Mechanic Tip of the week …. archives

Mechanic Tip of the week….
This week is about warpage. There are a few items on your bike such as the cylinder head, case halves, clutch plates or rear brake disc that needs to be checked for warpage when you work on them. My shop has an expensive machinist flatness plate but you can get excellent results at home. Window glass is very flat if you do not see any distortion when you look through a window you can count on that piece of glass being flat enough to check your bike parts. Might want to do this when the wife is not home as she might not understand why you are holding a engine case up against the window with one hand and a feeler gauge in the other.

Mechanic Tip of the week.

One thing all of the new 4T motocross bikes have in common is a quick access valve cover with a reusable gasket. There is a good reason the manufactures made it very easy to check your valve clearance. They want you to check it regularly ! Once your gas tank is off the valve clearance check only takes a couple of minutes. But what does the measurement tell you? It lets yo
u identify which valve is getting tight then after you are ready to replace the second smaller shim for that valve its time to send your head to Pro Circuit to have them restore your head. How often to check? If you ride a 250F on the rev limiter check every 7 hours. Where as a beginner putting about on a 450F every 30 hours or so should work. Whatever your interval is, the important thing to remember is a valve failure in your bike could be very $$$$ expensive to repair and if it happens on the face of a jump it could cost your life.

Mechanic advice tip of the week. (2 items this week)
For Woodland Motocross Park and Riverdale use an air filter skin. and change your filter every ride. The filter skin adds a layer of protection as the fine ash and silt will try to ruin your cylinders nikasil coating very quickly.
Tip 2 increase the frequency of your linkage and steering head lube schedule. The summer time 25 to 30 rides between lubes should be reduced to less then 15 rides between lubes at Woodland and Riverdale.

Mechanic tip of the week….
Isn’t it great that the manufactures have a quick access cover for changing clutches between motos. The steel clutch plates in your bike are cut out in a stamping press so one side of them has a radius edge and one side has a sharp edge. If you place all the radius edges facing inward toward the center of your engine the clutch will engage faster and smoother.

Mechanic Tip of the week.
If you left your MX bike tied down in your vehicle every second you were not riding it. It would not take long for your fork springs to get sacked out. The same is true with your valve springs. If you store your bike when the engine is not on the compression stroke at least a couple of valve springs are being compressed for days at a time. So at the end of your riding day slowly push down on your kick start lever until you feel the compression stroke and stop. In this position your valve springs are fully extended and should last longer.

Mechanic tip of the week….
This week Snap rings, circlips and retaining rings. What could we possibly need to know about this stamped out piece of steal? Believe it or not there is a load side and a keeper side to these rings. When a snap ring is made a die cuts it out of a sheet of metal. As the die strikes the metal it leaves a slightly rounded edge. a new die would leave a pretty good edge and a worn die will leave a very rounded edge. When you install a snap ring place the rounded edge against the load so the sharp edge is on the outside of the load to get the best grip on the shaft or bore to keep from slipping. If both side are good and sharp and one side has a smoother finish place that side against the load. I am a firm believer in replacing snap rings with new especially with transmissions.

Mechanic Tip of the week…
Modern gasoline goes stale fast. How fast you ask?  In a highly scientific controlled laboratory A.K.A the shop.  Draining carburetor float bowels after only 3 days one can see the tiniest hint of the fuel starting to turn yellow.  Why is this important?  From that point until the gas turns into a solid crust goo that clogs your carb is only a matter of time.  If you are not going to ride your bike for more then 1 month drain the carburetor and the gas tank completely. Use the gas in your car, lawn mower, or leaf blower . But I have a fuel injected bike you say. For you fill up your tank  with non ethanol fuel if you can find it and add in a product called Sta-bil. Once every 3 weeks go into your garage and start your fuel infected bike to keep the fuel moving past the filters and injector while its in storage. When you take your bike out of its winter hibernation drain all the gas and put in fresh. Your bike will not be happy running that several  months old gas with Sta bil but your lawn mower will use it just fine.

Mechanic Tip of the week……
Your wife may not agree but a much better use for a hair dryer on a cold day is to warm up a tire before mounting it on a rim. Usually you will need to warm up a tire twice during a tire change when it is cold out. A warm tire is significantly easier to mount as the rubber becomes more pliable.

Mechanic Tip of the week…..
When you need to open up your engine to check your valves or put in a fresh piston or any other reason. One will always find bits of dirt in the wire harness and cables under the tank. Murphy will ensure that dirt will fall into your engine and do expensive damage. It only takes a minute to put a bit of Glad wrap around the area and protect your engine while you are working on it.

Mechanic Tip of the week… .
O rings and Seals
Of all the new parts you put on your bike O rings and seals are certainly high on the list of things are easily damaged during installation. Most of the carnage these seals see is from sharp edges and installation techniques. Here are the tricks to install new o rings and seals.
First inspect the shaft or bore that the seal is going to be installed on. Buff out any burrs or sharp edges. For shafts with a raised step the seal has to climb over to get into
position use a bit of electrical tape wrapped around the step to protect the seal. If a seal has to pass over threads use tape there also.
Second lubricate the seal with the same fluid that the seal will be used with or a compatible seal grease.
Third if it is cold in your shop use a hair dryer to warm the seal.
Last gently install the seal do not force it. Try to install it without tools, if you have to use tools be sure they don’t have any sharp edges. For Fork seals use a seal bullet to protect the seal and buff out any sharp edges on the oil transfer holes near the top of the slider.

Mechanic Tip of the week….
This week is about warpage. There are a few items on your bike such as the cylinder head, case halves, clutch plates or rear brake disc that should be checked for warpage when you work on them. My shop has an expensive machinist flatness plate, However you can get excellent results at home without the expense. Window glass is very flat if you do not see any distortion when you look through a window you can count on that piece of glass being flat enough to check your bike parts. Might want to do this when the wife is not home as she might not understand why you are holding a engine case up against the window with one hand and a feeler gauge in the other

Mechanic Tip of the week….
Wet or dry ? No not your martini we are talking about your bike’s hardware. The bolts and screws that hold your bike together. Most of the time the correct answer is wet. What is wet hardware? you say. Most of the hardware on your bike is made from a steel alloy. It usuallys threads into an aluminum part. Aluminum and steel don’t play well together when it comes to disimiler metal corrosion. You may have seen this when you have removed a case bolt and found it covered/caked up in a white powder. To install a bolt or screw wet is simple one puts a bit of blue loc-tite on the treads and a bit of grease on the shank and thread it home. If you are installing a bolt into a nut the is held in place by a plastic part such as your airbox or gas tank or lower radiatior shroud coat the shank and threads with grease or a anti-sieze lubricant. So what hardware should you keep dry? Any bolt or screw in which a electrical bond must be of good quality or any bolt you remove every ride, such as yur seat bolts which access your air filter.

Mechanic Tip of the week….
This week lets talk about whacking things with a hammer. When you go to the tool store one sees that most punch sets are made from hardened steel. These are really not the best choice for most things that need to be beaten on your bike. Using a steel punch can often do a lot of damage. A much better choice is to go to a quality hardware store such as Ace and buy some brass rod in a couple different diameters. Brass makes a fine drift and reduces the amount of damage you can do with it. As always be sure to wear eye protection when whacking things with a hammer.

Mechanic Tip of the week….
Ever watch a movie and a bomb is thicking down the time till it explodes then the hero comes in and disarms it at the last second. Racing engines are just like that. The are ticking time bombs, both 2 and 4 strokes. The 2 strokes just do less damage to your wallet when they blow. Racing engines have a finite life and you can be the hero that keeps them from devistating your bank account. But like in the movies you need to have a timer know how much time you have. That timer is an hour meter. You see them on a lot of bikes in the pits, you need one too. By knowing how much time your engine has on it you can make good decisions to greatly reduce the risk of it from blowing up. This link has a suggested time based maintenance recomendations which may fit your racing profile. https://isobareng.wordpress.com/motocross-service-intervals/

Mechanic Tip of the week….
The bike that is going to win this weekend at your race will almost certainly have all the parts put back on it in the proper place without any left on the work bench. Here are 4 easy ways for you to do the same. (win that is !!!)
#1 raid your wife’s cabinet and relocate to your shop a large cupcake pan or better yet one of the type for baking multiple mini loaves of bread. with a bit of tape you can label it just like the picture and organize your parts as you remove them.
#2 The screws holding your case halfs together are often of different lengths and one can do some expensive damage putting a long case screw into a short hole. Simply take a piece of cardboard and a marker draw out a basic diagram and using an awl punch out holes in the cardboard and place each screw in its representative spot.
#3 Get a sharpie and mark parts that have a left or a right side such as as bolt that may have a clearance issue if put in with the head on the wrong side.
#4 before you take something apart take a picture of it. That way you will see exactly where the proper cable runs are or shim stack ups when you put it back together.

Mechanic Tip of the week….
Just 1 minute. That’s it, 60 easy seconds. Your bike is asking just one additional minute of your time. What can I do in just 1 minute? You can do a quick check of all of the bearings on your bike that are not part of your engine. With your bike on a stand and both tires off the ground, secured so it will not fall over.
Here is how to do a quick check of your bearings.
1. To check your front and rear wheel bearings. Do this, Place one hand on your frame or handle bars and the other at the 12:00 position on your tire gently push and pull the wheel sideways while looking at the hub where the axle enters it. Even the tiniest bit of up or down movement at this point is a sign of a worn out bearing.
2. Next slowly rotate your wheel and feel for any unusual drag not associated
with your brakes. Any notchy feeling is grounds for a bearing replacement.
3. To do a quick check on your rear suspension linkage. Start with your chest over your rear fender and use both hands to grip your rear wheel at the 12:00 position. Gently lift the wheel upward if you feel any movement before your shock starts to compress you may have worn linkage or shock bearings.
4. Now place your hand on your back tire at the aft end at the 3:00 position try to move it side to side and watch for any movement at the swing-arm.
5. Next its time to look at the front end.. Position yourself in front of your bike and grab the bottom of both fork legs and pull them toward you. You can feel 2 different items here the bushings inside your forks and the bearings in the steering head. You should be able to discern which if any of these is providing any movement felt. If you need to, have someone pull on the bottom of the fork legs while you place a finger alongside the bearings to feel for any movement. be sure not to turn your handle bars when your fingers are next to the bearings or you can get a nasty pinched finger. Next with your fingers out of the way slowly turn your handle bars side to side any notchyness is a sign of worn bearings.
If you are ever unsure of how any of these items should feel to you, simply swing by your dealers showroom and do the same test on a new bike. Hay it only takes a minute.

Tip of the week.

I bet your familiar with the law of gravity and maybe a few other laws from physics class. But this weeks tip is about Murphy’s law. Discovered in 1942 the great Murphy discovered that if one leaves an opening into your engine while you are working on it. Something that can hurt it will defy all odds of falling anywhere else besides into your engine. To combat this natural attraction be sure to clean the area above before opening up an access to your engine and then cover that opening with a plug, cap, tin foil, plastic bag or anything else that will keep out what will surely complete Murphy’s equation of “That which will happen will make your wallet bare” As an example there is always dirt that hides in the wire bundles along the frame above your valve cover. I like to take some tin foil and wrap the area around the wires and frame before I pull off the valve cover to keep the dirt out.

I just want to ride my bike.

I just want to ride my bike.

So how busy are you these days???

One thing is for sure, we Americans have taken being busy to a level that is
beyond sane.
We rush, hurry, rob time from one thing for another. cut corners and cut sleep.
Look at who suffers. Family, friends, pets and one other thing…… your bike.
There is no magic wand in here that will have your boss cut down on your
overtime or the long list of obligations you are saddled with. But maybe you
just might convert some pain in the butt chore time into recovery time.
What if you could get an hour or two all to yourself, no one bugging you to do
this or to do that.
Your own privet time, man cave time. Just you and your bike.

I used to look at getting my bike ready for a weekend race to be all chore.
Something to rush through.
Each week it was the same thing. Try to pry away just enough time to get the
bike ready.Rush through it and deal with the rest at the track.
Something had to change if this racing habit was going to keep moving forward
as this hassle was taking some fun out of racing.
It was time for a few tweaks and a perspective change.

The change of perspective came with getting comfortable enough in the shop to
make it pleasurable to hang out in. Somewhere that I can escape to and get away
from the daily chaos. That precious hour or two to be off-line, alone and slow
down.

First was a comfort change. being hunched over tinkering on the bike was a pain
in the back literally.
Its a motocross bike it should be naturally in the air, so along came a Harbor
Freight bike lift.
For the cost of a piston kit the bike is now at any height one would want. No
more hunched over. no more sore back while spinning wrenches.
To make the deal even better this lift was made in the good old USA. rare for
Harbor Freight.
There are several options for raising your bike, you could even build a stand
out of wood.
Whatever you use back it up with tie downs so no one gets a bike tipped over on
them.

Next was temperature control , A fan worked for me here in the Pacific
Northwest but in other parts of the country on those hot days getting some air
conditioning into your shop would be worth every penny. Could be as simple as
leaving the door open between the house and the shop. A small window air
condition unit might also work.
Staying warm is another issue where you need to look into a heat source that is
safe around gasoline and solvents. Some brands of inferred or electric radiant
heat might be rated to be used in shop environments.
Whatever method you use to control the temp from leaving the house door open
to the shop or something more direct. just keep in mind the need to be fire
safe with fuel and solvent vapors that could be ignited by a source in your
shop or in the house.

Music was next on the list. I found an old boom box that still had great sound
and soon had it wired up on a shelf. You might want to try a different style of
music in your shop then what you would listen to during your work day. That
contrast could make a huge difference in recharging your personal batteries.

A trip to the hardware store brought in some better lighting and a storage
shelf. Now I could at least see what I was tripping over, more shelves are
coming in the future.

An old bar stool was added. Sitting down while you work on a part really helps
in relaxing. I can sit, enjoy some music and perform a chore like cleaning a
gasket off a part and it seems more relaxing then standing and doing the same
task in silence.
The shop was getting to the point where one could hang out now. The bar stool
was a nice touch when you sit its easy to exhale and slow down. finally I could
start to enjoy some tinkering time to get my bike ready.

It didn’t take long before the cell phone became an enemy and was vanquished to
stay in the house. My wife knows I need some privet time to recharge and she
does her best to let me have that precious hour or two. The shop time has
become a recharging time from a busy day. Not only that but my bike was getting
in better shape for racing each week. Better bike prep can make for better
finishes.

Time went on and upgrades were added to the shop. A work bench was next. A
homemade tall one that fit the bar stool. A vice was added to the work bench
with soft jaws to hold suspension parts. A 20 ton press to remove bearings, peg
boards for tools and a air compressor, The little things to make tasks easier.

Cleaning engine and linkage parts was still a chore. Parts washers work good
but the solvent gets dirty fast and then there is the disposal issue for 20
plus gallons of dirty solvent that is a pain. The answer that worked was a
large automotive metal drip pan. You have may have seen them. They are about 2
feet wide by 4 feet long rectangle shape about half inch deep. This large drip
pan was screwed to the top of an old table. Drill a hole in the center big
enough for a funnel to fit in. An automotive oil change container under the
hole to collect the stuff you clean finishes it off. Be sure to check it once
in a while to see when it gets full. By using a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
and a couple of cans of brake cleaner most parts can be cleaned and the small
amount of left over fluid is easier to meet disposal regulations. Still a chore
but easier. You also might want to run a ground wire from the metal drip pan to
a known good electrical ground to reduce the chance that static sparks could
ignite your spray cleaners and fuel vapors.

The next chore that needed a make over was ending the drudgery of cleaning air
filters. That was fixed by purchasing 6 air filters. Using the No-Toil system I
could simply through them in the washing machine with no toil cleaner and
laundry soap. They come out of the washing machine spotless. After they dry all
6 air filters get dunk oiled and wrung out with No-toil oil in a gallon sized
sealed plastic bucket then sealed in zip locks.

By this time the MRC “man recharging cave” could have been made a tiny bit
better with fresh sizzling bacon. Since the bacon wasn’t going to happen. A
tire changing station was next on the list. That job is unpleasant but a tire
changing stand makes it better along with some good irons.
If you want to add a maintenance schedule for your bike please check out my
suggested maintenance schedule and see if it is something that fits your needs.
at https://isobareng.wordpress.com/motocross-service-intervals/

Taking care of your motocross bike

Carnage every where. You see it every week at the track.

No not the crashes… the engines.

Is there anything you can do to keep your bike ready to race without digging
$1500 bucks out of your wallet to band-aid up your engine at an unplanned time?

You bet there is.
Its all about getting a grip on your weekly maintenance.

At the National level of racing an engine has a life limit of around 4 hours
before overhaul. In contrast a beginner rider could go a couple of seasons
without a whole lot of maintenance.
But what about you the local racer?
Where does the life of your engine fit into a schedule?
Before we start with a couple of  maintenance interval suggestions please take
note that if your owners manual suggests shorter intervals for your particular
bike then you should follow it and not follow these suggestions..

First you will need 3 things
1. An hour meter,
2. A piece of paper to track your practice/ race days and engine hours.
3. A place that is comfortable to work on your bike. maybe some music and good
lighting.

There may seem a lot of information in the suggestions below but realize you
will be spreading most of these items across an entire year of racing as you
set up your own race prep program. Doing a little each week and more on other
weeks will pay big dividends as the racing season plays out. Also working on
your bike can be some good man-cave time. That time to recharge yourself and
just be alone with some tools and your bike.
 
Lets start simple, for every gallon of gas your bike uses it uses over 10000
gallons of air. so lets look at the Air Filter
Clay based and loam tracks ……………………………… .Clean Every Ride.
Sand, and ash tracks ……..………………………………….  Clean Every Moto and use a
filter skin.
Indoors, Arenacross on clay ………………………………Clean Every other ride
Filter tip… One of the easiest ways to maintain your filters is to buy 4 or
more filters. Use the No-Toil system and wash them in your washing machine.
They come out super clean with out all the fuss of cleaning.

What about Engine oil? Unlike your car your bike relies on the oil tank screen
(if installed) and the filter to separate the clutch and transmission debris
from the valve train and crank bearings (Unless you have a Honda with separate
oil chambers) keeping clean oil is very important.
Oil only change …………………………………………..every 2 . 5 Hours
Oil and Filter and if fitted clean the oil tank screen ….. every 5 hours

Next lets discuss your valves.
There is a good reason the manufactures made it very easy to check your valve
clearance.
They want you to check them regularly ,
A valve clearance check only takes about 20 minutes and the money and stress it
will save you is worth it.

Valve Clearance check …………250F every 7 hours and 450F every 10 hours
After a shim size change check again in 5 hours,
What the measurement tells you…….When a valve requires its second smaller
shim size installed (not counting break in shim adjustments) its time for the
valves to be replaced  and inspect the valve seats, and guides for condition.
Skip this check at your wallets demise. A valve failure can cost more then the
bike is worth, as it often takes out the head, cylinder and crank and sometimes
the engine cases. Also having your motor lock up at the wrong time could be
very painful.
P.S. While you are inspecting your valve clearance take a good look at your cam
for any damage.

Getting a grip on your clutch.
Since the 1980’s the manufactures have offered a quick access clutch cover so
you can change clutch plates between motos. That said how long your clutch
lasts really depends on your riding style. Some folks will go through a clutch
in one moto where another racer will go 3 seasons on a clutch.
You alone can set the interval for your clutch inspection , but for starters
check it before any important race or at the first tiniest hint of any
slipping.
What to look for, …warped or burnt metal plates, hub notching, worn fiber
plates and weak springs.

Staying on Top of your Top End.
A Top End task would include replacement of the piston , piston rings, pin,
circlips, valve springs, seals. and piston rod bearing (if installed).along
with all associated gaskets.
While it is apart inspect the cylinder, cam chain , tensioner ,guides, valves,
seats, cams and bearings. Inspect the crankshaft rod and bearing.
For a 2 stroke clean the power valve, inspection of the reeds and a leak check
of the crank seals would need to be done.

80/125 2 stroke ….. replace the piston ring ever 20 hours and piston every 40
hrs
250 2 and 4 stroke  …. every 40 hours.
450F every 60 hours
Top end  tips.
1. Store your bike with the piston on the compression stroke so the valve
springs are not being compressed.
Think of it the same way as leaving your bike tied down tight in your truck for
a week with the fork springs compressed.
2. 2 strokes  adjust your power valve cleaning interval to its needs. You will
feel when there is a loss of power. All you will have to do is check the hours
since you cleaned it last and set up your cleaning interval.
3. Replace the cam chain  with every other top end. Unless you ride on the rev
limiter a lot then change it with every top end.

Time to venture away from the engine.
It would be hard to imagine anyone who has been racing for very long who has
not had to deal with rusted out linkage and steering head bearings. If you
would like to never and I mean never have to deal with that kind of train wreck
again here are some lube intervals that have worked well.

If you pressure wash …. lube your linkage and steering head every 10 rides.

If you garden hose wash….lube your linkage and steering head every 25 rides

Fuel Injection and fuel tank.
Many fuel injection systems have a filter that fits into the injector just
under where the fuel line attaches. That filter should be cleaned or replaced
at the very least twice a season. It is also a good time to drain your gas tank
and clean it too. Be sure to follow all gasoline safety precautions in your
manual.

What about your shock and forks. By setting up a oil change interval you get a
chance to inspect the bushings and piston rings on your suspension as you get
the oil out that has all kinds of shock and dirt debris floating around in it.
An oil change every 25 rides is a general number to shoot for  many would
argue for 10 hours but most folks can live with 25 rides.

Last but not least a weekly check of your bikes general condition,

Brake, engine, and radiator fluid levels.( KTM clutch)
All Hardware and spoke security,
Wheel hubs, sprocket, frame, steering head and engine mounts for cracks,
Tire pressure and condition
Wheel bearings for play
Linkage and swing arm bearings for play
Radiator hose clamps for security
Oil leaks, engine, brake, radiator, clutch. suspension.
Cable adjustment, and condition.
Sprockets and chains for serviceability
Chain lube tension and condition..
Brake pads for wear
Drain Carb after each wash

When you spread your weekly maintenance out over the year you will have weeks
with very little to do but you will have a lot more confidence that your bike
will be in good racing shape. Hope these suggestions will work for your own
weekly race prep.

Of, Engineers, technicians and mechanics.

If you have played Sudoko then this allegory might make you smile.

An engineer is like the designer of a sudoko game setting up the difficulty
level and determining the pattern in a manner that based on logic.

A technician is the person who fills in the boxes using logic to figure out the puzzle.

A mechanic is the one who comes in and fixes the errors that the engineer and the technician have committed after they have found that logic is a really good
way to be wrong with confidence.

This sure is fitting

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=x2G3wGVAnlQ

Polls

Poll after poll after poll repeats that people feel America is on the wrong track. Out of control greed, broken families, non stop perversion, political correctness to the point of lunacy, children and teens that act worse then animals. Yet all of these troubles have the same root and that root is a foundation of morals. We Americans are a stiff necked lot. We want our cake and eat it too. We want the immediate gratification of our wants. Yet many of these things we chase after hurt us and those around us before much time has passed. We look to politicians to fix our problems and they throw money and more money after band aids that never fix the problems and usually erode the freedoms we once cherished. I am old enough to remember a moral America at least one that was dramatically more stable then the place we live in now. Back then there were those that lived in ways that suited only themselves but they were much less in number and due to their smaller numbers did not have the devastating effect on the country as we see today. Today the majority wants subjective morals. That’s kind of like having a subjective speed limit or a subjective education standard. You might think that this article is headed for the more laws route but you couldn’t be further from the truth. This article is a challenge to each individual reading it. It is a double dog dare to the individual to see what absolute morals have been given to us in the scriptures and to see if you as an individual are tough enough to live by them. Our grand parents were that tough.

United Soviet States part 3

Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), champion of Obamacare, said of health care that “It takes a long time to do the necessary administrative steps that have to be taken to put the legislation together to control the people.”

United Soviet States part 2

When I was in the military they warned us that this would happen if the Soviets won……..

DALLAS – A Dallas church that has held Sunday worship service at a public housing apartment complex for the elderly for 14 years has been ordered to stop.
Dallas Housing Authority president MaryAnn Russ told the Dallas Morning News that the church services violate separation of church and state and the agency’s contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds public housing programs.

United Soviet States?

When I was in the military they warned us that this would happen if the Soviets won……..

A judge in Montana has ruled against a high school valedictorian who wasn’t allowed to speak at her graduation ceremony because she wanted to give God credit for her success.
Rennee Griffith was asked, as were the other valedictorians, to speak about what helped them get through school. Some people wanted to thank the football coach or the track coach or their uncle or a particular teacher, and they were permitted to do that,” explains Griffith’s attorney, Bill O’Connor. “The only thing they would not permit, by their own admission, was…her to attribute any achievements to her belief in God.”

Her attorney reports that Griffith wanted to mention Christ once and God once in her speech, something he believes was well within her rights. “She was not doing what was forbidden by the Supreme Court or the Constitution, which is proselytizing,” he argues. “She wasn’t asking people to join her in her beliefs, and she wasn’t praying, she wasn’t asking people to join her in prayer.”

To Good not to share

I received this by email and did not write any of it but it is too good not to share……

Heaven as written by a 17 Year Old Boy

17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class. The subject was what Heaven was like. “I wowed ’em,” he later told his father, Bruce. It’s a killer. It’s the bomb. It’s the best thing I ever wrote.” It also was the last.
Brian’s parents had forgotten about the essay when a cousin found it while cleaning out the teenager’s locker at Teays Valley High School in Pickaway County

Brian had been dead only hours, but his parents desperately wanted every piece of his life near them, notes from classmates and teachers, and his homework. Only two months before, he had handwritten the essay about encountering Jesus in a file room full of cards detailing every moment of the teen’s life. But it was only after Brian’s death that Beth and Bruce Moore realized that their son had described his view of heaven.
It makes such an impact that people want to share it. “You feel like you are there,” Mr. Moore said. Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after Memorial Day. He was driving home from a friend’s house when his car went off Bulen-Pierce Road in Pickaway County and struck a utility pole. He emerged from the wreck unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted.

The Moore ‘s framed a copy of Brian’s essay and hung it among the family portraits in the living room. “I think God used him to make a point. I think we were meant to find it and make something out of it,” Mrs. Moore said of the essay. She and her husband want to share their son’s vision of life after death. “I’m happy for Brian.. I know he’s in heaven. I know I’ll see him.

Here is Brian’s essay entitled
“The Room.”
Page 1
In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either direction, had very different headings.
As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read “Girls I have liked.” I opened it and began flipping through the cards.. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn’t match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.

A file named “Friends” was next to one marked “Friends I have betrayed.” The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. “Books I Have Read,” “Lies I Have Told,” “Comfort I have Given,” “Jokes I Have Laughed at.”

Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: “Things I’ve yelled at my brothers.” Others I couldn’t laugh at: “Things I Have Done in My Anger”, “Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents .” I never ceased to be surprised by the contents Often there were many more cards than expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived….

Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting.. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked “TV Shows I have watched,” I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn’t found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked “Lustful Thoughts,” I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me.

One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!” In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn’t matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards.
But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it. Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.

And then I saw it. The title bore “People I Have Shared the Gospel With.” The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand..
And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.

No, please not Him… Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn’t bear to watch His response.. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes.
Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn’t anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn’t say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. “No!” I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was “No, no,” as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn’t be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, and so alive.
The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, “It is finished.”

I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

NCAA censorship

A picture only based ad features a father holding his young son and saying, “All I want for my son is for him to grow up knowing how to do the right thing.”
The tag line: “Celebrate Family. Celebrate Life.”
This Focus on the Family ad, believe it or not, has been yanked by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)
The NCAA, apparently believes only in selective diversity – “Christians need not apply”
It seems pretty odd in our day of out of control perversion, cheating, stealing, and the tragic epidemic of single parenthood that the NCAA would censor the one group of folks who stand for the old fashioned values this country was founded on.

Too good not to share

Stinky Airline passengers

A new low may just have been reached for weary road warriors: The overwhelmingly smelly passenger.
A man on Jazz Air, a regional airline in Canada that also serves U.S. cities, was reportedly kicked off a plane earlier this month because of his strong body odor.

So its not only the minimum wage passenger service that stinks these days!!!!!

12 year old arrested for writing I Love my Friends

(CNN) — There was no profanity, no hate. Just the words, “I love my friends Abby and Faith. Lex was here 2/1/10 :)” scrawled on the classroom desk with a green marker.
Alexa Gonzalez, an outgoing 12-year-old who likes to dance and draw, expected a lecture or maybe detention for her doodles earlier this month. Instead, the principal of the Junior High School in Forest Hills, New York, called police, and the seventh-grader was taken across the street to the police precinct.
Alexa’s hands were cuffed behind her back, and tears gushed as she was escorted from school in front of teachers and — the worst audience of all for a preadolescent girl — her classmates.

If this wasn’t so pathetic it would be funny

New Land Grab

Large sections of land some larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined, are under consideration by the Obama administration to become America’s newest National Monuments — a decision the administration can make unilaterally without local input or congressional approval. This unprecedented land grab and the other befuddling actions by this administration read just like a bad science fiction novel about the beginnings of a totalitarian state. these lands are used by ranchers and other valid users and would be banned from using these lands as they have for decades.

here is my reference

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/18/obama-eyeing-millions-wild-acres-national-monuments/

Un – Natural Disasters??????

I ran across this gem of knowledge written by Isaiah approximately 2780 years ago.
I make no claim to have the wisdom to know if this is applicable to the recent disasters we have witnessed but with all knowledge it is beneficial for an open mind to consider all possibilities for any topic.
Isaiah wrote in paragraph 26 vrs 5,9 and10

He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord.

Abortion vs The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence of the United States Of America has this text in it.
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.

Roe Vs Wade violates this. What has a baby done to forfeit its unalienable right to life?

Fairness>>>>> Fail

Fairness>>>>> Fail

The White House has reached a deal with health care negotiators, including labor unions, on taxing the high-level “Cadillac” plans.
State and local workers and union members are exempted until 2017. Labor leaders endorsed the deal Thursday.

What a bunch of POO if this is Constitutional I will eat my hat. So if you have a good insurance plan you will be taxed but a union member or government worker won’t and who probably makes more money to start with!!!!. This is some bad politics and back door bribery.

The definition of irony,” Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner, said in a statement Thursday. “Democratic leaders today emerged from a closed-door meeting to announce a backroom ‘deal’ on health care, then brag about the ‘transparent process.'”

It is worth noting CNN is pretty much ignoring this story

Vacation in China!!!!!

AP – Police say a driver passed out in his car at a Tennessee gas station while a batch of methamphetamine was cooking in the back seat.

To bad we couldn’t give this guy a vacation in China. They don’t seem to have too many repeat drug dealing offenders.

I miss Ronnie

Holiday Greeting

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of
your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of
the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country
or is the only “AMERICA” in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical disability, religious faith, choice of computer platform,or sexual preference of the wishee.

Sincerely,
dave

Just Kidding NO politcal correctness here………

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Victim-less habit?

Gunmen mowed down the family of a Mexican marine just hours after the military honored him as a national hero for losing his life during a raid that took down powerful drug kingpin.

Still living with the idea that your pot smoking doesn’t hurt anyone?
Besides the violence, it produces the corruption of governments and the ruin of families.

Thats Ironic

The Global Warming conference in Copenhagen, Denmark is frozen over with record low temps and unheard of December snow. Sure made me snicker.

Best short Video

This video is 10 minutes and 35 seconds long and will not disappoint.

http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/

Public Schools

TAUNTON, Mass. – An 8-year-old boy was sent home from school and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after he was asked to make a Christmas drawing and sketched what appeared to be a stick figure of Jesus on a cross, the child’s father said Tuesday.
Chester Johnson said his son made the drawing on Dec. 2 after his second-grade teacher asked children to sketch something that reminded them of the holiday. The assignment came just days after the family had visited the holiday lights display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro, where Johnson said his son seemed taken with the religious statues he saw there.

Just think on easter he might draw something truly disturbing like an empty tomb.

Merry XXXXXXXXXXX

If I were in Israel and some one wished me a Happy Hanukkah I would smile and return the greeting.
I would expect and be happy for all the merchants and government officials that were celebrating a prominent religion of their country.

If I were in Saudi Arabia and someone wished me a Happy Ramadan I would smile and return the greeting. I would expect and be happy for all the merchants and government officials that were celebrating a prominent religion of their country.

If I were in India and some one wished me a Happy Bakra Eid I would smile and return the greeting. I would expect and be happy for all the merchants and government officials that were celebrating a prominent religion of their country.

If I were in Vietnam and some one wished me a Happy Vesak Puja I would smile and return the greeting. I would expect and be happy for all the merchants and government officials that were celebrating a prominent religion of their country.

Even here if someone wished me a Happy Hanukkah I would smile and return the greeting. I would share with them that I am grateful to have Israel as a close ally. I would also share the group I belong to called Christians United for Israel that trys to support Israel in its daily struggles.

However in The United States we have come to the point that The President doesn’t mention Christmas in his Christmas cards, Many businesses don’t mention Christmas during their Christmas sales period. Any public display of Christmas is banned or protested in this so called free nation.

Seems like we, a nation founded by Christians. Our laws based on Biblical foundations, and we aren’t going to mention Christmas at Christmas. We live in a nation that is supposedly tolerant. I am tasked every day to tolerate near non stop profanity, the public promotion of perversion, the rottoness from Hollywood, and My own Mayor who is 50 a something year old male having sex with a 17 year old boy intern that worked for him. But we are not going to tolerate Christmas. Once again it seems tolerance is a one way street called censorship.
Seems pretty whacked.

Merry Christmas to the politically correct

You may be Taliban

You may be Taliban if:
1. You refine heroin for a living, but you have a moral objection to beer.
2. You own a $3,000 machine gun and $5,000 rocket launcher, but you can’t afford shoes.
3. You have more wives than teeth.
4. You wipe your butt with your bare hand, but consider bacon “unclean.”
5. You think vests come in two styles: bullet-proof and suicide.
6. You can’t think of anyone you haven’t declared Jihad against
7. You consider television dangerous, but routinely carry explosives in your clothing.
8. You were amazed to discover that cell phones have uses other than setting off roadside bombs.
9. You have nothing against women and think every man should own at least one.
10. Killing school girls is prefered over them going to school.

Tiger Woods

The press is saying no big deal his sponsors won’t abandon him. This will all blow over no real consequence to his actions. Thirty years ago no product line or company would have stood to have their name associated with someone famous caught in adultry. How times have changed. The greed of the sponsers out weigh their morals. With Tiger going from Hero to Zero overnight as far as his true manhood is concerned.
Tiger Woods has truly failed in being a man.

In this day and age what is a man? Well it sure isn’t someone that cheats on his wife and risks his kids to humiliation. Hollywood would have us believe its about machismo. If that were true that would make every cocky ego freak or cruel male out there a man. Probably not the best choice for a stable society.

Basically, historically and traditionally stated a man is a man when they One, Recognize the responsibilities in their life. Two, Take charge of those responsibilities, and Three, Discharge those responsibilities in an honorable manner.

Easy statement to make but in that premise are countless nuances. To scratch the surface in this Readers digest version lets break down the 3 parts of what it takes to be a man.

The first part is to “recognize ones responsibilities in their life” This could be as simple as showing up for class on time or as complex as raising a family and running a business. It would also include such things as nurturing and protecting a wife and kids, paying bills, maintaining a household, studying instead of partying, running a department, leading a group, coaching a T-ball league. This list could go on for pages.

The second part “Taking ownership of those responsibilities” simply means to take charge of them in ones own mind. The mindset to think these are my responsibilities and they are mine to see them to completion.

The third part is to discharge those responsibilities in an honorable manner. That is to actually do what needs to be done with integrity.

I am old enough to remember when honor was still a part of the American culture. Do many today even know what it is? Honor is both an emotion and a behavior. It is something that has been part of the human condition for at least the last 5000 years of recorded history. As a behavior its acting with integrity, doing what is right even when no one is watching you regardless of the personal cost. As an emotion it exists in the middle between self worth and the sense of duty.

Discharging one’s responsibilities often times requires perseverance. It is the struggle thru life’s trials with perseverance that builds strong character. Character matters! Look at the mess with crime, politics, broken marriages, dishonest businesses and tiger Woods in this day and age. All are based on the break down of character within the individual. Only perseverance thru trials builds strong character. Who do we most admire most someone who has lifted themselves up by their boot straps through hardship or the spoiled rotten who had everything given to them on a silver platter?

One of the many stereotypical traits of modern manhood is that of leadership. What do we see today in the popular leaders? It seems greed, power, selfishness, ruthlessness, dominance, love of recognition and money define many of today’s popular leaders. This is a sad commentary of our times. Leadership has many faces. It can take the form of one person leading a small group science project at school. It could be that of leading one’s family at prayer before dinner or it could be a CEO of an international corporation. When we look at leadership through the three parts of being a man, to recognize, take ownership and the discharge of responsibilities a leader looks a lot different then we see in popular culture. We see a leader who protects and nurtures those people and institutions who are put in their charge. Some might even call this a “servant style” of leadership. Would you rather work for a boss who was stepping on you to make themselves look better or one who is dedicated to growing you and the business in an honorable manner?

Another stereotypical trait of what it means to be a man is strength. Not the popular muscle bound magazine type. Not the kind that abuses those they have responsibility for. It is the kind of strength that protects and endures hardship, to see their responsibilities are completed. To step forward when the innocent are threatened. To work double shifts when the family is in need. To not show weakness in front of a struggling family when the hardship has the family lean on you to be their rock. During those times of hardship share your weakness with a close male friend not your family. Be strong for them, don’t weaken or dash their hope.

What do modern supervisors and managers say of the males working for them? I hear many today do not take their responsibilities very seriously and supervisors say they are flooded by petty whining. It strikes me as odd that a man would whine. My Dad served in Germany during WW2, lived trough the depression and my Mom worked in a factory during that time as a “Rosie the Riveter” then went on to work in a hospital and had a long slow death with cancer. All through their lives I have no memory of them whining about their work or condition of their lives. One would think they probably did complain from time to time but it was not a daily deluge of petty whining.

Then there is the “balance of one’s life” The lesson of the life of Eli. We can take care of all our responsibilities at work and drop the ball with our families. That balance has to exist. As hard as it seems some times, family responsibilities that include nurturing and growth has to be attended to with the same vigor as the responsibilities at work.

One departing item. All admirable traits in the human character have been able to be perverted to where good is twisted to be evil and honor and manhood are no exception. Be sure to walk with integrity if you choose to walk as a traditional man.

Too bad Tiger didn’t figure this all out. Be man enough not to drop the ball with your family and life.

Want to read more? Check out Hebrews chapters 12 and 13

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all of you a happy Thanksgiving. Please take time to give thanks for the important things in life. Family, food, health, a roof over your head. a job, transportation to work, warm clothes to wear, And most of all I personally wish to thank God for sending his Son so I would have a restored relationship with Him.

To Good not to share

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=G44NCvNDLfc

Trans Siberian Orchestra

The Wife and I went to Trans Siberian Orchestra last night. It was an epic show with great music and stunning visual effects. This is a must see concert if you have never been. You can watch a small segment on You tube for a sample. This was the second time we went to see them. I hope to go again next year when they come back around on tour.

The Death of Freedom

My Dad was in World War 2 he saw the threat to freedom coming form Germany and Japan. I served during the days of the Soviet Union and I saw them as the threat to freedom. But In the span of my fathers life through mine America has never seen what we as Americans understand freedom been so degraded as we see now during this modern time. Five major causes are eroding our freedoms in a way that we have never seen as a Nation.
The first is Political Correctness. Our current version of this is not about being civil and polite. It is about censorship. From the class room to our places of business One is hard pressed not be disciplined for wishing some one a Merry Christmas. Or to wear a button that says In God we trust. One can never profile even if the one being profiled was about to murder 13 people at Ft Hood. Political correctness has gone too far. We can not have freedom of speech and not have some folks be offended. The thin skinned are building a place to live where the government and lawyers are ready to punish those who dare speak their mind in public. The ACLU which was supposed to protect free speech has become one of the worst offenders in promoting censorship. Now that freedom of speech is gone we are heading down a slippery slope to even worse violations of freedom.

The second cause to the death of freedom is The lack of the individual to self control. We have become a nation of I and Me now. I want what I want and I am going to get it regardless of the cost because I think I deserve it. This lack of self control and integrity will bring on a police state faster then just about anything else. Look no further then your e mail, fraud, deception, and greed, its all waiting there. Its in your place of work where stealing from the company is considered normal. Its on Craig’s List. Its in the contractors you hire. Its in the people you meet everywhere these days. the bottom line is when enough individuals are present that can not police themselves we will quickly have a police state.

The third death stroke of freedom is the lack of individual responsibility. If every bad decision I make has to be someone else’s fault. Like buying more home then I can afford that must be the bankers fault , drinking to much and hurting someone must have been the bartenders fault. Being shot by a mugger must be the gun manufactures fault. How about not evacuating before a big hurricane comes and puts my house under water that must be the Presidents fault. How about if I spill a cup of coffee must be McDonalds fault. It goes on and on. Freedoms are lost here as activities are banned or no one will be able to afford the insurance to enjoy sports and other activities.

The forth death stroke is the “there ought to be a law” mentality. In the U.S. we now have over 60 million laws and regulations on the books. A mature and civil society could get by on just a few more then 10 simply written ones. There is now pretty much a law on just about everything. Sound like freedom to you?

The fifth and most important is the lack of fear. There is so little fear of God in our country. That anything goes regardless if it hurts children, families or even the individual themselves. People steal, they molest, lie, cheat, with out of any thought about God. This was not the case for the majority of Americans in our history. In my youth divorce was rare not so now. Property theft from the office to Wall Street is so common today its almost an epidemic. But hay if we are just a bunch of smarter monkeys that developed from pond scum I guess fearing God won’t matter in ones life that is until they draw their last breath and get to meet him. Once again if we can not control ourselves big government certainly will.

The next step to come in the death of freedom will be how we handle the new environmental laws about to be written. on one hand they could simply be tax code that will make very good investment sense to use new technologies to turn around the environmental path. However there a a lot of people out there that want this to be a power grab and use draconian laws and enforcement to force their wacky environmental agenda on the population.

Stupid is as stupid does

Just when one thinks bad political decisions couldn’t get much worse. This weeks regular Friday Administration bombshell announcement takes it yet one more step in the absurd direction. Taking terrorists to New York for them to stand trial in a civilian and public setting has got to be one of the stupidest moves this administration has done so far. First to increase the security threat to New York doesn’t seem to bother this administration nor does the incredible cost to pull these trials off in a public setting. To give these scum a chance to mock our dead and our legal system which already gives them more rights then they grant their own people. Then to publicize their hate filled agenda and incite their followers to carry on the fight. This will become a huge propaganda event and the press will play it out like a circus. The press will make this a media frenzy and will plaster it all over helping our enemy and hurting our troops. I sometimes wonder who this administration is loyal too our troops or some perceived sense of utopian left wing thought. On another track for this subject as a pro capital punishment supporter in this case I think its a bad idea. It will only make martyrs out of these scum and add determination to their kind. It would be better for them and a hindrance to their cause to rot in prison for the rest of their lives. That is if the civilian court can even get a conviction. Evidence may have to be withheld due to security concerns and source protection. The bottom line was that Bush had this right. Gitmo and Military tribunals are the best way to deal with this issue.

Too good not to share

Was Lou Dobbs forced out?

If I were a betting man my money would be on the future employment of Lou Dobbs by Fox News. CNN has lost perhaps by malice on their part a great commentator. Wishing you a much brighter future then you have lived with on the Clinton News Network.

News Busted

This series is pretty funny

its called News Busted

Health care snicker

Rhode Island Hospital Fined $150,000 After Performing 5th Wrong Site Surgery

Since this hospital has operated on the wrong part of 5 peoples bodies recently I would like to introduce my new hi tech “Special Hospital Apparatus Resource Procedure Instrument Expedient” I call it a Sharpie for sort. I will sell you this wondrous medical device for the discount price of $2500 and if used properly will keep surgeons from operating on the wrong part of your body.

Free Will

Have you ever wondered about free will? It seems so self evident on the surface. As a lover of history I often wonder how free will and intervention from God works. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that people have the freedom to make their own choices. But God does intervene. I would like to leave this theory or possibly an allegory of at least one way to look at this issue. I don’t claim this to be right or wrong and I strongly doubt any human in this life will know for sure but take this as a possibility. Free will of an individual is like a path that comes to an intersection the individual makes a free will choice of which way to go. Now think of this path as the strands of a spiders web with each crossing strand of silk as an intersection of choice. As one looks across a life time of free will choices one would travel all over the spider web. How I would guess that God intervenes is that from the beginning of time he knew you will be at certain points on that spider web. I also believe that he tempers the heart of the individual to be more prone to make some biased choices. Such as the story of Pharaoh having his heart hardened. Or perhaps my own by having my heart softened. I hope this gives you something to think about and you get a chance to enjoy running through your own mind the possibilities of how else this aspect of the human condition exists. The only thing I am sure of is that this life and human history is not random chance.

Don’t miss this article

Don’t miss this article

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,571215,00.html

Trivia?

If you enjoy trivia and history you may like this one. The term “to go the extra mile” was based on the Roman law that allowed Roman soldiers to enlist any civilian of a conquered land to carry his pack or burden one mile. This was a slap in the face for many of the people living in occupied lands. To go the extra mile came from the Sermon on the Mount. in Matthew 5 verse 41, where Jesus said “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” He was talking about the Roman soldiers who occupied Judea. So if you “go the extra mile” you are giving more of yourself to some effort or person that may be hostile to you. In This way you do not return insult for insult or eye for an eye. Thus trying to better live out the command to love even your personal enemies as you would love yourself as is stated on the Sermon on the Mount.

Dad tries to Kill Daughter

Arizona police are looking for an Iraqi man who they allege ran down his daughter and her friend because he believed his daughter had become “too Westernized.”
Peoria, Arizona, police said Wednesday that Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, struck his 20-year-old daughter, Noor Faleh Almaleki, and her friend Amal Edan Khalaf with a vehicle he was driving in a parking lot Tuesday afternoon.
Faleh Hassan Almaleki was angry with his daughter “as she had become too ‘Westernized’ and was not living according to the family’s traditional Iraqi values,” Peoria police said in a statement released Wednesday.

When in Rome do as the Romans do. Yes most of the U.S. social values are about the same level as sewage. It is sad when a child chases the current cesspool of U.S. and is damaged by it’s poor choice offerings. BUT trying to kill your own daughter because of it. That might be ok in Derka Derkastan but its unthinkable here and bad planning on the families part. If a family wishes not to be part of our culture or at least participate in the orderly and lawful change of culture then they should stay in their own country.

Marriage and War

Marriage and War

I truly fear for Michelle Obama.

There are a great many similarities between marriage and war. Before people get married if they are an intelligent folk, will invest the time and effort to see if they should commit for the long haul. They should seek out good advice and weigh the circumstances of their present condition. Are all the issues in place that will allow for the kind of commitment a marriage takes? To stick through it during tough times, inconvenient times and unpopular times. Once all this debate and inner searching is done and it is decided that the marriage commitment should take place. Its time for the ceremony to make a public commitment. But wait there is one last statement be made before the rings are exchanged. The Preacher loud and clear asks all in attendance. “is there anyone here who has any reason this couple should not make this commitment in Marriage? Speak now or forever hold your peace.”
I would hope you could see the allegory here between marriage and war. Debate all we want before we commit troops but once the decision to commit them has been made any more debate simply backstabs the commitment and morale of the troops the same way it breaks the morale of a marriage. President Obama by tip toeing around our Afghanistan commitment because he feels its unpopular at the moment is hurting our troops more then the enemy does. That is why I fear for Michelle if her husband cant handle the heat of this war which is of great importance how can he handle the trials that will come in his marriage?

When Life Sucks

Never to diminish the pain you are going through now. These few words come from an older man who has seen much of life’s troubles. From job losses to watching family die to living in my car, divorce, death of beloved pets, illness and injuries. Yes, and many more of the troubles that are common to mankind. There has always been one activity that has helped me keep things in perspective. That is the simple act of giving thanks. When the tears of loss give way for a moment I have found great comfort kneeling and giving thanks for what I do have. When I was living in my car I gave thanks for its shelter from the weather and the ability to get around. Also thanks for the extra blankets to stay warm. When I lost my family to death’s hand I gave thanks for the time I had with them and know with great certainty that they are in the hands of a merciful God. When I lost my job I gave thanks for the opportunity ahead and the experience I had from it and the friends I made. When I lost my marriage I gave thanks for the lessons I learned and the chance to be a better man in the future. During illness and injury I gave thanks for the parts of my body that still worked. With each hardship, each painful experience the one relationship that got better and better is the one with God and his son Jesus. When times are good and easy which they will be for you again. When the time for morning has passed and the feelings of deep pain reduce to a dull ache Don’t forsake the relationship you developed with the one that helped walk you through the dark days.

May this time of trouble be short for you.

Dave

Waiting on Afghanistan a Big Mistake

Obama wants to wait for a real Afghanistan government to be in place before sending the troops the commanders in the field say they need. How about a little war 101 lesson.
1. The military can only buy time and create the conditions for a political resolution to close out any conflict. The military doesn’t finish the conflicts but without them the politicians will not be able to get a foothold to move forward.
2.You can not control what you do not hold! Troops have to be on the ground to be able to keep order so a government can form and grow.
This congress that sent these troops over to do a job and the administration that took over this responsibility can not seem to make up their mind. The trend of treating our troops like police instead of soldiers so as not to upset anyone just gets more of our troops killed. We either do Afghanistan full blown and build up a local political power base that can take care of itself for the future or we piss around playing up to what keeps heat off the administration and loose troops which will finish the whole thing in defeat because we did not commit 100 % and dishonor those who already died in the mission so far. These talking heads learned nothing from Vietnam. The bottom line is debate, plan and decide to do the mission or not all you want before we commit troops but once we commit troops we support them and not stab them in the back by second guessing if the mission is worth it because after the first drop of American blood is spilled the mission is worth it.

Corporate Giggle

Just when you really needed a snicker here is something that smells bad regardless of the translation.
Japans Nippon airways is asking passengers to use the restroom before boarding in order to reduce aircraft weight, and thus, fuel burn. How would you like to make that announcement in the boarding area? “Attention ladies and gentlemen would all 160 of you please now go to the bathroom and try to poop so we could save some money, thank you.” I wonder if there is a surcharge for toilet paper?

Apartment in Portland Bans American flag

Residents’ outrage started when Jim Clausen, whose son is in the military and on his way back to Iraq, was told he couldn’t fly an American flag from the back of his motorcycle.
If he didn’t take the flag down, he was told he’d face eviction, the station reported on Monday.

Sharron White, a long-time resident, was originally told by management to take down the flag she’d flown on her car for eight years because “someone might get offended.”
“I just said to her, ‘They’ll just have to get over it,'” White said before the ban was lifted.
The ban had also applied to flag stickers on cars.

This kind of insanity is common here in “The Peoples Republic of Portland” I pray and hope your city doesn’t ever get the sick and twisted mentality of Portland.

Obama Signs $7 Billion Aid Bill for Pakistan

Obama Signs $7 Billion Aid Bill for Pakistan
The White House said the aid package signed Thursday provides $1.5 billion annually for economic and social programs.

Does anyone out there get this?

I would think that for $7 billion they would sell us all their nukes and we could let them go back to living in the 7th century that seems to meet with their desires. In other news tomorrow is Friday what mess is this administration going to drop on us this time. Unusual tactic dropping bad news and decisions on Fridays.

Is Columbus Day Sailing Off the Calendar?

It is sad that this nation is no longer wanting to acknowledge this historical moment. History is so incredibly important. Without a through study of it we condemn ourselves to making the same mistakes over and over. Some want to interpret the past through politically correct glasses which will require those same glasses to be changed every 20 years or so. I doubt 500 years from now that the politically correct generation will look at events the same way as their PC endeared do today. Judging the past is futile for the customs were often very different. Learning from the past is what is important. There is nothing in the human experience that has not already happened in the past. All the lessons are there to gain wisdom and guidance.

Iran Plans to Execute Three Election Protesters

Iranian officials have sentenced to death by hanging three protesters who participated in demonstrations following the nation’s disputed presidential election in June, according to ISNA, Iran’s semiofficial news agency. Two of the protesters were members of the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, a group that wants to restore the monarchy,
If this doesn’t strengthen your resolve to protect freedom of speech and fight censorship as it has crept into our schools, businesses and society nothing will.

P.S. since we are on the subject of Iran Its also worth revisiting Iran’s intention of genocide.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s repeated threats to destroy Israel present a clear case of intent to commit genocide.