Don't Take Anything For Granted

 Dont' take a damn thing for granted. Not one bloody thing! It can all change in a heartbeat. Trust me, I know.

Even though everyone in the family knew that my dad would pass away from the tumor in his head, it was still a shock when it actually happened. I was not prepared for it in any way, shape, or form. There have been times over the last thirty six years that I have missed him so much; he was the best dad a person could have asked for.

The same with my mother. We all knew it would happen sooner or later. It was a complete shock to me when I went to see her and she was so frail, weak, and her mind wasn't working correctly. I had just been to see her the weekend before and she was fine, for a ninety six year old woman. The last time I saw her alive was heart wrenching. She wouldn't talk, she was given meds every hour to keep the pain away, she had wasted away to a mere ghost of her former self. I was in Saint Charles, Illinois when my brother called to let me know that she had passed away. It was the longest eight hour drive I had ever made.

My little sister, three years younger than me, passed away, unexpectedly, at the ripe old age of forty five. That, my friends, was a kick in the gonads. She wasn't just my little sister, she was my best friend.

I could keep going on about lost lives of family and friends over the years but what would that do? Not a thing. Everyone loses people in their lives everyday. Death is part of life. I put these here only because of the differences in the way they left this world and how things can change without notice.

For the last thirty five years I've driven a semi truck. Not the entire time, I did take some time away from the road to spend time with my kids and take a break. For the most part, this is all I know. This is what I'm good at. I am not educated in any other field. Now, at the age of sixty two I will have to find some other way to support myself.

For almost seven years I've driven for Hirschbach Motor Lines as a lease operator. For most of those years I've achieved the status of Best of the Best. Remember, things can change instantly. Things changed the first of May.

I was cruising along Highway 24 east of Peoria, Illinois; had the cruise control set at around 58 and the radio was on SiriusXM Radio Classics (this station plays the old radio shows like Fibber McGee & Molly, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, Nero Wolfe, etc.). I wasn't paying attention, I guess, because I looked up at the light I was right at and, guess what, it was RED. I entered the intersection and collided with a van, laid my truck over, and lost a load.

Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. Especially since I was grossing out about 78,000 pounds. The driver of the van could just as easily been killed as walked away from it.

After almost sever years with the best company I've worked for, I lost my job. That's right. In an instant of idiocy (mine), my safe, secure, well paying employment ended. Things can change in a heartbeat. Don't ever take anything for granted.

Needless to say, I did pass the drug/alcohol test, even though I didn't study for it. What I didn't pass was the DOT physical that was due. I got home and took the DOT in Osceola and found out that I am now a diabetic. Over the last week my blood sugar has been all over the place from 135 to 379. Until I get that under control, I can't drive no matter what. Things change in an instant.

Not all has been bad. There is always a silver lining so to speak.

My daughter sent me a message telling me that I needed to do a 23&me DNA test. I refuse to give my DNA to the government willingly so I asked her why. The answer came as quite a shock to say the least.

I have two beautiful children from my last relationship. A daughter, born in '95. and a son, born in '98. When they were little, their mother and I were struggling, badly. Little income, no prospects and, another one on the way. It was too much. Their mother convinced me that the best course of action was to adopt this baby to a good home. She had even gotten hold of an attorney before she talked to me about it.

Let it be said and understood: I love kids. I've taken in more and claimed more than my fair share. I really didn't want to do this. It took a lot of convincing to make me do it. After all, where there's a will, there's a way. KP talked about where we were financially and that the adoptive parents would actually help us out with money. That almost turned the deal off. What was she talking about? Selling our baby to the highest bidder? No, it was all legal and an attorney was doing the legal work.

Since that time, KP and I have parted ways. She walked out of our lives when my daughter and son were seven and five. We didn't hear from her for over a year. I have the utmost respect for anyone, male or female, that raises kids on their own. It was more than a struggle for me. It was hard to find a job that I could do and still be home for them. My son had emotional and mental problems that took years of therapy and tons of meds to take care of. It wasn't until my children were in their late teens that I finally got to a point where I didn't have to worry too much.

So, was adopting this last child out to financially sound parents right? After what my other two went through, I say yes. He was much better off growing up. At least I hoped he was.

Back to my daughter's message. She had found her brother and said that I should get hold of him, which I did. It was awkward but exciting. Here was a son that I thought I would never see again. We talked and talked. He's not ready to come into the fold just yet. It's a lot to process. He knows that he is welcome and wanted. When he's ready, he'll come.

Once again, things can change in a heartbeat. Don't take ANYTHING for granted or as cast in stone.

The Self Destruction of the Human Race

Humanity, the species that was given dominion over the Earth and all that was on it by God. The Creator also gave humanity free will which brought about our expulsion from Eden. What else did the great originator of life give to humans? Pride, lust, covetousness, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth. For a supposedly omniscient being I don't think he/she thought that one through too thoroughly. Even I, a mere mortal with limited knowledge of the cosmos, can see far enough into the future to realize that the combination of emotions and thought patterns that have been given to humans is a recipe for self annihilation. All you have to do is listen to what is called news and it is plainly obvious that the human race is bent on self-destruction.

Let us not put all the blame on modern man, though. If you are a Christian, and most of the world is today, all you need do is read Genesis. Satan, disguised as a serpent, convinced Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, then to talk Adam into doing the same. Ah, deceit. Granted, that came from the Great Liar. And Eve, being pretty gullible and innocent, took that nasty serpent at his word. Adam was the same. They didn't know any better. Innocence can be so damning.

One small step forward from the expulsion would be the story of Cain and Able. Uh, oh! Here comes even more treachery. This time between men and a lot more bloody. The beginning of mortal crime – murder. Covered up by lying. Oh, what a tangled web we weave. And just think, the Holy Bible is filled from front to back with lies, treachery, murder, thievery, and all other kinds of mortal crimes. Even the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was crucified by his own people because of lies while a real criminal was set free. Sounds a little like our modern day court system.

According to Jewish history, The Jewish diaspora started with the Assyrian conquest and continued with the Babylonian conquest when the Tribe of Judah was exiled to Babylonia in the 6^th century BC (I refuse to be politically correct and be offended by religious references). Christianity started with the birth of Jesus of Nazareth some 2100 years ago. I make these references for examples. Most of the world's population is now Christian yet that religious order is actually fairly young.

I do not profess to be Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, or any other organized, main stream religion. Nor will I downgrade or disrespect anyone's beliefs just because those beliefs are not in accord with my own. I believe that whatever makes you happy is fine with me, just don't force me to believe as you do and I won't force you to believe like I do. I just want people to have an open mind and hear what other people think and believe without judgment. I am using Christianity and Judaism as a way of explanation and example only at this time. There are other religions and belief systems that will be used later.

There have been more wars fought in the name of God than for any other reason since the Middle Ages. The Crusades are a good example of that. Here we have the Roman Catholic Church waging war against the Muslim Turks. Why? To protect pilgrims going to the Holy Land. The only problem with that is that Jerusalem was situated in an Arab region. It wasn't until Israel was recognized as a sovereign state in the late 1940's that it became the Christian-Judaeo land that it is today. Even though it is where Christians believe that the Christ was born and raised, the area was Palestinian. Was the Catholic Church wrong for waging war against these people? Especially since they were only protecting what was theirs? It is a moot point now, it's all done and over with. Kind of. The Israelis and Palestinians are still waging war against each other.

Islam has waged jihad against the world since its inception just after 1000 AD. Death to the Infidels! The Quran, from what I understand, is pretty much what the Old Testament is. Death to all nonbelievers and ours is the only true and correct belief system. There are rules that have to be followed and if they aren't, well, too bad, you die a horrible death at the hands of the holy ones. Christians don't want to remember that part of the Book.

Even within the Christian faith there are divisions. Catholicism, Protestant, Mormon, Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah's Witness, Methodist, Baptist, Southern Baptist, Organized and Re-Organized... the list goes on and on. Let us not forget the Orange and the Green. Protestant against Catholic in Ireland. Each denomination has its own belief system. The most humorous thing about all these religious wars between Christians is that they all believe in the same God, the same Holy Trinity, the same Heaven and Hell. The only differences are the pomp and circumstance. Yet there have been wars.

The Jewish people have been persecuted since the beginning of time, I think. Everyone has been against them. Over the millennia they have learned how to protect themselves. Instead of running away from slavery and/or persecutors, they have learned to stand and fight. Especially after the Holocaust (which, by the way, DID happen for all those non-believers out there). Theirs is not an offensive role but a defensive one. All they want is to be left alone and keep a tiny piece of land in the middle of Arab country that contains their most holy city, Jerusalem. Would it be so much to ask to just let them have it?

As stated above, Islam has waged jihad against everyone for the last 1100 years. As the youngest religious order, I really don't think they have a leg to stand on. As with Christianity, there are different orders of this ancient thinking religion and they make war between themselves as well. And, they kill off their own for things that shouldn't even be worried about. Death to gays. Death to adulterers. Death to non-believers. Death to those that eat pork. Death, death, death. Islam, the religion of peace.

Are religious beliefs so ingrained into people's brains that they are willing to die for them? Is any one religion any better than the others? Every religion preaches peace, except Islam, yet one of the major parts of each is to kill others (at least in part; most religious orders today don't believe in killing off the opposition as they once did). Even today there are religious wars; the jihad against all infidels more commonly called the war against terrorism. Hitler killed off Christians and Jews by the millions. Religion has been the cause of more mass extermination of mankind than even greed yet each religion preaches peace. Where is that peace? Where is the tolerance of other's beliefs? In my opinion such things don't exist within any religious thought process.

Greed is the only other reason for wars. Greed of land since the beginning of recorded history. Rome wanted to rule the known world and almost achieved that goal. England, also, wanted to rule all it could and succeeded in conquering lands around the globe. City States of Greece, tribes of ancient civilizations, the Celts, the Normans, the Vikings; all fought to conquer other lands. Even the Indians of the western hemisphere fought each other over land.

Untold millions have died over the millennia at the order of their rulers just so those men of power could gain more. Look at those ancient kingdoms now. Rome is but a city in Italy. England's holdings have diminished to a handful of countries with complete control over only that tiny island resting in the Atlantic Ocean. The Normans, Celts and Vikings have all but disappeared from the face of the Earth. Empires rise and fall across the centuries never lasting very long in the fabric of time. Yet, those that died for those empires believed they were doing what was right and that their rulers, their kingdoms, would last forever. Nothing lasts forever.

What of Germany and Hitler's great ideals of ruling the world with his master race? That ended well for him, didn't it? And what of the great Union of Soviet Socialist Republics? Now a conglomerate of independent nations. Empires, countries, entire regions of continents are conquered and lost over and over again. All the while killing off millions. Isn't this a self-destructive way of thinking? Or is it just population control?

As you can see, our self-destructive tendencies started with the evolution of homo sapiens. Even those very first of mankind were killers. It is theorized that modern humans exterminated the Neanderthals. It is very possible. Mankind has feared what it doesn't know since intelligent thought evolved. Mankind believes that what they don't know will kill them. Why has the government kept secret the existence of alien life? Why has the Church denied the existence of life on other worlds? Fear. Well, fear and egotism. What man fears needs to die before it kills us. Those early humans, the homo sapiens, feared what they didn't understand.

Some scientist theorize that Neanderthal and Homo sapiens co-inhabited and even interbred. Others don't think they lived during the same time period. Still others believe that we evolved from them. No matter how you look at it, something caused the extermination of one species and left the other to survive. Homo sapiens' higher intelligence would account for better survival abilities and thought processes of how to do away with others.

We are killers at our core. Over hundreds of thousands of years that is what we have done to survive, kill. Only, we don't, and haven't, killed just to survive. Mankind has killed out of greed, lust, envy, anger. Sometimes we kill for no reason whatsoever other than to just see someone, or something, else die. That is our self-destructive nature.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There is so much truth in that statement it is almost terrifying. Take a look at the political arena today. The hatred shown by the liberals toward Donald Trump is so bad that it has gotten violent. Politicians have been shot, harassed, accosted, humiliated. Elected officials have spoken openly of violence against conservatives, even threatening death. All for more power.

Governments and politicians make laws that do not pertain to themselves. The government is all powerful and is above the law. I'm not just talking nationally and I'm not just talking elected officials. Ever hear of the blue veil of secrecy? You know, the brother's code among lawmen? It doesn't matter what a lawman does he/she will be protected against discovery because all other lawmen will not say anything against them. Hazzard County is alive and well in these United States. Boss Hogg and Roscoe P. Coletrain are on the job! But, how does this pertain to our self-destruction?

Corruption is one of biggest forms of self-destruction. It is the powerful against the powerless. Millions die because of the powerful in many different ways. While the elite wine and dine extravagantly, the peasant starves. While the elite are protected by walls, gates and guns, the poor are left to the wolves. The Bolshevik Revolution of Russia is a prime example of what can happen when the poor finally get tired of the rich. The Romanov family was executed by the rebels because of their extravagance and not caring about the people they ruled over. Granted, communism wasn't much better for them but at least everyone was poor.

Back before modern technology and instant information, it would take days or weeks for information to travel. If the President sneezed wrong on the East Coast it may take a couple of weeks for the people in the West to hear about it. Was there corruption back then? Of course there was. As long as there is humanity there will be corruption. Was it as bad as it is today? I don't believe so. In the days when corruption would have been much harder to detect, it was less prevalent than it is today with instant communication. When Trump farts in the Oval Office at 02:30, people in South Africa know it by 02:45. Why is it that politicians think that their corrupt ways are kept secret better today than they were before Al Gore invented the internet and cell phones with cameras came along?

People will still lie. That is why. If you don't like someone, lie about them. Tell some ungodly, horrific lie about them that cannot, or it is extremely hard to, be proved or disproved. The public is nothing more than bunch of idiotic sheeple that will believe whatever is told to them by the people in power. If lying doesn't work, just call them racist, xenophobic, bigots, misogynistic, etc. That will get them. What does this all come to? People destroying other people for other reason than they don't like them. We are destroying ourselves over nothing more than emotional prejudice.

We have prisons full of people that made mistakes, from simple, unintended infractions to premeditated murders with a full spectrum in-between. Why? Because humanity is humane. We incarcerate law breakers no matter how insane the broken law is. We refuse to kill the killer but we will drive him/her insane with boredom for twenty to life. We incarcerate the weed smoker because he/she wants to self-medicate or just chill and destroy the refrigerator. Justice is not just because it doesn't matter who is right or wrong, who is innocent or guilty, only what can be proven to the satisfaction of a judge or jury and that has come under scrutiny lately with the Brett Kavanaugh accusations.

Here in the US today it can be seen everywhere. The elitist ruling class push for gun laws to disarm the people, demand that there not be a border wall to keep out undesirables, and want economic equality all while they are protected by walls and guns and huge bank accounts. They don't want to save the people from harm, they want to do away with those pesky little vermin that get in the way of their power. What they don't understand is that once the poor are gone, there will be no one to lord their power over, thus becoming powerless themselves. Just as humanity doesn't realize that once we are done destroying our home (planet Earth) and each other, there will be nothing left. Oxymoron in its finest form. We will destroy ourselves to make things better for ourselves.

I am totally surprised that the human race has lasted as long as it has. There is so much hate, greed, envy, and lust in the world today. People killing each other over nothing. Not to mention the total insanity of some people. Terrorism is at an all time high with radical Islamist jihadists bombing places and running people down with vehicles, radical people of both liberal and conservative ideology trying to kill the other side, foreign nationals violently breaking down national borders to other countries, illegal aliens killing natural citizens and breaking every law the invaded nation has... the list goes on and on and on. Recipe for self-destruction. We are killing ourselves off for no reason. How have we lasted this long?

War is not healthy for children and other living things and you will believe that if I have to kill you to get you there. Modern thought process. Do as I say, not as I do, and, me being the peaceful, tolerant person that I am, will beat the hell out of you if you don't. My agenda is the only right one even if it involves killing unborn children while professing compassion for foreign children, even if it involves tolerance for a certain ideology and intolerance for anyone who doesn't believe that way, even if I profess hatred for my own color because I am tolerant and accepting of a different color, even if I have to lie about my ancestry to get ahead while professing honesty. Hypocrisy is rampant and violence has become the norm for intolerance to that hypocrisy.

As we destroy our own homeworld, we are in search of other planets that are inhabitable by humanity. Mars, the closest planet to Earth, has been a great prospect for colonization. Granted, we would have to nuke both poles to get an atmosphere but that's okay, we'd be able to move there and exploit the planet taking its natural resources to make money with. After a few decades and millions of colonists, Mars would be the twin to Earth. It would be polluted, government would be corrupt, laws would be broken, murder and mayhem would ensue. After a few centuries, if it took that long, we would have to find another planet to move to and destroy.

With all our intellect, all our civilization, all our enlightenment, it is my belief that we are the bane to life. The animal kingdom, those controlled by instinct to survive, are much more civilized than humanity. The lion only kills to eat and protect. Humanity kills for pleasure and sport. We are not even as civil as a congress of baboons. The ape genus is more civilized and organized than homo sapiens. The pride of lions that live on the savanna are more humane than humanity. Crocodiles, sharks, wolves, every living thing in the world that humans fear are only doing what they must to survive. It is humanity that has encroached upon the world, not the animal kingdom. We have destroyed millions of acres of natural beauty and bounty so that we can grow crops to eat. We have killed off hundreds of species of animals for sport and food. We have polluted our land, our air and our water for our own convenience. Most of all, we have overpopulated to the point of no return.

That brings me to the point of sex. The only other species that copulates for pleasure is the dolphin. Humans fornicate for pleasure only. This is proven by the number of abortions that are performed because the participants didn't want to procreate, only orgasm for trade to get something such as drugs. Procreation is not in the thought process when she drops her panties and he whips it out. What do people think is going to happen? They think they're going to get a Sony Playstation once the deed is done?

So here we are, kids becoming parents or killing off the results of unprotected, for pleasure sex. Not that I am against sex mind you. I just don't believe in sex without protection and random sex with whoever happens to be next to you when the bar closes whether you know them or not. If you don't want babies, don't do the dirty. If the only reason you want babies is for an income, either from the sperm donor or the government, don't do the dirty. A baby, a child, is a gift of life not an income or something that should be done away with on a whim. Don't stand up for children's rights if you've every killed an unborn child. Another form of self-destruction... killing unborn children.

I realize that I ramble. My thoughts are as incoherent as a politician's promises. I apologize for that. As I read, or hear, about world events I feel the need to make comments on said events and it may be hours or days or even weeks before I get a chance to write anything down. By then, everything is jumbled up in my mind. One day, I may realize that to edit is to organize. Until that day, a-ramblin' I shall do. Rants and ravings of a demented mind.

So far I have only delved into the powerful against the powerless. Let's take a look at the common man (or woman, or thing, or whatever you want to call yourself). How do we interact between ourselves on the the personal level? As a professional driver for over 30 years I can tell you some horror stories most of which won't mean a thing to you because you don't put up with it on a daily basis. But I'll try to convey the stress that is put upon the nation's most important industry.

A semi-truck can weigh up to, and sometimes more, than 80,000 pounds. That is like 40 times more than your little powder blue Prius. With that kind of weight it takes a pretty good distance to get going up to speed or to stop. Trucks don't do jack rabbit starts and stops like your Prius. Think about a football field from goal post to goal post. That is how far it takes a truck to stop when going 55 miles an hour. It may take up to 3 miles before it can get up to highway speed depending on the weight in the trailer. You have to remember that trucks have nine to 18 gears to go through and the lower five are SLOW.

Drivers today think that they are invincible. Nothing can harm them because the law says you can't run over them. It doesn't matter if you have the RIGHT to cut that truck off. That truck can't stop on a dime. It WILL run over you and you WILL die. The professional driver will survive most likely and have to live with the fact that he/she killed an idiot but that is beside the point. You cut in front of a truck and then hit the brakes because you don't like trucks. You're in the far left lane and you remember your exit ramp is fifteen feet in front of you so... let's cut across three to six lanes of rush hour traffic that is going 50 miles an hour. Self destructive behavior if you ask me. Especially if there is a truck in one of those lanes.

You've been following a truck down the highway. He's been running along about five miles over the speed limit and then you have to go through some little one horse town and slow down to 35. When the speed limit goes back up that truck takes a little time to get back to road speed. Too long for you. You have to get around him no matter what law you have to break. Then, because you're turning off a mile outside that town, you hit the brakes right in front of him. Good way to die.

I have had people pass me on the shoulder. I've had people cut in front of me and almost take my hood off. I've had people speed up when I could get around them and slow down when I couldn't. I've even had people pass me then slam on the brakes. People are bound and determined to kill themselves when they are behind the wheel of their Prius. Why? Because they have to be first, can't let a truck in front of them, they are morons. Tell me how the human race isn't bound for self-destruction.

Radical Islamic Terrorists (yes, I will call the what they are) will do anything to kill the infidels, gang members will do anything to kill other gang members, differing political ideologies will do anything to do away with the opposition. See the trend? We are killing ourselves over nothing when it comes to the grand scheme of the Universe. We are nothing but a speck in this infinite space. Less than a speck. We can kill ourselves, destroy our world, even the entire solar system could disappear and the Universe wouldn't even notice. But we are all we have. This Earth is all we have. If we want to survive we will have make some drastic changes in our thinking.

We will have to change our basic natures if we want to survive as a species. We will have to start taking care of Mother Earth. We will have to learn how not to hate and kill. Is that possible? I have my doubts. Humanity hasn't changed in several millennia and don't see any hope for it in the future. All I see is a world that burns because of hate and greed and religion.

Terrorist Attacks Since 9/11

After waking up this morning to more news of Radical Islamic terrorism in London I thought I’d do a little research on the ‘religion of peace’ and see just how peaceful this cult actually is. It was striking what I discovered. Since the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, killing over 3,000 innocent Americans, radical Islam has attacked the world almost 31,000 times.

Think about that for a minute. This religion of peace has conducted almost 31,000 terrorist attacks against innocent people over the course of 15 and a half years; all in the name of Allah and to destroy the infidels. Last week they attacked a concert killing 22 people, some of which were just children. Last night they attacked innocents on London Bridge. When are the liberal idiots and governments of the world going to get it into their heads that the radical extremists aren’t going to give up? Worse, when are those peaceful Muslims of the world going to stand up against their extremist brothers and sisters?

From May 27 through June 2 of this year alone, Islamic terrorists conducted 40 attacks, killed 455 and injured 677 in 14 countries. That was in a week. A bloody week! And what do the liberals keep saying? “Oh, Islam is a religion of peace. They just need more understanding. We need to bring the entire bloody Middle East into our countries and give them love.” Right! Invite them in, give them free housing, food, and medical care and give them jobs that natural born or naturalized citizens need. Why do the governments of the world do that? They do it because all those ‘refugees’ are trying to get out of a war torn area to be safe from harm. By the by, did you realize that the Middle East has been fighting wars within the area since the inception of Islam and lasting peace will never happen because killing is all they have ever known? (Statistics are from thereligionofpeace.com.)

The Koran tells its followers that anyone who does not believe in Islam is to be killed just as God told Moses to go into the land of Canaan and kill them all, men, women and children, because they were not believers. The difference is this – Christianity, for the most part, has decided that killing non-believers is not acceptable in civilized times. Islam still believes that is what needs to be done.

I am not saying that all Muslims are evil, dangerous and murdering thugs; they are not. There are more peaceful Muslims than there are the radical extremists. The problem lies in that a person never knows which is which. Just as the soldiers in the Vietnam conflict couldn’t tell whether that child walking down the street was a Viet Cong bomb waiting to go off or not, how do you tell if that burka covered Muslim is wired to the teeth with C4? You don’t know. There is no way to determine whether a person standing around or walking down the street is going to go postal and kill people because that is their duty to Islam. To make the problem even worse, in today’s screwed up society, Islam is recruiting ‘homegrown’ terrorists by the hundreds. It may have something to do with those 72 virgins that are promised if you die for Islam.

Here in the United States, the liberal idiots are even going against Federal Law and becoming sanctuary cities, counties and states just to protect any illegal that wants to go into their boundaries against immigration law. Due to multi-culturalism that seems to be so prevalent in the liberal world of Utopia, these sanctuary municipalities are going to be the downfall for the rest of the country just as the EU is going to be the downfall of Europe. The radicals go in as refugees or illegals, move about with impunity and get where they want to be to do the most harm to innocent lives.

Until the world can get off is politically correct ass and admit that Islam is NOT a religion of peace and that the extremists are a real threat to everyone the world will continue to die a few at a time. Innocent lives will be lost because people are afraid of offending the enemy. The idiocy of political correctness is being shown every day, with every attack by the Radical Islamic Terrorists known as ISIS. There is nothing normal about this. It should never become something that we should just expect to happen. We should never become complacent about terrorism.

Instead of taking our guns so we cannot protect ourselves, we should be told to gather as many as possible. Not just here in the US but in every country around the world. If citizens were armed then these radicals wouldn’t be able to do near as much damage and carnage as they do. Citizens could stop the killing by gunning down the outlaws before they completed their ‘missions.’ Stop the idiocy and let us protect ourselves; after all, our governments aren’t able to do it.

Religions of the World, Ancient and Modern

I have studied many religions over the decades. In recent years, due to my writing stories about the beginning of the world, ancient religions have been a research topic. I realize that modern day religions are nothing like the ‘mythologies’ of the ancient world but, what makes modern religion any more right than that of the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks or Romans? Let’s take a walk down the religion path from ancient Mesopotamia to modern day America.

Religion (from the Latin Religio, meaning 'restraint,' or Relegere, according to Cicero, meaning 'to repeat, to read again,' or, most likely, Religionem, 'to show respect for what is sacred') is an organized system of beliefs and practices revolving around, or leading to, a transcendent spiritual experience. There is no culture recorded in human history which has not practiced some form of religion.

The Greek philosopher Xenophanes of Colophon (c. 570-478 BCE) once wrote:

“Mortals suppose that the gods are born and have clothes and voices and shapes like their own. But if oxen, horses and lions had hands or could paint with their hands and fashion works as men do, horses would paint horse-like images of gods and oxen oxen-like ones, and each would fashion bodies like their own. The Ethiopians consider the gods flat-nosed and black; the Thracians blue-eyed and red-haired.”

Xenophanes idea of one god was not widely accepted. Ancient people believed that there was a different god for different things much like there were different people for different things much like doctor’s specialties. A monotheistic religion really didn’t start until Judaism came around and that wasn’t widely accepted at first. But, that is getting ahead of the timeline.

Ancient Mesopotamia has the earliest known record of religion, dating from somewhere around 3500 BC (I will continue to use the old standard of BC and AD, I do not subscribe to the new BCE and CE that is now used) from Sumer. These people believed that the gods were co-workers alongside humanity, not some distant, invisible deity that just oversaw what went on down on the Earth.

Marduk defeated Tiamat and the forces of chaos to create the world. Unfortunately, those forces of chaos weren’t completely helpless and could possibly regain their strength and take over again so humanity had to work alongside the gods to keep them at bay. That is why humans were created, to work with, and for, the gods toward a mutually beneficial end.

Inanna, the goddess of love, sex, and war later was taken over as Ishtar of the Akkadians (and later the Assyrians), Astarte of the Phoenicians, Sauska of the Hurrians-Hittites, and was associated with Aphrodite of the Greeks, Isis of the Egyptians, and Venus of the Romans.

Egyptian ‘mythology’ was first recorded around 4000 BC and their gods were already well established. The Egyptian creation was much similar to that of the Mesopotamians, starting out as chaos and being formed into the different aspects of the earth and sky. And, as with most mythologies, each god was charged with taking care of a different aspect. Osiris was the ultimate judge of who entered into eternal life by weighing the heart of the soul of the individual in the Hall of Truth, much like the Christian God writes the names of those destined for Heaven in the Book of Life.

Egyptian religion was similar to Mesopotamian belief, however, in that human beings were co-workers with the gods to maintain order. The principle of harmony (known to the Egyptians as ma'at) was of the highest importance in Egyptian life (and in the afterlife), and their religion was fully integrated into every aspect of existence. Egyptian religion was a combination of magic, mythology, science, medicine, psychiatry, spiritualism, herbology, as well as the modern understanding of 'religion' as belief in a higher power and a life after death. The gods were the friends of human beings and sought only the best for them by providing them with the most perfect of all lands to live in and an eternal home to enjoy when their lives on earth were done.

Religion is thought to have developed around 4500 BC in China having been a mix of animism and mythology as designs of animals and dragons have been found on ceramics of the time period; by the time of the Xia Dynasty (2070-1600 BC), the Chinese had many anthropomorphic gods that were worshiped with a chief god, Shangti, presiding over all. This belief continued, with modifications, during the period of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) which developed the practice of ancestor worship.

This ancestor worship influenced the two greatest Chinese religions of Confucianism and Taoism in which ancestor worship was the most important tenet. In time, Tian (heaven) replaced Shangti. To get into heaven, one had to cross the Bridge of Forgetfulness and drink from a cup to purge all memories of life. If judged worthy, you crossed the bridge, which spanned an abyss, if not, you fell into the abyss (hell). Another ideology to this is that a soul as reincarnated after drinking from the cup. Either way, the living were expected to remember the dead and honor them.

Hinduism, the oldest religion still practiced today, was first recorded around 700 BC. Hinduism is usually thought of as a polytheistic religion but is actually henotheistic. The one supreme god, Brahma is too immense a concept to comprehend so he presents himself in many different aspects that a human mind can comprehend; Hindu scripture counts these deities at 330 million.

In Hinduism there is an order to the universe and every individual has a specific place in that order. Each person on the planet has a duty (dharma) which only they can perform. If one acts rightly (karma) in the performance of that duty, they are rewarded by moving closer to the supreme being and eventually becoming one with god; if they do not, then they are reincarnated as many times as it takes to finally understand how to live and draw closer to the supreme being. This belief was carried over by Siddhartha Gautama when he became the Buddha and founded Buddhism. In Buddhism, however, one is not seeking union with god but with one's higher nature as one leaves behind the illusions of the world which generate suffering and cloud the mind with the fear of loss and death.

(Hinduism, according to hinduismfacts.org, originated sometime during the Neolithic period between 10000 and 4000 BC. It is difficult to pinpoint a date as Hinduism did not start out as a religion but rather a way of life.)

The above information was gleaned from Ancient History Encyclopedia, Religion in the Ancient World, John J Mark published 02 September, 2009 (www.ancient.eu/religion)

At this juncture, I should probably give definitions to the different forms of religion. The definitions are from Merriam-Webster Dictionary online.

Polytheism: the belief there is more than one god.

Henotheism:  the worship of one god without denying the existence of other gods.

Monotheism: the belief there is only one god.

Let’s go on to a couple of better known religions (mythologies), the Greek and Roman. Greek mythology is believed to first appear about 2000 BC and the Roman around 1000 BC. As with most polytheistic religions, the Greeks and Romans had different gods for different areas of life and the elements. Each of the 21 gods of the Greeks were taken over by the Romans, renamed and given slightly different attributes such as Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades for the heavens, the sea and the underworld in the Greek with Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto being the Roman counterparts were the top three gods each. The creation of the earth, as with most mythologies, begins with a supreme being creating the world and first people out of chaos.

According to Reference.com/world-view, Judaism originated around 4000 years ago in the area between the Jordan and the Mediterranean known as Canaan, which today would be Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.  Primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/religion/jewish says Jewish history begins with the covenant established between God and Abraham around 1812 and the Torah, the primary document of Judaism, was given to the Jews by the Prophet Moses about 3,300 years ago.

What do the Jewish people believe? Jewfaq.org, on their Judaism 101 page has this to say:

Judaism has no dogma, no formal set of beliefs that one must hold to be a Jew. In Judaism, actions are far more important than beliefs, although there is certainly a place for belief within Judaism.

The closest that anyone has ever come to creating a widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Rambam's thirteen principles of faith. These principles, which Rambam thought were the minimum requirements of Jewish belief, are:

    God exists

    God is one and unique

    God is incorporeal

    God is eternal

    Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other

    The words of the prophets are true

    Moses' prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets

    The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses

    There will be no other Torah

    God knows the thoughts and deeds of men

    God will reward the good and punish the wicked

    The Messiah will come

    The dead will be resurrected

As you can see, these are very basic and general principles. Yet as basic as these principles are, the necessity of believing each one of these has been disputed at one time or another, and the liberal movements of Judaism dispute many of these principles.

Unlike many other religions, Judaism does not focus much on abstract cosmological concepts. Although Jews have certainly considered the nature of God, man, the universe, life and the afterlife at great length, there is no mandated, official, definitive belief on these subjects, outside of the very general concepts discussed above. There is substantial room for personal opinion on all of these matters.

Judaism focuses on relationships: the relationship between God and mankind, between God and the Jewish people, between the Jewish people and the land of Israel, and between human beings. Our scriptures tell the story of the development of these relationships, from the time of creation, through the creation of the relationship between God and Abraham, to the creation of the relationship between God and the Jewish people, and forward. The scriptures also specify the mutual obligations created by these relationships, although various movements of Judaism disagree about the nature of these obligations. Some say they are absolute, unchanging laws from God (Orthodox); some say they are laws from God that change and evolve over time (Conservative); some say that they are guidelines that you can choose whether or not to follow (Reform, Reconstructionist).

So, what are these actions that Judaism is so concerned about? According to Orthodox Judaism, these actions include 613 commandments given by God in the Torah as well as laws instituted by the rabbis and long-standing customs.

Christianity, of course, started a little over 2000 years ago when Jesus was preaching to the Hebrews about God, was crucified and then resurrected to live with the Holy Father in Heaven. The Holy Bible is the history, belief, laws and story of the Christian world.

What are the core beliefs of Christianity? This is what gotquestions.org/Christianity-beliefs has to say:

The term Christianity seems to imply a religious system in the same way that Islam and Buddhism are religious systems. Within religious systems are core beliefs, along with codes, rules, and standards that must be mastered in order to achieve a desired end. Christianity does not fit that definition and therefore the term can be slightly misleading.

Jesus did not come into the world to start another religion. There were already plenty of religions, including Judaism, which had begun as a relationship with Almighty God but had deteriorated into another religious system on par with idol worship. Jesus came to bear witness to the truth, to seek and to save the lost—those separated from God by their sin—and to “give his life as a ransom for many”. With that said, those who follow Christ do share some core beliefs.

Biblically speaking, Christians are those who are forgiven of their sins and who have entered a personal relationship with Almighty God through faith in Jesus Christ. In order to become a Christian, a person must fully accept as part of his or her own personal worldview the following core beliefs:

• Jesus is the Son of God and is equal with God

• Jesus was born of a virgin

• Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life

• Jesus was crucified to pay the penalty for our sins

• Jesus rose from the dead

• We are saved by the grace of God; that is, we cannot add to or take away from Christ’s finished work on the cross as full payment for our sin

It could be argued that belief in the inerrancy of God’s Word is also a core belief of Christianity because, if the Bible’s veracity is suspect, then all we know about God is in doubt. Saving faith is inextricably linked to the Word of God: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17).

But the mental acceptance of the above points of doctrine is only the framework around which salvation occurs. Faith is more than intellectual assent, and mentally agreeing with the core beliefs of Christianity does not equal entrance into God’s kingdom. Even Satan and the demons know certain things about God. We can mentally agree with facts without making those facts the centerpiece of our lives.

Can a person be saved without holding to the core beliefs of Christianity? No. But along with accepting as true those core beliefs must be a spiritual transformation. Jesus said that in order to inherit eternal life one must be “born again”. To be born again is a work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a repentant sinner. Just as a mother in labor does all the work in bringing forth a new life, so the Holy Spirit does the work in transforming a sinner into a new creature. This process begins when God draws a heart through conviction of sin and hope of forgiveness. When we surrender to God and repent of our sin, God applies the blood of His own Son to our account and cancels the debt we owe Him. By this act of transference, God pronounces us “not guilty”; that is, He justifies us. Salvation is a divine exchange: Jesus becomes our sin so that we can become His perfection. This is the gospel at the very core of Christianity.

Lastly, Islam, inarguably the youngest of the world’s religions, can be traced back to 7th century Saudi Arabia. Islam is thus the youngest of the great world religions. Allaboutreligion.org tells us the prophet Muhammad (circa 570-632 A.D.) introduced Islam in 610 A.D. after experiencing what he claimed to be an angelic visitation. Muhammad dictated the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, which Muslims believe to be the preexistent, perfect words of Allah.

The origin of Islam is generally accredited to the prophet Muhammad but to the devout Muslim, Islam began long before Muhammad ever walked the earth. The Qur'an was dictated by Muhammad but, according to the Qur'an, it did not originate with Muhammad. The Qur'an testifies of itself that it was given by God through the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad. "This is a revelation from the Lord of the universe. The Honest Spirit (Gabriel) came down with it, to reveal it into your heart that you may be one of the warners, in a perfect Arabic tongue" (Sura 26:192-195). "Say, 'Anyone who opposes Gabriel should know that he has brought down this (the Qur'an) into your heart, in accordance with God's will, confirming previous scriptures, and providing guidance and good news for the believers'" (Sura 2:97).

The Origin of Islam: The "Previous Scriptures"

The origin of Islam is controversial. The "previous scriptures" mentioned above are the Hebrew Torah, the Psalms of David, and the Gospels of Jesus Christ. The Qur'an accepts these books as divinely inspired and even encourages us to test its claims by these "previous scriptures." "If you have any doubt regarding what is revealed to you from your Lord, then ask those who read the previous scripture" (Sura 10:94). But this is where we run into a problem. The problem is that the Qur'an thoroughly contradicts the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospels. For example, the Qur'an explicitly denies Jesus Christ's crucifixion while all four Gospel accounts clearly portray Jesus Christ as crucified and resurrected.

One contradiction in particular has caused a great deal of conflict between Muslims and ethnic Jews and is thought to have been and continues to be the cause of much bloodshed in the Middle East. According to the Hebrew Torah, God made a covenant with a man named Abraham. God promised Abraham a child through whom He would fulfill this covenant ("the child of promise," Genesis 15). Abraham was at that time childless. His wife, Sarah, was barren. This of course made the promise very special to Abraham. But it would require nothing less than a miracle. Sarah, conscious of her condition, decided to help God out. She offered her maidservant Hagar to Abraham with the hope that Hagar might conceive and bear the child of promise. Abraham agreed to take Hagar as his concubine. She conceived and bore Ishmael. God allowed Ishmael to be born but Ishmael was not the child of promise God had in mind. God promised a child through Sarah, not Hagar, and in due time God fulfilled His promise. "And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him-whom Sarah bore to him-Isaac." Isaac was the child of promise. Isaac later begot Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the Messiah, Jesus Christ, eventually came into the world through the nation of Israel, fulfilling the covenant which God had made with Abraham. God also promised to give the land of Canaan (Palestine) to Isaac's descendants, the land which Israel possesses today.

The problem is that the Qur'an teaches that Ishmael was the child of promise and so Muslims believe that God's covenant promises were meant for Ishmael's descendants, not Isaac's. Muhammad descended from Ishmael and so Muslims seek to lay claim to these covenant promises, namely the land of Palestine.

So, there you have the major and ancient religions. My question to you is this: what makes one religion any better, or worse, than any other? Why is one the ‘right’ one and all the others wrong? Are those ‘mythologies’ just that, mythology, or are they true religions as much as modern day religions that one day may be described as ancient mythology? It is up to the individual. The way a person believes is a personal thing. Some believe in God, some in Mohammad, some in the ancient Celtic, Norse, Greek or Roman gods, and some even believe in witchcraft. All I have done here is give some very basic information on several of the world’s religions, both modern and ancient. I hope you have gleaned some interesting facts from it.

We Are Bent On Our Own Destruction

I’ve been thinking lately. I know, like that never happens. But, with all that is going on in the world, what with global terrorism, three or four wars going on (I’ve actually lost count), countries in debt up to their collective eyebrows to the 13 wealthiest families, working citizens taxed into poverty to support the non-working people that can but refuse to work, and political parties trying to destroy each other, I’ve come to the conclusion that the best thing that could happen is a world-wide catastrophe that wipes out the entire human race.

That seems a bit extreme doesn’t it? After all, humanity is God’s gift to the planet. The great, omniscient being that supposedly created the entire universe and all that resides here, gave dominion of this one tiny rock to humankind to do with as we pleased. Look what we’ve done. We have overpopulated the world because we don’t know how to keep our hedonistic hormones in check. We’ve polluted the air, water and land with garbage, radioactivity, noxious gases, and toxic waste with no end in sight. We tear down mountains to build a few more just so we can house the ever increasing population. We continue to take the natural resources from Mother Earth just to keep our lives going when there are better, less destructive means. All this because corrupt, greedy corporations and politicians can make more and more money that they will never be able to spend in several lifetimes.

People, in all their cumulative knowledge and wisdom over several millennia of existence, have not yet learned how not to take from others, live in peace and tolerance, not force their way of thinking on others, share their knowledge and wisdom with those without, put others before themselves, or even consider that someone else might have a better idea if they would only listen with an open mind. I, myself, have been known to try to get people to change their minds about something without taking their point of view into consideration. That is not the way to live. That is not the way to peace and harmony. That is not a way to keep the human race from destroying itself.

When people are so entrenched, so adamant, about their philosophy, their ideology, that they cannot even entertain the thought of another way, it becomes a one way ticket to total annihilation. We cannot exist without compromise; without open minds; without being able to dismiss prejudice and intolerance. Unless we can learn to dismiss the old ways of thinking that there is only one way to do things, we will never progress above where we are now.

I know, a lot of you will say, “But, you, yourself, retain that old way of thinking. You won’t change your mind on certain things.” This is true. I am pretty well set in a certain way of thinking and believing when it comes to societal behavior, fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility, and rights and freedoms. There is such a thing as common sense, responsibility, and the unalienable rights and freedoms that all people have, or should have. Does this make me one of the dinosaurs that should be eliminated from the equation because of my steadfast beliefs? Some would say so. Others would say not.

Common sense has become an almost extinct quality in today’s world. Especially here in the United States of America. True, this is not the 19^th or 20^th centuries where puritan values are embraced. But, there are some things that should not be changed. In today’s world, if you are not a heterosexual you are believed to be a minority that deserves to force your way of life onto the heterosexual majority. Most people, not all but most, really don’t care about anyone else’s sexual orientation; most don’t even think about it. What the homosexual, bisexual, transgender, transvestite, lesbian, etc. set want is more rights and freedoms it seems. They already have the same freedoms as anyone else. They can sleep together, live together, eat together, go out, party, take walks, whatever, just as anyone else can do; even get married and adopt children in a lot of cases. That isn’t enough. They want to force their lifestyle onto everyone and pass laws that say regardless of their sex they should be able to use whatever restroom they ‘identify’ with. Common sense says, if you have a penis, you use the boy’s room and if not, you use the girl’s. There is a reason for this. A five year old girl doesn’t need to see a 50 year old man’s junk in the bathroom.

Should gays be able to get married, adopt children, live as they please just as the heterosexual community does? Sure. Why not? Two people in love are two people in love and it doesn’t matter if they are opposite or the same sex. Is that the way it is? In a lot of cases but not all. Are homosexuals harassed and persecuted? For the most part, no. If a homosexual throws his/her sexual orientation into the faces of the hetero world, chances are they will be harassed. I’m not saying that gays should go back into the closet. All I’m saying is that I don’t throw my sexuality in the faces of anyone, no one should do it to me. It’s like having a penis. It’s nice to have, you should be proud of it but you should not take it out and force it onto to others. That goes for both ways of living; heterosexuals shouldn’t do it, either. Leave the PDA at home.

Religion is another good example. Like the illustration above, like the penis, don’t take it out and force it on anyone else. I believe the way I believe just as you do. I won’t force my heathenism onto you so don’t force your religion on me.

When you envy someone for what they have and you don’t, then greed and lustfulness takes over. Just because someone has worked hard for something and you haven’t doesn’t mean that you need to take that from them. Maybe you have worked hard your whole life and still have nothing to show for it. Maybe you should stop and ask yourself why instead of thinking, “that somnabitch has more than me and I deserve it more than he does.” Maybe that person did without a lot of luxuries and maybe even some necessities to get where he’s at. Maybe he went to college and got a better education so he could get a better paying job. Maybe you just wasted a ton of money on things that you didn’t need like wine, women and song. Maybe you spent a month’s pay on that old Chevy truck you wanted that you had to repair before you could even drive it. Maybe you partied the nights away at the bar instead of staying home watching TV and having a beer. Whatever the reasons, that person has more than you and there is no reason good enough that makes the argument in your favor. Be happy for them. They succeeded for whatever reason and you didn’t for whatever reason. What they worked so hard for does not belong to you and you do not deserve it.

It took a lot of centuries for the human race to develop into what we call a civilized race. It took many more just to become industrialized. In the last 70 years we have advanced exponentially technologically. Is this a good thing? Not really. With all the technology advancements we have lost touch with our humanity, with our instincts, with our world. We don’t talk to one another, we text (even from the next room). We don’t use our hands to do things, we use machines. We use up our natural resources and throw the waste into our water, air and all over the landscape. We take mountains and dig holes for the resources to save other resources. What we don’t do is use renewable energy for things. We don’t use solar power, wind power, water power. We have to use coal, oil, uranium, lithium, etc.; all things that are not renewable and destroys our planet. That is progress. That is our destruction.

We tear down forests for the lumber and to plant fields; all the while not caring that those trees are what gives us oxygen and keeps the wind from blowing away that precious topsoil that is needed. We fill our atmosphere with noxious gases from exhaust so that we can drive to work instead of using mass transit or even walking. We take toxic waste and dump it into our rivers and streams thus polluting our water supply and, eventually, the oceans; all so that we can pretend that we are making a better life for ourselves. What are we actually doing? It may surprise you that all this is not by our choice as a whole. We are told from childhood on that this is the way it has to be. It is humankind’s destiny to destroy itself by believing that we are doing what is right. It is not right at all.

We are destroying ourselves at a high rate of speed and we don’t even care. Yes, it is extreme to think that a catastrophe eliminating the human race is what is needed. It is also extreme to think that one way of thinking is the only way to think. It is extreme to believe that yours is the only belief that is correct. It is extreme to kill unborn children, let the homeless be homeless, let the starving starve and go to war over greed or religion. It is especially extreme to kill the one thing that gives us life: Mother Earth. So which is the worst case of extremism? Let the radical Islamic terrorists kill everyone and then find out those 72 virgins are a myth, or actually 12 year old boys or some form of animal so they kill themselves off. Let the T virus loose. Use the nukes. Let humanity kill itself off so that Mother Earth can repair herself and return to the pure beauty and pristine condition she was in before we evolved into the ‘civilized’ system we are.

It would take approximately 500 years to get rid of any trace that man ever existed. It has actually only taken approximately 150 years to get to where we are in destructiveness. Since the beginning of time we have been bent on our own destruction. Let it happen. Let mankind disappear. The world would be a better place for it.

We Are So Stupid

We are so stupid. It’s like; we wake up and say to ourselves, “Let’s see just how stupid we can be today.”

Our elected officials don’t give a damn about us. When the Illuminati tell them to spout some bull shit out of their mouths, they do. Then, when they are told to say something the exact opposite, they do. Let’s take immigration control for example. Six, eight, ten, twenty, fifty years ago each President and Congress made statements about how we need to control the influx of illegal immigrants into our country. Even Barack Obama said it. Now, when Donald Trump says it, it’s racist, bigoted, and xenophobic. Why? Because the Illuminati wants chaos.

This is just one example and I am sure that there are multitudes of them if I was to take the time to go through the so-called NEWS papers, watch the so-called NEWS programs, listen to the so-called NEWS on the radio or read all the political posts on Facebook. After all, the mass media and social media is where all the chaos starts. The social media is where the division starts. That is what the Illuminati want; division and chaos. As long as we are so divided against each other the chaos continues and what is really going on is hidden in the shadows.

Our stupidity starts when we turn on that all mighty computer and open up Facebook or turn on the idiot tube to the NEWS or the radio and turn it to Fox or CNN. We are fed a constant stream of lies and misdirections. Smoke and mirrors, people; smoke and mirrors. The richest of the rich don’t want us to critically think about anything, question anything. That is why all the debate over border control, Muslim bans, people in the wrong bathroom.

As long as we play by their rules, we lose. We have been losing for a long time. The rules of this game are slanted to the rich, not the working class or the poor. As long as we fall into the trap of chaos and divisiveness they win. And they always win because we are stupid enough to fall for their deceit and corruption.

For eight years I kept saying how Barack Obama was the worst thing that could happen to the United States. Eight long, tedious years of trying to convince the liberals that he was a man with delusions of godhood; that his policies went against what America stood for. For eight long years, I was right, yet, also wrong. It wasn’t Obama that was against America. He was just another pawn on the chess board of the Illuminati. He was just doing what he was told.

During the Nixon years the big joke was that Washington took its orders from Moscow. That poor joke is back. Now everyone is saying that Trump is Putin’s lackey. He isn’t. Trump is just another piece on the board. If he isn’t, then he will surely end up like John Kennedy, the last President that went against the system. If Trump is truly what he says he is, the Illuminati will not stand for his rise and power. They will eliminate him like they did Kennedy a week after his speech on how he knew something was wrong and he would find out what it was and fix it.

Each and every politician is bought and paid for. Each one is told what to do, what to say and what to get through Congress. It doesn’t matter what party affiliation they have, they are all on the same side; the side that keeps the Illuminati in power and the rest of the world in chaos.

As we argue amongst ourselves over the petty things, things like gay marriage and whether a boy can use the girl’s bathroom, the real powers are sitting on their thrones, behind high walls, playing Stratego with our lives. We have no control. Each government in the ‘free’ world makes it seem as though we have freedoms and liberties. We do not. We have jack. We are only allowed to scratch out a meager existence that appears to be a good life. We are slaves and don’t even realize it.

That is why we are stupid. We allow this to happen to ourselves and say, “Thank you, can you screw me some more?” Yes, there are those that make good money and life the life of Riley. Celebrities, athletes, politicians all live lavish lifestyles that the rest of us only dream about. They set themselves above us as they rise to the top of their professions. We hang on their every word. We worship the ground they walk on. They are shit. They are no better than the rest of us. WE put them where they are yet they believe they are above us. We are so stupid.

Open your eyes and see the world for what it is. It is a shithole that keeps getting deeper and deeper. We are drowning in it and enjoying it because we are told by the mass media and social media that we are doing so well. We are so stupid.

Our time is now. If not now, when? Do you want your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren to live as slaves to an elite few? That is what we are now. Now is the time to change that. Peaceful protests, passive revolution, shout out to the gods in which you believe. Just do something and do it quickly. We are only getting in deeper and deeper.

I used to be a staunch conservative and still am. I believe in the Constitution of the United States and the freedoms that were fought for during the War of Independence and the War of 1812. I believe that the two great wars, WWI and WWII, were fought to keep freedom alive. I believe in self-reliance and depending on no one for any kind of handout. I believe that everyone deserves work and honest pay; the right to keep and bear arms to protect myself, family and country against a tyrannical enemy either foreign or domestic. The only problem with what I believe is that those enemies are unseen, freedoms and civil liberties are meted out by powers beyond ourselves and self-reliance is being taken over by government handouts and the chaos that is ensuing will continue until we, the people of the world, unite against the true enemies that would destroy us all.

Conspiracy theories? Every theory starts with a shred of truth, even Bigfoot. Was the UFO crash of the 1950s in Roswell a conspiracy theory? Think about this; since that time technology has advanced at an exponential rate. It took over 2000 years to bring about electricity and modern medicine. It took a decade to put a man on the Moon. Computers in the 1970s were huge and did one thing at a time. In the 1990s they got smaller and smaller. Now, today, I have the entire knowledge of the world, the computing power of the brightest minds, all in the palm of my hand wherever I go. I don’t have to sit at a desk typing out 3x8 cards with holes so that a machine can add one and one together.

Are my rants conspiracy theory? Look around. Open your eyes and see what the world has become. What has happened in the last ten years? Racism has gone back to the level of the 1950s. Fearmongering is at an all-time high. Prices skyrocket while wages stagnate. We are fighting wars on three fronts against enemies that we don’t know who they are. World powers plan against each other while talking peace just as the Japanese did in 1942 with the USA. These are the times of chaos; not the Biblical End Times but the population of the world is getting so large and the elitists are so few that they need to keep chaos churning and the world’s population fighting against each other so that they can keep their power over us.

Our Time Is Now! Quit playing by their rules. Quit fighting amongst yourselves. Start fighting for each other against a common enemy; against the Illuminati.

Only WE can prevent the fires that are burning. Only WE can overturn the power base of the 13 richest families in the world. OUR TIME IS NOW!

Why Are We Here?

Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? Two of the most ancient of questions. Is there an answer?

We are born, alone in most cases. In the case of twins, triplets, etc., we are still actually born alone. We have shared the womb with another but enter into the world one at a time. Most of the time we are a welcome addition to this world, but there are those times that a child is far from welcome because of hardship or inconvenience. This is where the questions come in: Why are we here and what is our purpose?

In ancient days, actually up until the mid-20^th century, most children were born simply to increase population and/or assist in daily survival activities such as farming, hunting, and/or gathering. After World War II, when the soldiers returned home, families started to grow out of an earnest sex life that had been derailed by the war. The Baby Boomers were the first generation that was born out of pleasure instead of necessity. But, why are we here? I don’t mean as individuals but, as a whole. Why does the human race exist and what is its purpose?

The scientific explanation is simple enough. We evolved from a simpler life form into the intelligent species that we are; if you can call what we are intelligent. From that single cell ameba to the complex Homo sapiens over many millennia we have evolved. Neanderthal to Cro-Magnon to Homo sapiens; it’s been quite a journey for us.

The Biblical explanation is even simpler; we were created by God in his image. Period. Out of dust we rose by the will of an omniscient being. No evolution. No missing link. We just appeared in Eden as modern day mankind. Simple.

Now, back to the question. According to the Bible, we were created for one purpose; to worship God. That’s it. Oh, and to take stewardship over the Earth; nothing to worry about, nothing to think about, nothing to question. But, is this what really happened? If we just appeared approximately 15,000 years ago on Earth, after the entire Universe was created in the six days before, plus one day for the Creator to rest, how are the dinosaurs explained? How is it that science has determined that the Earth is approximately 20 billion years old and the Universe is much older than that?

For the topic, we’ll just assume that evolution, not creation, is how we came about. If mankind evolved from Neanderthal to Cro-Magnon to Homo sapiens, why did we evolve into what we are? Why did we not just evolve into something more similar to apes?

Science has all kinds of answers to those questions. The big questions, though, have a more philosophical basis. Why are we here? What is our purpose?  Are we here just to be born, grow, and die? Are we here for a short time, pass on to another plane of existence to learn more and finally become deity?

We are born into this world helpless. As we grow, we become more independent and then, at the end of our lives we become helpless once again. Is that all there is to life? In today’s world we have about 16 years of dependence on others then take over our own support until we age to the point where we become dependent again. During that independent time of our lives what do we do? We work. We’ve had our fun while we were children with no cares. Once we enter adulthood, we work to pay for the privilege of living. Oftentimes we work so much that we really do not have time to actually live life.

In this scenario, we live for a few short years of living life, learning the entire time how to cope with others in society and to be able to effectively communicate and function during our adult years. Once we enter our adulthood, we work to support ourselves and our needs and wants. Do we actually live life during this time? Unless a person is financially well off, not really. We spend more time working to make money to survive and pretend to live life than we do actually living. We finally end up, dependent, once again, on the care of others before we pass from life to death.

What, exactly, is our purpose for being here? We come into this world, and have for thousands of years, and destroy that which keeps us alive. We cover the ground with trash or bury it. We fill the skies with smoke and toxic gases. We pull coal, oil, natural gas, precious metals and stone out of the ground to be used to further pollute our world.

To top it all off, we try to kill off every living thing that we can, including ourselves, from the buffalo to whales to bees, either for sport, to eat, or to use in various destructive ways. We are a species bent on self-destruction and we aren’t going down alone; we’re going to take everything else with us. Is that why we are here? Is that our purpose?

Through our adult lives we learn about greed, lust, corruption, and a host of other “sins.” The problem with that is we don’t just learn about these vices, we embrace them. Over the millennia we have fought each other over land, power, money, and, yes, religion. More people have been killed in the name of religion than any other reason. People will lie to each other to gain the upper hand over some small piece of real estate that sometime in the future will be taken over by someone else. We only rent what is here. After all, we only live so long then we return to dust taking nothing with us. Why do we need to have so much that it has to be taken from someone else?

A person can spend only so much money in one lifetime. Yes, if there is a surplus at the end of your life you can will it to someone else so that they don’t have to work for it. But is acquiring a mass fortune so important that a person needs to lie, cheat, steal, to get it from someone else?

Power over others is also a temporary thing. From the ancient beings that came before Homo sapiens to the kings and rulers of today’s world, power over others has been sought after and fought for. A person can only rule so long before they die.

Is that what we are here for? To rule over others and take what we can from them? Is the human race so arrogant and egotistical to believe that power and money will make us immortal? On average a human being will only live around 75 years. For those that seek power and money, those years are wasted. They live only to take from others for their own gain only to leave this world empty handed, alone.

Capitalism, freedom, liberty, socialism, oppression, control, war, peace, poverty and wealth are all just concepts that the human race has developed to categorize and divide with. The ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots;’ the rulers and the ruled; the free and the oppressed are all the same. Each human being on this planet is essentially the same as every other human being. We all bleed red. We all breathe oxygen. We all drink water. We all eat food. We all love, hate, laugh, cry… we are all part of the human race. None of us know why we are here. All we know is that because we are here we are going to fight, kill, maim, and destroy our home and each other for nothing more than temporary gratification or a misguided set of beliefs that one is better than another.

Is that why we are here? Is our purpose just to destroy each other and the one and only home we have? It seems that it is. That is what we, as a race, have done since the beginning of time; since before we were the ‘intellectual and civilized’ species that we are. We continue the destruction today and probably will until there are no Homo sapiens or Earth left.

That, my friends, is our purpose; the reason we are here. If it weren’t, we would have learned long ago that the seven deadly sins are a waste of time and energy and there would be peace on Earth and the world would not be taken advantage of to the point of destruction. We are born, we grow, we destroy, we die and leave a world worse off than what we started with.

If Creationism is the true beginning of mankind, the Creator made one big mistake. If science is the true beginning, we - mankind, the human race, have made one big mistake. Christianity says, “When I was a child, I thought, spoke, acted like a child. When I became a man, I put away those childish things.” Paganism says, “In all things, harm none.” Isn’t it time we grew up and learned to share this world with each other and leave the pettiness of childhood behind us, harming none as we go about our lives? I think so.