by Glenna K. Long, Certified Advanced Master Gardener
This time of year opens up new activities for those of us who wish to be productive, take control of the food we eat, cut the cost of groceries and give each of us a feeling of being in control of our health.
Gardening can be anything from several acres to a small potted plant. Whether it’s a pot of Chives on the window sill, a Tomato plant in a container on the porch, or a plot, small or big in the yard—you are enhancing your life. So much of the food in the stores is processed that you’re not sure of what you are eating. There are un-labeled Genetically Modified produce and though it may look great it’s either too hard, too mushy, tasteless or even contains toxins. Plant some of your own meals-and enjoy the taste of real food!
There are seed packets everywhere. Get what you need for the space you have and dig in! [Ed Note: Buy local or in Michigan whenever possible and Organic(raised without pesticides) or Heirloom(seed from the fruit/vegetable can be used to grow another plant...most are engineered to die off or not germinate after the first bloom)]
A Tomato plant should be “determinate” if in a container. That means it will get 3 to 4 feet tall, go crazy kicking out tomatoes and then after the end of September, will stop. “Indeterminate” means it will get 8 to 9 feet tall, and will fruit until frost. Have space for a row or two of Carrots? Get a packet of Radish seeds, a packet of Carrot seeds, combine them and slowly dribble them in a row. Go carefully. Remember, each seed is a plant! Carrots seeds are very small and take a long time to come up; the Radishes only take 3 to 4 days. You can eat them in 3 weeks. The Radishes mark the row, and when ready to eat, it thins out the Carrots. Lettuce is easy and will germinate until July, then it gets too hot. How about planting a row along the walk? Thin the plants when they are 2 to 3 inches tall to 6 inches apart. If in rows in a garden, the rows can be 7 to 8 inches apart. Keeps down the weeds! There are always Cucumbers. They need a trellis, and if you plant some of the neat Radish seeds close to the Cucumber seeds it will protect the Cukes from Cucumber Beetles. Don’t forget to fertilize- be sure to water during a dry spell too. I hope this gets you started on the road to eating better and will give you a great feeling of “I did this myself.”
ED NOTE:
Natural Products:
Chicken Poop! Once about 2 weeks before planting mix in with rake/pitchfork Click Here for products.
Revelations 17:3 “And he took me away in spirit into the desert. And I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy…”
The Lisbon Treaty, which came into full effect on December 1st, basically ended the national sovereignty for most European nations. Most of the important decisions for the citizens of Europe will now be made by a small group of European elitists – many of them totally unelected. But for the global elite, the consolidation of the EU is just one step towards a larger goal. You see, the ultimate desire of these elitists is to merge regional alliances such as the EU into a world government. In fact, in symbols used on official European coins, posters and artwork, the elite have sent us a message telling us exactly what they are planning to do to all of humanity - if anyone out there is willing to listen.
The picture at the top of this article is of a statue right outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. It is a statue of the pagan goddess Europa riding a bull. EU representatives openly acknowledge as much. According to Greek tradition, Europa (from which Europe takes it’s name) was a beautiful Phoenecian woman of high ranking who draws the attention of Zeus – the great Greek sky god. Zeus becomes so enamored with Europa that he transforms himself into the most beautiful white bull that anyone has ever seen. Europa spots this beautiful bull and climbs on top of it and suddenly the bull plunges into the sea and rapes her. Zeus then takes Europa away to Crete where he finally reveals his true identity.
One night Europa had a dream. In this dream two continents, which were in the forms of women were arguing over Europa. Asia maintained that since Europa had been born in Asia she belonged to it. The other continent, which was nameless, said that her birth was not important, that Zeus would give her to it. It was early morning, disturbed by the dream Europa did not go back to sleep. She summoned her companions, who were all daughters of nobility and of her age. It was a beautiful day and they went off gathering flowers by the sea. Zeus noticed this charming group, particularly Europa, who was the prettest [sic] of the maidens…Zeus appeared to the group as a white bull. A white bull more beautiful then any other…The bull laid down in front of Europa. She slid on to its back. Instantly, the bull charged off, plunging into the sea, and began to swim rapidly from the shore. Europa saw that a procession had joined them, Nereids riding dolphins, Triton blowing his horn, even Poseidon. From this she realized that the bull must be a god. She pleaded with him to pity her. Zeus spoke to her and explained his love. He took her to Create, where he had been raised. He promised that she would bear him many famous sons.
So what does all of this have to do with today?
Well, you see, Zeus (the bull) is associated in the Scriptures with the true master of these elitists. In Revelation 2:12-13, we read the following….
“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne.”
So what was so special about Pergamum?
That was where the Great Altar of Pergamum (or Pergamon) was. Wikipedia tells us that following about this altar…..
The Great Altar of Pergamon, a massive stone podium about one hundred feet long and thirty-five feet high, was originally built in the 2nd century BC in the Ancient Greek city of Pergamon (modern day Bergama in Turkey) in north-western Anatolia, 25.74 kilometers (16 miles) from the Aegean Sea. The Great Altar of Pergamon has figured in lists of the Wonders of the World.
It has long been assumed that the magnificently-scaled and opulently decorated open-air altar (it is not a temple) was dedicated to Zeus.
You see, that is why in Revelation chapter 2 Jesus said that Satan’s throne was there. It was this gigantic altar of Zeus that He likely was referring to.
So by using this ancient legend as a symbol for the EU, the elitists are telling us that the plan of their master (Zeus or Satan or Lucifer) is to seduce Europe (Europa) and ultimately to dominate it.
We see this same legend promoted on coins, on posters and in artwork all throughout the EU. Some examples are posted below…..
A 2 Euro coin was released in Greece that depicts a woman riding a beast…..
In 1996, a 5 Euro Coin was released that depicted Europa riding the bull…..
To commemorate the second election of the European Parliament in 1984, a stamp was released with this same symbology…..
A cover of Der Spiegel featured a picture of a woman riding a beast carrying the EU flag with the headline: ”Good Morning Europe”…..
Here is a German phonecard made by the EU…..
Time Magazine published some artwork of a “United Europe” that featured Europa riding the beast…..
The photo below is a Europa statue in front of the Winston Churchill Building…..
Not only that, but other EU symbols send messages that have a very deep meaning. According to tradition, Nimrod was the one who began the building of the Tower of Babel. He also built the very first empire after Noah’s flood and he tried to establish the very first world government. With that in mind, check out the EU poster below. This poster was the official poster promoting the EU Parliament before it was banned because of protests from numerous groups. Note how clearly it connects the EU with the Tower of Babel…..
By using this symbology, the EU elitists were basically saying that they wanted to complete what Nimrod started – the building of a world government.
This ties in directly with the symbology of the woman riding a beast.
You see, not only does a woman riding a beast hearken back to the legend of Zeus and Europa, it also has a direct connection to the Bible. In the book of Revelation we also read about a woman riding a beast. In Revelation 17:3 it says this…..
Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
That beast in the book of Revelation represents the world government led by the Antichrist. By so prominently using the symbol of a woman riding the beast, the global elite are very clearly communicating that they are connected with this coming Beast system. They know what the Bible says when they use symbols like this. It seems like they are almost bragging about it.
You see, the elitists at the very top of the pyramid are hardcore Luciferians. They also know that Antichrist is coming, and they plan to serve him. They believe that they are actually going to win the end. They have confidence in their “god” just as we have confidence in our God.
Satan has deceived himself into believing that he can win this thing in the end and he has deceived his followers into believing the same thing. Such a thing seems inconceivable to Christians – but this is what hardcore Luciferians actually believe.
In fact, one thing that is common among the Luciferian global elite is a compulsion to tell us exactly what they are about to do. In this case, they are very open about the fact that not only do they intend to deceive and subjugate Europe, but they intend to do the same to all of humanity.
This is very good; A serious analysis of the forces at work to convert the USA to a Socialist/Marxist model, from an experienced Green Beret General who has retired and can now speak his mind.
It is very well done, with pop-up links that corroborates all he says with quotes from the parties alleged to have said them, or to have done what is claimed.
This is serious, folks, and I can not urge you strongly enough to watch. listen and heed what this gentleman has to say; Consider well the source; This comes from a professional who has fought the scourge of Marxism all over the globe, and who has recognized the methodology used in those far-off lands here in America.
Despite what we see here, every day, we still suffer from “normalcy bias”, like the Jews who refused to react, even as they were loaded into the trains. We like to believe that such a thing can not happen here; not in America, not to Americans.
Wrong, my friends, absolutely, unequivocally, wrong.
While we are distracted with political sleight of hand, the noose tightens. The three-card monte barker distracts with one hand, while picking our pocket with the other. Daily we are bombarded with the nonsense that is, sadly, life in America; the pointless drivel of the Limbaugh furor, the ever increasing scandals of personal failings of the political class, contraception (For Gosh sakes!), Taxes, Sarah Palin, the ludicrously lurid campaigns being fought, the occupy movement, reality TV, all of it, that has become a latter day Roman Bacchanalia of Bread and Circus.
We fight each other, like children scrambling for candies thrown into the street by Clowns passing in a parade. We are divided, each to their own struggle for the handouts given by those who have learned that it is we who serve them, and who we, the ostensible masters of our political servants, nevertheless re-elect , over, and over again, knowing not only that we have sacrificed our pride and our heritage to the cretins, but knowing, too, that they despise us; as well they should.
While this Circus continues, the dark movement that has long sought the greatest prize of all, The United States of America, is marshaling its forces for their final push, an effort that has continued, quietly sometimes, for more than 120 years; Global Socialism.
It is here, folks. Look around you. Look at the masses of young people who grew up learning Socialism, not the history of America.
Look at the masses of minorities who have sacrificed their pride, and their future, by accepting as gospel the twisted nonsense from their leaders, even while watching their entire culture be subsumed in decadence, in dependency, in despair. And yet they, like the Jews of 1930′s Germany and Austria, continue to believe that it will be alright, especially after X, Y or Z is elected, and will rescue them; He promised, did he not?
And look, finally, at the high-handed arrogance with which we are treated by that pit of treasonous iniquity, Washington DC. And not just by Obama, with his Czars and cronies, though he is merely the latest, and not necessarily the worst. Consider the entire structure of government, the thousands of offices, bureaus, Departments and “services” all who imagine themselves to be superior because, after all, they are the Government. And in 21st Century America, that is all that needs to be said. And that, in turn, is also all that needs to be said.
It is hoped, sincerely, that this video, coming as it does from a man who knows, will at last awaken the realization that it is, almost, too late to save America. That only by a radical change in the state of complacent stupor that is America in the early decades of the 21st Century will we save that which has survived, perhaps miraculously, for 237 years.
I can not promise that we can do this; at least not within the confines of elections and peaceful transfer of power. It may be too late for that, too. But I certainly hope not. What I can promise is that unless we as a country make a conscious decision that America willremain the Land of the Free, then we most certainlywill not.
Are we the Home of The Brave, or has this, too, become mere mythology that we keep in a closet, only to dust it off to show it on patriotic holidays, like the threadbare uniform of the old veteran? Are you willing to do what is necessary to save America?
Our time is short. The election in November is but the beginning, a window dressing really. America is fundamentally wounded, sick, and needs to be nourished with faith, with determination, and with with pride, and a decision by each of you, resolute and fearless, to restore what we were given. With but one exception, the choices we have been given will not be the ones to make the change necessary to restore us to our proper course. And we will not be given the chance to allow that one choice to do what is best. So be it. We must, we must, asAmericans, if worthy of the name, make the changes in our own life, our own family, our own expectations, to keep America from keeling over the brink, to fall into the abyss that lies ever so close.
The wolves are, literally, at the door. A carefully constructed plan is being implemented to destroy, once and for all, the last, best hope of the world. Surely, we can not allow this. Certainly, we must not.
This is the new thing these days with people out of work and needing cash. Beware, it’s headed our way.
Warning..!!!! Warning..!!!! Warning..!!!!
Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public parking area. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home, it was a receipt for gas.. Luckily my friend told me not to stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the car.. Then we received this email yesterday:
WARNING FROM POLICE
THIS APPLIES TO BOTH WOMEN AND MEN
BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE–
NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)
Heads up everyone! Please, keep this circulating…. You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You start the engine and shift into reverse.
When you look into the rear view mirror to back out of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window.
So, you shift into Park, unlock your doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car.
And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car.
So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!
BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED. If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women. A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents, and you certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands.
A SIMILAR SCHEME IS TO ATTACH SOME CANS OR SOMETHING TO YOUR CAR
(Watch this video)
PASS THIS ON TO ALL OF YOUR LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS!
America truly is the Greatest Country in the World
Kitty Werthmann is 85 years old. This is a SCARY piece of HISTORY. Read & perhaps learn something new from HISTORY and “CHANGE”.
America truly is the Greatest Country in the World
By: Kitty Werthmann
What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably never heard or will ever read in history books.
I believe that I am an eyewitness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. We elected him by a landslide – 98% of the vote.. I’ve never read that in any American publications. Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force. In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25% inflation and 25% bank loan interest rates. Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs. My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.
The Communist Party and the National Socialist Party were fighting each other.. Blocks and blocks of cities like Vienna , Linz , and Graz were destroyed. The people became desperate and petitioned the government to let them decide what kind of government they wanted.
We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany , where Hitler had been in power since 1933. We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living. Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group — Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria .. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back. Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler. We were overjoyed, and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed. After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.
Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been required to give up for marriage.
Hitler Targets Education – Eliminates Religious Instruction for Children:
Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang “Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,” and had physical education. Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail. The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free. We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had. My mother was very unhappy. When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination. I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing. Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler. It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy. Equal Rights Hits Home:
In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and if you didn’t have a card, you starved to death. Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men. Soon after this, the draft was implemented. It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps. During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys. They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines. When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat. Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service. Hitler Restructured the Family Through Daycare:
When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers. You could take your children ages 4 weeks to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, 7 days a week, under the total care of the government. The state raised a whole generation of children.. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had. Health Care and Small Business Suffer Under Government Controls:
Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna . After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything. When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full. If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.
As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80% of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families. All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing. We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands. Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control. We had consumer protection. We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it. “Mercy Killing” Redefined:
In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps . The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated. So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work. I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van. I asked my superior where they were going.. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months. They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness. As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months.. We called this euthanasia. The Final Steps – Gun Laws: Next came gun registration.. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long after-wards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily. No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up. Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria . Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom. After World War II, Russian troops occupied Austria . Women were raped, preteen to elderly. The press never wrote about this either. When the Soviets left in 1955, they took everything that they could, dismantling whole factories in the process. They sawed down whole orchards of fruit, and what they couldn’t destroy, they burned. We called it The Burned Earth. Most of the population barricaded themselves in their houses. Women hid in their cellars for 6 weeks as the troops mobilized. Those who couldn’t, paid the price. There is a monument in Vienna today, dedicated to those women who were massacred by the Russians. This is an eye witness account. “It’s true..those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.
America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don’t Let Freedom Slip Away
A man carrying three guns stormed a one-room Amish schoolhouse early one morning, sent the boys and adults outside, barricaded the doors with two-by-fours, and then opened fire on a dozen girls, killing three people before committing suicide. Later, two more children died of wounds from the shooting.
5 little girls dead.
That was the headline just over 5 years ago in late 2006. But that is not the story.
The story goes far deeper than that. This story I am about to share dives deeply into a faith that cannot be shaken. A faith that through a tragedy of epic proportions lead to a lesson that should be understood and lived by us all. This is a lesson taught by example from a people who have nothing but their faith and a chosen life of humility and work…all to honor Jesus Christ.
After news of the tragic events spread across the Amish community many families waited outside of the one room schoolhouse for hours for news if their child was alive or injured… or dead. Hours painstakingly passed as the waited for the news of their loved ones fate.
Well into the afternoon, the families learned of the deaths and injuries of the children and the community began to mourn.
Later that evening the name of the killer, who had turned the gun on himself when police had arrived was released; Charles Roberts IV. As news radiated out across network television, Pennsylvania’s horror was shared with the shocked nation.
The side story was how the family of the Charles Roberts IV was overwhelmed with the shock of the horrible tragedy one of their own had committed. They were gathered in the home of his parents, mourning his loss… when a knock was heard at the door.
When the door was opened, on the porch stood a group of 10 Amish men.
They had come to forgive the family and assuage their grief. Days later a group of about 50 Amish, including members of the deceased children’s families attended the funeral of Charles Roberts IV. They helped the family with the wake and gave them cash for their expenses.
A shocked world stood mouth agape.
To the Amish and in the word of God, to be forgiven, God’s people must first forgive. Their understanding of the word of the Lord, or at least it’s practice in the real world, is superior to our own.
We are shocked at their forgiveness, while they are shocked at our attention to the forgiveness aspect of this story. They do not understand how unique their practice of forgiveness is to our world.
This is a story of how their forgiveness transcended the story of their loss.
In the Fall, 2011 issue of “IMPACT” , the newsletter of The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Lawrence W. Reed, President Emeritus, wrote a column titled “A Trillion Wrongs Don’t Make a Right.”
As the astute readers of this page have instinctively surmised, he is referring to the attempt by the Federal Government to spend its way out of the “Recession” that currently has America and the world in its grip.
Disregarding the fact that it was spending that caused this most recent Bank Panic, he makes the point that the States of the Union have accepted, indeed, clamored for, Federal dollars that have been distributed in unprecedented amounts under the pretext of the Keynesian model of economic stimulus. He laments the willingness with which State governments (and the people of those States) have shackled themselves, and an unknown number of succeeding generations, to a debt that can not be repaid, using any known formula, and how this contrasts with the prerogatives that were once exercised by States in their effort to maintain their independence from the knaves within Camelot on the Potomac.
The I85th General Assembly, of the State of Indiana passed House Concurrent Resolution No. 2 in January, 1947. I will quote from the segment provided by Mr. Reed in his article:
“Indiana needs no guardian and intends to have none. We Hoosiers-like the people of our sister states, were fooled for quite a spell with the magicians trick that a dollar taxed out of our pockets and sent to Washington will be bigger when it comes back to us. We have taken a good look at said dollar. We find that it lost weight in its journey to Washington and back. The political brokerage of the bureaucrats has been deducted. Wed have decided there is no such thing as ‘federal’ aid. We know that there is no wealth to tax that is not already within the boundaries of the 48 states. (emphasis added).
So we propose henceforward to tax ourselves and take care of ourselves. We are fed up with subsidies, doles and paternalism. We are no one’s stepchild. We have grown up. We serve notice that we will resist Washington D.C. adopting us. (emphasis added)
Indeed.
Here in Michigan, 45 per cent of the State Budget is comprised of Federal dollars, a river of money that flows into the State attached to an incomprehensible encyclopedia of rules, regulations and restrictions. This money is administered by a Federal bureaucracy so vast, so convoluted, and so unaccountable that few people, including this writer, can begin to understand. In turn, Administrators at the State level receive this largesse and administer
it to even more Administrators at more local levels. After, of course, subtracting the “political brokerage” that is, perhaps, the real purpose.
Recently, your correspondent produced a comparison of spending by State in the Great Lakes region that shows that the State of Michigan will spend $46 billion or so dollars in the current fiscal year, approximately $25 billion or so of which is generated within the State. This number exceeds by 22% to 45% the budgets of our sister States, most of whom are similar in size and demographics to Michigan.; and, most of whom have smooth roads, to offer one comparison. Clearly, something is wrong.
Is it fair to say that we, the residents of a once proud and independent State, have been “adopted” by Washington? Should we admit, then, and surrender to the notion that we can not take care of ourselves, that we have become so addicted to living large that we should and must submit to the dictates of the Federal bureaucracy that seems to hold the local sensibilities in such contempt, even as they rule us, like a Daddy who demands a kiss before passing out an allowance? Lets be honest here.
Our new Governor has made much [political] hay over balancing the State budget, the first in many years, and he is to be commended for doing so. Indeed, it was announced in recent days that Michigan will enjoy a surplus. And yet, is there really a surplus? How can there be, if permission must be sought as to its use?
Michigan is known as a “donor” State; meaning that it gets back from Washington less than it sends. In the current year, this return of money sent will amount to some $19 billions. $19,000,000,000; The tribute sent to the Administrators who then dole it back, wrapped in demands and stipulations. And this is not all of the “wealth to Tax that is produced within the boundaries of the 48 States”. Not in this one, even.
Our esteemed Governor has proposed a “budget” for fiscal 2013 that will increase spending by more than 2 billion dollars. I think my arithmetic is correct in that $2,000,000,000 is about 4 times the so called “surplus” claimed for fiscal 2012. Where, my friends, will this spending money come from? On what will it be spent?
More to the point; Where is the fiscal discipline we were promised?
Rick
“No professional politician is ever actually in favor of public economy. It is his implacable enemy, and he knows it. All professional politicians are dedicated wholeheartedly to waste and corruption. They are the enemies of every decent man.” ~ H.L. Mencken
In today’s world this blatant blasphemy and is getting more commonplace. The strangest part is that it is heralded; even celebrated. Pray for them.
Nicki Minaj, and her recent ascent to “stardom” has been quoted in numerous articles as being “possessed” by someone named Roman.
Minaj explains: ”Roman is a crazy boy who lives in me and he says the things that I don’t want to say. He was born just a few months ago. I think he was born out of rage. He was conceived in rage so he bashes everyone and he threatens to beat people and he’s violent…..I want him to leave but he cant, he’s here for a reason. People conjured him up and he won’t leave“ That is a curious and specific way that she explained that (47 second video of her explaining it below).
A comment left below the video noted, “And how is she demon possessed if she said in a song that God has blessed with everything she has? [You're] so ignorant.” But she didn’t say which “god” had blessed her. Who does she worship?
Let’s fast forward to the Grammy’s, which aired on CBS last weekend.
Minaj, who is known for her outrageous style, walked the Grammy red carpet in an over-sized red robe with a man dressed as a pope at her side. Yet that was only a prelude to her blasphemous performance.
Minaj’s performance began on stage with a mock confessional skit. This was followed by a taped video depicting a mock exorcism. With stained glass in the background, she appeared on stage again with choir boys and monks dancing and swinging censers. Upon her “breaking” of her chains, the “stained glass” (really video screens) all broke simultaneously.
Perhaps the most vulgar part was the sexual statement that showed a scantily clad female dancer stretching backwards while an altar boy knelt between her legs in prayer. Finally, “Come All Ye Faithful” was sung while a man posing as a bishop, walked on stage in a mock procession; and shortly after a mocked exorcism, Minaj was shown levitating.
None of this was by accident, and all of it was approved by The Recording Academy, which puts on the Grammys. Whether Minaj is possessed is surely an open question, but what is not in doubt is the irresponsibility of The Recording Academy. Never would they allow an artist to insult Judaism or Islam. Insulting Jesus and Catholicism appears to be accepted.
I, for one will not accept it. I will write CBS, The Recording Academy and any other related people continuously until they receive the message that these acts are unacceptable. I will not allow my faith to be mocked. I will will not stand for blasphemous acts to take a national stage nor these types of performances to continue.
Forgive them Father of the Heavens, for they know not what they do.
I was excited to attend the 2012 Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner. I looked forward to sharing rubber chicken with friends and likeminded Patriots, Tea Partier’s, Conservatives and Republicans while enjoying the atmosphere.
Upon entering I was struck by the sheer magnitude of the event. This wasn’t your Daddy’ Lincoln Day Dinner. It wasn’t even reminiscent of recent Lincoln Day Dinners which have averaged around 500 people per year. Fourteen hundred were expected tonight. Tonight would deliver that and more.
I walked into an exhibit hall that was dressed for a party. I was greeted by a sea of tables; imagine well over one hundred of tables dressed for a wedding. Dozens of candidates, groups and issue tables lined the room; some of them barking like carnival operators at a street fair. I was confronted with a herd of enthusiastic and youthful sticker bearers looking for their next walking billboard. Let’s not forget the hundreds of well-dressed and enthusiastic patrons.
As I waded through the tide of tables I was a bit taken aback by the magnitude of the event. The volume of activity in any direction at any given time was bewildering. This was clearly a well-organized and orchestrated event.
When we arrived at our table we were greeted with a delicious salad and some republican swag; Coffee cups, a Precinct Delegate Manual (A great piece of info…more on this later), a Lincoln Day Program, and great conversation.
Carol Cain
As the evening progressed we were greeted by a quickly filling room, announcements by Oakland County Chair, Jim Thienel, Lena Koretzky, emcee and host of Michigan Matters Carol Cain, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, and the Cornerstone school choir’s breathtaking rendition of America the Beautiful.
Greetings by current Michigan GOP Chair Robert Schostak and former Chair Ron Weiser led to a video message from County Exec. L. Brooks Patterson. Carol Cain, as promised during her introduction, kept the night moving at a good clip and kept the event on schedule.
By now I am sure you are saying “Get on with it already!”
We certainly were not disappointed by the continuing tradition of the rubber chicken dinner (particularly rubbery this evening), but were politely surprised with the cheesecake that followed. However, the biggest surprise was yet to come.
Later that evening the show stopping speech of the night was delivered. But it did not come from who you might expect. With Ann Romney and Rick Santorum as keynote speakers it may surprise you to know the real treat of the night was Reverend C. L. Bryant.
Rev.C. L. Bryant
Rev. Bryant is a native of Shreveport, LA. He has a Master’s degree in Theology and has been an ordained Baptist minister and pastor of 32 years. This former president of the NAACP’s Garland, Texas Chapter, self-professed “Democratic Radical” now believes the values that he once vehemently upheld has led the Black community into a state of bondage to the US government. He recently filmed and is releasing a movie entitled, “Runaway Slave”, which is due to premiere in Michigan in March (and S.O.A.R. will be involved with that effort).
The rousing speech struck right to the heart of our nation’s problems and led to nearly a dozen standing ovations and inspired many conservatives into action once again; igniting their passion to honor their forefathers by protecting and preserving their legacy. We were left with a feeling of electric passion to get to work.
Stacy Swimp
Stacy Swimp, of the Frederick Douglass Foundation gave a fiery short speech to introduce Rev. Bryant, and should not be overlooked either. He is also known in Metro Detroit as a frequent guest of Huel Perkins on Fox 2′s “Let It Rip”.
While Rick Santorum’s speech was genuine and heartfelt; appealing to America and Detroit to return to family roots and respect and honor our family’s heritage and sacrifice, it was clear to many in attendance that Reverend C.L. Bryant had stolen the night away.
Lena Epstein Koretzky
This event was a real testament to Lincoln Dinner Chair Lena Koretzky’s organizing ability and the sheer will of Jim Thienel and Dennis Pittman; primarily whose efforts made this event the spectacle that it was, as well as their tireless labor in building the party financially and educationally, while integrating many groups and different personalities into one cohesive force in Oakland County.
Jim Thienel
Dennis Pittman
Those two deserve a gold medal. They also deserve our sincere thanks and support. I hope you will.
South Oakland Area Republicans | 21601 Collingham Ave. Farmington Hills, MI 48336 | phone: (248) 224-1973 | seanmhouse@gmail.com
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