Saturday, November 29, 2008

It's The Law

A friend from Minnesota recently told me that you could no longer dry your laundry on an outdoor clothesline in the suburbs surrounding Minneapolis. Apparently, it’s the law.

Most people I know just want to live a normal life with a basic set of rules protecting them from unreasonable intrusions of other citizens and government agents. Unfortunately, we live in a world of overzealous lawmakers who often make a mockery of judicial restraint by forcing rules upon society that seem outright ridiculous.

While researching legal sites on the Internet, I discovered numerous absurd laws that actually exist.

In spite of the principle of separation of church and state, many frivolous laws pertain only to Sunday.

1) In Florida, it’s illegal for single, divorced, or widowed women to parachute on Sunday afternoons.
2) In Massachusetts, it’s unlawful to deliver diapers on Sunday.
3) In Thomasville, North Carolina, it’s illegal to fly an airplane over the town on Sundays between 11 AM and 1 PM.
4) In Providence, Rhode Island, it’s illegal to sell both toothpaste and a toothbrush to the same customer on a Sunday.

Many laws still on the books are clearly out of date.

1) In Hollywood, California, it’s illegal to drive more than 2000 sheep at a time down Hollywood Boulevard.
2) In Utah, it’s illegal for pharmacists to sell gunpowder as a headache cure.
3) In Pennsylvania, motorists driving along country roads are required to stop every mile, send up a rocket and wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock before continuing.
4) In Nebraska, motorists approaching a horse at night are required to stop their vehicle, send up rockets and throw a tarp over their car to conceal it from the horse.

Special rules often exist for women.

1) In Oklahoma, women are forbidden from doing their own hair, unless licensed by the state.
2) In Cleveland, Ohio, women are not allowed to wear patent-leather shoes.
3) In Michigan, a woman’s hair legally belongs to her husband.
4) In Helena, Montana, a woman cannot dance on a saloon table unless her clothes weigh more than three pounds, two ounces.
5) In Kentucky, a law reads that no female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within the state unless escorted by at least two officers or unless armed with a club. An amendment to this law states that it shall not apply to females weighing less than 90 pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds, nor shall it apply to female horses.

Some laws are downright insane.

1) In Tennessee, it’s illegal to operate a motor vehicle while sleeping.
2) In Alabama, it’s illegal to operate a motor vehicle while blindfolded.
3) In Virginia, bribery is prohibited by anyone other than candidates for public office.
4) In Seattle, Washington, it’s illegal to carry a concealed weapon greater than six feet long.
5) In New Hampshire, it’s against the law to tap your feet or in any way keep time to the music in a tavern, restaurant or cafĂ©.
6) In Texas, to go barefoot requires a five-dollar permit.
7) In Oregon, a dead person cannot be required to serve on a jury.

Naturally, all this nonsense has inspired me to come up with a few proposals of my own.

1) In Alaska, it shall be illegal to put lipstick on a pit bull.
2) In Arizona, it shall be illegal to refer to the Grand Canyon as a really big hole.
3) In Arkansas, it shall be illegal to name a mule after a Baptist preacher.
4) In California, it shall be illegal to yell "Fire" or "Brittney Spears" in a crowded theater.
5) In Delaware, it shall be illegal to refer to Joe Biden as the Veep of the Peeps.
6) In Florida, it shall be illegal to sell sea shells by the seashore.
7) In Georgia, it shall be illegal to expose a red neck or green teeth on Sunday.
8) In Hawaii, it shall be illegal to refer to any body parts as the Big Kahuna.
9) In Idaho, it shall be illegal to substitute a tomato for a potato in a public restaurant.
10) In Iowa, it shall be illegal to wear a John Deere hat while driving a Massey-Ferguson tractor.
11) In Kentucky, it shall be illegal to marry your first cousin until after her thirteenth birthday.
12) In Maine, it shall be illegal to whistle near a moose during rutting season.
13) In Maryland, it shall be illegal to name your first child Mary unless she's a Capricorn or a guy.
14) In Massachusetts, it shall be illegal to graduate from college unless you can spell the name of the state.
15) In Minnesota, it shall be illegal to fish from a three-legged stool on a frozen lake if it is not frozen.
16) In Mississippi, it shall be illegal to utilize explosives or false teeth when catfish noodling.
17) In Missouri, it shall be illegal to say “show me” to anyone wearing a raincoat on a sunny day.
18) In Nebraska, it shall be illegal to call someone a cornhusker unless they can actually husk corn.
19) In New Hampshire, it shall be illegal to ask someone whatever happened to Old Hampshire.
20) In New Mexico, it shall be illegal to do the Mexican Hat Dance with an older hat.
21) In New York, it shall be illegal to call yourself a Yankee Doodle Dandy unless you're a hairdresser.
22) In Ohio, it shall be illegal to discard anything into Lake Erie that's more toxic than Courtney Love.
23) In Oklahoma, it shall be illegal to use the phrase "sooner rather than later" during a marriage ceremony.
24) In Rhode Island, it shall be illegal to tell tourists that they're really not an island.
25) In South Dakota, it shall be illegal to ride a pink Cushman scooter into Sturgis during biker week.
26) In Tennessee, it shall be illegal to operate a liquor still in a hollow within 20 feet of dead car.
27) In Texas, it shall be illegal to wear a ten-gallon hat if you have a seven-gallon, or less, head.
28) In Utah, it shall be illegal to have more than five wives if you can't count to six.
29) In Wisconsin, it shall be illegal to wear a cheese-head hat in a duck blind.
30) In Wyoming, it shall be illegal to have a powwow with a buffalo on Buffalo Bill's birthday.

I would have done all 50 states, but it's against the law.

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Quote for the Day – "The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws." Ayn Rand
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The Illusion of Reality

Life is like a dream -- you never know you're asleep, trapped in an illusion, until you wake up.

In our three-dimensional plane of existence, the world is not what it seems. What appears to be solid is basically empty space. Everything we perceive, such as earth, stars, animals, vegetation, people, buildings, etc., is made up of atoms. An atom consists of electrons orbiting a nucleus of protons. It's an assembly of energy, not solid matter. And it's more than 99 percent empty space.

Therefore, everything we perceive as solid is basically a glob of energy.

Furthermore, what we call "everything" (the universe and beyond) is made up of a vast array of frequencies or vibrations. Human senses are based on frequencies. Humans are only able to visualize "objects" that reflect light. The frequency range of human sight is exceedingly miniscule compared to what exists all around us.

Therefore, humans are unable to perceive alternate dimensions driven by other frequencies.

Eastern religions (Hinduism, Sikhism, etc.) believe the material world is an illusion. They call this illusion Maya. Unlike true reality, which is changeless and eternal, Maya (illusion) is all that has a beginning and an end.

The path of spiritual enlightenment requires understanding of the Seven Pillars of Ancient Wisdom.

1) All things, organic or inorganic, from atom to galaxy, contain a living presence.
2) Every living presence resides within the body of a greater being.
3) Every being is made in the image of an ultimate greater being.
4) The vibration of every living presence is felt by every other living presence in our solar system.
5) Our solar system is constructed from energies which vibrate to seven levels.
6) Energy and matter are interchangeable. The material world is an illusion.
7) There is no death, only a change of state.

In a world where people exist in a temporary life spanning seven or eight decades, feverishly attempting to accumulate things, modern science appears to be catching up with ancient wisdom.

In 1982, physicist Alain Aspect (University of Paris) discovered that "under certain circumstances subatomic particles such as electrons are able to instantaneously communicate with each other regardless of the distance separating them." It doesn't matter if they are 10 feet or 10 billion miles apart, somehow each particle always seems to know what the other is doing. This may be one of the most important discoveries in history.

This revelation would confirm step 4 in the Seven Pillars of Ancient Wisdom, which would seem to lend credence to the previous three steps as well. The universe is basically a living entity made up of living entities.

Physicist David Bohm (University of London) believes Aspect's findings suggest that material reality does not exist. Despite the apparent solidity of the universe, it's actually a hologram (a three-dimensional "image" that is an illusion of a three-dimensional solid reality). Bohm contends that the subatomic particles are able to remain in contact with one another because their separateness is also an illusion.

If true, this would verify step 6 of the Seven Pillars of Ancient Wisdom that the material world is an illusion.

Aspect's discovery would explain such human paranormal phenomena as psychic abilities, remote viewing, out-of-body journeys, near-death experiences, precognitive renderings, premonitions, etc. A woman in Detroit has a bad "feeling" about her son in Seattle just before he has an auto crash, or a person who nurtures his plants with kindness has a garden that flourishes. Everything is connected, regardless of time or distance.

Neurophysiologist Karl Pribram (Stanford University), a proponent of a holographic universe, has theorized that memories are not encoded in neurons of the brain but rather in patterns of nerve impulses that crisscross the entire brain. Experiments were conducted whereby various portions of the brain of a rat were removed yet the rat was still able to perform tasks (its memory remained intact). According to Pribram, the brain itself is a hologram.

The findings of Bohm and Pribram have become known as the "Holographic Paradigm" in the scientific community. While many scientists are skeptical of this theory, there's also a growing group of researchers who believe these speculations may be the most accurate model of reality so far.

There is no physical world.

We are not objects.

We are perceivers of objects.

According to certain Native American folklore, the Great Spirit that lives within the Great Mystery gathered all the animals on Mother Earth and said, "I must conceal the Realization, that humans create their own reality, until they are able to comprehend it."

The Buffalo, most sacred of all animals, said, "I will bury it in the great plains."

"No, humans will dig and find it there," replied the Great Spirit.

The Whale, keeper of ancient knowledge, said, "I will carry it to the bottom of the ocean."

"No, humans will go there one day and find it," replied the Great Spirit.

The eagle, close to the heavens where the Great Spirit dwells, said, "I'll fly it to the moon."

"No, humans will soon go there too and find it," replied the Great Spirit.

The Owl, essence of true wisdom, said, ""Put it inside them."

"Yes," replied the Great Spirit. "It is the last place they will look."

I am an illusion named Bret, masquerading as a human being on a small planet in a far corner of an average galaxy, wondering why.

I am a mystery within the Great Mystery.

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Quote for the Day -- "It is your mind that creates the world." Buddha
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Sunday, November 23, 2008

Talking Fish

In February of 2003, the BBC News reported that a fish heading for slaughter in a New York City market shouted warnings about the end of the world.

I’ve been shouting that for decades but no one will listen to me.

Lois Nivelo, a butcher in New Square Fish Market, was about to kill a carp to be made into gefilte fish when it began shouting. Nivelo was so shocked he fell into a stack of packing crates, then ran to the front counter, screaming, “The devil is here.”

Co-worker Zalmen Rosen, reacted in disbelief, then tried to calm Nivelo down.

Rosen, a Hasidic Jew, soon went to the back of the shop and heard the fish identify itself as the soul of a local Hasidic man who had died the previous year. Then the fish instructed Rosen to pray and study the Torah.

Needless to say, Rosen was quite unnerved. He went into a state of panic whereby he attempted to kill the fish, injuring himself in the process and ending up in a hospital.

During Rosen’s absence, the fish was killed and sold by Nivelo, a Christian who apparently didn’t speak the same language as Rosen or the carp.

Since some Hasidic Jews believe that righteous people can be reincarnated as fish, the incident caused quite a stir in the local Jewish community. Many of them were certain that God was troubled by the situation in the Middle East.

Naturally, this story soon became a major topic in the fish trade, as well as for New York City comedians. One fish company even considered changing its slogan to “our fish speak for themselves.”

Rosen was not amused. “Enough already about the fish,” was his standard comment to the press that began contacting him daily.

Although this may seem unusual to many people, I’ve caught many fish in my time and some have actually spoken to me too. While none have mentioned the end of the world, they were still worth noting.

Crappie in Medicine Lake, Minn. – “We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse.”

Smallmouth bass in Lake Omaha, Ark. – “The bass that laughs last, thinks slowest.”

Largemouth bass in Table Rock Lake, Mo. – “Light travels faster than sound. That’s why bass fishermen appear brighter until you hear them speak.”

Muskie in Sunset Lake, Wis. – “Suppose you were a human being and suppose you were an idiot – oh, but I repeat myself.”

Sailfish in Mexico – “When you’re swimming in the ocean and are bitten by an eel, that’s a moray.”

Dogfish in Lake Allatoona, Geo. – “How many catfish does it take to change a light bulb – none, they just swim in the dark and complain.”

Catfish in Lake Allatoona, Geo. – “Why is it so hard for a female dogfish to find a male that is sensitive and caring – because they already have boyfriends.”

Perch in Lake Okeechobee, Fla. – “Instead of getting married again, I’m going to find a female I don’t like and give her the deep end.”

Rainbow trout in Cut Bank, Mont. – “I believe in the 50-50-90 rule – even if there’s a 50 percent chance a fly fisherman will hook you, there’s a 90 percent chance he’ll throw you back.”

Brown Trout in Yellowstone Park, Wyo. – “Things that come to those who wait may be things left over by those who got there first.”

Walleye in Stout Lake, Ontario – “A day without sunshine is like night.”

Red Snapper in Florida Keys – "A Priest, a Rabbi and a Barracuda go into a bar. The bartender asks, 'Is this a joke?'"

Northern pike in Crooked Lake, Mich. – “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll sit in a boat drinking beer all day.”

I once dated a woman who was part Norwegian and part dingbat. A tadpole told me to dump her but I ignored the advice. The tadpole went on to become a frog, the dingbat went on to become my ex-wife, and I went on to become a loner who talks to tadpoles.

Due to a lack of talking fish, the end of the world will be postponed for six more months.

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Quote for the Day – "If you give a person a fish, they'll fish for a day. But if you train a person to fish, they'll fish for a lifetime." Dan Quayle (former U.S. Vice President)
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Friday, November 21, 2008

The UFO and JFK Assassination Link

A conspiracy is a secret agreement among a group of people attempting to conceal something. The two biggest conspiracies in our lifetimes, if true, are the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the cover-up of the presence of extraterrestrial beings on earth.

Kenn Thomas, author of a book titled MAURY ISLAND UFO: THE CRISMAN CONSPIRACY, points out a remarkable string of coincidences that may actually tie the two conspiracies together. According to Thomas, a man named Fred Crisman played a central role in these seemingly unrelated events.

On June 21, 1947, an airplane pilot named Kenneth Arnold spotted what he described as “flying saucers” over Mt. Rainier in the State of Washington, launching the modern UFO era. The term “flying saucer” soon became part of the UFO lexicon. There were many UFO sightings later in 1947, including the famous Roswell crash incident.

Four people, including Harold Dahl and his son, witnessed the event from a salvage boat in a nearby bay. They reported seeing six doughnut-shaped craft, approximately 20 feet in diameter, hovering high above. Five of the craft formed a circle surrounding a craft in the middle that was wobbling badly. The seemingly damaged craft suddenly dropped down about 700 feet, then spewed two substances – one was a paper-like metal that floated in the bay and the other was a hot, steaming, black sludge that rained down, striking Dahl’s son and killing his dog.

Dahl reported these events to Fred Crisman, a man he believed to have some connections in the intelligence community.

Crisman subsequently went to Maury Island to investigate the incident. He found a great deal of both materials on the shore and recovered some for himself.

Soon thereafter, Crisman shared his experience with Ray Palmer, a magazine publisher, who then hired Kenneth Arnold (the original pilot) to investigate further.

Three days later, Arnold had more sightings, culminating with a woman recovering some unusual material in the same vicinity, who then turned the material over to FBI agent Guy Banister.

Capt. Lee Davidson and Lt. Frank Brown, Air Force investigators under the command of Gen. Nathan Twining, soon joined Arnold in retrieving debris on Maury Island. Ultimately, Crisman was compelled to turn over his samples to the two Air Force investigators.

Classified documents, recently discovered under the freedom of information act, also indicate that Crisman turned additional samples he had held back over to CIA agent Clay Shaw.

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

Many people believe it was part of a larger conspiracy, far beyond a lone gunman named Lee Harvey Oswald.

In his 1968 investigation of the assassination, New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison claimed that Guy Banister and Claw Shaw were involved in the plot to kill JFK, and that Fred Crisman may have been one of the gunmen.

Some interesting coincidences occurred between the JFK assassination and the 1947 UFO cover-up.

In 1943-1952, Guy Banister was FBI “Special Agent in Charge” in the Pacific Northwest, later transferred to Chicago. Upon retirement he opened a private investigative office in New Orleans where he occasionally hired Lee Harvey Oswald in a variety of capacities.

In 1963, former CIA agent Clay Shaw was the director of the International Trade Mart in New Orleans, a CIA front organization. He later went to trial as one of the co-conspirators in JFK’s death but was found not guilty by a jury. Key evidence linking Shaw to the assassination was not permitted by the trial judge.

According to many JFK assassination researchers, Fred Crisman was one of the three so-called "hobos" who were picked up in the railroad yard immediately following the JFK shooting, then released shortly thereafter.

The world is full of strange coincidences and possible conspiracies in high places.

In September of 1964, the Warren Commission Report declared that Kennedy was killed by a lone-gunman named Lee Harvey Oswald.

Fifteen years later, the House Selection Committee on Assassinations concluded that Kennedy “was probably killed as the result of a conspiracy” but “was unable to identify the other gunmen or the extent of the conspiracy.”

Based on the information detailed in CROSSFIRE by Jim Marrs and FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE by Robert D. Morrow, it seems likely that the conspiracy involved organized crime.

Carlos Marcello was the mob boss of New Orleans. In the spring of 1961, the new U.S. Attorney General, Robert Kennedy, had Marcello handcuffed and put onto a plane to Guatemala City with no luggage and very little cash.

Marcello was eventually flown back to the USA by his personal pilot David Ferrie, vowing to get even with the Kennedys.

Allegedly, Marcello and Ferrie devised a plan that included placing blame on a “nut” for the assassination of the President, Robert Kennedy's brother. Ferrie had been Lee Harvey Oswald’s Civil Air Patrol leader.

The thrust of the plan was to make it look as though Fidel Castro was behind the killing of the American President, thereby inciting the U.S. government to attack Cuba, eliminating Castro who had forced the mob casinos in Havana to close.

Santos Trafficante, the south Florida mob boss, was a close associate of Marcello who had been in the casino business in Cuba and even jailed by Castro for a period of time.

Mobsters Johnny Roselli of Miami and Sam Giancana of Chicago were also involved.

Trafficante set up two men who thought they were working for the CIA to assassinate Castro and had them sent to Cuba. Through Roselli, Castro was tipped off that the CIA was sending these two men to kill him. The two men were then captured in Cuba and forced to reveal they were CIA operatives.

On September 7, 1963, Castro told associated press reporters he was being targeted for assassination by U.S. government leaders who “could find their own lives in jeopardy.”

During this entire period, Lee Harvey Oswald was being manipulated by associates of Ferrie in New Orleans to appear to be a pro-Castro wacko.

The trap had been set. A patsy, Lee Harvey Oswald, had been created to shift the blame to Castro. Plus, Castro had recently made statements to the press that he was being targeted by the Kennedy Administration, further fanning the flames. Thus, when JFK was killed, Castro, through Oswald, would be targeted for invasion by the USA whereupon the mob would get their Cuban casinos back and get the Justice Department (headed by Robert Kennedy) off their backs.

When JFK was assassinated in Dallas several things went awry.

Oswald was to have been killed in the confusion but managed to escape. He was later killed by Jack Ruby to silence him and close the case.

The FBI and the CIA both wanted the case closed as quickly as possible to avoid embarrassing entanglements.

The new President, Lyndon Johnson, wanted it closed quickly to avoid a possible catastrophic confrontation with Cuba and their cold war ally, the USSR.

Thus, the lone gunman nutcase became the quick official remedy.

Jack Ruby, the Dallas mob connection, was the key lynchpin to the conspiracy. He made more long distance phone calls to known mobsters (Trafficante, Marcello, etc.) during the two months prior to the assassination than he had made the entire previous year.

Roselli met with Ruby twice just prior to the assassination.

When the Dallas police chief was answering questions at a press conference shortly after Oswald was arrested, Ruby (from the back of the room) loudly corrected him (captured on audio and video) as to which Cuba freedom organization Oswald had belonged. It was imperative that Oswald be portrayed as Pro-Castro, thereby placing ultimate blame on Castro as being behind the assassination.

Ruby then killed Oswald to end any further investigation.

Scheduled to testify before Congress, Roselli was found dead in an oil drum floating in Biscayne Bay.

Giancana had helped JFK get elected President, later to be subjected to Robert Kennedy’s organized crime taskforce. The evening before Giancana was to testify before a senate committee on CIA-mob assassination plots, he was shot in the back of the head.

A few days before David Ferrie was scheduled to meet with the New Orleans district attorney to discuss the JFK assassination, he was found dead (unsolved murder) in his apartment.

Less than 12 hours later, Eladio del Valle, a known Ferrie collaborator, was brutally murdered in Miami.

Dead men tell no tales.

A coincidence is the occurrence of supposedly unrelated events that seem to have a connection. When you have dozens of coincidences all relating to the same event, the concept of everything being unrelated no longer passes the smell test.

Dead skunk in the middle of the road.

And it stinks to high heaven.
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Quote for the Day – "I'll call myself a conspiracy theorist if you call yourself a coincidence theorist." John Judge (Coalition on Political Assassinations)
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The Illuminated Ones

A statue of a Confederate general, Albert Pike (1809-1891), stands on a pedestal at the foot of Capitol Hill, near the Department of Labor building, the only statue of a Confederate general on federal property in Washington, D.C.

Pike was honored, not as a commander, but as a leader of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. He was one of the most predominant figures in the history of world Freemasonry.

Albert Pike was born in Boston on December 29, 1809. He studied at Harvard and was considered a genius, able to read and write in 16 different languages. At various stages of his life he was a frontiersman, journalist, poet, philosopher, crusader for Native Americans, prominent Washington lawyer and a Civil War general.

In 1831, Pike moved to Independence, Missouri, where he joined an expedition to Taos, New Mexico. His horse broke down and Pike was forced to walk the remaining 500 miles.

In 1833, he settled in Arkansas where he purchased and published a newspaper. He studied law and passed the bar in 1837. He became the first reporter for the Arkansas Supreme Court and wrote a book titled THE ARKANSAS FORM BOOK, a guidebook for lawyers.

During the Mexican-American War, Pike joined the cavalry and was commissioned as a troop commander. He later got into a duel with his own commander over differences of opinion. Although several shots were fired, no one was injured and the two combatants were persuaded by their seconds to call it quits.

After the war, Pike settled in New Orleans in 1853 where he practiced law and wrote a book about Roman and French law.

In 1857, he returned to Arkansas and made several contacts with Native American tribes in the area. On their behalf, he negotiated an $800,000 settlement between several tribes and the federal government.

When the Civil War started, Pike was appointed as Confederate envoy to the Native Americans and negotiated several more treaties.

In November of 1861, Pike was commissioned as a brigadier general and given a command in the Indian Territory where he trained three Confederate regiments. Once again, Pike butted heads with his military superiors, this time resulting in an order for his arrest for insubordination. Rather than face military discipline, Pike turned in his resignation in absentia and escaped into the Arkansas hills.

After the Civil War, Pike relocated to New York and later to Canada.

In 1865, President Andrew Jackson, a fellow Freemason, gave Pike a formal pardon for his military misdeeds, which were found to be lacking in evidence. Free to practice law once again, Pike became an associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court.

In 1867, he practiced law in Memphis, Tennessee, where he also served as editor of the newspaper Memphis Appeal.

He finally moved his law office to Washington, D.C. in 1870 and became editor of the Patriot newspaper.

As a 33rd degree Mason, Pike was a founding father and leader of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in the United States. From 1859 until his death, he was Grand Commander of North American Freemasonry.

Pike was also a Satanist. He wore a bracelet he utilized to summon Lucifer, with whom he claimed have constant communication. Pike was the Grand Master of a Luciferian group known as the Order of the Palladium (also called Sovereign Council of Wisdom), which had been founded in Paris in 1737. Palladism had been brought to Greece from Egypt by Pythagoras in the fifth century. This Secret Cult of Satan was introduced into the inner circle of the Masonic lodges.

On May 1, 1776 (the original May Day), a Bavarian anarchist named Adam Weishaupt formed a secret society known as the Illuminati (the "enlightened ones"). Its ultimate goal was the formation of a one-world government that would be covertly controlled by the secret society.

In 1834, Giusseppe Mazzini, an Italian who later founded the Mafia in 1860, was selected by the Illuminati to head worldwide operations. Mazzini was a 33rd degree Mason who believed in the unification of Europe, and ultimately in a unification of the entire planet under one ruling order.

Mazzini recruited Albert Pike into the Illuminati.

Pike liked the idea of a one-world government and wrote a ritual tome to guide like-minded Masons into the top rank (33rd degree), a secret Illuminati tier within the Freemason structure.

Of the tome, Mazzini wrote, "Through this supreme rite, we will govern all Freemasonry which will become one international center, the more powerful because its direction will be unknown."

Between 1859 and 1871, Pike created a military blueprint for three world wars and numerous global revolutions he considered to be favorable toward creating a one-world government in its final stage in the 20th Century

In 1871, as Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Albert Pike wrote a letter to Mazzini, outlining the three world wars that would lead to global domination of their Secret Cult. These wars were to be created by Illuminati operatives, as well as funded by Illuminati interests who would reap great rewards from the conflict.

The first world war was to be a conflict between the Germanic empires and the British Empire. The primary objective of this conflict was to overthrow the Czars of Russia.

The second world war was designed to lead to the creation of a sovereign state (Israel) in Palestine. The primary objective for creating a homeland for Zionists (Jewish migrants to the Promised Land) in the Middle East was to eventually trigger a global war within the Islamic world that would lead to the ultimate goal of control of the entire planet.

The first two world wars instigated by the Illuminati have been carried out as planned.

The following was written by Pike in the 1871 letter to Mazzini concerning plans for World War III.

"The Third World War must be fomented by taking advantage of the differences caused by the Illuminati between the political Zionists and the leaders of the Islamic World. The war must be conducted in such a way that Islam (Moslem World) and Political Zionism (the state of Israel) mutually destroy each other. Meanwhile, the other nations, once more divided on this issue, will be constrained to fight to the point of complete physical, moral, spiritual and economic exhaustion."

Presumably, at this point, the world would be so devastated by conflict that it would welcome a strong, omnipotent world government, controlling all aspects of life. By then, the upper echelon of the Illuminati would be in a strategic position to control this world government, secretly behind the scenes.

In other words, in order to create a one-world government you need to tear the world apart.

Divide and conquer.

There is a cabal of secret societies on this planet that have been manipulating human events to lead to a one-world government, to be controlled by them. This includes upper tiers of Freemasonry, the Illuminati, the Bilderberg Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Round Table, Skull and Bones, Knights of Malta, the Rosicrucian Order, and so forth. They presently control politics, finance, commerce and the media. Their ultimate goal is to control the world.

Those at the very top who control the Secret Cults have a common genetic bloodline that can be traced back to Sumer and Babylon. Their agenda includes establishing their bloodline into key posts of economic and political power. Throughout history, members of this chosen bloodline have been thrust into high positions of power, including royalty, clergy, politics, finance, etc. All 44 presidents of the USA are related. For example, Obama is a distant cousin of George Bush.

"There exists in our world today a powerful and dangerous secret cult. This cult is patronized and protected by the highest level of government officials in the world. Its membership is composed of those in the power centers of government, industry, commerce, finance, and labor. It manipulates individuals in areas of important public influence – including the academic world and the mass media. The Secret Cult is a global fraternity of a political aristocracy whose purpose is to further the political policies of persons unknown." from THE CIA AND THE CULT OF INTELLIGENCE by Victor Marchetti, former CIA operative

Powerful international bankers, such as the Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Warburgs, etc., are a central component of the Secret Cults. Their objective is to create and dominate a world monetary system, thereby gaining complete control over the economic and political aspect of the entire planet. Their plan revolves around central banks of the world, acting in concert, driven by secret agreements contrived among select-elite private individuals. Stepping stones to this objective already exist with the formation of the Federal Reserve System, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and so forth.

After Mazzini's death in 1872, Pike appointed an Italian banker and 33rd degree Mason named Adriano Lemmi (1822-1896), to succeed Mazzini and run the Secret Cult operations in Europe. Subsequently, Lemmi was succeeded by Lenin and Trotsky, then by Stalin. The nefarious activities of all these men were financed by British, German, French, and American international bankers; all dominated by Rothschild banking interests.

The Secret Cults started with the Mystery Schools of ancient Babylon, perhaps even long before that, and are still with us today. The thirst for power and greed never ends. Secrecy is necessary to cover up their corruption. Misinformation is necessary to manipulate the masses. Conflict is necessary to create fear. War is necessary to justify the need for strong centralized rule.

Follow the money.

Connect the dots.

There is no freedom in this world. We are being manipulated and enslaved by powerful elitists who meet secretly to make decisions that affect our personal lives and the fate of Planet Earth.

The first step toward preventing enslavement is to recognize it is taking place.
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Quote for the day – "Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives." John Lennon
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Saturday, November 15, 2008

Confronting a Bully

When I was seven years old, I found myself under the constant attack of a neighborhood bully who was two years older and twice my size. One day he pushed me too far and I punched him in the nose. Nailed him real good. My next course of action was to make a swift retreat back to my house.

Several hours later, the bully’s mother showed up at our front door. My mother, who is part bobcat and doesn't take any crap from anyone, answered the door while I lingered nearby, safely out of sight. The bully’s mother handed my mother a fresh apple pie, intended for me, and told my mother that anytime I felt compelled to hit her son it was just fine with her.

From that day on, I never had any trouble with the bully again.

I suspect I had gained an ounce of respect from him because I stood up to him. But it was a hollow victory because he just went on to bully others, while I went on to encounter the next bully in line.

According to the US Department of Education, 18 million kids have reported being bullied by other kids. It’s estimated that 160,000 children skip school daily because of a bully. Statistically, one out of four bullies will be jailed by age thirty. Some of the lifelong consequences of having been a victim of bullying include anxiety, depression and even suicide.

Sending your children to government-controlled public schools is like sending the chickens to mingle with the chicken hawks.

Most of the teenagers who have gone on shooting sprees in their schools complained that their victims had been picking on them until they couldn’t take it anymore.

Kids who join gangs, particularly in big cities, probably do so to protect themselves from the bullying of others. But joining a gang only exacerbates the problem by creating bully gangs instead of bully individuals.

Years ago, I lived near a family in Arizona with two teenage boys who vandalized property, harassed neighbors, stole things, tormented teachers and even beat up their mother once. The parents always had an excuse – boys will be boys. It never occurred to the parents that they were the problem. They always blamed the victims for picking on their dear lads.

Human behavior is both genetic and environmental. We are born with a certain disposition and are also a product of what we learn along the way. We are products of products. Sometimes, we even become what we swore we would never be.

There’s no doubt that human beings have certain traits at birth. Some babies are mellow and sweet, while others can be described as rambunctious or even devilish. These basic personalities tend to remain throughout a lifetime. Anyone who has raised a litter of puppies understands this concept. Almost invariably, the aggressive puppies remain aggressive and the meek remain meek. The same is true with human beings.

I suspect most bullies are the product of either overly-strict parenting or a total lack of parenting. In both cases, the child suffers from a lack of proper control.

With overly-strict parents, the child becomes outraged because of the injustice (psychological abuse) perpetrated against them. They strike out at others because they're helpless at home. And they strike out at others because their parents strike out at them, thereby teaching their children that in order to get your way you must overpower or inflict pain on others.

With parents who don’t provide even minimal guidance, the child feels unwanted and unloved. Neglected children become heartless adults. Children who are allowed to do anything with impunity expect to do the same as adults. Spoiled children become spoiled adults. Essentially, without positive role-modeling and appropriate discipline, children are programmed to be rotten kids who later become rotten adults.

In both cases, these children are victims of their upbringing. Some are able to deal with it and overcome it, while others become victimizers, also known as bullies, and seek revenge for the cruelties that had been perpetrated on them by perpetrating cruelties on others, particularly on the innocent and defenseless.

Bullies have always been with us. Dealing with them is no simple matter. If you fight back, you’re attempting to solve a wrong with a wrong and, in most cases, will only get injured. Plus, you can turn the other cheek only so many times. Running away is rarely a solution because you're only delaying the inevitable confrontation. And reporting them to higher authorities will almost always backfire. It’s a no-win situation.

All bullies are cowards. They're angry at someone or something they cannot overcome so they pick on the weak and delight in upsetting others. They're getting even with the world by hurting someone who can't hurt them back.

Don’t allow a bully to control your emotions. Be strong, firm and resolute. Don't lower yourself to your adversary's level. Your dignity under duress will be much more powerful than reacting to a jerk who wants you to react.

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Quote for the Day – "If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten." George Carlin
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Thursday, November 13, 2008

Fallen Beings

Men are fallen beings. The wheelbarrow was invented so they could walk on their hind legs.

Women are fallen beings. The pedestal was invented to give them a better view and a place to be seen.

Being in love is a fallen state. That’s why it’s called “falling” in love.

Fallen beings often fall in love. But the odds of a fallen being finding a compatible mate are about the same as finding Jimmy Hoffa in a talkative mood.

Falling in love is only a starting point. When looking for someone to spend the rest of your life with, for better or worse, there are many factors to take into account.

1) The Chemistry Factor – You should be physically attracted to your mate and your mate should be physically attracted to you. If both conditions don’t exist, you’d be better off mating with a beach ball.

2) The Intelligence Factor – Two potential mates should have the same general intellect. If one is smart and the other is a dunderhead, there’s no common ground. Intellectual pursuits and professional wrestling don’t mix.

3) The Social Factor – One mate wants to mingle with the rest of the world, while the other one wants to hang around the house and talk to house plants. Inevitably, the mingler will hook up with another mingler, abandoning the homebody to mingle as a single.

4) The Money Factor -- One mate spends money like it grows on trees and the other one saves pennies in a jar. This will cause a serious clash, followed by a Chapter 7, and ending with a separation to cheaper digs for both.

5) The Ambition Factor – One mate is ambitious and the other is a couch potato. The ambitious mate will soon be driven to greener pastures by their work ethic. The couch potato will get to keep the couch.

6) The Personality Factor – One mate is an introvert and the other is an extravert. Sometimes the introvert will simply go insane but it will go unnoticed. Extraverts can’t help being obnoxious. Many of them move to California and try to get into show business. Those who stay behind often become lawyers or preachers.

7) The Pet Factor – Dog people belong with dog people. Cat people belong with cat people. Those without pets belong with other pet-less people. Bird people may belong with other people, except with cat people who should only belong with other cat people. Goldfish people should remain single.

8) The Sports Factor – Men love football. Women love figure skating. Women who love football are highly compatible with men. Men who love figure skating but don’t like football should be required to move to France.

9) The Tidy Factor – If one mate is neat-nick and the other mate is a slob, the neat-nick will eventually have a nervous breakdown. Normally, the slob is a man. If the slob is a woman, it’s likely she’s going through a hormonal phase or she’s a Capricorn.

10) The Humor Factor – If one mate is a wisecracking jokester and the other one has no sense of humor, the only communication possible will be loud, angry, incoherent or nonexistent. If one mate likes sophisticated political satire and the other one likes the Three Stooges, they belong on different planets.

11) The Values Factor – A couple should possess the same general set of values. If one mate gets a thrill out of bashing mailboxes while the other one is off doing voluntary charity work, the odds of the relationship lasting are about the same as the odds of remaining unscathed after bashing the county sheriff’s mailbox.

12) The Toilet Seat Factor – One mate leaves the toilet seat up on occasion while the other mate insists it be put down. Mostly it’s women who want it down. Men who want it down have deep psychological problems.

Other factors include religious, political, sexual, children, occupation, music, etc. The list goes on and on.

Falling in love is easy. So is falling off a cliff. Like falling in love, the end result can be rather unpleasant if you mess with the wrong cliff. A happy landing always depends on many factors that go unnoticed until after you've taken the plunge.

Men and women are fallen beings yearning for intimate companionship, hoping to find the right mate and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, ever after often ends in about five years.

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Quote for the Day – "I almost dated a psychic woman once, but she dumped me before we met." Bret
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Downfall of Civilization

ROLLERBALL was a futuristic movie made in 1975 that had multiple layers of deep meaning far beyond the brutal sport it portrayed. It depicted a future, supposedly the year 2018 AD, in which global corporations rule the world. Countries no longer exist and the sport of Rollerball was designed by the corporations to defeat individuality.

James Caan played the lead role as a Rollerball player who becomes the sport’s leading star. The corporate executives don’t like him because he is becoming bigger than the game itself, which was created to numb the masses into a corporate mindset of teamwork and cooperation.

To make matters worse, the Rollerball star begins to question his role in the grand scheme of life. He even visits a facility that houses the world computer system in an attempt to learn how the corporations had come to power.

According to the man in charge of the computer, they're having a problem with history because they can’t find the 13th century. He doesn’t seem too concerned though, as he claims the only important things about that century were Dante and a couple of corrupt Popes.

Unable to get any coherent answers from the computer, the Rollerball star wonders why so many people prefer creature comforts to freedom. Even though the corporations provide things that everyone seems to need, very few people appear to be contented with their existence.

When the corporate executives attempt to get the Rollerball star to retire from the sport, he refuses. He realizes they have controlled his entire life and he isn’t about to give in to them.

He stands alone, an individual in a society of human robots, defying the very authority that helped make him rich and famous.

While the game of Rollerball had some exciting scenes of excessive sports mayhem, it only served as a metaphor for the larger issue of the human tragedy of choosing comfort and security over freedom and individuality.

We are engaged in a great internal struggle for freedom in America, as we continue on a slow descent into becoming a police state in the name of national security. Those in power continue to consolidate more control by manipulating the masses into the false belief that additional government involvement and intervention is the solution rather than the problem.

One of the next steps will be National ID Cards. And when those in power discover that the ID cards don’t work well, we will all be required to have a “mark” placed in our right hand or forehead. And those who refuse the mark will be outcasts, unable to participate in society, with only their dignity intact.

Ironically, the Energy Corporation of Houston was the team James Caan played for in the 1975 movie. That bit of movie magic has a familiar ring to it as Enron Corporation of Houston went through the largest corporate bankruptcy in history a couple of decades later.

By the way, another version of ROLLERBALL hit the movie screens in 2002. Larry Ferguson, one of the writers on the project, is an old friend of mine from my days in Los Angeles as a fellow struggling screenwriter, back in the early 80s. Larry won a Golden Globe for the screenplay adaptation of THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. He is also the screenwriter of such movies as THE PRESIDIO, BEVERLY HILLS COP II, ALIEN III, HIGHLANDER, MASTER AND COMMANDER, and many others. Needless to say, he is no longer struggling.

Global corporations are not the problem. They exist merely to serve the appetite of the masses. If they have enslaved us, we have enslaved ourselves.

Human complacency in the face of declining individual liberty will be the downfall of civilization.

Too many people prefer to be treated like farm animals, safely corralled and well fed, than to be free.

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Quote for the Day – "Anyone who would give up some of their freedom in the name of security is entitled to neither." Benjamin Franklin
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Sunday, November 9, 2008

The War To End All Wars

The war to end all wars officially ended at 11:00 o’clock on the morning of November 11, 1918 -- the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

It would later be called World War I.

The following year, November 11 was set aside in the United States as Armistice Day, in memory of those who participated in World War I in order to ensure a lasting peace.

In 1938, Armistice Day became a federal holiday.

The following year, World War II erupted.

In 1953, Armistice Day was changed to Veteran’s Day as a gesture meant to honor all of those who served their country in war and peace.

In 1971, the second Monday in November was declared to be the official federal holiday for Veteran’s Day. However, most Americans recognize November 11 as the day of observance, often holding ceremonies at 11:00 in the morning.

Both of my grandfathers were conscripted into the US Army during World War I. One of them served as a cook at an Army base in New Jersey and the other served as a clerk in Illinois.

My father was conscripted into the US Army during World War II. He started as a private and was mustered out as a first lieutenant after spending four years at various Army Air Force bases as a flight instructor.

I was drafted into the US Army during what was referred to as the Vietnam Conflict and served two years at Third Army Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, as a data processing analyst.

None of the men in my family enlisted voluntarily, but we all served honorably and went back to our civilian occupations after we were discharged. Ironically, none of us ever left the states to participate in the action either.

Men and women who join the Armed Forces know the risks when they enlist. Many of them make it a career. But those who are called to duty through the civilian draft make a much bigger sacrifice. Their young lives are interrupted for an extensive period of time, always in the most perilous of circumstances. Not all will survive.

It’s difficult to put a value on several years of the prime of your life. If the noble effort of those called to duty helps to preserve freedom, it’s worth the sacrifice. But if the cause is not righteous, it's an abomination.

The following list reflects the number of Americans who gave their lives for their country.

American Revolution (1775-1783) – 4,435 dead
War of 1812 (1812-1815) – 2,260 dead
Mexican War (1846-1848) – 13,283 dead
Civil War (1861-1865) – 558,052 dead
Spanish American War (1898) – 2,446 dead
World War I (1914-1918) – 116,708 dead
World War II (1939-1945) – 407,316 dead
Korean Police Action (1950-1953) – 33,651 dead
Vietnam Conflict (1957-1975) – 58,168 dead
Gulf War (1991) – 293 dead
War on Terrorism (2001-????) – in progress

America has had a long, bloody history. Far too many souls have perished in the quest to preserve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Unfortunately, the world is populated by a small percentage of self-centered people who thirst for power in order to impose their will on others. Some of those who manage to bully their way to the top have malicious agendas, such as ethnic cleansing, suppression of human rights, confiscation of property, and so forth. The most vicious of these human maggots are willing to exterminate others based on race, religion, social status, etc. Such evil must be stopped whatever the cost.

Perhaps someday the human race will reach a higher plane of collective consciousness and rise above such foolishness as war.

Until then, the war to end all wars has yet to be fought.

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Quote for the Day – "The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions." Robert Lynd
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Friday, November 7, 2008

Great Balls of Fire

A couple years ago, a bolt of lightning struck an oak tree in my parents yard, about 20 feet outside the window where my mother was standing at the time. She told me it was very loud and the whole room became a bright pink.

A neighbor across the street witnessed the strike. There was an explosion, followed by a gigantic ball of fire, followed by a huge puff of smoke.

The tree was totally destroyed, scattered into pieces across the entire front yard. Being very particular about the appearance of his landscape, my father immediately made an emergency phone call to his tree people to remove the debris before any neighbors could get a glimpse of the ghastly sight.

This was the fourth time in the 16 years my parents have lived in that same house, in a retirement village in northern Arkansas, whereby a tree in their yard has been hit by lightning. Apparently, whatever message Mother Nature is trying to convey to them hasn’t sunk in yet.

Lightning is a very dangerous natural occurrence, much like an unexpected visit from my ex-wife.

A lightning bolt can generate between 100 million and one billion volts of electricity. Temperatures in the channel (bolt) can exceed 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the surface of the sun.

On a daily average, the earth experiences 44,000 thunderstorms which produce 8,000,000 lightning strikes.

In the United States alone, lightning strikes cause approximately 150 deaths per year, plus some $20,000,000 in property damage, and ignite 10,000 forest fires destroying $30,000,000 worth of marketable timber.

During a lightning storm, the safest spot indoors is away from electrical appliances and plumbing. Other safe places are in your vehicle or on the moon.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, a National Park Ranger in Virginia named Roy Cleveland Sullivan has been struck by lightning seven times.

In 1942, Sullivan was struck by lightning and lost his big toenail.

In 1969, a bolt of lightning burned Sullivan’s eyebrows off.

In 1970, a bolt of lightning seared Sullivan's shoulder.

In 1972, Sullivan’s hair was set on fire by a lightning strike.

On August 7, 1973, while driving his car, a bolt of lightning hit Sullivan on the head, through his hat, setting his hair on fire once again. The strike knocked him ten feet out of his car, went through both legs and knocked his shoes off.

On June 5, 1976, Sullivan was struck a sixth time, hurting his ankle.

On June 25, 1977, Sullivan was fishing when struck a seventh time by lightning. He was hospitalized with burns on his stomach and chest.

Two of Sullivan’s Ranger hats, burned through the crown by lightning strikes, are on display in Guinness World Exhibit Halls – one in New York City and the other in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The Guinness people would be more than happy to list anyone in their Book of World Records who manages to be struck by lightning eight (or more) times. If pursuing the record, you'll need a witness or two to verify the incident and be sure to save articles of shredded clothing. Plus, you must actually survive all eight strikes. It doesn’t count if you expire during one of the strikes and your friends drag your body outside during a storm with a lightning rod attached to your butt.

Some people who have been struck by lightning lose their memory of the event. There are several signs that may provide a clue.

1) Your face looks like you fell on a barbecue grill
2) The only hair you have left is a couple of strands stuck between your teeth
3) You have an overwhelming urge to do the Tango, with no music playing
4) The only piece of clothing you’re wearing that isn’t smoldering is your left sock
5) You believe you just had a conversation with Elvis
6) You smell like Cheech and Chong's couch
7) The first words out of your mouth form a smoke ring
8) You had the most brilliant idea ever conceived by mankind, then quickly forgot it
9) You believe you were a spark plug in a previous life
10) You decide to run for President

Lightning is nature’s way of letting us know we’re not in charge. If you don’t believe me, fasten a lightning rod to the top of your head and stand outside during the next thunderstorm.

And be sure to say “hi” to Elvis.

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Quote for the Day – "Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire." Jerry Lee Lewis
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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Anguish of Taps

In the spring of 1966, I was drafted into the US Army during what was referred to as the Vietnam Conflict. They never did call it a war – apparently, they didn’t want to alarm the civilians.

I did my Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, fondly referred to as the armpit of the world. I was taught the basic Army skills, like standing in line, doing squat thrusts, cleaning toilets and obeying psychotic drill sergeants with bad breath.

After eight irritating weeks of Basic, I was stationed at Third Army Headquarters at Ft. McPherson in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ft. McPherson was a fairly pleasant place, primarily a golf course and an Officer’s Club. The office complex was occupied by throngs of senior officers, including an assortment of generals, no doubt making key decisions like deciding what color to paint the new squash courts and how many soldiers it should take to screw in a light bulb.

I had four years of college and had been a computer programmer when I was drafted so I was assigned to the Third Army Data Processing Company where I was issued a blue pencil and given the title of Data Processing Analyst. I was even given a Top Secret security clearance because I would have access to sensitive information and spent the remainder of my two-year commitment working night shift, along with a few other analysts, for a civilian employee.

My duties consisted mainly of coding certain data items on classified documents that were subsequently forwarded to another department where the coded information was then keypunched onto IBM cards. The IBM cards were then fed into a large container of vacuum tubes, laughingly referred to as a computer, which took a great deal of pleasure in consuming IBM cards and spitting them out the other end as mangled debris.

Basically, events in Vietnam had little effect on my fellow analysts and me. We just did our jobs and counted the days until we could go back into the civilian world and utilize all the wonderful skills the Army taught us.

But every now and then, we were required to perform extra duties. One such duty was funeral detail. The family of every diseased soldier is entitled to a military funeral and requests were frequent in those days.

It takes 17 soldiers to perform a military funeral. Six soldiers carry the casket, two of whom fold the flag draped over the coffin and hand it to an officer who then passes it on to a family member. Seven soldiers stand at attention off in the distance, waiting to give a 21-gun salute, along with a sergeant to give the orders. Finally, a bugler lingers nearby to play Taps, often out of sight, while the driver usually waits at the bus.

I participated in many funeral details, each one a supremely sad ordeal.

One was in a tiny family graveyard, in the middle of the woods, in the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. We were the first to arrive, about half an hour early. The area was totally deserted. At first, we thought we were in the wrong place. There were often occasions where there were more soldiers performing the ceremony than people in attendance.

But soon, spectators began to trickle in.

By the time the proceedings started, there must have been over three thousand people crammed in the small clearing, all mourning the loss of one of their own. We wondered where they had all come from since we saw very few signs of civilization on the way in. Whoever we were burying would certainly be missed.

The most gut-wrenching experience took place on top of Lookout Mountain, outside of Chattanooga, in an old Civil War Cemetery. Several hundred people attended. It was an incredibly quiet day, not a breath of wind. The whole place seemed almost haunted.

The service was performed flawlessly, the flag folded and presented to the family.

As usual, I was one of the seven soldiers standing in line, waiting to give the 21-gun salute. Even though we were at least fifty yards away, we could hear a tremendous sorrow overtaking the audience. Several women began to wail uncontrollably.

We went through our paces and fired off three volleys, a 21-gun salute, then stood at attention.

After a couple of seconds of silence, the bugler started playing Taps. It was the most beautiful version I had ever heard. It sounded like it came directly from heaven. A shiver went down my spine as I tried to remain at attention.

In the background, the sound of mass anguish became overwhelming. It seemed like the entire audience had burst out crying. Some moaned loudly as if they too wanted to die.

When Taps ended, there wasn’t a dry eye on that mountaintop, including those of us putting on the show.

To this day, I can’t listen to Taps without dwelling on that moment of grief and wondering how many others like it mankind must endure before we learn to live in harmony.

War is hell.

So are conflicts.

Especially to loved ones back home.

November 11 is Veteran's Day. Take a few moments out of your life on that glorious day to stand at attention, in silence, to honor all those who died on your behalf.

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Quote for the Day – "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." John F. Kennedy
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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Kids and Marriage

A woman always has the last word in any argument, while anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

A woman marries a man expecting he will change but he doesn’t, while a man marries a woman expecting she won’t change but she does.

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband, while a man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

Apparently, men are from Mars and women are from a place where toilet seats are always in the down position. These differences don’t go unnoticed by kids, as demonstrated in the following survey sent to me by a former high school classmate.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY?

Alan, age 10 – You got to find someone who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.

Kirsten, age 10 – No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before and you get to find out later who you’re stuck with.

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

Camille, age 10 – Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.

Freddie, age 6 – No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married.

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

Derrick, age 8 – You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

Lori, age 8 – Both don’t want any more kids.

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

Lynnette, age 8 – Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.

Martin, age 10 – On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

Craig, age 9 – I’d run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

Pam, age 7 – When they’re rich.

Curt, age 7 – The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn’t mess with that.

Howard, age 8 – The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It’s the right thing to do.

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

Theodore, age 8 – I don’t know which is better, but I’ll tell you one thing. I’m never going to have sex with my wife. I don’t want to be all grossed out.

Anita, age 9 – It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN’T GET MARRIED?

Kelvin, age 8 – There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn’t there?

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Ricky, age 10 – Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck.

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Quote for the Day – "A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five." Groucho Marx
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Saturday, November 1, 2008

The Journey is the Destination

It takes 25,627 years for the solar system to complete a full circle through all 12 constellations of the Zodiac. This movement is called the Precession of the Equinoxes. One complete 360 degree cycle of the 12 constellations is the length of an Astrological Age.

On December 21, 2012, at 11:11 Universal Time, there will be a precise alignment of the Sun with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy (our Galaxy). At that moment, the Earth, the Sun, the star cluster Pleiades and of the center of our Galaxy will be in exact alignment. Thus, the current Astrological Age of 25,627 years will have been completed.

The Mayan civilization was extremely advanced. Their calendar was calibrated to 365.242129 days per year, compared to our Gregorian calendar which contains 365.2425 days per year.

The Mayan calendar:

20 days = 1 Mayan month
18 Mayan months, plus 5 unlucky days = 1 year (365 days)
20 years = 7,200 days = 1 Katun (19 years & 73 days)
20 Katun = 144,000 days = 1 Baktun (394 years & 52 days)
13 Baktuns (144,000 days each) = 1 Great Age (5,125.4 years).
5 Great Ages = 65 Baktuns = 1 Astrological Age (25,627 years)

The previous Great Age ended on August 10 (my birthday) in 3114 BC. The current Great Age, which is also the last of five Great Ages within the current Astrological Age, ends on December 21, 2012.

The current Mayan Calendar ends on December 21, 2012.

Many people believe this date will be the culmination of human spiritual evolution where humanity will become transformed into an elevated state of cosmic consciousness.

The Galactic Spin Cycle is based on the harmonic mathematics of the Mayan calibrations. It's a 260-day cycle of human evolutionary awakening predicated on our sacred relationship to time. Every 260 days, we complete another Galactic Spin cycle. This sacred 9-month cycle of spiritual unfolding also corresponds with the human gestation period.

November 4, 2008, is the final day of the present Galactic Spin Cycle -- Yellow Cosmic Day, Kin 260.

Ironically, it's also national election day in the USA.

November 5, 2008, is the first day of the next Galactic Spin Cycle – Red Magnetic Dragon Day, Kin 1.

With each new Galactic Spin Cycle, the human race journeys through another set of 260 sacred permutations of creation energy where we travel through the same 260 frequencies of dynamism of the ascending evolutionary Spiral. Deeper layers of synchronicity are being revealed and realized.

Each new Galactic Spin Cycle is an opportunity for self-reflection and correction.

Each new Galactic Spin Cycle is an invitation from the Great Mystery to get your act together.

There are six Galactic Spin Cycles until December 21, 2012.

Don't blow it.
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Quote for the Day – "When the Knock of Spirit sounds we follow or perish" Carlos Castaneda (Shaman)
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