The Abundance of Life Is About Choices

 FEATURE ARTICLE

By Charlie Courtois

Here God Paints His Beauty

                           The Abundance of Life Is About Choices

We start making choices somewhere between the age of seven and nine. I remember the first bad choice I got caught in when I was in the first grade. I told a lie, and I got caught. Did it stop me from making bad choices? Sometimes I thought about not doing something because of past experience, but now when I reflect on some of my pretty rotten choices I come up with the idea that I was either dumb or just plain hardheaded.

As the years pile up the choices become more and more important, and it seems that the choices never end. Should I hang around with this one or that one. Should I reveal this or that to my parents? Then of course there is the coverup, and then, that failing and I get exposed for my misdeed. Finally, the teens are over, and now young adulthood brings on graver and harder choices. Then who to go to work for, and what kind of things should I spend my money on, and, before you know it, some of the earlier choices I made go sour, and then the piper has to be paid.

Adulthood begins to take its toll. Our poor choices begin to interfere with our duties and responsibilities in life. In my case my parents were drowning themselves in their daily booze consumption, and there was definitely not any reason to turn to them for advice. Financial obligations were driving my life faster than I wanted, and the consequences of the rotten choices were piling up and choking me.

Along comes the military obligation which I thought I had avoided through scheming and trying to beat the system. I failed, and lost control to Uncle Sam, but I made what turned out to be a very good choice and the Army became like my family, well not quite, but the food, shelter, and sick-care came as part of the required service, and when the Bay of Pigs came along in the 60's, JFK added another year of mandatory service. I wrote a letter to an old flame in Long Beach to share some of my German experiences while I was recuperating in the hospital, and within a few weeks this old flame started a fire and before I knew what hit me, I was completely and totally involved. Coincidentally, she and my father arrived within an hour of one and other at the Frankfurt am Main airport. Dad's visit was a total surprise, and how things developed from then on is a total blur. Dad went back to France quickly, and my flame and I became intimate way to fast. But, that train left the station before I could halt it.

Marriage was forced upon us, and that was a huge choice which I made that was wrong. So, things were really horrible. All my own choosing ,which turned out to be irreversible, wrong choice, after wrong choice, and the sad part was that I never really admitted to myself that I caused every bit of my own misery. Seventeen years later my first wife threw in the towel and filed for divorce, albeit the whole process was devastating it finally was over and all of those rotten choices reared their ugly heads once again, and thank goodness for one really loyal friend who rented me a room to stay in at a reasonable cost that I could afford.

Slowly, but surely I began to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Why? I stumbled in some of my first choices, but I was finally able to take charge of my own existence when I made the hard choices. Before I took the easy way out, the most expedient, and after a few years of clearing up the financial disasters, my over-due payroll and income taxes, the scary choices, were no longer scary; it was the natural thing to do. Once I buckled down to following my plan, executing my plan, and seeing the fruits of my efforts, along with making some very hard, uncomfortable choices, I never looked back. I found that whatever scary choices I faced, I never again hesitated. Thirty-three years later my new mate and me have enjoyed a wonderful life together without even an argument or cross words. It must be because of her, because I am no saint for sure.

Not until I got kicked in the teeth over and over did I recognize where I was going wrong in my choices. Yes, experience turned out to be the great equalizer, and without plenty of it, none of us will ever achieve the successes that I was finally able to achieve. Fourteen years ago my wife and I joined a church and year by year we have given back to the Lord what he mercifully gave us all of our lives. Christ has blessed us abundantly, and we continue to do his work now without thought of ourselves. It is just how we live now. I have finally learned to put the Lord first in my life! Thanks be to God.

The Coming Families of the Next Generation

FEATURE ARTICLE

     It could well be said with the declaration of "Same Sex Marriage" by President Obama that there will be many non-traditional marriages and/or unions. It's well known that we already have many  States that allow same sex marriage, and what is not known is how each state will treat the benefit-rights annuring from Federal and State Agencies. The courts are going to be full of claims, counter-claims and cases which will subsume hundreds of thousands of men and women in legal wrangling who will want to claim their just due.
     It seems rather absurd to me to have to justify and prove what a family is, and has been, since the most primitive of tribes and peoples in the world of recorded history. But, quoted below is a small inkling of what I am referring to:
     Same Sex Marriage in the United States,commentator Rachel Maddow expressed her frustration with the Obama Administration position on same-sex marriage in August 2010. In response to Senior White House Adviser David Axelrod's statement on President Obama's position: "The president does oppose same-sex marriage but he supports equality for gay and lesbian couples in benefits and other issues", Maddow said,

"Got that? So the line from the administration is that Barack Obama does not want gay people to be allowed to be married, but when gay people can be married and other people are trying to take away that right like in California, he doesn't want the right to be taken away. But, he's not in favor of that right in the first place. You got it? The president is against gay marriage but he is also against constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage, which means that he'd apparently prefer that gay marriage be banned through flimsier tactical means? That's the president's position. Clear as mud. Ripe for criticism much?"[100]MSNBC

     How can a Catholic/Christian advise their child what is right and wrong from this abomination of information coming our of the White-House?

     The answer is one-sided and simple. For believers you follow the teachings of Our Lord and Savior that are found in Christian Bibles. If you are a Catholic, like I am, I don't need to pay attention to Obama to know what is right. The Catholic Church's teachings have not changed for more than 2,000 years. Marriage is between one man and one woman, and "marriage" is also a sacrament in the Catholic Church which is defined as a union between a man and an woman that will become one flesh.

     It seems that we are going to have to endure a great deal of legal confrontation in our land before we can settle this issue as a matter of civil law. These civil laws have nothing to do with Church law, and for those that are looking for the church and the new Pope to change the rules about: marriage, contraception, abortion, and euthanasia, they will be sorely disappointed. It is not going to happen!

The continued deterioration of the family in the U.S. is going to cause an equal amount of disharmony and irreparable harm to the social development fabric throughout our urban plains; and, an increase as well in all forms of crime, unrest, and poverty which pulls down economic productivity where the harmony of the family, a man and a woman, will produce stability and continuity for a healthier, brighter more productive future. It goes better with a real mom, and a real dad! Anything else is just not as good.

Note:

Spiritual Reflection: Nothing Separates Us

Take It to Heart

Paul is convinced that nothing will ever separate us from God.

Romans 8: 31-39

 (click the link if you don't have a Bible handy)

How convinced are you?

As you read this passage, allow Paul's passionate belief to echo in your heart, and be drawn into his poetic understanding of God's love. Neither death, nor life, nor height, nor depth can keep us away from God or, more important, keep God away from us. Paul pointed to proof of God's love: God's willingness to sacrifice his Son for our sins. God showed his unconditional love for us in this one act. And Paul is certain that there is no reason to expect anything different from God in the future. We live in that future, united with God.

What does this love mean in your family life?

How can you model this love with family members?

Spiritual Reflection: Mistaken Self-Love

CHRIST:

My Child, here is the secret of all perfection---forget self-interest and follow My will in all things. You want what you consider good for you, but you are often wrong in your calculations. I want what you consider good for you, but you are often wrong in your calculations. I want what is really best for you, and I am never mistaken. If you want to be the kind of person I want you to be, learn My truth and do My will. Then leave the rest to Me.

2. Every human fault arises from a mistaken self-love. Men overcome their faults only as far as they really abandon their selfishness and follow Me. Some make a half-halfhearted effort,and some make a ninety percent effort, but only a few make a full effort with no reservations.

3. If you gave all you goods to the poor, without giving your heart to Me, you have done nothing as far as eternal life is concerned. Even great penance means nothing unless you are determined to fight against your faults. There is no substitute for true virtue. The basis for true virtue lies in this---that you accept and prefer My Will in all things.

4. You are not so wise as you think. You do not always know what is best for you. No man is richer, no man is happier than he who loves My Will in all things. Empty your heart of every other desire, and place you daily life in My hands. Work, and pray, and do all that is right and good for you. When things do not go as you desire, do what you can to remedy them. After you have done all that common sense demands, accept the results as My Will.

THINK
Here is the key to God's peace and yet I hesitate to use it. Can God be mistaken? Can He be wrong? Why do I not find His peace within me? It is simply because I have not yet succeeded in placing my life in His hands. I am not quite sure that He will do what I would like. Yet I know that He loves me more than I love myself. He wants what is surely good for me, not merely some deceptive good thing. Do I want to look our for myself, even if it means committing a sin here and there? Sin hurts me far more than I realize.

PRAY
My Jesus, show me at last a life of obedience and loyalty to your Will. Let me forget self and become more unselfish with those around me. Wherever I can, I hope to do things for others. Sin must be hated for what it is...self-deception and stupidity. How can I ever do anything wrong, knowing that it hurts me and offends You? I will try with Your help, to live mm daily life as a true and loyal follower of Yours. What You forbid is forbidden because it is bad for me. How can I ever insist on sinning again? You have proven your love for me in a thousand ways. I hope to prove my love for You by trying to act as You want me to act in my daily life.

Source: My Daily Bread, CONFRATERNITY OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD 

How can we spread this message?

Spiritual Reflection: An Act of Faith

Grieved at their hardness of heart, he said to the man, “Stretch our your hand.”Mark 3:5 

The Pharisees in Jesus' time looked for every possibility to catch Jesus in an infraction of the law. There were so many laws to follow. Wikipedia says there are about 613 which were followed. No wonder the Jewish leaders were so obsessed with following the law. With that many laws to be faithful to, it was a virtual impossibility, for any human to come close to obeying all of them. 

At every turn in his ministry since Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize him in the Jordan to the Wedding at Cana, Jesus was making his own rules. The Pharisees were keeping track of all the infractions, so they could report them all to their leaders. With today's verse about the man with a withered hand, the Pharisees were just waiting to see if Jesus would heal this man on the sabbath in the synagogue so they could accuse him.

 When Jesus healed the man the Pharisees immediately rushed out to report to Herod and his associates to conspire against him. As Jesus, again, breaks the sabbath law, he continues to teach and heal and he appointed the Twelve. The Pharisees continue the conflict. Jesus' family thinks he is crazy. His adversaries, the Pharisees, accuse him of being possessed by Satan. Jesus separates himself from his family.

 Questions for discussion below:  

Why does Jesus cause so much conflict?

Why do people-especially religious leaders reject him?

A concept to include in your thoughts...

Think about the parallels for your faith in everyday life today as well.

 

Forgive, but Set Limits & Expectations

This is a follow-up to yesterday's story about a wayward nineteen year old. He is sorry because he got caught stealing thousands of dollars of jewelry and pawning it.

Aren't we all. 

But, after counseling with other professionals, the consensus opinion was to set limits which we had already done for the bad behavior.

The key decision!  My wife and I decided not to prosecute. Instead we made him face his horrible actions with the written evidence in front of the police chief. He allowed this audience, and told my grandson so, because the next time he sees his name come across his desk, the meeting will be in the interrogation room, and off to prison or jail for a one year minimum.

For a street savvy kid like he is, it didn't seem to impact him sufficiently. We have had a face-to-face meeting with him, laid down the new rules, taken his house key away from him and forbidden him to be in the house unless one of us is there with him. He can come in, eat, take a shower, but the office, and the rest of the house is off limits, until we decide to change the rule. Until he is gainfully employed, and has earned his keep with some employer, we will remain ever vigilant as long as he is on our premises. Otherwise, it is hit the street, you are now on your own. Blood relative, or not!

Time will tell! We all know that the leopard doesn't change his spots; they just grow in size!

Handling a Lie & a Theft in Your Home

If you are an employer, it seems the treatment of these two offenses can be found in the company policy manual, but parents and grandparents, on the other-hand, have a different role in these matters. I think the care-taker grandparent in this case, has an even different  role than the parent.

Yesterday was not a good day! We were confronted with the theft of $1,800 of my wife's jewelery which is hidden in a special drawer in a hunt stand. The theft could only be carried out by one person, our grandson, and when confronted he immediately admitted to the theft and the pawning of the items in the local pawn shop. It seems he went to the pawn shop on three separate occasions, and the pawn shop owner paid him: $60, $60, and $70 out of his pocket for the $1,800 dollars worth of jewelery. 

My wife just came back from the pawn shop and discovered that he had been there in January and pawned several other pieces of jewelery, plus something for a friend he runs around with. More lies, and now this seems to be much more serious than we thought.

I am sure many have faced this type of issue, but since we live in a small town, we are faced with not wanting to make these incidents public knowledge. 

Before today, we forgave another costly incident in September 2010, and now this mindless theft for no real purpose, leaves us in a real dilemma. It is going to be very hard for me to trust him again, and I am sure that my wife, who is usually more compassionate that I, will have the same issues to deal with in her mind. There don't seem to be any easy answers to this situation as I type these words.

The real issue is when and if  you should prosecute your relatives for grand-theft, or do you give them another chance?

Why does the US Gov Fund Mosques with US Taxpayer Dollars, You Might Ask?

This title is outrageous enough! With our nation facing the worst debt crises in our history we read about more fraud, theft, and deception in the budgeting of our hard-earned tax dollars. Listen and view this U-Tube report on the waste of the US taxpayer dollars.

This U-Tube concerns every single one of us!

Charlie Courtois

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM

Yesterday, was a non-computer day….The monitor died, the box didn’t seem to work, and one of my wife’s closest friend’s husband committed suicide. We were discombobulated all day to say the least. Without a working monitor I learned something new today! It will help many weak and agnostic people think about facts seldom ever considered.

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM

“We saw His star in the east and we have come to worship Him.”
—Matthew 2:2

Here is a six minute trailer about this production. There are some things that come along that can capture your attention, this is one of them. For believers, and for non-believers who claim there is no proof of Jesus Christ, and that He is a myth, you will see tangible proof of what the people of Israel saw and knew over 2000 years ago. The DVD is one hour, and when you get through watching it, you will do so a second time and maybe a third time. I did! If you are like me, I shunned Astronomy, still do to this day. This DVD really opened my eyes.

Words are not enough! Just watch the trailer, and you’ll want to get it and view it. I have no vested interest in the production or distribution of this material. I just think it is a fascinating discovery of scientific scholarship. Science truly complements religion, and does not contradict it.

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM

Watch the DVD, you'll be amazed.


“We saw His star in the east and we have come to worship Him.”
—Matthew 2:2

Here is a six minute trailer about this production. There are some things that come along that can capture your attention, this is one of them. For believers, non-believers who claim there is no proof of Jesus Christ, and that He is a myth. The DVD we just got is one hour, and we you get through watching it, you do a second time and maybe a third. I did.

 This information will turn many heads!

Answering the New Atheism

Dismantling Dawkins' Case Against GOD, by Scott Hahn - Benjamin Wiker

By way of disclosure I begin saying that I am neither a theologian nor a scientist. I bought this book to read so that I would be able to answer the many challenges I experience here on the Vine about my faith, and my position and belief in Christianity and Catholicism. Since this book was written as an intellectual rebuttal to Dawkins' book, "The God Dilusion" by Scott Hahn, a best selling theological author, and Benjamin Wiker, a scientist at Franciscan University in Stubenville, Ohio, I an going to present opinions and praises for this book from people who know much more than I do about this growing trend in our schools and country.

* "Rarely, if ever, in my many years as a professor of philosophy did I ever have an opportunity to read such a compelling argument." ~Anthony Flew~ Author of There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist changed His Mind
* "Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. Benjamin Wiker show again and again, that atheists like Richard Dawkins are putting forth shoddy arguments, and once those arguments are dismantled by cool reason, there is very little left." ~Dinesh D'Souza:~ Research Scholar at the Hoover Institution, Author of What's So Great About Christianity
* "In a better world than ours there would have been no need for Answering the New Atheism. But under the circumstances, I'm grateful to Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. Benjamin Wiker for their essential service in coolly, rationally taking apart Richard Dawkins' inflamed rhetoric and exposing the absurdities, and the dangers, at it heart. Their final chapter is a particularly chilling, important reminder of what Dawkins' secular faith would lead to if it were more widely embraced." ~David Klinghoffer:~ Author of Shattered Tablets: Why We Ignore the Ten Commandments at Our Peril and Why the Jews Rejected Jesus: The Turning Point in Western History
* "Answering the New Atheism is a superb exposé of Dawkins' The God Dilusion. Systematically and lucidly, Scott Hahn and Benjamin Wiker dissect and dispose of the fundamental errors that riddle Dawkins' attempt to demonize the divine. Dawkins has declared a jihad against religion and his main weapons are diatribe and charicature. But the aithors refuse to respond in kind and instead turn to reason, the one tool that Dawkins seems to disdain. As readable and humorous as it is rigorously reasoned, Answering the New Atheism is the best antidote in the marketplace for Dawkinitis." ~Roy Abraham Varghese:~ Co-author with Anthony Flew of There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind, a book denounced by Dawkins. Editor of Cosmos, Bios, Theos, a work with 24 Nobel Prize winners that was described by Time Magazine as "the year's most intriguing book on God."

Since this book is written by two Catholic intellectual heavyweights, I had to reread most of the eight chapters several times. The book is only 150 pages in length but it is chocked full of answers to help you in serious discussions about atheism.

Mans Purpose on Earth, a Spiritual Reflection

Taken from: My Daily Bread, CONFRATERNITY OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD by Anthony J. Paone, S.J.

The Way of Purification - Conversion

CHRIST'S VOICE
My CHILD, the highest goal of your life is union with Me in Heaven. Let your intentions throughout the day be guided by this truth. In all things be sure to stay on the path that leads to Heaven. Do not become too deeply interested in passing desires and brief enjoyments of this earthly life.

I have given you everything that you are and everything that you have. All things come from to you from Me, the Supreme Good. Whatever comes, accept it, use it, enjoy it, and I wish and as much as I wish.

If you think only of satisfying yourself, without considering My approval, your mind becomes confused and your will becomes weak. Mistakes and sins will rob you of peace on earth and of unending happiness in Heaven. In all things therefore, keep your eyes on Me.

Happy are those who desire only what I want, trying steadily to do My will. Such people do not let themselves become completely absorbed by their daily activities. They frequently offer their activities to Me. They see the brevity of human contentment on earth.

Examine your motives in your daily words and actions. Find out how you may please Me more, and avoid everything which may draw you away from Me.

THINK
I was created for eternal happiness with God in heaven. Everything else must take second place in my life, because if I lose Heaven, I will be losing everything. The sure guide to Heaven is God's holy Will. If I follow it in my daily life, every moment on earth will be a sure step toward the perfect happiness which my heart craves.

PRAY
My God and loving Father, grant me the wisdom to think, speak, and act each day as You want me to. May I never be such a fool as to disagree with Your supreme goodness and wisdom. Nothing on earth can bring me any lasting happiness. Therefore, let me never sin for the sake of anything. I want to live for the perfect happiness for which You created me. Amen.

The author, Fr. Anthony Paone, S.J., suggests that the reader read between the lines, and He will give you a message for you alone. This will be the grace of the chapter. God's grace will show us how to live a better life today, and it will give you the strength to do so. If you use these graces well, God will grant you greater ones. Daily you will grow more like Christ and less like your old self. The chapter is simple: (a) listen; (b) think; and (c) answer Him.

We Are Grandparents - Stop Spending Our Money Mr President

The country needs to organize to stop the government from spending anymore money. If you believe we should tell our elected representatives that it is time to:

• Really Balance the Budget
• Reduce Spending
  
• Stop Trying to Budget Things We can't Afford

Then you need to email me now and say you would like to know what to do? First I would like to organize by state. If the response is great enough I will immediately set-up a permanent web site. This site is temporary. Permanent site under construction. GRANDPARENTS UNITE

Fox New's Glen Beck found a huge niche. Mom's that are not empowered. I propose to do the same. Get teams of grandparents, thousands, in every state in the union to make plans to tell our legislators to STOP, and DESIST spending and proposing these unaffordable programs.

A Quote from Glen Becks "Mom's Show."

"I've been thinking about the show with some of America's great moms we did last week and the response we've been getting has been overwhelming.

I went out to an event last night and something struck me: The amount of females in the audience was more than ever and clearly they were not there because of my molten hotness. I mean, look at me: Chubby, pasty, multiple chins — I could go on. They are there because as moms, it's in their nature to protect their children and they are realizing that this government is putting their children's futures at risk."

IDEAS, HELP, DO SOMETHING, Mom's and Grandparents need to rise up and stop this destruction of our nation.

Charlie Courtois

Election, 2008, Lies, Lies, Lies!

Is there anything we can believe about the election now? How does one separate the ½ truths from the ¾ truths and so on? Sources that I came to trust over the decades of my life are no longer reliable, and it seems that is it an ever increasing battle to root out the truth. Sooner or later each of us becomes tainted by this darkness. What really happens is that we begin to form our own misguided precepts that make us feel good. Truth is not about feeling good. Truth should be the basis with which we evaluate if someone is worthy of our vote.

If our candidate is exposed by a hint of scandal, or a partial lie, what do we do? Do we hunker down and deny it? At the very least I am guilty of that. We immediately discredit the source in our mind, be it good or bad or maybe even true. That is a very unhealthy situation. Nevertheless, the network video engineers rule the roost.

The spectacular dirt dug up on each and every candidate will surface, true or untrue, and eventually will be thrust in our faces with music, sound effects, and the latest flashing, blinking technology. Madison Avenue used to call this subliminal advertising, or messages. Now it is in your face exploding video messages. Brainwashing by our media which burns in the lies, half-truths, and whatever message the advertiser chooses to thrust on the public, is the beginning of the grab for power. Greed and the accumulation of money is how the election will be won. Yes and a skillful collection of deceptions and deviousness will be at the forefront of the march toward office.

Horror of horrors, there is always the latest poll. While I was perusing various news outlets political pieces, I was struck by the hundreds and hundreds of polls, which were emblazoned with red, white and blue American Flags, that were not worth the ink and drawing it cost to present them. I think it sad to say that there will be hundreds of thousands of people, maybe millions, misled by the anecdotal evidence they represent.

Election-2008 will break all previous spending records. The estimates now are in excess of a billion dollars. When it is all said and done this November, what will the hundreds of millions of dollars have accomplished, that some simple, truthful, and meaningful editorials about each new candidate would not have achieved?

U-Tube Clips, Cable Networks, Main Stream TV Media, Talk Radio, Print Media

After reading and listening to various portions of the above sources of news and information these last few weeks, I, for one, have become disillusioned about the veracity of any of it. The amount of money being spent on this upcoming election is beyond any human’s capacity to comprehend neither the meaning nor the impact of its use. The goal is winning. Lies become truth. Truth becomes a lie. Truth looses it meaning. The voting public is on the outside looking inside. The hundreds of promises declared by the candidates become blurred and meaningless. If this over-saturation continues, and it will, we may see a voting apathy occur in 2008 that will set a sad new record.

When one adds to that media bombardment the impact of the Internet and the Blog sites, it no wonder that people are beginning to feel everything associated with polls, talking heads, newscasters, reporters, editors, publishers, etc. etc is out of control. I am completely convinced that it is a physical impossibility to be well informed about Election-2008 without standing back and putting your own research effort into gear. I mean by this that you alone will have to evaluate each fact, bit by bit, and come to your own conclusions. Not only that; but, you will need to go back and start from scratch. I have been, and maybe you too, have been brainwashed. The unequivocal truth is that it is nearly impossible to be well informed with this years overwhelming media saturation about the pending Election-2008; because, it has become a farce and the lies and distortions are just beginning. Think about that!

May be it is just me; but, I am sick of the lies, distortions and self-serving political parties and the people associated with them. Politics is all about money, power, and the promises of those who claim to want to represent the people. Very shortly each political party will host their farcical national conventions, which will be led-off by a Hillary dominated democratic week. I urge each one of you to put on your thinking cap, and whatever you do, please go to the polls and vote your own true beliefs. Not that of some network, announcer, liar, promoter, or newspaper.

Charlie Courtois
Forsyth, Georgia

The Right To Life, The Election, and What Some are Doing About It

We can close our eyes and not see abortion, but this culture of death is all around us and it aids and abets choices in our lives which God will make us accountable for when the time comes.

The subject Pro Life affects every one who is alive. What the phrase often implies, wrongly to many, is that we humans make the choice of life ourselves. This could not be farther from the truth. The right to life is a gift from our Lord and Savior! The voluntary participation of the many in the work of “40 Days for Life,” depicted in the video presentation below, is just one small effort to pray and act against the abomination of abortion.

For most of my life I went around thinking that our courts had decided about abortion, partial birth abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research and other related life issues. These things were not on my radar screen. Now I realize that these civil law decisions are a violation of the 10 commandments that God handed down to us from our church fathers and as Disciples of Christ we are expected to stand up for the truth and to try to do our part in letting those who do not realize the error of their ways to understand what they are doing is against God’s will.

Two vital pieces of the “Right to Life” issue is the understanding of it and the doing of something about it:

UNDERSTANDING: http://www.worksforchrist.org/right%20to%20life.htm at the bottom of the noted URL you will find the heading, “The Fetus is a Baby and a Life. “ This is about the technical and the truth about life in the uterus.

DOING: This URL was produced by the “40 days for life” volunteers to promote what it is that they are doing in support of God’s Will to inform the protagonists and antagonists of abortion. Through prayer and peaceful support we can do a tiny something about this gargantuan issue.

The 39-minute video is a comprehensive case study of a very successful 40 Days for Life campaign that was held in Fargo, North Dakota.

You'll hear from their entire campaign team – as well as other volunteers and leaders, including a local radio station owner, the North Dakota leader of Concerned Women for America, and Catholic Bishop Samuel Aquila:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=120

The 2008 election is close. I hope this presentation will make you think about the 50,000,000 million, or so, deaths attributed to abortion in the U.S. since “Roe versus Wade” and what effect this election will have on the prospects for overturning this 1973 law in the States, the Courts, and our everyday lives.

Charlie Courtois

Who is Guarding the Financial Chicken-coop in Our Country?

A Brief Comment of Modern Finance and Where It has Taken Us!

Mortgage lending has been in the headlines for months. The figures reported for bad loans, those the banks call non-performing, are at astronomic heights. Most of us can not fathom the impact one/half a trillion dollars in loses or more. To save face we hear of many, many schemes to bail out the lenders, the property purchasers, the brokers and just about everybody involved in these sub-prime loans. According to the F.B.I. reports, they are beginning to take some criminal action toward the perpetrators; two Bear Stern operators, and 406 individuals around the country. One such scenario of many is inserted below.

Instead of stealing an identity to secure a credit card, scammers have been zeroing in on people they think have a lot of equity in their homes. They steal their identities, then go online and get a home equity line of credit on that person's house and take the money. The FBI said the possibilities seem to be endless, and even in a down market, there are many opportunities for scam artists. NY Times 6/21/2008

The total impact of this financial debacle is a long way from being settled. These crimes and abuses of power appear to be more far reaching than the Savings and Loan scandals in the early 1980’s. The S & L’s were bailed out by the Federal Government, and to the best of my recollection nobody did any real hard time for those abuses. This time these greedy, mendacious loans were executed at several levels. The fallout and financial impact of thousands of unsuspecting victims, those who failed to read the fine print of their mortgage contracts, and a small army of bankers, brokers, lenders of all stripes, and now a whole new agglomeration of predators poised to scam the unsuspecting, will be decided in large part with tax payer dollars, a declining stock market, and an untold amount of financial instability.

The scariest part of all this is that it will be a long, long time before the financial institutions will reveal the complete extent of the losses which they are supposed to declare. Since the numbers are in the billions, it is bound to have long term implications for hundreds of thousands of people. In the fall of 2007, I said of the first announcement from one of the big banks: “This is going to be like discovering cockroaches; if you find one or two there are probably 100’s.” Well, we have heard about 200-300 billion.

We talk about billions and trillions today without really understanding what the numbers translate to in life impact for the average citizen. In Lee Iacocca’s book, Talking Straight, he describes what you can think of a billion as in terms of time. It would take you and me around 33 years to count to one billion. Who is guarding the financial chicken-coop? It sounds like the Fox is to me!

Charlie Courtois,
Forsyth, Georgia

Will America Cutback on Fuel Without Being Forced?

Will America ever cutback on fuel without being forced to?

Your editorial on “fuel consumption” touches a sensitive nerve in each of us. As a senior citizen, I am fed up with the band-aid solutions that Congress offers up for solving oil price situation. This purchasing halt of reserve oil is one of the most ridiculous things I ever heard. Talk about sending a boy to do a man's job!



If ever there was a time for urgent action on the "OIL PRICE CRISIS” it is now; not in 2009 after the newly elected politicians will get started jawboning. Soon 20-30 million Americans won't be able to afford to drive to work when the gas pumps hit $5.00 a gallon! Inflation and gas prices are already changing everything we do.



What will the people earning 8-25 thousand dollars a year do? Lose their jobs when they can't afford gas? Get on unemployment? Give up altogether? Start riots? If ever there was cause for concern it is now. Not later!



Rationing and drastic cuts in speed limits sounds draconian; but, the time has come for real action. We MUST stop using so much OIL, period... We all know people will not discipline themselves. So, what choices are left?



Our Government and Congress have had 35 years to act since the 1973 oil crises; but, now it's even worse. How about some serious dialog about: What every citizen MUST do to help lower demand? We need to turn the “Somebody-Else-Will-Fix-It-Switch” off.

Published in the Macon Telegraph, May 15th, 2008

Charlie Courtois

The Oil & Gas Problem Is Not About Speculation

Blame the Speculators Floyd Norris from the NY Times article 6/19/2008

In Washington, some high prices are deemed better than others. Stocks should go up, and so should home prices. Commodities should go down.
Senator Joseph Lieberman, the Connecticut Democrat turned Independent, has unveiled suggested legislation to deal with the spate of speculation that is blamed for driving oil prices to record highs, and for making food too expensive.
One proposal would require regulators to set strict limits on how many futures contracts could be owned by financial types, as opposed to buyers and sellers of the real commodity, who could keep trading so long as they were hedging.

The Problem is not about Speculation
Woe is you who wander around believing our oil and gas production is what it should be and that there is little the average voter can do about it.

If our US oil and gas giants were allowed to drill in US controlled properties we could impact the supply and demand from a US needs’ perspective. Let’s not forget that the US Congress is the one thwarting the production and exploration of crude on US properties.

There are now close to ½ a billion Chinese being moved into the major cities of China. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to compute the demand for motor driven vehicles.

Let’s worry less about environmental concerns and pay more attention to managing our resources. Money, exploration, trade, etc. We are the largest and most successful economy in the world; so, let’s get on the ball and do something about it.

Charlie Courtois

Illegal Immigration! A USA Moral Dilemma!

What do you believe you would do if you owned a large multinational corporation about the problem?

I pose the question, not from a bureaucratic position; but, from a profit making enterprise perspective. I list just a few tidbits to stir the pot for a lively discussion.

1.Keep on doing very little just like we have for the last decade. Now we have somewhere between 12 and 20 million illegal aliens; plus, their family and relatives who are eager to get on our Social Security and Medicare rolls, according to various sources.

2.Lobby to get them all proper identification, work visas and setup a plan that deports the offenders if they don’t follow the “new” plan, whatever it is.

3.Keep on talking about a fence?

Or maybe you have some ideas the politicians have not put forth already. As a country, we already have immigration quotas; but, they are meaningless in the face of millions of illegal aliens every year, that seek a home here. Notwithstanding the fact, that we have over 10,000 miles of border to patrol. Peoples rights, budget-busting, moral thinking, safety, security are all in the mix.

CharlieC

MI LUCHA CON ESPAÑOL por mis amigos Latinos

Hace más de dos años comencé a estudiar español solo, en casa. Esto era el reto y también la tarea que yo había tenido hasta este momento a la vista. Naturalmente, comencé con unas herramientas de aprendizaje. ¿Cuales eran aquellas? Había un par libros de textos en español, inglés, unos diccionarios bilingües, unos discos, y un deseo grande para conquistar el idioma español.

Lo demás del reto largo y duro era una lucha por el éxito, lo que yo no hubiese imaginado; especialmente, sin un maestro ni mucha ayuda de otros. Esta idea del éxito era una sorpresa grande por mí; porque, ya había aprendido dos otras lenguas, francés y alemán, cuando era un joven universitario. La edad de mí cerebro debe de ser la causa de la desilusión; porque, hace muchos años aprender fue mucho, mucho más fácil.

A pesar del hecho hay miles de hispanos en Georgia; desgraciadamente, no hay muchos aquí en Forsyth. Los que conozco acá son muy ocupados y no tienen suficiente tiempo para enseñar ni ayudar otros con el español.

- ¡Adelante, manos de la obra! - concluyó la parte atrevida de mi ser moral. Con la ayuda del Internet, la lectura, me gusta leer, uno o dos horas, de vez en cuando, escuchando las telenovelas en español; el estudiar continuamente hacia al éxito era u es, lo más difícil que he aguardado; especialmente, porque soy un estudiante viejo.

Ahora hay otro problema, que no es fácil de resolver. ¡Mi oído! Día por día, se hace peor y peor. Oír es entender. ¡Qué lástima! La vejez ha llagado, pero ganaré la lucha sin o con buen oído.

El viejo......gringo desconocido

Do We Listen Enough for the Truth?

Politics and truth seems like an oxymoron. . .

I dare to juxtapose the two words, politics and truth as a compound subject, only because we are in the heat of battle for the presidency of the United States in this year, 2008; and struggling to find the truth in today’s news and political rhetoric is becoming harder and harder. Very few good and decent people seem to speak out about lies and deceit promulgated in the main stream press. Are we just too busy doing something else? Or, is our conscience numb or dead? When our children lie do we let it slide? I don’t think so! But the problem seems so gargantuan now that we feel overwhelmed to address the issue head-on. We can do better than that.

First let us define politics. A simple dictionary definition defines it as:
activities or affairs involved in administering of a government or relating to governmental or state matters
dealings, methods, or maneuvers involved in controlling, administering, or seeking to control a government
science or art of government or of the management of state or local affairs
political opinions, convictions, or affiliations
factional scheming or intrigues for positions of power within a group

Politics is the art of the possible.
Otto Von Bismarck, remark, Aug. 11, 1867, German Prussian politician (1815 - 1898)
Maybe, Bismarck got it right. There are many vagaries associated with the word.

Second let us define truth:
that which is true: the pursuit of truth, to speak the truth
a state or quality of being true or accurately reflecting reality or fact: to doubt the truth of a statement
accepted or verified fact, principle, or the like
in truth. Really; actually: The ugly frog was in truth a handsome prince. [Old English, honor, fidelity, covenant]

A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author. G. K. Chesterton (1874 - 1936)

The definitions of truth and politics seem straight forward. But, at first glance words like: scheming, intrigues, dealings, methods or arts referring to “politics” seems to put truth in jeopardy right away. These words are a playground for obfuscation. Truth, on the other hand, has no wiggle room. A lie is an untruth. Going back to Moses’ time a lie was a sin against God, and it still is.

That the moral conscience of our nation has come to accept lies as common place is the point at which I begin. Accepting untruth is just one part of the contemporary sickness called “moral relativism,” the means by which, many, come to accept: half truths, lies, obfuscation and any other form of deception known to man as acceptable. “Acceptable,” in this case is defined as unchallenged when in truth the facts are not completely true and the lie is allowed to stand. Why call a spade a spade? Well, because that is exactly what it is! It is certainly not a shovel as the saying goes.

Politicians Words
Hillary Clinton, Letter to Constituents from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Iraq Policy
Let us analyze the following quote from Hillary’s letter to her constituents in N.Y.
Dear Constituent: “Thank you for contacting me with your concerns regarding Iraq. As you indicate, the situation there is very serious and is a major and constant focus of mine. I believe that the President should abandon his escalation of the war in Iraq and offer a change in course to his failing strategy.”
These are the first two sentences of the letter. Let’s look at the 2nd sentence. [President should abandon war escalation and change course in a failing strategy.] Is the sentence true?
1. Well, is there war escalation? No, there are increased U.S security troops and these troops are for the Iraqi people’s protection. We are training the Iraq police to protect themselves. The terrorists were killing many Iraqi people. 80-90% less people have been killed since Hillary called for “war escalation abandonment.”
2. Is the “strategy” called war in this sentence failing? Not exactly, the violence in Iraq is down dramatically since the U.S. increased security patrols and we know that the antagonists are terrorizing the people. Al Qaeda and others have been thwarted in their ability to carry out raids on the population in Iraq because of U.S. presence there.
“In January, the President announced his “surge” strategy to create space for Iraqi political reconciliation. This has not happened. ”
This sentence is patently deceptive and implies the surge was for political means. We know the ‘surge’ strategy was to protect the Iraqi people. The ‘strategy’ has reduced the violence and, there was also another goal; to create confidence, so that Iraqi legislators could take control of their own government. Some new legislation has passed in Iraq. Notably, an equitable division of oil revenues between the territories was enacted. This legislation concerned “the” most contentious issue between the parties. “This has not happened.” is a lie in my opinion. You be the judge.
Obama: Culture in Washington Must Change, Implement Tough Ethics Reform Tuesday, August 21, 2007, A speech to his peer group in the senate.
“Let me be clear, I do not begrudge businesses for trying to make a profit, and I do not begrudge them for hiring lobbyists to plead their case before Congress. It is protected political speech, and we appreciate that there are many lobbyists who represent their clients well and fairly. But it’s time we had a Congress that tells the drug companies and the oil companies and the insurance industry that while they may get a seat at the table in Washington, they don’t get to buy every chair.”
Above we see, Obama, the quintessential orator. In the first sentence he says it’s OK with him if business makes a profit and lobbyists petition congress. What he does not say is if he would do anything about the drug companies making from 2,000 to 4,000% profit margins? While the majority of the country is drowning in exorbitant, mendacious profiteering; we hear a nice sweeping proclamation that the big interests: drugs, oil and insurance, don’t get to buy every chair. Who knows what that means? What is the truth?
To the average listener and reader, and I call myself average, Obama’s words are eloquent, sincere and meaningful; until, you ask yourself what he really meant by them. Determining the truth is a responsible, prudent and productive way for each one of us to live our lives. It is no harder than evaluating: the subject, the verb and the object of a sentence to determine the facts that the writer presents. Or better, that which is omitted.
There are no perfect political candidates. But, we can use our common sense and moral values to decide what box to check when the time comes: by “listening for the truth.”

Charlie Courtois, Retired Entrepreneur, Forsyth, Georgia