Is It Really Worth It?

     Is it really worth it? I mean, really? In today’s society where being offended is more important than keeping safe, where madness and chaos rule and sanity and calm are persecuted, where caring about another is looked down upon and hedonism is cherished, is it really, really worth it? Is love just something to be taken advantage of because it shows weakness?

     Ok, we have the liberals that are doing everything they can to destroy the Constitution, except the parts that they want for themselves (conservatives aren’t allowed any rights). They want to do away with freedom of religion (at least the right to practice Christianity), free speech (as long as it comes from conservatives), the right to keep and bear arms (except for law enforcement and their army of security people), protection from illegal search and seizure (except when it comes to their illegal activity which is totally within their rights to do, such as Hillary’s email server). Do you see where this is going?

     The problem is this; the conservatives aren’t doing a damn thing about what the liberals are doing. The Republicans in Congress sit back and cower, kowtowing to the liberal rants and giving them ground instead of standing up and fighting for our rights. Thank the gods of Asgard that Patton, McArthur, Washington, etc., all the great generals in each war we’ve been in since the American Revolution, wasn’t so fucking weak. We would have lost to the British, twice; we would have lost to the Mexicans, the Germans, the Viet Cong (oh, sorry, we DID lose to the Viet Cong). We are losing to the liberal left.

     We are sitting here, spending millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars on bogus investigations against Trump when the Clinton’s and Obama were given passes on all their crimes that COULD be proven. It is only allegations, rumor, mainstream media bias and a lot of ‘anonymous sources’ that are against Trump and Company. Yet, the Republicans are doing just what the liberals want – going along with their game against America.

     Is it really worth it? When actual crimes can be overlooked because they are committed by the liberals and rumored crimes are investigated beyond belief against a conservative it is beyond stupid. It is anti-American politics. It isn’t worth it anymore.

Facebook posts being deleted when they are anti-Muslim (actually anti-ISIS). Is it wrong to put out there what the fucking bastards are doing? Is it wrong to state facts that not all Muslims are terrorists but most terrorists are Muslim? Is it wrong to be wary of ‘refugees’ from ISIS controlled countries?

     I am not politically correct in any way, shape or form. I call a spade a spade and a terrorist a terrorist. I’m not racist or anti-gay. That being said, if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. If words hurt you so bad go live in a bloody monastery. I will not, under ANY circumstances give up my right to free speech because of your feelings. No one bothered about my feelings when I was growing up and I learned to live with it all. If you don’t get your precious little feelings hurt then you don’t grow and learn other’s viewpoints. All you do, if you won’t let anyone hurt your feelings, is live in a bubble and don’t get a thick enough skin to survive this journey we call life.

     Is it really worth it? Stupidity and idiocy run amok while common sense and intelligence is ridiculed and persecuted. All you have to do is turn on CNN, MSNBC, Fox; read the New York Times, Washington Post, Oregonian or even the Des Moines Register; watch NBC, CBS or ABC.       Here in the United States it is getting worse and worse with the open arms policy of protecting criminal illegal aliens but in Europe it is so much more dangerous with their government’s open arms policies. The peace-loving citizens of the world are allowing the terror inducing RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISTS to just take over. They have said for decades that the world would become Islamic. They were right and every other religion, ideology, form of government, etc., are ALLOWING IT AND EVEN INVITING IT.

     Is it really worth it? As an over the road driver I see a LOT of stupid. Never underestimate the stupidity of people behind the wheel of a vehicle. Construction zones where it bottlenecks into one lane is a prime example: people will run up the lane that is ending at full throttle until the lane ends then stops all traffic just to get into the open lane. Three miles back there was a sign that informed traffic what was happening; doesn’t matter: gotta get in front of everyone else. There are also those idiots that just have to get in front of that truck, no matter what traffic laws they break to do it, just to slow that truck down. Where did these people learn to drive???? Stupid, stupid, stupid…. Idiotic, idiotic, idiotic. All because of some undeserved sense of self-worth that makes some think they are more important than everyone else.

     Is it all worth it? We elect politicians to represent us in government. That is the way the Founding Fathers set up this experimental government. Over the years these politicians have learned that they are above any laws they pass. All they have to do is state in said law that Congress is exempt. REALLY? Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Our elected officials have become absolutely corrupted. Once again, listen to the ‘news’ on the radio or television or read the ‘news’papers. When we get someone in office that is NOT a politician, the politicos do everything they can to destroy that person because he is NOT corrupted by politics. He may be corrupted by wealth and business but not politics.

     Is it all worth it? I have been called racist, fascist, bigoted, homophobic, islamaphobic, and a host of other things that really don’t describe me. I AM racist; I’ve gotten to hate the HUMAN RACE. As for hating any nationality, religion, color, creed, etc., nah. I love my black boys that call me dad. I love my Russian/Ukrainian boys that call me dad; I have friends that are Mexican, Puerto Rican, Guatemalan, Korean, English, Welsh, Malaysian, Australian, etc. I have known Palestinians, Catholics, Jews, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Methodists, Hindus, atheists, Pagans, heathens, etc. Yep! I’m a racist.

     Fascist? According to the Oxford American dictionary, the definition of fascism is: 1) a right-wing system of government with extreme nationalistic beliefs. 2) an attitude that is very intolerant or right-wing. Well, I guess they have the ‘right-wing’ and ‘nationalistic’ parts of it right. I have noticed, though, that it is the left that has become very intolerant. I, myself, have been very tolerant of the liberal rants against the Trump Train, albeit with my own comments following said rants.

     I am not even going to go any further with explaining myself or my beliefs. It doesn’t really matter to anyone anyway. Suffice it to say that I am NOT what the left thinks I am.

     So, I ask: Is it all worth it? Is this journey through life worth all the bullshit that the human race piles upon each other? Is it worth the lies, deceit, corruption, greed, etc.? Is it worth all the protests against free speech, owning weapons? Is it worth it to fight against open borders, extreme tax and spend, taking from those that earn and giving to those that refuse to work? There are times that I definitely feel like putting the bottle to my head and pulling the trigger. Is it really worth it?

     There are a few things that I have in my life that make all the bullshit worth every minute: my children (Jennifer, Andrew, Jaquie, Michael), my grandkids (Destiny, Ryan, Oktober, Nova), my ‘adopted’ kids (Travon, Malcolm, Max, Misha, Julian, Josh), even my ‘adopted’ grandkids (Alex, Danny, the Bentley’s, Tucker, Lorelei, and a few others that I claim that belong to friends). I even happen to have a few friends that make it all worth it (actually too many to list, amazingly enough).        Things don’t make life worth living, things make life easier. Family, friends, loved ones are what make life worth living. Even though friends may come and go and family my disown you, it is the camaraderie, the love, the sharing of special moments with those people that make even the shortest time seem like a lifetime. Each person comes into your life for a short time and for a special reason only to leave when their time with you is up. Still, that is what makes it all worth it.

     So, is it really worth it? In a word: yes.

Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries Just like Erma Said

Life is like a bowl of cherries. Erma Bombeck titled one of her books by that name. I have never read it, at least in its entirety. In fact, I really can’t recall one story in that book as it was many, many years ago that I actually read parts of it but, I know, that Erma Bombeck was a very intelligent author. She wrote her humorous stories around actual events in her life and experiences in a way that was entertaining, humorous and, if read in the right frame of mind, educational.

Why did I choose this as the main topic of this article? I chose ‘life is like a bowl of cherries’ because, through the past week, I have lived that bowl of cherries. Along with that wondrous juicy red fruit that is so delicious, there are always those damnable pits.

I have a friend that has told me for years that I am the only person he knows that can think himself into a bad mood. With my choice of career I have plenty of time to think about things. Amazingly enough, this past week there have been many, many things to think about from the Senate’s agonizing debates about Judge Neil Gorsuch to the bombing of a Syrian airstrip along with enough every day, non-political, work related subjects to choke the life out of anything.

The point I want to make, here at the start of this article is this: Life is actually pretty good for most people here in the good ol’ USA. Most, but not all; I have it decent. I have a pretty good paying job that I really enjoy, a roof over my head and food in the fridge. My bills are paid and nothing is getting shut off so why would I say anything about the ‘pits?’ Without the dark, we wouldn’t know anything about the light. For example, today started pretty good as I got to my receiver at a good time with only a few trucks ahead of me; I waited only a short time before being put into a dock door and it seemed I would get home early. That is as far as the good went. I waited over seven hours to get unloaded and almost an hour after that to get my paperwork. After leaving the receiver I was driving along at the speed limit, got behind a slow pickup truck, moved over to the fast lane to go around and the damn pickup truck decided to match my speed thus making me back traffic up behind me.

No big deal you would think, just slow down, get back behind him and travel on. Let me let you in on a little secret there: personal vehicle drivers do not like trucks. On any given day I will get slowed down by people that speed up when I try to get around them only to slow back down when I can’t and get behind them again numerous times. As a professional driver in a vehicle governed at 64 miles an hour I am at the mercy of a lot of things. I’ve been cut off by people that had to get in front of me, just to slow down or make that exit ramp that I just passed. I’ve had people pull out in front of me with less than a truck length between us. It gets more than a little annoying.

Today, being aggravated by the slow unload, this driver just pissed me off. As traffic is backing up behind me and this idiot not letting me by I blew my horn at him. Now, he could have sped up or slowed down, either way, no big deal; what did he do? He hit the brakes, looked up at me through the window and pulled off the highway. I’m expecting a call from the company about this as I am sure he took down the company name and trailer number because I was being an ass. I could have done more, like start to pull over into his lane to get him to move the hell out of my way for one thing.

As you see, with the day starting as that sweet, juicy, delicious fruit of me going home, getting to the receiver and getting into a door early, there came the pit of taking most of the day to get unloaded and then an idiot driver. Life was definitely a bowl of cherries today.

Another great author that I have come to admire is Sherrilyn Kenyon. For those that have been living under a rock or don’t read anything but Forbes and the Wall Street Journal, Ms. Kenyon writes fantasy/adventure/romance novels (the only reason they are romance is that she does put some pretty graphic sex scenes in there and the main character ALWAYS gets what they want). Maybe you have heard of her Dark Hunter, Dream Hunter, League or Chronicles of Nick books that are international best sellers. My personal favorites are the Chronicles of Nick, the adventures of a teenaged Cajun from New Orleans that has an attitude.

Why do I put her up there with such a writer as Erma Bombeck? Sherrilyn Kenyon was an abused child and she persevered and won the day. She survived and thrived through things that would permanently scar most people. She puts the wisdom of those years and her survival into her writing. Her characters, for the most part, are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old (the oldest that I recall is an Atlantean god that is slightly over eleven thousand years old. When a character has lived as many lifetimes as hers have, they gain a lot of life wisdom.

Ms. Kenyon’s characters have been betrayed by loved ones, been tortured by enemies, lived through hell and, in the end, won the day by perseverance and sheer determination not to let life run them over. Some, the Dark Hunters, have even by murdered in some of the most heinous ways only to be brought back by the Greek goddess Artemis as warriors against evil. Even then, these people have stories to tell and wisdom to share.

The point I am getting at is this: there are a lot of times that the gods make humans their punching bags and don’t give a rat’s ass what happens to us. It is up to us, the human race, to decide whether we will let life kill us or we go over, under, around or through the hardships and keep fighting. There is always something to keep fighting for: a loved one, an important cause, honor.

With all that is going on in the world today, especially since the election in November, there have been a lot of times when people have asked me how my day is, I’ve replied, ‘If it got any better I may as well take off my own head.” After years of fighting depression, it’s getting kind of hard to keep fighting the good fight for me but I do. I fight on because I have things worth fighting for, even if some of those things don’t care about me. As Dom Torreto said in Fast & Furious, “Never give up on family, even if they do.” I happen to have a lot of family, most of which are not blood.

To sum it all up, it doesn’t matter if you are liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, wealthy or poor, mentally balanced or have mental illness, physically healthy or ill, there is always something or someone that needs you, would miss you, would die without you. It doesn’t matter who is in the White House, Congress, Supreme Court, who controls what country, who has done this or that, we all have our roles to play. What we do today, what we say tomorrow, what has happened in the past or will happen in the future, does not matter one iota to the Universe. It will all fade into nothingness through the mists of time. What will remain is whether we kept going, kept fighting for life or whether we gave in and ended it all without a fight.

Over, under, around or through, there is always a way. The gods are childish, narcissistic asses that look at the human race as entertainment. We only get what we earn by working for it and there will be no one there to help us. Friends come and go. We can’t take anything with us and no one gets out of life alive. It is our decisions whether our lives are a beach or a bitch. If you want some good life lessons, some good outlooks on life, read some Erma Bombeck and Sherrilyn Kenyon. There are other great authors out there that, through telling their stories, have wisdom to give but these two are my favorites. Give it try, read instead of staring at your phone or computer screen or game console. Chronicles of Nick, Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries, House of Darke (by Colin R Parsons), Wizard’s Quest (by yours truly) are a few titles for life lessons through stories. Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, Dangerous Minds, Divergent, a few other titles for what life could be, even the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series’ can be more than entertainment if you really sit down and read them.

Don’t let politics, religion, nationality, or ideology cloud your mind. Life IS a bowl of cherries; all you have to do is spit the pits out and keep eating the sweet stuff….  

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.

Is It Really 'Fake News?'

Team Trump is constantly calling the mainstream media ‘fake news.’ Why? He calls it fake news because media outlets such as CNN, the Washington Post, MSNBC, etc., are so left leaning that they report rumor as news before fact checking. There have been several items that the media has reported as fact that, in time, has been proven to be false. To be honest, even Fox News is biased and has been known to report rumor as news that later was found to be false.

When I was a kid, way back in the Stone Age, news programs were on the television at 6:00 PM, ran for half an hour and reported local, national, and international news (news, not opinions, rumors or unsubstantiated reports), local weather and the sports. Newspapers reported local, national and international news articles without bias, weather, sports and the comics page; opinions were printed in the editorial column only and everyone knew those articles were opinion only.

When Watergate was being investigated and Nixon was undergoing impeachment, the TV stations carried the hearings so that the American public could witness democracy at its worst. An American president being thrown to the wolves for having his people break into the Watergate Hotel’s Democratic Convention headquarters. President Richard Millhouse Nixon had broken the law and was being punished for it. Senator Sam Erwin was the presiding chairman of the hearings and he, and the several other Congressmen on the committee, questioned the numerous people involved. Several of these people were sent to Federal Prison (affectionately called Club Fed). Nixon, in disgrace, resigned and handed over the nation to his Vice-President, Gerald R. Ford.

Flash forward to William Jefferson Clinton. A very charismatic President, he could talk an Eskimo into buying an ice machine for his igloo. The Republican Party investigated him for months and months because of rumors of illegality. What did they come up with? Those Republicans that just knew that the President had done something illegal because of Whitewater, came up with an intern that had been having sex with him in the Oval Office. President Clinton’s response to her allegations was, to say the least, ambiguous. When questioned by the Chairman whether he had had sex with Ms. Lewinsky, he simply said, “Could you define the word sex?”

Even though Clinton had been impeached, and found guilty of lying to the American people while under oath, he remained in office to finish out his term as the Commander-In-Chief; quite a difference in the course of a few years as to what was expected of the leader of the free world. One President impeached and resigned in disgrace and the next stayed in office and was not harmed at all politically.

Let’s flash forward a few more years to the Obama Administration. President Barack Hussein Obama, the first multi-racial president, was so vague about his history, his origins, that the American public wasn’t even sure if he was a natural born citizen as required by the Constitution. He was the son of an American woman and Kenyan man. Purportedly born in Hawaii, he spent his early childhood in Africa, came to the United States as an early preteen, enrolled in college as a foreign student, associated with Muslim, anti-American people, became a community organizer in the city of Chicago, ran for Illinois State Senate and won, and before his first term was over, ran for President of the United States and won that coveted role.

During his campaign, he consistently spoke about ‘fundamentally’ changing the face of the nation. His speeches about hope and changed showed just how charismatic this man was. He won the hearts and souls of the majority of counties and states regardless of questions about his heritage. The liberal rhetoric that came out of his mouth scared the crap out of conservatives across the country but liberalism won out. Even his wife, Michelle, stated that she could ‘finally be proud of’ her country, even though her country had given her a college education and a legal career.

During the election, every black organization got involved. The Black Panthers were reportedly trolling the polls telling people that they had better ‘vote for the black man.’ This, of course, is only a rumor that I have not investigated too thoroughly. Through it all, it was intimated that if you didn’t vote for Obama, you were a racist; an epithet that was used over and over for the next eight years when it came to the policies and demands of President Barack Obama. The liberal left would say anyone was racist if they disagreed with anything the President said or if anyone questioned anything about him, especially his heritage which he never really successfully proved. (He did produce a certificate of live birth from the State of Hawaii but that state denied issuing it according to the report of Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona.)

During the Obama years, the President consistently used Executive Orders to legislate law, a job solely confined to the Congress. His policies were socialistic and, in some cases, so anti-American as to be unconstitutional. Also, during the eight years he was in office, Mr. Obama repeatedly turned his back on our allies while embracing our enemies. The Islamic threat, terrorism that has started on September 11, 2001 with the attack on the World Trade Center, increased exponentially, yet Mr. Obama would never utter the words ‘Radical Islamic Terrorists,’ nor would he concede that the threat was very real by constantly calling the terrorists the ‘JV Team.’ Mass killings, terrorist attacks, and violence by immigrants were seen as never before. Still, Barack Hussein Obama was loved by the media and the liberal left (as well as most Muslim countries and our enemies).

During the eight years that Obama was in office, respect for law enforcement declined to the point where people were attacking and killing officers of the law with impunity. Riots erupted over police shootings of black criminals under the guise of police brutality and racism against blacks. Were all the shootings called for or needed? No. Unfortunately there remain those that hate all that are not of the same color, creed, religion, sexual orientation or nation of origin. Racism, like schoolyard bullying, will never completely be done away with. Government cannot legislate against thought processes.

Was President Obama ever brought before an impeachment hearing? Were his actions ever questioned by the majority party? Not once. How far we have fallen from the days of yesteryear when the President of the United States was held to a higher standard and made to follow the laws of the country he leads. The left will still say that conservatives disliked him because he was black. That is so far from truth to be hilarious. Conservatives disliked his policies that were anti-American, they disliked the fact that he was legislating with Executive Orders thus circumventing Congress; they disliked his anti-American attitude. It had absolutely nothing to do with his skin color. Only the liberal left seem to have to play the race card every time they feel threatened.

Now, let’s come to the present, to the time of President Donald J. Trump. Here is a man that is not a politician in any respect. He is a businessman, a billionaire. During his campaign he promised a lot of things, the least of which was to ‘drain the swamp’ of corruption in Washington, DC. Since the election the liberal left has been screaming to impeach him, he is colluding with the Russians in hacking into the DNC computers, he is out to destroy America, he is going to undo the civil liberties of gays and blacks; his is an administration of destruction of all things liberal. The funny thing about this is that, since he was inaugurated into the position of President, he has fulfilled a lot of his campaign promises and he continues to strive to keep doing it.

What has Donald Trump promised? He has promised to secure our borders, even to the extent of building a border wall between the US and Mexico to help curtail illegal border crossing; he has promised to ‘drain the swamp’ of corruption in Washington DC; he has promised to repeal and replace the failing ObamaCare healthcare mandate; he’s promised to defund Planned Parenthood and their abortion clinics; he has promised to bring the UN under control. What irritates the liberal left so much is that he is actually doing his best to fulfill his campaign promises, something that no other presidential candidate has ever done.

What does all this have to do with ‘fake news?’ The fact that the media is crucifying the conservative right every way they can by reporting false news stories about collusion, corruption, and illegality in the Trump administration, even before it started but refuse to report the news about the liberal left’s illegalities and corruption. The First Amendment guarantees the right of freedom of the press, an essential element of keeping government honest, has turned into a free for all in the media and they hide behind that right to report falsehoods to undermine a presidential administration to the point of making it a mockery.

To be honest, Trump can make a fool of himself quite easily without the help of the media. He is not a politician so he doesn’t speak like one. He speaks like a businessman who expects things to go his way. This is not the way that politics works. In the political world there are committees, hearings, investigations, bureaucracy.  The President can’t just tell the board of directors what is going to happen and then, poof, it’s done. Mr. Trump will have to learn that if he wants to keep his chair in the Oval Office. He will have to learn some tact in his tirades. Then again, maybe the way he talks is just what is needed in the corrupt, career laded, halls of political Washington. Maybe that is what it will take to ‘drain the swamp.’ If only he could do as he did on his reality TV show, The Apprentice, when someone failed to be successful enough. Maybe he just has to say, “You’re fired.”

Let the left leaning media have that to run with. I can see the headlines now: President Trump tries to fire Congressmen; subtitle: Who does he think he is telling Congress they’re fired for being corrupt and not doing their jobs.

So much for one more tirade from a twisted mind. Food for thought or just another rant about politics? You decide. 

Capitalism versus Socialism

Capitalism versus Socialism - that is the big debate these days. Here it is, 2017 and we have to debate the pros and cons of two different economic platforms? Hasn’t history taught us anything? First of all, we need to know what the definitions of these are so let’s go to my favorite dictionary, The Oxford American Dictionary.

Capitalism: n. a system in which a county’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit. Synonyms: private enterprise, free enterprise, the free market, private ownership. Antonyms: communism.

Socialism: n. the theory that a country’s land, transport, industries, etc., should be owned or controlled by the community as a whole. There are no synonyms or antonyms listed.

Since the antonym of Capitalism is communism, I’ll put the definition of it here also.

Communism: n. 1 a political system in which all property is owned by the community. 2 a system of this kind based on Marxism.

Marxism: n. the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, which formed the basis for communism.

So, as you can see, Capitalism is a free trade system which promotes economic growth and Socialism stagnates growth. If you don’t believe that, you’ve been living under a rock for the last hundred years. The American economic system is set up on Capitalism, one of the reasons why this country has become the world power that it is. We have created more wealth for private individuals than any other country in history. Take a look at John D. Rockefeller, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Joseph Kennedy, and a host of others that built great fortunes through capitalism. If the government had controlled their industries do you really think they would have built such empires? No.

Now, let’s take a look at other countries such as Russia, China, Korea, etc. The economies of these countries, Russia before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the separation of the Russian states, are government controlled. The people are extremely poor, underfed, worked jobs that paid little and the economy suffers. People cannot speak out against the government and, in the case of China and North Korea, communication is censored. The people cannot access social media or interact with other countries. Why? Because they would learn of the freedoms that capitalism and a free enterprise system has. They would rebel against government control, as happened during the Bolshevik Revolution and then when President Ronald Regan made that famous statement, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

The liberal left in America today wants a more socialistic system put in place. They want government controlled healthcare, government controlled industry, government controlled thought (political correctness is government control of your thought processes), government control of whether you can own a firearm, etc. The left would love to see the government in control of every aspect of our lives. They will, of course, deny this claim. If you think about it, honestly, what is their platform? Political correctness, gender neutrality, open borders, anti-religion, anti-Semitic, dependence on government in the form of welfare, pro-choice, labels on people of differing lifestyles, color, national origin, and many other socialistic programs. They protest against capitalism and free enterprise, freedom of expression (except of their own ideals), protecting our borders, illegal acts being punished (in the case of illegal immigration even rewarded with money and the same rights and privileges given to legal immigrants and natural citizens), etc.

The left scream that people that have worked hard for their money don’t deserve that money and should give it to the poor; some even say the poor deserve it because those rich bastards stole it from them. Is there corporate greed? Of course there is. Should people be paid an honest day’s wage for an honest day’s labor? Of course. What isn’t said in all these tirades is that those people getting paid those low wages can’t even count change; they are uneducated and have no motivation to progress in life in any way, shape or form. They live their little lives doing drugs, drinking, and getting tattoos without thought of where the rent or utility bill money is going to come from; after all, society OWES them a living so they wait for the welfare check.

Are there those that do try to improve their lives, are just stuck in a rut that they can’t get out of? Yes, in a way. There are more opportunities open in this country to improve a person’s life than anywhere else in the world. A person just has to have the motivation to seek them out. Dr. Ben Carson is a fantastic example of this. A boy raised in poverty that rises above his environment and becomes one of the world’s finest neural surgeons. You can’t tell me there aren’t more pros than cons in a capitalistic society.

The liberal left won’t claim victories like Dr. Carson. They would rather scream racism, homophobia, xenophobia, white privilege, etc. The left promote victimhood, not triumph against all odds. The labels they put on people are symbolic of socialism. It fuels the flame toward that stagnation and destruction of growth and wealth. If they can keep people divided and fighting against each other, sooner or later, capitalism will be overcome by socialism and then, finally, communism. If you were paying attention to the definitions you will see the opposite of capitalism is communism and, by definition, socialism ultimately will become communism.

Do the liberals have some good ideas? Of course they do. In the 1960’s it was the liberals that stood up against racism (I never have understood that term…after all, we are all ONE race – the human race). Since that time, racism (which will never disappear any more than school bullying will) has been almost done away with. Well, unless you listen to the liberals. They need things like racism to keep their agenda going. Gay rights is another good example. The problem with all these things is that if it weren’t for the liberals screaming ‘special people’ there wouldn’t be any problems in today’s world. Everyone, regardless of color or orientation or national origin, have the same rights and privileges as anyone else. Are there those that disagree with this? Yes, but they are the minority. Are there laws against same sex marriage? No. In fact, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that state-level bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional.

What about climate change and/or use of renewable energy? Climate change is a big debate today. Is it because of humanity or just the cyclic nature of the Earth, itself? My opinion is the latter but the liberals seem to want to blame humans. As for renewable energy, this should have been started long ago. Wind, solar, water energy is renewable and doesn’t damage the Earth in any way. Why industry waited so long to start to explore this is totally unknown to me other than it went against big business (oil and coal) and would cut into those corporate profits. (Yes, I am very liberal on that. I believe in capitalism but not greed.) The problem isn’t that liberals have bad ideas; they have bad ways of promoting those ideas. They demand a government controlled way of doing it through legislation instead of a private way of doing it where people will actually grow and make money. Socialism/communism versus capitalism.

The United States of America, a country not yet 250 years old, set up a government that was for, by, and of the people. We were a country that developed an experimental government. Now, because of liberalism, that government has grown and grown until we now have a government that has a country. We are no better than any other country. Socialism is on the rise. Our Democratic Republic is fast becoming a Marxist society. The liberals seem to think that the Constitution of the United States was written as a guideline instead of as the Law of the Land. The only time the Constitution is right is if it is in their favor. I honestly believe that left to their ideals, the Constitution would be done away with and the Communist Manifesto or Mein Kampf would become the new law. The left absolutely hates capitalism and whole-heartedly embraces socialism. Without it, they would not exist.

I, for one, will rely on capitalism to continue to make this country great. I will fight the liberal agenda toward socialism/communism every step of the way. I will stand up for America and the rights and freedoms that my forefathers fought and died for. 

The Red Cap of Castle Glen

It was a dark and stormy night, the wing howling through the trees like the dreaded beansidhe and the rain falling in torrents making it difficult to see anything. Holding his hand up to his face, trying to keep the rain out of his eyes, Ben trudged on toward his destination. A destination that he feared more than the night creatures that kept watch over him. The words of his father kept going through his mind, “Fear does not exist. Danger is real but fear is a choice.”

Fear was all he felt this night. It wasn’t a choice. It was overwhelming. The old man in the village had told him to make this journey, this night, or his family would die a torturous death. Only the creature that lived here in the Black Forest could change their fate. This creature that no one ever survived seeing, much less bargaining with.

Suddenly the woods opened up and the old castle ruins came into sight. No one ever came here, especially at night. There was a stillness in the air now. No wind whistling, even the rain had stopped. Moonlight shone down upon the ruins almost like a spotlight on a celebrated actor on stage. The shadows, deep around the battlements and portcullis, almost formed an evil face on the façade; a face that threatened anyone that would dare venture near. Ben looked upon the sight with more trepidation than he had ever felt before. Thinking only of his family’s safety, he started across the overgrown garden.

Closing the distance between the safety of the forest and the portcullis of the castle, Ben slowly gained some semblance of courage. The creature that resided here would surely kill him on sight but if that was the price he had to pay, he would pay it gladly. Mary, his wife, and Angus, his baby boy, would survive if he could strike a bargain with the Red Cap. The old man had told him that reciting Scripture or showing a cross would make the creature disappear but that is not what he wanted. He needed help. The old crone had placed a curse on his family, one that would kill them slowly and painfully. Magick is a strange thing. The old man had told him only a Red Cap could reverse the spell she had used. The only problem with that is Red Caps hated humans and would kill them on sight.

He didn’t understand what it was about this night, at this time, that would keep the Red Cap from killing him, least of all, get him to help. Ben had never heard of a Red Cap that could do magick but the old man was adamant about this. The moon was full, true, and that was a magickal time and it was during Samhain, the time when the veil between worlds was thinnest. Hopefully, these things would protect him and bring him victory.

Entering through the massive, broken oak doors of the main hall, Ben straighten his posture and called on courage he had not known he had. Looking left and right then up the grand stair, he called out, “Red Cap! I come for your help. Show yourself to me.”

From the darkest corners came an echoing reply, “Why should I not kill you? A human, walking into my home is fair game. If I show myself, I shall surely tear your innards out of your body.”

“I do not believe you will. I come to bargain. The crone has cursed my family. The old man told me you were the only one that could help. Show yourself so that we may discuss the terms.”

“Terms? Are you mad? There are no ‘terms’ and there are no bargains. The old man lied and the crone must have had good reason. Why should I help you? You are nothing to me.” The voice was behind him and much closer than before.

Fear, once again, set upon Ben. With shaking knees and wavering voice, he turned to face the evilness that lived here. Out of the darkness the creature emerged. It was then that the young man knew that he, indeed, had been tricked. The hairless old man that came forward from the shadows smiled. His razor sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight and his claws clacking together were not near as frightening as the executioner’s axe that he dragged along the floor behind him.

Raising the axe and laying it upon his shoulder, the Red Cap stared at the frightened young man. He knew the boy was terrified, just as all humans were when they saw him. Smiling he spoke again, “I frighten you and yet you stand there. Why do you not run?”

“I have no reason to live if you do not help me. My family will die. Without them, I have nothing.”

“Even so. I should tear you apart and scatter your guts around the room. Yet, you intrigue me.” Uncharacteristically, the creature stood back and, scratching his chin, pondered why he had not killed this human already.

Samhain, the time of year when the veil between worlds is thinnest and creatures enter our world from the other side, is a magickal time. When the moon is full during the season it is especially so. The old man had not tricked the boy, he knew that this night, of all nights, was the only time in a thousand years that a Red Cap was incapable of killing. This night, at this time, midnight on All Hallows Eve with a full moon made the most evil creature to haunt the Scottish countryside unable to rend any victim. The only night that Ben would be able to barter for his family’s lives.

“What do you have to bargain for?”

“I have gold, livestock, food. Whatever you desire, I will find it.”

“I have no need of anything. I live, I kill. That is all. What would I do with riches or livestock? Food I can get. Is there nothing that you will give to me, willingly, to save your loved ones?” Looking at Ben with menacing eyes, belying the horror beneath his words, the small, evil creature continued, “There is only one thing that I desire in this world and that is to kill.”

Understanding finally came to Ben. The Red Cap wanted him to willingly give up his life to save his loved ones. Fear, guilt, shame all came at once. He was afraid to die and felt guilty that he was not brave enough to give his life for someone else. The shame of his cowardice overwhelmed him. Turning to flee from this wretched creature and crumbling ruin, he stopped at the broken oak door.

Turning slowly, Ben smiled. “I will not bargain my life. Without me my family will die anyways. But, I will bargain with yours. You will cast your magick and save their lives or I will take yours from you.”

Never before had anyone ever lived through an encounter with a Red Cap. Even if they survived by running away they would still die within twenty four hours. Now, this boy was threatening the life of this evil sprite, one of the vilest of creatures. Was he mad?

“Nae! Ah willnae dae it. Ye cannae make me.” The small creature belied his uncertainty, glancing around the dark room.

With a speed and strength he had never known he possessed, Ben was across the room and had the small creature on the floor, knife across his throat. “I will.”

The night was drawing to an end. Soon it would be dawn and the veil would close, the magick lost. Pushing harder against the Red Cap’s throat, Ben demanded, “Do it! Do it now or die!”

With blood starting to trickle down out of the blade’s cut, the Red Cap relented. Closing his eyes he mumbled in ancient Celtic, so low that Ben could barely hear, the spell to break the curse. Opening his eyes, all he said was, “It is done.”

Rising from the floor and releasing him, Ben wiped the blood from his knife. “If you have tricked me, if my family still dies, I will return and fight you.”

“You will lose. No one ever survives me. I have not tricked you, they will live. And you and I will meet again. Soon. I will exact my revenge on you.” With that, he disappeared just as the sun shone through the empty windows; laughter echoing through the ruins.

What Exactly Is a Conservative, Liberal or Libertarian?

What does it mean to be a conservative? What does it mean to be a liberal? How about a libertarian? I mean, we all claim to be something politically, emotionally, socially, etc. So, what does that mean, exactly? To figure that out, we need to know the definition of each. Let’s go to my favorite dictionary, the Oxford American Dictionary, Third Edition.

Conservative: adj. 1 opposed to change and holding traditional values. 2 (in politics) favoring free enterprise and private ownership. [Synonyms: 1 right-wing, reactionary, traditionalist, old-fashioned, dyed-in-the-wool, hidebound, unadventurous, set in your ways. 2 conventional, sober, modest, sensible, restrained. Antonyms: socialist, radical.]

Liberal: adj. 1 willing to respect and accept behavior or opinions different from your won. 2 (in politics) supporting the freedom of individuals and in favor of political and social reform. 3 generous in applying or adding something. 4 not strictly literal or exact. [Synonyms: tolerant, unprejudiced, broad-minded, open-minded, enlightened, permissive, free (and easy), easygoing, libertarian, indulgent, lenient. 2 a liberal social agenda, progressive, advanced, modern, forward-looking, forward-thinking, enlightened, reformist, radical. Antonyms: reactionary, strict.]

Libertarian: n. 1 a person who believes in libertarianism. 2 a person who argues for civil liberty. Libertarianism: n. a political philosophy arguing for very limited state intervention in the lives of citizens.

So, where do we all stand, politically and socially? As for me, a conservative, I believe in less government, self-reliance and self-responsibility, strong defense, secure borders, semi-isolationism, literal meaning of the Constitution, keeping personal freedoms and respecting others opinions even if they differ from mine. So, what am I really? According to the definitions above I am actually part conservative, part liberal and part libertarian.

Where do my liberal friends stand? Seems to me like they are just a bit liberal and libertarian; no conservatism there at all. Funny how the antonyms of conservative is “socialist and radical” and how those two terms seem to fit the liberals behavior since the election of November 8, 2016. (Especially the ‘radical’ part.)

This is not going to be me downgrading the liberals. Not this time. For one reason, I have not a clue as to why my liberal friends do what they do or think what they think. I did hear someone, I simply do not recall the guy’s name, title, job description or political party, explain that liberals, since the early 1960’s and the race problems of the time, have identified with being on the moral high ground. After all, they stand up and fight for the minorities of the world thus placing them above everyone else, especially conservatives, in this politically correct world. Is this how they really think? They would disagree, I believe. I really don’t know since I am not a liberal.

I am a conservative, with a little liberal and libertarian thrown in for good measure. I don’t like change and I will grab on to those traditional values with a death grip. Free enterprise and private ownership (capitalism for those of you from Chariton, Iowa and Rio Linda, California), are what brings about competition and wealth building. I do believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinions and their right to voice those opinions, even if they differ from my own. I believe in individual freedoms as long as those freedoms do not interfere or do away with my own. I will fight for everyone’s civil liberties (which, to me, are individual freedoms).

I try to be tolerant of other people’s lifestyles, religions, ethnicity and cultures. I am as far from prejudiced as you can get as far as racism, religion and orientation. Open-minded, yes (I have actually been known to change my mind if given facts that I didn’t know before). As for permissive, indulgent and lenient? Nah, too much of that and people become ‘entitled’ and that is not a good thing. I would like to think that I am forward-thinking, advanced and modern (as much as my old school brain can manage).

What strikes me most about liberals, as for synonyms, is radical, permissive, indulgent, and lenient. If a parent is permissive, indulgent and lenient with a child, what happens to that child? They become brats that think they deserve everything without giving anything or working for things. REALLY? And where is America today? We have a bunch of ‘entitled’ children that are brats, have no respect for anyone or anything (including law enforcement and government), and believe the world owes them a living and don’t want to work for anything.

I have not known any liberal to actually tolerate, indulge, or be willing to respect and accept opinions of anyone other than those that think the way they do. Try to have a debate with a liberal. You can’t. You cannot use logic, common sense or facts if any of those things go against what they believe. I have been called some of the most heinous of things because I don’t agree with the liberal way of thinking on a lot of subjects. When I state facts, they are said to be ‘alternative facts’ or lies or unsubstantiated reports. Doesn’t matter if those facts are from reputable sources or even their own officials.

I am not insulting any liberal or, at least, I’m not trying to. All I am doing is stating facts as I have seen and heard through personal experience. Am I just as hard-headed as some liberals? Of course I am on some subjects; on other subjects, not so much. Prove to me where I am wrong and I will most likely change my view. But I must have facts from reputable sources, eye witnesses, and incontrovertible evidence. Call me Trey Gowdy, Jr.

So, how do you look at yourself? Are you conventional, sensible, restrained, and a traditionalist or are you socialist, radical, easygoing, indulgent, lenient, reformist? Only you know the answer to this question. The bigger question is where do you want our country to go? We were founded on those fundamentally traditionalist, right-wing, old-fashioned, sensible, restrained ideals with individual freedoms and liberties guaranteed by our Constitution. That is what America is. We are not a country without borders, without respect for government and law enforcement, where everyone gets their way regardless of how others feel, where government controls every aspect of our lives and everyone is entitled to everything without working for it.

Free enterprise is what built this nation. Individual freedom is what has brought millions and millions of immigrants here (legally). Radical ideas of a new form of government, never tried before in history, is what got us those things. You can’t reinvent the wheel and make it better. It still has to be round to move that vehicle. A country without borders is not a country. National security is more important than open arms to anyone. Free everything will kill our economy. Wealth redistribution will not make anyone wealthy. The biggest problem with socialism is that sooner or later you will run out of other people’s money. Traditional values, you know - self-reliance and self-responsibility, are what will keep us going forward.

Dressing up as vaginas and protesting for ‘women’s rights’ will not gain anything; especially since those doing that are not actually protesting for women’s rights, only the right to kill unborn children. Women have equal rights and in a lot of cases have more rights. Minorities have the same rights as those so-called white-privileged people. If not, then why are there so many minorities that have risen to great heights? People like Barack Obama, Ben Carson, Colin Powell, Condaleeza Rice, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Jackie Robinson, etc. are all far above a lot of white-privilege people. So don’t tell me that just because a person is white they are better off than those that are not. Don’t tell me that homosexuals are worse off than heterosexuals when Hollywood is filled with extremely rich and powerful homosexuals. Don’t tell me that immigrants can’t become great statesmen/women, businessmen/women, athletes, etc. when you see it all the time.

As soon as you stop empowering that victim ideology to people and start empowering the fact that anyone can achieve their dreams then this country, actually the world, will become a better place for everyone.

Sorry, got a little off topic didn’t I? Not really when you consider that all the racism, victim ideology and radical protests are coming from the liberal left and the conservative right is out here wondering why they are doing it.

Decide for yourself what you are and what you want. As Smokey the Bear said, “Only You can prevent the downfall of America.”