Celebrating Birthdays

For those of you that know me, you know that it's not the day that I was brought into this world by my parents. But it is a date of great significance to me, on two counts. 

The first date was May 5, 1975. That was the day on which I was baptized into Jesus Christ for the remission of my sins. That was my rebirth, the beginning of my spiritual journey. Wow, that was 50 years ago. 

The second date was May 5, 2021. For a long time I had been having a lot of trouble with shortness of breath. My personal care physician kept saying that I just needed to exercise and lose weight. But then it got really bad to where I could barely walk to the mailbox and back. So I told him to order some more extensive testing and he referred me to a cardiologist. After a few tests and a heart cath, I was scheduled for a triple bypass. Two of the three arteries they would be replacing were 100% blocked, one of which was the one they call the "Widow Maker". So, four years ago on this date I had what we might call my physical rebirth, because I was given a new life.

Memes I Like

Climate Change

No, I'm not talking about what the mainstream media and the liberal left are labelling as "Climate Change". That may become a topic for a future post (you can probably already figure what my opinion is on that).

What I'm talking about is a "change in climate" that involves people and not the "climate environment".

On April 2, 2025, 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, a high school student, was fatally stabbed while attending a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas, United States. A 17-year-old School student from another high school was arrested in connection with the stabbing and charged with first-degree murder. I think that the mainstream media is trying to blame the stabbing on the young man who was killed.

I saw this photo on my Facebook feed this morning:

Terrence K Williams posted on Facebook this morning, "Let’s say Austin was a Bully. Kids fight at school all the time. We have all come across bullies, but you don’t stab another kid at school." 

When I was in high school, this kind of thing was unheard of. There were fights among students. I sadly must confess that I remember being in a fight behind the barns (a "temporary" classroom structure that was around for decades) with another student. I don't even remember what the fight was about now, but do remember that we became friends, and later a fellow brother in Christ. But I do not remember any reports of stabbings, or even shootings at schools. And I can remember seeing gun racks in pickup trucks that had guns in them in the parking lot. And I believe that I remember seeing some students carrying knives (sheathed of course). But again, no stabbings or shootings. Only occasional black eyes, bruises and loose or missing teeth.

And here is where the "climate change" comes into play.  Today, you hear about such things every single day! And the incidents are much more violent, with serious injuries and even death. Why? What has changed between then and now?

Well, I may not have the answers to those questions, but I do have some ideas about contributing factors. Note that this is not something that has just happened suddenly. It has been slowly developing over the span of many years.

1. An abandonment of morality. For the longest time, there were things that were not done, not said and not discussed. Today, nothing is taboo.  Everything is openly done, said and discussed. And it almost seems that most of it is being endorsed, recommended and even forced.
2. A decline in the respect for authority. You just never talked back to your parents, your teachers, the school administrators and police officers. If you did that to your parents, you got a switch or a belt. If you did that to your teachers or school administrators, they all had paddles that they were not afraid to use (you probably created them in shop class for the teachers). And if you did that to a police officer, you were likely taken downtown in a police car.
3. A decline in the respect for life. People used to care about life. Abortions may have been performed, but you really didn't hear a lot about it. When you had an argument with another individual, you didn't pick up a knife or a gun. At the most, you might have a fight.
4. The failure of those in political positions, in legislative positions and in judicial positions to actually act in accordance with the position to which they were elected or appointed. Sheriffs, mayors, governors, and presidents decided which laws were to be enforced and which were to be ignored. Law enforcement officers were prohibited from enforcing the law. Legislators spend more time 
5. The failure of "mainstream media" to actually just report the news. They are more commentators than journalists. I just can't out of my mind the picture of the "reporter" covering a riot.  He was standing in front of an area of the city that was aflame, and people were breaking store windows and looting the stores. His comment was that this was "mostly peaceful." Actual facts are no longer important.

These are but just a few of possible causes. But there are actually two which may just be the basis for all of the above that I did not mention: Parents not raising their kids (and not being responsible for them), and religion being removed from the lives of both adults and kids.

Getting Old

Getting old is not exactly what I thought it would be. Of course, I remember looking at someone in their 40s and 50s and thinking how old they were. Well, now I look at them and think how young they are. You find yourself thinking back to the "old days". You're very likely to hear someone my age to say, "Well, when I was younger, we ..." and then we start telling you how it was back then Please don't get offended by what we say, that's just the way we are. We often just speak our minds. Just let us share our wisdom (from years of experience) with you.

Some of the effects of getting older (I'll be adding to these as my rambling thoughts bring them up):

• Our bones sometimes creak when we get up out from a sitting position.
• We don't always move as fast as we used to.
• We think a lot about the past.
• The music channels that we listen to frequently have the word "Oldies" included in the title.
• We can remember an event from 50 years ago, but sometimes have a little difficulty remembering your name.
• Our minds often have grandiose ideas of what we can do, but then our bodies tell us, "What in the world were you thinking?"
• We are prone to try to share our wisdom with you, so you might just need to nod and smile as we talk.

I'm at the age where the next day my body whispers to me don't do that again.

More to come ...

Phone Notifications

Don't you just love all those wonderful notifications that pop up at the top of your phone screen? And they are always so informative and timely, just like this one I got this morning -

Enough said for now ...

Dad Jokes

CONFUCIUS SAY

Man who run behind car get exhausted.

Man who run in front of car get tired. 🥠

Note to Self:

Do not sit on the floor without a plan on how to get back up.

It's okay if you disagree with me; I can't force you to be right.

Voter ID

What is the big deal about requiring people having to show their ID's when they vote? Your voting is confidential, so no one will know who you voted for unless you tell them (by voice or apparel). I have to show my ID every time I check-in at the doctor's office. I have to show my ID when I pick up some prescriptions at the pharmacy. Even at the grocery store when you purchase some products, you have to show your ID. When you write a check in a store (instead of using a credit card), you have to show your ID. There are so many things that require us to show an ID. 

Voting is one of the most important civil actions that we can perform as an individual. With something as important as this, wouldn't you think that you would want to have every voter authenticated before counting their vote? I think that many of the other things for which we are required to show a valid ID pale in comparison to the importance of our vote.

I have no problem in requiring me to show a valid ID before I cast my vote. Why is that such an issue with so many? I really think that they just don't want to have limits on the number of times and the number of places that they cast their votes. And that, my friend, is just downright criminal.

Government & Media Deception

Microsoft Copilot says:

Yes, lying in an official statement can be considered illegal under **18 U.S. Code § 1001**. This law prohibits knowingly and willfully making materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements in matters within the jurisdiction of the federal government. The falsehood must be "material," meaning it has the potential to influence the decision-making of the agency involved. 

This applies even if the statement is not made under oath. For example, public officials or individuals providing false information to federal agencies can face criminal charges under this statute. Let me know if you'd like to explore this further!

For years the Democrats and the leftist media have lied about the physical and mental condition of President Joe Biden. I think that they should be investigated and prosecuted for their cover-up of his competency to lead this country as President of the United States.

Aiding and Providing Assistance to Terrorist Organizations

 From Microsoft Copilot:

In the United States, aiding and providing assistance to a terrorist organization is a serious crime. Under **18 U.S. Code § 2339B**, it is illegal to knowingly provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. This includes offering training, financial aid, personnel, or other forms of assistance. Penalties can include fines, imprisonment of up to 20 years, or even life imprisonment if the support results in someone's death. 

The law is broad and has been used extensively in counterterrorism cases, even when the support provided was non-violent. 

Wouldn't bringing those belonging to designated terrorist groups into the U.S. be in violation of this federal law? And wouldn't anyone fighting against the deportation of such individuals also be considered as "aiding and providing assistance to a terrorist organization"?

Just asking for a friend ...

Supporting Terrorism

In the past, anyone caught engaged in terrorist activities would be arrested and charged with the appropriate crime. And, anyone supporting such would be arrested and charged with something like terrorist collaboration. Right?

The drug cartels and the gangs associated with them (such as MS13) have been designated as terrorist groups. Anyone associated with those organizations and anyone supporting the same are terrorists. 

Why then are they not being arrested and charged as terrorists?

Just let that sink in for a moment.