SELLING RELIGION DOOR TO DOOR: JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

It is not my habit to be rude to anyone.  A few weeks ago two women came to my door.  The peephole showed me pamphlets so I knew what they were about.  I chose to open my door and speak with them.  While there is no one who can talk me into believing the Bible, that does not prove their is nothing I can be taught.  I was interested in what these two women might say to my challenges to their religion-speak.  We exchanged views and they left as unchanged in their views as I was in mine, though it had (surprisingly to me) been an interesting exchange and, like all have previously been with super religious people, I come away from the talk marveling at how someone can have so much faith in something I can't believe.  I envy their leaving so much choice to faith but would feel powerless and naked if I tried to emulate that faith.

A few days ago one of the same women knocked on my door.  She was accompanied by a younger woman than before who, through her stillness, was clearly 'breaking in'.  I was pleased to see the familiar face..  I explained that I could not find the passage she had wanted me to read so I she gave me a new one.  She remembered our conversation as she told me that it was good to question and that the Scriptures tell us that.  Part of my feedback was that I could not understand why I need confirmation from the scriptures that it was okay to ask while yet there were no answers to my questions.  Going on to say to them that the Bible was not helpful to me, that I didn't need the Ten Commandments from it as I followed them on my own principles.  I do nothing to hurt people; and try to follow the laws of my country, state, and city, while making no promises that I didn't intend to keep, and live by the Golden Rule..

Later, in relating this visit to another, I was informed he would have slammed the door on them, they would have been told get off his porch.  He seems to have little time for ideas not his own.  This is the antithesis of the way I live.  I listen to all people's ideas (at least once) and am constantly rethinking my own views, though at my age I pretty much know in what I believe and how I choose to live my life. There is no understanding for me as to why one would choose to do door-to-door attempts to educate people who do not solicit the teaching.  It was not necessary to suggest how wasted I see their lives when they could be doing so much to help people who needed it, wanted it, and would benefit from it.  Nevertheless, I will continue to respond to people who are doing their service to their church whether it is Mormon, Unification, Jehovah's Witness or any other.  If they think they have the answer, they must face someone who feels the knowledge of another truth.  The difference between us is that I don't have to leave my home to do it! I do not need to prove to God, through people not in contact with a God, that I live as I choose, think as I choose, and fear no negative consequences in their 'after-life'.

NAIVE COMMENTS ON THE GREEK ECONOMY

Greece is a very small country with more of its people living in Australia than in Greece.  In the early 1900s, many Greeks emigrated to the USA to try to send money back to their families in the homeland, just as many other countrymen have fled their homeland for their families' survival.

To read more about Greece, the country from its origins to date, read the wikipedia description.  There are many links so gauge your time spent on it accordingly.

Since the world has become so small,  the failure of the Greek economy would seriously impinge on the credibility of the European Central Bank and Euroland as a whole.

Should it surprise anyone that a little that has envied the USA's wealth was taken advantage of by Wall St. and sub-prime mentality?  As with the US, incompetent leaders,  they gave at the office of the Wall St snake oil salesmen.  Since World War II, they have been owed restitution from Germany but have yet to receive what would be life-saving to them now.  Adding insult to injury, however, the Athens News published a story that lends more detail to this situation, click here.

HOW IN THE WORLD CAN REPUBLICANS IN POVERTY AND WITHOUT JOBS SUPPORT THEIR PARTY?

SNL ( Saturday Night Live) had a great skit the other day.  Presumably it was past presidents advising Obama about the economy.  There were many funny lines but, to me, one of the funniest was 'GW' commenting that he had put the Iraq war on a credit card and no one told him the would be 28%  Like many Americans who charge heavily and haven't read the fine print.  There are more charges that can be added on than most people could imagine in their worst nightmare.  Did the banks really think that people wouldn't finally wise up and balk at being raped forever?

Ben Franklin used to say "A penny earned is a penny saved."  Today, a penny earned may be taxed several pennies by the time all claims by the government on that penny have been fulfilled.  Nevertheless, we have allowed our politicians to set up a system to perpetuate their freedom from worry about their constituents.  They get elected by clever lies and marketing techniques...possibly cheating with competent computer hackers.  They make sure they get their benefits while caring naught for the people without whom this country really could not run.

Sarah Palin said, on the Leno show, that the media is broken.  That is why, she explained, she has signed up with Fox News, to be Fair and Balanced!  Then she did a stand up comic routine that could never top the ludicrousness of her previous statement.  Yet so many people (even Romney) say she is wonderful.  We need to invent a machine to reprogram the brains of these people who have lost sight of why they were elected to office, the principles they are expected to uphold, and to reacquaint them with the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the United States.

Leno, like many new shows, enjoyed high ratings for his first few nights back on the Tonight Show.  I was not among them as I don't particular care for the man nor what he calls humor.  However, it will be interesting to see how long he will hold the spot.  He left it once...it may not be his choice the next time.

WATCH THIS JUNIOR SENATOR'S CAREER - HE BRINGS HONOR, GRIT, AND IDEAS BACK TO POLITICS

Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, in office only for a year so far, has come up with many positive ideas for making the Legislature work more relevant to the country.  An example he gave was to try to make the anonymous hold out to approving a nominee and forcing the politician to be known to the rest of the country.  His site for updates can be watched.  Click here.  He is the originator of the letter that 34 lawmakers have now signed to put the Public Option back in the HealthCare bill.

This Junior Senator was formerly a Superintendent of Schools where he was used to reacting to crises, handling budgets, thinking safety and security, and all that interestingly goes into public service.  He career one which reflected that her had not chosen a job in which greed was a factor or one that might have been realized.  It is amazing that he made it to Washington, seemingly on merits rather than dumping dollars from his own pocket as some have found ways to buy themselves a diving board to other lucrative opportunities.

You may wish to read some more on just who this bright light is as a junior Senator.  Click here.

THE POWER OF OBSTRUCTIONISM

At last a southern Senator, very Republican, has shown us how powerful a terrorist he can be to unemployed Americans.  He should have stayed with his great record as a baseball pitcher...he made the Hall of Fame there.

Today he would make the Hall of Shame in politics.  There is no need to blow up buildings when you can make more people suffer with malnutrition, bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosure, lack of medical care, and everything else they will have to endure as families with their usual breadwinners unemployed.  Meanwhile, 'marching-to-his-own-drummer-Senator Bunning of Kentucky, 

This former baseball played who did very well at the sport, becomes a poster boy for why sports successes don't always turn into political successes.  Did he ever get hit on the head by a pitcher's baseball throw gone wild?  He is certainly not thinking of his constituency or is dim-witted enough to think that hr can starve people today to ease the financial burden for tomorrow.

EARTHQUAKES

It is a quirk of human nas that when things are bad we do not remember them as having been so bad before.  I thought there were more earthquakes than ever before in a year but have come to realize that is probably not so.  It is just that the world has gotten so small, we get instant media coverage and feel as though we are seeing what we have never seen before (probably true but not that it hasn't happened before).

There is a wonderful site that lists twenty years of world earthquakes, location, and numbers killed by them.
Click here.

It proves that no place is really safe in this world from the dangers that Nature offers.  We suffer avalanches, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, lightning, mudslides, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and wildfires.  National  Geographic has described these pictorially exceptionally graphically.  For example, wildfires:  There are three conditions that need to be present in order for a wildfire to burn, which firefighters refer to as the fire triangle: fuel, oxygen, and a heat source.


For anyone who is interested in all of them, read this article.

A REPUBLICAN LAWYER/MOTHER SPEAKING ON WHY MARIJUANA SHOULD BE LEGALIZED

This is an example of a Republican with the ability to use her common sense, knowledge, and maternal instinct to reason something out rather than follow fellow Republicans as though they are the Pied Piper.  I need to thank the person who commented on yesterday's blog for this YouTube site.

The major 'news' channels should take note of how many people have begun to get their real news from YouTube.  Read the pros and cons on this site.
It is important to note the listed cons.

The reasons for saying no are somewhat ludicrous and are clearly not researched.  Comments in parentheses are mine)

1. Marijuana is often used as a stepping-stone drug, leading to heroin, cocaine, or other harder drugs.(when is often a sufficient reason to prevent the all from their participation>)
2. Stoned driving and other dangers would be increased.  (Do these people know how readily available illegal marijuana is?  Anyone who wants it gets it, they just have to pay more and support the illegal and violent drug cartels)
3. Some consider use of the drug as morally wrong.(The answer is:  They don't have to smoke it.  I don't consider it morally wrong but I don't use marijuana anyway)
4. Legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of kids.
5. Because of drug-related arrests, people who have committed or are likely to commit more serious crimes can be taken off the streets.(This probably wouldn't happen...even it were true...because users wouldn't be paying exorbitant rates for it requiring them to consider alternative ways in which to obtain it.) 
6. Physical damage would be done to users that abuse the drug.(Another unproven statement)
7. More widespread use would increase the dangers of secondhand smoke-damage to bystanders.(Tsk-tsk...what are bystanders who don't smoke doing around the smokers anyway?)

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