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A blast of Arctic air - 12/20/2008 11:54:16 AM
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chemdude77
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Hope you are enjoying the time with your family and friends this Christmas!
I will be with my family and my friend this season.
I received alot of cards from my brothers and sisters on CW! Thank you all.
I thank God for His provision and His protection this year.
I enjoyed a Sharks game at the Tank this year. Free tickets! The Red Wings overwhelmed them 6-0 on Thursday, but I think they will rebound tonight.
More shopping today. With the economic Depression looming, gift cards are the best option.
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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Merry Christmas! - 12/24/2008 7:20:27 PM
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chemdude77
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Have a Blessed Christmas!
And remember His gift to us: it means freedom and liberty to those who call up Y'shua!
_____________________________
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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Be nice to your liver! - 1/10/2009 5:56:19 PM
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chemdude77
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Happy new year!!
I am back on the time-specific eating schedule; citrus fruits, berries, V8, nuts and seeds before 5 PM. Green tea and coffee are also consumed in the AM. Now, I fell off of the regimen during the holidays, and whenever someone else is paying for lunch! 
Of course, I eat well at night. More broccoli, cabbage and green onions with meat.
Sugar, alcohol and refined carbs wreak havoc on my esophagus, not to mention the migraine headaches and drowsiness. Chocolate, mint and sugar bring misery.
I am cutting back on the sucralose and nutrasweet, as I am concerned about the effects on the liver, leptin suppression, and other possible side effects. I avoid soy products and HFCS.
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My bro is staying with his wife at the hospital; seizures and chronic neuralgia. There are too many doctors who face limitations imposed by internal red tape and insurance regulations.
I am taking care of the Pomeranian. What a joy!
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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Decisions...Personal and Legal - 1/17/2009 2:48:54 PM
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chemdude77
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My friend is sick, so she will not be able to go with me to the Company party tonight.
I may not go, either. Just the idea of going out on the boat for dinner and dancing BY MYSELF with co-workers is not for me.
My niece and nephew caught the same illness this week 
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Someone has referred to Genesis 4:23-4 as the first gangster rap ditty:
Lamech said to his wives:
Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:
I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me.
If Cain's revenge is sevenfold,
then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold.
A man surrounded by his wives, bragging about his act of violence and bloodshed. While God promises to take vengeance on any attack on his ancestor Cain, Lamech takes his own vengeance.
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Driving up the interchange, a subcompact swerved into Lane 2 and overcorrected, slamming into the embankment and flipping over. The roof was mostly flattened.
The little 4-door landed on its roof, as the occupant crawled into the back seat and out the back window. Thankfully, he was able to walk, with no bleeding or limping. I pulled over and called 911 from my Verizon phone.
I got the pre-recorded introductory greeting from the state trooper. In two languages! And another dial tone before the machine told me that all operators were busy--TWICE. Two minutes after the call was placed, I got a real live human dispatcher.
The call took 3 minutes....now, there were no emergency vehicles for another 5 minutes.
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What if this was a life-threatening incident involving fire, a crazed felon with a deadly weapon, a heavily armed gang, a spinal or head injury, or a stroke?
I am so glad that we have not <yet> added a Mandarin, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic and Vietnamese language recording.
Many Americans rely heavily on the government to protect, to save and to be available within a minute of an emergency. But the Supreme Court ruled that police have NO CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY to protect us. They do not always have the ability or resources to do so
Another ruling:
quote:
"Law enforcement agencies and personnel have no duty to protect individuals from the criminal acts of others; instead their duty is to preserve the peace and arrest law breakers for the protection of the general public." Lynch v. N.C. Dept. of Justice, 376 S.E. 2nd 247 (N.C. App. 1989)
And,
quote:
The bill of rights protects people from the government but does not oblige the governmentto furnish protection against private violence.--Witkowski vs Milwaukee County, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Acrobat document here...
Embolisms, fires, aneurisms, hemorrhages, spinal trauma, mountain lions, pit bulls, drug addicts, paroled felons, gangbangers, and illegal immigrants from war-torn regions of the world do not wait for an opening bell or for a referee to begin their vicious activity. They do not wait to allow a 911 call to complete.
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I Samuel 8:10-20:
So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him.
He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.
He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.
He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men [fn] and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day."
But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
< Message edited by chemdude77 -- 1/17/2009 3:17:28 PM >
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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Be careful what you bring home - 1/21/2009 11:17:47 PM
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chemdude77
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As you may know, we lived in Lakewood, and we had a pond with carp and a few snakes. These were non-poisonous. Me and my bro decided to grab one, and we needed a place to keep it before turning it loose again.
So, we put it in....the bathtub!
We got distracted by other stuff, and mom came home. She headed for a nice relaxing shower.
We wouldn't have known she was home, but she let out a shriek. She seemed to know that the snake got into the tub with our help. She was not too happy.
Nothing like reading my past blogs. The old Ford is long gone....
And in ways beyond financials, God has blessed me over the past 3.5 years!
I have been at my current job for exactly two years. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is my best job ever.
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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Rain++ - 2/21/2009 1:10:18 AM
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chemdude77
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Finally, a break in the weather. Played a round of golf today. May play another round tomorrow morning...
Our state of the company address indicated some interesting regulatory and tax challenges for our industry (ARB, local, etc). Our state is hostile to business, despite the propaganda from the Austrian cream puff and his insulated band of parasites. None of them could meet a payroll or even run a lemonade stand.
Those who can, do. Those who cannot, legislate.
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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Spring Forward - 3/7/2009 11:19:17 PM
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chemdude77
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The SJ Sharks are in a slide. Giving up a 3-0 lead to lose to Minnesota??!? Please tell me this is related to key injuries....
Our EVR upgrades, mandated by CARB cost millions of $$$. Some states are extremely hostile to businesses.
I walked the Pomeranian around a swankier part of the city.
A trendy, high-priced shopping district is a just large urinal for a tiny dog!
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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Springtime for the Pirate Monks! - 3/23/2009 2:14:04 PM
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chemdude77
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I had a great opportunity to meet with fellow brothers in Christ and play golf in the mountains!!!
OK, I shot a 113, but I had alot of fun before the cold rain hit the area...
Our retreat was intense. A welcome relief from the typical evangelical church scene, as I will divulge later.
I always got a little queasy about the typical church retreat.
In the past, I have experienced the cliched men's retreat:
--we all sing Kumbaya by the fire
--we get in touch with our feminine side and hug each other while listening to sappy, emasculated P&W
--we share cabins with limited hot water and lumpy beds
--we eat greasy buffet meals with liberal amounts of cookies and mud-brew through the day
--we sit in a cramped auditorium with mild nausea and a heater turned up to 80 F, listening to some speaker who is a superduper best-selling author/fighter-pilot/motivational speaker/football coach/basejumping daredevil for Jesus/former NYC Mayor/real estate expert/Amway Gold level distributor/$250 per hr superpsychodiscoalphaanalyst/youth ministry expert who moonlights as a DEA agent with Vietnam experience tell us how to raise super children, and how to be super-daddios who change the world with a can-do positive thinkfest!
And lions and tigers and bears, oh my! 
And this one was nothing like any of those. Nate Larkin is a phenomenal speaker, a Princeton grad and a pretty good author!..More to follow.
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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RE: Springtime - 4/17/2009 9:43:25 PM
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chemdude77
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Temps in the 80s, and we are hiking tomorrow. My little pom would not do well on a 2.3 mi hike uphill with elevation changes....
The Sharks lost at home to the Ducks. Sad!
_____________________________
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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May Days - 5/2/2009 10:00:44 PM
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chemdude77
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Great training session for about 100 of us in California. Paul Vunak is a longtime student of Dan Inosanto, and he trains DEA, FBI and Navy Seals on effective survival tactics.
We covered the mental aspects, as well.
We went over some of the pacifist objections to a style that involved biting, head butts, knees, elbows and fingernails. This is not a sport or competition.
When it comes to biting, the chimpanzee is the worst. David Attenborough's video account of a fight between two chimps is gruesome (on YouTube). We have seen accounts of recent attacks from 'tame' chimps on humans, kept as pets. The chimps get in grappling range and go after the face and a section of the lower body.
'Nuff said.
PFS designs its fighting techniques for a life-and-death struggle with a larger, stronger assailant with intent to kill you. Certain fighting techniques get in close and enable "uninterrupted" chimpanzee-like use of the molars, as well as the eye-gouges, head butts, and so on...
Why would anyone want to learn a martial art that provides a woman or man with the ability to blind, lacerate or even kill an assailant? Is it possible to be a safe, productive member of society with these types of skills? Should we even possess these abilities?
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Indeed, think of the people who have the capability and the power to kill, harm or cripple men, women and children. They have the power to destroy the lives of the surviving families, either with direct force, negligence, incompetence, forcible abduction of children into foster care, confiscation of property and assets, disease or collaboration with the enemy.
Think of the various skills, jobs and abilities that we don't classify as potentially deadly.
The surgeon. The anesthesiologist. The local police officers, state regulatory agencies like CPS, or the federal agents with high-capacity Glocks and MP5 assault rifles. The driver of that tanker truck. The pilot of the 767. The armed park ranger. The dive boat operator. The firefighters. The soldiers stationed in the US with a supply of automatic rifles, thousands of rounds of high velocity 7.62mm and .308 ammo and laser sights (maybe a little Composition B?).
I forgot one: the worker at the eatery who does not wear gloves, despite his/her possible infection with a dangerous illness.
We would get really angry and offended at the mere suggestion. The reader may caricature the author as another blogger with a tin-foil hat, waiting for the collectible Dale Earnhardt bobblehead.
Did I re-use the JiffyPop container? It doesn't mess up my mullet
Now, we do not tell our kids to run in the other direction from these professionals.
We do not lock our car doors and hope that they are in a good mood.
We take it all on faith that they are good, honest and seeking the best for their community and their families. We assume that power does not corrupt them.
We take it for granted that they would put their lives on the line for our safety (well, maybe not Brad or Tiffany at the local sandwich shop).
And thankfully, a vast majority of them are selfless and brave. Many will kiss their wives and kids goodbye and pray that they get to see the soccer game or piano recital tonight.
It is major news when a member of these professions inflicts death or injury.
And that is the idea. We have the skills that we may (likely) never need to use. But let us even the odds for the spouses, siblings, nieces, children, grandchildren, grandparents, or complete strangers who could not withstand the unprovoked fury of wild boars and depraved men. And, I am thrilled to see ladies taking this training.
It is possible we never meet up with the tatooed parolee from Chino, the Norteno, the MS-13 gang banger who works as a laborer by day, the hot-tempered wife-beater, the drugged and paranoid motorists, the inebriated bully at Applebees, the community activists who want your diminishing wealth, the violent Cretans at sporting events or the aggressive panhandling bum.
We prepare for the worst, pray for peace, ignore petty insults, and gladly suffer for the Gospel of Christ.
So, how many assaults and murders in the US were the result of declaring the Gospel of Christ and the call to repent? This is common in China, India, Sudan, Kenya, Egypt, Bosnia, Pakistan, Chechnya, Nigeria, Laos, Ramallah, Gaza City, Sumatra, Eritrea, Mosul, the Beqaa Valley and Susa. Remember our sisters and brothers in Christ as they endure persecution and deprivation for His Gospel.
The three-time loser probably hates the victim's skin color; he has NO regard for private property. The victim may be with a family member or friend. What if the creep wants to humiliate a man in front of his wife? Where will pacifism fit in when another person is PHYSICALLY threatened?
Time to share the wealth?
Got hope?
Do we beg and plead for mercy, and hope that the snarling animal doesn't rupture too many organs or leave scars that will change the victim's appearance?
If anyone thinks that their true wealth is a Lexus, a diamond necklace, money and a laptop, he or she has bigger issues than any of my self-defense philosphies. And the pacifist/non-violent doctrine in the face of violence against family is a big old cop-out, IMO.
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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May Days - 5/3/2009 9:07:23 PM
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chemdude77
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Not all churches are open and hospitable to folks with disabilities. My church is very gracious and helping to folks who have MS or other debilitating conditions. In the 80s and 90s, I remember that certain charismatic congregations were absolutely deplorable in their treatment of disabled people!
For an organization that is not religious, I was impressed with Progressive Fighting Systems. Their focus is on giving back, working with disabled individuals (a 9 y.o with Cerebral Palsy was able to parrticipate at the seminar). My instructor lost an arm in an auto accident in the 80s, but he is one of the top JKD instructors in the nation. He has adapted two-handed techniques to his own situation--hence his organization, Adapt for Life! He is working on a system for disabled and injured veterans.
Paul Vunak considers the outreach and community work to be the highest priority. Spiritual development, self-perfection, control and perspective are vital.
Many of us live in between anger and fear. We bury our emotions, stuffing them into a room. But, as a wise man warned, "Emotions that are buried alive NEVER die". Anger over the petty issues and insults is not a sign of strength or power. Fear of things beyond our control is also like cancer. Failure to differentiate between mortal threats and non-lethal irritants is destructive, as we are tossed from fear to rage to shame.
< Message edited by chemdude77 -- 5/3/2009 11:00:30 PM >
_____________________________
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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Summer - 6/8/2009 12:48:42 AM
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chemdude77
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Yes, we had our thunderstorms and stalled out low pressure trough for the week. And a round of golf to wrap up Sunday.
We covered II Chronicles 18 in church. Hopefully the red flags are obvious to the reader.
It is easy to gravitate to those who will tickle the ears and make us feel good about our decisions. On a personal level, there is financial, spiritual and physical peril.
On a national level, millions of lives and livelihoods are sacrificed. And some empires do not recover from the drunken folly and arrogance of their ruling elite. Some people have gone through life without wise counsel, and they cannot countenance anyone who says NO...
Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab. After some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead. So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?" And he answered him, "I [am] as you [are], and my people as your people; [we will be] with you in the war."
Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of the LORD today." Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" So they said, "Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's hand."
But Jehoshaphat said, "[Is there] not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?" So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "[There is] still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He [is] Micaiah the son of Imla." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say such things!"
Then the king of Israel called one [of his] officers and said, "Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly!" The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in [their] robes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.' "
And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver [it] into the king's hand." Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be like [the word of] one of them, and speak encouragement." And Micaiah said, "[As] the LORD lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak."
Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" And he said, "Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!" So the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?" Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.' "
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
Then [Micaiah] said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left. And the LORD said, 'Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?' So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.
Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, 'I will persuade him.' The LORD said to him, 'In what way?'
So he said, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And [the LORD] said, 'You shall persuade [him] and also prevail; go out and do so.' Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you."
Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the spirit from the LORD go from me to speak to you?" And Micaiah said, "Indeed you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!"
Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son; and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this [fellow] in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I return in peace." ' " But Micaiah said, "If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Take heed, all you people!"
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots who [were] with him, saying, "Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel."
So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "It [is] the king of Israel!" Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them from him. For so it was, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded." The battle increased that day, and the king of Israel propped [himself] up in [his] chariot facing the Syrians until evening; and about the time of sunset he died.
Court prophets on the federal payroll. A massive feast, and a great idea for a military excursion. The king was promised a cakewalk, a grand parade of emperor worship --"Mission Accomplished".
And the only true prophet among them unjustly incarcerated and kept in a state of semi-starvation. God even gives Ahab the full transcript of a moment in His secret counsel! And the court prophet responds by publicly mocking and dishonoring Micaiah.
Nothing like spending an afternoon with an arrow in the chest, watching young soldiers getting decapitated, impaled and trampled. Ahab could only sit their in unbearable pain, waiting for death.
Even King David wanted to turn his nation into an aggressive military regime, with a forbidden census of all fighting men in his kingdom. Not for defense, as God had vanquished and humiliated the enemies of Israel. Did David desire an offensive, invading juggernaut that could secure even more territory, more conscripted labor and more commodities? Nothing unusual for other Western Asian monarchs.
God does not work on our schedule or SOP. He is sovereign. He accomplishes His will on His schedule, using His own methods. And He gets the glory...
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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Hero worship - 7/12/2009 1:05:58 PM
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chemdude77
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Back into the FMA training, and some JKD. Add in the bodyweight exercises, and fat loss is a little easier.
The FMA is never designed for sport or entertainment, This is a lifestyle of survival.
Sometimes I wonder, in our wealthy empire, if the male population is becoming more emasculated and soft.
Unlike the citizens of third-world nations, modern Americans are stunned and amazed when violence occurs. There are plenty of media and law enforcement types who call thugs and rioters "kids" or "youth". They refuse to even acknowledge the existence of evil. Those who live in Asia, Australia and Africa are more likely to understand the true nature of man and beasts. As far as I know, chimps are not kept as pets, given Xanax and tea, or allowed to share a bed with people. Snakes and crocs are common workplace hazards in many parts of the world.
I am thankful for a reptile-free workplace. 
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We are now taught by the "experts" (like McGruff and HCI) not to resist the criminal. I engaged in a conversation with a college educated woman in my old church who was absolutely opposed to self-defense training. Her response: "Why fight, when anyone can just run away?!" So, she has two kids, and family members who cannot run.
Can a 52 y.o. relative outrun the adrenaline-charged racist gangbanger if she is 5'4 and 200 lb? Should we decide to run into oncoming city traffic to avoid conflict? Do we run off and leave our kids, our aunt, our grandmother or an in-law to face a violent crackhead?
Now, as I am not her husband, it is not my place to push the issue. And, I have no financial incentive to get people into self-defense training. I sincerely hope that she and her family can get through life in Boston without ever dealing with violent crime.
A study conducted many years ago concluded that a number of crime fatalities are not due directly to the (non-fatal) physical injuries, but to the mental and emotional traumas. I need to look up the study.
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Hero worship is popular among the crowd with the hats on backwards, the ones who consider their government to be a savior. These folks consider 4th quarter touchdowns and 3 pointers at the buzzer as heroic. These poor little brautwurst stuffers, ogling actresses and models that would not even give them the time off day. They do not know about history, but they can easily spout off useless stats: on-base percentages, touchdown:interception ratios, who won American Idol, the lyrics to a semi-literate hip hop song, the earnings of a drug addicted actress, the Oscar winners in 2001.
A gentle revolution of sorts has altered America.
Revolutions result in the destruction of a nation's monuments and folklore, replacing the traditions with novel rituals and holidays. Some are overt and brutal: Ahab, Antiochus, Muhammed, Lenin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, Castro, Mengistu, Mugabe, Ahmedinajad, Chavez. Our new American revolution is gentle and is nurtured in a well-fed, easily entertained nation.
The new role models and heroes are usually the narcissists, the promiscuous and the spendthrift.
What is a hero?
Is it a father that lives and vacations with a mistress and cosigns for her on luxury purchases? Is it the husband who engages in regular hookups with strippers on the road, while spending time away from his wife and kids? Is it a husband that bails out his mistress after a DUI? Is it the man that conceals a 3 MONTH AFFAIR from his wife to the day of his death?
Is it the man that alters his appearance and consumes prescription drugs?
Or:
Is it a medic that risks bullets and shrapnel to rescue a fallen comrade?
Is it a group of servicemen who deliver food and medicine to tsunami victims?
Is it the peace officer who gives her life to stop a fugitive?
Is it the veteran pilot that prevents a passenger jet from crashing?
Is it the pastor of the inner city church that labors to rescue teens from drugs and violence?
Is it the scientist who labors long hours to discover treatments for previously incurable diseases?
When true heroes die, no one reserved an arena for a memorial. No tickets are sold for the memorial. Candy Crowley does not smear her lipstick in an attempt to get close to the victim's family. The city does not shut down. CNN and POX News ignore them. Nothing shows up on the ESPN sports ticker.
A wife and mother with character and dignity was ignored by the fawning sportscasters. But they can make excuses for a waitress with no character and no decency, even after she murders a sleeping man.
Hand wringers cannot fathom why a 20 year old mistress with an appetite for luxury and extravagence would shoot a father of four before cowardly turning the gun on herself. We do get endless media tripe about the "gun that killed" the victim. Bloggers discover her financial dilemma regarding payments on the new SUV. And her own jealousy.
The heartbreak and the tragedy will haunt his family. Pray for the children and the widow. Mourn and celebrate the positive acts of charity and unselfishness. Do not label him a hero. IMO, he would not call himself a hero or superstar.
We are warned:
A foolish woman is clamorous; [She is] simple, and knows nothing. For she sits at the door of her house, On a seat [by] the highest places of the city, To call to those who pass by, Who go straight on their way: "Whoever [is] simple, let him turn in here"; And [as for] him who lacks understanding, she says to him, "Stolen water is sweet, And bread [eaten] in secret is pleasant." But he does not know that the dead [are] there, [That] her guests [are] in the depths of hell. Proverbs 9:13-18
I predict that the widow, southern clergy, sports columnists and many NFL players will be enlisted in the expanding antigun propaganda machine.
< Message edited by chemdude77 -- 7/12/2009 10:05:39 PM >
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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A good summer - 7/26/2009 2:50:55 AM
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chemdude77
Posts: 372
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Here to Eternity!
Status: offline
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I have spent so much time between work and Escrima training, my TV has a layer of dust on it. And all of the channels I used to watch no longer exist!
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I received a letter from the ruling elder of my old church. He stated that because I had not attended that church for 2 years, my name would be erased from the rolls of the church. Hmm, it took you more than 24 months to notice?!?! I began attending this church in 1999, and was a member for more than 6 years. Went through three pastors in that time (one left and opened a furniture store, another became a minister in the Episcopal Church, another went to the LA area and went to another denomination).
And they even told me that I would need to come before the session in September to explain why my name should not be erased.
As churches get older, they tend to become dominated and overly influenced by certain families. Sort of like a syndicate.
I now belong to a church that has a focus on serving the community. Time to look forward.
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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. .---Groucho Marx
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