Thanksgiving Day

Behold it is "Thanksgiving Day" once again. And yet, unknown to many of us, it is also The National Day of Mourning as well as Unthanksgiving Day today for many of the people who first lived in this great land that we call: "The Americas." They are remembering their ancestors: The tribal peoples of these great continents who were sold, raped, killed, poisoned, lied to, mistreated, evicted and wronged at the hand of the great European conquest.

But it's Thanksgiving! Tell me! Who then should be thankful? To the victor goes the spoils, yes! So the white man has all the reason to thank the God of the Bible for "giving" this great land to them. But is that what really happened? And was the land to be given in the first place? At what cost was this land parted with its original inheritors? The cost of the dwellers who already lived here. Uninvited and unwelcomed the white men came... They came into the land and have since divided it up with row upon row of barbed wire and concrete.

The land that was once wild and free has been sold into the slavery of the governments of man, forever lost to the natural beauty that once was. Are you thankful pale face? Thankful for destroying the homes, families and lives of the men and women and grandfathers and children of the tribes and peoples and dynasties and entire nations of people too lengthy to remember?

You are not thankful for this... For you would rather forget it. You would rather me be quiet and not remind you of your sins that you have committed in the name of "Imminent Domain" or rather what was it? Ah yes: "Manifest Destiny". Might I be so bold as to remind you that the story of the Mashpee Wampanoags sitting down with the 53 remaining passengers on board and having a nice dinner of fowl and deer was invented by Abraham Lincoln in order to calm a country torn apart by disunity?

Might I remind you who to be thankful for? They are many. They are one.

First the A'ananin (Aane), Abenaki (Abnaki, Abanaki, Abenaqui), Absaalooke (Absaroke), Achumawi (Achomawi), Acjachemen, Acoma, Agua Caliente, Adai, Ahtna (Atna), Ajachemen, Akimel O'odham, Akwaala (Akwala), Alabama-Coushatta, Aleut, Alutiiq, Algonquians (Algonkians), Algonquin (Algonkin), Alliklik, Alnobak (Alnôbak, Alnombak), Alsea (Älsé, Alseya), Andaste, Anishinaabe (Anishinabemowin, Anishnabay), Aniyunwiya, Antoniaño, Apache, Apalachee, Applegate, Apsaalooke (Apsaroke), Arapaho (Arapahoe), Arawak, Arikara, Assiniboine, Atakapa, Atikamekw, Atsina, Atsugewi (Atsuke), Araucano (Araucanian), Avoyel (Avoyelles), Ayisiyiniwok, Aymara, Aztec, Babine, Bannock, Barbareño, Bari, Bear River, Beaver, Bella Bella, Bella Coola, Beothuks (Betoukuag), Bidai, Biloxi, Black Carib, Blackfoot (Blackfeet), Blood Indians, Bora, Caddo (Caddoe), Cahita, Cahto, Cahuilla, Calapooya (Calapuya, Calapooia), Calusa (Caloosa), Carib, Carquin, Carrier, Caska, Catawba, Cathlamet, Cayuga, Cayuse, Celilo, Central Pomo, Chahta, Chalaque, Chappaquiddick (Chappaquiddic, Chappiquidic), Chawchila (Chawchilla), Chehalis, Chelan, Chemehuevi, Cheraw, Cheroenhaka (Cheroenkhaka, Cherokhaka), Cherokee, Chetco, Cheyenne (Cheyanne), Chickamaugan, Chickasaw, Chilcotin, Chilula-Wilkut, Chimariko, Chinook, Chinook Jargon, Chipewyan (Chipewyin), Chippewa, Chitimacha (Chitamacha), Chocheno, Choctaw, Cholon, Chontal de Tabasco (Chontal Maya), Choynimni (Choinimni), Chukchansi, Chumash, Clackamas (Clackama), Clallam, Clatskanie (Clatskanai), Clatsop, Cmique, Coastal Cree, Cochimi, Cochiti, Cocopa (Cocopah), Coeur d'Alene, Cofan, Columbia (Columbian), Colville, Comanche, Comcaac, Comox, Conestoga, Coos (Coosan), Copper River Athabaskan, Coquille, Cora, Coso, Costanoan, Coushatta, Cowichan, Cowlitz, Cree, Creek, Croatan (Croatoan), Crow, Cruzeño, Cuna, Cucupa (Cucapa), Cupeño (Cupa), Cupik.

And the Dakelh, Dakota, Dakubetede, Dawson, Deg Xinag (Deg Hit'an), Delaware, Dena'ina (Denaina), Dene, Dene Suline (Denesuline), Dene Tha, Diegueno, Dine (Dineh), Dogrib, Dohema (Dohma), Dumna, Dunne-za (Dane-zaa, Dunneza), Eastern Inland Cree, Eastern Pomo, Eel River Athabascan, Eenou (Eeyou), Eskimo, Esselen, Etchemin (Etchimin), Euchee, Eudeve (Endeve), Excelen, Eyak, Fernandeno (Fernandeño), Flathead Salish, Fox, Gabrielino (Gabrieleño), Gae, Gaigwu, Galibi, Galice, Garifuna, Gashowu, Gitxsan (Gitksan), Gosiute (Goshute), Gros Ventre, Guarani, Guarijio (Guarijío), Gulf, Gwich'in (Gwichin, Gwitchin), Haida, Haisla, Halkomelem (Halqomeylem), Hän (Han Hwech'in), Hanis, Hare, Hatteras, Haudenosaunee, Havasupai, Hawaiian, Heiltsuk, Heve, Hiaki, Hichiti (Hitchiti), Hidatsa, Hocak (Ho-Chunk, Hochunk), Holikachuk, Homalco, Hoopa, Hopi, Hopland Pomo, Hualapai, Huelel, Huichol, Huichun, Hupa, Huron, Illini (Illiniwek, Illinois), Inca, Ineseño (Inezeño), Ingalik (Ingalit), Innoko, Innu, Inuktitut (Inupiat, Inupiaq, Inupiatun), Iowa-Oto (Ioway), Iroquois Confederacy, Ishak, Isleño, Isleta, Itza Maya (Itzah), Iviatim, Iynu, James Bay Cree, Jemez, Juaneno (Juaneño), Juichun, Kabinapek, Kainai (Kainaiwa), Kalapuya (Kalapuyan, Kalapooya), Kalina (Kaliña), Kanenavish, Kanien'kehaka (Kanienkehaka), Kalispel, Kansa (Kanza, Kanze), Karankawa, Karkin, Karok (Karuk), Kashaya, Kaska, Kaskaskia, Kathlamet, Kato, Kaw, Kenaitze (Kenai), Keres (Keresan), Kichai, Kickapoo (Kikapu), Kiliwa (Kiliwi), Kiowa, Kiowa Apache, Kitanemuk, Kitsai, Klahoose, Klallam, Klamath-Modoc, Klatskanie (Klatskanai), Klatsop, Klickitat, Koasati, Kolchan, Konkow (Konkau), Konomihu, Kootenai (Ktunaxa, Kutenai), Koso, Koyukon, Kuitsh, Kulanapo (Kulanapan, Kulanapa), Kumeyaay (Kumiai), Kuna, Kupa, Kusan, Kuskokwim, Kutchin (Kootchin), Kwaiailk, Kwakiutl (Kwakwala), Kwalhioqua, Kwantlen, Kwapa (Kwapaw), Kwinault (Kwinayl), Laguna, Lakhota (Lakota), Lakmiak (Lakmayut), Lassik, Laurentian (Lawrencian), Lecesem, Lenape (Lenni Lenape), Lillooet, Lipan Apache, Listiguj (Listuguj), Lnuk (L'nuk, L'nu'k, Lnu), Lokono, Loucheux (Loucheaux), Loup, Lower Chehalis, Lower Coquille, Lower Cowlitz, Lower Tanana, Lower Umpqua, Luckiamute (Lukiamute), Luiseño, Lumbee, Lummi, Lushootseed, and the Lutuamian.

As well as the Macushi (Macusi), Mahican, Maidu, Maina (Mayna), Makah, Makushi, Maliseet (Maliceet, Malisit, Malisset), Mandan, Mapuche (Mapudungun, Mapudugan), Maricopa, Massachusett (Massachusetts), Massasoit (Massassoit, Mashpee), Mattabesic Mattole, Maumee, Matlatzinca, Mayan, Mayo, Mengwe, Menominee (Menomini), Mescalero-Chiricahua, Meskwaki (Mesquakie), Metis Creole, Miami-Illinois, Miccosukee, Michif, Micmac (Mi'gmaq), Migueleño, Mikasuki, Mi'kmaq (Mikmawisimk), Mingo, Minqua, Minsi, Minto, Miskito (Mosquito), Missouria, Miwok (Miwuk), Mixe, Mixtec (Mixteco, Mixteca), Mobilian Trade Jargon, Modoc, Mohave, Mohawk, Mohegan, Mohican, Mojave, Molale (Molalla, Molala), Monache (Mono), Montagnais, Montauk, Moosehide, Multnomah, Munsee (Munsie, Muncey, Muncie), Muskogee (Muscogee, Mvskoke), Musqueam, Mutsun, Nabesna, Nadot'en (Natoot'en, Natut'en), Nahane (Nahani, Nahanne), Nahuat, Nahuatl, Nakoda (Nakota), Nambe, Nanticoke, Nantucket, Narragansett, Naskapi, Nass-Gitxsan, Natchez, Natick, Naugutuck, Navajo (Navaho), Nawat, Nayhiyuwayin, Nde, Nee-me-poo, Nehiyaw (Nehiyawok), Netela, New Blackfoot, Newe, Nez Perce, Niantic, Nicola, Niitsipussin (Niitsitapi), Nimiipuu (Nimi'ipu), Nipmuc, Nisenan (Nishinam), Nisga'a (Nisgaa, Nishga), Nlaka'pamux (Nlakapamux), Nomlaki, Nooksack (Nooksak), Nootka (Nutka), Nootsak, Northeastern Pomo, Northern Carrier, Northern Cheyenne, Nottoway, Nuu-chaa-nulth (Nuuchahnulth), Nuxalk, Obispeño, Ocuilteco, Odawa, Ofo, Ogahpah (Ogaxpa), Ohlone, Ojibwa (Ojibway, Ojibwe, Ojibwemowin), Oji-Cree, Okanagan (Okanogan), Okwanuchu, Old Blackfoot, Omaha-Ponca, Oneida, Onondaga, O'ob No'ok (O:b No'ok), O'odham (Oodham), Opata, Osage, Otchipwe, Otoe, Ottawa, Pai, Paipai, Paiute, Palaihnihan (Palaihnih, Palahinihan), Palewyami, Palouse, Pamlico, Panamint, Papago-Pima, Pascua Yaqui, Passamaquoddy, Patuxet, Patwin, Paugussett (Paugusset), Pawnee, Peigan, Pend D'Oreille, Penobscot (Pentagoet), Pentlatch (Pentlach), Peoria, Pequot, Picuris, Piegan (Piikani), Pima, Pima Bajo, Pipil, Pit River, Plains Indian Sign Language, Pojoaque, Pomo (Pomoan), Ponca, Poospatuck (Poosepatuk, Poospatuk, Poosepatuck), Popoluca (Popoloca), Potawatomi (Pottawatomie, Potawatomie), Powhatan, Pueblo, Puget Sound Salish, Purisimeño, and Putún.

And let us not forget the Quapaw (Quapa), Quechan, Quechua, Quilcene, Quileute, Quinault, Quinnipiac (Quinnipiack), Quiripi, Raramuri, Red Indians, Restigouche, Rumsen, Runasimi, Saanich, Sac, Sahaptin, Salhulhtxw, Salinan, Salish, Samish, Sandia, Sanish (Sahnish), San Felipe, San Ildefonso, San Juan, Sanpoil, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santiam, Santo Domingo, Saponi, Sarcee (Sarsi), Sastean (Sasta), Satsop, Savannah, Sauk, Saulteaux, Schaghticoke (Scaticook), Sechelt, Secwepemc (Secwepmectsin), Sekani, Selkirk, Seminoles, Seneca, Seri, Serrano, Seshelt, Severn Ojibwe, Shanel, Shasta (Shastan), Shawnee (Shawano), Shinnecock, Shoshone (Shoshoni), Shuar, Shuswap, Siksika (Siksikawa), Siletz, Similkameen, Sinkiuse (Sincayuse), Sinkyone, Sioux, Siuslaw, Skagit, Skicin, S'Klallam, Skokomish, Skraeling, Skwamish, Slavey (Slave, Slavi), Sliammon (Sliamon), Sm'algyax, Snichim, Snohomish, Songish, Sooke, Souriquois (Sourquois), Southeastern Pomo, Southern Paiute, Spokane (Spokan), Squamish, Sqwxwu7mesh, Stadaconan, St'at'imcets (St'at'imc), Stockbridge, Sto:lo, Stoney, Straits Salish, Sugpiaq, Suquamish, Susquehannock, Suwal, Swampy Cree, Swinomish, Tabasco Chontal, Tachi (Tache), Taensa, Tahltan, Tagish, Tahcully, Taino, Takelma (Takilma), Takla, Taltushtuntude, Tamyen, Tanacross, Tanaina, Tanana, Tano, Taos, Tarahumara, Tataviam, Tauira (Tawira), Teguime, Tehachapi, Ten'a, Tenino, Tepehuano (Tepecano), Tequistlateco (Tequistlatec), Tesuque, Tetes-de-Boules, Tewa, Thompson, Tigua, Tillamook, Timbisha (Timbasha), Timucua, Tinde, Tinneh, Tiwa, Tjekan, Tlahuica (Tlahura), Tlatskanie (Tlatskanai), Tlatsop, Tlicho Dinne, Tlingit, Tohono O'odham, Tolowa, Tongva, Tonkawa, Towa, Tsalagi (Tsa-la-gi), Tsattine, Tsekani (Tsek'ehne), Tsetsehestahese, Tsetsaut, Tsilhqot'in (Tzilkotin), Tsimshian (Tsimpshian), Tsitsistas, Tsooke, Tsoyaha, Tsuu T'ina (Tsuutina), Tualatin, Tubar (Tubare), Tubatulabal, Takudh, Tulalip, Tumpisa (Tümbisha, Tumbisha), Tunica, Tupi, Tuscarora, Tutchone, Tutelo, Tututni, Tuwa'duqutsid, Twana, Twatwa (Twightwee), Uchi (Uche, Uchee), Ukiah (Ukian, Uki, Ukia), Ukomnom, Umatilla, Unami, Unangan (Unangax), Unkechaug (Unquachog) Upper Chehalis, Upper Chinook, Upper Cowlitz, Upper Tanana, Upper Umpqua, Ute, Ventureño, Virginian Algonkin, Wailaki (Wailakki), Wailatpu (Waylatpu), Walapai, Walla Walla, Wampano, Wampanoag, Wanapam, Wanki (Wangki), Wappinger, Wappo, Warijio (Warihio, Warijío), Warm Springs, Wasco-Wishram, Washo (Washoe), Wazhazhe, Wea, Wenatchi (Wenatchee), Wendat, Weott, Western Pomo, Whilkut, White Clay People, Wichita (Witchita), Wikchamni, Willapa (Willopah), Winnebago, Wintu (Wintun), Wishram, Witsuwit'en (Witsuwiten), Wiyot, Wolastoqewi, Wyandot, Yakama, Yanesha, Yaquina, Yavapai, Yawelmani, Yaqui, Yinka Dene, Yneseño, Yocot'an, Yokaia, Yokuts, Yoncalla, Yowlumni, Ysleño, Ysleta del Sur, Yucatec Maya, Yuchi, Yuki, Yuma, Yupik, as well as the Yurok.

And last but most definitely the Zapotec, Zia, Zimshian, Zoque, and the Zuni.

God bless you all the tribes, peoples and care-takers of this land that I now call home. I cannot hope to give you restitution until all men repent for the wrongs we have done you, but you know that you have one friend in my tribe until then.

-Pauly Hart Thanksgiving Day, 2014

New review of my book! 5 of 5 stars on Amazon!

Newest review of my book! Isn't it time you bought one for yourself and your family this season?
http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Garden-Empire-Bene…/…/1499133847

"I read this book, as I worked alongside the author, and had a great level of respect for him. Going in, I was not sure what to expect. He had mentioned that this book was dark, and it certainly was. However, what I was presented with was an exploration of this world that he created (or stumbled upon by our protagonist Chaucer), that was very dark, yet keeping me turning page after page. Despite the darkness, this was not just some dime novel for cheap scares for the reader. The author was able to work in a lot of his own personal faith, and create a narrative that was both entertaining, yet illustrative of the author himself. The attention to detail and depth of the world that he had created were fantastic, making this story easily believable as one that is/has happened in our own world. The most brilliant part of this whole novel is the fact that the author does indeed make good on his promise to challenge the reader, answering the questions in the narrative, but in doing so, creating so many more. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who needs a constant page turner, to not only engage their attention, but also to leave them wanting more."

sufferers of melanism at war with sufferers of albinism

halle took her her ex to court because he was trying to make their daughter "look white." funny. he's white, she's half white, so the daughter is mostly a white kid.

what the hell is wrong with hollywood? the judge actually ruled in her favor! yes. it is now against court order for her ex to dress their daughter in "white" clothes or straighten her hair.

those rascally white people and their white ways!

as far as i recall, the most dangerous of the white people that i've ever seen were those two albino ghosts from the matrix, with the weird dredlocks and swords. that was crazy! white people sure can be scary!

thanks to the good lord that i'm not white! whew. what a horror that would be.

but hey, on a serious note, albinism is nothing to be scoffed or mocked.

here is the report from TMZ

Halle Berry just took Gabriel Aubry to court ... claiming he's trying to make their 6-year-old daughter white.

Halle was furious Gabriel was straightening Nahla's naturally-curly hair, lightening it with highlights and she is convinced it's because he does not want the girl to appear to be African American.

Halle didn't show in court Monday morning, but her lawyer Steve Kolodny did, along with Gabriel and after a lot of arguing the judge ruled NEITHER Halle nor Gabriel could change Nahla's look from its natural state.

So the judge is allowing Nahla's hair to grow back naturally.

here is the report from dailymail

Oscar winner Halle Berry's ex made 'completely and totally unacceptable' racial slurs against the actress - and dyed their six-year-old daughter's hair blonde, it was revealed in court today.

The star took her former love, Gabriel Aubry, to court, accusing him of straightening their little girl Nahla's naturally curly hair and lightening it over the past year in a bid to deny her African-American heritage.

As a result, Halle said in court documents, Aubry had caused Nahla 'potential psychological and physical damage' - and could cause her to wonder 'why her natural appearance is not good enough'.

A judge ruled today that neither Halle nor Aubry can now change Nahla's hair, while court records obtained by MailOnline show that Aubry has made shocking racist remarks against the star.

In a note included on Halle's testimony to the court about her ex's 'reprehensible' actions, she referred to the findings of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark Juhas, who presided over their recent custody case.

He said: 'The racial epithet made by Petitioner was and is completely and totally unacceptable.

'Nahla is a child of both of these parents, making this sort of comment about Respondent affect the very core and being of Nahla.


'And when Petitioner attacked Respondent for what she is and who she is, he was attacking Nahla because Nahla is part Respondent. And Nahla is part Petitioner. So when Petitioner did those things, that does serious damage to Nahla because he is attacking her core being, who she is.'

Today, a source close to Halle told MailOnline Gabriel had used racially abusive language to Halle - claiming he called her the N word - but said: 'Halle is a great mom, she wants to keep Nahla on an even keel.'Describing Halle's fears over Nahla's hair, the source said: 'Halle kept asking and asking Gabriel about Nahla's hair and he kept denying it.

'What does this say to a six year old who’s half black? Her father is denying her identity.

'Halle then filed the court papers and Nahla's curls came back.'

In her testimony, Halle said: 'I strongly feel that Gabriel's same underlying attitude is at the root in the changes which only he could have been causing to our daughter's hair.'

She told how she had secured scientific evidence to prove she is not 'delusional', as Gabriel had called her, 'about the extensive damage and the changes to the texture and color of Nahla's hair that were observed by me. I was not willing to allow this to be a 'he said-she said' dispute.'

The actress told how she had collected Nahla's hair with a new brush and sent the strands from June 28, 2014, to a laboratory.

What is fear?

Fear is sleeping in your chair
Knowing that if you lay down
You will drown

Fear is waking up every hour
Coughing until you cry
Trying not to suffocate

Fear is believing that if you sleep
You will be tortured and killed
By the mucus you are creating

Fear is coughing until you faint
vomiting up phlegm brown and red
Fear is your body killing you

Fear is not understanding
Why a just and good God
isn't healing you yet

Ferguson Riot Stew

Up late at night coughing and sneezing and blowing my nose sick as a dog. I can't sleep so I'm watching riots happening in Missouri.

Watching the guns pop, the breaking of windows, burning cars, burning buildings... WHERE IS MY AMERICA?

This is far worse than anything I have ever seen since the 1992 LA Riots. Many of you will be fed a line from the media about WHY this took place.

Let me tell you that this took place in a very controlled fashion. The powers in charge took great measure to have it done in a way that would make the most explosive charge possible.

What did they do?

The people in charge deliberately released information at night on a case that was ambiguous on purpose after dragging the case out for an unnatural time.

Let me repeat those things:

1) Dragging the case out for an unnatural time
2) An ambiguous case
3) Released information at night

How do you make people go crazy for soup?

1) You let the ingredients just sit and bubble for a really long time
2) You make sure that all the ingredients are varied and different
3) You serve it just at the last minute, right before they starve

And then watch the riot happen.

In our metaphor, you are tempting these poor people with the smell of the idea, with the thought of the idea... It's juicy and they have waited for so long, that in the cover of darkness, they would do anything to get a bowl of your delicious soup.

Just like in Ferguson... A big bowl of discord has been served, and now everyone wants their own serving.

Dennis Jernigan - I trust in thee

It's one of the better songs for beaten-up souls when needing to find a song to sing to God.

Euthanasia kills things.

I do not agree with killing animals that you love. Humans or pets, I don't think it is right. I do not agree with killing animals that you hate. I do not agree with killing animals in general. I do not agree with killing.

No one set me up to be god over anyone's life. No one set up my divine power to act as a final arbiter between life and death for anyone but myself... And maybe not even then. I hate it, hate the impertinence of it, hate the pride that goes along with it and hate it religiously. Plus, it's a great thing to go around and do: Not kill things.

I would love to say that I am still a vegan and could practice the toleration of others when they kill things, dress it, and pack it in ice for my dinner plate... Sadly this is not the case, as I am a pseudo-meat eater and eat it only once a day as a rule. But I usually think of the poor animal that gave her or his life to provide for me and how Tyson employees and contractors mistreated it.

I would also like to think that I would never wear leather. Do I? Not really but I do have some items that contain a bit of leather.

I also think about pets and people killing them... Not that I would ever do that, but how they change the words: "killing my pet" to "putting it down". Euthanasia is just a polite word for: "I am going to go kill my dog today."

What is wrong with people? When you take on a pet as a small mammal and raise it to behave a certain way (Domestication) you rob it of it's predatory or base natural instincts telling it: "No. Don't worry. I will love you and care for you as long as you are alive. You are my special little princess (or whatever)."

Changing the  instincts of an animal is alright, if you have agreed to love them forever. But when you kill that animal at some point where you have come to the end of your patience? Wrong.

"Oh poor Fluffy had a broken leg, a blind eye, arthritis, and couldn't poop without me helping her. We decided to put her down."

Liar. Where is the so called "love" that you promised that dog twelve years ago? Why would you change this animals life to begin with, only to set it up for the vets killing table?

NO.

Animal suffering is something that happens in life. Real life. Not the life that you have pretended for them. Not the life that exists inside your little home, with your little bowl of food on the floor and your little pet bed. Dogs, cats, monkey, ferrets, whatever. Killing mammals that are also pets is wrong in my book.

The morals for this are as follows:

If you:

A) Take the mammal form its natural habitat
B) Change its natural behaviors
C) Change its natural tendencies
D) Change its predator/prey relations
E) Invoke upon it all the "rules" you have set for it

Then you should:

A) Not kill it when it is an inconvenience
B) Not kill it when it bothers you
C) Not kill it when you run out of money to care for it
D) Not kill it when it interrupts your sleep cycle
E) Not kill it, you daft prick

And the basic argument is this: So yeah. Basically you "get" an animal. You have it now and you've basically established yourself in its life as some sort of god. You determine ultimately everything about it, where it poops, where it eats, how much it eats, what it can or can't touch, where it can or can't sleep, and basically if (when the time is ripe) it lives or dies.

Are you god to make that decision? Are you the holiest of holies in heaven almighty? Did you "wake up" from your bed and make a couple of planets one day? Can you even create anything at all?

Then what gives you the right to take that life?

Nothing. You do not have that right.

Odin Santaclaus

Santa Claus in America

Here is a timeline in the United States of Christmas and Santa Claus


1600's: The Puritans made it illegal to mention St. Nicolas' name. People were not allowed to exchange gifts, light a candle, or sing Christmas carols.

17th century: Dutch immigrants brought with them the legend of Sinter Klaas.

1773: Santa first appeared in the media as St. A Claus.

1804: The New York Historical Society was founded with St. Nicolas as its patron saint. Its members engaged in the Dutch practice of gift-giving at Christmas.

1809: Washington Irving, writing under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, included Saint Nicolas in his book "A History of New York." Nicolas is described as riding into town on a horse.

1812: Irving, revised his book to include Nicolas riding over the trees in a wagon.

1821: William Gilley printed a poem about "Santeclaus" who was dressed in fur and drove a sleigh drawn by a single reindeer.

1822: Dentist Clement Clarke Moore is believed by many to have written a poem "An Account of a Visit from Saint Nicolas," which became better known as "The Night before Christmas." Santa is portrayed as an elf with a miniature sleigh equipped with eight reindeer which are named in the poem as Blitzem, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donder, Prancer, and Vixen. Others attribute the poem to a contemporary, Henry Livingston, Jr. Two have since been renamed Donner and Blitzen.

1841: J.W. Parkinson, a Philadelphia merchant, hired a man to dress up in a "Criscringle" outfit and climb the chimney of his store.

1863: Illustrator Thomas Nast created images of Santa for the Christmas editions of Harper's Magazine. These continued through the 1890's.

1860s: President Abraham Lincoln asked Nast to create a drawing of Santa with some Union soldiers. This image of Santa supporting the enemy had a demoralizing influence on the Confederate army -- an early example of psychological warfare.

1897: Francis P Church, Editor of the New York Sun, wrote an editorial in response to a letter from an eight year-old girl, Virginia O'Hanlon. She had written the paper asking whether there really was a Santa Claus. It has become known as the "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" letter.

1920's: The image of Santa had been standardized to portray a bearded, over-weight, jolly man dressed in a red suit with white trim.

1931: Haddon Sundblom, illustrator for The Coca-Cola company drew a series of Santa images in their Christmas advertisements until 1964. The company holds the trademark for the Coca-Cola Santa design. Christmas ads including Santa continue to the present day.

1939 Copywriter Robert L. May of the Montgomery Ward Company created a poem about Rudolph, the ninth reindeer. May had been "often taunted as a child for being shy, small and slight." He created an ostracized reindeer with a shiny red nose who became a hero one foggy Christmas eve. Santa was part-way through deliveries when the visibility started to degenerate. Santa added Rudolph to his team of reindeer to help illuminate the path. A copy of the poem was given free to Montgomery Ward customers.

1949: Johnny Marks wrote the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Rudolph was relocated to the North Pole where he was initially rejected by the other reindeer who wouldn't let him play in their reindeer games because of his strange looking nose. The song was recorded by Gene Autry and became his all-time best seller. Next to "White Christmas" it is the most popular song of all time.

1993: An urban folk tale began to circulate about a Japanese department store displaying a life-sized Santa Claus being crucified on a cross. It never happened.

1997: Artist Robert Cenedella drew a painting of a crucified Santa Claus. It was displayed in the window of the New York's Art Students League and received intense criticism from some religious groups. His drawing was a protest. He attempted to show how Santa Claus had replaced Jesus Christ as the most important personality at Christmas time.

So if Odin is Santa Claus, was Jesus born on September 11th?

The Bible does not specifically say the date of Jesus’ birth. We know it was not during the winter months because the sheep were in the pasture (Luke 2:8). A study of the time of the conception of John the Baptist reveals he was conceived about Sivan 30, the eleventh week.

When Zechariah was ministering in the temple, he received an announcement from God of a coming son. The eighth course of Abia, when Zekharya was ministering, was the week of Sivan 12 to 18. Adding forty weeks for a normal pregnancy reveals that John the Baptist was born on or about Passover (Nisan 14).

We know six months after John’s conception, Mary conceived Jesus (Luke 1:26-33). Therefore, Jesus would have been conceived six months later in the month of Kislev. Kislev 25 is Hanukkah.

Was the “light of the world” conceived on the festival of lights?

Starting at Hanukkah, which begins on Kislev 25 and continues for eight days, and counting through the nine months of Mary’s pregnancy, one arrives at the approximate time of the birth of Jesus at the Festival of Tabernacles (the early fall of the year).

During the Feast of Tabernacles

During the Feast of Tabernacles, God required all male Jews to come to Jerusalem. The many pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the festivals would spill over to the surrounding towns (Bethlehem is about five miles from Jerusalem). Joseph and Mary were unable to find a room at the inn because of the influx of so many pilgrims. They may have been given shelter in a sukkah, which is built during a seven-day period each year accompanying the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Due to the difficulties during travel, it was common for the officials to declare tax time during a temple Feast (Luke 2:1).

We know our Messiah was made manifest into a temporary body when He came to earth. Is it possible He also was put into a temporary dwelling? The fields would have been dotted with sukkoths during this harvest time to temporary shelter animals. The Hebrew word “stable” is called a sukkoth (Gen. 33:17).
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7).

Joseph and Mary took the child and flew to Egypt and remained there until they were told by God that Herod was dead. Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus into Jerusalem forty days from His birth for Mary’s purification and the child’s dedication (according to Torah this had to be done within forty days of the birth of a male child-not doing so is considered a sin).

This indicates that Herod died within the same forty days, because as long as Herod was alive, they could not appear at the Temple. (According to Josephus’ calculations, Herod’s death occurred during the Autumn in the fourth year before the Common Era 4 b.c.e.).

Later in His life, Yeshua celebrated His birthday on a mountain with three of His disciples. In contrast to birthday parties, such as Herod’s, where people were killed for entertainment, His was a celebration of life. On the Festival of Succoth, Moshe and EliYahu (Elijah), from centuries past, representatives of the Torah and the Prophets, appeared and talked with Yeshua.

One disciple, Kepha (Peter), suggested building three succoth for Yeshua, Moshe, and EliYahu, because it was required for the festival, but he did not understand that these three were fulfilling that which the festival symbolized: they were dwelling in their succoth (temporary tabernacles) of flesh, awaiting their eternal resurrection temples.A number of Christians are celebrating Christ’s birth during the Feast of Tabernacles, complete with decorations and lights on the sukkah, and music celebrating Jesus’ birth.

HERE IS ANOTHER GREAT REFERENCE

Here is the video they reference:



Here is a timeline in the United States of Christmas and Santa Claus

1600's: The Puritans made it illegal to mention St. Nicolas' name. People were not allowed to exchange gifts, light a candle, or sing Christmas carols.

17th century: Dutch immigrants brought with them the legend of Sinter Klaas.

1773: Santa first appeared in the media as St. A Claus.

1804: The New York Historical Society was founded with St. Nicolas as its patron saint. Its members engaged in the Dutch practice of gift-giving at Christmas.

1809: Washington Irving, writing under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, included Saint Nicolas in his book "A History of New York." Nicolas is described as riding into town on a horse.

1812: Irving, revised his book to include Nicolas riding over the trees in a wagon.

1821: William Gilley printed a poem about "Santeclaus" who was dressed in fur and drove a sleigh drawn by a single reindeer.

1822: Dentist Clement Clarke Moore is believed by many to have written a poem "An Account of a Visit from Saint Nicolas," which became better known as "The Night before Christmas." Santa is portrayed as an elf with a miniature sleigh equipped with eight reindeer which are named in the poem as Blitzem, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donder, Prancer, and Vixen. Others attribute the poem to a contemporary, Henry Livingston, Jr. Two have since been renamed Donner and Blitzen.

1841: J.W. Parkinson, a Philadelphia merchant, hired a man to dress up in a "Criscringle" outfit and climb the chimney of his store.

1863: Illustrator Thomas Nast created images of Santa for the Christmas editions of Harper's Magazine. These continued through the 1890's.

1860s: President Abraham Lincoln asked Nast to create a drawing of Santa with some Union soldiers. This image of Santa supporting the enemy had a demoralizing influence on the Confederate army -- an early example of psychological warfare.

1897: Francis P Church, Editor of the New York Sun, wrote an editorial in response to a letter from an eight year-old girl, Virginia O'Hanlon. She had written the paper asking whether there really was a Santa Claus. It has become known as the "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" letter.

1920's: The image of Santa had been standardized to portray a bearded, over-weight, jolly man dressed in a red suit with white trim.

1931: Haddon Sundblom, illustrator for The Coca-Cola company drew a series of Santa images in their Christmas advertisements until 1964. The company holds the trademark for the Coca-Cola Santa design. Christmas ads including Santa continue to the present day.

1939 Copywriter Robert L. May of the Montgomery Ward Company created a poem about Rudolph, the ninth reindeer. May had been "often taunted as a child for being shy, small and slight." He created an ostracized reindeer with a shiny red nose who became a hero one foggy Christmas eve. Santa was part-way through deliveries when the visibility started to degenerate. Santa added Rudolph to his team of reindeer to help illuminate the path. A copy of the poem was given free to Montgomery Ward customers.

1949: Johnny Marks wrote the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Rudolph was relocated to the North Pole where he was initially rejected by the other reindeer who wouldn't let him play in their reindeer games because of his strange looking nose. The song was recorded by Gene Autry and became his all-time best seller. Next to "White Christmas" it is the most popular song of all time.

1993: An urban folk tale began to circulate about a Japanese department store displaying a life-sized Santa Claus being crucified on a cross. It never happened.

1997: Artist Robert Cenedella drew a painting of a crucified Santa Claus. It was displayed in the window of the New York's Art Students League and received intense criticism from some religious groups. His drawing was a protest. He attempted to show how Santa Claus had replaced Jesus Christ as the most important personality at Christmas time.

Saving Christmas Review from RogerEbert.com Destroys Film.

Full Article Here

Every holiday season sees a new influx of Christmas movies desperate to become the next big seasonal perennial destined to provide laughter, tears, humanity and healthy residuals for years to come. A majority of these films tend to feature characters who despair that the true meaning of the season has been lost, replaced with people more concerned with having the tallest tree, the biggest ham, the largest party and the most gifts. "Saving Christmas" falls along these lines, but I must say that it may be the first one, at least that I can recall, where that particular character is considered to be the bad guy who wants to spoil things for everyone else.


The full title of the film is "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas," and, yes, the former teen idol turned conservative Christian evangelist/entertainer is front and center here playing himself. Set during a lavish Christmas party being thrown by his sister (Bridgette Ridenour), Kirk is rocked to his core when he asks about how brother-in-law Christian (Darren Doane, who also directed and co-wrote the film) is doing and Sis tells him that Christian just isn't really in the Christmas mood this year. This cannot stand, and when Kirk finally finds Christian, he is sitting out in his driveway so as not to ruin the party with his mood. He confesses to Kirk that he thinks that the true meaning of Christmas has been lost and that even the party going on in his own house is a symbol of how things have gotten so out of whack. "That money spent—how many kids could we have fed? How many wells could we have dug?"

You might think that most right-thinking people, even those who wholeheartedly embrace the season, would have little reason to argue with such sentiment, especially when delivered by someone who is taking pains to keep it to himself so as not to spoil the mood. Well, Kirk has something to say about that and it boils down to "You're all wrong—you drank the Kool-Aid." To his eyes, every gaudy symbol of the season that is putting Christian off has deep-seated religious roots, and only by venerating them in the most ostentatious manner imaginable can one be truly close to God. Take Christmas trees and Santa Claus, for example—even though such things are never mentioned in the Bible, Kirk uses cherry-picked Biblical details, a certain degree of extrapolation and no small amount of smugness ("Last I checked, God made the Winter Solstice") to prove his points with such stunning finality that Christian instantly realizes that he has been the jerk all along for "terrorizing" his family by not realizing, for example, that the giant stack of presents under the tree can suggest the skyline of the new Jerusalem.

For a good chunk of the running time, I was more flat-out baffled by "Saving Christmas" than anything else. Based on the poster and some suggestion that I heard that it would be about the so-called "war on Christmas," I was expecting the film to be a comedy about someone trying to regain the meaning of the holiday in the wake of monsters who would have everyone say "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays'" instead of "Merry Christmas." This might have resulted in an awful film—though perhaps no worse than most secular Christmas-themed films you or I could mention—but at least it would have been about something, and, in the right hands, it could have actually inspired some big laughs here and there. Instead, "Saving Christmas" is little more than a screed delivered by Kirk Cameron scorning everyone who doesn't celebrate the season as ostentatiously as he does, justifying his attitude with bits and pieces gleaned from the Bible, delivered in the most self-righteous manner imaginable. The result is perhaps the only Christmas movie I can think of, especially of the religious-themed variety, that seems to flat-out endorse materialism, greed and outright gluttony. (Towards the end, Kirk admonishes one and all to "get the biggest ham...the richest butter.")

Of course, it is all well and good for someone like myself to besmirch the film with secularly-oriented sass but suppose you are someone whose views align perfectly with Cameron's—would you find "Saving Christmas" to be a rewarding cinematic experience? My guess is probably not because this is a film that has been presented in such a cheesy manner that it is barely a step up from a home movie shot during last year's festivities at Casa Cameron (and considering the number of Camerons and Doanes in the credits, that may not be that far from the truth). Essentially, what one is getting for their hard-earned ticket money is roughly an hour of two guys sitting in a car in a driveway talking, very occasionally interspersed with brief storytelling asides that boast the production values of your average junior high pageant. Then, after realizing that 60 minutes does not cut it as a feature-length film any more, Doane and Cameron stretch things out to a still-anemic 80 minutes with such filler as two prologues, an endless final cookie following the equally endless end credits and an extended dance number set to a hip-hop rendition of "Angels We Have Heard On High" that may be the single whitest thing ever seen in a movie since Jill Clayburgh sang "Maybe I'm Amazed" in "An Unmarried Woman." (To be fair, I had hoped to ask some of the other attendees at the public screening I attended what they thought of it to see if they were satisfied with the slapdash proceedings, but, alas, I was the only person there.)

Doing nothing but preaching to the converted—literally and badly to boot—"Saving Christmas" is a terrible movie regardless of one's eschatological mindset. And while it may not be the worst Christmas-related movie ever (a title I believe is still held by the vile "Christmas with the Kranks"), it certainly does the genre no favors. However, if watching shoddily filmed presentations of shoddily constructed arguments justifying a self-absorbed perspective is the kind of thing that strikes your fancy, then it may indeed be up your alley after all. Those who are not of that mindset would be better served donating the price of a ticket to a food bank or shelter, where the money could do some real good during the season. You will be glad that you did.

Congratulations Veterans

You are now a terrorist threat.

from HERE

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that she was briefed before the release of a controversial intelligence assessment and that she stands by the report, which lists returning veterans among terrorist risks to the U.S.

But the top House Democrat with oversight of the Department of Homeland Security said in a letter to Ms. Napolitano that he was “dumbfounded” that such a report would be issued.

“This report appears to raise significant issues involving the privacy and civil liberties of many Americans - including war veterans,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, in his letter sent Tuesday night.

The letter was representative of a public furor over the nine-page document since its existence was reported in The Washington Times on Tuesday.

In her statement Wednesday, Ms. Napolitano defended the report, which says “rightwing extremism” may include groups opposed to abortion and immigration, as merely one among several threat assessments. But she agreed to meet with the head of the American Legion, who had expressed anger over the report, when she returns to Washington next week from a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border.

“The document on right-wing extremism sent last week by this department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis is one in an ongoing series of assessments to provide situational awareness to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies on the phenomenon and trends of violent radicalization in the United States,” Ms. Napolitano said in her statement.

“I was briefed on the general topic, which is one that struck a nerve as someone personally involved in the Timothy McVeigh prosecution,” Ms. Napolitano said.

Ms. Napolitano insisted that the department was not planning on engaging in any form of ideological profiling.

“Let me be very clear: We monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States. We don’t have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence,” Ms. Napolitano said.

“We are on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not - nor will we ever - monitor ideology or political beliefs. We take seriously our responsibility to protect the civil rights and liberties of the American people, including subjecting our activities to rigorous oversight from numerous internal and external sources.”

The Times reported Tuesday that the department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) issued April 7 the nine-page document titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.” Outcry from veterans groups, Republican lawmakers and conservative activists followed, but the reaction spread Wednesday to Democratic lawmakers and liberal-leaning groups.

In his letter to Ms. Napolitano, Mr. Thompson demanded that Homeland Security officials explain how and why they wrote the report and whether it poses any threat to civil liberties.

“As I am certain you agree, freedom of association and freedom of speech are guaranteed to all Americans - whether a person’s beliefs, whatever their political orientation, are ‘extremist’ or not,” Mr. Thompson said.

Mr. Thompson said the report “blurred the line,” and that he is “disappointed and surprised that the department would allow this report to be disseminated” to law enforcement officials nationwide.

Homeland Security officials have declined to say who wrote report, except that it was a career official and not a political appointee.

Only three employees are listed in the Federal Yellow Book as working for the I&A office - acting Undersecretary Roger Mackin and two executive assistants.

Mr. Thompson’s letter said, “I am particularly struck by the report’s conclusion which states that I&A ‘will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months to ascertain with greater regional specificity the rise in rightwing extremist activity in the United States with a particular emphasis on the political, economic, and social factors that drive rightwing extremist radicalization.’ ” He demanded to know what types of activities the Homeland Security Department had planned for “the next several months.”

“Rightwing extremism,” the report said in a footnote on Page 2, goes beyond religious and racial hate groups and extends to “those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely.”

“It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration,” said the report, which also listed gun owners and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as potential risks.

The assessment is not the first Homeland Security product to examine threats based on political extremism. In January, the department sent law enforcement officials an assessment of cyberterrorism threats from such left-leaning sources as environmental, animal rights and anarchist groups.

Mike German, policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union and a former FBI agent, said his organization was concerned about law enforcement agencies’ focus on radicalization, regardless of the specific ideology.

“Certainly, the right-wing report is focused far too much on rhetoric and things people say and things people think rather than on criminal activity and the people involved in criminal activity,” he said. “There is plenty of crime out there for federal, state and local law enforcement to worry about. They don’t need to invent threats that they have no factual basis for supporting.”

The American Legion on Tuesday said the latest report unfairly stereotypes veterans.

“I am aware of the letter from American Legion National Commander [David K.] Rehbein, and my staff has already contacted him to set up a meeting next week once I return from travel. I will tell him face-to-face that we honor veterans at DHS and employ thousands across the department, up to and including the Deputy Secretary,” Ms. Napolitano said.

“As the department responsible for protecting the homeland, DHS will continue to work with its state and local partners to prevent and protect against the potential threat to the United States associated with any rise in violent extremist activity,” Ms. Napolitano said.

Asked about the report at Wednesday’s White House briefing, press secretary Robert Gibbs said he has not spoken with President Obama specifically about it.

“Without getting into the report, I think the president works hard every day to make sure that all Americans are safe and secure,” Mr. Gibbs said.

“And I would say that, as it relates to some aspect of the report, that the president believes those who serve our country represent the very best of it,” Mr. Gibbs said.

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said Wednesday that the department owes veterans an apology.

“To characterize men and women returning home after defending our country as potential terrorists is offensive and unacceptable,” he said. “Everyone agrees that the department should be focused on protecting America, but using such broad-based generalizations about the American people is simply outrageous.”

Rep. Steve Buyer of Indiana, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, called it “inconceivable” that the Obama administration would categorize veterans as a potential threat.

“This kind of mischaracterization can lead to discrimination against veterans in our society, especially in the job market,” Mr. Buyer said. “Vietnam veterans were subjected to this unfair treatment, and I call upon President Obama and members of Congress to refute any similar stereotyping of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

November is Han Solo Month

Tonights read

Tonight is the big night of the broadcast. I will be online at http://paulyhartlive.tk from about 11:30 PM to 1 AM Eastern Standard Time reading from the novel starting around chapter 24 or so.

I will be giving away an autographed book tonight sometime during the show.

So stay tuned.

For those of you who have been over to the Amazon site (thank you a million times over by the way) - you will be getting your book in the mail and it will be arriving to you all hot off the presses and that's awesome. I have never had the experience of a close friend of mine writing a book to where you can go and order it and then yell at him when the ending doesn't turn out the way you expected it.

For those of you who have not yet put your order in., there is still a zillion years to do it over at Amazon. You will also find my first published poetry book "Stupid Mind Tricks" there as well. http://www.amazon.com/Pauly-Hart/e/B00N7RUETK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

It might be a neat treat for you however if you do it before a zillion years has elapsed. Probably in a zillion years, we will have a quite different form of book distribution.

ANYWAY.

If you want to record it, that's fine. Just tag it with me and the book title and upload it anywhere you want. I could use the free publicity.

Also. Once you read the book, head back over to the Amazon site and give it a review! That would be awesome!

See you in an hour!

-Pauly

MEDICINE IS NOT CANDY

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO 

THIS IS NOT CANDY!

So, I'm an activist for just causes so I called them:

I just talked to:

KROGER - 419

12050 Highway 92

Woodstock, GA 30188-4287

Phone: (770) 591-2890 

Store Manager - Mr. Saltal

I was told by the Pharmacy that I needed to talk to customer service.

I was told by customer service desk that there is "No comment" from the store.

I was told by customer service to call:

Glenn Jenkins

770 496 7538

Mister Jenkins did not pick up his phone and there was no voice mail option.

I called several times from 5:15PM - 5:30PM.

PLEASE CONTINUE CALLING THE STORE AND MISTER JENKINS!

Let's stop this madness!

-Pauly Hart

City of Houston approves Jesus's message to preach the gospel.

City of Houston subpoenas preachers.

The Churches, not having reached out to city officials enough, they felt it necessary to send them legal documentation saying:

"Hey, we are lonely and afraid and really wish we could have more of the message of Gods love."

(Not really, they were just itching to know about someone's petition signatures on some paper about someone thinking it's ok for two women to have sex in their own bedroom...)

The government demands that the preachers preach the word of God to them.

Preachers around town are getting pissy about it all instead of following the instructions of Jesus.

It seems that many Christians have forgotten about being a Christian and decided that Jesus wasn't good enough for them and rejected the gospel for the constitution.

As if being an American was better than being a Christian.

:P

LOL.

Here is the rest of the actual article -

from HERE

A recent topic that’s causing a lot of debate in the media and indigestion in the body of Christ is the city of Houston’s decision to subpoena the messages of preachers who live inside the city limits. The decision came after the city elected an openly lesbian mayor. There was of course a great push back by church leaders who felt like their constitutional rights were being violated. Like many people, I initially felt like this decision was unconstitutional and that it violates our right to free speech. I still view this action as being unconstitutional and I’m confident that in time, the order will be struck down.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this could actually be a great opportunity to advance the kingdom of God. The opportunity these pastors have been given becomes obvious when you consider this fact:

God’s kingdom is advanced whenever His ambassadors successfully take the good news to a group of people who receive it as the truth.

One of the factors that determines where God’s kingdom is advanced is the access we have to groups of people. Christians have had poor results in their attempts to advance the kingdom of God in their local governments, largely because elected leaders are not interested in hearing our message. But in Houston we have city leaders who are actually demanding that church leaders send them their messages. I can’t think of a better opportunity to advance God’s kingdom than to be asked to send your sermons, blog posts, and videos to City Hall in the hope that someone will read or listen to them and the Holy Spirit will transform their heart.

The fear of having our messages scrutinized by public officials come from the fear that we might have our messages censored or be charged with a civil rights crime such as hate-speech. If we were to be perfectly honest, we must admit that some of the blame for all of this political wrangling falls on our shoulders. Politicians would not be interested in censoring our messages if they were messages of love. But because some of us are not preaching messages of love but hatred, our messages are being categorized as hate-speech. Christians would like to think that the gospel should never be considered hate-speech. But not all “messages of the gospel” stand on equal footing, and not all of them convey the gospel as it was revealed by Jesus.

The only reason one should fear that their message would be deemed hate-speech is if it conveys the idea that God hates a group of people, or that we should hate them. If this is your message, you ought to be fearful, and it’s very likely that you are not preaching the good news of the new covenant, but the law. The apostle Paul gave a nice summary of the ministry of the new covenant:


“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:18-19)

The good news of the gospel is that we have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, and God is no longer counting our sins against us. This message would come as good news to anyone who reads it. There is no way it could be considered hate-speech.

If I lived in Houston, I might just gather up 20 or 30 of my favorite blog posts, pray over them and send them to City Hall in the hope that someone’s heart would receive them as good news and that they would be drawn closer to God because of what they read. Divine opportunities don’t always look the way we expect them to. What the enemy intends for evil, God can use to advance His kingdom, but only if we’re wise enough to see the opportunity for what it really is.

Basket Star: Strange and Weird Singapore Sea Animal

My Newest Novel Book Reading

Come join us at the Facebook Group so I can get an idea how many people are coming!

Global Warming Reversal

A report posted by the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) on October 7 stated: “Sea ice in Antarctica has remained at satellite-era record high daily levels for most of 2014."

The report noted that during the period between September 10 and September 22 very rapid late-season ice growth in Antarctica pushed the total sea ice extent upward by nearly 23,000 square miles per day. This was the first time since 1979 that Antarctic sea ice extent exceeded 20 million square kilometers (7.7 million square miles).

As to what this means, Ted Scambos, lead scientist at the NSIDC stated: “What we’re learning is, we have more to learn.”

NSIDC researchers have not immediately assumed that the increase in Antarctic ice is an indication that popular “global warming” theories are incorrect, however. They, instead, offer other explanations, such as “wind patterns” and that “recent ice sheet melt, caused by warmer, deep ocean water reaching the coastline and melting deeper ice, is making the surface water slightly less dense. While the change in saltiness is too small to significantly affect the freezing temperature, the increase in slightly less dense water surrounding Antarctica inhibits mixing, creating conditions that favor ice growth.”

In other words, this explanation goes, melting ice creates “slightly” less dense water, which, in turn, has been responsible for a significant growth of ice that has been going on for 35 years! The trend has accelerated recently. As an October 7 NASA report puts it: “So in just 13 days, 299,000 square miles of open ocean became covered in floating ice — an area larger than Texas!” That seems like a lot of ice caused by “slightly” less dense water.

An article about these latest findings in the U.K.-based The Register noted that the increase in Antarctic ice has created confusion in the minds of many scientists, who find it difficult to reconcile with their preconceived views on “global warming.” The report stated:

Climate scientists have been puzzled by the behaviour of the southern ice for many years now. The most commonly used models say that its steady growth should not be happening in a warming world (though the warming of the world is also in doubt, as air temperatures have been steady for the last fifteen years or more — and it turns out that deep ocean temperatures are not increasing either, leaving the “mystery” of the apparent end of global warming “unsolved.”

The above article linked to another posted on NASA’s website, “NASA Study Finds Earth’s Ocean Abyss Has Not Warmed,” that reported: “The cold waters of Earth’s deep ocean have not warmed measurably since 2005, according to a new NASA study, leaving unsolved the mystery of why global warming appears to have slowed in recent years.” The NASA article noted:

In the 21st century, greenhouse gases have continued to accumulate in the atmosphere, just as they did in the 20th century, but global average surface air temperatures have stopped rising in tandem with the gases. The temperature of the top half of the world's oceans — above the 1.24-mile mark — is still climbing, but not fast enough to account for the stalled air temperatures.

The headline of an article posted at AOL.com on October 8 highlighted the lengths to which advocates of the global-warming theory will go to make their point: “Antarctic sea ice hits an all-time high, NASA blames global warming.”

The article quoted Claire Parkinson, a senior scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, who said: “The planet as a whole is doing what was expected in terms of warming. Sea ice as a whole is decreasing as expected, but just like with global warming, not every location with sea ice will have a downward trend in ice extent.”

In other words, sea ice is decreasing, except where it is increasing!

After exploring several explanations for the increase in Antarctic ice, including the geographic differences between the Arctic and Antarctic (the Arctic is surrounded by land masses; the Antarctic is not), the aforementioned wind patterns, and snow falling onto thin, barely noticeable ice — finally, admits the reporter:

But these are all just theories. No one knows for sure what is causing the Antarctic ice sheet to expand so rapidly.

“There hasn’t been one explanation yet that I’d say has become a consensus,” said Parkinson. The Antarctic sea ice is one of those areas where things have not gone entirely as expected.

“So it’s natural for scientists to ask, ‘OK, this isn’t what we expected, now how can we explain it?’ ”

The obvious problem is that the scientists being quoted by NASA and much of the media have had unreasonable expectations. Starting with a preconceived premise that global warming is a reality, they have ruled out conclusions that do not fit their premise. However, other scientists have different perspectives on climate change.

No one can deny that our climate is changing, because our climate has always changed. Nature is always cyclic. However, most climate-change alarmists foster the unproven theory that climate change is anthropogenic — or caused by human activity. They also charge that global warming (if it exists at all) is detrimental to mankind.

Several respected scientists have written books and research papers debunking the claim that climate change is anthropogenic, unusual, or harmful.

The University of Houston’s Larry Bell, an professor of space architecture who wrote Climate of Corruption: Politics and Power Behind The Global Warming Hoax, was quoted by UH’s Daily Cougar newspaper in 2011 as saying, “The notion of carbon dioxide being a pollutant is silly because carbon dioxide is what makes plants grow."

“A misrepresentation is that global warming is bad; that it’s a crisis. No. There is no scientific evidence that we’re in a crisis,” Bell said. “These warming periods happen with the irregularity of [an] electrocardiogram for lots of reasons.”

Recent research goes beyond arguments about whether global warming is beneficial or harmful because it indicates that the process may already have reversed itself. Steven Goddard, an independent analyst at Real Science (who served as senior scientist for climate studies at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center before joining the faculty at the University of Alabama in Huntsville) has noted: “NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] made a big deal about 2012 blowing away all temperature records, but the temperature they reported is the result of a huge error. This affects all NOAA and NASA U.S. temperature graphs, and is part of the cause of this famous shift.”

The more Americans research “climate change,” the less they believe the government agencies’ assertions that catastrophic human-caused climate change is a fact. And even when the evidence suggests that cyclical climate warming has reversed itself, they refuse to accept that evidence.

Full Article Here

Devotion: The three plans

Here is a devotion that I am giving today at work. Feel free to give it a look.

A tale of three sons

or

A tale of three plans

Pauly Hart

10/12/14

Number 1: The Ishmael Plan: The plan of the flesh.

It is your own, born out of fear or need

Genesis 16: 1-4a

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.) So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant.

It suffers from strong ideals and hard-core adherents. People are usually all for it or dead-set against it.

Genesis 16:12

This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”

Even though God was patiently waiting for us, our plan that we had made just might be able to be pulled off, if we pray hard enough.

Genesis 17:20

As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 

End result of the plan of the flesh?

Trying to rush Gods plan usually results in sorrow

I Samuel 8:18,19

When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the LORD will not help you. But the people refused to listen to Samuels warning. Even so, we still want a king,・they said.

Number 2: The Issac plan: The plan of the heart.

It came from the heavens.

genesis 15:1

1Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, 泥o not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.

It will seem incorrect

2But Abram replied, Oh Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since you've given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.

It will seem impossible

Genesis 15:4

Then the LORD said to him, No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.・5Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!

It takes too long

Genesis 16:16

Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born.

Genesis 21:5

Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.

Often, because it takes too long, you will decide on a plan of the flesh

Genesis 16:2-4a

So Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.・And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal. So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.) So Abram knew Hagar, and she became pregnant. 

End result of the plan of the heart?

God will forever abide in it's results

Acts 13:20b-23

After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.・And it is one of King Davids descendants, Jesus, who is Gods promised Savior of Israel!

Number 3 - The Midian Plan: The plan of the mind.

It seems like a great transition to another plan, the next logical step

Genesis 24: 67 -25:1,2

And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother. Abraham married another wife, whose name was Keturah. She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 

It usually has farther reaching consequences than originally intended.

Abraham to Issac to Jacob to Levi to Kohath to Amram to Moses

Exodus2:15

And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian. When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well. 

Sometimes, the outreach of the third plan will serve the second plan

Exodus 2:16,17

Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father's flocks. But some other shepherds came and chased them away. So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds. Then he drew water for their flocks.

Sometimes, the second and third plan will intertwine to form an even greater goal

Genesis 2:21-22

Moses accepted the invitation, and he settled there with him. In time, Reuel gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he explained,  have been a foreigner in a foreign land.

And maybe, without the Midian plan already in place, the Issac plan would eventually fail

Exodus 4:24-26

On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the LORD confronted him and was about to kill him. But Moses・wife, Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son... etc... etc... After that, the LORD left him alone.

But without cultivation, it is easily led astray and eventually will have to be put down.

Numbers 31:1,2

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: "Take vengeance for the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people."

End result of the plan of the mind?

You had better remember the promise of the second plan and try to reconcile with it or certain calamity awaits the plan of the mind.

1 Kings 11:11-13

The LORD was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the LORD's command. So now the LORD said to him, Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city.

So, what can be learned from these three plans?

Patience eventually is better than instant gratification - if it's worth waiting for, it's worth having.

When you don't have a fresh word from God, you just keep doing the last thing He told you to do, and know that one day your faithfulness will meet his blessing.

Just because your plan is not from heaven does not mean that it is not God breathed.

Usually in every great thing there is a great plan and that plan usually came from a great idea that came from a moment of epiphany. Often that epiphany is directly from the great being who created all of the other beings. The Lord of lords, the God of gods. Abram called him: "God most high" and he usually gives the best plans.

Copyright Pauly Hart 2014

Permission given to use wherever you want when including my name

World Wide Message Tribe - Cross

I've loved this song since 1997.

1st Ebola transmission in USA says CDC

(CNN) -- A healthcare worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has tested positive for Ebola after a preliminary test, the state's health agency said.

from HERE



Confirmatory testing will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The employee helped care for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person ever diagnosed with Ebola in the United States. Duncan died on Wednesday.

"We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility," Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said in a statement Sunday morning.

"We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread."

If confirmed by the CDC, the healthcare worker's case would mark the first known transmission of Ebola in the United States and the second-ever diagnosis in the country.

David Sanders, associate professor at biological sciences at Purdue University, said he thinks the CDC testing will likely support the preliminary results.

"It sounds likely that it's positive, and it's going to stay positive."

Globally, the disease has wrought catastrophic consequences.

The World Health Organization estimates more than 8,300 have contracted Ebola during the current outbreak. Of those, more than 4,000 people have died.

Three countries -- Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia -- have been hardest hit. And many of those who care for the ill have also come down with the disease.

More than 100 healthcare workers have died of Ebola in Liberia, according to WHO. Other healthcare workers in the country are threatening to strike if their work conditions don't improve.

And the first infection outside of Africa was a nurse's aide in Spain, Teresa Romero Ramos.

Naruto OAV Trolling

Younger Version of Yoda

amazing spiderman 2 was a great movie with thirty minutes of unneeded content after the ending

watching amazing spider man 2.




gwen and spidey kill electro at 1:57.

yup.

all plots resolved except for the bullcrap subplots.
why is aunt mae telling people what to do as a second day intern?
why is osborn injecting himself with a deadly toxin when the suit can heal him?

bullcrap.

turning off the movie because it's over.
great ending too.
thirty minutes left?

NOPE.

electro is dead.
movie over.
gwen lives.