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A Speech Every American High School Principal Should Give

A Speech Every American High School Principal Should Give
By Findalis
Monkey in the Middle

America has lost its decency, manners, politeness……………soon without quick changes character!

Listen to the young people, F-this, F-that, and nary anyone will step up and correct them- even with wife and kids in tow!

New high school principal

We watched high school principal Dennis Prager of Colorado , along with Sara Palin and Tom Brokaw on TV a couple of weeks ago….what a dynamic, down to earth speaker. Even though Palin and Brokaw were also guest speakers they did little but nod and agree with him.
A Speech Every American High School Principal Should Give.
By Dennis Prager.

To the students and faculty of our high school:

I am your new principal, and honored to be so.
There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that some ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity.
I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships. The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity — your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American.

This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans. If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity, race and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America , one of its three central values — epluribus Unum, “from many, one.” And this school will be guided by America ‘s values. This includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness.

Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic, racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism — an unhealthy preoccupation with the self — while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interested in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America ‘s citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here — it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English — but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.

Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor , everything in this school will reflect learning’s elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. Many people in our society dress more formally for Hollywood events than for church or school. These people have their priorities backward. Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.

Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school’s property — whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. If you can’t speak without using the f -word, you can’t speak. By obscene language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission, plus epithets such as “Nigger,” even when used by one black student to address another black, or “bitch,” even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend. It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.

Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way — the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago — by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will be devoted to scaring you about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual harassment or global warming. No more semesters will be devoted to condom wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or primarily a health issue… There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual or not Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately fortunate — to be alive and to be an American.

Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand them out to you.

If all schools nationwide adopted this ideology for their schools, I know we would all be better off!

Pass this along if you agree. . . . If not delete …. .and later regret it !

Seal the Border! ... J. D. Longstreet

Seal the Border!   ...   J. D. Longstreet
Seal the Border!
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet


Now, I’m not going to sit here and say to the President, my US Senators, and my Congressmen that if they want me to support the new Immigration Reform Bill, first build a fence along the border.  No, I’m not going to say that.

What I AM going to say is… We don’t NEED the new Immigration Reform Bill!  Not at all.  We don’t even NEED a guest worker program!  Americans will gladly pay more for their produce if it means that can continue to maintain America as an English-speaking nation.  Heck, the money we save on the welfare services we now give, free, to the illegal immigrants would off-set the higher prices for produce at the market!  No, we don’t need either of those things.

What we DO NEED is enforcement of the immigration laws we have on the books today!

To secure the border we need a fence… a physical fence.  Not some piss-ant virtual fence with sensors and cameras and fly-overs by unarmed drone aircraft.  All that does is complicate the process.  When the illegals cross over they still have to be hunted down and sent back.  So, stop them from ever crossing that border with an honest to goodness double fence with a patrol road between the fences.  

Harsh?  I don't think so.   But -- when national security is at stake, harshness may be  the way to go!

Again, the new Immigration Reform Bill soon to be before the US Senate is an Amnesty Bill.  No matter how you slice it, no matter how much perfume they sprinkle over it, it still stinks to high heavens.  And you know what???  They’re going to pass that abomination of a bill over our protests if we don’t rattle the cages of the Senators in Washington, but good!  Actually, I am satisfied that if there is any way, by hook or by crook, the two parties, in cahoots with each other, will see that this bill is passed. 

We have the closest thing to a rogue government in Washington today as this nation has ever had.  They are totally unresponsive to the citizens of the nation.  I don’t believe they cannot hear us, or that they have misinterpreted what we are telling them about this immigration bill. I believe they hear us, loud and clear, and simply don’t give a damn what you and I want.  They intend to do what they want instead.  That behavior, dear reader, is the definition of a rogue government.

As an American citizen I am frustrated beyond all measure at what passes for a government in Washington, DC today!  It is a pathetic bunch of political hacks unfit to run for dogcatcher, let alone an office representing my interests in the nation’s seat of government.

Alas, this is the government we get when that form of Marxism we call Political Correctness takes over a country.  The truth is shown the door for fear of offending someone… anyone!  So, our Congresspersons, our Senators,  and even our President will lie to us and tell themselves they are “protecting” us.  They’ll convince themselves that they know best what is good for us and they will simply tune us out!  That is what this government has done.  Tuned us out!

Now you know what Southerners from 1828 up to April of 1861 felt like!  Their government (the US government) had tuned them out, too.  We all know how that ended.   We Southerners LOST OUR COUNTRY!  And, guess what??? If this continues we are going to lose our country AGAIN, this time along with the rest of  America!  That’s how serious this is.

Not content to lie down and rollover, I intend to rattle cages in DC.  At least, if we lose and the "Amnesty Bill" passes, I will know that I DID make an effort to contribute to the forces trying to stop it. That’s not much consolation, I know, but it is all I, WE, have these days.

© J. D. Longstreet

Exponential Trend Failure of the Day (Musical Tribute)


Click to enlarge.



So here's to the golden moon
Here's to the silver sea

Nov 6, 2007
Yahoo Message Board: Higher Lows & Higher Highs

I've concluded that the momentum behind the price movements of gold, silver, and SSRI is simply too strong to offer me another buying opportunity. At least I've got enough sense to continue to hold onto the shares that I now own. This current gold/silver bull market should provide each of us with a very profitable experience. It's a shame that more of my friends aren't participating in this once in a lifetime wealth accumulation opportunity. - seasonedspeculating

Oops.

Source Data:
Yahoo: SSRI Historical Prices

Jerusalem!!


46 years ago today the City of David, Jerusalem was reunited after being cut into 2 by the Jordanians and the United Nation.  For 19 years no Jew, no Christian was allowed to worship at their holy places.  In fact, the tombstones on the Mount of Olives Cemetery (One of the oldest Jewish Cemeteries in the world.) were used by the Jordanians as paving stones, building stones, even to make latrines.  And the world said nothing.  Not a peep.

On an almost daily basis, snipers on the walls of the Old City would open fire on Israeli civilians.  And the world said nothing.  Not a peep.

To solve this issue and stop the gunfire, orders were given to liberate the Old City.  And the IDF came through with skill.  The City of David was unified.  All people were free to worship at their holy places.


Click here if the video doesn't load.

Today as Israel and Jews around the world celebrate 46 years of a unified Jerusalem, President Barack Hussein Obama is demanding that the city be split into 2 again.  And the world is cheering him on.

Forget about what happened the last time the city was divided to appease the Arabs.  Forget that for 46 years the city has been whole, united.  Forget that under the Arabs only Muslims could pray at in the city, Jews and Christians were forbidden.  That means nothing to those who have been appeasing the Arabs in the hope that they finish the job Hitler started.

But you can help:

Keep Jerusalem United - Sign the Declaration!


Click here if the video doesn't load.

Sign the Declaration!
I declare that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish People and strongly support all efforts to maintain and strengthen a united Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel.
Just click here.

 Land for peace with Palestinians doesn't work.  They have taught Israel that.  In 2005 Israel gave up Gaza in the hope of peace.  And was subjected to over 10,000 rockets.  And the horror that became the city of Sderot.

For 46 years Jerusalem has been united.  Let us work to keep it that way!


Click here if the video doesn't load.

Jerusalem United Forever!





Denim suit




  A denim look seems to be my choice for a rainy day and I usually love wearing this boyish combination with high heels. This time I said YES to the flats and I must  admit it wasn't  too bad... especially when you have to walk a lot.                                    


                                                                           Denim blazer: vintage/ a great version Here 
                                                                           T-shirt: thanks to Sheinside/ Here 
                                                            Ballet flats: thanks to Le Bunny Bleu / Here
                                                                           Bag: Zecchino thanks to YeswalkerHere 
                                                                           Cuff bracelet: Chanel
                                                                           Jeans: Hurley/ option Here 



                                                                         

this little light of mine

So, I got a new chandelier for the dining room.

Would this be the dining room that just got a new chandelier last year? Yep, that's the one.

Now, before you go putting me in the loony bin for buying yet another lighting fixture for the dining room (this makes #3), let me state my case. It is a vintage bamboo chandelier at a wicked good price. I couldn't very well leave it behind once I saw it. What if someone bought it who wouldn't have taken care of it? There was a lady with a bedazzled purse and a scrunchie eyeing it at the same time my mom and I were fawning. I couldn't let this light go home with Mrs. Scrunchie, that's just mean. So really I rescued this light from certain doom. I'm a humanitarian. Me and Angelina.


The only problem I had with it was the color. I am a card-carrying member of the black fan club but I've already got a lot of black in the dining room and the walls are darker so adding this big and wonderful black light was just sucking the remaining light out of the room. And the black was hiding all of the great detail that made me love the light in the first place.

I wavered between something sparkly and something with more pop. But while I wavered, I made myself useful and primed.


Sparkle took over and I went with gold. I think I had spent a few hours play dress up with the girls before hand, so that might have influenced my decision. But the subtle, glam, vintagey gold I was looking for didn't happen.


Bust.

It was a little too Golden Girls for my taste. I suppose I could have taken some rub n' buff to the thing to tone it done a bit, but have you taken a close look at this thing? It has no fewer than 47 sides. It's a mathematical anomaly. It was hard enough to spray it, I wasn't about to hand rub the sucker.

I decided to go with what my gut had told me originally and go with my color pop. Why I ever tried to ignore you gut I don't know. My apologies. After something red, with a bit of orange in it, I went to Michaels to look thru the hard core arty spray paint and landed on Cadmium Red by Liquitex.

The color was perfect and the paint goes on wonderfully. It dries super fast and the odor is almost non-existant.


I will warn you though this stuff chips like a... it chips really bad. I wouldn't use this on anything that would get any sort of day to day use, but since people rarely touch my chandelier, I figure it will be safe.


So up she went, looking beautiful. All of her pretty details showing up so much better now in her bright red. But she was missing one last detail. This was the perfect piece to try out one of my favorite blogger 'I want to try that one day' DIYs.


Yep, I followed Emily's lead and added some polka dot fabric to my plain little candle sleeves. You can go to Recently for the full DIY but I will tell you this was easy as can be. All you need is some fabric, scissors and Mod Podge and you'll be done in 10 minutes.


I love my little lady. She is bringing it. 


So the moral of the story is this - ignore trends and always go with your gut. Your gut will never lie to you. And never pass up a good light because you already have one. There is always room for one more chandelier in your life.

What about you? Have you added something to your house only to replace it with something else a year later? Painted anything with 47 sides? Watched Golden Girls lately?

US negligence in securing the southern border puts us all in danger

US negligence in securing the southern border puts us all in danger


Do you have locks on the doors to your home and/or business, and do you lock them? Do you lock your car when you park it at work, at the mall, and other places? Do you insist that people who come to your home knock on the door or ring the bell and be invited in before entering? Would you be offended or angered if people set up housekeeping in your basement or outbuilding without your permission? Would you order them to leave and call the police to have them removed if they refused?

If so, you are among the scores of millions of sensible Americans who understand why we must strengthen border security and revamp our dysfunctional immigration system. And that must be done before taking any sort of action to give illegal immigrants legal status of any description.

The administration wants us to believe that the border is really not so bad: "I can tell you having worked that border for 20 years, it is more secure now than it has ever been. Illegal apprehensions are at 40-year lows," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said. Please forgive some cynicism, but that could be achieved by ordering the Border Patrol to apprehend fewer illegals.

But as it turns out, she's just wrong. Customs and Border Protection released data showing that arrests are actually up 13 percent compared with the same time last year when the number was 170,223. It is 192,298 this year. 

This begs the question of where Ms. Napolitano -- who "worked the border" as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, the state's Attorney General, and its Governor -- gets her information. But perhaps it’s not the source of information that is Madam Secretary's problem; instead it is her perverse perspective. In 2009 she said on CNN's "State of the Union" that entering the country illegally is not a crime. No, really. That's what she said. That statement should have sunk her as Homeland Security secretary.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said her state’s border with Mexico is still not secure and called for additional resources to improve border security. Following what she termed an "extensive" aerial tour, she said the border with Mexico continues to be “a gateway” for drug smuggling and unlawful crossings. She called for more fences, drones, Border Patrol agents and National Guard troops.

“The ranchers will tell you, if you sit down and talk to them, that they’re fearful, that the Border Patrol is too far north,” Gov. Brewer said. “They need to get closer to the border because they let [illegal immigrants] go so far [into the state], and then they just sort of blend in." "They’re destroying their land and destroying their cattle, they’re destroying their water. They’re frustrated.”

Texas Senator John Cornyn agrees: "People are coming from around the world through what they know is a porous border to come to the United States without us knowing who they are, what their motives are," he said. "This is a national security problem."

The Boston Marathon bombing reminded us that the threat of terrorism is very real. And the negligence of the federal government in handling border security provides no assurance that along with people looking for work and a better life, and the drug cartels and thugs looking for markets and victims, there are not also terrorists slithering across the border while the government is busy not paying attention.

About the only people who do not acknowledge the disgraceful state of border security are those in Washington like Secretary Napolitano whose responsibility it is to secure it. A March poll of 1,014 adults by ABC News and The Washington Post reflects that eight-in-ten Americans support stronger border security.

But of course the "everybody who disagrees with me is stupid" crowd demurs. They not only think lax border security is a good thing, but also believe that those who think we should actually control who comes into the US are racists. A recent Rasmussen Reports poll found that 22 percent of liberal participants hold that view.

These folks believe that it is racist to control who gets into the US, and that the country would be better off if we just opened the borders and let anyone in who wants to come in. They may also believe that if you disagree with Barack Obama about anything, you are also a racist. It has been found that these beliefs were arrived at using a very high level of third grade playground logic.

Perhaps since the feds won't block illegal immigrants from crossing the border we should round them up and send them to live with those 22 percent who hate secure borders and love lawbreakers.

The feds get a big fat F in "paying attention to important things." They've allowed millions to expend minimal effort to illegally enter our country; they designed and carried out the deadly "gun walking" fiasco known as Fast and Furious; they ignored numerous warnings about rising danger in Benghazi that ultimately killed four brave Americans; and did not pick up on clear indications of radicalization of the accused Boston Marathon bombers. And next year Obamacare takes effect.

Blossom Moment





          ... and my week couldn't get any brighter than this! Fresh lilac blossoms & new white pointed-toe pumps... mmm... YES please!
Hope you're having an fun week as well!





                                                                               Pointed-toe pumps: BCBGeneration/ Here




Russia Probes US Air Defenses AGAIN! ... J. D. Longstreet

Russia Probes US Air Defenses AGAIN!   ...   J. D. Longstreet
Russia Probes US Air Defenses AGAIN!
A Not So Subtle Reminder
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

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

According to the Washington Free Beacon -- "Two Bear H nuclear-capable bombers were detected flying into the military’s Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) near the Aleutians, where a strategic missile defense radar is located, and Alaska’s North Slope region by the Arctic and Chukchi Seas on April 28 and 29, military officials told the Washington Free Beacon."  SOURCE:  http://freebeacon.com/bears-buzz-alaska-again/

It would appear "ole Vlad" is turning up the pressure on Obama to show some of that "flexibility" he promised Putin he would have after he was elected to a second term.

Those of us who remember the "Cold War," and even served in the US Military during the Cold War, recognize this behavior by the Russians as a form of bullying at which they are past masters.  It was fairly common to see Russian Bear bombers cruising just off North Carolina's coast.

Now that Putin is feeling his oats and endeavoring to reconstitute the old Soviet Union, he has begun showing off Russia's military power and his ability to project same around the world.

"It was the fifth incident of Russian strategic bombers flying against the United States since June, when Bear bombers were intercepted near Alaska during a large-scale Russian strategic nuclear exercise that Russian military officials said involved practice strikes against U.S. missile defense sites in Alaska.
Less than a month later, on July 4, two more Bears flew the closest to the northern California coast that Russian aircraft have flown since the days of the Soviet Union.

Then in February two Bears circled Guam, a key U.S. military hub in the Pacific.

Additionally, Backfire strategic bombers flew simulated strikes against U.S. missile defenses and bases in Japan last month."
  SOURCE:  http://freebeacon.com/bears-buzz-alaska-again/

Russia continues to rebuild their armed forces while the US -- under Obama -- continues to, basically, disarm its military.

The US can expect more of these probes by Russia, and soon, we expect, from China, as well. 

Obama projects weakness.  Maybe that is because he IS a weak leader. NOTHING invites trouble more than the the appearance of weakness.

Now that Obama has announced the US will focus on the Pacific region, the US is squared -off with Russia and China. Problem is -- we don't have the wherewithal to go toe to toe with those two arch enemies of the US -- not any longer.

There is an expression used in the popular HBO series Game of Thrones -- "The night is dark, and full of terrors."  This descriptive phrase could easily be adapted to  read: "The WORLD is dark and filled with terrors"  and be accurate and applicable to the world we live in today.

Those of us who live in the real world know and understand this and we attempt to take every precaution available to us to protect against such terrors.

The folks on the political left, however, (at least in America) don't live in the same world as the rest of us.  The world in which they live is a fairy-tale land where everyone sits around in a circle and sings "kumbaya." 

Theirs is a world in which all danger can be neutralized by talking out differences and negotiating.  It is a land of group hugs where everyone is equal, everyone is a part of the collective, and the world and life is always "fair." 

In their world war does not exist.  In their world there are no terrorists.  They don't even use the word "terrorist." 

Their world is a utopia. In other words, it doesn't exist.  It is a true "pipe" (as in opium pipe!) dream. "Utopia" is a book of fiction written by Sir Thomas More (1516) describing the perfect society on an imaginary island.  It isn't REAL!

But they don't dare give up their pharmaceutically induced visions of Utopia.  For the moment they do, they will have to face the real world and THAT they cannot do. They are as children in a grownup's world.

One of the less pleasant tasks of the political right, is taking care of the political left. Left on their own they would soon be extinct.  The bullies of the world would have them for lunch. If you question this, I invite you to observe how Mr. Putin will play Mr. Obama like a Stradivarius.

The Bear bomber fly-bys, the probes of our air defenses, all are a part of Putin's reminding Mr. Obama of his promise of more flexibility.  And Putin WILL get it.

Any negotiations with Russia will see the US get the short end of the stick -- or no stick at all.  Expect Putin to make no concessions.  If Obama's record in negotiating with Russia is any indicator, we can expect Obama to make concessions as a form of appeasement.  Appeasement never works, at least not for long.  All it does is move your day in the barrel back a few days. 

Ronald Reagan knew and understood that you only negotiate with Russia from a position of strength.  Even if Obama understood that, he couldn't do it.  It just isn't in him. He is weak and indecisive.  He is often referred to as "Hamlet on the Potomac."

None of this has gone unnoticed by the Russians.  So, we can expect to receive more of these not so subtle reminders from Putin through out the remainder of the Obama administration.

© J. D. Longstreet

visiting at classically b

Happy Monday all! First I want to say thanks for all of your kind words on Friday. I managed to stay off the computer all weekend (no small feat I assure you) which gave me more time to work on projects. Not quite the healing I think I was supposed to be after, but I enjoyed it. Be sure to come back on Wednesday when I'll be sharing a little before and after I recently added to the house.

Today though I'm hanging out with Brittany over at Classically B, talking about some of my favorite finds. And just in time for Mother's Day (hint hint hubs).

Stop by and say Hi!



Obama Brokering Deal To Contain Nuclear Iran? ... J. D. Longstreet

Obama Brokering Deal To Contain Nuclear Iran?   ...   J. D. Longstreet
Obama Brokering Deal To Contain Nuclear Iran?
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

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

Just a few days ago, we published a piece entitled: "Get Ready for a Nuclear Iran."  The thrust of the piece was that Obama will not make any attempt to stop Iran from developing an atomic bomb or a missile delivery system for nuclear warheads, but will, in fact, allow Iran to continue their endeavor for nuclear weapons.  We hypothesized in that commentary that Obama was developing a strategy of "containment" of a nuclear Iran -- because he knows he is not going to make an attempt to stop them and indeed, doesn't want Israel to stop them, either.

Here is just a snippet of what we said in that writing:  "...  it provides no comfort knowing that Iran is closing on its desire to have its very own nuclear bomb, which it intends to drop on Israel and the United States at the earliest opportunity.

It should come as no surprise when the Obama administration rolls out their plans for "containment of a nuclear Iran."  Many have felt for some time that was Obama's ultimate goal all the while.

Understand: The Arab nations are scared witless of the Persian nation. If Iran is allowed to possess a nuclear bomb, expect all the Arab nations in the region to go nuclear almost overnight -- in self defense.  They won't waste time with developing their own nuclear programs, they will simply purchase nuclear bombs and missiles and be done with it.

Now -- allow me to ask you -- how much safer will YOU feel if and when the entire Middle East is armed to the teeth with nuclear bombs and missiles?"
We encourage you to read the entire article at: http://insightonfreedom.blogspot.com/2013/04/get-ready-for-nuclear-iran-j-d_25.html


Today, Sunday May 5th, 2013, at Israelnationalnews.com there is an article by Gil Ronen  entitled:  "Israel 'Opting to Contain' Nuclear Iran?" Report in Sunday Times says U.S. is brokering a deal between Israel, Saudis, Jordan, Turkey and UAE."

The opening paragraph of Mr. Ronen's pieces says the following:  "Israel is considering partnering with several Sunni-Muslim Arab states in a U.S.-brokered defense alliance that would be aimed at containing a nuclear Iran, the Sunday Times reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official." (Emphasis by underlining is mine.) SOURCE: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/167735#.UYZ4-0qcNIx

If the Obama administration is seriously thinking they can be successful at containing a nuclear Iran, they are kidding themselves.  And it is a dangerous joke.

Look. The US has been attempting to "contain" Iran since the Carter administration and we see where that has gotten us.  Even today we have an iron wall of naval warships stationed just off shore of Iran.  We have forward deployed troops in neighboring countries on continuous alert. We have satellites, drones, recon aircraft of every kind, plus electronic surveillance 24-7, all aimed at containing a NON-nuclear Iran. Plus, all the sanctions on Iran by the UN.  It hasn't phased them, at all.

In an article at the Heritage Foundation website they plainly state the following:  "While the Obama Administration maintains that the military option is on the table, it has done little to convince Tehran that it is serious. If this trend continues, containment of a nuclear Iran will become the default option for the United States. Before this happens, the Administration should carefully weigh the costs, risks, benefits, and feasibility of such a policy."  (Emphasis by underlining is mine.SOURCE:  http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/02/containing-a-nuclear-iran-difficult-costly-and-dangerous


The very same article goes on to say:  "The manifest failure of U.S. efforts to contain Iranian influence and deter attacks on Americans in the past 30 years should raise alarms about the much greater difficulty inherent in containing and deterring Tehran after it acquires nuclear weapons. To argue the merits of containment now that Iran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons is to argue for a policy that has been tried for decades— a policy that is now close to an enormous defeat because of the progress of Iran’s nuclear program." SOURCE:   http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/02/containing-a-nuclear-iran-difficult-costly-and-dangerous

Obama continues to promise, publicly anyway, that "all options are on the table."   That phrase is SUPPOSED to mean a military strike is an option.  The problem is -- nobody believes Obama anymore -- especially the mullahs in Iran.  Heck, I don't even believe him -- as you can plainly see from this commentary.

President Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying:  "Walk softly -- and carry a BIG stick."  Mr. Obama would do well to heed Teddy's advice.  It is not helpful when the President publicly threatens to act when certain degrees of hostility have been reached by the offending force ... as in Obama's recent back-down when the Syrians boldly crossed the "red line" Obama, himself, imposed.

A Commander-in-Chief should never threaten unless he intends to act to back up his threat.  Unfortunately, Mr. Obama has now told the world that America's word cannot be trusted, that America issues empty threats, and Obama has underscored the belief by many nations around the globe today that America, today, is a nation of lions led by a sheep.

This bad, very bad.

© J. D. Longstreet

R.E.D.



A first step to bare legs this Spring in today's outfit post. As a first look I chose this red dress and "Go bold or go home"stands as motivation. Just the color itself speaks for the whole outfit so accessories are reduced to minimal, almost nonexistent. Voila!!
Happy Easter everyone!


                                                                             


                                                                                    Drees: thanks to SugarlipsHere
                                                                                    Coat: Kenneth Cole New York/ a great option  Here 
                                                                   Heels: BCBGeneration/ another great version Here
                                                                                    Clutch: thanks to Me Char/ Here
                                                                   Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren
                                                                                    Necklace: c/o TellStyleHere




The Heresy of Universal Reconciliation ... J. D. Longstreet

The Heresy of Universal Reconciliation   ...   J. D. Longstreet
The Heresy of Universal Reconciliation
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

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

You probably already know what universal reconciliation is, but have never heard it's proper nomenclature. 

Allow me to define universal reconciliation.  Simply put,  it is -- "every soul eventually winds up in heaven."    That's the definition.  It is also a lie, but it is the current lie some modern religionists are promulgating these days.

Oh, it's not new.  This "feel good work around" to actually having to face the fact of eternal punishment for one's sins has been around since before the American Revolution.  

“It’s a heresy that goes back all the way to the third century of the Church. It came to America in 1740 and was propagated among the churches of New England, where it found fertile ground and has been never totally eradicated.”  SOURCE:  http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2013/April26/263.html

Universalism, as universal reconciliation is sometimes called, was brought to the American colonies by the English-born physician George de Benneville.  (Just so you know.)

Here of late, some of America's more, uh, "modern" denominations have accepted this heresy as truth. See, it FEELS good.  and after all, isn't religion supposed to make us feel good?

Actually, the answer is no -- not exactly.  Religion should not make us feel good.  In my opinion, religion should comforted the afflicted and afflict the comfortable to be effective.  That's my opinion, of course.    

" ... no traditional Christian doctrine has been so widely abandoned as that of eternal punishment."  SOURCE:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_reconciliation

I bring the subject up today because in nearly every TV drama and Hollywood movie we see some reference to universal reconciliation.  No matter how bad the bad guy -- or the GOOD guy -- was, inevitably his final destination, we are assured, is (you've got it!) Heaven.  

You'd think red flags would go up the instant the promotion of some supposed article of faith comes from the political left.  But -- it is reinforced from the pulpits of some of the most prestigious religious denominations in America.

They are both wrong.    

OK.  So, I'm an old fuddy-duddy, an old moss-back, who won't "get with the program."  I'll admit to that.  I'll even tell you I didn't "get with the program" when I was a child OR a young man.  It ain't in my nature.

I'm not into moral relativism and that, so far as I am concerned, is the root of universal reconciliation.  Moral relativism is the belief that there is no black and white.  No absolutely right and no absolutely wrong.  Everything is relative. Everything is in a state of "gray."

Moral relativism should be filed under "Bovine Scatology."

Allow me to inquire:  What was the purpose of Christ's visit to earth, his death, burial, and resurrection, if all human souls will eventually get to heaven anyway?  Makes absolutely no sense to this ole country boy.

Something else troubles me about universal reconciliation:  What is the point in living a good, decent, law-abiding life?  Why not live like the devil -- raise hell, and be a "Good-time Charlie" for your life span on this earth IF- you're are going to heaven anyway.

Where's the incentive for good morals?

Here's the thing, as I see it.  I believe not in the basic "goodness" of man but the basic "evil" of mankind.  In my view, man is a creation of God that went rogue.

We are a sorry lot, we humans.  We rebelled against our Creator  -- and you don't get much lower than that.   We burned our bridges to God and He set us loose with the burden of free will.  We were shown to the gates of the Garden of Eden and tossed out on our derrieres and forbidden to ever return.

From that point things went from bad to worse for man.  It became so bad, that God repented that he had ever made man in the first place. He sent a global flood and wiped all humans from the earth -- save for a single eight person family.

It was time to start over.

And WE screwed it up again, and again, and again.

So the Creator offered us a way to clean the slate, begin again, and reconnect with our Creator, our God -- now and forever.  That was through the sacrifice of his on Son Jesus, the Christ.

The down side? As always, and in all things, there are those who just refuse to (as I said earlier) get with the program.  Humans like to play the odds, to hedge their bets, etc..  It is a form of thinking and behavior that is born of arrogance.  (Man is nothing if he is not arrogant.)

The scriptures make it extraordinarily plain that God created TWO places of eternal residence for human souls after life on this earth. The good news is -- we get to choose where we will spend eternity -- in Heaven or in Hell. 

See, I know Hell exists as surely as I know evil exists.  We saw evil at work just a few days ago in Boston, at the school in Connecticut, and numerous other places where Satanic inspired deeds bring pain, death, destruction, horror, and terror to our world.

I ask you -- what's the purpose of a place of punishment IF no one is to be punished?

Then there is the prospect of living for eternity in a heaven along side Hitler, Stalin, John Dillinger, Osama bin Laden, and, well,  the list of evil-doers just goes on and on.

I must tell you, I have serious reservations about coexisting with the aforementioned crowd of evil doers in the same city, behind those Pearly Gates -- golden streets, or not!

No.  I am not buying universal reconciliation, at all. I believe it is a lie ranking right up there with the lie that "there is no Devil" -- Satan's greatest trick! 

Old Nick must be truly proud of the universal reconciliation crowd.

© J. D. Longstreet