Remembering

This video actually took quite some time and still didn't come out like I wanted it to but I wanted to get it out for the 4th of July. I hope you enjoy it, and please leave a comment.

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-Adam

Exorcism: Real or Not

Given my recent posts on politics, I felt like it was time for a change.  Time to delve back into that which I love.  Time to delve back into the powers of the human mind.  So today, I would like to provide you with some information and allow you to make an informed decision about the validity of exorcisms. 

“Psychic seizures are one of the hardest to diagnose of all seizure disorders. It takes the form of emotional instability and is usually diagnosed as a mental disorder. Children and teenagers are diagnosed as having a behavioral problem and treated with medications which worsen the situation. These seizures will cause distortion on reality and mixed up thoughts. Emotional outburst of anger or fear are common with these as well. These seizures come on as quickly as they leave and often the person is not really aware of what happened or sees it in a totally different light.   The person usually will have emotions which are irrational to others around them and be out of control in handling what they feel. “

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/seizure_disorders/20285

Now please watch this, but some of this footage is from actual "exorcisms" and may be disturbing to some. There is some great information here though, so I strongly encourage you to watch it.

 

Live your life without fear, do not believe everything you are told.  Question everything you see.  The mind is a powerful thing and it can easily fool you.  Do your research and decide what you believe.

Thoughts?

Recommendation for Change (Real hope)

 

The problem with government is that they want to govern everything.  I believe personal liberty was the foundational belief on which this country was founded, not a nanny state or on a religious ideology.  I’m sure to some degree the beliefs of the founding fathers played some role in their shaping of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights but they went out of their way to ensure that the separation of church and state was mentioned and the freedom of religion was guarantee.  We see now why that is.  Laws and regulations which favor a specific set of religious beliefs are always an infringement on the rights of others.  Example, gay marriage, despite the fact that more than 57% of Americans ( http://pewforum.org/Gay-Marriage-and-Homosexuality/Majority-Continues-To-Support-Civil-Unions.aspx ) support civil unions between same sex partners, a percentage which has been increasing since 2000, politicians still oppose the legalization of same sex marriage, because they fear the backlash of the Christian voters. 

So I pose a question to Christians and all conservatives opposed to same sex marriage.  Is the job of your representative to ensure the rights and freedoms of people to live and be happy are secure or to play politics to your specific beliefs?  If you say it is to ensure that your moral code and beliefs are forced upon others then what happens if a large number Muslims move to your small community?  Is it then your politician’s job to ensure that all the women in your house wear burkas when outside.  Should your children then pray in schools toward Mecca 3 times a day.  How about if Scientologists move into your community.  Then should we teach Scientology in schools rather than evolution on creationism?  If you don’t know…. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_beliefs_and_practices

“According to Scientologist mythology, thetans brought the material world into being largely for their own pleasure.^[9] The material universe – composed of matter, energy, space and time (MEST) – was created by thetans in a primordial past, a "time before time".^[7] It has no independent reality, but derives its apparent reality because most thetans agree it exists.^[8] It is believed that thetans became victims of their own involvement with the material universe by becoming entrapped by it.^[9] They began to identify with their creation, rather than their original state of spiritual purity.^[7] Eventually, this reached a point where thetans lost their memory of their true nature as thetans, along with the associated spiritual and creative powers.^[7][8][10] Instead, they came to think of themselves as nothing but embodied beings.”

Furthermore I think that the  tax exemption for churches should be removed.  I believe this system is flawed and exploited.  The only portion of any organization that I believe should be even considered for tax exemption is a portion that is a charity, and generates no revenue or personal income.  Sorry Benny Hinn, no tax free millions and gold pianos for you.

While I’m on taxes for a second, perhaps we should address the monstrous tax code of the US.  Here is an idea and surprisingly not a new one.  Scrap it.  Transition to a national sales tax while abolishing ALL other forms of taxes does a few significant things.  One, it allows for the consolidation and simplification of a system that even the IRS experts don’t fully understand and that is filled with amendments that contradict themselves.  It allows to total transparency in taxation, you know exactly what percentage your being taxed and when and how.  What percentage of your income do you pay in Income tax (federal and state), sales tax, property tax , vehicle tax, gas tax, food tax, cigarette tax, alcohol tax, school tax, social security tax, oh the hell with it… you have no idea.  Here is a list of the Federal taxes, you can do the math and then add any additional state, city, county taxes that apply.  http://zatavu.blogspot.com/2006/05/list-of-taxes-we-pay_10.html  .  Additional it does things like remove the taxes from retirement savings accounts, removes the threat of government from stealing your house if you don’t pay your taxes on it… I mean you bought and paid for it, you didn’t know you were renting it from Uncle Sam.  Last one that I’m going to point out, not the last one just the last one I’m making time for, all money spent in the US gets taxed, tourist money, people paid “under the table”, money used in drug or other illegal transactions, if it gets spent it gets taxed.

Since we are throwing out the taxes, lets look at something that this would effect.  Social Security, I believe that the solution to the social security issue, like all things, lie in the private sector not the government.  In the 1983, the fund for social security was “unified” with the other national debt and the funds that should have been “growing” were depleted and now we have a big IOU from Washington.  Subsequently, the growth on this “retirement account” averages 1.23% and is lower for some women and minorities. http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/1998/01/Social-Securitys-Rate-of-Return  Average annual rate of return on a 401K over 70 years is 12%.  Yep those decimals are in the right place.  So what is the solution if we are abolishing social security.  Well the government has an obligation to pay back at least the amount of money taken from people at gunpoint, so I think the government should give people the option to roll that fund into any type of retirement savings account the people choose.  So I could add the money, I have paid into social security into my Fidelity 401k.  Additional the federal government could mandate that all businesses offer to draw a percentage of the person’s income and apply it to a retirement plan, however they could not force the employer to “match” any percentage nor could they force the employee to participate.

To tackle, the immigration issue I think we need a much larger carrot and harder stick approach.  First, address the recent “incursion” into Arizona in which a portion of US land, 1500 acres, has been declared uninhabitable for citizens because of violence from drug cartels and human traffickers.  Nation guard troops should be deployed by the thousands to the southern boarder to secure it and establish a perimeter fence and continued to patrols to ensure the fences success.  On the flip side, our immigration system is flawed.  It is much to difficult for people to immigrate legally into the United States.  I have a friend and co-worker who immigrated from Ecuador with is wife and kids.  After 10 years of working, paying taxes, and living here, he went to get a correction made to his wife’s immigration paperwork.  Her maiden name initial was wrong on her and on their children’s paperwork.  They were all deported except for the husband.  After thousands of dollars and more than a year no substantial progress has been made in reuniting them and the immigration department estimates 2 – 5 more years.  WTF, no wonder people sneak in.

Last point for tonight as the rum and coke starts to set in, is fill in the blanks. 

In this his period a black market of _________ flourished and encouraged the growth of violent gangs.   No industry standards or regulations forced people to produce _________ in their backyards and basements, leading to home invasions, accidents, death from tainted or “cut” (laced) __________.   

If you got that one right, I’ll buy you a drink because we are talking about the prohibition of alcohol…. or are we.  Marijuana has been legalized for medical purposes in some states already and people are beginning to understand that it is the mega death drug the politicians have made it out to be.  It is not physical possible to over dose on it and it is not the gate way drug it is touted to be.  I’m not going to defend it here because the post will be and is already larger than I intended.  So, I’ll close it out with this.  It’s a billion dollar industry, the would produce hundreds of thousands of jobs and remove tens of thousands of non-violent “criminals” guilty only of victimless crimes from the country’s jails and off the budget.  You’ve probably already made up your mind if you think it should be legal or not, but if you are on the fence… do some research.  Don’t listen to anybody, just learn the facts and make a rational decision.

“Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem.” by Ronald Reagan.

“History affords us many instances of the ruin of states, by the prosecution of measures ill suited to the temper and genius of their people. The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy... These measures never fail to create great and violent jealousies and animosities between the people favored and the people oppressed; whence a total separation of affections, interests, political obligations, and all manner of connections, by which the whole state is weakened. “                  ---- Benjamin Franklin

I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.        ---Benjamin Franklin

If by the liberty of the press were understood merely the liberty of discussing the propriety of public measures and political opinions, let us have as much of it as you please: But if it means the liberty of affronting, calumniating and defaming one another, I, for my part, own myself willing to part with my share of it, whenever our legislators shall please so to alter the law and shall cheerfully consent to exchange my liberty of abusing others for the privilege of not being abused myself.     ---Benjamin Franklin

Strangers are welcome because there is room enough for them all, and therefore the old Inhabitants are not jealous of them; the Laws protect them sufficiently so that they have no need of the Patronage of great Men; and every one will enjoy securely the Profits of his Industry. But if he does not bring a Fortune with him, he must work and be industrious to live. ----Benjamin Franklin

A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.   Thomas Jefferson

An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens....There has never been a moment of my life in which I should have relinquished for it the enjoyments of my family, my farm, my friends & books.     Thomas Jefferson

Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition. Thomas Jefferson

Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.       George Washington

I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.           George Washington

And lastly

Knowledge is, in every country, the surest basis of public happiness.   George Washington

----Thank for bearing with the long long post and I yield back the remainder of my time…. if there was any left.

2nd Video

This is the second video, I've posted. This was more an experiment in free flowing creativity than my last one as the Tribute video had a special purpose. This one, I had a general idea of what I wanted and wanted to see where my interpretation of the music would lead me, I hope you like and feel free to leave any comments below

The Damage of Mandated Compassion

 

It is widely excepted that government mandated programs to bring equality to a particular race, gender, or type of disability more often than not, despite the good intentions, cause a great deal of disparity.  Legislation that tries to empower or cater to a certain group of people, by the nature of the law, mandates an underlying tone that those specific people are inferior in a way that they need special laws or programs to help them.  Mandated compassion actually increase contempt for those it is trying to help and makes everyone else less likely to show kindness voluntarily.

When the government forces citizens to pay for housing subsidies, healthcare, and welfare, it builds contempt for those who use it and forms a stereotype of lazy, system exploiting people on those who live off these types of programs.  There are thousands of programs that provide food, shelter, and housing to low income people throughout the United States, that do so through volunteers and donations.  What is more important is that they do a better job and are more efficient with the money that they use, because they don’t have a blank check and they are passionate about helping.  The government is simply to big and it has shown that it really doesn’t care about the quality or effectiveness of its programs, equally they think that they do have a blank check and programs often cost much more than expected while still producing inferior results.

This is everything that government dabbles in where there is a private sector comparison.  This is evident in schools, healthcare, foreign aid, and many more.  A report was released in Georgia on the cost of sending a child to school for one year in a public school. The average cost of each student in the public educational system is nearly $10,889annually.  The cost of public education in 2007 was $10,770.  (  http://www.edreform.com/Fast_Facts/K12_Facts/  )  This number only includes the cost of the tuition, teacher pensions, social security, text books, administrative costs, school district labor relations, judicial costs and non-educational agencies performing K-12 services.  I does not factor in low income credits such as  cheap or free lunches.  Estimates for the actually cost per student to attend annually between $10,000 and $12,000.  The average private school tuition is $6,600, so roughly half. 

Half, let the settle with you for a moment.  We could over a period of years transfer the responsibility of educating our children from the government to the states and from the states to private schools.  In private schools, parents can take a more active role in their child’s education  and the in environment in which they receive it.  Want prayer in schools, want creationism taught to your kids, want a strong arts focus, or maybe you want a school that teaches no agenda and only encourages critical thinking and allows children to learn for themselves how to feel and what to believe about their world.  With locally based private schools parents have the power to find whatever it is they are looking for in a educational system.  The federal government has for years been trying to appease the masses by dancing around religion in schools, displinary systems, and fostering programs like no child left behind and head start.  What they refuse to admit is that the simplest solution is to allow the parents to find the school that best fits their needs.  Needs special education assistance, there are schools for that.  Need remedial training or perhaps advanced class for highly intelligent kids, guess what schools for that too.  All at roughly half the cost.

The bottom line is the governments job is to ensure the freedoms of Americans are protected.  ( http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html ) Not to educate our children, support our poor, feed our hungry, or to ensure all our peanut M&M’s have the “contains peanuts” warning label on them.  Private industry and citizen’s of this country give millions if not billions of dollars in charities each years, millions of man hours in volunteer work, and are passionate about it when they do.  The quality of work is high and they follow through on teaching a man to fish, not just feeding him for a day.  Since the government has been so focused on doing things that are “moral” they forget why they are there.  It is not their job to employ people, it is their job to ensure there are no slaves.  It is not there job to educate people, it is there job to ensure that children are not denied education because of race, origin or religion. They have no right to demand money at gunpoint for allowing you to own property.  They have no right to rip money from you pocket and give it to people who don’t deserve it, haven’t worked for it, and don’t appreciate it.  The government is not Robin Hood, they are the Sherriff for Nottingham. 

Bottom line is people who do not work hard and get a good education should not have the same quality of life as those that bust their ass to get to the top especially if that equal life is paid for by those that did work hard.  No free rides here, everyone is born equal and where you go from there is entirely up to you. 

-  Be strong and tenacious

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  Nelson Mandela

Tribute to the Fallen of OIF and the GWOT

On July 23 2010, Sgt. Bryan J. Opskar will have been gone for 5 years, and his memory is still with us strong as ever. Remember those that serve and those who have gone before, and live in a way that brings honor to their sacrifice.