Joe The Vet

I saw this video this morning, and had to share it with all of you. This young man says what I feel that our brave men and women are doing in Iraq.

Thank You Joe for your sacrifice. May God bless you and all our brave men and women of our armed services.




God Bless The U.S.A.

Every Vote Must Count And Count And Count...

It has not stopped since the election of 2000, the cry that every vote must count. Al Gore and the Democratic party in 2000 cherry picked certain precincts in Florida to try to win the presidency. When the recount would prove not to be going their way, they came up with the idea of the hanging chad, and finally on non-punched ballots determine the intent of the voter on what was called the dimpled ballot. This final attempt was what the Supreme Court put a stop to, and sided with George Bush and the Republican Party, and awarded the election to Bush. Throughout this entire recount the chant was "every vote must count," and that people were turned away and not allowed to vote. In the eight years since that election there has not been any confirmed cases where large groups of people were turned away from voting. Sure some people who were not registered, or who could not prove who they were, could not vote. This only makes sense since you want only eligible voters actually voting. This election caused major new Democrat sponsored legislation for voting law changes. In 2004 Sen. Kerry had sent a contingent of lawyers to Ohio to contest the election. When the numbers there were quite obvious that a recount would not be successful, he called off the wolves and conceded.

Here we are in 2008, and the election has not occurred yet, and we have 12 states investigating voter fraud. A college journalist group in Ohio found one address that had 13 people registered and none of these people were actual residences of the state of Ohio and, had no intention of living there. The Secretary of State of Indiana indicated that he had a 105% registration of eligible voters for the election. What are the dead voting now?

We've all heard of ACORN the voter rights and registration group, who registered Mickey Mouse in Florida, and is the chief target of fraud investigations in those 12 states. Well this group has now launched video ads and lawsuits, in many states, claiming voter intimidation and suppression by the Republican party.

Have we so polarized ourselves politically that we can no longer even trust our voting system? Will we have a repeat of 2000? I certainly hope not. Remember election day is November 4, exercise your right vote. Vote early and often, your vote will count.

Decision Time Approaches.

In one week we will end over 18 months of presidential politics. Now is the time to decide what direction this country will take for the next four years. Some have said the decision we make on November 4, is the most important election in our lifetime. Seems I heard this in 2004 as well. Every election of a president is very important, we are picking "the leader of the free world" when we vote. Many of the issues that we face as a nation are not easily solved and cannot be reduced to a thirty second sound byte, or a campaign slogan "Change You Can Believe In."

For over 8 years our federal government has been stagnant at best. For the most part, neither party has been willing to put aside their petty differences to do the actual work of the people. They filibustered appointments, legislation, or just let bills die in committee. Few legislators were willing to reach across the aisle to help solve problems. Some preferred to just ignore them because they didn't want to anger their constituents and contributors. Electing the same old people back to congress is not necessarily the way to go. Look closely at their voting record, what have they actually accomplished while they were there? A good source for voting records is here. If your legislators are not voting the way you feel they should, why should you vote to return them to Washington?

The main choices we have for President are Barack Obama or John McCain. Each man has his good and bad points depending on where you come down on the issues. For information on Barack Obama click here. For information on John McCain click here.

No Obama Nation. If Sen. Obama is elected we have the following to look forward to. Increased government control of your health care. A universal health care plan as proposed by Sen. Obama will lead to even more increased deficits, and fewer medical professionals. What will be the incentive to get into the medical field, if after spending all that time and money, the government will dictate how much you can make? Increased unemployment, as companies will not be able to pay the required premiums and maintain all employees. We have the best health care in the world. People from countries that have universal health care come here, and pay for procedures that will save their lives, because they can't get an appointment with a doctor in their country. Do we want this here? If your sick, need medical attention, and can't pay for it, you will still get treated.

The Obama tax plan, (or redistribution of wealth plan), as I mentioned in a previous post, is his major promise of a tax cut for 95% of all Americans. That's all well and good but 35% of people pay no taxes at all. The Senator has promised to increase taxes on people making over $250, 000.00 and give it to those making under $35,000.00, socialism at its best, welfare at its worst. What will the incentive be for people to work? If you get money and health care for "free" why work? Increasing taxes on corporations, will lead to more unemployment, higher prices for goods and services, and more companies leaving the country to avoid the tax burden. We currently have the second highest corporate tax rate in the world.

Weak foreign policy. Sen. Obama has made it clear he will negotiate directly with many of our most ardent enemies with no preconditions. When you open negotiations with someone you lend legitimacy to their view. You must be willing to give them something in return in negotiations. You cannot negotiate with terrorists and people who are bent on killing you.

With the Election of Sen. Obama, an increase of democratic seats in the congress, and the duet of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, they will go wild with increased spending and government control of our lives. Where will the balance be that we need?

Character associations, if Sen. Obama were not a senator and running for president, he would not be able to get a security clearance with associates like the terrorist Bill Ayers. If you listen to the senator it is not an issue, he didn't really know him, he was a guy in the neighborhood, he thought he was reformed. Sen. Obama launched his political career in Ayers' living room. I always have a party in a guy's living room that I don't know. Yea right. These are just a few of the reasons I can list for not voting for Sen.Obama.

In my opinion, the choice we must make for president is John McCain. Sen. McCain's tax plan to reduce corporate taxes, reduce the tax on capital gains will do more to stimulate the economy. The trickle down effect, as it has been called since Ronald Reagan first introduced it in the 1980's, does work. It is based on the ideals of America. Anybody who works hard can make it here.

A strong foreign policy. Sen. McCain's policy is to continue the struggle against Islamic fascism. A commitment to our allies to work together in battling this common enemy. Courage to confront any aggression in the world.

Abortion. Sen. McCain will not allow the expansion of abortion rights. He will if given the opportunity, appoint judges who will take a constitutional view to the Supreme Court. They will not be judges who legislate from the bench.

A balance in government with Sen. McCain in the White House it will limit the ability of the loony left to implement their policies unfettered.

These are some of the reason I have for voting for Sen. John McCain. It is all of our responsibilities to be informed voters. Do your homework make your decision and above all on November 4, exercise your right and vote.

Busy Weekend Comes To An End

It's been a few days since I have posted anything, I've been busy and unlike Laura, I was not staying up till 1:30 in the morning to blog. After work Friday, I picked Laura up and went to St. Mike's for the spaghetti and meatball supper. Good turn out many meals were sold. I Had two good size plates myself. The food was good, or I was hungry, probably a little of both. When supper was done it was time to work as the money counter for the turkey party. We had a great crowd this year and had to limit the number of tickets people bought for the first time, in recent memory, so everyone could get a chance. It can get crazy as the runners selling the tickets all come back at once, and you have to make sure they return the right amount of money, while the crowd wants to have the wheel spun and are yelling spin spin... The biggest culprit in enticing the crowd with this chant was Fr. Peter. The night was a good time for all in attendance and we went home happy. No turkey for us though, first time in a while, Laura didn't win one.

Saturday, we got a late start. Laura was up late doing her post the night before. After breakfast, it was off to the store to do my mother's shopping. Every week I take care of her groceries. She's eighty nine, and many years ago, I had to take away her car keys. Not so much to protect her but to protect others from her driving. She scared the hell out of Laura on one trip into Worcester to see her doctor. She ran a stop sign, was in the middle of two lanes, almost didn't stop for a school bus, and that was the last straw, the end of her driving. Once her shopping was done, and a short visit, it was back home and off to the church to help Laura plant bulbs in the church urns in front of the church, which will bloom in spring. When that was finished, it was back home for lunch and to watch some college football. That night, it was off to the Dudley Fire Dept. for an "all you can eat" steak dinner. We met several of our friends from St. Mike's and we all sat at a long table and enjoyed the food and conversation. We got there a little before it started at 5:00 PM and stayed, talking until after it was done at 7:00 PM. When we got home, it was down to the man cave to watch more college football and the world series. It figures, the baseball game wouldn't start until after 10:00 pm and went till 1:50 AM. At least it didn't go extra innings.

Today we were up early to listen to Fr. Peter's radio show, Shepherd of Souls, on WESO 970 AM, at 8:30. Then it was off to Church and Liturgy. After Church and coffee hour, we got home just in time to watch the Patriots play the Rams. Good game for the Pats, now tied for the division lead, after a well-earned win. Matt Cassell threw a late touchdown to Kevin Faulk for the winning points. Deltha O'neil picked off Bulger to ice the game. After the game, it was off to Wal-Mart and Big Y for a few things. Ever notice when you go shopping for a few things it is never that fast? A couple hundred bucks later, we're home and ready for an evening of Fox News shows and then, we will get ready to go back to what my dad used to call, "the salt mines" (work) in the morning.

Nummbaar

Well it's that time of year again at St. Michael's Church the big turkey shoot party. The event is this Friday, October 24, at 16 Romanian Ave, in Southbridge MA. The evening begins at 5:00PM to 7:00PM with an all you can eat spaghetti and meatball supper for a paltry amount of $5.00 per person. This year our special guest chef is none other than our pastor himself, Fr. Peter. Only in America can you have a Scotsman cooking Italian food in a Romanian hall. Then at 7:00PM we begin the turkey shoot. For those of you who don't know what I mean by a turkey shoot, it is not actually shooting turkeys (though that may be even more fun. Then again, I wouldn't want some of these guys pointing a gun anywhere near me.) We sell you a ticket for 50 cents which gives you two chances to win. When all the tickets for that game are sold, 60 in all, we spin the wheel. That's when our master of ceremonies Tom Andrea, begins his famous call nummbaar (number), which ever number comes up from 1 to 120, the person with that lucky number wins a turkey. We replay this scenario 25 to 30 times during the evening. Some are special games for $1.00 a ticket, the winner getting a turkey and a basket, or, a 50 50, which means you win half the money collected for that game. (The prize $30.00.) This goes on until about 9:00PM or until all the turkeys are gone. (Guests don't count.) During the evening if you come don't forget to take a chance on the giant food basket raffle again, $1.00 per chance to win a basket of over 100 lbs of food and a 20 lb turkey to boot. Finally for the door prize, all those losing tickets, sign your name, we put them in a bag, shake it up, draw one for another 20 lb bird. The evening goes fast and is a good time for all ages. If your in the neighborhood, please drop on by we'll put a meatball on for you. Who knows maybe you'll go home with a turkey! No ladies, I don't mean your husbands, hope to see you there.

Church Outreach

Fr. Peter has a good discussion going on at his blog about what the Church can do to make things easier for people to go to church. We are not talking about changing the service or the theology of the Church. The changes are more when to hold services. Friday night before people go out to dinner, or mid week for those who have to work weekends. Go on over and leave your thoughts under Everything must change or Everything must change part 2. Click here.

Other things I have heard about the Church reaching out are what Fr. Peter and Fr. Greg have tried which is to go to where the people are, pubs bars etc. to answer basic questions about God rather than just to preach to them.

What are you looking for from the Church? What can It do for You? I am interested in knowing your answers to these questions please leave your thoughts and opinions.

Catholic Bishop On Votiing

I came across this today and felt it was quite interesting. The Orthodox Church is quiet when it comes to political matters and has not given any guidance in this coming election.

I am not a single issue voter and do not promote single issue voting, however, when undecided and the only difference you can find is life you must choose life.

I look forward to your thoughts on this article.

Bishop reminds Catholics to remember Judgment Day in the voting booth
Bishop Robert Herman
St. Louis, Oct 18, 2008 / 08:03 am (CNA).- Bishop Robert J. Herman, the administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, has written a column reminding Catholics that their vote will be a decision weighed on the Day of Judgment. He urged Catholics not to treat the unborn as the neglectful rich man treated Lazarus in the biblical parable.
“Judgment Day is on its way,” the bishop wrote in the St. Louis Review. “We cannot stop it. We don’t know when it will come, but just as surely as the sun rises daily, the Son of Man will come when we least expect.”
“For many, this coming election may very well be judgment day, for this election will measure us,” he continued, referencing Christ’s words of judgment in Matthew 10:32-33:
“Everyone who acknowledges Me before others, I will acknowledge before My heavenly Father. But whoever denies Me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Bishop Herman asked the faithful to consider what kind of witness they give to God when they enter the voting booth on Election Day.
“The decision I make in the voting booth will reflect my value system. If I value the good of the economy and my current lifestyle more than I do the right to life itself, then I am in trouble,” the bishop wrote.
He cited Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Christifideles laici, which said outcry on human rights is “false and illusory” if the right to life is not defended to the maximum.
“The right of our children to be protected from destruction is greater than my right to a thriving economy,” Bishop Herman continued.
“My desire for a good economy cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion. My desire to end the war in Iraq cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion.”
Bishop Herman looked to the spiritual dimension as well.
“Those 47 million children our nation destroyed are still living. We have destroyed their bodies, but their souls are still alive. When our Lord comes again, they may very well be there to judge us. Even worse, Jesus tells us that whatever we do to the least of our brethren, we do to Him. We would truly shudder if we heard the words, ‘I was in my mother’s womb but you took my life!’
“It is quite possible that we might see these children, but, depending upon the choices we have made, we may very well be separated from them by a great chasm which cannot be crossed, much as the rich man who ignored Lazarus, the poor man, during his lifetime here on earth but was separated from him after death.”
Bishop Herman said the “deepest problem” with many Catholics is that they have become accustomed to rationalizing away a “life of sinful actions” headed in the wrong direction.
“My goal is not to engage you in some political party way but to engage you with our Savior and His teachings. We need to constantly challenge our accustomed behaviors in the light of the Gospel,” he wrote.
He said the issues of the coming election could help people learn about the teachings of the Catholic Church and to use the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
“When we do this, both we and the heavens will be filled with joy!” he asserted.
“Judgment Day is on its way,” he repeated, encouraging people to pray the family Rosary daily between now and Election Day.
In a previous column for the St. Louis Review, Bishop Herman urged Catholics not to put politics ahead of the Fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.”
“Save our children!” he wrote. “More than anything else, this election is about saving our children or killing our children. This life issue is the overriding issue facing each of us in this coming election. All other issues, including the economy, have to take second place to the issue of life.”

Long Journey Home

Yesterday My wife Laura, and I were fortunate to witness the Chrismation of over 100 people from Emmanuel and St. Stephen's into the Orthodox Church. Emmanuel is located in Warren MA a short drive from here, while St. Stephen's is in Springfield MA. This brought to mind our own conversion to Orthodoxy some 20 plus years ago. Back then I remember Fr. Stephen Siniari telling us that all over the country whole congregations from various faiths were coming into the Orthodox Church. I never thought we would see this in New England. We happened upon their community shortly after they decided to enter the Orthodox church, We have met several of the parishioners at Emmanuel as well as Fr. Ken and Deacon Chris, and were pleased we could be there to share in their love for God, their joy of finding the original unchanged church founded by our Lord and and his apostles.

God calls all of us to Himself through his Son Jesus. It is up to each of us to find our way to Him, so we can share in His love and glory. It is a journey that for many will last a lifetime. The people of Emmanuel and St. Stephen's began their journey several years ago when they decided to find the church founded by Jesus. The Church that is the same today as it was for the first 1,000 years. They had no idea where they would land when they began, through God's grace they were led to the Western Rite of the Orthodox Church. They will be celebrating the oldest Liturgy in the world that of St. Gregory. This Liturgy is the pre-Vatican II Liturgy or Mass. This Liturgy is different than that of the Byzantine Rite, St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil more commonly seen in the Orthodox Church and is just as beautiful.

Laura and I want to welcome home all from Emmanuel and St. Stephen's to the Orthodox Church. May you continue to grow in your love for God and may God grant you all many years.

To learn more about Emmanuel and St. Stephen's click here!

Joe The Plumber Public Enemy #1

Unless you've been under a rock or in outer space for the last week, by now you've heard of Joe the plumber. To recap, Joe Wurzelbacher an Ohio man who works in the plumbing business asked Sen. Obama a simple question about his tax plan. To paraphrase, If elected President, how will your tax policy affect me if I buy a plumbing business and make over $250,000.00? The good Senator answered "I'll spread the wealth around". Obama told Joe, he wanted to give him the money five years ago so he could buy the business, and if he made that kind of money, it was his job as president to be sure that those less fortunate had a share in that money. Given Sen. Obama's answer, Sen. McCain brought Joe up countless times, both at the debate and on the campaign trail.

Poor Joe, ever since the question was asked, he has been getting hammered by the liberal press and blogs. He isn't a licensed plumber, he's divorced, he's a republican, etc.. you get the idea?. It seems to me that the main discussion that we should be having is the answer given by Sen. Obama,"I'll spread the wealth around" rather than it be about Joe. Sen. Obama came into his neighborhood, and Joe who is trying to be an informed voter, (as we all should be) and understand the Senator's tax plan, went outside to ask him about it. Joe didn't drive 100 miles out of his way, wasn't a secret spy sent by those dastardly Republicans to ambush him, he is just a regular citizen asking a question of this leader. So why is this man being so vilified by the liberal press? Simple. An old political ploy when you cannot win the argument on intellectual or factual grounds, you destroy the messenger. Since the liberal media long ago anointed Sen. Obama as the next president they can't take any chances that he will lose, they must change the topic of conversation from what it should be about, and focus it on the person who shed the true light on their chosen one.

I believe we should be focused on the response of Sen. Obama given to an ordinary citizen who asked a question on a policy touted for the last 18 months by a "would be" president. That answer, "I'll spread the wealth around," finally gives us a true look into his ideology one of Socialism more so than one based on Democratic principles.

When I was young, the Democratic party was the party of the working man, (just like Republicans of today), taxes were a necessary evil to give the government the money needed to perform it's function. If tax cuts were so bad for the rich why then did President Kennedy provide them? Somehow the party of FDR, Truman, and Kennedy, men who believed that hard work should be rewarded, not punished, fought for the American way of life, (Capitalism). Socialism had to be defeated. The party has morphed into Johnson, Carter, Clinton, and now possibly, Obama. Men who believe that it is the government's job to be sure all people are equal economically, given free health care, free education, and if you should be fortunate to achieve the American dream, take what you worked hard for and, "I'll spread the wealth around". This is Socialism my friends, plain and simple, Socialism. That was Sen. Obama's answer to Joe the plumber, Socialism. That's the way I see it.

Entitled

In my job I have been seeing people who feel that they are entitled to get everything for free or take no responsibility for their actions. Part of my job in bank operations is dealing with customers who dispute charges to their accounts with their debit card or automated clearing house (ACH) more commonly referred to as a check over the phone. While debit card and mail (including e-mail) fraud is continuing to grow at a fast pace, an experienced person can tell when a customer is lying about not knowing what the charge on their account is about.

I recently had two people lodge disputes over charges that caused their accounts to go negative and incur insufficient fund fees. The first was a man who rented a car for two months because he was involved in an accident. His insurance company refused to pay the entire amount of the rental. He felt that he should not have been charged by the car rental company at all and the bank should pay him back because it was not authorized. Visa and Master Card both advertise that transactions performed on your account (here are the key words with a lost or stolen card) that are not authorized, are not the customers responsibility. This customer was so adamant that he was defrauded by the car rental company he even filed a police report claiming fraud. (The bank requires this for all unauthorized transactions over $250.00 so that if the actual criminals are caught, they can be prosecuted and the money recovered). The Insurance company refused to pay the bill because his car was ready in two and half weeks, not two months. The customer liked the rental car better than what he had repaired, so instead of returning the car, he kept it for two months and said, "I'm not paying for it'.

The second case, was a father who's teen-age son went online and bought a pocket-rocket mini motor bike. When he first came into the bank, he had no idea what this was. When he came back to file the paperwork, he had contacted the company and knew that his son had indeed pretended to be him online and, again over the phone, made arrangements with the delivery company to deliver the bike when his parents were not home. This man wanted: The bank to pay him back because it was not authorized, and to keep the mini bike because it was originally coming out of his account. Or, The company was to pay him back and absorb all the costs of shipping the bike back across the country.

Both of these people had the same basic attitude. I 'm entitled to keep my money and keep what I bought because it was not my fault. Wrong!! To the first, take responsibility for your actions. You knew your insurance company would only pay while your car was in the shop. Don't expect someone else to cover the cost for your joy ride over the summer. To the second, be a parent. What example are you setting for a child when he sees you try to get something for free at the expense of someone else. If it's going to cost you to return it, and or, keep it, punish the child. Extra chores, no privileges and have the child earn the money to pay for the mini bike.

These are just a few of the most recent examples I've seen recently. People need to get over this "it's somebody else's fault, I'm not responsible for what I do" attitude. We need to go back to the teaching, that you take responsibility for your actions and, you are not entitled to anything, you earn them.

Bailout or Greed

I don't know about you, but I am seeing more and more people who feel that this bailout was the wrong thing to do. Just look at the bailout, banks, investment companies, insurance companies, and everybody else are all looking for a hand out because they screwed up and gave unqualified people loans, and then invested in them. The people at the top of these companies all walked away with huge amounts of the their troubled companies money. I know in my job if I fouled up one millionth of the amount these executives did I would be fired and most likely prosecuted for fraud and embezzelment. Why then do we not hear cries of outrage and demand of congressional investigations into the actions of these people. No congress has them in to testify on how to correct the problem. Why are we listening to these fools, they are the ones who caused it in the first place.

Our elected officials failed us back in the late 80's and early 90's when they started to relax the regulations on home lending and then caving in to special interest groups for not only political reasons but for one of the oldest reasons greed. Many of our congressmen and senators received below market loans, and or huge donations from these people. (Con. Barney Frank D. MA, Sen. Christopher Dodd D Ct.) We elect these people to do the will of the people not to get fat at our expense.

It seems to me that over the past quarter century more and more of our leaders (Political & Business) are out for one thing and then the other, more and more money which leads to more and more power. What are we to do? Simple! Vote a change get these people out of office and elect people who will not forget that they are there for us not themselves.

Welcome to All

I am finally entering the world of blogging. Following my wife's lead who has been blogging for more than a month now. Visit her blog at the right at Kiss the boo-boo.

In this blog if you are one of those PC people (Politically Correct) you may be offended. People who know me tell me that I tell it as it is. I do not like playing games I see most things as black and white not much is gray.

I hope to spur you to think about the various topics I will blog about( Political, religious, news, etc.) I want your opinion in order to get a good discussion going. We can learn from various views on a subject and should be willing to accept opinions contrary to our own. I hope you enjoy and come back often leaving your thoughts and views.