Civil Disobedience

In a protest over the homosexual agenda for same sex marriage, hundreds of pastors and Christian leaders from across America held a press conference about a week ago in Lansing, Michigan to jointly say they have had enough, even if they have to go to jail. They jointly, black and white, proclaimed their opposition to the Michigan Legislature proposed amendment to place homosexuality in a civil rights protection group. National Christian Leadership Council president Stacy Swimp said, "There is nothing civil about that!"

Swimp believes the country is at a point where Christians have little choice but to exercise civil disobedience and stand up for the law as the founders of the United States intended.

What is this? Are the winds of change shifting?

PMO
©2014

Married Men Make More Money

According to a new study from the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for Family Studies and published by the Heritage Foundation, married men make more money. Middle aged married men make about $19,000 more on average compared to their single peers, according to the report authored by W. Bradford Wilcox and Robert Lerman.

And, there are other benefits of marriage. Like, children growing up to get married and make more money because they have opportunity for more education and learn the value of working to get ahead.

There is lots of other data in the report such as the decline in male employment is due to, not caused by the drop in marriage rates. Heck I could have told them that.  When you’re married, you have to make more money.

A lot more!

PMO
©2014

Daylight Saving Time - AGAIN

Be sure to set your alarm and get up at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, November 2 to set your clocks back for daylight saving time. Trust me, there are people that do just that. That’s probably why we have daylight saving time. It makes no sense. And, it doesn’t save energy.

My new plan is to quit running the clock back and forward. Let’s just run it back an hour, twice per year. That way, we really save because we would be at the time we already used the energy. And, in just 12 years, we would have saved a whole day. That way, we would get an extra day off - energy free. If this sounds stupid, I should warn you that some politician reading this will think it’s a great idea.

We don’t want to run the clock forward twice a year.

The rent would come due sooner.

PMO
©2014

Acorns

There is an old saying, "Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then." My question is why they would want to? Acorns are bitter to the taste and in some cases can be toxic. Are they fit for human consumption? Yes. All you have to do is shell them and repeatedly boil them until the water no longer turns brown. Or, you can put them in a mesh bag and put them in a river until the rushing water no longer turns brown around the bag.

My point is that acorns are useless. And we have about ten trillion pounds of them. There are oak trees around the place that shed acorns year round. The tree next door has some as big as grapefruit. Maybe bigger. You do not want to be outside when they fall. It’s like a hail storm.

Back to the hog. It’s better to just dig for grubs and roots.

PMO
©2014

Survey Says

I have long wondered what the result would be if we could get churches (Christian denominations) to conduct a simple survey on what the congregations truly believe. The survey would be completely anonymous, with the only information required to be an age range, male or female, and married or single. All of the answers would be yes or no.

Here are a few examples of the questions:

Are you a Christian?

Do you truly believe there is heaven and hell?

Do you believe the Church needs to change with the times?

Do you believe abortion is a woman’s right?

Do you support same sex marriage?

Do you support marriage with multiple spouses?

Do you support government taking religion out of schools and business?

The list of questions could go on, but they would have to be few so it takes about a minute to complete the survey. Of course, there are a lot details on how the survey would have to be conducted.

I suspect that the results would be quite interesting and wonder how many would choose to participate.

And, I wonder how many pastors would want to know the answers.

PMO
©2014

Walker

My father-in-law has a new walker. He is almost 92 years old and isn’t as light on his feet as he used to be. On second thought, maybe he is light on his feet. They keep flying from underneath him. Falls are not an old persons friend. So, now the challenge is to get him to use the walker.

The walker has a seat to sit if one gets tired. And it has reflectors. I’m guessing this is for night walking. If that’s the case, reflectors don’t seem adequate. I think I am going to add headlights, tail lights, turn signals and a horn.

Chrome spoke wheels and a racing stripe might be nice too.

PMO
©2014

Searching For Gold

I have a friend I will call C. He and I went to high school together. We talk often and exchange email. Although I have challenged him several times, he is prone to believe what he reads on the internet, especially if it’s something that fits his way of thinking.

It is amazing how many people - millions, maybe billions - that are like C. They think because a website has a lot of followers, supposedly renowned writers, and a slick looking page, the information is absolute truth. Unfortunately folks, that is not the case. No matter what you read, there is no one that can predict the financial future of the nation, cover news stories that are not anywhere else, or cure dandruff with a sure proof home remedy.

I am in agreement that there is no or little truth in what the media presents as news, but just because it is on an internet site, doesn’t make it the truth either. People want to believe in something and are inclined like C. to swallow what ever they want the truth to be. This applies to medical cures, social trends and whatever else you can Google.

Someone said the internet is like a giant septic tank with a tiny nugget of gold in it.

You have to sift through a lot of "stuff" to find the gold.

PMO
©2014

Faults

Have you noticed that everyone has faults? It doesn’t matter who they are, they have faults. Some are worse than others. There are people that talk too loud or too soft. Some really grind on your nerves and others you just feel sorry for. I’m not going to get into physical faults except to say that beauty is skin deep and ugliness goes to the bone. I think it was Flip Wilson that said that.

The point of all this is that we forgive others for their faults or we try out best to avoid them. Maybe that’s why everyone avoids me. Wouldn’t it be nice if the world would be more forgiving of others?

There is one fault I can think of that has great potential.

The San Andreas fault.

PMO

©2014

Bacon

Perhaps you’ve seen the commercial with a dog mugging the camera and saying bacon, bacon, bacon. Well, that’s how I am about bacon. I like bacon. And, I don’t care if it’s unhealthy, bad for the environment or politically incorrect.

Every time I visit our local supermarket, gas station, fish bait, used tire center, I go by the bacon section to look for a sale. Bacon is expensive. Some brands are $8 to $9 per pound. That’s a lot to be eating low on the hog.

Making a trip to the ATM at the super center, I went by the bacon aisle and lo and behold, they had a sale on one of the brands I like. I got four pounds. Then, I went by produce and got a tomato. The lady at the register looked at me strangely. I explained I was going to have a BLT. She didn’t say a word.

Bacon - bacon-bacon!

Woof Woof.

PMO
©2014

Wastebook

Senator Tom Coburn (R., Oklahoma) has released his final ‘Wastebook’ because he is retiring after this term. This years report is almost two hundred pages long and chronicles $25 billion in silly, unnecessary or low priority projects.

The National Science Foundation spent $331,000 on a study that found that spouses stab voodoo dolls more when they are hungry and angry. Well, that explains a lot - to someone.

Grants to the National Endowment for the Arts included $10,000 to produce a play about two lesbians who think they are Elvis Presley and Theodore Roosevelt. I’m going to wait for the sitcom to come out before I watch this.

As a shooter who is shocked about the cost of ammunition, my attention was drawn to the Pentagon spending $1 billion to destroy $16 billion worth of ammunition. Why didn’t they just give it to Walmart? It would have sold out in a weekend.

Oh, the National Science Foundation also taught monkeys to play video games and gamble. That has got to further science more than the discovery of fire.

Not to be out done, the Department of the Interior actually paid people to watch grass to see how quickly it grows.

I wonder where one would submit an application for that job?

PMO
©2014

Love vs Hate

Humans are like wind and water. They take the path of least resistance. Such is the case of love and hate. It is so much easier to hate than it is to love. Hate only requires that you hate and it doesn’t matter if you have a legitimate reason or not. When you hate, you not only don’t have to have facts or truths, you can just hate because you want to.

Love on the other hand takes a lot of effort. With love, you have to make concessions, compromises, and sometimes you have to give in when you know the other party is wrong. That’s why it says in the Book, that love is long suffering. But, love brings pleasures beyond any perceived with hate. Love takes time and blossoms into relationships that are meaningful and lasting.

It is so easy to hate others. It is not always easy to love others, but the rewards are worth it.

You don’t get anything out of hate.

PMO
©2014

Vote For Me

The mid-term elections are getting closer and although I have never had any interest in politics, I’ve been thinking about what I would do if I was in charge. Because I am a firm believer in "know before you go - to the polls" it is reasonable that I should state my platform.

First, I would do away with political correctness. PC is only political and is never correct.

Next I would do away with hyphenations. If you are a citizen, natural or naturalized, you are an American. Americans don’t always agree, but they do or should stand together and work together to resolve all matters, especially those that divide or threaten the safety and freedoms we enjoy.

There would be no special privileges for anyone regardless of race, creed, color, religious beliefs or sexual orientation. Everyone would be responsible for their actions and suffer the consequences or benefits of their actions. Yes, that means a lot of people would have to get a job.

Abortion is always a hot topic, so my position is simple. There are so many forms of birth control, there is not a need for abortion.

I would spend your money like I spend mine. Ask anyone and they will tell you that I am stingy. Well, maybe I’m a little more than stingy. I had to work for my money and if you have to work for yours, you should vote for me.

States would have rights again. After all, they know their citizens needs more than any federal institution will ever know.

We would have a strong military because there are millions of people in this world that want to kill us. They don’t want us to surrender, they want us dead.

The borders would be secure and any illegal entry would be rewarded with immediate deportation or imprisonment. Legal immigrants would be welcomed with open arms and get the same opportunities that we all have.

While there would be no religious persecution, we would be a Christian nation again. Our laws and customs would be based upon Christian beliefs and principles.

All laws would apply to elected representatives just like they do to every citizen. The same requirement would apply to benefits. And, if any government employee, elected or appointed, does not do their job correctly, morally and ethically, they would be fired. Not promoted or moved to another job.

Education would be a matter of teaching reading, writing and math, with emphasis on science. No social engineering classes. Kids would graduate knowing how to make change for a dollar without a machine and be prepared to know what the real world expects of them.

Leaders would be required to unite and direct everyone to be a part of a strong nation dedicated to preserving peace. JFK said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country?"

Obviously all these things wouldn’t solve the problems we have, but we need to start somewhere. Therefore, vote for me. Just write in "Grumpy Old Man" for the office of your choice.

I can do more than one job because I won’t spend 90% of my time campaigning and I don’t play golf.

PMO
©2014

Best Of The Week

As I’m sure that most people do, I come across a lot of junk on the internet every week. But, every now and then, something comes by that is truly funny.

"President Obama’s approval ratings are so low that Kenyans are accusing him of being born in the United States."

As Larry the Cable Guy says, "On’t care who you are, at’s funny."

PMO
©2014

The Doc Is In

I red this week that Walmart is experimenting with walk-in clinics - their own doc-in-a box. They reportedly have a stop set up in Dalton, Georgia and some in rural areas of Texas. We don’t have any I know of, but out here it will be years before it happens.

The plan is for $40 one can see a doctor for non-serious ailments and get referrals to a specialist if needed. On the economics site where I picked up this tidbit, the plan could mean trouble for existing walk-in clinics because of the low price. Walmart stands to pickup business in their super centers.

If they ever put these in East Texas, I do hope they give serious consideration on the clinic location inside the store. If you don’t remember, where we shop, the candy is in bicycles and charcoal is on the toilet tissue isle.

I’m guessing automotive would be the spot.

PMO
©2014

Turnips

Michelle Obama says everyone should eat turnips. I suggest that she feed them to the family dog. If he eats them, shoot him.

He’d be a disgrace to dogs everywhere.

PMO
©2014

Now You Know

Did you know that there is a school in Lincoln, Nebraska that instructs teachers to avoid using terms like ‘boys and girls,’ ‘ladies and gentlemen’ and similarly gendered expressions to get kids attention? It’s all part of a 12 step program for gender inclusiveness.

In California, Governor "Moonbeam" Brown passed a law allowing transgender students to use whatever restroom they identify with. And, to play on whatever sports team they want.

Meanwhile at Bellevue College in Washington state, offers seven gender selections on their applications including, bisexual, gay, lesbian, queer, straight/heterosexual, other and prefer not to answer.

Back in Nebraska, teachers instruct all of the ‘purple penguins’ to meet in the center of the room.

How do we know that purple penguins aren’t to be recognized by sexual orientation?  And, what happens if they check all of the above on gender selection?

I’ve been telling you the world has gone mad dog insane.

PMO
©2014

Houston Mayor

Houston mayor, Annise Parker, the city’s first openly lesbian mayor, apparently is out to stop pastors from preaching about homosexuality. According to several sources including Fox news, the mayor is issuing subpoenas from pastors that may have spoken on the subject of homosexuality, gender identity, or the mayor herself.

Apparently this all began in May when the city council voted an ordinance banning discrimination by businesses. And, it allows for a man or woman to use the restroom of the opposite sex if they say they are transgender.

Parker obviously has no idea what the First Amendment states very clearly. All the reports I’ve read say the pastors will refuse to submit to the subpoenas. They have legal counsel.

If you take the position of "who cares" on this issue, then you should know. You will care.

Problem is, it will be too late.

PMO
©2014

Civil Forfeiture

Civil forfeiture is a procedure that allows police to seize property suspected of being related to a crime. The intent is to allow police to confiscate property from drug dealers and money launderers. However it has morphed into a tactic for property to be taken from innocent citizens. Even if one is not arrested, property may be taken if it is suspected in a crime.

A couple of real examples are: a man traveling cross country with $2,000 in cash, had the money taken because it could have been used for buying drugs. It was a gift from his father to help him start a new business; and then there’s the story of a couple who allowed their son to live in their house. The son got arrested for drugs, so the police came and searched the house. Although no drugs were found, the house was seized under civil forfeiture.

Just suspicion can get property taken. The proof that it is not part of criminal activity is placed upon the owner. Good luck in getting it back.

According to a report from the Heritage Foundation, both houses of congress are working on rewriting the law. But, states have laws too. And, there are reports of state and local officers taking property to help them get items for their departments they would otherwise not get.

The quote from Sergeant Phil Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues, now applies to the civilians:

"Hey, let’s be careful out there."

PMO
©2014

Uncle

Cultures are interesting to me. We recently attended a family reunion where some members came from Hawaii. I discovered I like them a lot better than the ones that live here, but that’s another story. In their culture they call older people auntie or uncle as a sign of respect. It doesn’t matter if they are related or not.

This little tidbit explains a TV show that is filmed in Hawaii. The characters often refer to older persons by these terms.

It actually was enjoyable to visit, which I normally do not enjoy. They even brought gifts for everyone, including macadamia nuts. No, I am not willing to share.

They live on the big island where’s there an active volcano. Obviously this causes them a lot of concern, but I assured them we have a bigger threat.  We are closer to Washington than they are.

They got to sample Texas barbeque and chicken fried steak.

That’s real culture for any auntie or uncle, no matter where you're from.

PMO
©2014

Rethink

I’ve been rethinking ISIS fighters crossing into Texas. All we have to do is when captured, the culprits are turned over to a bunch of East Texas red-necks for special orientation and training. Within a week, or so, they will be eating eggs and bacon for breakfast, pork ribs for lunch and fried pork chops with gravy for supper. All three meals come with a beer or beers of your choice.

Training in wild hog hunting and using dynamite for fishing should get any terrorist to realize that the true good life is right here and right now.

After a few days of gutting hogs and catfish, they surely will recognize the errors of their ways. If not, then we can always load them in the back of a pickup and haul them to DC and make them participate in the political process.

If they are just a little bit smart, it won’t take them long to understand we already have an enemy force trying to destroy us.

PMO
©2014

Reasons Not To Vote

Okay, I’m back on my get out the vote campaign. But, I do want you to understand that there are legitimate reasons not to vote.

If you have no idea about what you are voting for or against.

If you don’t know one candidate from another.

If you really don’t care what government does to you and everyone else.

If you are not willing to take a little time to research and understand the issues.

If you don’t understand the voting results outcome will affect you for the rest of your life.

If you have a real mental problem that prevents you from making an informed decision.

If you are dead.

The last one doesn’t apply if you’re from Chicago.

PMO
©2014

ISIS In Texas

According to a Fox News report with Greta Van Susteren, ISIS fighters are crossing into Texas on the southern border. In an interview Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) told her that at least 10 ISIS fighters have been caught by the Border Patrol. And, Hunter added that if 10 have been caught, there must be more that are not detected. Just like drug and gun smugglers.

We have ebola infections and it appears that more may be exposed. But according to the powers that be, this is nothing to get concerned about.

Well, unless all the true Texans moved away while I was sleeping, there are a bunch of folks that will get upset over both of these events.

Texas ain’t gonna become a third world country.

Not even if everybody else wants to.

PMO
©2014

Rules Don't Apply

It has always irritated me that some people honestly believe that rules don’t apply to them. I can understand that some "rules" are so stupid that they should not apply to anyone. But, there are always a very few that ignore or demand a exception to a rule that is for the general good of all.

My case in point is that I manage a communication network for our little commune. I have rules, such as no political ads or opinions, no games of chance, and no commercial ads. If you ever want to know how to make enemies, just ask me. I have alienated some folks because they want to advertise their business.

The reason for the rule is simple. If commercial ads were allowed, we would have a spam service. I want no part of that. And, since no one is willing to do this job, I get to say "NO."

There is one woman that must have a dozen businesses she tries to sneak in. Although I have caught her and refuse to post her messages, she keeps on trying. This just puzzles me.

Oh well. On my bulletin board, we go by the control rule.

The one that has control makes the rules.

PMO
©2014

Texas Vote

Our precinct chairman reports that Texas has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the nation.  It’s in the bottom two. I don’t understand why people won’t vote. It is (right now) one of the few ways we can get the attention of government.

There are a lot of excuses for not voting. But, they usually are just that - excuses. I certainly support people not voting if they don’t know who or what they are voting for. I just hate to think that’s the case in Texas.

For people just think that their vote is not important. Check out the next line I borrowed today.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, you’ve never gone to bed with a mosquito in the room.

PMO
©2014

FBI

The FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation- is not easy to contact. To be fair, I am trying to contact their community outreach group. I have need for them to make a presentation for one of my retiree group meetings. They’ve done it before at another group.

I’ve made several phone calls and after pressing 1 through 2 million at the prompts, I always get a voice mail for someone that says to leave a message and they will call me back. Ha-Ha. The person does offer an email address, but after going through all the prompts several times I have yet to understand the email instructions.

As usual I have a plan. I’m going to take my picture and put it up at the post office and let them contact me.

If my picture is already there, I may just give up on the whole idea.

PMO
©2014

Not Responsible

I have a couple of friends that have a problem with their adult children. One has a son that is facing up to three years prison time because of a history of DUI arrests and charges of domestic violence. This child is over 40 years old. The second friend has a daughter that is being investigated for driving under the influence and causing a major traffic wreck. Both of the friends agree, it’s not their child’s fault. The question you would expect from me is, "Who’s fault is it?"

Often we hear that someone did some heinous crime because of their environment when they were a child. The old, "they were abused as a child" shift of responsibility trick is argued time and time again. What ever happened to, "I did it and I accept responsibility?"

We have become a society that easily accepts that whatever happens, it’s not our fault. Such is the case of abortion. "It’s not my fault I got pregnant." Think about that for just a moment. Then, sure to follow is, "It’s a woman’s right to have an abortion." Reality is that abortion is not a right. It is a horrendous choice that follows a really bad choice.

Humans get to make choices, but some make some really bad ones. And, far too often, they don’t learn from their choices. Why should they?

It’s not their fault.

PMO
©2014

Ebola Quarantine

Unless you live in a cave, you are aware of the Ebola disease that has now been discovered in the USA. We even have a case in Texas. And, officials have ordered the patient and some relatives into quarantine. Enforced isolation is sometimes necessary to prevent spreading disease and in this case is certainly justified - my humble opinion. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with me. That is not a surprise to me or anyone that knows me.

Yes, the experts say that the disease isn’t an airborne transferred virus. But, when you deal with something as deadly as this can be, a temporary inconvenience for a few is better than an epidemic.

Anytime there is a threat to the safety, security, health and well being of the citizenry, every measure should be taken to isolate the potential danger and keep them locked away until they are no longer a threat..

With those guidelines, we need to quarantine all politicians.

PMO
©2014

Americans Out - Illegals In

In case your haven’t heard, the POTUS has issued an another executive order which allows 1,500 illegal immigrants to join the military. Strange this is happening just after about 2000 field officers have been told they are out at the end of their enlistment.

There is a law prohibiting illegals from joining the military, but they may be allowed if it’s "in the national interest."

It’s not surprising that he salutes with a cup of coffee in his hand.

PMO
©2014

Majority Doesn't Change Truth

Giordano Bruno (1548-1699): "It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people."

How much truth is buried everyday because a majority refuses to believe it?

Think about that next time someone says, "Everybody says," or "Everybody knows?"

PMO
©2014