A Malaysian passenger jet is believed to have been shot down with a Russian missile over Ukraine. As many as 300 innocent passengers, from various countries including the United States, were killed. The finger pointing started immediately, did you do it? No I didn't do it, he did. Ukraine's president has stated the they didn't have the equipment or the knowledge to do it. (If I were the president of Ukraine, I wouldn't be saying that on TV.) The pro-Russian separatists said they have the equipment and the knowledge, but they didn't do it. Putin has stated in news conferences that Russia, and especially him personally, didn't do it.
CNN has shown pictures of the pro-Russian separatists walking through the airliner's debris field, dead passenger's bodies there for exhibit, laughing and talking about the crash. These separatists refuse to let investigators enter the crash site and they refuse to let family in also. Yesterday, CNN showed pictures of these same separatists placing some bodies in body bags, loading them on trucks, and refusing to divulge where they were taking them. In some pictures, dead bodies were shown still strapped in their assigned seats. These separatists were shown bemoaning the fact that the field smelled bad, due to dead bodies, and they had to wear masks to keep from getting sick. Well get the heck out of there and let trained professionals take care of the dead.
I think it's pretty obvious who downed this passenger plane. The Russians gave the separatists the missile systems and obviously taught them how to use them or there are Russian personnel in country helping them use the equipment. Either way, and it may have been a mistake, the plane is blown out of the sky, innocent people die, and the separatists are laughing about it, refusing to let investigators find out who did it, and messing with dead bodies instead of letting them be processed and given to the families for burial. Is there anything here that anyone does not understand?
I think it's time for our government and all of the decent countries of the world to take a stand. This nonsense needs to be dealt with on a forceful side. There are United Nation's troops and European Union troops that can handle this, that's why these organizations were founded. Since Putin disavows any knowledge or connection to this incident, he shouldn't mind that these two organizations clean it up. A missile for a missile? Or, are we waiting for this same thing, or something worse, to take place before anyone does something?
Or, maybe, when it clucks like a chicken, it really is a chicken! Don't shoot missiles, throw chicken feed.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
The Department of Veterans' Affairs
The scandal at the Department of Veterans' Affairs is much bigger than it's medical problems. I once worked at the Department of Veterans' Affairs, May 2000 thru August 2001. I worked in the Director's office in the division handling disability claims. The Department of Veterans' Affairs handles many veterans' benefits: home loans, GI Bill education benefits, disability claims, medical care, and probably more that I'm not aware of.
I use the VA hospital on occasion and I never had a problem with them. Then the scandal hit the news and things in the Albuquerque VA hospital kind of got strange. I called to make my annual mammogram appointment and the volunteer on the phone told me they would have to take my name and phone number so they could call me back, "because they were making an appointment for a veteran." Never got that line before, and didn't get a call back either. I waited two days and called again. This time a woman who told me she was the supervisor of the person who made the appointments said, "I don't know how to make the appointments, but if you give me your name and phone number, I will make sure the appointment maker calls you back." OK, how do you supervisor someone if you do not know how they do their job? Oh well, the next day another woman called me back and said she was the technician who performed the mammograms, and proceeded to tell me how overworked she was, but she did make me an appointment. Guess they were having more problems than I was aware of.
And, I sympathize with them, since I work for the government and we are now understaffed and underpaid. But, back in May 2000, when I worked in the Director's office, I didn't sympathize with the VA. I'm not going to name names here; but, the man who was in charge of the office where the disability claims were adjudicated, and believe me this was a big man must have weighed a good 300 pounds, was constantly bragged about how he was in the Army and worked in undercover operations in Vietnam. (Bet he didn't weigh that much then.) He found great joy in turning down veteran claims for disability submitted by veterans who were involved in undercover or classified missions, had suffered injuries, but didn't have documentation to prove it.
One man had tried numerous time to get disability benefits because he had thrown himself on a live grenada to save his platoon. He finally sent a claim to the director with pictures of the skin graphs all over his body. The adjudicators still wouldn't give him benefits because when you work undercover or on classified missions, the military doesn't document that, or any injuries received, in your military or medical records. If you're real smart you go to a private doctor and have every injury documented.
Instead of helping veterans the employees in our department were too busy evesdropping on each other and starting interdepartmental rumors and problems. My job was going along fine and then one day the director stopped talking to me and avoiding me. Finally one day I had to give her some information and inform her I had to change my hours if possible because my husband and I were meeting with a marriage counselor to work out some personal problems. Once inside her office, she informed me that another employee had come to her with a conversation that was overheard, that I had been passing on some personal information about the director to a third party. She wanted to know why I was taling about her behind her back.
The coversation that was "overheard"concerned my personal problem, didn't have anything to do with the director. So, I told the director that when people are eavesdropping they usually don't get the entire story, so she could believe what she wanted, I would be looking for a better place to work.
Thus the short employment at the VA. I wouldn't work there again for anything.
Eric Shinseki had his hands full running the VA. No one person can be an expert in all of the benefits administered by that Department. He really needs to have people to head each division of the VA that are experts in that field: home loans, GI Bill for education, disability benefits, and medical. I think he got the shaft, as a lot of department heads do. He was a military general, they have colonels under them who are the experts. Mr. Shinseki gets run out of a job because the employees in the battlefields (so to speak) can't do their jobs properly or honestly. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, folks, and it ain't getting any better.
I use the VA hospital on occasion and I never had a problem with them. Then the scandal hit the news and things in the Albuquerque VA hospital kind of got strange. I called to make my annual mammogram appointment and the volunteer on the phone told me they would have to take my name and phone number so they could call me back, "because they were making an appointment for a veteran." Never got that line before, and didn't get a call back either. I waited two days and called again. This time a woman who told me she was the supervisor of the person who made the appointments said, "I don't know how to make the appointments, but if you give me your name and phone number, I will make sure the appointment maker calls you back." OK, how do you supervisor someone if you do not know how they do their job? Oh well, the next day another woman called me back and said she was the technician who performed the mammograms, and proceeded to tell me how overworked she was, but she did make me an appointment. Guess they were having more problems than I was aware of.
And, I sympathize with them, since I work for the government and we are now understaffed and underpaid. But, back in May 2000, when I worked in the Director's office, I didn't sympathize with the VA. I'm not going to name names here; but, the man who was in charge of the office where the disability claims were adjudicated, and believe me this was a big man must have weighed a good 300 pounds, was constantly bragged about how he was in the Army and worked in undercover operations in Vietnam. (Bet he didn't weigh that much then.) He found great joy in turning down veteran claims for disability submitted by veterans who were involved in undercover or classified missions, had suffered injuries, but didn't have documentation to prove it.
One man had tried numerous time to get disability benefits because he had thrown himself on a live grenada to save his platoon. He finally sent a claim to the director with pictures of the skin graphs all over his body. The adjudicators still wouldn't give him benefits because when you work undercover or on classified missions, the military doesn't document that, or any injuries received, in your military or medical records. If you're real smart you go to a private doctor and have every injury documented.
Instead of helping veterans the employees in our department were too busy evesdropping on each other and starting interdepartmental rumors and problems. My job was going along fine and then one day the director stopped talking to me and avoiding me. Finally one day I had to give her some information and inform her I had to change my hours if possible because my husband and I were meeting with a marriage counselor to work out some personal problems. Once inside her office, she informed me that another employee had come to her with a conversation that was overheard, that I had been passing on some personal information about the director to a third party. She wanted to know why I was taling about her behind her back.
The coversation that was "overheard"concerned my personal problem, didn't have anything to do with the director. So, I told the director that when people are eavesdropping they usually don't get the entire story, so she could believe what she wanted, I would be looking for a better place to work.
Thus the short employment at the VA. I wouldn't work there again for anything.
Eric Shinseki had his hands full running the VA. No one person can be an expert in all of the benefits administered by that Department. He really needs to have people to head each division of the VA that are experts in that field: home loans, GI Bill for education, disability benefits, and medical. I think he got the shaft, as a lot of department heads do. He was a military general, they have colonels under them who are the experts. Mr. Shinseki gets run out of a job because the employees in the battlefields (so to speak) can't do their jobs properly or honestly. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, folks, and it ain't getting any better.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Why Can't We All Just Get Along?
I find myself often asking, "Why Can't Everyone Just Get Along?" especially in reference to the world situation. Constant wars; constant civil unrest. Well, this past weekend I think I figured out the answer to my question.
My husband and I took some vacation time from work and drove up to Denver, Colorado to relax, see some of his family, and do some shopping. Since my husband drove all the way from our home to Denver, I figured I'd drive back. Kind of even out the driving. The drive was going well, in-spite-of the construction and traffic backups in some places. I was driving south on I-25, a long and in some places boring drive. We had stopped once for gas and now I was coming up on Trinidad, Colorado just before the Raton Pass and the fuel indicator was drifting near a quarter of a tank.
There were several exists for Trinidad passing by and then I saw a Shell station with a Wendy's attached, so I pulled off at the exit. All of the gas lanes were busy, so my husband and I decided to take a bathroom break, get some lunch at Wendy's, and then get some gas.
So, we finished inside the building and came out, got in the truck, and pulled up to the pump to get gas. My husband is pumping the gas and I'm setting in the driver's seat filling out a little register we use to keep track of the amount of gas we buy, the truck mileage, the date when we fill up, the quantity of gas we buy, and the amount of money we spend on fuel. And, as I'm filling out the register I happen to look up and a vehicle is pulling into the Shell station, it goes down the row of pumps, and stops in front of our truck.
A woman and a girl get out of the vehicle and go into the station. The person left in the vehicle (I thought it was an ugly, skinny woman) is setting in the vehicle waiting for us to get done. I'm thinking, now why doesn't that woman go around and get in back of me so she can pull up to the pump when we're done instead of getting in front of me when I'm going to exit the pump to the right to get back on I-25 South. She's going to have to back up a little so I can get out.
My husband finishes pumping the gas, gets in the truck, and hands me the pump receipt so I can finish filling out the register. I'm filling out the register, and I say to my husband, "Why doesn't that ugly woman back up because I'm going out that way?" His response is, "That's not a woman, it's a man, and I don't know why he is in the way." So, I finish with the register and put it back in the glovebox. I started the truck and motioned for this guy to back up a little so I can get out of his way.
The guy shakes his head "no" and motions for me to exit to the left, go all the way around the pumps, and exit the station that way. I shake my head "no" and motion I want to exit to the right and get back on the highway. He just shakes his head "no." I look at my husband and say, " What's the matter with this guy? Why doesn't he just get the hell out of my way?" My husband says, " Just go left and go around because he isn't moving." So, I motion once more to the guy to move back a little so I can get out to the right. "If you don't move that thing, I'm going to run you over," I said in a low voice.
My husband says to me again, "Just go to the left, he isn't moving." Well, ya know, my husband is probably right, why make a big deal out of it; but, damn I was there first and he had all the other pumps to go to, so what is his problem? So, I made up my mind that I was going to the right and get on the highway, even if I have to drive over him. I have a loaded down truck and he has a small SUV type vehicle that I think I can squash.
Now let us pause for a moment to clarify what I'm thinking. My husband and I are driving a Ford Explorer Sportrac truck that we bought new back in 2007; and I've been shopping at IKEA and Castle Rock Outlet Mall, so the truck is loaded. In the state of New Mexico, where we live, it is only required that you put a state license plate on the back of the vehicle; you can put whatever you want on the front. Since the Ford dealer, where we purchased the truck, wanted to put an advertisement plate for his dealership on the front, and we didn't want to give him free advertising, we put our old Alaskan license plate on the front. We lived in Alaska back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. OK, now back to the story.
I decided that I was going my way and to heck with this guy, so, I put the truck in drive, inched my way forward so that I was sure I wouldn't hit his vehicle, to make my husband happy. Slowly I turned the truck to the right and inched my way past him until I got even with his rolled down window. I pushed the button and rolled down my window, Then I looked him in the eye and said, "Why the hell can't you just move back a little?" and his answer was, "Do you think you're still driving in Alaska?"
There, that was it, it was finally out. His reason for doing the whole thing was that he assumed that because we had an Alaskan license plate on the front of our truck, that we were Alaskans and he was going to show us he was an asshole from Colorado which made him superior to us. Instead of finding out where we were from, and instead of trying to be gracious to out-of-state visitors, he had to be an asshole.
Well, my comment was, "If I WERE from Alaska, I'd have just driven over your ass, cause that's how us Alaskans are."
My husband and I took some vacation time from work and drove up to Denver, Colorado to relax, see some of his family, and do some shopping. Since my husband drove all the way from our home to Denver, I figured I'd drive back. Kind of even out the driving. The drive was going well, in-spite-of the construction and traffic backups in some places. I was driving south on I-25, a long and in some places boring drive. We had stopped once for gas and now I was coming up on Trinidad, Colorado just before the Raton Pass and the fuel indicator was drifting near a quarter of a tank.
There were several exists for Trinidad passing by and then I saw a Shell station with a Wendy's attached, so I pulled off at the exit. All of the gas lanes were busy, so my husband and I decided to take a bathroom break, get some lunch at Wendy's, and then get some gas.
So, we finished inside the building and came out, got in the truck, and pulled up to the pump to get gas. My husband is pumping the gas and I'm setting in the driver's seat filling out a little register we use to keep track of the amount of gas we buy, the truck mileage, the date when we fill up, the quantity of gas we buy, and the amount of money we spend on fuel. And, as I'm filling out the register I happen to look up and a vehicle is pulling into the Shell station, it goes down the row of pumps, and stops in front of our truck.
A woman and a girl get out of the vehicle and go into the station. The person left in the vehicle (I thought it was an ugly, skinny woman) is setting in the vehicle waiting for us to get done. I'm thinking, now why doesn't that woman go around and get in back of me so she can pull up to the pump when we're done instead of getting in front of me when I'm going to exit the pump to the right to get back on I-25 South. She's going to have to back up a little so I can get out.
My husband finishes pumping the gas, gets in the truck, and hands me the pump receipt so I can finish filling out the register. I'm filling out the register, and I say to my husband, "Why doesn't that ugly woman back up because I'm going out that way?" His response is, "That's not a woman, it's a man, and I don't know why he is in the way." So, I finish with the register and put it back in the glovebox. I started the truck and motioned for this guy to back up a little so I can get out of his way.
The guy shakes his head "no" and motions for me to exit to the left, go all the way around the pumps, and exit the station that way. I shake my head "no" and motion I want to exit to the right and get back on the highway. He just shakes his head "no." I look at my husband and say, " What's the matter with this guy? Why doesn't he just get the hell out of my way?" My husband says, " Just go left and go around because he isn't moving." So, I motion once more to the guy to move back a little so I can get out to the right. "If you don't move that thing, I'm going to run you over," I said in a low voice.
My husband says to me again, "Just go to the left, he isn't moving." Well, ya know, my husband is probably right, why make a big deal out of it; but, damn I was there first and he had all the other pumps to go to, so what is his problem? So, I made up my mind that I was going to the right and get on the highway, even if I have to drive over him. I have a loaded down truck and he has a small SUV type vehicle that I think I can squash.
Now let us pause for a moment to clarify what I'm thinking. My husband and I are driving a Ford Explorer Sportrac truck that we bought new back in 2007; and I've been shopping at IKEA and Castle Rock Outlet Mall, so the truck is loaded. In the state of New Mexico, where we live, it is only required that you put a state license plate on the back of the vehicle; you can put whatever you want on the front. Since the Ford dealer, where we purchased the truck, wanted to put an advertisement plate for his dealership on the front, and we didn't want to give him free advertising, we put our old Alaskan license plate on the front. We lived in Alaska back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. OK, now back to the story.
I decided that I was going my way and to heck with this guy, so, I put the truck in drive, inched my way forward so that I was sure I wouldn't hit his vehicle, to make my husband happy. Slowly I turned the truck to the right and inched my way past him until I got even with his rolled down window. I pushed the button and rolled down my window, Then I looked him in the eye and said, "Why the hell can't you just move back a little?" and his answer was, "Do you think you're still driving in Alaska?"
There, that was it, it was finally out. His reason for doing the whole thing was that he assumed that because we had an Alaskan license plate on the front of our truck, that we were Alaskans and he was going to show us he was an asshole from Colorado which made him superior to us. Instead of finding out where we were from, and instead of trying to be gracious to out-of-state visitors, he had to be an asshole.
Well, my comment was, "If I WERE from Alaska, I'd have just driven over your ass, cause that's how us Alaskans are."
Friday, April 11, 2014
Goodbye to Kathleen Sebelius--Hello Silvia Mathews Burnwells
Today the President Obama announced the resignation of Kathleen Sebelius, Head of the Health and Human Services Department. Not having kept up with Ms. Sebelius' civil service career, I can't attest to any of the wonderful things said about her in President Obama's speech. However, having worked for the Federal government for over 20 years, I can say that when they have your replacement standing at the podium, you are not the favorite employee their speeches expound on. After the Obamacare debacle, and knowing the Federal government would have to have someone to blame the mess on, I figured Ms. Sebelius wouldn't be there much longer. And, believe me in the weeks and months after Ms. Sebelius leaves in May, she will be blamed for every error, mistake, and probably even the dirty floors. That's the way civil service works.
Her successor, Ms. Silvia Mathews Burnwell, is also not well known to me. Apparently, she impressed folks over in the budget department where she has been employed; she must have done something impressive somewhere to be taking over a cabinet position. And, I wish her well because the next big mistake in the Health and Human Services Department will be attributed to her. Let's hope she gets a few months under her belt and in her resume before that happens.
Now my dilemma in this whole situation is this--why is it when we common folks apply for a job, we have to at least have a college degree relating to the position before we can even be considered; yet, folks in Washington DC are moved from one cabinet post to another with such ease? What I'm saying is that Ms. Mathews Burnwell worked in the budget department which makes me think she has a financial, perhaps accounting, degree or at least background; yet, she is elected head of health and human services. And, the reporter stated that she was selected because President Obama, and others in DC, think she can run the administrative portion of the job with expertise. I'm not saying that she can't do this, I really don't know if she can or not, but as a concerned citizen, I want her to do some good for us in the line of health and human services; I don't give a darn if she's a good administrator or not. I'm a good administrator; but, I don't think that means I can run the Health and Human Services Department.
Now Ms. Mathews Burnwell is not the only person in DC that I am talking about. I mean, lets take Hillery Clinton. She's was a student activist, then a lawyer, a First Lady, and then a Senator from New York. Do any of these experiences qualify Ms. Clinton to be Secretary of State; the top representative of this country in foreign affairs? I don't think so! And, I don't think she did a very good job of it either. Now Ms. Clinton thinks she's qualified to be President of the United States come next election. I don't think so! Perhaps it's the draw of being able to say, "President Clinton and President Clinton" when being introduced at presidental affairs, or the thought of two presidental retirement checks every month for the rest of the Clintons lives, I'm just not really sure; but whatever the draw is, I'm against it. And, to think the kissing Congressman is being condemned in the press for giving his brother-in-law a high-paying position that the guy wasn't qualified to do. Really, folks I don't see any difference.
So, Ms. Sebelius, I'm sorry to see that the Washington crowd has abandoned you for something that you personally didn't mess up (I'm sure like any Federal agency, there was an IT department responsible for computer programming). And, Ms. Mathews Burnwell, I wish you the best of luck in your new position, which I'm sure will be passed along to some other flunky at your slightest mistake, or the mistakes of the employees that you reside over. It's just too bad that we the citizens of this country have allowed to be created the dog-eat-dog mentality in our government that was established for the people, by the people, and of the people, so help us God.
Her successor, Ms. Silvia Mathews Burnwell, is also not well known to me. Apparently, she impressed folks over in the budget department where she has been employed; she must have done something impressive somewhere to be taking over a cabinet position. And, I wish her well because the next big mistake in the Health and Human Services Department will be attributed to her. Let's hope she gets a few months under her belt and in her resume before that happens.
Now my dilemma in this whole situation is this--why is it when we common folks apply for a job, we have to at least have a college degree relating to the position before we can even be considered; yet, folks in Washington DC are moved from one cabinet post to another with such ease? What I'm saying is that Ms. Mathews Burnwell worked in the budget department which makes me think she has a financial, perhaps accounting, degree or at least background; yet, she is elected head of health and human services. And, the reporter stated that she was selected because President Obama, and others in DC, think she can run the administrative portion of the job with expertise. I'm not saying that she can't do this, I really don't know if she can or not, but as a concerned citizen, I want her to do some good for us in the line of health and human services; I don't give a darn if she's a good administrator or not. I'm a good administrator; but, I don't think that means I can run the Health and Human Services Department.
Now Ms. Mathews Burnwell is not the only person in DC that I am talking about. I mean, lets take Hillery Clinton. She's was a student activist, then a lawyer, a First Lady, and then a Senator from New York. Do any of these experiences qualify Ms. Clinton to be Secretary of State; the top representative of this country in foreign affairs? I don't think so! And, I don't think she did a very good job of it either. Now Ms. Clinton thinks she's qualified to be President of the United States come next election. I don't think so! Perhaps it's the draw of being able to say, "President Clinton and President Clinton" when being introduced at presidental affairs, or the thought of two presidental retirement checks every month for the rest of the Clintons lives, I'm just not really sure; but whatever the draw is, I'm against it. And, to think the kissing Congressman is being condemned in the press for giving his brother-in-law a high-paying position that the guy wasn't qualified to do. Really, folks I don't see any difference.
So, Ms. Sebelius, I'm sorry to see that the Washington crowd has abandoned you for something that you personally didn't mess up (I'm sure like any Federal agency, there was an IT department responsible for computer programming). And, Ms. Mathews Burnwell, I wish you the best of luck in your new position, which I'm sure will be passed along to some other flunky at your slightest mistake, or the mistakes of the employees that you reside over. It's just too bad that we the citizens of this country have allowed to be created the dog-eat-dog mentality in our government that was established for the people, by the people, and of the people, so help us God.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
General Sinclair, Member of the Good Old Boys Club
Army General Sinclair cut a deal and won't be going to jail, no surprise since he's a member of the Good Old Boys' Club. The United States military is the biggest Good Old Boys' Club I've ever seen. They would lie to the death for each other, but women beware, you may be in the military but you haven't made the club and you may never make the club because you open your mouth and tell what's really going on. You've broken the number 1 rule of the club.
General Sinclair, by his own admission, was having affairs and forcing women to have sex; but, they couldn't stand to convict him and put him in prison because they know that they are all guilty of the same damn thing. Give it up boys, the women are ratting you out and it's only a matter of time before the Good Old Boys' Club comes to an end.
General Sinclair, by his own admission, was having affairs and forcing women to have sex; but, they couldn't stand to convict him and put him in prison because they know that they are all guilty of the same damn thing. Give it up boys, the women are ratting you out and it's only a matter of time before the Good Old Boys' Club comes to an end.
MY Comment on Michael Smerconish's Fred Phelps Comments
On my way to work the other morning, I was listening to the radio show POTUS Politics with Micheal Smerconish. Mr. Smerconish was having a discussion about religion, would Fred Phelps go to heaven if he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior before he died. In case you do not know who Fred Phelps is, he is the person who protests at American solider's funerals because he says God is punishing America for accepting gays.
Personally I think that anyone who would go to any funeral to hold a loud, nasty protest deserves to go to hell, but I may be wrong.
My comment is actually about the discussion on the remark Mr. Smerconish made that in the Bible God states that he wants us to forgive our enemies and accept Jesus Christ as our savior and then he will admit us into heaven, no matter what we do in life. Michael Smerconish remarked, would murders get into heaven if upon their deathbed they accepted Christ as their savior.
Now, I'm not a religious scholar nor any type of pastor, priest, or rabbi; so, this is my personal opinion. The God of the Old Testiment, the God of the Jews, was not a nice, forgiving God. And, I realize that Christians ascribe to the three Gods in one, the Trinity. However, I am talking about the God in Genisis that created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. Read the old testament and you will see that God was a jealous God and his ideology was, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." There was no turn the other cheek ideology.
Jesus Christ, the son of God, one part of the three gods in the trinity, and he was born and died a Jew folks. Christianity was formed by his disciples after Christ's death. Christ's ideology was to love thine enemies, turn the other cheek, and all that good stuff. Jesus Christ, on the cross, turned to the thieves hanging beside him and offered them forgiveness if they accepted him as their savior; and one of them did. Jesus Christ turned the water to wine, healed the sick, and raised the dead; so, does that null and void the ideology of his father? I don't think so.
So, Mr. Smerconish, I think that you should say that Jesus Christ would forgive Mr. Phelp's and allow him into heaven with him; but, I'm hoping to go to God's heaven and God believes that revenge is the answer to people like Mr. Phelps.
Personally I think that anyone who would go to any funeral to hold a loud, nasty protest deserves to go to hell, but I may be wrong.
My comment is actually about the discussion on the remark Mr. Smerconish made that in the Bible God states that he wants us to forgive our enemies and accept Jesus Christ as our savior and then he will admit us into heaven, no matter what we do in life. Michael Smerconish remarked, would murders get into heaven if upon their deathbed they accepted Christ as their savior.
Now, I'm not a religious scholar nor any type of pastor, priest, or rabbi; so, this is my personal opinion. The God of the Old Testiment, the God of the Jews, was not a nice, forgiving God. And, I realize that Christians ascribe to the three Gods in one, the Trinity. However, I am talking about the God in Genisis that created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. Read the old testament and you will see that God was a jealous God and his ideology was, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." There was no turn the other cheek ideology.
Jesus Christ, the son of God, one part of the three gods in the trinity, and he was born and died a Jew folks. Christianity was formed by his disciples after Christ's death. Christ's ideology was to love thine enemies, turn the other cheek, and all that good stuff. Jesus Christ, on the cross, turned to the thieves hanging beside him and offered them forgiveness if they accepted him as their savior; and one of them did. Jesus Christ turned the water to wine, healed the sick, and raised the dead; so, does that null and void the ideology of his father? I don't think so.
So, Mr. Smerconish, I think that you should say that Jesus Christ would forgive Mr. Phelp's and allow him into heaven with him; but, I'm hoping to go to God's heaven and God believes that revenge is the answer to people like Mr. Phelps.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Don't Monitor the Intelligence Committee?
Why is it OK for our government to monitor American citizens; but, not the Intelligence Committee in Congress? Why because they consider themselves above the government of which they are a part.
I'd like to know what the Intelligence Committee thinks they have the right to discuss that surveillance would disclose to us, the American public, that we shouldn't know. Ms. Feinstein, you're just making yourself look bad with all that complaining.
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