Opus 2021-139: Foolish or Faithful

How many people read the Bible in an attitude of superstition and how many read it as the word of God?  What strange tangent is my mind going on now?

So often we hear the Bible quoted as if reciting the verse is some talisman to ward off evil.  They roll off the tongue.  They sound so good.  But when people say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheth me,” they do so completely out of context and give it a false meaning.  They like to tell us “God is love”, which is true, but they do so having no idea what love means.  This is extra distorted if they have been watching Hallmark movies.

Superstition is the manipulation of the words and objects of power to gain control in life.  You knock on wood to keep bad luck at bay.  I remember one guy telling me if I would put some money in an envelop, write some phrase on the front and send it to his favorite ministry, I would get ten times as much back.  Superstition in people who think they are Christians is attempts to manipulate God like He is some cosmic vending machine that hands out prizes if you bump it just right.

The Bible is a document that only has real meaning when brought to life by the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of a believer.  This is why it tells us that “they” will not understand.  Reading the Bible is not a matter of finding a verse that verifies our presuppositions but a call to find the truth that God wants to share with us at this time.

In this time of uncertainty we need to stop being superstitious and start learning truth.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-138: What Would Mary Poppins say?

I was enjoying the memes that George collected at Georges Grouse and came across one that started off,  

“Did you know?  A teaspoon of cayenne can start heart attacks in a minute.”

Now I want you to know that I am not a doctor whether it be Carson, Spock, Phil or Jill.  I am, however, someone who has found that cayenne pepper can add a bit of fun to a recipe.  It is like sardines in Caesar salad dressing.  A whisper enhances.  Too much gags or elicits screams.  When I make chili with a pound of beef, a can of beans, a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce, not to mention the onions and bell peppers, I put in maybe a quarter of a teaspoon of cayenne and when I enjoy the chili the spice livens things up.  I cannot picture taking a teaspoon of cayenne.  

It might work.  It could also be that you might be so shocked by the pepper it is like being hit with a defibrillator.  

Sorry, I think I will pass on this one.  Just because I enjoy memes doesn’t mean I turn off my brain.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-137: Crumbling Foundations

Why were the Founders superior to any following generation?  Very few of them were professional politicians.

If you have a copy of the Declaration of Independence take a look at the signatures at the end.  A quick glance shows only one, Samuel Adams, as listing themselves as politicians.  I will concede that there are a lot of lawyers but there is also a good cross section of the types of work that people did in those days.  If you did it to congress today the occupation would be almost 100% “politician”.  Most were lawyers at one point but if you look at how long it has been since they have practiced law then you realize that they are politicians.

I would love to see some serious turnover in congress.  I am not in favor of formal term limits.  I believe the purging should come from the voters booth not laws with loopholes.  Are there people out there who could rise to the level of the Founders?  Probably but they are not willing to go through the attacks and danger of running against the machine of what we call the Deep State.  If I had to recommend anything it would be what I have stated so many times:  Vote the suckers out.  When in doubt, throw them out.  In fact, unless you can make a really strong case to keep someone in office they should be rotated regularly.

2022 is coming.  Elections matter.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-136: Should-a-Beens: Court Packing

I have heard from two lawyers with integrity endorsements that the packing of the Supreme Court is not going to happen.  In their eyes it is just a ploy to distract the peasants while they pass all the other damage to destroy the republic.  We will see if they are worthy prophets.

How worried should we be if it does pass?  I got to thinking about a Proregressive* dream team for the last court of appeal.

Let’s start with Barak Hussein Obama.  You know it would happen.  He is the man who was so blessed that he could go around the Constitution with executive orders.  I think his words were something to the effect that if congress wouldn’t do what he wanted done then he would do it himself.  Just imagine what he could do to improve the world from the bench.

Then of course we would need to have Hillary.  It is possible she might be too old but age discrimination is unconstitutional.  Imagine what would happen to the view of ethics in this country if she were appointed.

That is two.  We need two more.  How about a Shiff/AOC tag team?  You think people are starting to laugh at the Supremes now, just think how it would go if these two were wearing the black robes.  It might make it worth televising hearings and billing it as reality TV.

I am sure we could come up with a lot more from Nadler to Beto.  

God help us.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-135: Ode to Old: Running on Automatic

I am finding that I can’t run on automatic any more.

I guess another way of saying it is I can’t multitask.  I never was good at it.  Now it is a disaster.

I need to focus or tragedy awaits.  If I am going to put down my coffee cup I need to pay attention or I end up setting it on the edge of a book where it tips over.  The other day I was starting to take my pills for the day and found myself going on automatic. What that meant was I would forget to take one and possibly miss both.  I need to focus.  When driving I now need to either control the car or use my mouth.  

Of course I do go on automatic.  It usually involves sitting and staring out the window, thinking about all the great thoughts of the universe, or, as the comedian said, “Nothing.”  It is also something that I can only get away with when firmly rooted in a non-moving chair.  It does not go well when I am washing dishes or driving.

At least I can’t trip if I am not moving.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-134: Epoch Times: A Primary Source for Statistics

In my search for a reliable print newspaper I finally succumbed to the advertising of the Epoch Times.  I am now on a one year subscription.  I will refer to articles featured in the print edition and try to link them online for anyone interested.  Some posts will deal with the news shared and others will deal with my odyssey of deciding if the Epoch Times is a reliable source of news.

One of the frequent statements you see if you get out of the rut of CNN and other Proregressive* sources of news is that the statistics related to the China Virus are distorted.  It is a constant meme about how people who clearly died from other causes, such as a motorcycle accident, are listed as Covid-19 deaths.  If you are looking for evidence of this you need look no further than the Epoch Times edition of March 24-30 in an article titled “CDC Skewed CCP Virus Fatalities Higher, Peer-Reviewed Study Claims”.  You can also find it at the link.  

They boil it down and let me take it another notch.  Early in the so-called pandemic the CDC issued a new and novel handbook to count the deaths from the new and novel virus.  The old handbook is still in use for every disease except Covid-19.  At the time the study was done the CDC was attributing 161,392 deaths to the virus.  That was under the new guidelines.  Under the old guidelines the total would have been 9,684.  Take another look at those numbers and ask yourself why the CDC would distort the truth so much.

One of the advantages of reading the news on line is that links are embedded in the text and all you need to do is click to look further.  Thus to find the actual document being quoted you only need to click on the highlighted word “study”.  You are welcome to wade through it if you know any woke snowflake that might actually be influenced by science based on facts instead of America hatred.

It is not just the media that is lying to us.  It is not just the Democrat party.  It is a government agency that is supposed to be working to keep us safe.  Instead it is manipulating the country by the use of fear based on false data.

Heads need to roll.  Don’t hold your breath.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Another word for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-133: Wildflower Watch: Focusing on Yellow

There are all kinds of yellow wild flowers in Texas.  They seem to come up early, stay late and turn up when unexpected.  Identifying them is not on my front burner but I noticed something today.  Some of those ubiquitous yellow flowers seems to be Dandelions.  I only know this because I am seeing the distinctive seed pod appear.

I also am claiming to identify Brown-Eyed Susans.  They have been around before but I had to look for a different picture than the one I had.  They are doing well on our hill.

I also noticed that over night Indian Blankets have bloomed.  I swear there were none yesterday but today I saw them in several yards.  Eventually I expected to see them on my property.

I am wondering if we are going to get more blue bonnets later in the year.  The ones that came up in my yard are already forming their pods.  They may dry out and spread in time to give a second crop.  We shall see.

homo unius libri