I'm with this guy all the way...

"I'm 63 and Im Tired"
by Robert A. Hall

I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.

I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.

I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe , the freedom of the press of China , the crime and violence of Mexico , the tolerance for Christian people of Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela .

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.

I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U.S. Senators from Illinois.

I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.

I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and mandrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.

I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military.... Those are the citizens we need.

I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.

I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet.

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.

Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.

I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.

Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.

There is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on!
This is your chance to make a difference.

Frankfurt Book Fair

This is billed as the biggest in Europe and I have linked up with a company called Strategic Rights Services to be an "Author in Booth" on Thursday the 7th October. I'm going in with my portfolio, though they are promoting The Enemy is Within! and I have no idea what to expect, but, fingers crossed, prayers said, and plenty of hope that it will give me some openings into the mainstream.

I'll post more on the outcomes and the experience - perhaps even some photographs - in a day or two...

Thought for the day...

Something for all our left-leaning socialists to consider carefully ...

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out
of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person
must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody
anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When
half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the
other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the
idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what
they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You
cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

Sometimes you wonder...

I came across this on a site, called "Icanhascheeseburger" that does nothing but post pictures of cats doing some of the cutest "cat" things. Sometimes when you raise an animal from a very young age, they adopt characteristics and behaviours which are untypical of their species. Psychologists call this "imprinting."

With cats I'm not so sure. Personally I think they are doing some serious evolving and anyone who lives with them in close proximity will know what I mean. Ever since I saw an X-ray of a cat's forepaw (Madam Paddy Cat's actually) I have wondered about a number of things - their forepaws have a bone structure that could be a child's hand...

So this rather cute pair of images should not amaze us, though I suspect it will make us wonder.

Apostolic Authority

In a recent exchange of views with another commentator on another blog, the point was raised as to only a priest consecrated as a bishop by the Roman Church is a true bishop in the "Apostolic Succession." In short, only someone approved by Rome as the successor of St Peter, and therefore claiming the "authority vested in Peter by Christ" can be said to have the "spiritual authority" for his Office.

I think the point is a moot one, since it hinges on the claim that the Bishop of Rome has always exercised that authority and historically he has not. In fact there is considerable doubt as to whether the likes of John the Divine, James the Great or any of the other Apostles recognised it. There is no suggestion in the New Testament or in any of the writings of that period which suggest he did. It is even doubtful whether Peter actually consecrated anyone as a successor or even claimed the title of Rome's Apostle for himself. The eastern Churches rejected these claims comprehensively in the 8th Century and the majority of English Bishops saw the break as an opportunity to reform and eradicate the abuses that arose from that authority.

Rome won no adherents from the excesses of Bloody Mary and her Spanish husband in England during her thankfully brief reign and the restored church flourished under Elizabeth despite many Papally backed assassination attempts. Of 40 bishops prior to the break, 30 remained in post after Henry's 'reform' which, in essence, was as simple as refusing the Pope the right to interfere with the administration of church or state and justice in England. No wonder so many bishops welcomed it. In Edward VI's reign the protestant faction, influenced heavily by Calvin and Zwingly had the reins, but that came to an abrupt end when Edward died. During Mary I's reign, some twenty of the bishops fled abroad, returning after her death to restore the church to something resembling Henry's original idea. During Cromwell's ghastly reign, twelve bishops remained in England, though they were under threat of death if captured, and the rest were restored when the King returned. The remainder 'retired' or went into exile though some died for their faith.

Did Peter have to approve the appointment of Timothy? I doubt it. I doubt too whether he was even consulted by any of his brother apostles when they appointed Episcopoi to oversee their churches across the Middle East and North Africa.

Prior to around 600 AD synods were regularly called and held by various bishops and Rome was not always present or represented. In fact, the Bishop of Rome was an adherent of the Arian heresy during the time of Martin of Tours campaign to counter it, though I note this is omitted from the Catholic Encyclopedia. Had Martin not succeeded in driving the Arians from office we would all be following a faith that looks something like Shia Islam.

Rome did not become the central power of the western church until after the collapse of the last Western Roman Emperor in the early 500's AD. The then Bishop seized the opportunity and adopted the Imperial Purple setting up his own version of the Senate - the Curia. That claim was more than enough to send the Orthodox churches off in their own direction and split the "catholic faith" fatally as far as the looming rise of Islam was concerned. While modern reinterpretations of the history of the crusades focus on the "Christians" attrocities against Muslims, they ignore the fact that much of this war was actually fought to bring the Orthodox Churches to heel under Rome. There was no theology behind this, just the Papal desire to assert political authority - and the desire of landless nobles to seize lands for themselves while ostensibly 'serving God.'

As I said, the Papal claim is a very moot point and one which the Old Catholic Church ( A sort of European version of Anglicanism) also dispute vigorously. The Old Diocese of Utrecht held the right, agreed by various Councils of the Church in the 6th Century and confirmed afterward at further Councils, to elect and appoint their Bishops. At the Reformation, the Protestants seized the churches and drove out the bishop, though he remained and continued to exercise a ministry. Rome saw his chance and declared the autonomous See of Utrecht as a "Mission Field" which allowed Rome to renege on the historic 'right' of that See to appoint its own bishops.

The argument is not, and probably never was, about spiritual authority. It is about political power and who wields it even in today's world. And while we argue about these details, Islam is making hand over fist advances in the west as the churches lose Christ's flock to the revived Arian heresy that is Islam because they cannot see any relevance in a faith that argues over even the fundamentals of what we believe.

Christ must be weeping.

When I'm sixty-four ...

Today I'm sixty-four and that damned Beatles song keeps whirling around in my head...

At least my youngest daughter is here to celebrate it with Mausi and me and we have plans for a super evening meal. There is a "Medieval Fayre" in Breithart - a neighbouring village - today and we plan to visit that for some fun. There is also a Roman Market in another village tomorrow which should be great fun, especially as it is being held at a recostructed "Limes Tower" - the German version of Hadrian's Wall, much of it quite close to our home.

What's it like being sixty-four? I don't know, but I guess I'll find out as the year progresses...

Don't Grow Old in England ...

My currently favourite poet for his swipes at many sacred cows recently penned this -

Don't grow old in England
'Cos it ain't a lot of fun,
The government don't want you
When your working life is done.

You become a burden,
To the system and the State,
Something that our leaders
Really cannot tolerate.

They can't give you a decent
pension
Despite what you've paid in,
Because you've become a problem-
You really cannot win.

The price of almost everything,
It seems, increases at will,
The pension, on the other hand,
Seems mostly to stand still.

Budgeting now is something
That really worries me.
Perhaps instead of a pensioer
I should have become an MP!

Darryl Ashton

The truth is that the unstoppable expansion of a civil service which does nothing productive costs so much that there is scarcely enough money to pay them, never mind defence, healthcare or social services. Once you add in all the unemployment 'benefits' being paid to people who don't want to take on the jobs that are available - and which the politicians frequently tell us mean we need to take in 600,000 immigrants per year to fill - you begin to wonder why you put in 40 plus years of effort to build a pension to sustain you in old age and which was squandered on all sorts of ideological things rather than invested. The 'Youff' Culture of the post 1960s has seen those with experience and qualifications pushed aside to be replaced by over educated filing clerks and it seems that the country now just wants to bury us oldies so they can look after their own pensions by not paying ours.