I'm fat, stupid, and ugly. I been called ignorant, lazy, living off the good will of others. I been called uneducated, a liar, a thief, and even a SOB. I've been called un bending, stubborn to a tee, and a fake. In my life I have been called these and many more names. It started as a child when I was called a "Thumb Sucker".
I was also called a baby, a dork, a dick, a penis head, an A hole, Martin Fartin, buck toothed, loud mouth, greaser, hippie and many more. I have been called many things by many people in my 56 years of living. My kids have told me that "I just don't understand", "I'm not fair", I play favorites, and that I really don't care about them. Kinda sounds like politics.
What is so great about it?
Recognition

Think on how many people in this world get ignored and shunned. I am blessed with recognition.
I know that there may be some people out there who think better of me and thats ok. It is more recognition.
I believe the more important thing is how I feel about you, what is in my heart, what God has blessed on my soul.

I truly, with God's help, do not hate anyone. Maybe I don't know you well enough, but I pray it is because God allows me to forgive others. Thank you God.

The cost of food has risen 35% over the last year. Here are the reason
1- too much rain
2- too little rain
3- perfect weather led to overabundance and no profit for the farmers
4-too much sunshine
5- too little sunshine
6- Storms
7- Insect
8- grain being used for ethenol

The price of gas can also use these excuses plus many more
1- Political climate
2- too much supply
3- too little supply
4- refineries being down
5- Neucular melt down in Japan...... yes that is right
6- Holidays and vacations
7- blah blah ,blah

Any other questions?

What irony, or what timing, anyway you look at it it has to make you chuckle. This week Governor Snyder signed a bill that would give emergency power to the state should a school district or city fail to handle their business properly. The state police swept down on the Muskegon Heights Board of Education, seized school records, and in turn fired two of it's employees for money missing. Muskegon Heights as a school system and a city are broken. They are the poster children for Gov. Snyder and his plan to turn things around. I know I have been a little rough on the right wing, but they were easy targets. Now lets see the left side of the aisle spin the problems in the Heights. Remember, the Heights Police is still under investigation for stuff missing from their evidence room. The heights School system has been rated as one of the worst in the state of Michigan. They also sit right next to one of the wealthiest school systems and cities, that being Norton Shore or the Mona Shores School system. What is wrong with that picture? Plenty and for those looking for an easy solution, this is not a race or color problem. This is the haves and the have nots. The heights as a community has dug it's own grave, and now needs to pull it together and maybe a program like Gov. Snyders might be the right thing.
Lets start small, both sides come together and fix Muskegon Heights. If you can't come together over one little city, how can we trust you with the whole state.

Idiots

There was a protest in Muskegon supposedly against Governor Snyder and the Republican party. I did not go. They had a tea party last summer, I did not go. I am a fence sitter. I am the scourge of America according to Rush. I don't care about America according to Rachael Maddow. These talking heads demand that I join their cause or I am lazy and unamerican. According to many, there cannot be a middle of the road. Let's put the word in review.

The rich want to tax the poor and the poor want to tax the rich. The retired want to tax the working class, and the working class wants to tax the retirees. The Republicans want pure Capitalism and the democrats want poor socialism. The Republicans want to keep out aliens and the liberals want to feed the world. The Republicans think that since they were elected, they now get to rule any way they like, and the Democrats want to reverse all the votes that didn't go their way. Everyone want to throw the baby out with the bath water except those of us sitting on the fence. Let me put the world into proper perspective.

There was a catastrophe like the world has never seen in Japan. Thousands of people have died, will die, and will be suffering for years.

There are uprisings in the middle east like the world has never seen. Thousands of people have died, will die and will be suffering for years.

According to the right wing, we can't help them. We don't have the money. We can't spend money that we don't have.

According to the left wing, we need to throw money at these problems with reckless abandon.

Now back in the states, we argue about capitalism, and unions while our children are under educated, people are starving and malnourished right here. We can't afford to give our own people reasonable health care and free education because we don't have the money.

Comon you idiots, come back to the fence. Come back to the middle. The view is much more simple and the people are less vocal. A straight tax on everyone, on all good and service, and everyone pay the same percentage, not amount. Everyone pay the same price for a bar of chocolates, or a 100 ft boat.. but that is too simple.

Praying for Japan

My son and daughter-in law live in Tokyo. Thanks for all the prayers as they are doing fine with only minor inconvenience's. Damn their government interference by making people build earthquake proof building in Tokyo. Damn their government interference by demanding earthquake drills and preparedness programs. Because of their government interference, many live were saved. I personally want to thank the Japanese government for their interference. Now their government run health care system is stepping up to the plate. Their Government disaster reaction make Bush's response to disaster look like a fire drill. They immediately asked for help from anyone, including the US military in which there is not a lot of love. They have said, To hell with the cost, people need help. Bravo Japan. I hope our right wing is watching.

Watching the rain fall makes me happy that warm weather will be here soon. It has been a long winter. The snow came early and often and we never saw it completely melt away. As I'm writing this, the rain has turned to snow and then back to rain. Old man winter does not want to give up. This type of day gives to time to sit back and think on what this year might bring. I ask questions like, What war will we be in next, how can we get America back to work, can the poor, working class, and senior citizens balance the budget for those who have it and don't want to share it? Will riots and civil unrest descend upon America like it has descended on the middle east, and how can we avoid it.
I think of those that have gone on before us. I miss my parents and their generation. Those were the days where one parent worked and the other stayed at home with the kids. The neighbor hoods were full of kids running and playing with sticks and their imaginations. We knew everyone on our block and strive to make it the best neighborhood. When it got dark out, you could hear mothers for miles around shouting for their kids to come home . Children were better behaved because there was a family unit. We may have had fight with our sibling, but no one else was allowed to pick on them. On Saturdays you could hear the radios with Tiger Baseball, while washing your car or mowing your yard.
"Those were the days my friend, we thought they would never end. We'd sing and dance, for ever and a day. We'd live the life we choose, we'd fight and never lose, those were the days, o yes those were the days."
Gone are the corner grocery stores, meat markets, barber shops and produce stands. Gone are the neighborhood block parties, the neighbors talking over the fence. Gone are the sounds of bed sheets flapping in the wind or block parties to welcome new people to the neighbor hood. Gone are the sound of baseball cards slapping on the spokes of a passing bicycler. Life back them was simple and hard, but we enjoyed it. Now we bitch about what is owed us, why the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Our great advancements don't come close to measuring up to the simple days of yesterday. We have lost far more then we have gained. My father always told me to use the KISS method. He was a wise man.
Here is a toast to 2011 and may we stop losing all that we had.

Has anyone noticed that after FRD, we changed from a democratic government and became a capitalistic government. A poor man will never get elected to public office. This was the reason we left England, remember the tea party, it was a protest against the rich, tea sipping self serving capitalism of the British Monarchy. I guess history is something to ignore.

If you disagree with that statement, let me simplify it for you. "MONEY TALKS, BULLSHIT WALKS". How about Harry Truman's'"The buck stops here". He was not talking metaphorically, but expressing an idea that government can be bought.

This is pointed at both parties. Not the Republican and the Democratic, but the other real parties, The Capitalistic Party and the Socialist Party. Who allowed this to happen? We the people. I fear that I am one of the few that still believe in democratic principles. Our system is broke, beyond repair and will only get worse if we stay the course. History, there is that bad word again, has showed us what will happen if we continue to want to rule the world, or buy it. The middle east capitalism has been cloaked by monarchies and dictatorship, but once that veneer is stripped away, the peoples eyes are opened and they start to rebel.

History shows that every empire that was ruled by capitalism has fallen. Britain controlled the trade routes of the world and look at what happened. That is only one example.

Socialism is not the answer either, because people have shown that this can be corrupted. The unions were suppose to be for the little man as was the democratic party, trying to break the grip that capitalism had on us. The unions were suppose to balance the books, but greed and corruption swung the balance to the "He who has money rules" side of the ledger.

We must decide, do we want to be ruled by "Big Brother" or do we want the richest people to make the decisions? Do we need government telling us how to run our lives, or have our lives dictated by speculators, big business, and wall street?

America, lets take small steps to correct things. Tell the talking head of the media to shut their pie holes. They are in it for the money, not for the people. Everyone is an expert and the millions of books that are published on everything shows the ignorance that has descended upon us. If you muddy the waters enough, nothing will be clear.

Take the profit out of politics. Line item veto's, one bill at a time, get rid of the IRS and put a straight tax on everything. If you are out of work, a straight tax can create jobs to improve America and get you back to work. This way unemployment is a subsidy to get back to work with hope for the future.

Remove the profit out of education and health care. There are less students in our schools and they still want more money. We would have less people on disability if people didn't have to worry about health care costs. Centralize the school system so that they can purchase fairly and economically.

These are starts that we don't want to take. Neither party want this, so as long as we continue to follow our pied pipers, (Party Politics) we are doomed to follow history. It is that simple.

SORRY CHARLIE.

Charlie Sheen, love him or hate him, on drugs or clean, good or bad father, or just plainly a jerk. Let me start this out by saying that he is just an actor, and what happens to him really does not effect my life, but just for the fun of it lets answer some key question you might ask him and the answers that might come out.

QUESTION... Charlie, are you on drugs?
Answer... No, my mustache has just turned grey...sniff.
Question. Don't you care about the people on your show that you have put out of business?
Answer......I'm a true republican, you don't work you don't eat. I can only care how happy I am and how much money I can make. Do I have to be on drugs to want more money for myself. If that is the criteria, the whole right wing is on drugs. If I get three million per episode, I should be getting four million and guess what....they will pay it.
Question...Why don't you go to drug counseling or drug rehab.
Answer... Addiction is very serious, drug and alcohol being only two of them. There are millions of self professed methods out there and a lot more trying to make money on me without knowing me. If a person quits smoking can he just quit or does he have to use someones therapy or read someones book.
Question.....Charlie, you live with two "goddesses", isn't this wrong?
Answer...Jealous? I'm not breaking any law, I'm not running for public office, and I'm not a christian, so what the problem?

Stupidity

I thought I had heard it all until I heard someone say that we should support our leaders in everything no matter what, because they were voted into office by a democratic process. This was almost as bad as President Nixon saying that no one should question him because he was the president.
Someone should explain to these people that being elected is not the same a getting the keys to the kingdom. Because you were elected, does not mean that you are above the law. We, the people, elected you to help the democratic process along, not to be king. We elected you to represent the people, not the rich and powerful or the big corporation.
Given enough money, anyone can be elected to any office. Look how long Mubarik bought the election in Egypt.

The Wisconsin War

I have talked with both wings and it just doesn't make sence. It probably does to someone who is blinded by party politic, but in my humble opinion is that both side are so far off coarse it is mind bogggling that they were ever elected.
1- The dems who left the state were in the wrong. The people of Wisconsin elected you to run their state. The bottom line is that it is wrong, but what choice did you have because.......
2- The Gov. wants to break the unions. Why not just step on the constitution. Just because you were elected doesn't mean that you abuse your power. They thought you were wise enough to work with the other side, and vise versa.
The Republican "give us your tired, your poor, and you mass seeking freedom and we will ship you south of the border" attitude is morally represhensible. The party that claim to have God on their side has gone to Hell in a handbasket.
The dems who claim to support the poor and middle class has the financial backing of some of the richest people in the world.
aonce again it will be the poor and middle class that will lose. The almighty dollar will win out. The country will be run by big business, financial speculation, and greed. The only chance for equality for middle and poor is the union, their only voice. The unions have screwed it up before and now have a chance to make it right.
I pray for both sides, shake my head and keep on going.

Who can you trust for honest answers?

The other day I went to the dentist. No cavities but he want to do so much extra work. periodontal cleaning, a bit to stop my teeth from grinding, etc...... I have had other dentist do this, so this one is not alone.

The other day a roofer came by and told me I need a new roof. I told him that there are no leak, but he tried to convince me that there was. Sorry, no sale

The other day I had my car in for an oil change and was given a list of thing that needed to be done on my car. My car is ten years old. How many time do you have your car in for something, and as a result there is a lot more to be done.

The other day the Governor came out with his proposed budget for the year. It cut into healthcare, the poor, and education. It did tax the rich and big business, but we all know how that trickles down. Let's all be like the democrats in Wisconsin, run and hide.

The solutions are simple, do we need it or not? Can we get by without it? Tell both parties to stop playing games and do the job we elected them for.

Good Luck Governor Snyder of Michigan.
He presented a proposed budget to Michigan today. I realize that no one is going to agree with every part of his proposal but at least he trying something. He has to try to correct the problems that were ignored by the last three governors. Michigan has grown on the back of the middle class and poor, the crash effected mostly the working class, middle class, and poor, and now it is up to us once again to bail out Michigan. The Gov wants to tax the big business and upper class, but this will just be past down. This is another form of trickle down.
Cutting education at first seemed like a bad move but it really isn't. One reason is that the population has decreased thus there are less students. It's time that our educator and school administrator become accountable. Give us a program that will work and more money can become available. "Count Days" to determine how much money should be an average year count. We need the students to be in class more that 2 days a year. Why not tax professional sports for reimbursement for our student athletes, tax our recording industries for the training that school have provided for their profit. Our education system need to be reimbursed for their training.
Detroit is a perfect example of raising prices for professional venues and the people will still show their support.

Valentines Day, what a joke.

I have been married to the same women for 29 years and I don't need a greeting card holiday to tell her that. I also don't need the guilt trip that others put on me when I don't celebrate this day. I celebrate everyday with the ones I love, not just one or two days per year.

Almost nine years ago I nearly lost my life when my heart stopped. Thru dozens of heart events, TIAs , and stints I have relished life in a way that few can imagine.

My love for my God is the strongest, then my wife, family, friends, animals and so on. I love my house, my car, my lazyboy and my neighborhood. I love music and a good movie. I love my grandchild and will love more grandchildren when they come.

I love my time alone and I love my time with friends and family.

I love the feeling and emotion of love and thank God everyday for it.

LORD, HELP ME TO SHARE MY LOVE WITH EVERYONE, RICH AND POOR ALIKE.

Donna Summer Mac Athur Park

Capitalism, right or wrong.

I love it when people throw around words like capitalism, socialism, and Communism.
If you are on the right you are a capitalist, if you are on the left you are a socialist, and if you are neither, you are a Communist(according to Rush). Our love for capitalism has run it's coarse. The lumber barons who cut down the forest without replanting were capitalist. The large and small companies that polluted our planet are capitalist. The one who profit by taking and not replacing are capitalist. Those who want to give yours and my money away are socialist. What we get down to is the childish ranting of, "it is mine". What we need to do is to get rid of the political parties and their rantings.
What we give to Egypt per year to support our capitalist ventures over there, we could pay for every ones health care in the United States. What we give to support capitalism in other countries, we could use to educate our own. In little over 200 years, capitalism has caused recession or depression at least three times. That means that once in every Americans lifetime, greed has hurt us all, yet we continue down the same path. We are so busy pointing out the problems of the world, looking for weapons of mass destruction, searching for ALkida and BinLadden, and telling everyone how they are running their countries wrong, that we fail to look in the mirror. We are the greed merchants of the world, we are the polluters, we are the uneducated and we can't even see that. We are blinded by greed.
"IT'S MINE AND I'M NOT GOING TO SHARE IT"

LORD PLEASE HELP ME TO SEE THAT ALL I HAVE IS YOUR.

My nephew Kevin's band(Chasing the Sky) was on local TV this morning. Their music was also played on the comercial for Glee during the Super Bowl. Kevin plays bass.
My nephew Christian, his band(The Vincent Hayes Project) is up for a blues award. He plays Keyboards.
I know how hard it is to make your bones in the music world and I am very proud of these two.

How can we fool the public into believing that everything is ok. The American media makes everyone else look bad. I heard on the news that Japan has a worse job situation then we do. My son lives and works in Tokyo and he say that this is a lie. The same thing happens when a country that is run by profit margin and ridiculous claims that are unfounded. (example being health care) Don't believe everything you hear in the news.

The sun shown down on a foot and one half of fresh snow. The front and the back door were drifted shut. Two hours later with the help of neighbors, our walks and driveways are clear. Thank you Lord for a great neighborhood and the kind hearts of good people.

Getting ready for the storm of the century. Is this the big one? Will it paralyse the state for weeks. Supplies are running out in the stores, people are panicking, the end of the world as we know it. People standing on roof tops, waiting to be rescued, The wind will bring the temp 50 degrees below zero, even the ice road truckers won't be able to make it. There will be so much snow, it won't melt until July.........................maybe, maybe not. This is Michigan, it might be sunny and 90 by tomorrow morning. The lake effect might blow all the snow on Detroit or even farther to the east coast where they need more snow. Sit back, throw another log on the fire, and drink your hot chocolate. The sun will rise tomorrow to a brand new day.

What won't they put on TV? HDTV tried "watching the grass grow" but it was cut short. Just a little joke
Making cakes. How boring can this get? Try have a contest between people making cakes judged by some guy who make cakes. Then this person turn around and has a cooking show, without cakes.
Toddlers and tieras has to be wrong in so many ways. Tiny preschool girls dressed up to look like hookers and dance on stage.
How about some woman named Kate, who with her husband raises 8 kids? The husband runs off because his wife is a bitch, and now she is raising the kids alone, with the help of a film crew etc.........
How about the Sunday Morning ministers who hawk their wares in the name of the Lord?
How many reruns of home improvement shows can you watch and be told how stupid you are because you don't have the gift of carpentry?
How about driving a truck in Alaska or Canada, or catching fish in the Baltic? The only thing worse is Sarah Palin showing you how to do it.
This is what you get when you pay for all these cable stations. Remember those good ole days when there were just three stations?
Well I've got to shovel some snow, anyone want to come film it?

I'm not sure what to make of the last response to my post. What gods is he/her talking about? The great thing about America is everyone can express their opinions. Now, moving on.
Last night we had Washington's version of the horse and pony show. I thought the President did a great job by really saying nothing. The house was full, everyone sitting next to someone of the other party. The only thing they didn;'t do was to kiss and sing kumbaya. It was truly a Ronald Reagan type atmosphere. When the speech was over, they shook hands, and hugged and smiled for the camera's. It was so touching it brought a tear to my eye and a lump in my throat. This will go down as one of the greatest wasted speeches of our time. We are going to have a new government, a new way of doing business, and finally peace and harmony..............
Now that the speech is over, the Republican rebuttal started the old business again. A smiling conservative from Wisconsin took the first shot, then the commentator all gave their interpretation of the speech, then the liberal defended the attack because the weren't ready for it. The night, or hour of harmony was over.
The computer, or technology age has made the rich richer, and the poor poorer. It has made the thieves more advanced and has separated the classes. We thru technology have made everything more complicated. We need to simplify, not complicate. Gene Roddenberry's futuristic Star Trek had the technological age so advanced that money was not needed, machine did all the work assisted by computers. Man could use his time improving himself and those around him. Sorry Gene, Computers and technology are a means to an end, and that end is profit and greed. If we truely wanted to educate everyone, all schooling thru college would be offered for free. The first allocations would go to education and health, but there is no profit in that.
The only thing of value the President said last night, was that he would veto and bill that had ear marks. Why not just give the President a line item veto and not waste time sending bill to the President that are laden down with pork? Want to cut the deficit, cut the pork. It is that easy.

WHO'S TO BLAME.

Every time a tragedy happens the talking heads all want to blame someone other then the person who comitted the crime. Then they continue to stir the fire. Why not talk about the people that send out kids off to war only to return in pine boxes. Where is the uproar there. Where is the uproar when these soldier return wounded and are put in under staffed VA hospitals. How about the 3000 babies that are aborted daily as form of birth control, where is the uproar. How about those on SSI that the right wing wants to take away their money. There is lot more to be concerned about then one terrible tragedy, they happen every day.

Buy American

What ever happened to the pride of knowing if you bought American made products you would get quality for the price. Buying American usually means getting screwed American. Our quality is so bad that the Chinese won't allow our products to be sold in their country. Our Automobiles are being replaced by foreign competition because the quality is better. I have tried to buy American when I can, but the quality is just becoming so bad, I have to rethink my decisions. I have been having a problem with Westinghouse and their 32" TV. The first one I bought lasted a little over a year before it caught fire. Fortunately we were home and no damage was done to the house. We called Westinghouse and a soon as I mentioned that it had caught fire, they fell over themselves to replace the set. They paid to have the defective set sent back, and then sent us a "refurbished" set. This set lasted a little over one year and now will not hold a picture. I have talked with them and emailed them but have just received the runaround. Below is a series of emails between myself and Westinghouse

A few years back I bought my first flat screen TV. I Chose Westinghouse for many reason which include price and that it is an American company. A little more then 1 year after I bought it, it caught fire. Westinghouse jumped up to the plate and replaced it with a refurbished one. A little over a year later, this rebuilt one won't hold a picture. My conversations with Westinghouse resulted in my being told that there is nothing they can do because it is out of warranty. I assume from the conversations that 32" Westinghouse flat screens only last a little over 1 year. The refurbished model is SK-32H240s-A with a serial number 5062w74706004A Qc 5013935. The ship date on the replacement model October 9, 2009. The account number was4505 1834 4 .

My bedroom TV is a 20 year old Westinghouse that is still working, I guess my wife and I can squint to watch our small TV because we can't afford to buy a new one since we are both on disability.

I would assume this is not the publicity that Westinghouse would want, but I realize we are only one small poor customer that had to buy their TV from WalMart. Maybe in a few years we can save up enough money to buy a 40" Tv, but right now it's medical bills that come first. Having two heart surgeries last year has made TV watching a bigger part of my life. My wife had back surgery last year and her mobility is limited, and the amount of medical bills we have to pay is enormous. If you can help out, this would be appreciated.



Don VanAntwerpen

Liz VanAntwerpen

Westinghouse offers an upgrade option to all of our Out of Warranty customers. The units we have to offer as an upgrade are:

SK-26H640G for $200.00 plus tax
VR-3250DF for $250.00 plus tax


If you agree to the upgrade, you will be responsible to package and ship your defective Westinghouse unit to us. Westinghouse does not hold any responsibility for damages incurred during shipping and will decline to upgrade if such an instance occurs. Once your unit has been received and inspected for non-warranty damages, about 3-5 business days, then the upgraded unit will be ordered. We will email the tracking information as soon as it becomes available.



Please contact us at:



Westinghouse Customer Support Center at:

1-800-701-0680



Our service and support team is available:



Monday - Friday

7:00am - 7:00pm CST (North America)




Sincerely,





Westinghouse Digital LLC Customer Support




Let me understand this, I can get my defective 32" Westinghouse replaced for $250.00 plus shipping. The TV set originally cost around $275, now to replace it in the store would be around $320.00. I believe that shipping cost would be around $50.00 and there is no guarantee that something might get broke during shipping which would make this a 32" paperweight that I paid 275.00, plus 250.00, plus 50 shipping. If it doesn't get damaged during shipping I would get a refurbished 32" for$575.00, which would be over $200.00 above the retail cost of an average 32" flat screen.
The first set could have burned down our house, and the refurbished one just set there and reminds me that I wasted time, aggravation, and money on a 32" paperweight.
----- Original Message -----
From: WDE_Service
To: VANSMAIL@COMCAST.NET
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 5:57 PM
Subject: zw1094213


Don VanAntwerpen,

Buy American? Think twice.

Hey Russ, your battle with cancer is over and I still find it hard to see the winning. I know that you are in heaven, I know that you are pain and cancer free, and that all your worries on earth are done. You are not here for your family and I as one of your friends, will miss your warm words. Our loss is heavens gain and I understand that, but you are gone. The Bible says we are suppose to rejoice in your going to heaven but for those left behind it is still hard to rejoice. We will miss you, but life will move on, a better life because you have blessed it, because you shared it, and didn't lose it, because you will always be remembered for living it. You have to lose something in order to find it, and examples from your life will always be here, never lost. May we continue the work that you have done on earth, may we share our faith in a way that you did, living life with love for everyone. Goodbye for now.

2010 ups and downs in no particular order
1- Donald would return for a visit.
2- My grandson Vinny was born
3- My Kids are all employed by the end of the year.
4- Cat and Sean moved out on their own.
5- Liz had back surgery and is recovering.
6- I had 7 heart events and two angioplasties,another stint, two hospital stays and am still alive.
7- Went back to New York after 25 years and reconnected with Liz's family.

These were all event full, but the fact that Liz would still be with me and love me after all these years is the greatest. This will be our first full year of being empty nesters and I would like to be more organized. With God's help we will be able to get out from under our huge medical debt and find a way to raise money to visit Donald And Akiko in Japan.

The Number one wish for 2011 is to make others peoples life a lot better. God bless.

Two weeks til Christmas. What a difference a year has made. God has blessed us in so many ways. 2010 was difficult in many ways but very rewarding. Our Kids have grown so much and my grandson is getting so big. I made it thru two hospital stays for the heart, Liz's surgery for her back, and an empty nest at home. We had a chance to go back to New York and see friends and family. Liz and I have grown so much together this year and we are looking forward to 2011 for more healing. God is great.

There is so much in this world that is a mystery to most of us. Some people strut around thinking they know everything and some are like myself. Some days I feel like Sargent Shultz on Hogan's Heroes who's famous line is, "I know nothing." I read in the paper about an older women who got scamed out of 10 grand by the old" I found some money scam". I have listened to preachers on TV telling people how they can get this new bible if they donate their life savings. I just don't know why these people fall for these scams, until I read my Alltel bill. They were charging me for a ringtone subscription, a deal or no deal subscription, and some others that my wife and I never ordered. On the bill under the bold letters "Alltel premium Services" were the charges. When I question Alltel, they said they can't do anything about it because it's a 3rd party charge (I guess there are 3 Alltels out there) When I explained to them that I did not order these they gave some excuse on how I must have answered an email, put in a secret code, or gave my number out over the internet for them to bill me. I called the number for the subscriptions and that where the fun started. I went thry four different companies that said the same thing, "It's not our fault and we can't do anything about it." If I don't pay the charges, they will shut my phone off, if I cancel their service, I will be charged for canceling it. Now to top it off, Alltel was sold to AT&T so they don't care if I'm satisfied or not. I have now put all kinds of blocks on my phone, canceled all subscriptions, and guess what? The charges are still there. This seems to start from a company called Mind Quiz, goes thru other companies which include Alltel moble messenger, and put on my bill. If other people are getting scammed by Alltel this way, they( one of the Alltels) will have a very good year. Oh , and by the way, all these companies say that they don't give credits. I have a feeling that by calling these companies to stop these services, I just reactivated them by calling them. If you call to cancel, you are automatically reactivated.

I'm awake, every inch of my body hurts, I was running to the bathroom every half hour (I was on an IV the whole time I was there. My head still hurts from the IV of Nitro. My groin hurts, that where they go in with the probe to get to my heart, I'm black and blue from all the blood they drew out and those stupid shots they stick in your stomach. You get no sleep in a hospital. I know today is going to be a lot better (I think) . I still don't understand why I have two arteries that are over 70% clogged and they don't think that this is a problem, plus it is to difficult to get to.

God help us all...... the people have spoken................no more campaign ads and lies.
Congrats to the winners and you will be in my prayers. At first glimpse I could wine and bitch that in most cases the wrong person won, and won for the wrong reason, but I am happy and content with the results. In Michigan we needed and new a better governor and the man I voted for won there. After that, it doesn't really matter because in another 2 years we will change again because people won't be happy. But just a few remarks on the election results
1- The Republican are back in control....good...maybe they can fix the problems that they got us into.
2- If all the political ads are true, we will see government lose control over fresh water and corporation allowed to do what ever they want with the water. They can bottle it and sell it back to us at a profit, they can pollute it again because the pollution will kill the Asian carp.
3- If the political ads are true, there will be no social security, no welfare, no disability. If you can't afford medical coverage, tough shit, you gonna die.
4- We will be looking for a new country to look for WMD. War is profit and looking for BinLadden is harder then finding Waldo. We won't stop until we search every country by force.
5-Get government out of our way. Ponzi schemes are just creative ways of doing business. Let turn off the Government flow of money and go back to the trickle down theory where we beg at the table of Big Business. Let big business send more business overseas.
6- Pure Michigan where bureaucrats couldn't find their ass with a flashlight. Bring back the Big gas guzzling SUV's. How many years did it take them to figure out the auto industry needed to change.
7- Today is my 56th birthday which also means I've been married 1/2 my life to the same woman. I have seen politicians come and go and have realized that I have little control over it. I have been lied to by politician all my life, they are just bolder about their lies today. I have learned from history and not tried to rewrite it.

If this class of elected official fail to do their jobs, the same thing will happen again and again every two years from now until forever.

Time to vote. A person who twist the truth in their ads, will twist the truth if elected. Nancy Palosi and Rush Limbaugh have nothing to do with voting for a drain commissioner. Vote for what is best for Michigan, not just Democrat and Republican. No matter how much the media tries to promote the tea party, it is still just people drinking tea and bitching about the problems that they brought on themselves. Ok, they all might not drink tea. Remember that when people talk about the "Government", they are talking about you, when they talk big business, privatise, they are not talking about you, just someone elses profit.

What is a lie? Soon our TV stations broadcasting will be clean up. No, unfortunately there will be swearing, nudity, sexual situations, etc....... The constant lying of politicians will not be shown on their advertising. Politicians have told us that if you twist the truth, mis entrerpret the facts, or just bash your opponent it is ok. In court they "swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth". Even in court a carefully worded lie can become a truth. If a politician will lie on their ads, they will lie and cheat if elected because the voters have said it is ok to lie and cheat.
Both parties lie, because they can. When voting, here are a few other things to remember
- Who was President when the economy went south?
- Who was President when were an attempt a correction was made?
_ Who profits by war? (hint..Big business with government contracts)
- Why are millionaires running for public office?
_ Why didn't we learn from the great depression.
- What would happen if we got rid of the party system?

Dicrimination.
Lately I've been seeing alot of facebook activity about descrimination against gay and transgender people. People seem to think this is something new. First of all, discrimination is as old as the earth. Everyone get's discriminated against. All people, gay,straight, old, young, black, white, asian, nerds, geeks, blondes,rich, poor, smart, dumb and so on. Discrimination is not good, human yes, but it can be corrected.
People running for public office run ads that are decieving or down right lies. This is a form of discrimination as they try to trick votes from the uninformed. We discriminated everyday against the elderly and the handicapped. Those on welfare are discriminated against, those who are overwight or disfigured are discriminated against. Where someone lives, their lifestyle, their dress, their walk, their talk, are all forms of discrimination. We discriminate against those with bad credit reports,those with criminal records, and those who talk with accents.
Some people feel that if you disagree with their opinion, you are are discriminated against. If you don't think homosexuality is not right, people call you a homophobe. Many times it gets down to opinion and we all know what is said about opinions.
It comes down to the truth, telling the truth, and accepting the truth. How do you stop discrimination against one person and not discriminated against another person? Maybe just treat someone the way you want to be treated. Can it be that simple?

Has Mona Shores failed with our Kids?

My previous blog shows a little of what is going on at Mona Shores High School in Muskegon Michigan.(Norton Shores to be exact) I am not referring directly to the debate about transgender people and their rights being violated. This type story is most likely happening at most high schools. The age of high schools make them susceptible to questions about their sexuality. They are still growing physically and mentally and most of the time they are thinking with their emotions. In high school everything is a soap opera and many things are blown out of proportion. On top of all these emotion based problems they try to mix in real life problems. Part of high school is preparing young children for the adult life and the "real world". By their senior years most students are so confused and to top this off these kids are in a instant gratification mode. All their answers are a computer away, a key stroke to Wikipidea, or a quick visit to facebook. Kids don't talk, they text or instant message, they don't debate, they argue and will tell anyone that"they just don't understand". With all this confusion, teachers and administrators play with their heads. In an attempt to be political correct, they will create the controversies and stir the pot. Rule are not applied the same across the board. They promote discrimination in many forms in an effort to be politically correct. An old saying, Whats good for the goose is good for the gander" is long gone. Decisions are made by nerd, geek, jock, rich, poor, and popularity polls. Our children are being taught and raised by the Internet and poor interaction between faculty and students. Schools like Mona Shores will not change, as a matter of fact, they are just like our schools when we were young. The schools need to get back to the 3 R's. Teachers should teach, not be policeman, political advisers, or authority on sexual issues. This is where the parents should step in. The young people need to search farther then the Internet to find answers.

Transgender, to be or not to be king.

In Muskegon Michigans Mona Shore High school there seems to be a problem. If you are unaware of it you can go to WWW.woodtv.com and see the story. In short, A girl who wants to be a boy was voted homecoming King, but the school disqualified her because she is not yet a boy and is still a girl. Yes, we are talking about transgender. I really don't have an opinion on transgender, how they got the way they are, how they have surgeries to change, or if it is a curse from God or the devil. People who are much smarter then I can debate that. I applaud the students for standing behind a fellow student who feels that they are being discriminated against. I will continue to pray for this student and hope that answers can be found. With that said, both sides are wrong.
(1) The competition for Homecoming King and Queen clearly state that that the King is to be a boy and the Queen has to be a girl. No matter how many votes he got, he is still a she. This obstacle should have been changed before. You can't change the rules after the game has started.
(2) According to published reports, the school let this girl become a boy by allowing her to dress and participate in activities as a boy. In short they hoped it would go away if they ignored it. Now they are sending mixed signals to the students who are now confused. They, the school, uses rules when it best affects them and thus become politically correct when they want. Not all rules effect all people equally. Our legal system show us how to twist the law, our politician show us how to lie and still call it the truth, and our schools teach our children that life is not fair and money and popularity is most important.
My suggestion is to cancel the Homecoming King a Queen and leave the thrones empty. What a better way to protest. Change the requirement for next year leaving this year as the year that no one won. That would be a bigger statement.

What a happy day

I've been listening to the song and get excited everytime I hear it. God has truely made everyday a happy day. The last few months I have argued with everyone. I have argued with smart people, and not so smart people. I have argued about sports and politics and about who is right and who is wrong. My wife and children have said that I have been much more argumentative since my last heart attack. I have been told by doctors that this is common with heart patients and is nothing to worry about. I hate retirement, restriction because of medical reason and money, and I wish this was a normal retirement with more money then I could ever spend. I wish I could play golf everyday, buy my wife everything she needs in life and be there financially for my kids. I watch my kids struggle at times to get their life and carreers on track in an economy that sucks and I can't do much to help. Somedays I feel like a one legged man at a butt kicking contest, and yes, that pissis me off. Yesterday started out that way, I was pissed at the world, pissed at God, and anyone who wanted to get in my way I would be pissed at them. The day was starting out with doctors visit for Liz and I, what could be better. Along with the heart problems, there may be skin cancer problems. Liz is worried for me, and still trying to come to terms with her past. I am worried for her, worried for my kids, and worried about me. Then a wise man put my mind at ease. He did not say a word, butgave me more information and peace then I have had in a long time. He is my grandson, Vincente Steven Donald Peacock. He is almost 5 months old and has the biggest smile that you will ever see. I got to spend a few hours with my grandson and he changed my outlook from bad to great. All of my problems and concerns are still there, but that cute smile of recognition on his face make this a happy day. Thank you God for kids and grandchildren. They help put our lives into the right perspective.
I now know that God has forced me to slow my life down. Without lifes problems, I would be to busy to enjoy lifes gifts. I watch other parents raising their kids and remembered that I was to busy to truely enjoy them growing up. If any of my heart attacks would have been fatal, this joy could not be shared. Thank you God.
I woke up this morning, I have a wife who loves me and is more then I deserve, and now have time to do things with her, and sometimes that means just sitting and talking. O HAPPY DAY. I am not to busy to do that.

NFL Spin

The spin masters for the NFL are fantastic. On Sunday they spun their way out of being caught determining the outcome of a football game. (Detroit vs. Chicago). They spun it with showing everyone the rule, how it was applied, and that it was the right rule. For the uneducated morons, they were able to spin it and make it look like a non issue. What they didn't address was the fact that the call was right, up to the point when the play was done. Now officials have to carry stop watches to determine when a play is finished. The NFL still fixes games.
Now they flood the market with a story about a scantily dressed Mexican female reporter who does not feel that she was sexually humiliated by the Jets. She doesn't feel wronged, the Jets players don't feel that were demeaning, and the NFL is using this non story to hide the facts that they are, and have been fixing games for a long time.
The NFL also threw the Lions a bone by reducing Mahew's suspension by 9 days. This story is now spun out of existence.
The NBA admits to doing it by having different levels of fouls, depending on the popularity of the player. All fouls are not called the same.
MLB can expand or shrink the strike zone and avoid using the replay system.
Money corrupts absolutely

The NFL was on damage control after the fiasco in the Game between Chicago and Detroit. After the bad call or interpretation of the rules, the word went out to other officials. Surprise, Surprise, right at the end of the Rams/cardinal game the rule was used again on a play that was dead, but a fumble was called. The replay showed without a doubt that no fumble had occurred, but quoting the same rule that they just had in their pocket, the fumble was granted . The reason was to give Sam Bradford a chance to win it for the Rams and increase the ratings. All those who are employed by the NFL in one way or the other, towed the company line. Professional wrestling would have been proud of the scripted hose job. Fox was prepared with a ex referee in the studio who towed the company line. According to the NFL, if a ball carrier run into the endzone and spikes the ball, drops the ball or hand the ball to an official, it is considered a fumble. If you think that this is ridiculous, then when is the play over. Do we need a stop watch? What the NFL does not want you to see is that the player was getting up when he let loose of the ball, not the party line of control of the ball.
Yes, I know, it is only a game. Is it controlled? Of course it is. What would happen if you had a Superbowl between , let say, Tennessee and Seattle. The NFL would lose money big time. The NFL has already shown it's disdain for Detroit when they over fined the Lions president for his DUI. They get continually left off the prime time schedule and are trying to take away the Thanksgiving Day game. We Lions fans already know that we can lose all by ourselves. Coach Swartz has his hand full to turn around a program that the NFL keeps slamming.
Here is food for thought. Why do college replay go much quicker then the pro version?

Burn the Koran..........................

What is the big deal? We are so tied to symbolism that we forget the important thing. Gang violence starts with symbolism being words or colors. Flag are also a symbol of a country. If you burn the flag, the Koran, the Bible or your draft card it seems to invoke emotion. We burn in effigy people and leaders, and even bra's. Who is at fault? How about the media? If these people didn't get attention they would go away.
If a Koran burns in a house fire or is burned by some obscure person in Florida, it still burns. The words live on. When a flag burns, a new one is replaced. If a Bible is burned, another one is available. If people want to burn these objects, let them do it, just don't give them the attention.

My question, What would be better? A Koran or Bible being burned, or the Koran or Bible gathering dust on the shelf? Think about it.

Happy Labor Day

It's cold, it's raining, there is double digit unemployment, the unions because of their greed and no control on lost jobs, most labor being sent abroad, the working class losing their homes and jobs, and big business and executives are having their best years ever. You can blame it on the the greed of big business, or the past greed of the unions. Instead of Labor Day, lets just call this Play Day, or thanks for screwing me Day.

We are pulling out of Iraq. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. but wait. We have pulled out of Japan, Germany, Korea, and North Vietnam, but we are still there. Iraq will just be a police action and we will just be advising. Korea and Vietnam was the same wasn't it? When will our soldiers be home? When war fails to be profitable and the business of war is recognized for what it is, then our children will come home.
We spent trillions of dollars for a Republican wet dream, WMD and terrorist groups. What would happen if peace broke out. Our soldiers could turn their rifles to plows and eliminating world hunger. Downsizing the military will only increase our unemployment. Could you imagine the down turn in crime if the military presence was in our cities. We are trying to tell Iraq how to police it's people, and we can't even do it in our country. Our law enforcements are screaming for help. Put these soldiers to work rebuilding our cities, and increase the value of our country. Why won't this happen? No profit for big business. Our soldiers could find the terrorist groups,......hint hint, they are already here. Look up the definition of terror and you will find that we are searching in the wrong place.

Finger pointing in Muskegon

Crime is up and the fingers are pointing. The politicians just had their finger pointing time, and now every other person can add in their digit. First of all they blame the kids, their parents, and their environment. Although there is some truth in these things, they are still not the cure. Electing new people doesn't help.
Pete Hoekstra might blame the government and for once he might be right, but this might mean making the government bigger. I said bigger, not stronger, and more economical. Combining police services with all our little kingdoms would make sense since most of the violence spreads out. The Heights has proven time and time again that they can't handle their own city. Greed and corruption is in every part of their city. It's not the city's people, but those who take advantage of a weak structure. This ranges from business, to officials, and down to the gangs. Muskegon itself has the same problems. The bigger the city, the bigger the problem. Gangs are just imitating big business and everything is down to dollar and cents. The city of Muskegon, to save money, has eliminated street light which will increase crime.
If everyone would turn on one light at night, that would be one less place to be hidden from view. One last place for criminals to hide. Unfortuantly there are not enough lights to see what our elected officials are doing.

Ground Zero rules

The stupidity continues. Build a Masque at ground zero in New York? First of all, the proposed masque is blocks away. Let's just build a bridge to no where from one side to the other. Lets put up another image to worship capitalism. How about an area dedicated to fast food restaurants.
These were buildings that were destroyed by war, same as millions of buildings around the world. It is hard to find a piece of ground that hasn't been effected by war. Maybe we can say that the weapons of mass destruction are buried at the site and all our soldiers should be called home to search the site. More of our people are being killed by our search for WMD then were killed on that fateful day. Our leaders have more death on their hands than these nut jobs that flew the planes.

Bailing out the Unions

Now that wall street, big business, insurance companies have been bailed out the world should be ok. Wrong. There is a rumor out there that one of the unions might need a bail out. Those that we have bailed out continue to lay off workers, ship jobs over seas, pay executive huge bonus, receive tax breaks, and make current workers work in sweatshop like conditions. Now that a union might get financial help to do it's job, these people a furious. That is a great question and the answer is, we can't. We also can't bail out companies, give the rich tax breaks, and definitely can't raise taxes because our businesses are overseas and our unemployed people can't pay them. We can't pay our teachers with money we don't have. We can't have medical coverage with money we don't have. We, the people are telling the rich and greedy that it is time to pay up. No more free rides for the upper class, and tax credits for business. Churches and charitable organization will all have to pay taxes because no one gets a free ride. That is the right wing mantra. Pete Hoekstra ran for governor on not letting the government get in the way and he is now unemployed waiting for his bailout for serving in congress. Cut him off, we don't have money to support ex congressmen.
I'm not mad, just shaking my head in disbelief and the feeble right wing attack on the only President that has been trying to support the people of America. The rich, and poor, tired, sick and healthy. Leftist, you're not much better.

LIFE IN THE HOOD.

Well I don't exactly live in the hood, but I don't live on easy street. Living in the city of Muskegon is exciting, for a small town. All smaller towns have their problems and Muskegon is no different. The unemployment is actually above 25% if you take into consideration of those whose unemployment has run out, or those who lost their jobs and don't get unemployment. Gasoline is always more expensive because the station owners know that you won't drive to the big city to save money on gas. Property values have gone down, and business have left for the big cities. People want to bring in a casino to take away more of our money. State aid is on a trickle down theory, big cities get the money first, and you can imagine how far down the list we are on the federal list. As small towns go, we are on our own.
Criminals are preying on the already strapped people and others are shooting people in broad daylight. Why stay? One person can help get things going, and why not start with me?
In Muskegon, we have only one cable company and they know it. Prices continue to rise and service continues to decline. Cable prices are twice that of a large city, and until another cable company is allowed in town, there will be no competition and prices will sore.
Corner gas stations with shopping are on most corners. The food is high priced, if you don't like it, buy it somewhere else.
I thought it was wonderful when the food truck came to town to help out those who are struggling. I then saw that most of the food was outdated or alot of lima beans.
We have a beautiful shoreline with fresh water, when the waste of major companies aren't washing up on the shores. We clean up one mess while another is being polluted.
We had an air fair that drew people from all over the state and nation. The organizers then banned people from bringing in food, and started charging outrageous prices for food and drink. Air fair is gone.
We have Summer Celebration, two weeks of music and fair grounds. Now you have to pay to get in the shows just to walk on the fairground. High priced food also.

I still love our town because of the people. These people understand what is happening in our country much better then those in the big cities. We know a lie when we see it. We are accustomed to having the screws put to us and yet we survive.
The great trickle down theory is the waste coming down the Grand River. Don't worry, we will clean it up from the money that is trickled down.

America wants.............

How many time have you heard someone say this line. Example is "America doesn't want free health care". The minute I hear someone say this line, I tune them out or turn them off. I am sure if all Americans were offered free health care they would take it. Now I have stumbled into this idiocy. Have I talk to every American to get their opinion? No, so don't lay that line on me. Don't try to tell me about polls, because if polls were accurate, Dewey and Al Gore would have been president. Also to remember, if it's free, it's costing you something. Nothing is free.

MORE GOVERNMENT, NOT LESS.

The most ridiculous thing I hear everyday is people wanting less government. The smartest thing Ive heard is people wanting less government. How can you have both?
It is so easy it is frightening. Eliminate the IRS and have a standard sales tax on everything. No one can be tax exempt and everything you buy is taxed at the same rate for all things. Give the president a line item veto. With this in place you could have your worries disappear. The government will be able to finance health care, school k- college, and all local projects. The government would need less then half it's budget to run with Congress and Senate returning to part time. More jobs would be created.

Emotional Hoarding was brought out on Today show. They right away say that it is not a recognized by the experts as a disorder. Extreme emotional hoarding can be recognized as depression. Still the "experts" sat and discussed how holding a grudge can be called emotional hoarding. If you are really pissed at someone and don't "get over it" you are an emotional hoarding. If I am overweight, am I an fat hoarder? If I am over tanned am I a tan hoarder. Best of all, if I have love for everyone, am I a love hoarder?
Once again the news is manufactured. I now have to go to the bathroom so I don't get accused of SHT hoarding.

New start for a new week. I need to get a lot done this week. I need to finish up the front porch when the rain stops. Liz and I need to get to the Y to work out everyday.
My prayer request list.
1- Family
2- Bob and Patsy as they grow old together and struggle with dementia
3- Louie recovering from heart surgery
4- Louie's pastor who has throat cancer
5- Louies wife and her hip problems
6- Jack and Justan
7- Lea and her mom and dad
8- Bob S. in dealing with PTS from Vietnam

Keep these and many more in your prayers. Pray for our country and for those who defend her.

I got around the blocked site of the so called Atheist who claimed he didn't block me, wouldn't block me and that I'm a liar Here is the direct quote from his facebook.
Finally blocked the creationist. Weeks wasted and I've had my fill of pigeons. Back to work and studying.
July 31 at 10:30am · View Feedback (7)Hide Feedback (7)
Jack Adams and 3 others like this..
Benjamin Fisher I can only hope that the other debate in which we seem to be engaged is more productive. Damn that was frustrating.
July 31 at 6:46pm.Justin Stressman Well, I've just reposted all those comments in full on several of his other comments where he was avoiding dealing with the original smackdown. And just to drive the point home, I posted them directly on his wall. So not only should he see ...them right there at the top, but so should all of his friends.

He really doesn't have much choice now but to either blatantly and very clearly ignore them, or try to do some Pigeon-esque absurd denial of the whole shebang.

I'm assuming it'll be the latter.See More
August 1 at 1:05am.Benjamin Fisher So that's where the 19 notifications came from... makes sense now.

Point made? Here's the proof.

What is a true Atheist. I have not meet many true Atheist. Most of the loud people who try to promote Atheism are not really Atheist. These are a fringe element that usually have psychological problems, and they they mask it by trying to tell the world about the "religion " called Atheism. I have dealt with this type on my blog before and they are usually rude and feel they have all the answers when in fact they are suffering from family problems that they want to blame on someone else other then themselves. This is more of a sickness then anything else. True Atheist believe there is no God, period. They don't want to be refereed to as a religion and don't get into arguments about the validity of what they believe. They don't post idiotic post about anti Christian things, they just don't believe there is a God. The fake Atheist tries to destroy what they don't believe and the true science field tries to separate themselves from these people. They claim to have science on their side to try and boaster their unfounded opinion.
The two "Atheist" that I had been talking with on facebook have blocked me out of their site, even though they claim they haven't. Their philosophy is like a child holding their hands over their ears. Cult groups that come around our neighborhood to try and convert people, avoid our house like the plague because I invite them in and share the bible with them. When they quote a Bible text, I pause them, look it up, and read it back to them. The truth is not what they are planning on
When you try to promote Atheism over religion, you are considering Atheism as a religion and then must be treated as a religion which the true Atheist doesn't want. They just don't believe in God and don't want relegion forced on them. Don't let the psychologically challenge people try to tell you they are Atheist when all they need is psyciatric help.
A perfect example of the educational value of these people was posted on Facebook via YouTube,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbJ4CPWi_pg. Some backwoods fellow tries to intimidate with with the same thing I've been telling you about. If you call them to task, they will say, Oh, its a joke, don't you have a humor? This person truely shows the problems of a relegious Atheist. This poor guy calls anyone who doesn't believe the way he does, all kinds of names. It is so fun to watch these people stumble all over themselves. Some of these people are actually educator teaching your children. Scary isn't it?

Friendship ~ None of that Sissy Shit

Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality?


Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.


You will see no cute little smiley faces on this ~ Just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.


1.. When you are sad ~ I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.


2. When you are blue ~ I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.


3 When you smile ~ I will know you are thinking of something that I would probably want to be involved in.


4. When you are scared ~ I will rag on you about it every chance I get until you're NOT.


5. When you are worried ~ I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.


6. When you are confused ~ I will try to use only little words.


7.. When you are sick~ Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.


8. When you fall ~ I will laugh at your clumsy ass, but I'll help you up.


9. This is my oath .... I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask ~ because you are my friend.

Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you
can feel the true warmth.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Monday, first day of the week, fresh slate, not another Monday until next week. This is the last days of political ads, thank God, and then we don't have to hear their B.S. for a while.
We are picking up my son from Indianapolis and bringing him here for 2 weeks, then he will return to Japan. This will be the first time he gets to hold his nephew and he is excited about that.
The Detroit Tigers have the day off so no loss today.

HAVE COMPUTERS MADE US SMARTER?

We live in a mordern new world. Everything is at our fingertip via the internet and the computer advancment. What is more interesting is that the quality of education has gone down in the U.S. The "I want it now" generation has ground to a stop. Instead of everything getting better, we are worse off then before. The economy is in the trash and fewer jobs are available. There is no doubt that computers have made information available to us more quickly.
When I was in college, learning about computers was alot different. We learned how to create program using diagrams and punchcard. Then the cards were put into a computer the size of a 44ft Semi truck and trailer. Today a computer the size of a wrist watch can do much more at a faster speed. Advances in computers, medicine and technology have made the machine smarter and the operator lacking the ability to use this information. Computers are still, GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT. Many young people know how to conquer the word in video games, text at the speed of light, talk on phones the size of an earing, but when the power goes out they are as dumb as dirt. Clerks in stores have problems figuring out change and taxes when the power goes out. Our kids were told in school that math wasn't important because this was now the calculator generation. If you told a student to go to the library and do a research project without the help of a computer, they can't get past the dewy decimal system. They look to quick answer sites like Wikipedia and are content that the site is 100% correct 100% of the time. There is so much knowledge available now on the internet that a person can argue pro and con on any subject. Cut and paste and the article or information has a completly different meaning. Rational judgement has been thrown out the window and replaced with speed. It's not the computer fault, but the operators. Faster is not always better.

Now that the atheist have crawled away we can talk about something more depressing. The Detroit Tigers have turned from the best to the worst in major league baseball. They are in the weakest division in baseball and still are falling fast.
If that doesn't depress you, let talk about the petroleum industry. After waging war in Vietnam and Iraq over oil, the oil industry continues to profit off the American people in money and lost lives as the casualty of war. Then they turn around and pollute the Gulf of Mexico and better yet, the State of Michigan. The great supporters of the oil giants, "The Republicans", continue to want less government control over how the oil industry is run. We now give our money, or children, and our environment to the continued profit of Big Oil and Big Business.

Wikipedia is a free,[3] web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 15 million articles (over 3.3 million in English) have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site.[4

This is a direct quote from their website
Wikipedia is written collaboratively by largely anonymous Internet volunteers who write without pay. Anyone with Internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles (except in certain cases where editing is restricted to prevent disruption and/or vandalism). Users can contribute anonymously, under a pseudonym, or with their real identity, if they choose.
This is another direct quote.

How can this even be considered as factual. Anyone with a computer can contribute and they can do it anonymously to hide their identity or creditentials.

This is why I refuse to use Wikipedia as a source.

I have heard from Justin, see the previous blog. I want to answer him very simply to show tactics.
1-He claims to have not blocked me. The fact is that I was on his friend list and then removed. He admits it because he turned around and accepted my new friendship request.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/878207/why_wikipedia_is_not_a_reliable_source.html
2- He claims to have given me all the information and I have ignored it. I have read his "facts" that he presented from atheist websites and wack jobs. He then uses Wikipidia to try to prove his points when no credited university will allow their students to use Wikipidia. He then adds his thread from Wikipidia. Here is the first part of that thread from Wikipidia.
CONFIRMATION BIAS
Confirmation bias (also called confirmatory bias or myside bias) is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses whether or not it is true.[Note 1][1] As a result, people gather evidence and recall information from memory selectively, and interpret it in a biased way. The biases appear in particular for emotionally significant issues and for established beliefs.
Now that he has interjected Wikipidia's explanation of Confirmation Bias, he believe that this means something. I encourage everyone to read this and then follow the footnotes etc..... and a whole new vision appears. Justin is describing himself....... and just about anyone else on the planet. These are his "facts".
As I have said many times how atheist love to twist and turn facts, and all the thing that magicians call mirror tricks. This also falls under Confirmation Bias.
3-The next part is classic attack. He calls me
You're a profoundly deluded idiot and until you actually start being honest and admitting that these things have already been explained to you in detail, with references, including fucking journals from theological seminaries etc, I'm not going to bother repeating myself anymore. I've been repeating these things over and over for weeks and you just keep lying about it and pretending you haven't been presented with a wealth of evidence PURELY BECAUSE IT IS CONTRARY TO YOUR DELUSION.

Aside from the name calling and being called a lier, he calls his atheist websites and Wikipidia a wealth of evidence. He also love to use theologians against christian with manipulation on his part and then use his confirmation bias to confirm his wealth of evidence.
4- He repeats his denial of blockage. When raising my children I could always tell when they were lying. Most parents are aware of this as we also did it as kids.
If you repeat a lie enough times, maybe it will become the truth. If you are caught in a lie, yell, scream, and sometimes even swear to try to convince others that you are not lying. You can also tell your parents, "you just don't understand". Then finish it up by saying that everyone who disagrees with you are delusional.

5- He calms down realizing his errors and trys to laugh it off as a joke.

I personally don't like using these"wealth of evidence." They are most times bias towards one side or the other. I could quote the bible, an excepted source of information, but that would be bias. This would also lead to everyone's different interpretation of the Bible. We can also manipulate science but Justin has already called this "Confirmation Bias" and is moronic. His rules of discussion comes back to bite him. Once again we are back to basics, the first word, the Bible. With that in place come the interpretation of the Bible which would fall back under Confirmation bias and that puts us back at stage one. What is missing? Faith, faith, and faith. You have it or you don't.
Justin also like to condense all people who are Christians together in one neat little ball. All the extremes are put in one ball and called fanatics or weirdos.
That's like judging all atheist by one definition, you just can't do that.
In conclusion I feel that God is trying to work in Justins heart and I'll keep praying for him. Am I bias towards my faith? Guilty as charged. I just know that the burden of proof is not on the Christian, but on the ones who wish to tear us down.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. The two Atheist that I have been talking about have banned me from their facebook. Give them enough rope they will either hang themselves or avoid humiliation. They shouldn't feel humiliated because they were playing from a losing hand. Their tactic are out dated and they were exposed for what they have, no convictions about, their Atheism. Now I can move on more confident in God and his ability to win over the hearts of Atheist. Maybe they will change their way back into the arms of a loving God. Beware Christian people, there are smarter and trickier people out their who would try to match up to God. Remember first is your faith, second is the fact it is their job to disprove God, and third is that God is always with you. Since their world has crumbled, please pray for them at this time of doubt in their lives. Our God is great.

In discussions with an Atheist one thing kept popping up in my mind. Why does this person attacks all Christians, bundles them all together and tries to use science to attack faith.
Many examples on how pure science is a recipe for disaster. How about a person who got convicted of rape 20 years ago. Science and everyone said that he did it. It was impossible to contradict the scientific facts, yet 20 years later DNA absolutely proves this persons innocence. Science wasn't wrong back then, just wasn't as advanced as it is now. Science has a way to go before it can start to compare itself to the Lord God Almighty. When you look at early Christianity, some extremist burned witches at the stake. Years later we are much smarter.
The greatest flaw in the argument between Atheism and Christianity is the human factor. Not all Atheist are alike as well as Christian being the same. Free will make this impossible and thank God we are all different. I respect and agree with some scientist that disagree with the age of the earth. Yes I do question the age and do keep an open mind to it. I also don't worship the book called the Bible, but I do worship God, two completely different things. Once again the human element comes into play. Some Christians defend the Bible by saying that the word DAY in Hebrew means, "an unterminated amount of time." Does that give me complete confidence in the age of the world? no, but it does not change my faith because we are talking about two different things.
One Atheistic article went to the extreme of asking the question about God. If I am a Christian who has lost his legs and I pray to God for him to give me new legs just like the ones I had before, why can't a God who can do anything give me my legs? These fall under the question that we are not advance enough to know the answer, other then the famous standby, "Gods Will", or "God is using it to straighten your faith" etc......... Sometimes we just don't have all the answers like the DNA example I used earlier. When you want to discuss accuracies or inaccuracies in the Bible I can see that, I don't worship the book called "The Bible". That would make it an idol and God said not to worship anyone but him. I have questions with the Catholics who worship using saints and statues.
In everything there is no final answer, no one knows all the answers and all people can't be put into one categories except human. I stop reading when a author starts lumping everything together and will ignore this as a attempt to shortcut to an easy answer. This is disrespectful to science and all those scientist who have worked hard to get answers.
All living things are growing which include faiths, science and human behavior. To disrespect this is closeminded as well as trying to make scripture or science win a disscussion of faith.

Some Atheist never learn. I'm at a lost for words to describe the audacity of these people who use the same tactic to try to prove their point. They will even grasp at the ever changing world of Wikipidia as a desperate attempt to sound knowledgeable. I have already set the facts in the previous blog and still they want to change things around because of lack of credibility on their part. I pray for those so blind as those who refuse to see. I wish there was a better way of showing them the error of their twisted logic and mirror tricks. We have all seen it and debunked it and they still try to use it. These might just be the biggest idiots because they are normally intelligent, they just don't know how to use their intelligence.

You have to love the atheist approach to Christianity. Prove there is a God because we can't prove there isn't. It is squarely on the shoulders of the atheist because God came first. Even if you don't believe in the Bible, the story of God is still there and must be disproved. Historically this is impossible, scientifically it can't be replicated, and in such can't be disproved. As Christians we have faith in our God, and don't need to go to ridiculous extremes to try to defend out faith. Faith, the belief in things not seen, seems to trip them up everytime.

I have been observing messages on Facebook on the subject of fair journalism. Two gentlemen claim that Fox news is bias, while another claims that these two are crazy for believing this claim. Both side are quoting video clips and source references to back up their side and no one is backing down. I've seen this before in other discussions. Some people feel that if you are educated, then you can't be bias. Some feel that if it's news, it has to be right because Walter Concrite was the most trusted man in American and he was a journalist. Journalistic integrity is a joke. These people are paid lots of money to sell their brand of news. Sources are no longer double checked for accuracy as there is a race to be first. Being first doesn't have to be right, just first. If the story is wrong, they can spin it off on someone else or bury it because they are the news. Who can you trust to tell you the news? How about Christian News Networks? Only if you believe that the earthquake in Haiti was Gods curse on an evil people, or that anyone who is not a christian cannot tell the truth. There are more "journalist" out there then you can shake a pin at. This what I'm writing might jokingly be called journalism as well as anyone elses blogs. The old say about opinions,"like aholes, everyone has one and most of them stink" is so true. So how can you tell the truth? I wish I knew, but I think it come down to reading all, then using your brain to decide. Once again, another opinion. I did find out something interesting while listening to a sermon today. The pastor remarked on how his computer broke down and he had to write his sermon longhand.HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM............. best sermon I've heard in a long time. I believe he even mispronounce a few words, but that was ok. He had to take the time to think out what he was saying at a alot slower pace then he was used to. The brain reconnected to the fingers and once again man triumphed over machine. I'm not saying to throw out technology, just take a deep breath and slow the presses down. Not everything is a news story and main stream press should leave shoddy journalism to the paparazzi who invented it. Tabloid journalism should not be embraced as it is by the modern media. Next thing will be politicians acting like tabloid journalist......oppsss.... too late

Lets talk about the weather
Have you noticed that when storms approach Muskegon they seem to part like Moses parting the Red Sea. One half goes north and the other goes south and re form after they pass Muskegon. I am not complaining as we do seem to get the gentle storms. Is there something about Muskegon that big storms want to avoid? Maybe it is political, there is not enough media coverage to waste a good storm.

Time to cough up

Years ago when the railroad started to grow across the country, the Barons made the money while the immigrant did the work. After the immigrants were paid, they were charged room and board and everything else. Lumber barons were the same, as were miners etc....... The song said" I owe my soul to the company store. History has continued this practice into the 21 century. The one difference is that if the big companies can't find someone to work for less then nothing, they can ship the job over seas. The senate finally past the unemployment extensions to help people out. Despite the filibuster by the right, the bill will pass. People on SSI haven't had a raise in years, and insurance companies are charging more. Cost of material continue to rise, profit margin are at an all time high, and jobs are disappearing with some holding on by their finger nails. The right wing says the same thing, "Who's going to pay for it?" I am bold enough to say the answer. It's time for the upper class to cough up. That right, pay your share and pay even more. Pay til it hurts. Many people pay till it hurts with little or nothing, the rich have extra. Come on, step up to the plate. The deficit will always be there if the the poor continue to do the work.

Just finished up my cardiac rehab class. Liz and I get to watch our grandson today as his parents are going tubing. Got him back home and he fell asleep in his swing.
Doesn't feel as humid today, but it is still warm. My mission this week is to start and complete a project. I have so many half finished projects that it is driving me crazy.
Young Don is coming to the states this week. He will be spending most of his time in Indiana as a chaperon for his students. He will come home is August for some time with his family. His wife was not able to make the trip this time, but hopefully she can come another time.
God is great

MEDICINE, STILL A PRACTICE.

Jim Fix was in super shape. He was a world class runner, perfect shape, ate healthy, had his cholesterol in the perfect range and was enjoying life. He was a marathon runner that many people idolized and yet he dropped dead of a heart attack. He was a victim of CAD (coronary heart decease). Why did his arteries plug up? Medicines answer, "We don't know". This is not a slap at medicine, because without their accomplishments I would not be here today. I am not debating the God vs. science argument as that has been argued far to long.
Everyone seems to have an answer for heart disease, but people keep dying from it. People who don't have it seem to think they have the most answers, until it hits them. Some of these people will recover with no further problems while others will struggle with it the rest of their lives. Some people will smoke their whole lives and have no problem while some people will not smoke at all, and struggle with lung disease. How many so called experts on healthy diets have died prematurely. How many diets are there out there that claim to be the one? Pharmaceutical companies all claim to have the right pill for your condition. How many people die after having a successful stress test? Medicine and science have come a long way and accomplished great things never seen before but there is so much they don't know.
My cardiologist told me that during my recent heart event, er doctors with all their machine and knowledge know less then 10% of what is happening. Their job is to stabilize until answers can be found. After what seemed like dozens of test, they found a 98% blockage during my recent heart event. It wasn't until the anagram that the problem was found. During these 24+ hours I kept wondering if it was all in my head, thus leaving me with alot of stress. One year ago I was admitted with the same symptoms and nothing was found. I was diagnosed with having an event and sent home after spending 2 days in ICU. In other words, the doctor were stumped even though they were convince I was having a heart attack.
I've tried to return to work but my heart issues keep getting in the way to the point that even small part times jobs are hazardous to my health. I am on disability because of this which angers my brothers and sisters.
The reason I bring this all up is to start a discussion that the republican right wing says are us people living off the government. Why social security is not as black and white as they want it to be. According to them, I am the lazy people living off the government.

Every politician has a idea to start the economy. Some are good, and some are just dumb. Sound bites even make it look worse. Congressman Hoekstra's sound bit is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. " Tell the government to get out of the way." This is a very strong right wing sound bite. What would happen if government got out of the way?
Unfair labor practice, greed, corporate corruption, soaring prices, unfair competition, the demise of small business etc....... This is like giving the prisoners the keys. We need larger government, unfortunately, to police those who only think of themselves. We need a government that is not influenced by the profit line of big business.

Trying to get fit. I was serious about losing weight and started to work out at the YMCA. After a month of working out lightly, I have a heart attack and heart surgery. Now I am back to exercise at cardiac rehab trying to get back in shape. Does this seem like I'm going in circles? Every time I try to get back in shape, I end up with more heart problems. All the good tasting food out there, I can't have because of the dangers to my heart. I am reduced to a vegetarian who has fish and chicken once in a while, no alcohol, no stress and hopefully lost weight.
This is so confusing.

A headline this morning was saying that "Jessie Jackson sees the Labron Story like slavery." I laughed so hard that I could not read any further. It was bad enough that Labron shamelessly promoted himself, but that all those people actually watched it on ESPN didn't help. Jessie is just doing the same thing, self promotion. There are racial problem in this world, but this is not one. Labron is getting millions for what he does and in no way should be compared to slavery in any shape or form.

Michigan, the land of the "no fault" insurance scam strikes again. The state's conservative supreme court has stated that Insurance Companies can set car rates by credit scores. Why don't they just use magic cards and crystal balls. the rich get richer and the middle class disappears.
The fact show that the people most likely to loose a house to foreclosure, the rich. The one's most likely to pay less taxes, the rich. Most poor people have cars with just minimum coverage while the richer people will have total coverage. The bottom line is that our laws are based in profit margins. We should remove these judges from the bench and replace them with a CEO from a fortune 500 company who received a bailout from the federal government. Where is the "tea party'" on this one.

Are we still looking for weapons of mass destruction. We would have better success looking for Waldo then looking for BenLadin. Saddam and his brothers are dead, and the Taliban is a disco group in Vagas. What in the world are we doing in Iraq and Pakistan. Our children are being killed in the name of freedom, and we criticize other country's and their holy wars. We have failed to learn anything from Vietnam and Korea. This 4th of July I prayed for our men that have served and are serving our country. I pray for our leaders who use war and patriotism to protect politically backed financial interest. Oil is flowing in the gulf, and blood is flowing in Iraq, and our people are dying for a profit line. It's time to stop the flow.

Vegetarian Hell. That is where I've been sent. No red meat, no alcohol, no sweets, if it taste good spit it out. Who knew that fruits have calories and cholesterol. Can't do anything for the next two weeks that would raise my blood pressure or cause me to bleed. On top of all this, I am told to relax and get rid of the stress. i can't ride a bike, cut the lawn, drive a car, and eat meat. STRESS?

Let's git rid of stress. Everybody I owe money to, please forgive my debt. I'm on a fixed income and prices keep going up. The Republican have thrown our economy down the toilet and the value of my home is cut in half. Now my taxes are doubled to keep up with the loss of income from fallen property values. My hospital bills, after insurance, are more then I owe on the house, and Republicans want to cut my SSI disability because they think I'm a bum. Meanwhile the Republican want to cut taxes to the wealtiest American, let corporate greed run wild. WHERE THE HELL IS THE STRESS?

IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH, AND IF YOU CAN'T PAY, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE COUNTRY. THIS IS THE TRUE REPUBLICAN MONTRA. IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT YOUR RETIREMENT WAS TAKEN BY A PONZI SCHEME, WALL STREET COLLAPSE CAUSED BY THE FREEDOM TO SCREW EVERYONE. WHO'S FAULT IS THAT? ONCE YOU ARE OUT OF THE COUNTRY, THE RIGHT WING WILL CONSTRUCT FENCES TO STOP YOU FROM COMING BACK. PLEASE BE KIND ENOUGH TO DROP DEAD OVER A LANDFILL, SO OUR TAXES WON'T BE USED TO PICK UP MY DEAD CORPSE, IF I DON'T MANAGE TO GET TO THE BORDER. If I"m hungry i should move to a third word country so that a bunch of rich musicians can hold a feed the world concert to help me. WHERE THE HELL WOULD I GET STRESS FROM.

What keeps me together is the kindness of others. Christian kindness is not Republican or Democrat, it is just love in it's purest form from people not seeking return on an investment. Their investment in me, helps me invest in others.

Now that I've got that off my chest, I can feel less stressed.

A laugh for the day

Three women, two younger and one senior citizen, were sitting naked in a sauna
Suddenly, there was a beeping sound. The young women pressed her forearm and the beep stopped. The others looked at her questioningly. "That was my pager," she said. "I have a microchip under the skin of my arm."

A few minutes later, a phone rang. The second young woman lifted her palm to her ear. When she finished, she explained, "That was my mobile phone. I have a microchip in my hand."

The older woman felt very low-tech. Not to be out done, she decided she had to do something just as impressive. She stepped out of the sauna and went to the bathroom. She returned with a piece of toilet paper hanging from her rear end. The others raised their eyebrows and stared at her. The older woman finally said..."Well, will you look at that...I'm getting a fax!"

Justin Stressman said...
Of course your God would necessarily have been the one to have stricken you down in the first place, and caused you to live in fear for your life for the past 7 or 8 years now.

And it was modern medical science that was to thank for saving you...

But I don't expect you to acknowledge those points.

Why does God do bad things to good people. If God was real, why would he do this to you (the ant under the magnifying glass). If medicine alone saved my life, then medicine or science caused my heart attack (Fatty foods, preservatives, etc.).

Before I answer Justin, I will say that I have not lived in fear for my life. Yes I have had more heart problems then the ordinary man, but I don't live in fear of death, for all of us will die sometime, but I rejoice in life. I don't compare myself with the Jones', but celebrate the things I have.

Now I will say something that will get some people so mad that they will jump up and down and maybe shake their heads in disbelief." I rejoice in the things that have happened to me." . I will now explain my statement without biblical or scientific evidence, just what I believe.

I believe that God gives us all a different trail to follow thru life. If we all traveled the same road, had the same education and experiences, and we all believed the same, this would be a very boaring existence. Life is an adventure. Why in the world are we here? I believe it is to experience life, to travel that winding road, and to share it with others. If you want to go thru life fighting it, it will fight back, and if you go thru life ignoring it, it will ignore you. I rejoice in people with different opinions. I don't need pages of science to show that Justin does not believe in God. I like the simple approach. A simple,"I don't believe" would be ok with me, because it is your life and your right. The problem I have with some athiest is not the fact that they don't believe there is a God, but that they are so angry that everyone else don't share their opinion. What would I gain if someone has a different opinion then mine and I were to minimize their opinion.
I heard a minister once gave a sermon that was 45 min. long. He had many and great references. He waxed eloquent and made me marvel in his public speaking abilities. The biggest problem, he made his point after 20 min and didn't know when to shut up. He quoted people he thought were experts because they had written a book. He also missed one major point, the fact that others may think different. His road traveled was different then others, but not necessarily better or more correct, just different. If I have a higher IQ then most people, does that make me smarter then most? No, just like if Einstien was so smart, why didn't he invent perpetual motion, or why couldn't he throw a curve ball?
Is God "Picking on me"? Has science caused my problems or solved them? Once I know all the answers, I will let you know. In the mean time I will live the life that God puts in front of me.

One week ago I was fighting to stay alive. One week later I am trying to figure out what I can and can't do because of the heart attacks. One week ago the world was spinning, everything was a blur, and I was in pain. One week later I'm typing, drinking coffee and getting ready to take a short walk. One day at a time? I think I might just try that. Today is a great day and with Gods help, tomorrow will be even better.

What a week. Four heart attacks and a brand new stint in my heart. My best friend Louie had quadruple bypass surgery which was planned on Monday. I was brought in by ambulance Monday morning. We were a room apart all week. I came home Thursday and he came home Friday. Almost eight years ago we both had a heart attack, 6months apart. We are both pianist and I was scheduled to fill in for him on Sunday Morning. I'm still going to give it a try, and Louie says that he will show up to lend support. I hope we play music that is soothing to the heart.

Thank you Justin. There are not to many Christians that can thank an atheist for streghtening their faith. This past week I suffered 3 heart attacks, had a major artery stinted, and am back home. At four different times I was near death and all I could think of was how I failed Justin. God put Justin in front of me and all I did was argue something that God had already decided years ago, before man walked on this earth. I owe science and medicine a debt I may never be able to re pay (figuratively and financially). I owe God a debt that i can repay in following his lead. I owe Justin a debt for straightening my faith, a debt I can never repay. I am so sorry Justin that I failed you and I will try harder. God has a plan for my life and that includes helping Justin and reverse the harm that years of a well meaning christian family has done to him. Today is the first day of the rest of your life and mine.