per hour I always remember the Instantaneous Vertical Speed Indicator in a Lear 24 that I used to operate. Climbing off the end of a runway it would peg-out at the 6,000 feet per minute mark and remain there until we were well over 18,000 feet. Now, 1000 feet per hour was considered a good rate of climb. I had hiked north on the “Continental Divide Trail” for almost three miles when I thought that I must have missed my turn down to the trail head. At the time, this part of the hike seemed to be much shorter earlier in the morning.  So, I backed-tracked trying to find my turn that I thought I had missed.  After back tracking twice, each time going a little farther than the time before each way, I met a fellow who claimed to have lived in the area for twenty years. (He was from Shawnee Oklahoma) He advised me that the trailhead that I was looking for was a long way back north of where we were. Soon it was dark. I dug out my head lamp and continued the procedure of back and forth looking for the turn. I stopped and changed my socks and continued to hike. My feet were sore, tired and blistered. I kept hiking first North and then South thinking I must have missed the turn. I had departed the camp with a hundred ounces of water, and a 20 ounce bottle of Gatorade, some trail mix, a sandwich and several power bars. I don’t wear my faith on my sleeve, however, everyone who knows me knows that I am a man of faith and of prayer. I had asked the Lord several times on that night to give me direction and to help me find my way down. He didn’t say a word, He gave me no direction at all. He didn’t give me a sign, nothing, nada. It was like He didn’t hear me, but I knew then and I know now that He did hear me, and that He knew my situation. He knows what is best for me now and what was best for me then, this I know. Although, I don’t always feel His presence ––– He is always with me. It was soon 2300 or eleven o’clock PM.  Although I saw what looked like lion tracks, I felt no fear or anxiety about my situation what-so-ever. I decided to take a nap, I found what looked like a place that I wouldn’t slide down the mountain and dug out my space blanket that I always carry when hiking. I also dug out an extra fleece vest. I wrapped up as best as I could and slept. I was exhausted, my feet were sore and sensitive. Other than that, I was fine. I slept off and on for six hours.  When I found myself shivering I would readjust the space blanket and warm up a little. I had no matches, no map, no gun, no knife, and I was wearing my normal attire for this time of the year which is a tee shirt and shorts. I was not lost because I knew where I was, I was on the “Continental Divide Trail” near the base of Mt. Elbert, Colorado. I knew where my pickup was parked. The truck was at the Mt. Elbert, Half-moon Train Head. I just wasn’t sure how to get to where I wanted to go from my location at the time. I arose around 0500. I realized that my determination to go on wasn’t going to be a factor, because I had no choice but to walk down. Both my feet were extremely tender but so what? I could still walk. I could still think, and I still had food and water. But the question was should I walk North or South to find this elusive turn off. It wasn’t very dark as the moon was full and still up. The sun was making light to the east, and as I started walking, I heard voices that seemed to be coming from the South. I walked south and found two hikers that had been on the trail for two weeks. They had set up camp about a hundred feet above the trail. I asked if they knew of a trailhead near. The told me that the maps that they had were poor at best. They were unsure of their exact position, but the knew that there was a trailhead a couple miles north and another probably three or four miles south along the trail somewhere. I turned around again and headed North because I was going to the nearest trailhead, and two miles sounded better than three or four. I met several that had come from the trailhead but their description of it was lacking, and I still wasn’t sure if it was where I wanted to go, but I was going. Finally, a couple of guys were headed up the trail, and I stopped to visit. I asked them how far to the trailhead and he indicated less than two miles. I asked if he saw a black pickup in the parking lot and he replied, “A black Tundra with a Ron Paul Bumper Sticker on it?”  When he said that I immediately knew that I was going to be back in camp soon because he described my truck to the T. (He must have been a policeman or something because he was particularly observant.) When I arrived at the campsite, Ray was still asleep in his tent, but he was really glad to see me. He had notified the county Sheriff and was planning to lead a search party looking for me later that morning. We cooked up some coffee, and we sat around and shot the bull for an hour. We then drove into Leadville for some breakfast. He notified the Sheriff and canceled the search party. I didn’t feel too bad but didn’t want to hike another fourteener for at least a week or so. We packed up, paid our fees, drove to Salida and checked into a motel for a hot shower and a nap. We had dinner went to bed and rested up for the next day’s adventure. I’ll tell you about that one with photos later.          

August 7, 2013 Dear Representative Hall: Dear Senator Cornyn: Dear Senator Cruz: We, the undersigned, call on Congress to stop trying to exempt members and staffers from ObamaCare and to implement the law which requires them to be covered through insurance exchanges on the same basis as the rest of us have to do. Or repeal ObamaCare completely! How can a government expect it's citizens to trust it, and to believe what it says when the government and the government employees obviously think of themselves as better and much more important that the citizen? Congress has become a cauldron of deceit filled with deception and arrogance! What happened to honor? There will be a day of judgement. Sincerely, Mr. A. W. Doudney 87 CR 2215 Detroit, TX 75436

In the book of Jeremiah (particularly the first three chapters), Almighty God speaks to Judah and Israel through his young prophet Jeremiah. After all of the wonderful things that God had given both nations, after all of the miracles that He had performed on their behalf, after His devotion to them and after His love for them . . . . . they disappointed the Lord their God. Instead of walking in a way pleasing to God they chased after their own desires. They created their own gods of wood and stone. It's obvious to me that they created these gods in order to justify in their own minds their despicable behavior. On several occasions in this passage He refers to them as whores. In the final verses of the third chapter there is the weeping of repentance. As you may read below; A voice on the bare heights is heard, the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons because they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the LORD their God. “Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness.” “Behold, we come to you, for you are the LORD our God. Truly the hills are a delusion, the orgies on the mountains. Truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.” “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” ~Jeremiah 3: 21-25 ESV Can you see a parallel between then and now in America? I encourage you to read the first three chapters of Jeremiah and see if you can see similar things presently taking place here in the USA.  It appears to me that our nation's behavior parallels that of ancient Israel and Judah.  ~Adverse Yaw  

WHAT IS EVIL?  And how does it effect us?

Webster describes evil as anywhere from;  “sinful acts” to “unlucky happenings” with many different definitions in-between.

Wikipedia goes into greater detail;

Evil describes willful, immoral acts. It also serves as a blanket term for bad things.

Evil is profound immorality. In certain religious contexts evil has been described as a supernatural force. Definitions of evil vary, as does the analysis of its root motives and causes.  However elements that are commonly associated with evil involve unbalanced behavior involving expediency, shelfishness, ignorance, or neglect.  ~Wikepedia

There has been much said and written about the abstract noun evil.   Of course the word could be used as an adjective or even an adverb, but wherever or however it is used there is controversy to the truth of the matter. 

The bottom line for everything is Truth.  Whatever is real and whatever is.  Truth can be hidden, it can be misunderstood, however, truth remains true no matter what I or anyone else says about it.  Sir Winston Churchill once said, “The truth is incontrovertible.  Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” And how true are his words.  Truth IS, and always has been since eternity before, and eternity after the creation of the Universe and all the time in-between.  Truth may seem incomprehensible but  Understanding truth is possible, however, it requires a tiny bit of trust and due diligence. 

I believe the vast majority of today's young people are not interested in truth nor or they interested in understanding anything more than what is going on a few inches in front of their pointed little beaks.  This is one of the indicators that evil in American is on the upswing.   Anything that is not true is evil.

The Holy Bible defines evil.  Evil in the sight of God is a phrase found several times in the Old Testament.   The Bible says evil is most displeasing to God.     Evil is always linked to untruth in one way or another.  Therefore, if we learn the difference between what is true and what is not, we are a leg up on the rest of mankind in understanding the noun evil. 

False gods, self-interest and arrogance are only a few examples of what is most displeasing to Almighty God. 

Evil in the sight of God, is mentioned and most times with the term “false gods.”  The old testament mentions evil twelve times it referred to sins committed by individuals that were not leaders,  sixteen times it referred to national sins, thirty-three times it referred to a leader, such as a king, twenty-three times it referred to a person committing the sin was following someone else’s example, and six times it referred to one doing evil was forcing others to do likewise.   It all of these times the sinner was always thinking untruths about themselves.  Never were these individuals thinking about the truth as it related to them and the God Who created them. 

You could not say that self is an antonym for evil, not even the word love or the word good, because you might have a good liar or as good thief.  But the best antonym for evil is truth.  And what is truth? 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  ~John 14:16

There are winners, and losers.  Those who find the Father are the winners, and those who don’t are the losers.   There is truth and deceit.  Truth will always be the winner.  I choose to follow Jesus, the way, the truth and the life.    

One word says it all...  Dhimmitude--  I had never heard the word until now. Type it into Google and start reading. Pretty interesting. Supposedly It's on page 107 of the healthcare bill, however I haven't actually read the healthcare bill because I can't find a copy of the bill with page numvers.  I did Google the word  and it exists.. It is a REAL word.  Word of the Day: Dhimmitude:   Dhimmitude is the Muslim system of controlling non-Muslim populations conquered through jihad.  Specifically, it is the TAXING of non-Muslims in exchange for tolerating their presence AND as a coercive means of converting conquered remnants to Islam. ObamaCare allows the establishment of Dhimmitude and Sharia Muslim diktat in the United States.  Muslims are specifically exempted from the government mandate to purchase insurance, and also from the penalty tax for being uninsured. Islam considers insurance to be "gambling", "risk-taking", and "usury" and is thus banned. Muslims are specifically granted exemption based on this. How convenient. So I, as a Christian, will have crippling IRS liens placed against all of my assets, including real estate, cattle, and even accounts receivables, and will face hard prison time because I refuse to buy insurance or pay the penalty tax.  Meanwhile, Louis Farrakhan will have no such penalty and will have 100% of his health needs paid for by the de facto government insurance. Non-Muslims will be paying a tax to subsidize Muslims. This is Dhimmitude. I recommend sending this onto your contacts.  American citizens need to know about it! Voting this year may be the most important thing you can do for your family, your country, and for the future of all Americans...

This is supposed to be a Christian Nation.   Not Muslim! Have we become a nation of knuckle heads?   Have we been in the Ostrich position with our buttocks exposed for so long that we can't comprehend the light of day? We better start doing something about this!  We could start by repealing this fraudulent Health Care Bill ! ! ! !  Or we may become a nation of wounded buttocks!    

Divide and conquer seems to be one of many preferred tools in achieving perceived success these days.  Presently race has been just one of those methods in the news and gender is another.   Those wishing to be on top use all kinds of diversions to hide truth.  (The truth being that others are just as important as ourselves.) Our minds are continuously thinking of ways to be more successful–––to climb to the top pentacle, to be boss hog. The real question is; what is true success?  If you were to ask a person on the street to define success you would get as many different answers as the number of people you ask the question.  There are thousands of answers to that simple question because there are thousands of people.  Are there that many differing successes?  I don’t think so!  But, we Americans are all thinking about being successful.  We all want to make our mark.  We want to be known to posterity as being successful in every way. We want to leave behind a great heritage. We forget and seldom remember that we all arrive on planet Earth the same way, and we all depart planet Earth the same way.  It is the time between the eternities that we find or fail to find true success. I could go on and on about the benefits of true success–––peace, tranquility, happiness and joy to name only a few, but the useful information I wish to convey is the real definitive answer to the question; what is true success?  And, where do we find it, and/or how do we achieve it. God’s instruction manual for humanity on planet Earth, The Holy Bible, is where we go if we truly want to find true success.  This is where the tire meets the road.  Few people want to know the real truth, most of us are only interested in our version of what we perceive truth to be.  NOTHING ELSE! DON’T WANT TO GO THERE, DON’T WANT TO HEAR THAT, NOT INTERESTED IN THAT,  I’M COVERING MY EYES AND MY EARS, DON’T LIKE THAT SOUND.  This is the attitude of a vast number of Americans today. This attitude of ours is because the past two or three generations we have been taught that we (self) are the most important person on planet Earth.  What we should have been taught and should teach our children is to always before we think about anything else, we should think about God, our creator.  And second, to always think of others before ourselves.  But there I go again, chasing a rabbit, back to the definition of true success. The Bible is filled with the history of men and women of failure and of success.  The book of Ecclesiastes spells it out in great detail and at the end of the book gives us the answer.  It says in the final two verses;  “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.   For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” “The end of the matter;”  is true success or true failure.  “Fear God and keep his commandments.”  The simplest version of his commandments are words spoken by Jesus in  Matthew 22:37-40.   And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.   And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.   On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Think about it America!  Almighty God is the one who brought us here, He is the one who keeps us safe.  Shouldn’t we devote a majority of our time thinking about Him?  Then thinking about others.  Shouldn’t self be placed on a back burner?

MANY OF MY FAVORITE HEROES ARE BLACK Willy Nelson sang the popular country song, "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys."  Cowboys may have been his heroes, but not mine!  Although, as a young boy I thought that Roy Rogers and Dale Evans hung the moon.  Were they Heroes?   Not so much.  I know that if anyone could or should be known as a hero it would be Jesus Christ.  But to me Jesus is much more than a hero.  He is my Lord, my Savior, my Friend and a constant companion.  Webster defines hero: a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability. b : an illustrious warrior. c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities. d : one who shows great courage. Using the c & d definitions will qualify my all of these heroes who are of color.   For anyone to succeed at anything will always require focus, effort, and dedication.  Success doesn't make a hero, however when the opposition to their success is racial hatred and prejudice­­–––success over and against these odds creates heroes to be honored and revered.  Those who would promote racial hatred are detrimental to truth, peace, love and the true American way.  There are many who fit into this category both white and people of color. Although I may disagree with some of their philosophies I honor and respect their courage, their tenacity and their struggle.  Think about the people mentioned below, and what they have have stood for.  Think about the stand that they have had to make in order to achieve their goals.

People like Dr. Ben Carson, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Thomas Sowell, Senator Tim Scott,  Allen West, Dr. Bill Cosby, General Colin L. Powell, Nelson Mandela, Jackie Robinson, Alan Keyes and Booker T. Washington are only a few of true American Heroes who worked hard and stayed focused on truth.  These black Americans had parents that helped them to become what they are, therefore the parents who paid a significant price to keep each of these on track are heroes as well.  Not only do the black people of America owe these men and women a great debt of gratitude so do the rest of us.  America would not be great if it were not for these heroes and others unknown heroes that have stood just like them.

There are many people who could meet most of the "c" definition, however, they fail the test of a hero because they fail in the last part of that definition.  They have no noble qualities.   Many of them became what they are because they used deceit and deception to fool the masses.  The quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln;  "You can fool all the people some of the time and you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time."  The true qualities of those deceptive individuals are beginning to show.  Black people, people of color or white people who fail to have noble qualities will, more often than not, try to use more brut force to accomplish their goals.  Their arrogance and hatred for others will always eventually reveal itself.  Sadly but true we have many within our government who fit this description. But, thankfully we have hundreds of others such as the ones mentioned above who promote the family unit, hard work and the tenacious attention to truth.  May our Heavenly Father continue to bless these who are true to themselves and the American Way.

 

 

     

July 20, 2013 Dear Representative Hall, Dear Senator Cornyn, Dear Senator Cruz, Tax Day, April 15th, has become an unnecessary major source of stress and anxiety for millions of hardworking American taxpayers kept up at night wondering if they’ve complied with the impossible tax code. Our tax system punishes productivity, success, hard work, innovation, savings and investment and, after paying taxes on the same dollars s everal times, even death is considered a taxable event. We need to return to a system where taxes are fairly collected to fund the legitimate functions of government. The Founding Fathers never envisioned an income tax, which is why it took the 16th Amendment to get it passed. Our present tax system is politicized and manipulated to shape citizen behavior and redistribute wealth (the richest 1% pay 40% of all income tax, but earn 23% of all income). This is accomplished by fanning the divisive flames of class hatred to buy votes and hand out political favors to whichever special-interest group has the most high-powered lobbyists and tax attorneys. It is completely naive to think that the current monstrosity can be properly and fairly “reformed” or “simplified”. Multiple failed attempts have been made to simplify and reform the current system, only to see complexity return in short order. We can do better. We must and we can. We’ve won two World Wars and put men on the moon, so changing our tax system is achievable and necessary for our economic survival. As your constituent, I expect you to address this issue in a manner that is best for America and her citizens! Abolish the IRS! As you know, (if you don't shame on you), the IRS has never been a lawful agency. The federal income tax has never been a lawful tax. The IRS has always been a tool for Congress, the President and other public servants to use for bullying a majority of the American workers and American business people. It's nothing more than a collection agent for the Federal Reserve Bank which is another unlawful agency. We the people have had to deal with this unconstitutional business for 100 years! It has never been fare and it's time to face the truth and eliminate it. You may be one of those who care more about yourself than you care about the truth. Most people tend to have this flaw. However, Congress men and women should be held to a higher standard. Congress has become a bunch of smoke blowers who have become masters at getting nothing done, and allowing the worst kind of legislation to pass. You guys have become untrustworthy by association. It's about time to light some fires under you associates. I'm loosing hope fast! Sincerely, Mr. Wayne Doudney P.O. Box 132 Detroit, TX 75436

Was George Zimmerman guilty of the murder of Trayvon Martin?  Who knows?  I'm not God, nor was on the jury, therefore, I don't know, nor do I have an opinion.

It would be wonderful if all the hoopla of the Zimmerman trial was finally over after the jury has announced the verdict of not guilty. However, I'm afraid it's far from over. The progressives would have used either verdict, guilty or not guilty to their advantage. The not guilty verdict, however, will prove more beneficial for their deceitful purposes. There must be hundreds of murder trials going on in America every day, yet none of them have been in the news like this one. It is a shame that racism is still used so commonly in the 21st Century for political purposes. I believe that all of the hoopla being used now will continue for a time, and it will be used to promote two primary objectives.

First, it will be used to continue hiding newsworthy items such as the 2012 Benghazi attack, the corruption at the Federal Reserve Bank, the IRS scandal, the stupidity and foolishness of Obamacare and any other news that could be detrimental to the progressive agenda. This tactic will be accomplished because of the distraction of our attention from where it should be, and to divide and conquer the American opinion. The Progressives in collusion with their greatest allies which are the popular news media, ABC, NBC, CBS and all of their liberal affiliates will use this event to hide behind and to hide their own evil agenda. Truth would destroy them and they know it.

Second it will be used to justify the destruction of the Constitution and/or to modify the true meaning of this document. Remember the Constitution is the foundation of our Government, it does nothing more than to define our Government and limit it's power. The Progressives have already made much progress in limiting and changing the meaning of the First, Second and Forth Amendments to the Constitution. This vast amount of hoopla used in causing doubt in the validity of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights has become their modus operandi when it comes to hiding truth. I remind you and myself that all the amendments were ratified in order to limit the governments power. 

The progressives wish to control Americans as completely as they possibly can. They have already made inroads in the curtailment of many freedoms that have been ours for years. Such as religious freedom, freedom to defend ourselves and freedom to move about freely without being searched. We have lost our freedom of speech because of perceived political correctness, and the fear of the listening ears of the government. Many unborn children have lost their right to life. And, the list of freedoms and liberties we have lost continues on and on.

It would be wrong to blame President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton or any other individual for all the faults of our present Government. These individuals are only an indication of what is wrong. They may or may not be deliberate in their attempts to harm our country. They may be caught up in the process or they may be like most human beings, greedy for something or the other.

The fact is that we are in a spiritual battle. Evil is in a struggle to win over good. Satan is in a major struggle to try and win over Almighty God. Almighty God doesn't need our help to defeat and destroy Satan and all of his angels and agents, this has already been accomplished. But, it is, and will be more important as time goes on, that we choose whom we will serve.

Anyone with the ability to think and reason will choose a winner who has already won over a looser. If not they just might be an IGMO. It appears that we are nearing the age of a New World Order where IGMOs are in charge. I hope not! But, I don't know. If we end up there it will be most uncomfortable for productive people, however, it won't last long, even if God delays his return for a thousand more years. History indicates that this New World Order will fail as many other New World Orders have failed in the past.

Personally I choose to follow the winner. No matter what. I choose to follow Jesus Christ today, tomorrow and forever.

 

I am of the opinion that evil is common in society today is because of greed, hatred, jealousy, selfishness, pride and arrogance to mention only a few things.   Evil will be and always has been a part of humanity since the Fall of Adam, however, I believe that ignorance is a primary reason that evil is so common in America.  A large number of people in America don’t necessarily want to be evil, but they just don’t seem to know any other way to live.   However, if this group of Americans had a knowledge and an understanding of Who God Is, and an understanding of His love for all, I believe that Evil as we know it would be a lot less significant.  Especially if these folk understood scripture such as John 3:16.

There are people in this world and in America who are deliberately evil and wicked. They know about Almighty God and they choose to be evil.  Most of these are incorrigible.  I don’t understand why this is so, but I believe it to be so.   Therefore, it would behoove us as Christians and as Disciples of Jesus Christ to spread the Good News of God’s love, and allow his light to shine through us into dark places.   It would also behoove us to be vigilant and aware of our surroundings.  We should arm ourselves in order that those who would harm our families, our friends and us could be stopped.  

I guess that this attitude of mine makes me a “Red Neck Conservative.”  Maybe I am, but it makes sense to me.

Just a thought.

~Adverse Yaw

       

It seems to me that all learning is a building block affair. For an example we learn to roll over before we learn to sit up, we learn to sit up before we learn to crawl, we learn to crawl before we learn to walk, and we learn walk before we learn to run, and we learn to run before we learn to play in organized sports. We didn’t skip any portion of this building block process. If we didn’t learn one portion of the process well it is always indicated by our weakness when learning a later stage. In other words, we must learn to run well before we can be a great Soccer player. I remember learning to drive. It became evident that I hadn’t learned about kinetic energy when I tried to make a turn before slowing down. My dad, who was my instructor at the time, learned that he hadn’t spend enough time talking about kinetic energy. I can remember him yelling at me to SLOW DOWN! He made his point louder and louder until I finally burned off some of the kinetic energy by heavy breaking. It was such a wild ride that both our adrenal glands worked overtime. It’s needless to say, but I learned about kinetic energy that day. Although, I had never heard the word before, nor did I hear it that day I did gain an understanding of how it worked. My son, Andrew, learned about kinetic energy when he crashed his brand new motorcycle at the young age of nine-years-old. Not only did it damage his new motorcycle, but left a large scratch in his new shinny white motorcycle-helmet. I was so thankful that he was wearing the helmet. I failed to explain to him about kinetic energy, just as my dad had failed to explain it to me. Andy and I are both are better drivers today because of the lessons learned back then, block by block. How can we expect our children to learn to read, write, add, subtract, multiply and divide if they first haven’t learned about thinking and about what thinking is? Shouldn’t we first teach them how to discipline their minds, by helping them to discipline their behavior? It’s like telling someone all the fundamentals and all the theories of flight, then showing them the airplane, handing them the keys and admonishing them to be careful. Chances are good that they would get high enough the above ground to crash and burn. We don’t give our kids a bicycle and say “there it is kid, good luck!” It takes a little instruction, a little trial and error, and before you know it they are doing the craziest things on their new toy, it’s same with an airplane, a car, a motorcycle and any other mechanical device created to improve our lives. Block by block we teach them and block by block they learn. It is no different when it comes to getting along other people or the personal responsibility of being a part of our society. All are blocks of learning, and in order to learn anything very well, one must learn to think. The brain is no more important than the heart they are both required for life to continue here on planet earth. Now the mind is a different story. The mind is not an physical organ, nor is it who we are, but it is a slave that was given to each of us by our Creator. We can allow it to remain idle and atrophy away. We can fill it with wonderful thoughts. We can allow all kinds of evil to fill it or we can purge it of evil and discipline it. We can make it work for us or we can allow it to work against us. We have complete control over it. It is entirely up to us how use it. Shouldn’t we allow our children to have this information? The choosing of how they use their minds will still be theirs. If they don’t know and understand the control they have over their minds, chances are that their mind will control them. I believe that a vast majority of IGMOs in America don’t have a clue of just how much power they control in that little slave that we call the mind. That little slave controls most of them most of the time. Just a thought. ~Adverse Yaw

If for whatever reason a person is alone trying to fly an airliner full of people. This person doesn’t know very much about it, and isn’t willing to listen to reason. What do you think will happen? Depending on many circumstances many different things could possibly happen. The passengers could remove this person and replace him. Surely there is a person aboard who would at least listen to reason, but in this case all the First class passengers are trembling with fear. There are one or two of them trying to convince the rest of them to listen to reason. But the majority is convinced that these few are total idiots and completely ignore them. The Coach Class passengers, most of them traveling on free tickets, are in total ignorance because the First Class passengers are afraid to tell them the truth because of the panic that might transpire. After all, this present person at the controls seems to be keeping the airliner aloft, therefore, the passengers do nothing. They refuse to think about the consequences because this has never happened before. However, it has happened before but they didn’t know because they didn’t study history. They think that it will all work out somehow! They are wrong! So, the hero at the controls is able to convince everyone that he has a plan. He has kept the airliner aloft without crashing for several hours so he is their hero. However, when total fuel starvation causes all the engines to fail. Then all will parish! Even the ones in Coach Class that didn’t know there was a problem until the engines went silent. All are just as dead as the First Class passengers who were trembling in fear. Is there a parallel here? Who is the man with a plan at the flight controls of our Government? And, who is trembling with fear? And, who are the freeloaders that are totally ignorant of a problem? And, who are the one or two “idiots” that are trying to get everyone to think?  And, who are the ones who won't listen to reason and refuse to hear the truth? The fuel low warning lights are starting to flash! We are truly on the eve of destruction! ~Adverse Yaw  

How many more imposter gods does America serve? How long will America continue limping between several different opinions?  Either the Lord is God or He is not!

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It doesn’t matter how badly we want something to be true, even if there are millions of us who want something to be true.  If it isn’t true, it isn’t true!

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The prophets of Baal wanted there to be gods like they thought gods should be.    Baal doesn’t exist, didn’t exist, and will never exist.  It didn’t matter how badly the 450 prophets want it to be so, it was not so.  Elijah proved it!  Read part of the story below from,  1 Kings 18: 20-29, ESV

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So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.  And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.   Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men.  Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it.  And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”  Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.”   And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made.   And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god.  Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”  And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.   And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

 

A thought about the human mind. The mind is not who we are, the contrary, the mind is our servant. We should strive hard to control it, and not to allow it to control us. It should be our own personal slave. We should constantly discipline it, educate it, and exercise it. We should always encourage it to welcome good thoughts. We should force it to purge itself of all evil and bad thoughts. We need to keep it pointed in the right direction by forcing it to stay focused in God's Word and to constantly think on Him. My own mind is often a lazy one, but the Lord and I are presently working on that. Just a thought! ~Adverse Yaw

I just finished a wonderful book by Viktor Frankl, "Man's Search for Meaning" I was told that the only part of the book that might be of interest to me was the first part. But, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book. The second part did require the use of a dictionary on occasion. Dr. Frankl was an Austrian Psychiatrist who was incarcerated during WWII in several concentration and extermination camps in Europe. Twenty-five out of twenty-six prisoners did not survive those camps. Before his incarceration he had developed a psychotherapy known as Logotherapy which dealt with more logic than many earlier forms of psychotherapy. (Keep in mind that my descriptions are of an uneducated student and layman.) The book is an eye opener and I recommend that people who search for truth and meaning in their lives give it a read. A few things that I learned from reading this book: My own theory that attitude is one of the most important aspect of living a life of meaning was confirmed by this book. If a person has a WHY they will be able to determine the HOW. If there is no WHY in their life they are left with a void and an emptiness. Life without a WHY is a miserable existence. (This might explain why unemployed people on the dole are so unhappy.) Below is an excerpts from the afterward by William J Winslade. In this excerpt he is quoting a Norwegian professor of philosophy who had been incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp. He writes; "My colleague remarked how strongly he agreed with Frankl about the importance of nourishing one's inner freedom, embracing the value of beauty in nature, art, poetry, and literature, and feeling love for family and friends. But other personal choices, activities, relationships, hobbies, and even simple pleasures can also give meaning to life. Why then, do some people find themselves feeling so empty? Frankl's wisdom here is worth emphasizing: it is a question of the ATTITUDE one takes toward life's challenges and opportunities, both large and small. A positive attitude enables a person to endure suffering and disappointment as well as enhances enjoyment and satisfaction. A negative attitude intensifies pain and deepens disappointments; it undermines and diminishes pleasure, happiness, and satisfaction; it may even lead to depression or physical illness." All of this brings to mind the popular song of the 60ties: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones. Perhaps a better title for this song would have been " My Attitude is Crummy and I'm so DISSATISFIED. But, then what do I know I'm just an old retired Aviator. ~Adverse Yaw

How much can I say about the word truth?   The lie and deceit were first used in the Garden of Eden when Satan, while in the form of a serpent, said to Eve, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” As Eve had previously stated in this scripture, she knew that she was not supposed to partake of this particular tree because God had told them both not to do so. Why did she do it? What was she thinking? And, why did she deliberately defy Almighty God? What about Adam? How could Adam be so deceived by Eve that he too partook of the forbidden fruit? They both used their freedom and liberty that God gave them to choose with to choose, and they both chose wrong.  Maybe they didn’t know the difference between truth and fiction, it maybe that they wanted more authority, more power or more something. Who knows what they were thinking at the time, but the results of their thoughts are evidence that they were thinking wrongly. Whatever their thoughts were that caused them to believe these lies ultimately cost them their lives and caused them much pain and sorrow before their deaths.  Why? These things happened because, they defied Almighty God’s specific instructions. Deceit remains one of the most powerful tools used by Satan to deceive mankind into believing a myriad of things that are just not true. Telling people to search for truth and the importance of truth is similar to telling people to laugh because laughter is important for their health. We laugh because we feel that something is so funny and we can’t help ourselves but to laugh. Yes laughter is good for our health and it doesn’t hurt to try to find a little humor in almost everything, but laughter is something that cannot be faked nor can it be conjured up at will. There are things worse than phony laughter.  However, phony laughter is obviously an untruth or a lie.   Have you ever attending the show of a standup comedian who is using old material that isn’t very funny?  (If you are watching it on TV you probably change the channel.)  People are forcing themselves to laugh because they want to be happy and in someway they think laughing will do the trick.  You may be laughing along with them to be polite, or to go along with the crowd, but deep inside yourself, you know that the laughter is not true.  Everyone around you seems to be laughing.  How can this be?  Why do intelligent people continue to believe things that are obviously not true?  There are hundreds of reasons, in this case, they probably just want to feel good and happy.  In all honesty the heckler in the crowd is probably the only honest one there.  Of course there will be a few people that are not even smiling and some who are asleep. If (the big word, if) we were more interested in the truth than we are our own ideas of what truth should be we just might find it, we might have a new ability to see it and we might have more ability to understand it. Sir Winston Churchill, The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain during WWII, said of truth; “Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.”  Sir Winston’s statement seems simple enough.  Why is it that a vast number of Americans will not or cannot grasp this fact?   The truth is that there are many political leaders (one in particular, I won’t insult you by mentioning his name) who demonstrate their willingness to use deception and deceit in almost everything they do.   They are either incompetent, or they are diabolical in their nature, full of envy, hatred and arrogance.  Either way these people have made the deliberate decision to deceive their constituents.   Sometimes they have been deceptive so often and for so long that they have become pathological and they believe their own deceit.  These are certainly bona fide IGMOS. The people that are easiest to deceive are the people that are interested in their own version of the truth, these people could care less about the real truth.  They are interested only in themselves.  They are selfish, arrogant and self-centered.  These people are bona fide IGMOS, because they are incapable of knowing the truth.  (brings to mind the words of Jack Nicholson in the movie “A few good men, “You can’t handle the truth!” which was in fact was a lie as well.) Other people that are easy to deceive are the working people who scrape to make ends meet.  Many of them hold down two maybe three jobs, and are trying to raise children.  They scrape and scrimp to keep food on the table.  These people maybe a little ignorant but they are not moronic.  Their biggest problem is that they are hurting and they are willing to accept the lies along with the food stamps.  (There is something we Christians could learn from this.  People will be willing to hear the truth after a good meal.)  With a little education and honest opportunity this group could learn to love truth. Some America are 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation welfare recipients.   Many of these recipients have learned to work the system.   These are takers and they are extremely unhappy people.  The truth about work is that it is not a curse.  Work is a fantastic blessing.  Adam, the first man created by God, worked in the garden.  The curses didn’t begin until after Adam and Eve were deceived and believed the first lie.  This group of Americans are bona fide IGOMS. There are people who gain their wealth form the status quo.  These individuals have learned to churn the present political system.  (Some of them are deceivers themselves.) They have learned to make money and obtain power during times of prosperity and/or during times of famine.  They will go to whatever means necessary in order to create wealth and power.  Wars, death, famine, destruction, desolation and pain are of no concern to them.  Why would they be interested in truth?  Truth would require that they be more productive and less decadent.  This is another group of Americans who are arrogant, self-serving and think only of themselves.   They believe the only truth is their own truth which in reality is not true at all.  Truth would be extremely beneficial to them, but they can’t see it because they choose not to see it.  Why are they this way?  I don’t know.  They are, however, another set of bona fide IGMOS. So, what is to be done?   People cannot be forced to see and understand truth anymore than they can be forced to love their neighbor.  Deceit and deception are sent to us in a powerful way by a powerful force.   This force is evil in its character and the highest evil within it is Satan himself. The Holy Bible is one place where truth can be found.  IGMOS would have you believe that the Bible is nothing more than a book of fables.  But, the truth is that the Bible is much more than that.  It contains the truth.  It was written by God’s instruction.    Jesus himself stated in John 14:6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”   IGMOS would have you believe another lie, that Jesus is not what Jesus said that he was.  But, you know what?  There is evidence everywhere that Jesus was alive, that he was crucified, that he arose from the grave and that he ascended to Heaven.  And that presently He sits by His Father in Heaven. IGMOS and Communist would have you believe that we just happened, that there is no Creator, no Christ, no Savior, no Heaven and no Hell.  We just happened to evolve over millions of years of evolution.  The very idea of evolution is such an obvious lie that it takes a bona fide IGOM to believe it. That is about all I have to say about that right now. ~Adverse Yaw

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation. We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great-Britain is a history of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World. ~ The first 2 Paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. Has it ever been more necessary than it is this very minute? Look around and remember the blood letting that Freedom and Liberty have required thus far. Must there be more? Must we revolt? Or, shall we kowtow to the deceitful within our government. How long will so many of us Americans believe so much that just is not true? My heart weeps for my children who will be required to fight for each inch of freedom that they can get. Why does evil have to win so many battles? Why are so many of us susceptible to so many obvious lies? Do we want our cake and to eat too it so much that we turn our heads when deceitful politicians spout their lies? Can't the majority of us read the writing on the wall? Is there not a a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, underway at this very minute? What the heck are we waiting for? Call your Sheriff and file a complaint for someone that you know within our Government that has obviously violated his or her sacred oath. What if the President came to town and your Sheriff arrested him for treason? Would you stand by your Sheriff? Would you demand him to do his job?  Would you volunteer to be an armed deputy to protect him?  Are you a Patrick Henry or a Benedict Arnold?   Is liberty more important to you than death? Remember folks, "WE THE PEOPLE" are responsible for our Government officials. We elected them, we pay their salaries and they work for us. They all swore they would protect and defend the Constitution when they made their sacred oath. If they don't do so, they commit treason, and that's against the Constitution. The bottom line of law in America is the Constitution. Our jails and our prisons should be full of politicians who obviously violate their sacred oaths. Are there no Americans around with intestinal fortitude? Are we asleep at the wheel? I am extremely worried! Does anyone have any ideas? I'd like to hear them.

‘First things first’ is one of my rules for life.  That being said, I always start from the very beginning when I have a new student.  I will not accept a student until he or she has completed ground school, and has a recommendation from their ground school instructor. 

The first lesson is very important for the student.  It also gives me the opportunity to determine what kind of pilot this person will be.  After the student and I are formally introduced we retire to my office for the beginning of the first lesson.

I start by asking about what he or she thought about the ground school that they had just completed.  We discuss in detail the hands-on business of flying the airplane.  I go over the theory of flight, the three separate axis that the airplane moves around.  The dynamics of an airfoil and how the manipulations of the controls effect different airfoils associated with the airplane.  We discuss all the control surfaces that effect the flight, how they work and why.   We go over lift, gravity, roll, pitch and yaw, “P” factor, torque, adverse Yaw, slipping and skidding, drag and “g” forces. We talk about the rules and regulations, we talk about standard traffic patterns and non standard traffic patterns.  We talk about taxing, takeoff, climbing, level flight, and descending.  I describe in detail the different things that they will see and what to watch for in the different phases of flight.  I describe speed and power control.  I talk about how the wind will effect the ground track of the airplane while flying across country.  All of these things have already been discussed in detail in ground school, however, I go over them again with each new student.

My self-devised syllabus that I use on the first flight is one for familiarity.  It’s for the student to know and understand me. And it’s for, the student to start learning to fly the airplane.   

As we approach the airplane which is always tied down on the ramp, I take the opportunity for the student to look at the airplane from a distance away.  I ask if they can see any apparent damage.  Sometimes the forest can’t be seen for the trees being in the way. First thing we check as we approach the airplane is the fuel quantity.  Are we going to need to order fuel?  Second thing we check is the engine oil quantity.  Does it need any oil?  “These are things that can be accomplished by service personnel while we are completing the preflight inspection.” I tell them.  Most times the fuel and oil are already topped off.  From the Engine cowling we unhurriedly inspect the rest of the airplane.  We check the propeller for nicks, the leading edges of the left wing, the wing tip, the trailing edge of the wing, the ailerons, the flaps, then along the fuselage to empennage.  We check the condition of the leading edge of the horizontal and the vertical stabilizers, the elevators, the rudder, around to the trailing of the left wing, flaps and ailerons, left wing tip, and the leading edge.  We look at all static ports, static wicks and so on.  This may take 25 to 30 minutes as I try to impress upon the student the importance of a good preflight inspection.  “Sometimes the obvious is so obvious that we miss it completely.” I tell them.

Once the inspection of outside is complete.  I ask the student to climb into the pilot seat and while I am standing on the ground with the door open I continue with my monologue.  I talk about each of the controls that the pilot uses and how they work.  I describe in great detail each of the flight instruments.  We discuss the engine instruments, the fuel control lever, the throttle, the carb heat and the mixture control.  (I admit that I am good at this, and I cover everything.)   I describe each and every lever and switch that is used, how they are used and why.  “Nothing is there that doesn’t have a purpose, everything that is there is a way to control the outcome of each flight.  Each item has its own importance,” I tell them.

After I have covered everything I always ask them if they have any questions.  The vast majority of the students say that they don’t.  One or two of them may ask about something that has already been covered.   Most often the student may need to get something right in their mind.  When I re-explain it to them and when they seemed to be satisfied with their understanding we  continue.

More times than not they seemed to be satisfied and have no questions.  I continue my monologue something like this.

“Okay, I’m glad that you understand everything and that you have no questions.  Here is what I want you to do.  I’m going to close this door and back away, I want you to start up the engine and taxi over to the runway.”  I physically point to the end of the runway.  “Then, I want you to go ahead and takeoff and fly around the field a couple times then come in and land on the same runway.  Then taxi back here and we will discuss it.  Okay?”  I ask.

Most of them ask, “That’s all there is to it?

I answer, “Yep, that’s all there is to it.”

“Really?  That’s all there it to it?”  Some of them ask again.

I reply, “Yep, be careful now, okay?”

This is when I learn about the student and their ability or inability to think and to make good decisions.

SEVEN OUT OF TEN would attempt this if I would allow it.  I NEVER ALLOW THEM TO GO ANY FARTHER.  

My next statement to them is in the form of a question, “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?  Do you actually think that I would allow you to take the airplane by yourself and attempt to fly it alone?”  At this point I realize that decision-making is going to be an important part of this student’s training.  This is the only negative statement or question I have or make to the student ever again.  Everything else will be taught in a positive manor.  But I have learned a great deal about them and will instruct them accordingly.

Three out of ten will ask me if I am OUT OF MY MIND, and explain to me that there I no way that they will try to fly alone.

So what I have are three students out of ten who I can instruct, they will listen to me, they will learn rapidly, and I will allow them to fly solo and I will not worry about the outcome.

On the other hand, I have seven students who I will watch like a hawk.  Students who, for what ever reason, can’t make good decisions.  I will tell them over and over again about the dangers of flight, the hardness of terra firma, the finality of death.  I will express to them again and again that “Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous.  But that it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.  Thinking and the ability to think is paramount in learning how to fly safely.  Okay?” I say and ask.

Some of them will get it some of them will not.  Some of them will learn to fly safely, some will never fly alone.

Two things I refuse to do as a flight instructor.  First; I will not allow a student to fly solo until I am reasonably sure that they have the ability to think and that they can make good decisions.  Second; I will not allow a student to fly solo until they have successfully recovered from a spin.

I’ve been flying airplanes for more than forty-five years and I haven’t hurt anyone, nor to my knowledge have any of my students hurt anyone.   We may have dinged an airplane or two, but we haven’t caused any physical pain to anybody.  

~Lee Dee's Story as told by Adverse Yaw

   

     As I was reading the scripture below, I began to think of my earthly country, America.  America was originally a group of Christian men and women trying to remove themselves from the tyranny of the English Monarchy and trying to find a place where they could worship in freedom and liberty.   

     While reading the scripture below I mentally changed the singular pronouns to communal pronouns that would describe Christians who happened to be Americans.  I substituted; ‘our  for ‘my, ‘us for ‘me, ‘we for ‘I, and ‘ourselves for ‘myself.   If you take the time to read it that way you may see what I saw as I read.  Not only are the 1^st and 2^nd Amendments under attack, but Christians are being persecuted by those within our Government.  Things of liberty and freedom seem to be falling apart.

`

Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,     speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate,     and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me,     but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good,     and hatred for my love.

~Psalms 109:1-5  ESV

    

     We Christians who live in America should be calling upon Almighty God, and begging for His Divine intervention in the workings of our Society and our present Government.  Our Founding Fathers understood the need for faith in their daily lives; the vast majority of Americans who now live in the 21^st Century don’t have a clue. We Christians should be in continuous prayer for both the IGMOS within our Government and for those who elected them.  I can’t see any good thing taking place for America until the majority of Americans allow their eyes to be opened to the truth.   It seems to me that until the majority of Americans are focused on Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior the outlook is very grim.

~Comments by Adverse Yaw

 

The tiny word ‘IF’ seems more powerful than other conjunctions, because it provokes thought and imagination. Songs like; If I were a Carpenter or If I were a Rich Man cause one to think, 'what if.' I was thinking this morning what if. If I were a black man, would I be more disappointed in the behavior of President Obama than I am as a white man? Although, the color of ones skin has little to do with the color of their soul and their heart people still associate many things with skin color. Chris Rock has made millions using the ‘N’ word. The word itself doesn’t make one iota of difference in anyone or about anyone, but it is most derogatory and most people are offended by the sound of it. I personally don’t like the way it sounds. A Mexican friend once told me that there are Jokes that are only funny when told in Spanish to another Mexican. When told in English they lose their humor. He went on to tell me that a gringo wouldn’t understand them anyway.   I believe that his statement was true. I know of jokes about different races of people that are only funny to white people who were born and raised in the South. Yes, some of them are about black people and are funny, but would not have the least bit of humor for a black person. Black people share the same sort humor with each other about white folks. Whichever direction they flow many of the jokes have absolutely no hate or prejudice within them. Some jokes can cross the race line and be shared with different races from one to another. Some of the funniest humor is the humor that causes us to laugh at ourselves. Hateful stories that are supposed to be funny, but are not, are normally told by ignorant people that are desperate for self-aggrandizement. Most people who participate in this sort of warped humor are very unhappy. They deserve our pity. The question remains; If I were a black man, would I be more disappointed in the behavior of the President than I am now? What do you think?

When we are totally exasperated, depressed and afraid. How do we regain the feelings of safety, peace and security?  What can we do to climb out of this deep and slimy pit?  Is there anything that can be done?   Do we struggle for one step forward and slide two or three steps back?  Are we to a point of giving up, totally succumbing to death?  Looking forward to the end of this life?