the Centrist

Dear Family and Friends:

Random Observations:
We are perilously close to a point where our freedom of speech will be taken away, i.e. the ‘freedom doctrine’, an attempt to gag the conservative talk radio stations. Add to that the pilfering of yet another Senate seat, this time in Minnesota by Al Fraken (not final yet, still in the courts), by outright fraud, without even a whisper of decent from the leftist media. In this brave new world of power politics, all is right as long as you are left.
As I see it there is still truth, and truth must be supported with facts. For instance during the election when I pointed out that our President may not be qualified for the office because he may not have been a natural born citizen, the liberals railed against me. All the President needed do is to supply a birth certificate from Hawaii, I am still waiting. All I ask is why not produce a document that I must when applying for a passport? Why seal college records and submit falsified documents? Even my father, a first generation Italian (born in the US) found his birth certificate after 60 or so years when he had to apply for Social Security. So what is the harm in showing that document? More importantly what is the consequence if there is no document?

When I made the scientific statement that global warming is likely a fraud because other planets have undergone the same relative change as the earth, I was railed against as hopelessly inane. Not because I was proven wrong factually, not because there is no carbon dioxide on those other planets, but because, as one person said, ‘Al Gore wouldn’t lie and they wouldn’t have given him the Nobel Peace Prize if he were wrong.’

I have even had friends distance themselves from me when I pointed out the fact that the President voted twice for infanticide (the killing of babies who survived abortion). This was not because it was factual, but because they said, “he wouldn’t”.

When former President Bush, in his farewell address, pointed out that no other countries would take the prisoners from Guantanamo, which was ignored, as we prepare to swing those gates open wide, and what release them … where?

When the economy collapsed and wiped out millions of our citizens savings, we were willing to go into unheard of debt and give unprecedented powers to the Sec. of Treasury, because the pundits agreed: “it was needed”. Now, not only can we not trace those funds, we have selected a Sec. of the Treasury who purposely cheated on his income tax … whatever happened to accountability?

Until Americans begin to once again combine their hearts with their heads, we will be sentenced to a new kind of change. If you want to understand the blueprint for what is happening, read the book which our President taught from as a professor, “Rules for Radicals” by Saul Alinsky. Then you will understand the wisdom of Ben Franklin who answered the question as he exited the Constitutional Convention: “what kind of government have you given us?” with the factual statement: “A Republic, madam, if you can keep it.” My question for you today is: “Can we?”

Blogger John submits: The Rules of Saul Alinsky from “Rules for Radicals” (I have recently purchased this book and will re-read it in the next week.)

1. “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.”
2. “Never go outside the expertise of your people. When an action or tactic is outside the experience of the people, the result is confusion, fear and retreat…. [and] the collapse of communication.
3. “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy. Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)
4. “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules. You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.”
5. “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counteract ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.”
6. “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.”
7. “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag. Man can sustain militant interest in any issue for only a limited time….”

8. “Keep the pressure on, with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose.”
9. “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.”
10. “The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign.”
11. “If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counter side… every positive has its negative.”
12. “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.”
13. Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. In conflict tactics there are certain rules that [should be regarded] as universalities. One is that the opposition must be singled out as the target and ‘frozen.’… When you’re ‘freeze the target,’ you disregard these [rational but distracting] arguments and carry out your attack…. One acts decisively only in the conviction that all the angels are on one side and all the devils on the other.

Heaven and Hell

A Holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said ‘Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like. The Lord led the holy man to two doors.
 
He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
 
The Lord said, ‘You have seen Hell.”
 
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand.’ ‘It is simple,’ said the Lord. ‘It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.’

Prayer Requests:
Updates:
Terry (Marcel’s wife) is recovering from her hand surgery nicely. She did have a great deal of pain but is better day by day. She willhave pins removed next week.
Dr. Z’s Mom suffered a severe stroke … she passed away last Friday.

Marilyn’s good friend Barb is had surgery on the 15th of this month, please be in prayer.
No new word on Jim F; still in hospital
Carol’s biopsy showed to be cancer … no treatment decision (to my knowledge) at this time. Please pray.
Continue to pray for Fredonia Patti’s friend Vinny who has lost all his hair plus his beard due to Chemotherapy. He is feeling extremely tired but hanging in, he is now on Radiation Therapy. He has faith that God will get him thru continue to pray for him.
Graydon B is home and JoAnne is still able to drive, although she has her shoulder in a brace (she did break her collar bone). Please keep them in prayer. No change in status.
Niece Rhonda continues to improve, but she still has some head pain, please keep praying.
Niece Jennifer who has RSD (same disease as Marilyn – Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) went through pain clinic at Rochester Strong Memorial Pain Center and is now undergoing new treatme improvin

Brother Les is about the same. Valarie never complains, bless her, but the burden is heavy. Please keep them both in prayer. A change in the bathroom (to fully handicap) has been a major help.
Transplants: Good Friend Keith – liver, Brother Pat – liver; Good Friend Jim – kidney … please keep praying for their well being.
Continue to pray for Scott, his maternal grandmother and family due to the passing of his grandfather Bob L (Lou Gehrig’s Disease see above). Deedee C’s mother, elderly and weak
My friend and personal physician Dr Hal P. continue to pray as you know he has developed metastatic bone cancer, pray for healing and comfort. He is presently going through chemo. This is his second bout with cancer – no new word.
Continue to pray for our niece Rhonda for headaches and eye problems and Sister Jane for MS
Cousins Janet and Karen for strength MS
Unity for our family

Tolerance, Christ’s Love, and Understanding for our families, friends, and enemies
Newlyweds: Son Rand and wife Erin, niece Cassy and husband Tom, niece Julia and Steve, and grandson Scott and Chelsa for long happy and prosperous relationships centered on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Bonnie Erbie (author accusing Christians of being knuckle draggers), prayer for salvation.
Pray for wisdom and spiritual guidance in rearing children for our family as well as the renewal of the nuclear family; pray that marriage stays as one man, one woman, but rights are extended to same gender unions.
Pray for our troops each evening at 9:00 pm. every night … pray that America wakes up to evil before it is too late (thank you Pres. Obama for stressing this fact in your Inaugural Address).
Nephews John and Ryan – Ryan in Iraq and John in Virginia (both in the Navy)and grandson Scott who is a Marine
Prayer partners Bill, John, and Ron … for continued blessings
Please continue to pray for health issues for five of our nieces, sister Jane, and Marilyn.
Pastors: Dan, John, Tom, Lyell, Steve D, Ben, Estes, Gail, Whittikers, Neil, and Steve T for their ministries, ease of stress, and courage to spread the gospel; wisdom for all leadership at Yates, Greater Toledo 1st Baptist, Clermont Baptist.

Clermont Baptist Prayer Requests:
Please emember bill k’s sister who had surgery again and an infection.
Continued prayer for Glenice, Chris’ sister
Jack, Bob and Daphne are still looking for part time work.
Herb is getting another stent in his leg.
Praise linda had a good work week.
Thom may have gotten food poisoning, pray for his recovery.

The Lighter Side:

Little Known Geographic Facts from Richard:

Alaska
More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska.

Amazon
The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% the world’s oxygen supply. The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that more than one hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river, one can dip fresh water out of the ocean. The volume of water in the Amazon river is greater than the next eight largest rivers in the world combined and three times the flow of all rivers in the United States.

Antarctica
Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country. Ninety percent of the world’s ice covers Antarctica . This ice also represents 70% of all the fresh water in the world. As strange as it sounds, however, Antarctica is essentially a desert. The average yearly total precipitation is about two inches. Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, I.e.), Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with an absolute humidity lower than the Gobi desert.

Brazil
Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.

Canada
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. Canada is an Indian word meaning ‘ Big Village .’

Chicago
Next to Warsaw , Chicago has the largest Polish population in the world.

Detroit
Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan carries the designation M-1, so named because it was the first paved road any where.

Damascus , Syria
Damascus, Syria was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome was founded in 753 BC making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in existence.

Istanbul , Turkey
Istanbul (AKA Constantinople), Turkey, is the only city in the world located on two continents.

Los Angeles
Los Angeles’ full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula — and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.

New York City
The term ‘The Big Apple’ was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930′s who used the slang expression ‘apple’ for any town or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time – The Big Apple.
There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland; more Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Ohio
There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio, every one is man made.

Grandchildren submitted by Jamestown Patti:

When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we
kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects.
Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy
whispered, ‘it’s no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming after us with
flashlights.’
#####
When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied,
‘I’m not sure.’ ‘Look in your underwear, Grandpa,’ he advised. ‘mine says I’m
four to six.’

#####
A second grader came home from school and said to her
grandmother, ‘Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today.’ The
grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. ‘That’s
interesting,’ she said, ‘how do you make babies?’ ‘It’s simple,’ replied the girl. ‘You
just change ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’.’
#####
Children’s Logic: ‘Give me a sentence about a public servant,’
said a teacher. The small boy wrote: ‘The fireman came down the ladder
pregnant.’ The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. ‘Don’t you know what
pregnant means?’ she asked. ‘Sure,’ said the young boy confidently. ‘it means
carrying a child.’
#####
A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full
of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat
of the truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog’s
duties.
‘They use him to keep crowds back,’ said one child.
No,’ said another, ‘he’s just for good luck.’
A third child brought the argument to a close. ‘They use the dogs,’ she said firmly, ‘to find the fire
hydrants…