Politics

Do you have what it takes to meet with the Bridegroom?

Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, Carl Malone and Charles Barclay are among the 50 Greatest Basketball Players of All Times. However, not one of these gentlemen have ever won a Championship. They have had their chances, but none of them had the necessary pieces in place to push them over the hump.

As I look back on the illustrious careers of the afore mentioned gentlemen, I think through the story of the ten virgins. Five were wise, and five were foolish. The sage virgins put all the necessary pieces together that would make sure they are meeting with the Bridegroom at the banqueting Hall, but the shortsighted virgins were superficial in their preparation. They did not pay attention to details, and as a result, they overlooked an extremely critical component—they did not have enough oil for their lamps.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, not everyone will meet with the Bridegroom when He comes. Some of us will be out shopping for things we knew we needed well in advance of His appearing. Now is the time of Salvation. This is the time to plan and prepare. For if we do not have all the pieces in place when the Bridegroom comes, we will hear a voice say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

Do you have enough oil for your lamp?

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins: Matthew 25:1-13

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Horrific Pictures Of Patients in Military Hospital

I hate war and I detest those who advocate it. Still I am aware that some wars are necessary; such as the two world wars. Nevertheless, war is extraordinarily ugly, and horrific. It should be avoided at all cost. However, there are many who embrace war for selfish reason–money. They either do not care about the pain and suffering that occur on both sides of a war or they just do not care.

Recently there was an explosive Congressional investigation which revealed horrific new details about a U.S. funded military hospital in Afghanistan that kept casualties of or patients in “Auschwitz-like” conditions.

The investigation also revealed that Lt. General William B. Caldwell, then commander of the $11.2 billion dollars a year Afghan training program, tried to block the probe and ordered a cover-up.

There are two ongoing investigations looking into the Dawood Military Hospital abuses: one centered around the Military Whistleblower Protection Act, the other concerned with Caldwell’s politically-motivated decision to delay investigations into the hospital until after the 2010 elections.

What follows is an extremely disturbing look inside the Dawood National Military Hospital. It was compiled with sworn eye-witness testimony from the three U.S. Army colonels who blew the whistle on the scandal, as well as never-before published photos obtained by BuzzFeed.

The photos and corresponding descriptions were collected by U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan.
The images are extremely graphic. Click here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/rebeccaelliott/horror-hospital-the-most-shocking-photos-and-test

Happy 4th America

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jeffe...

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson writing the Declaration of independence (1776) were all of British descent. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a resolution earlier in the year which made a formal declaration inevitable. A committee was assembled to draft the formal declaration, to be ready when congress voted on independence. Adams persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft of the document, which congress would edit to produce the final version. The Declaration was ultimately a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The Independence Day of the United States of America is celebrated on July 4, the day Congress approved the wording of the Declaration.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world

Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence

Rush Limbaugh issued public apology to Fluke

Talk show host, and leader of the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, has issued a public apology to Sandra Fluke for derogatory comments he made against her a week ago.

Fluke had recently testified about contraception before a Democratic panel, which placed her in the conservative talk show host’s crosshairs.

Fluke, a law student at Georgetown University who was advocating for health insurance plans to cover the cost of contraception, became the target of a series of attacks by Limbaugh. Besides calling her a “slut,” he also called her a “prostitute,” said that he wanted her to make sex tapes and post them online, and speculated that she only had a problem paying for contraception because she was having “so much sex.”

Limbaugh’s comments caused advertisers to flee from his show, and even promptedPresident Obama to weigh in. The statements also became an issue in the Republican presidential race.

Limbaugh — who has a long history of making incendiary remarks, and is not known to take them back — issued the rare apology on Saturday afternoon, saying he was “sincerely” sorry about his “insulting” characterization of Fluke. But he maintained that the birth control debate was about “personal sexual recreational activities,” not any broader health questions, and compared contraception to sneakers.

“For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke. I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit? In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone’s bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.

My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.”

Bill O’Reilly Attacks OWS with Contempt

Bill O’Reilly makes no secret about his disdain for OWS protesters. So, it’s not surprising that he continues to attack them with contempt. He seems to forget that OWS protesters have the right to protest–just like he had the right to protest in a TV studio, some years ago.

In his recent article on Townhall.com, titled, “Memo to the Occupiers,” Mr. O’Reilly continues his subtle but vicious attack on the movement, referring to protesters as “you protest people,” and “hypocrites.” He even interject Cuba in his argument, as if to say if protesters did not like it here, they should go to Cuba.

This is how O’Reilly addressed the OWS movement:

Listen up, you protest people! You have gone and alienated Newt Gingrich, who wants you to take a bath and get a job. Or vice-versa. And his words were greeted with applause from coast to coast. You guys should take notice.

A couple of months ago, the polls showed that many Americans sympathized with your movement. After all, who likes greed-head Wall Street folks manipulating the financial markets? They bathe, but so what? They’re corrupt, and you are right to demand that the government provide oversight on them.

But that point has been largely lost because the Occupy movement is now perceived as radical and incoherent. The loons moved in, and the sincere protesters ceded the spotlight. All of a sudden, the Sons of Anarchy were getting all the camera time. Most Americans are willing to listen, but not to guys with scorpions tattooed on their necks. And then there were the ugly displays of police-baiting and mindless destruction.

The result: According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, just 28 percent of Americans now approve of the Occupy movement, and James Carville will no longer take their calls.

But the primary reason this correspondent has turned bearish (sorry) on the Occupy Wall Street movement is hypocrisy. Recently, the feds announced that executives at the near bankrupt Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac agencies would receive close to $100 million in bonus money. Also, the guy who ran Solyndra into bankruptcy got a nice departure package despite the fact that the solar-panel company wasted about $500 million of taxpayer money.

So where are you on those things, Occupiers? Why are you besieging a Burger King in San Diego when the real corruption is in Washington, D.C.?

What Bill O’Reilly and his heartless conservative friends at Fox News, and elewhere fail to understand is this: OWS protesters or( the 99%) are the 99ers, who have lost their jobs, homes and personal belongings as a result of reckless behaviour on Wall Street. These are the same people who had their unemployment benefits ran out because Republican in congress refused to extend them. These protesters are hurting, and they are crying out for help. Politics and government have failed. The only alternative is to take to the streets in protest.

Read article here:  http://townhall.com/columnists/billoreilly/2011/11/26/memo_to_the_occupiers

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