The Blessing

One of the things I have learned in life if you profess any kind of faith is that at one time or another you are going to be asked to give a prayer of thanks for some event. These situations are awkward for most of us and for the few of you who who are reading if you can rip one off the top of your head, you can consider your self blessed.

So I don't consider myself a religious representative of any kind. Most of my friends would call me a great example of a bad example. I did a little research several years ago, during some down time, to fill this hole in my learning. Hoping to spare my wonderful spouse and family any future embarasment. I decided to find myself a "good prayer" something better than "bless the bread bless the meat". I found there are prayers for everything, simple children's prayers to the complex, beatific works of John Donne and Sir Thomas Moore. During this project I discovered the prayers of Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Master of Ballantrae, he wrote many wonderful prayers and blessings. I found them heartfelt, complex in thought, but simple in prose. Very easy for me to remember the gist of his writing, though I don't do the words justice. Here is on of my favorites called a PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank Thee for this place in which we dwell;
for the love that unites us;
for the peace accorded us this day;
for the hope with which we expect the morrow;
for the health, the work, the food, and the bright skies,
that make our lives delightful;
and for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Let peace abound in our small company.

Purge out of every heart the lurking grudge.
Give us grace and strength to forbear and to persevere.
Give us the grace to accept and to forgive offenders.
Forgetful ourselves, help us to bear cheerfully
the forgetfulness of others.
Give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind.
Spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies.

Bless us, if it may be, in all our innocent endeavors.
If it may not, give us the strength to encounter
that which is to come,
that we be brave in peril, constant in tribulation,
temperate in wrath,
and in all changes of fortune, and, down to the gates of death,
loyal and loving one to another.

Robert Louis Stevenson

I use some of Stevenson's prayers and adapt them for the situation as needed. Some might I say mangle his work, but after reading more about him as a person I don't believe he would mind.

So being a few day before Thanksgiving and Christmas time fast approaching look up Robert Louis Stevenson's prayers for some ideas in case you are asked for the blessing.

Have a wonderful holiday and I wish all good things for your family.

It's The Economy Folk's

It's crunch time people. The Dollar is way down and everyone is going down the big coaster for the ride of our lifetime. Today President Bush told us the economy is doing great just because the market is above 14 thousand, of course not taking into account any adjustment in real market value because of dollar decline. You younger readers might want to read up on the, Depression, the decline of the England after WWI to the collapse after WWII or the current real situation in Argentina. (Not what the Argentine government says) Our government, for dubious reasons, has decided to flood the markets with dollars to prop up the economy and save the mortage companies. Creating what I believe at best, will be a large recession in the next 2 years. For no sound financial reasons saving their collective broker butts, instead of letting market forces work and take a smaller recession hit now.

Take a drive around to lower middle income neighborhood and look at the huge number of For Sale signs. Bailing out the crooked mortgage houses will not let these people keep their dream. Their dream was killed by 100 dollar oil, 5 dollar milk, low paying service jobs, sky rocketing taxes and homeowners insurance becoming larger than the house payments thus eating up the small reserves in their budgets. These people are already caught up in round 1 of the upcoming recession, and seeing the landscape of the future are downsizing and consolidating now trying keep their lives together.

Every Economist that I can nail down these days from academia, the printed press or airways seems to be in agreement that we are in deep sh!t. Whether they are Classical, Keynesians, Neoclassical, Mercantilists or "whatever" all agree the world economy is heading for a fall. What they can't agree on is what will cause the cardboard house to collapse. For them it's an intellectual exorcise, to us, as like the victim of a murder, it wont matter if we were shot, poisoned or electrocuted, dead is dead.

Many of you have never seen a moderate recession or a collapse of the government I've been there and have the tee shirt (Mr. Carters 20% inflation/recession and I was living in Iran when Mr. Carter allowed that debacle too) This kind of calamity is like a slow-motion train wreck, just like the current situation you get plenty of warning. During Mr. Carters recession I graduated from Tech Collage and took a job with MCI. Though it payed less money than others, because company was expanding and I figured it would be able to ride it out. It did, the company had our hours cut to 32 a week but we kept our jobs. When I lived in Iran the writing was literally on the wall (even a dumb 19yr old could read it) and we had plenty of time to get out before the SHTF. My father flew out the day of the first big riots in Tehran and we had left a month prior to him. So the only Americans I feel sorry for over in Iran after that were the poor Service Joe's who were ordered to stay, the rest of the U.S. citizens were their for the $$$.

What to do? I'm not a survivalist I have never even played one on TV. I'm set up for local emergences, fire, hurricane, a fast bug out if needed and the like. I'm paying off any revolving credit 1st, ditching any fun stuff and nonessentials (my motorcycle, the kids Bush Gardens passes, going to basic cable, the older kids cell phones,etc)to build up my reserves of currency. I'm also getting everything shipshape on the house, if money gets out of control what would normally just be a pain in the ass could end up as a major family problem. Things like laying in a lot of supplies in the hurricane closet, adding a socket to our well to run the pump off the generator, looking around to pickup a good used 3way fridge (gas 12v 110ac) out of a old travel trailer are on my planning list. I've lived in the 3^rd world and have a handle on how to live that life. Many of you haven't, all I can say is start small and basic (water, shelter, food and safety) a good, completed, small plan is better than any daydream retreat on a island. Once you've completed your core plan build on it in stages you can finish. Please learn how to use the gear you purchase I once went on a canoe trip with some friends who had a brought brand new tent still in the box, minus 2 of the poles. The Internet is wonderful source of good material and bad advice. The id10t's are pretty easy to spot and usually flock together.

What's my largest worry is the potential for civil unrest. When you read that no government is more than 3 meals away from a revolution, believe it like it came from your holy book. The United States had it's last Great Depression 79 years ago, back then 80% of the population lived in the country and as my Grandfather told me “we might have still been a little hungry after dinner but we dint starve like folks in town”. We are a urban/suburban society now and the distribution of necessities will be done with the typical government efficiency. (remember hurricane Andrew and 13 years later after FEMA had been FIXED, Katrina) When people cant feed the kids they become desperate quickly and will do rash things. The Mob starts on desperation and runs on frustration and only stops when that frustration is slaked. I remember one of the lines from the movie BRAZIL “were all in it together” and indeed we will be.

So the biggest thing I'm formalizing is the arrangements for the family if we decide to get the kids out or leave the homestead in the city. My cousins and I have always joked “if the SHTF head to Fort Westmoreland”, which is now the family homeplace in the Appalachian mountains, it my be coming to that. This Thanksgiving when we are all gathered up in the mountains for my Mom and Dad's 50^th wedding anniversary will be the time for us to start laying some serious plans for the future of all our families.

If I'm wrong whats the worst that could happen? I'll have all the things knocked off the honey-do list and we'll have more cash in the safe to buy that retirement property up in the mountains. If I'm right................I hope you make it through ok, too..........

Stoneknives

FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE

"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~ Thomas Jefferson

FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE

1. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.

2. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.

3. Colt: The original point and click interface.

4. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.

5. If guns are outlawed, can we use swords?

6. If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.

7. Free men do not ask permission to bear arms.

8. If you don't know your rights, you don't have any.

9. Those who trade liberty for security have neither.

10. The United States Constitution (c)1791. All Rights Reserved.

11. What part of "shall not be infringed" do you not understand?

12. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.

13. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.

14. Guns only have two enemies; rust and politicians.

15. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.

16. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.

17. 911: Government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.

18. Assault is a behavior, not a device.

19. Criminals love gun control; it makes their jobs safer.

20. If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.

21. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.

22. You have only the rights you are willing to fight for.

23. Enforce the gun control laws we ALREADY have; don't make more.

24. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves.

25. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

IF YOU AGREE, PASS THIS "REFRESHER" ON TO TEN FREE CITIZENS.

Bill Haynes (Col, USAF, Ret)

The Problem - Children Are Not Allowed To Learn Right From Wrong

Darrell Scott's Testimony

Darrell Scott is the father of Rachel Scott, one of thirteen victims murdered at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, 20 April 1999 by two sociopaths. Twenty-four students were injured. Mr. Scott testified before the House Judiciary Committee subcommittee on crime delivered 27 May 1999, Rayburn House office building in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Scott's remarks:

Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers." "The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field.

The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart. "In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA.

I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy-it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room.

Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem that expresses my feelings best. This was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today:

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, soul, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and reek havoc. Spiritual influences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact.

What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties.

We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

Political posturing and restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of our nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening taking place that will not be squelched! We do not need more religion. We do not need more gaudy television evangelists spewing out verbal religious garbage. We do not need more million dollar church buildings built while people with basic needs are being ignored.

We do need a change of heart and a humble acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple trust in God! As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right!

I challenge every young person in America, and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA- I give to you a sincere challenge.

Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone! My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!