Angels in Disguise

What do Cary Grant in The Bishop's Wife, Henry Travers in It's a Wonderful Life and Joe the Plumber have in common??

They are all angels dropped into the lives of those who were troubled to rescue those who were lost and floundering.

Now THIS is How to Spread the Wealth!!

There is a local contemporary Christian music station here in St. Louis (JOY FM 97.7 and 94.1) that is totally listener supported. They have a monthly Project JOY that they sponsor and each month the project does something good for the recipient. Last February, the project was Random Acts of Kindness. They encouraged the listeners to do something unrequested for someone who did not suspect that they would receive it just for the sheer joy of giving. Listeners phoned in to report the overwhelming surprise that met such acts as randomly paying for someone's fill-up at the gas pump, buying someone's groceries in the checkout line, shoveling the neighbor's drive, taking cookies to the elderly neighbor, asking a young mom if she would like a day out without the kids with you as the unpaid baby sitter.... the list went on and on, and the stories that were shared were truly heartwarming. Some of the people who did kind acts for strangers even had TROUBLE convincing them that they just wanted to do something nice with no strings attached!!

Thus today, when I ran across this story, I was moved to be sure it was shared. A Texas woman went to a home foreclosure auction with the intent to purchase a home for her son. During the auction, she struck up a conversation with a total stranger who happened to be the evicted homeowner of one of the properties and heard how she came to lose her home. Instead of buying that home for her son, the woman, on a whim, purchased the home for about 1/3 of what the owner had originally paid and gave it back to her. The home's owner will pay her back rather than the bank. This is truly a random act of kindness and exemplifies the way that wealth SHOULD be shared.

Barack Obama and his band of merry men (and women) should take a lesson from this woman. It has become very clear that he and his cronies are only willing to share YOUR piece of the pie. Joe Biden has an abysmal record (less than 1% of his income) of charitable giving and The Chosen One is only a little bit better and only in the most recent years has his giving reached the 5-6% level of charitable giving. Then today, the blogoshpere is buzzing with the revelation that BHO's dear aunt that he talks about in his first book has been found living in squalor in Boston and his Uncle Omar is reported to have been evicted from his apartment in a Boston housing project. Barack and his cronies should first learn that charity begins at home and experience the pure joy that accompanies a random act of kindness. Charity is not something that you can legislate or force.

It is much more blessed to give than to receive, and unlike Michelle Obama, I have always been proud of the my countrymen.

A Child's Object Lesson in Wealth Redistribution

I think that this speaks for itself. Every child will be able to understand this little illustration and I wager that very few will buy into the share the candy idea.

You Might Be a Redneck.....

John Murtha and Barack Obama have both caught flack (appropriately so) about the apersions cast at the people of Western Pennsylvania. Obama stated that they are bitter and cling to their guns and Bibles. Murtha called them (his own constituents in his re-election year no less) racist and then muddled through an attempt to smooth this over by calling them REDNECKS!!

Jeff Foxworthy has made the "You Might Be a Redneck" eponym famous, but today my 87 year old mother sent me the perfect retort to the elitist media and politicians who have no limit on the invective that they are spewing toward those of us who are just middle Americans who work hard and try to do what it right. So see if you are a redneck based on this little email that she sent to me.

You might be a redneck if:
It never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, 'One nation, under God.'
You've never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places.
You still say ' Christmas' instead of 'Winter Festival.'
You bow your head when someone prays.
You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem.
You treat our armed forces veterans with great respect, and always have.
You've never burned an American flag, nor intend to.
You know what you believe and you aren't afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.
You respect your elders and raised your kids to do the same.
You'd give your last dollar to a friend.

Well, based on the above definition I am certainly a redneck and I am proud to say it.

Oh, by the way Barack....I'm bitter and I VOTE. See ya at the polls on November 4!

WAKE UP BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!!

Courtesy of Machosauceproduction






YouTube is awesome. This guy has a whole list of great conservative videos on YouTube. Too bad McCain-Palin couldn't/wouldn't/didn't capitalize on him.

Bailout Schmailout

It is not enough that a $700B bailout package for purchasing toxic mortgage paper was first voted down and then revamped, bloated with pork and then rammed down our throat in the guise of "dire straits". No sooner did this bill pass, than the concept was "tweaked" so that monies from it MIGHT be diverted in order for the government to buy stakes in troubled banks to shore them up and unclog the credit market.

Now we find out that this atrocious stimulus package may not be used even in these ways. Though the monies have not been dispersed, everyone wants a piece of the pie, and banks are planning, dreaming and scheming about how it will be used, like I do when I buy a lottery ticket!! Proposed plans for this money include mergers and acquisitions, raises, CEO perks and bonuses or just plain squirreling the money away for a rainy day. (Like I wish I could if I had any!) In addition, lurking on the fringes and licking their chops are the insurance companies and the automakers who already have been given substantial amounts ($25B) of low interest loans to bolster them. Who the heck are we bailing out by this scheme with OUR money??

Is blood shooting out of your eyes yet??? Well get ready, because in spite of the proclaimed purpose for the bailout, there is apparently nothing in the legislation that REQUIRES that this money be used in any particular way.

Neel Kashkari, head of the Treasury's financial stability program, told Dodd's committee this past week that there are few strings attached to the capital-infusion program because too many rules would discourage financial institutions from participating. "Firms with the relevant financial expertise may also hold assets that become eligible for sale into the TARP or represent clients who hold troubled assets," Kashkari said.

Can you hear me SCREAMING??? What happened to this plea for this legislation to be passed immediately for the good of the overall economy??? Thankfully, real $$ (is that an oxymoron?) have not yet been doled out, though allocation is underway. And now members of Congress from both sides of the aisle are sounding righteous indignation about this law and its potential implementation. Senators Richard Shelby (R) who opposed the bailout, Charles Schumer (D) and Chris Dodd (D) (who did not) are all asking why the turn of events and demanding explanations, though the reasons for their concern may not all be the same (go figure). It appears that the inmates are running the asylum (on our dime).

If there was ever a more cogent argument for term limits, I think this is it. Since Congress has such an abysmal approval record, my gut reaction is to vote them all out and start over with people like Joe the Plumber, who did NOT get a sweetheart mortgage deal from CountryWide (but probably did have his HELOC frozen by them), who doesn't get perks from Freddie and Fannie (and would not have his campaign subsidized by them), and who isn't in cahoots Franklin Raines. Jamie Gorelick, Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, William Ayers, Father Pfleger, Rev. Wright, Louis Farrakhan ....to name just a chosen FEW.

We are in desperate need of a smaller government with fewer entitlements, handouts and departments (translation: rat holes down which billions of dollars can disappear). Our government bureaucracy has become so bloated that it is imploding on itself and Barack Obama is licking his chops at the idea that we will further "INVEST" (translation: take away the taxpayer's dollars) in this black hole of a government we now have. While I am not one to buy into whacko conspiracy theories, I am thinking that the Cloward-Piven Strategy of Orchestrated Crisis (just Google it!!) has finally played itself out and we are primed for a sweeping socialist takeover that has been carefully and quietly planned and implemented over several decades of gradual and insidious infiltration of all aspects of our lives. Yes, we do need change, but not THAT kind of change.

I am going to the True Value hardware and see if there are any pitchforks left. Let them eat cake!!!

A Great Use For Manufacturers Coupons That Are About To Go Around the Corner

I have always been a coupon clipper. Now more than ever, pinching pennies is important and I look forward to the Sunday paper to harvest the coupons. Because of this, I accumulate a large number of coupons that I "might" want to use in the future and I throw away an equal number for which I have no use. Last weekend, I looked at the great stack of manufacturers coupons and decided that in addition to cleaning the exterior of my house, I should also weed through and organize them.

When I had finished the weeding and organizing, I had a pile of coupons that were recently expired, a stack that were going to expire in the next 10 days, and a stack that I might actually use. The piles were pretty big and I was sad that so many would go to waste. I remembered participating in a coupon exchange years ago, and I also remember when one of the local groceries offered a big table where assorted coupons could be placed for others to sort through and take what was useful to them. The table at the grocery is long gone and I can't even remember the source of the coupon exchange, so I set about to look on the internet for a use for my excess coupons. I asked on Twitter for information but got no responses, so I set out on my own journey.

It didn't take long before I happened upon this site http://www.ocpnet.org and I was hooked. The Overseas Coupon Program provides a way for recently expired (2 months or less) coupons to be sent to US military bases all over the world. There, in the PX and commissary, the recently expired coupons can still be used on base. This is a nice way to support the military families who are overseas sacrificing for all of us.

The site has all of the instructions you need, including how to adopt an overseas base as the recipient of your coupons. This can be undertaken by an individual or a group. It could be a project to incorporate into a home schooling arithmetic exercise (adding up the value of the donated coupons), a project for a scout troop, a project for your bunco group or other social group that meets regularly, a church or a youth group, the possibilities are endless. It is a win-win proposition.

Now I have two big Ziploc bags of coupons ready to go!

Election Day Violence---I Hope Not

The link below takes you to an article entitled Police Prepare for Unrest by Alexander Bolton on http://www.thehill.com/ that has finally factually reported what I have been reluctantly feeling but could not bring myself to verbalize because it just sounds so frightening.

"Police departments in cities across the country are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest."

Ever since the August primary election in Missouri, I have been worried about this possibility but have been trying to tell myself that this is a foolish thought. My husband was a poll worker at a local precinct. He came home that night and commented that there was a very palpable difference in this election that was unlike any that he had been involved with in the past. He has been a poll worker in several past primaries and in the 2004 general election. His comment was something like "the Democrat workers and voters are plainly giddy and openly verbalized that this election was THEIRS!" There were even soft comments of "Hell to Pay" if Obama did not win. The article proceeds to quote police chiefs from multiple cities as well as well-known political sources from both parties regarding this possibility and their preparation for it.

"Some worry that if Barack Obama loses and there is suspicion of foul play in the election, violence could ensue in cities with large black populations. Others based the need for enhanced patrols on past riots in urban areas (following professional sports events) and also on Internet rumors."

"The Oakland police last faced big riots in 2003 when the Raiders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. Officials are bracing themselves in case residents of Oakland take Obama’s loss badly. "


“We’ve seen it on the Internet and we’ve heard that there could be civil unrest depending on the outcome of [the election,]” said Lt. Mark Briede of the Cincinnati Police Department. “We are prepared to respond in the case of some sort of unrest or some sort of incident.”

“If [Obama] is elected, like with sports championships, people may go out and riot,” said Bob Parks, an online columnist and black Republican candidate for state representative in Massachusetts. “If Barack Obama loses there will be another large group of people who will assume the election was stolen from him….. This will be an opportunity for people who want to commit mischief.”

So now it seems that regardless of who wins the election, there may be violence due to the anger, angst and general viciousness that has been born out of this election cycle. While I hope and pray that this never becomes a reality, I will be in prayer for our nation from now through the time that the outcome of the election is made known. How did we get to this point???





The entire article can be found at http://tinyurl.com/5vvtkp

Lorne Michaels is not a Pin Head

Bill O'Reilly does his "Pin head or Patriot" spot everynight on his show The O'Reilly Factor, and sometimes the most unlikely individuals are cited as Patriots. Entertainment Weekly recently interviewed Lorne Michaels of SNL fame about the Sarah Palin appearance last weekend. You have to have been living under a rock not to know how SNL feels about the McCain-Palin ticket, so it was interesting to find this tucked into the middle of the interview with EW.

EW:What do you think Palin gained from her
appearance?
LM: I think Palin will continue to be underestimated for a while. I watched the way she connected with people, and she's powerful. Her politics aren't my politics. But you can see that she's a very powerful, very disciplined, incredibly gracious woman. This was her first time out and she's had a huge impact. People connect to her.

And for this gracious comment, Lorne Michaels, you are a Patriot!

You can read the rest of the EW interview at http://tinyurl.com/6qymh5

Voter's Guide

Whether you wait until November 4 or if you are voting early and often here is a voter's guide that I would suggest that you use to educate yourself BEFORE you cast your vote and then regret it.

http://tinyurl.com/6dekae

This is a pdf file that you can print to take with you, distribute in your neighborhood or place in your business for customers to take. It is your responsibility to take this election as seriously as possible. On the second page there are citations to support each of the positions cited in the guide.

Slow Fade

I love contemporary Christian music and Casting Crowns is among my favorites. Their song, Slow Fade, has haunted me from the first time that I heard it.

"Slow Fade"

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

The song is more about morality and the slow and insidious way in which we allow ourselves to give up higher ground because "just once won't hurt." But as the political season draws to a close, we can also apply the slow fade to some of the policies that drive the Obama campaign. We have been slowly fading into a socialized state since LBJ's Great Society. Slowly and steadily, we have become more and more dependent on the government for the programs that we should be providing for each other through charity, the church and private industry. Instead we are slowly sinking into a complacency in which we are ripe for the picking.

For decades we have been fed a line of "Oh, this is good for you," "Just for this one time, we will be doing this for the good of everyone." Remember what we were told about the recent Bailout---"This is not what we want, but it is needed because the situation is dire." And we have bought it hook line and sinker. Now we are ready to be reeled in for the final time. Along comes THE ONE, with smooth talk, glib rejoinders, empty words and vague promises of what lies ahead. And the masses have swooned.

We, as a country, are ready for the final blow this fall when a democrat presidential candidate bolstered by a democrat congress can potentially drive away all incentive for individual productivity and through wealth redistribution, Patriot corporations, Play or Pay national health care penalties to small businesses that do not provide health care for their employees (and Barack, if there is REALLY no penalty, then why would any small company Play--thereby glutting the government system with new people to be covered at a cost that we CANNOT afford), poor economic conditions that will only be made more dire if business is penalized for being productive, the Fairness Doctrine, 1 or 2 Supreme Court nominations, etc. It is highly probable that we can spiral into a totally dependent situation where there is no alternative for the forseeable future to take back our rights.

Be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears what you hear, be careful little feet where you go. NATIONS NEVER CRUMBLE IN A DAY. Be wise in the choices that you make. It is not too late to avert disaster.

Life's Winding Road

I recently participated in a career fair put on by my college alma mater. They looked for alums who had been successful in their careers who would be willing to share advice with students who were studying in the same area of interest. My college is a small liberal arts college where the student body is still relatively small and more dedicated to education than science. As a student, I was an anomaly as a biology major. Nevertheless, I am very fond of my college and I was flattered that they thought of me as successful, so I agreed to go, with the thought that I could make a difference in the life of some student somewhere.



Several of my best friends from college also attended and it was more like a reunion weekend for me than a working weekend. I was a part of the Math and Science panel. We all presented a bit on "how I got to be what I am today." I was very interested to hear how we all got to be where we are today and the thing that was MOST interesting was that none of us started out to be what we are today!



One of my friends is a patent attorney for a major telecommunications company. She started out a math major who went on to grad school in applied mathematics and somehow ended up working for telecommunications in their research and development area. Over the years she acquired an MBA and a JD, both of which are used in her present role, but now she has a comprehensive view of how the applied math can be used in new product development and she understands the business rationale and application of these new products AND she can research the patents on new technology more efficiently because she understands how the new product came to be.



Another of my friends started out as a Sociology major and wanted to into the foreign service. There was only one graduate program in foreign service at that time, so competition was brutal and the school was downright snooty about their monopoly. One of her advisors missed a deadline for a letter of reference and when she went to interview for the graduate program, she was summarily dismissed as having an incomplete file. Having no recourse, she went home with tears in her eyes and no plan in sight. Her father, a small town doctor, suggested that she return to the metropolitan area where she went to college (because she really liked the city) and go to nursing school as it would provide her with a Plan B until she could reapply to the foreign service program. She ultimately never reapplied to the program and finished nursing school. She became interested in oncology nursing and worked at several major teaching institutions throughout the country, working with cancer treatment protocols. She is now employed by a major pharmaceutical company working in the area of clinical trials for new cancer treatments. Her path took her from foreign service to pubic service.



My own road to being a physician was equally quirky and circuitous, starting out as a high school biology teacher who got influenza which resulted in losing my voice. By the end of that school year, I had nodules on my vocal cords from strain and a throaty scratchy speaking voice! My ENT physician suggested that unless I wanted to sound like Andy Devine (for those of you who are too young to remember Wild Bill Hickock and his sidekick, google it and watch it on YouTube) I needed to get another job that was not so dependent on talking. I got a job in a research lab at one of the local medical schools and worked there for a couple of years with the idea that I would go back to graduate school and get a PhD in biochemistry. Somehow while I was surrounded by the physicians and research fellows in the lab, I was bitten by the thought that medicine would be a good melding of all of my interests. I applied (in spite of warnings not to get my hopes up because the competition is brutal), was accepted and here I am! My twisted rationale for spending the time and money to apply to medical school was so that when I was 40 and having a midlife crisis, I would not be looking in a mirror and wondering what my life would be like if I had applied. Today my love of teaching runs through my practice and extends to lecturing nationally, regionally and even at our community college.



None of us took a year or two off to "find ourselves" and all of us had a path in mind after graduation. All of us had student loans to pay off. All of us took lowly jobs and worked our way into our present situations. All of us were grounded in a good work ethic. Our best advice to the students was to keep your eyes open and watch the world around you. While you are working toward the goal that you have in mind, take off the blinders and look around. Have hobbies that introduce you to people that you would otherwise never meet. Take a menial job just to see another aspect of life. Get off of your high horse and realize that everyone puts on their pants one leg at a time. See the commonality that binds people together in all aspects of life. Ultimately, do what you love and love what you do.

This can apply to all of us, not just students who are starting out in life. There are myriad opportunities "out there" and the world is made smaller by social media and the internet. Today, you can network with a total stranger or collaborate with someone on the other side of the world in your jammies! The road to success may be crooked and it could well be rough. You need to listen to your heart and follow where it leads you. Do what you love and love what you do.

Remembering Others at the Holidays

I know, it is mid-October and the thought of the holidays is probably not first and foremost in the midst of the political and economic climate in our country. In spite of this, Thanksgiving will be here in just 45 days AND just 28 days later it will be Christmas.

Just as retailers have already been thinking about Christmas for a couple of months in order to be ready for the selling season, it is also necessary to think about sharing holiday wishes with out troops who will not be home for the holidays. It takes a long time for military mail to reach our military heroes and if it is to arrive in time for Christmas, some forethought must start NOW! By the time that the non-stop holiday music is playing it will almost be too late to include our brave fighting men and women in our plans. In the past, I had participated in the "Any service person" mail program, but this has been discontinued. eMail Our Military has taken up where this effort stopped to provide a way for holiday greetings from all over the country can be sent to miliary personnel stationed all over the world.

Today eMail Our Military announced their 7th Annual Holiday Love Project for our Troops and I want to make sure that the word is spread. Check out their blog, http://tinyurl.com/4uj6jn for a list of things that you, your family, friends, co-workers, scout troops, community group, church.....could do to be sure that warmest holiday wishes reach as many of our troops in foreign lands as possible.

Get in the holiday mood by hosting a Hanukkah or Christmas card party. Either buy cards and have a signing party or, better yet, have a card MAKING party and get out your best papers, stamping supplies, markers, colored inks and even some of the scrapbooking supplies that you have sitting in the closet. It is so much better to give than to receive and this takes just a little effort to bring so much joy.

While you are visiting eMail our Military's site, don't forget to look at all of the other ways that you can contribute year round to keep young men and women far away from family and home connected. Do it for those who are fighting to protect YOUR freedom and have a Blessed Holiday.

Young At Heart

Today my husband and I were guests at a surprise 80th birthday party for the mother of one of our closest friends. My friend and his wife had the family, of course, but they also invited several of Betty's (not her real name) childhood friends who still live in this area and have remained close over the years.

After Betty got over the fact that the party was for her and not for her granddaughter (as she was led to believe), she saw all of her childhood friends and the reunion was underway. You know how when families get together there is often a "kids table" when it comes right down to eating??? Well, in this case there was an "Octagenarians table" and then there was everyone else.

It was delightful to sit back and watch the people at that table as they laughed and joked and giggled over the meal and then the opening of the gifts and finally the birthday cake. To hear them talk so lightheartedly would belie their years and infirmities. There were canes hung over the chair backs and several of the ladies never left their seats, allowing the younger members of the family to take "orders" and serve up the cake and ice cream, but the spirited banter from that table was ageless. Jokes were followed by loud gales of laughter and wisps of conversation floated across the room. Were it not for the white heads all around the table, you would have sworn that the gaiety was from a table of much younger men and women.

We all need to witness something like this from time to time to force us to see the life and vitality in our older population. Too often I am afraid that we push the aging off to the side. We forget that just because their bodies are frail, their minds and spirits remain nimble and eager for the same fun and enjoyment of life that we all crave.

My husband and I have a New Year's eve party every year and the guest list includes my 87 year old mother, my good friends who gave the party today, Betty and her 81 year old husband, a neighbor who is a widow, another 70 year old neighbor and his wife, a 90 year old widower who lives down the road and an 86 year old couple who are Betty's brother and sister-in-law. No one lives more than 2 miles from our house and at about 12:20 AM everyone leaves in a group, but throughout the evening the conversation is spirited and sprightly, the young and the old share stories, opinions and LOTS of food. Everyone comes dressed up and brings something to share on the buffet table. We know that if it was not for our party all of these people would spend New Year's Eve at home the same way that they spend most other days.

The elderly often become depressed and bitter because they see that they are no longer included in the vital activities of society. Their agile minds are trapped in fragile bodies that require some degree of dependence on other people and they feel that they are a burden. They have so many stories to tell and experiences to share that are lost because we don't include them in our circle of friends. It isn't January 1, but this could be just the right time to re-prioritize life to include the company of the elderly. If you no longer have your own grandparents or aging relatives, you might consider adopting someone in a senior living center or nursing home and inviting them to be a part of your life. There are many elderly who live in these facilities, not because they must, but because they have no one else to turn to that would allow them to continue to live a more independent lifestyle.

What a wonderful thing you would be doing for yourself and your family to reach out and bring new life to someone who may have been thrown away by others as having become worn out and useless.

Girls Need Handbags!

I am wrung out about the economy and the political climate and want to give it a rest for the day, so I am deviating way off course for brain therapy.

In this economic climate, coupons, discounts, twofers and all sorts of money-saving ideas become more and more appealing. Couple this great contest to win a free handbag with the fact that a gal can never have too many handbags and this contest is a winner!

Go to http://www.handbagplanet.com and enter their contest for a free handbag. Then if you want more chances to win, simply spread the word in any way that you want about this new website!

Nuff said and I am happy this is Friday!

WWJD

I admit that I hang out on Twitter. This afternoon, this question was posed for discussion:

Just wondering: Does it matter to Christians whether a candidate is pro-life or pro-abortion? Would Jesus care or make it an issue? Why?

But this question does not lend itself to an answer that can fit into 140 characters. And the discussion that followed often expanded outside of the 140 character box or required multiple boxes to get the point across. I have been pondering this question since it was posted.

I am an unapologetic Pro-life Christian. For me, the Pro-Life position is very important in my choice of political candidates. I want a candidate that will protect the innocents in our country and look on each and every life as an individual with worth. I want a candidate that will not withhold comfort measures to a fetus that has been born alive after a failed abortion. I want a candidate that will not condone the creation of life in order to destroy it for the cells that can be harvested. I want a candidate that will actively look for alternatives to embryonic stem cells.

Today, thanks to our wonderful American medical system, we now put the lower limit of fetal salvage at 24 weeks of gestation. 24 weeks is also the upper limit for legal termination in many states. What happens in 24 hours to make a fetus disposable and the next day worthy of all out efforts to salvage that same life?

In 1973 when Roe v. Wade was crafted our obstetric technology was rudimentary compared to that of today. Ultrasound was in its clinical infancy and the ability to do prenatal genetic testing was still on the drawing board. It can possibly be said that ignorance of the events in early pregnancy made it possible for legalization of abortion on demand to exist, but today, we need to re-evaluate the wisdom of this in light of existing technology that enables us to save babies born remote from term. I want a candidate who is willing to re-examine this topic in light of modern technology.

Even the argument for termination to protect the life of the mother has fallen by the wayside. Today there are almost no situations where the life and health of the mother will be improved or spared by termination of a pregnancy even in the scenario of cancer and chemotherapy. The process of emptying the uterus either by laboring or by opening the uterus to deliver the fetus is no different in an abortion than it is at term, so there is nothing to be gained by not allowing the fetus to reach maturity before delivery. Today there are alternatives to abortion that make it possible for these innocent lives to be spared.

Would Jesus care or make it an issue?? I believe that Jesus would also be unapologetic in His position for life. He demonstrated this by healing the dregs of society, making special time to minister to little children, rejoicing over the prodigal son who squandered his life and then came home and finally making the ultimate sacrifice of His own life to save mankind. As one who placed such value on even the lives of the most outcast, there is no doubt in my mind that Jesus would also stand firmly for the unborn. He would make this an issue just as forcefully as he drove the money lenders out of the temple. And yet, there would also be forgiveness for the repentant and mercy for those who truly were sorry for the choices that they made.

Our society has become numb to the Slaughter of the Innocents that takes place every day all over America as a reflection of how amoral America has become. It is time that we seek a real solution to the problem of abortion in America and give the unborn their voice.

Why a McCain Presidency is Good for the Economy

My mother's daily email forwarding brought a chuckle today and I thought it would be fun to share it.

A president's pension currently is $191,300 per year, until he is 80 years old.
Assume the next president lives to age 80.

Sen. McCain would receive ZERO pension as he would reach 80 at the end of two terms as president.

Sen. Obama would be retired for 26 years after two terms and would receive $4,973,80in pension.

Therefore it would certainly make economic sense to elect McCain in November.

She Shoots....She Scores!!!

I am sure that Sarah Palin never got to read my "Open Letter to Sarah Palin" posted earlier this week, but in spite of this, she did many of the things that I thought she should do in the debate last night. As a result she stopped the bleeding wounds from her traumatic interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric. Going into the debate last night, frankly the bar was low for her and many of us were hoping that she would not implode before our eyes.

Thankfully last night "Sarah Plain and Tall" that we have come to love was present and she successfully polished up her image and in true Hockey Mom fashion, scored a hat trick.

1. Sarah talked knowledgeably and masterfully about energy and energy independence.

2. She gave a good exposition of her experience as a Governor as a microcosm of the national government.

3. She defended McCain's withdrawal in Iraq position well and contrasted it with the Obama strategy that would have been tantamount to "waving the white flag of surrender."

4. She was reassuring that there is an Iraq withdrawal strategy in a McCain presidency.

5. She talked past the MSM and directly to the people in the heartland of America who desperately needed to hear from her.

6. She was brutally honest that she is a "Washington Outsider" who has not made promises that she cannot keep.

7. She made it clear that as Vice President she would use her personal strengths in the areas of energy and disabilities to better the country.

8. She made good defenses of McCain's positions on tax cuts and business stimulation.

9. She portrayed a woman who could compete on a national dias with poise and confidence.

I can just see Sarah Palin, Angela Merkel and Tzipi Livni fixing the world over lunch at the kitchen table!