Points to Ponder in Our Day and Time!

 Each morning I see newspaper clippings on my desk from Jim.  He likes to put funny cartoons that he knows will resonate with me as they have with him.  Of late he has been clipping more than usual and MORE than usual; like lots of political things, local news along with the funnies!  This morning this article appeared in our local paper and I thought it was so good I wanted to share it in its entirety.  This article was written by Thomas Sowell, a senior fellow at Hoover Institute, at Stanford University.   I will quote it with my own emphasis in red.  The article is entitled Offering Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene, published in the San Jose Mercury and Contra Costa Times on October 19, 2012.

"Here are some random thoughts on the passing scene: 

 Not since the days of slavery have there been so many people who feel entitled to what other people have produced as there are in the modern welfare state, whether in Western Europe or on this side of the Atlantic.

Economist Edward Lazear has cut through all of Barack Obama's claims about "creating jobs" with one plain and inescapable fact -- "there hasn't been one day during the entire Obama presidency when as many Americans were working as on the day President George W. Bush left office." Whatever number of jobs were created during the Obama administration, more have been lost.

How are children supposed to learn to act like adults, when so much of what they see on television shows adults acting like children?

The know-it-all smirks and condescending laughs of Vice President Joe Biden, when Congressman Paul Ryan was speaking during their debate, were a little much from an administration presiding over economic woes at home and disasters overseas -- and being caught in lies about both.

Like Barack Obama, Joe Biden has all the clever tricks of a politician and none of the wisdom of a statesman.

If you truly believe in the brotherhood of man, then you must believe that blacks are just as capable of being racists as whites are.

One of the most foolish, and most dangerous, things one can do is to take love for granted, instead of nurturing it and safeguarding it as the prize jewel of one's life.

Whenever you hear people talking about ''a living Constitution," almost invariably they are people who are in the process of slowly killing it by ''interpreting" its restrictions on government out of existence.

Do either Barack Obama or his followers have any idea how many countries during the 20th century set out to ''spread the wealth" -- and ended up spreading poverty instead? At some point, you have to turn from rhetoric, theories and ideologies to facts. 

I am so old that I can remember when liberals were liberal -- instead of being intolerant of anything and anybody that is not politically correct. 

Whatever happened to Julie Banderas of the Fox News Channel? She had brains, looks, wit and personality. Has she met with foul play? Or has some zillionaire married her and taken her off to his own private island?

The question to be asked of people in the media, and that they should ask themselves, should be: "Is your first loyalty to your audience or to your ideology?" The same question should be asked of educators, especially those who see themselves as "agents of social change," even though that is not the job description under which they have been hired and paid.

People who complain about "negative" campaign ads miss the point. It is perfectly legitimate to criticize your opponent. The question is whether the ads are about serious things that matter to the future of this country, and whether they are telling the truth or lying.

If you believe Barack Obama and others who oppose what they call "tax cuts for the rich," you might want to consider what the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said: "You are entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts." If you want to see some documented facts about tax rates and tax revenues, there is a box titled "Tax Cuts" on my website (www.tsowell.com). Click on it. 

In baseball, switch hitters are said to have an advantage. But the highest lifetime batting average by a switch hitter (.319 by Frankie Frisch) is more than 30 points lower than the highest batting average for either left-handed hitters or right-handed hitters. The highest batting average in a season by a switch hitter (.365 by Mickey Mantle) is more than 50 points lower.

I have never known a word to become absolute dogma, without a speck of evidence, the way "diversity" has."

Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University

They pretty much were random thoughts but all of them pretty thought provoking!

***************

Yesterday I pretty much hit my wall with all the lies, the nonsense and the rhetoric.  The only thing that saved the day was the respectful way Ann Romney was treated on The View.  She prepared so well on all the controversial issues which were brought up for sure.  But she was witty and eloquent and comfortable in her own skin and that was beautiful to see.  Surprisingly she was not confronted in the usual way and there was no arguing with her...none!  Thankfully it was not your typical View fare!  She looked and acted every bit The First Lady of the United States of America....and they knew it.



In the end it comes down to the records, the principles, and the character of your candidate.  And I am feeling a little like the Ellie below...let's just get it done and and get it over with soon.  One more debate and then on to the polls for some housecleaning.

 This is a bit like riding a terrifying ride at the midway.  It is fast and exciting and anxiety-producing, frightening, exhilarating and exhausting.  And maybe it's a little like watching a horror movie.  You throw your hands over your eyes because you don't want to watch. But you cannot help peeking out between your fingers just a little...as you hold your breath... hoping for what is right to happen by a landslide! 

---

I get a lot of gray hair during the years we elect a new President.  Love/Hate it!

Sports, Politics, Honesty, Loyality and the Like

 

OK, I have to admit neither Jim nor I are into sports that much.  For me this is a complete backlash from my childhood.  I think every conversation I ever had with my Dad or brothers (in those days) had some game playing on the radio or TV in the background.  The fact that they were looking at the screen 80% of the time didn't enhance the communication levels much either.  They were fanatics.  It didn't matter what kind of ball it was, it was the focal point of everyday.  Baseball, football, basketball, golf, bowling, whatever.  Ugh.

The only sport I enjoyed watching as a student was basketball.  I enjoyed playing that and can still beat a lot of people in that sport with my free throws.  I might add it has knocked the socks of some unsuspecting people like our grandson, Ross, much to his chagrin and Grampa's delight.  I also played a lot of volleyball in school.  And as young marrieds we went to several Giants games in San Francisco and that was fun.  But as I kid, during the World Series or the Rose Bowl, I could have run away from home and gotten to Nevada before I was missed.  My Mom and I were utterly defenseless when it came to a ball.  So that definitely put a damper on my sports enthusiasm.

For Jim, I think his lack of interest stems from all the other things that fill up his time.  More often than not, we are on our way to the Super Bowl Party hosted by one of my brothers and have absolutely no clue who is even playing.  Yeah, it's pretty bad.  Thank heavens for mobile devices and Google on the fly, to help us appear a little more enthused.   There is one exception to our disinterest in sports.  We do love the Olympics.  But once every four years hardly denotes a sports enthusiast.  When Jim was young he wrestled and did track but didn't play a lot of other sports.  He was the exemplary Dad though and muscled through coaching little league and attended all the kids games through out their growing up years.  Me too.  But at the end of the day...we are just not that connected to any kind of a ball.

In fact, many times during my adult life I have been curious about the sporting arena.  I have seen  grown men cry when their teams lose, demonstrating extreme loyalty.  I have seen people I worked with bet lots of money and mostly lose it on pro games.  I have seen fights break out over games in places where fighting is not appropriate in the least, like cultural halls in meeting houses.  I have seen reasonable parents make complete idiots of themselves at ball fields where their child in a player.  I guess we all have.  I guess that all falls into the realm of the natural man and /or woman.  In that respect I get it.

There is one aspect of some fans that I do not really understand though.  When their favorite team is a winner their loyalty is intact.  However when they lose...hmm, not so much.  Some sports fans can be so fickle.  Not everyone can be a winner, right?  Just sayin'.

You are probably thinking at this point what has this to do with politics?  Well, just last week I was saying to my friend that when I get involved in politics it gives me a big insight into sports and how fanatical fans feel.  If I let myself, I can get totally swept away in the Presidential Election years.  I wrote a post about this that is found here.  I said how tired I was about the media slant and how it is just so annoying.

Well, some interesting things have happened to restore some of my non-existent faith in the media since the first Presidential Debate on October 3rd.  I have actually noticed that some diehards have had to admit their man failed miserably in that debate.  Some hemmed and hawed and said it was a draw, but for the most part I saw honesty in their reactions.  Now that was refreshing.  I don't think I have ever written something with 'media' and 'refreshing' in the same sentence before.

Of course there are the people that are loyal to their man no matter what, like a sports fan and that is to be expected.   And there are others who are fickle and just want to be on the winning team.
And there are some that are open and even change their minds, even doing an about face.  I like to think that they have learned or discovered something new.   I fear the media does such a number on so many of us that it is good to see people look at another point of view that is based on their own viewing of a debate.  We need more live viewings of political things like we have Monday Night Football where there is no time or space for editing or the media bias to creep in.

This reaction is brought about by our past experience with slanted reporting and unethical journalism.  But I have liked the more honest responses to the debates in the press.  Although the skeptic in me is hesitant, I am trying to be optimistic about a hopeful change in a medium that has been going south for a long, long time.  It is nice to just have the story reported without so much subjectivity.  After all isn't that their job?  Of course when they are discussing it in their our parlors they are as entitled to their opinions as  the rest of us.  However, when reporting the news as professionals I like them to stick to the facts.  That would be totally refreshing.  That is loyalty to ethical journalism.  Perhaps it is a little too Polyanna-ish but I sure would love to see it.

The correlation between sports and politics are good but they also differ in many ways. Sports are entertainment and have little long term effects on our daily lives.  Although politics can be entertaining, the long term effects are pretty real.

I thought this one was pretty funny 

and entertaining from the VP Debate

The way the sports announcer does a call by call during a sporting event, is how I would like to see things in the political arena relayed in the media.  Our only opportunity to see the real candidates is live.  That leaves the debates for most of us who cannot follow politicians around in person making personal observations.  Seeing them live guarantees they are not being edited to fit someone else's political hopes, special interests or agenda.  In the best of all worlds, we should to be able to rely on the truth as we receive it on media reported events.  Short of that, it seems to require an endless amount of research into every nook and cranny of the public records in hopes of finding something to base intelligent decisions upon.  The rhetoric and campaign propaganda spots on TV just don't cut it.  It all comes down to loyalty and ethics and honesty and trust and being responsible.  Sadly, we find our world spiraling downward and away from these things.

But just this week I felt a little glimmer of hope when I saw people telling it like it really was during that first debate.  But then again, it was just like a sporting event in that is was a live broadcast.  It is hard to call a touchdown when it clearly wasn't. 

General Conference Oct. 2012

This is a beautiful talk about  of Love and Commitment to the Savior, by Jeffrey R. Holland from Sunday Morning at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A Word For Our Grandchildren~Girls & Boys

The Beauty of A Woman

 

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,  

the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

 The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes,

 because that is the doorway to her heart - 

the place where love resides.” 

Author: Unknown

Follow The Prophet!  
He is a wise man!

Conference On The Go!

The Beautiful, 21,000 Seat, 

 Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

Twice a year on the first weekend of April and October The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a worldwide General Conference in Salt Lake City.  During these weekends there are four two hour sessions that are broadcast via satellite and then carried throughout the world for the 14 million members to enjoy.  Many received it live.  During these meetings we have our General Authorities or top Church leaders speak to us on various principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This Conference is also viewed by many people that are not members of the Church via various cable companies. You may have even run across it yourself while remote surfing. 

Technology has allowed this to be viewed by the members in their homes via TV or computer streaming, in our meeting houses or in person.  We love to go in person but it is hard to get tickets and always so crowded with every seat filled in most cases.  The Conference is also available via the radio airwaves.  This year Jim decided to download the App for KSL radio on to his iPhone, then send the Conference via a cassette tape to our car radio.  Voila, Conference on the go!   Also in less than a week all the talks will be available via text or video on lds.org.  It is just amazing how far technology has brought us.  The days of sideband radios and cramming into the chapels, to view it via the dish or having to wait for the Ensign to be published to read it, are either completely gone or fading.

Everyone enjoys Conference in their own special way.  Lots of family traditions are set on how one might do it.  There are two hours between the Conference sessions which allow families to have lunch in between, nap or rest, or have guests over for a special meal or whatever.  We have tried all kinds of things.  What we have fallen into the last few years is watching at home via streaming on Saturday and getting dressed up and going to the chapel on Sundays.  It would usually be us, the guy running the broadcast via satellite, a few other people that don't have cable TV like us and every missionary in the area.

The point is everyone has a way that they like to spend these two weekends per year and which ever way you do it, it is a wonderful unifying experience for members of the Church.  We look forward to hearing the uplifting, inspiring and edifying messages our leaders have prepared for us about the Savior and his teachings.  One of our personal favorite things to do is just stop and think about all the wonderful LDS people we know and love and visualize us all sitting and listening to the same wonderful messages at the same time.  It is almost like being at a reunion, even though we may be separated by hundreds, even thousands of miles.  For those few hours we feel closer to you all.

Our first thought this morning was to go to San Francisco and find a nice, quiet, out of the way place to listen to the Conference.   Then Jim remembered it was Fleet Week soooo, that meant staying far away from the crowds and traffic jams in the City.  So we decided to go towards Napa and Mendocino and look at the beautiful vineyards and quaint little shops and gorgeous homes in that area.  Since we are going out to dinner tonight we decided to bring our usual picnic for dashboard dining.  Here are a few of our pictures of what we saw and did during the break between sessions.
 

Yountville's 1870.  It is a brick warehouse with lots of

 fun shops and art galleries and is

nestled in the heart of the wine country.

         

Jim and his new girl!

Cool Window

Beautiful shops and wares

I like this saying, we might have to put in up

 on the soffit above the stove, cabinets and sink.
I need a saying about garlic too!

 

Jim said I needed a photo with this pumpkin??

The Colors!  The Copper!

Lime Tree just achin' for a photo! 
Gorgeous and so healthy looking!

Have I told you lately that I adore Autumn?

Simply Stunning!

Gelato~yep, we ate dessert before lunch!  

Grown-ups can do that right?

As connoisseurs we decided it's pretty close
To the real deal! 

We drove around a bit and enjoyed the vineyards 

and the vineyard mansions.  The next thing we knew 

it was almost time for the second session of Conference.

We found a lovely grove of shade trees
 right across from this vineyard,
opened the windows and the hatch and 
soaked it all in.  The inspiration of our leaders,
the beautiful and peaceful surroundings,
 the fresh air, the quiet, 
a shared uninterrupted moment we thoroughly enjoyed
and won't forget any time soon. 

As we were heading back home Jim said, "So where shall we go tomorrow?"  We may be packing another lunch and heading to Colma to the Italian Cemetery for some solitude, a quiet place to listen to the Conference sessions again and to visit a little baby that died in 1908 that we have grown to love.  Pietro was Jim's grandmother's little brother.  He lived only 8 days.  He is not buried by any of the family so we like to visit him once in awhile.  The only difference is we won't be shopping around since it's Sunday but we count that as a good thing.  Yep, we might just do that.

 If you are LDS, what did you do for your special Conference Saturday?  I know that the Saturday night session is a special time for fathers and sons.  Our son, Chris, and his oldest son, Connor, got to go to the Conference Center in Salt Lake.  Their ward only got two tickets and they got them.  They were really excited about it.  We just love Conference and look forward to seeing all the talks again via lds.org in a few days.  Oh, and the music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is amazing too and brings such a sweet spirit to the whole weekend.  We can hardly wait for tomorrow!


Below you will find one of the quote from the Conference today.  Mormon is a nickname for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  You can just substitute Christian for Mormon, as Christ is the center of our religion and beliefs.

Sister Ann Dibbs
Young Women's General Presidency
2nd Counselor

Let Him Heal Your Heart

I heard this this morning and thought perhaps we might need this for some reason today.  I hope you like it, my friends. Comfort for all our struggles are found here...only here.  ♥ YOU,  Bonnie

Here is the link for those of you receiving the posts via email subscription.

http://youtu.be/j2Ll28f60f4

Mitt Romney Is My Choice

 

How is it that Presidential Election years come around so quickly?   How fortunate we are as Americans to be able to cast a vote for the candidate of our choice.  This is an exciting and wonderful liberty that we enjoy.  But somehow I always find that Election years stir a little something irritating within me. Politics just really annoy me on so many levels.  Politics and the media are a bad combination.  Ethical journalism seems to be absent in our society.  I am sick of the slant.

 I really abhor politicians that lack morality and good judgement.   I am appalled when reading about the lascivious behavior of people in the public eye with political power.  I am sick to death of their reckless spending and unmonitored expense accounts and irresponsibility and incredible waste.  I am tired of the rhetoric, the falsehoods and the out and out lies. And all the empty promises~spare me.

Adding insult to injury, all this happens at our expense, affecting our wallets and our piece of mind and everything in between. The wave of entitlement in this country is down right frightening.  The problems go much deeper than the squabbling between Republicans and Democrats.  These serious societal issues must be dealt with before it is too late.  The challenges of unemployment, the housing situation and tanking economy, welfare, the outsourcing, the trade agreements, the foreign policy, the education system, health care, rising crime rates and terrorism are beyond troubling. I could go on ad infinitum, we all could.  Are there any among us that don't want things to get better?  I don't think so. The solutions are very complex but one thing I know for sure.  It starts with the self-governance of the individual and the cohesiveness of good, value-based, nuclear families.

I have been voting in Presidential elections since I was 21.  Most of the elections have been trying to chose between the best of two bad choices.  This time is different.  To me the choice could not be more clear.  I am proud to stand up and say I am voting for Mitt Romney.  Barack Obama has not kept any of his promises to my knowledge.  Things are not better but rather they are worse.  The hope he spoke of has been dashed.  This has nothing to do with being a liberal or a conservation thinker.  I think we are all in favor of good change.  The proof is in the pudding.  His way is not working and he needs to be replaced.

I am not so naive as to think that one man is totally responsible for the current situation and climate in this country,  not Bush and not Obama.  Nor do I think one man can make a 180 degree difference in all of our problem areas in four years.  Quite frankly, I admire any person who decides to run for President of the United States because whomever they are, they will be hated by millions by the time they are done.  But I want to see some integrity in the promises made during the campaign and I do not want to see the complete opposite of what was espoused just 4 years later.

The candidates have the disadvantage of living under a microscope.  Every word, every move, every gaffe, every video, every everything is at our fingertips now.  It is disheartening to go back and listen to the words Obama spoke four years ago, realizing nothing has improved and he is saying the same things almost verbatim again.  Really?

Bottom line is I want someone in the white House that we can trust.  For me that is Mitt Romney.  His record of economic success and public economic recovery is self-evident.  I believe him to be a patriotic man with the country's best interests at heart.  His records both financial and personal are impeccable and have been made public.  I don't know either candidate personally, but I do know a lot about Mitt Romney and what he believes. He is a builder and I like that about him.

I know you may be thinking, "She is probably voting for Mitt because he is a Latter-day Saint and so is she."  Well, I simply wouldn't do that.  There are none perfect among us and there is no stereotypic Mormon either.  But the fact that is he is LDS and that the doctrine of Jesus Christ is a part of him is something that helps me make an informed choice.  I know enough about him because of the mission he served, his family life and his church callings to know he is a man who lives his religion with honor.  I also know that the opponents and media have dug as deeply as they possibly could to find the flaw and they came up with nothing.  So for me the choice is clear.  I do not vote for him because he is a Mormon but it is definitely a factor because I know what that means. I am a Mormon and have studied the doctrine for 35 years, so in a sense I do know him. 

Now Barack Obama on the other hand, all I really know about him is what the media wants me to know.  Ironically, the media which blatantly favors him, has not really done him any favors in the long run.  By rushing to be first to publish any lead story whether true or false, they have unwittingly managed to raise doubts in my mind about the integrity of the man. The hidden records about everything, his birth, his law degree records, his alias as a child, his Christian/not Christian affiliations, his big changes in his thinking for political gain, and his alleged refusal to salute the American flag...all these things are things I do not want to think about and worry or wonder about anymore.   The character of a man is something we can do nothing about.  And when we only have the media to go on it makes it tough.   I am sure Mitt is not perfect and I am also sure there are many good qualities in Obama.  I chose to take the high road on the things I do not know for sure. 

 But the things that I cannot abide politically are the things that have gone downhill under Obama's leadership when I see families around us losing their homes and out of work and gas going for $4.50 a gallon in our area.   The cost of groceries is terrible and the basics are not available to many because of the economy and poor leadership and an ineffective legislature.  That we can actually do something about by voting on November 6th.

Our Flag

One more thought on all of this.  This campaign has been particularly divisive among families and friends.  Civility has been tossed aside in some cases.  I find that incredibly sad.  The Black/Mormon issues, the Liberal/Conservative issues, and all the rest of it have really polarized people.  I don't claim to know it all, and I won't argue my points or choices with anyone.  But it does make me sad to think that as intelligent human beings we cannot honor another's right to have a differing viewpoint and that we cannot be OK with that and often feel a need to hurt others and be cruel about it.  The ideals of a country that is free and united do not support that type of behavior.

I trust you will think for yourself and make your own informed choice.  And I'd like to think you will allow me the same.  Nothing I have said in this post is meant to change anyone else's mind.   These are just my thoughts for today as we approach the debates this month, may we all be open to continually learning and choosing wisely.  The next four years depend on responsible choices on every level of government.  Let's exercise our right to make a difference in November.