Lyme Disease Series (M.S., Parkinson's or...)

Look forward to more on Lyme Disease and related tests and links this week. I will include answers to questions and comments that I received from my posts and from my network sites as well. Thank you for your feedback. I feel as though I am receiving more from the post on Lyme Disease than I have given, thus far.

Sabbath Day, December 30th, 2007

What a great country we live in, this great United States of America, that we have the freedom to practice our religion.

"Freedom of religion is a guarantee by a government for freedom of belief for individuals and freedom of worship for individuals and groups. It is generally recognized to also include the freedom not to follow any religion. Freedom of religion is considered by many in many nations and people to be a fundamental human right."
-The freedom of religion as stated by Wikipedia

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Sunday is a day of rest from our weekly schedule of work. Today is a day that we reserve for worshipping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I know that, no matter what I share, there will be critics of how I share it, or of the content. I've deleted a couple of comments on previous sabbath posts that were extremely negative. Some stated that I didn't share anything except that which the church wanted me to, or that these were not my own thoughts.

In these sabbath posts, I prayerfully place each piece of information into the post so that my readers can learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I may not be as mushy or tearful as I would at the pulpit if I were to be bearing my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, but that is because I am attempting to give points of interest...lessons on gospel, or points of doctrine for learning and I am attempting to keep my posts short and to the point.

I suppose that in this post I will give those critics a small taste of my testimony.

I have a testimony of the gospel. I know the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. I know the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly . I know that the church was restored for us in these latter days and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I know that President Gordon B. Hinkley is a true prophet.

The depth of my testimony cannot be stated fully in a typed post. However, let me state that it took me until I had been through quite a spiritual search, (even though I was born "Mormon") and many years of church inactivity, to find my testimony. Today, I wouldn't deny what I believe for anything or for anyone. I couldn't have said that as I was growing up. Eventually, everyone needs to decide for themselves if they wish to live a life with purpose and what that purpose is. For me, I discovered that my life is full of purpose...actually, limitless purpose.

Forgiveness is a powerful thing. Additionally, the realization that everyone is human and is involved in the "human experience" here on earth. When I fully realized these two things, I more fully understood the gospel and have been able to ask for forgiveness, repent, be human, and understand that others will be human as well. These things, as well as many others have been very powerful for me.

Again, the depth of my testimony cannot be stated or appreciated in a typed post. However, let me conclude with the fact that I know that my Savior, Jesus Christ, died for my sins. I know that I can return and live with my Father In Heaven again, with my family, for eternity. For this knowledge and so much more I am eternally grateful.

I am thankful for the opportunity to share my testimony with my readers. My hope is that you will learn and study the sabbath posts that I share and search for yourself if these things are true. I hope that you find that they are uplifting and heart warming for your soul.

Thank you for your readership! Have a wonderful Sunday evening!

'Tis The Day After Christmas

'Tis the day after Christmas and all through the house
Appears a tornado tossed toys, clothes and dishes about

The kids are all grumpy from the Christmas day fun
Extended family, close locations equals run, run, run, run

Happy to be done with the pre-Christmas shopping
Returns? Do I have to help the stores with re-stocking?

Gifts of love, friendship, and freedom we truly appreciate
Thanks to all who helped us with gifts and put something on our plate

Seems like the tree just went up and now must come down
Festivity lights, decorations soon disappear all 'round town

The house will get clean and routine back in place
Next year, this same time, we'll return back to the race.

Sabbath Day, December 23, 2007

What a great country we live in, this great United States of America, that we have the freedom to practice our religion.

"Freedom of religion is a guarantee by a government for freedom of belief for individuals and freedom of worship for individuals and groups. It is generally recognized to also include the freedom not to follow any religion. Freedom of religion is considered by many in many nations and people to be a fundamental human right."
-The freedom of religion as stated by Wikipedia

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Sunday is a day of rest from our weekly schedule of work. Today is a day that we reserve for worshipping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As this week is Christmas, I feel it is only fitting that I share the principles of our faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Initially, I'd like to share that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel.

Only faith that is followed by repentance is faith that saves.

Heb. 11:6
Paul writes to the Jewish members of the Church on faith, about A.D. 60
"But without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

2Nephi 31:19
Nephi writes, between 559-545 B.C.
"And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you , Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save."

A great relative of mine, President Spencer W. Kimball said,
"Signs will follow them that believe. He makes no promise that signs will create belief nor save nor exalt. Signs are the product of faith. They are born in the soil of the unwavering sureness. They will be prevalent in the Church in about the same degree to which the people have true faith."

Do you think that all people saw the new star in the east when Christ was born? Not likely. There were probably few who were faithful, who listened to the prophets of their times, who knew the signs of Jesus birth.

Would you know the signs of his second coming? Do you see them? Do you have faith, or are you exploring your spiritual nature at this time?

Many things are happening on this planet that make it easy to confuse our spiritual nature and almost silence that part of our birth right from our listening ear. If you use time to study, ponder, meditate and pray on spiritual matters, you nurture your spirit and that nature becomes stronger. With that increased spiritual strength will come an increased understanding of your true being, where you came from, who you want to become, what you want to leave behind.

For more information on spiritual topics there are many resources. However, may I stear you toward two spiritual resources this day...



...the source of my quotations..."We Believe" by Rulon T. Burton

...and LDS.org Click Here

May you have a safe and happy holiday.

Mystery Illness...

I have finally found the answer to my long sought question regarding my health. I also know that I am not alone in the search for a

Mystery Illness

I've decided to devote some of my future blogs to a series of articles based on my experiences along this journey of discovery.

As you can see, I have quite a variety of interests and have already split my tech experiences with my blogging widgets, networking, and other technology discoveries for blogging to a blog at

Max Your Ping

I have decided to revamp this site and devote it to more of the health, spiritual, and uplifting-type material over the next week or so.

For politically based material, including articles on Local, National, and Global political articles and agendas, please see my site at

The Truth Will Set You Free

I look forward to future blogging. There won't be a blog on every site every day or the quality will not be present. However, there will be some method to the writing and some links to the writing so that you know which articles are on which sites at what time.

Please take a look at all of my sites to see what applies to your interests, and thank you for reading!

Love Your Pets...Cats

Pets are something to be enjoyed. Here are some humorous things I found on the Internet about cats.

This is something to be enjoyed. This is a totally hillarious video, especially if you have cats.



Here is a specific DVD to keep your cat entertained. I had no idea that there was such a thing...



Here are some cat jokes...

Jokes.Net: Short Cat Jokes

Q: What looks like half a cat?
A: The other half!

Q: What happened when the cat ate a ball of wool?
A: She had mittens!

Q: What do you get if you cross a cat with a parrot?
A: A carrot!

Q: How do cats eat spaghetti?
A: The same as everyone else - they put it in their mouths!

Q: What is a French cat's favourite pudding?
A: Chocolate mousse!



Via: Video Blog



Yes, I am biased. I have cats of my own. I'll have to share some of my own videos soon.

Let's have fun with this.

Enjoy your pets over the holidays!

A Bit of Humor for Your Day...

This is why I sit here blogging...at home...

A Cubicle Conundrum: The Downside of Working in a Cube
Author: The Idiot Aug 13, 2007

* Being told to "Think Outside the Box" when I'm in the darn box all day!

* Not being able to check E-mail attachments without first seeing who is behind me.

* Fabric cubicle walls do not offer much protection from any kind of gun fire.

* That nagging feeling that if I just press the right button, I will get a piece of cheese.

* Lack of roof rafters for the noose.

* My walls are too close together for my hammock to work right.

* 23 power cords, 1 outlet.

* Prison cells are not only bigger, they have beds.

* When tours come through, I get lots of peanuts thrown at me.

* Can't slam the door when you quit and walk out.

* If you talk to yourself it causes all the surrounding cubicle inhabitants to pop their heads over the wall and say "What? I didn't hear you."

* If your boss calls you and asks you to come into his office for a minute the walk there is like a funeral march... people hand you tissues as you pass and refuse to make eye contact.

* You always have the feeling that someone is watching you, but by the time you turn to look they're gone.


For more humor click here

Just Some Humor For Today

"Former President Bush, to celebrate his 80th birthday, jumped out of an airplane. And if you've seen the polls, you know he's not the only Bush in free fall."

—David Letterman

"There was one kind of embarrassing moment when President Bush was asked if he ever went AWOL and he said, 'No no no, we have EarthLink.'"

—Jay Leno


For more jokes like these, click here

Have a great day!

Sabbath Day, December 16, 2007

What a great country we live in, this great United States of America, that we have the freedom to practice our religion.

"Freedom of religion is a guarantee by a government for freedom of belief for individuals and freedom of worship for individuals and groups. It is generally recognized to also include the freedom not to follow any religion. Freedom of religion is considered by many in many nations and people to be a fundamental human right."
-The freedom of religion as stated by Wikipedia

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Sunday is a day of rest from our weekly schedule of work. Today is a day that we reserve for worshipping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Today I wish to give a brief list of Doctrines regarding the Word of Wisdom as written in the summary of the "We Believe" book mentioned last week.

...The Word of Wisdom is a commandment of the Lord.

...Our bodies should be kept clean and pure; hence, we are to be concerned with the nature of the food and drink taken into our bodies.

...Observance of the Word of Wisdom increases the health of both the body and the spirit.

...We are not to drink alcoholic beverages.

...We are not to use tobacco.

...We are not to drink tea (certain herbal tea=okay) or coffee.

...The use of a habit-forming drug of any kind violates the spirit of the Word of Wisdom and defiles both body and spirit.

...The meat of animals is intended for our food, but we are to use it sparingly.

...Wholesome herbs and fruits are intended for our food; we are to use them prudently.

...By obedience to the Word of Wisdom we may gain great wisdom, understanding, and hidden treasures of knowledge.

For more information regarding the Word of Wisdom, please refer to the book called "We Believe" and connect to

LDS.org

Have a wonderful and uplifting Sunday.

Rupert Murdoch, Bilderbergs, Council on Foreign Relations, Seizing The World!

How do I begin a post that can include seemingly limitless resources of information?

You may say that this is a continuation of the post I wrote earlier this week about the North American Union, globalization of government, and the New World Order theories.

Do you know who Rupert Murdoch is? If not, you need to do your homework because he is THE major force in globalizing the media sources you and I enjoy.

That's right GLOBALIZATION of media.

A little about Rupert Murdoch
"Murdoch bought the New York Post in 1976, making that paper famous for its salacious coverage of grisly crime. Murdoch decided to move into television, but US law mandated that only Americans could own US television stations; thus he was naturalized in 1985, and in 1986 purchased John Kluge's Metromedia, using it to start America's fourth television network, Fox Broadcasting. In 1996 he started the Fox News Channel, delivering a staunchly conservative perspective on the news, as overseen by former Republican campaign wizard Roger Ailes. Murdoch's British papers solidly backed Margaret Thatcher, John Major, and Tony Blair, and his American mouthpieces have vocally backed Republicans since Ronald Reagan. During the 2002 and 2003 build-up to the invasion of Iraq, all of Murdoch's 175 newspapers editorialized for war."

"His companies' labor relations have sometimes been brutal, especially in England, where he led the industry in modernizing the printing process, laying off thousands of workers in the process. In 1999, The Economist reported that despite billions in profits, News Corporation had paid no corporate taxes for more than a decade, thanks to its complex international structure and the extensive use of offshore tax havens. In 2004, Murdoch purchased a penthouse condominium in New York City for $44-million. His net worth is estimated at about $7-billion."

GLOBALIZATION seems to be his goal...

Murdoch's Financial Media Assault
"...part of Murdoch's ambitions to build a global financial media powerhouse in print, the Internet and TV."

Investigation Into Murdoch's Operations
"investigation of Murdoch's operations in Australia, Britain, the USA and the Chinese People's Republic, amounts to this: as an international operator, Murdoch offers his target governments a privatized version of a state propaganda service, manipulated without scruple and with no regard for truth. His price takes the form of vast government favors such as tax breaks, regulatory relief, monopoly markets and so forth. The propaganda is undertaken with the utmost cynicism, whether it's the stentorian fake populism and soft porn in the UK's Sun and News of the World, or shameless bootlicking of the butchers of Tiananmen Square."

Not only does media globalization seem to be his goal, but he has aligned himself with powerful players in major areas of world domination or a New World Order.

He is a reported member of the CFR...

Murdoch & CFR
"The most powerful clique in these elitist groups have one objective in common – they want to bring about the surrender of the sovereignty of the national independence of the United States. A second clique of international members in the CFR comprises the Wall Street international bankers and their key agents. Primarily, they want the world-banking monopoly from whatever power ends up in the control of global government.

"Former Congressman John R. Rarick warned:

"The CFR, dedicated to one-world government, financed by a number of the largest tax-exempt foundations, and wielding such power and influence over our lives in the areas of finance, business, labor, military, education and mass communication media, should be familiar to every American concerned with good government and with preserving and defending the U.S. Constitution and our free-enterprise system. Yet, the nation's right to know machinery – the news media – usually so aggressive in exposures to inform our people, remain conspicuously silent when it comes to the CFR, its members and their activities.

"The CFR is the establishment. Not only does it have influence and power in key decision-making positions at the highest levels of government to apply pressure from above, but it also finances and uses individuals and groups to bring pressure from below, to justify the high-level decisions for converting the United States from a sovereign constitutional republic into a servile member of a one-world dictatorship.

"Who are some of the past and present members of this anti-American operation? Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Porter Goss, Alan Greenspan, John Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz, Gen. Richard B. Myers, Henry Hyde, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr., Sandra Day O'Connor, George Soros, Christopher Dodd, Diane Feinstein, Gerald Ford, Bill Frist, Newt Gingrich, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Katherine Harris, Teresa Heinz, Antonia Hernandez – President of Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Gen. John P. Jumper – current Air Force chief of staff, Joseph Lieberman, John McCain, Rupert Murdock, David Rockefeller, Diane Sawyer and Tony Snow."

Additionally, he has affiliations with the Bilderberg Group. What is the Bilderberg Group?

Bilderberg Group
"The Bilderberg Group or Bilderberg conference is an unofficial annual invitation-only conference of around 130 guests, most of whom are persons of influence in the fields of business, media and politics."

"The original intention of the Bilderberg Group was to further the understanding between Western Europe and North America through informal meetings between powerful individuals. Each year, a "steering committee" devises a selected invitation list with a maximum of 100 names. Invitations are extended only to residents of Europe and North America. The location of their annual meeting is not secret, but the public and press are strictly kept at distance by police force and private security guards so the group can work their agenda. The contents of the meetings are kept secret and attendees pledge not to divulge what was discussed. The group's stated justification for secrecy is that it enables people to speak freely without the need to carefully consider how every word might be interpreted by the mass media."

Bilderberg Attendees
Notice that Rupert Murdock is among the list of Bilderberg attendees.

If belonging or associating with these organizations is not enough to convince you that he means to dominate the world media and means to cultivate world views, the following may help you understand this further...

Murdock Admits He Tried to Shape Public Opinion on Iraq
Must Watch The Video!

More Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch is supporting the Clinton campaign.
Rupert Murdoch is a major supporter of Iraq.

Rupert Murdoch Loves Hillary Clinton
"Conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch will host a fundraiser for liberal New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, the Financial Times reports."

Well, he has recently made a new acquisition...

Rupert Murdock, Wall Street Journal Takeover
"NEW YORK – Rupert Murdoch completed his $5 billion-plus deal to acquire Dow Jones & Co. Thursday, adding The Wall Street Journal to his global media conglomerate News Corp. and ending a century of control by the Bancroft family."
"The deal places Dow Jones into the fold of News Corp., which also owns the Fox broadcast network, Twentieth Century Fox, Fox News Channel, satellite TV businesses in Europe and Asia, MySpace, the New York Post, as well as a large group of newspapers in Murdoch’s native Australia."

This is someone we all must stay aware of.

Additionally, regarding mainstream media...they only give you the information they are told to give. The trust is disappearing quickly regarding the actual facts-vs-fiction covered on the news regarding topics, even as broad as Iraq. At this point, I'm not a paranoid person, but who do you trust to give you the whole truth?...The only answer is to go through multiple resources and to KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN.

I continue to investigate resource after resource to find more information regarding the North American Union and any facts that I can use to show that it is not in the process of being formed. Thus far I have been unsuccessful, however, my search is still ongoing. If anyone has sources they would like to share, please comment.

There will be more on additional global power players, the North American Union, and New World Order theory in upcoming posts.

Have a fabulous Saturday!

Huckabee Should Be Required To Give Speech On Religion

It seems that all candidates for President should be either under the necessity of spelling out their specific religious beliefs or that those beliefs should be taken completely off the table.

Huckabee seems to be trying to dodge the bullet with the religion card, other than representing himself as a "pastor".

If he was true to his word, wouldn't he have followed Mitt Romney's speech with one of his own?

Exclusive Brody File Video: Huckabee says Romney’s Mormonism is Fair Game
"I expect it to be an issue as people evaluate whether they want me to be President. And I’m perfectly prepared to defend my faith in front of anyone, anytime, anyplace and under any circumstance. That’s fine. I not only accept it I in fact welcome it because frankly it gives me an opportunity to give witness to my faith so to be questioned on it is not something that would make me say’ well I don’t want to talk about that’. Sure, let’s talk about it.”, said Huckabee about religion.

As far as I can tell, Huckabee does have specific beliefs that, when proclaimed, put him in an uncomfortable position. I wonder what he would do if he were in Romney's position. Would he show such leadership? Would he be willing to give an actual speech about God in front of the Nation?

Huckabee bristles at creationism query
"Huckabee - who raised his hand at a debate last May when asked which candidates disbelieved the theory of evolution - asked this time why there is such a fascination with his beliefs."

"I believe God created the heavens and the Earth," he said at a news conference with Iowa pastors who murmured, "Amen."

"Huckabee, at a dinner in Des Moines, told reporters that the theory of intelligent design, whose proponents believe an intelligent cause is the best way to explain some complex and orderly features of the universe, should be taught in schools as one of many viewpoints."

Perhaps Huckabee may wish to spend some time studying Christianity and Mormonism so that he can, with facts, answer questions. Yes, "Mormonism" (as the religion is nicknamed) is Christian. The members are devoted to being Christian. The lives of "Mormons" revolve around their religion and being as much "Christ-like" as possible.

Huckabee Won't Say Mormonism Is "Legitimate" Christianity
"You know, Mormonism is a faith that people adhere to. And I think people ought to respect anybody's faith. I am not all that familiar with the intricate details. I have enough trouble keeping up with my own faith. So, I do not spend lots of time trying to evaluate somebody else's."-Huckabee

If Huckabee has such a hard time keeping up with his own faith, is he the Evangelical leader that he is trying to make the public believe he is? If he is a devout follower and pastor of his religion, wouldn't he be studying his religion on a regular basis. Maybe the people need to see this quote and ask Huckabee to be brave enough to give a speech of his own.

Huckabee Again Ponders Mormonism
"The article, to be published in Sunday's New York Times Magazine, says Huckabee asked the question after saying he believes Mormonism is a religion but doesn't know much about it. His rival Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is a member of the Mormon church."

Again, wouldn't you want to know about your opponent?

HUCKABEE APOLOGIZES TO ROMNEY
"...Huckabee called Romney this morning to apologize for his comments to the New York Times Magazine, asking, "Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the Devil are brothers?”

Huckabee question about Mormonism provokes response from church

Obviously, Huckabee needs to do some major homework here. As stated above, he has no idea about the "Mormon" faith. If he is not willing to get to know this group of American voters and what they believe, do you think that he will want to get to know any other variety of people...of which America is full, as the melting pot of the world?

Huck’s Unholy Dance
"When Mitt Romney’s father ran for the presidency 40 years ago, his Mormonism was not an issue. When Mo Udall was a major challenger for the Democratic nomination in 1976, his religion was so irrelevant that today most people don’t even remember that Udall was a Mormon.

Five members of the Senate are Mormon. Are there any intimations that the Mormonism of Harry Reid, Orrin Hatch, Gordon Smith, Michael Crapo, or Robert Bennett corrupts, distorts or in any way diminishes their ability to perform their constitutional duties?"

This particular article creates a dialog that I wish my readers to give comments on. Should a person's religion be placed on the podium? Or, should the person's credentials, values, history, moral standards, etc. be put on the podium?

Additionally, shouldn't all candidates answer for their individual religious beliefs instead of one man is being singled out among them? Otherwise, isn't the playing field a bit unequal?

Have a great Friday night!

A Not-So-Serious Topic

Since yesterday's blog was very controversial, I decided to make today's easy to read, light, and humorous.

I have read all comments regarding yesterday's topic, the North American Union and the New World Order, and am working on a follow-up piece...which may actually be in more than one piece, due to the abundant resources available to research and report on. My main goal is to try to show that it is not a possibility. Thus far, all I am finding is proof that it is, in fact, in production and has been for quite some time. More on that in my next blog. Thank you to all who commented on my article on the networking sites and most especially directly here on my blog site. I appreciate your opinions and your feedback.

For tonight I'd like to tell you a tale. This is a fictional tale, but one that you may appreciate in these times of serious topics. I don't know the original source for this to give them credit because this was something that was forwarded to me after being forwarded to about five other people. Whoever wrote this...thank you.

"Recently, while going through an airport, during one of his many trips, President Bush encountered a man with long gray hair and beard, wearing a white robe and sandals, holding a staff.

President Bush went up to the man and said, "Has anyone told you that you look like Moses?" The man didn't answer. He just kept staring straight ahead.

The president said, "Moses!" in a loud voice. The man just stared ahead, never acknowledging the president.

The President Bush pulled a Secret Service agent aside and, pointing to the robed man, asked him, "Am I crazy or does that man not look like Moses to you?"

The Secret Service agent looked at the man and agreed.

"Well", said the president, "every time I say his name, he ignores me and stares straight ahead, refusing to speak. Watch!"

Again the president yelled, "Moses!" and again the man ignored him.

The Secret Service agent went up to the man in the white robe and whispered, "You look just like Moses. Are you Moses?"

The man leaned over and whispered back, "Shhhh! Yes, I am Moses...The last time I talked to a bush, I spent 40 years wandering in the desert and ended up leading my people to the only spot in the entire Middle East with no oil."



Have a great Thursday night!

North American Union? New World Order?...Questions Answered?

I was reading many articles today, as I usually do during my networking time. One article intrigued me. The subject has been a fascination of mine for quite some time, so I thought I'd share some of its information and expound a bit.

Choose for yourself whether you agree or disagree, but first follow the links and read the material. The links I provide are only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. There is a lot more I could put into this blog tonight, however, I think that this should be enough to get you thinking about the puzzle.

August Review Article
"The global elite, through the direct operations of President George Bush and his Administration, are creating a North American Union that will combine Canada, Mexico and the U.S. into a superstate called the North American Union (NAU). The NAU is roughly patterned after the European Union (EU). There is no political or economic mandate for creating the NAU, and unofficial polls of a cross-section of Americans indicate that they are overwhelmingly against this end-run around national sovereignty."

You may be just going along, living your life, and look at this and think that there is no way that this could possibly be for real. Many people might prefer not to know many things that may be this serious in nature. If you read further, however, you may not completely disagree with the above mentioned case-scenario(although, it has been going on...as you will find from reading the complete August Review article...for a lot longer than the Bush administration).

"Modern day globalization was launched with the creation of the Trilateral Commission in 1973 by David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Its membership consisted of just over 300 powerful elitists from North America, Europe and Japan. The clearly stated goal of the Trilateral Commission was to foster a "New International Economic Order" that would supplant the historical economic order."

So, you may want to know a little about the Trilateral Commission.

The link to the Trilateral Commission site is here.
Trilateral Commission
Email them to receive a complete list of their members.
They state that...
"To help preserve the Commission’s unofficial character, members who take up positions in their national administration give up Trilateral Commission membership. New members are chosen on a national basis. The procedures used for rotation off and for invitation of new members vary from national group to national group. Three chairmen (one from each region), deputy chairmen, and directors constitute the leadership of the Trilateral Commission, along with an Executive Committee including 36 other members."
...which would mean that there would not be someone "active" on the commission who is currently serving in our administration. That doesn't mean that they weren't active members before and won't be active members after.

Also, please click on their "recent activity".
Pay attention to the following:
Task Report # 60
Note: Pay attention to the table of contents.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Henry Kissinger

The Authors
Global Challenges of Nuclear Proliferation
Graham Allison
Iran Case Study: Is There a "Plan B" for Iran?
Hervé de Carmoy
Iran Case Study: Time Is Running Out
Thérèse Delpech
East Asia and Weapons of Mass Destruction in North Korea: Strategic Drivers, Future Paths, and Nonproliferation Dynamics
Chung Min Lee

Task Report # 58
"Much of my essay reflects an awareness of these differences and a corresponding effort to prescribe ways for the United States to realign itself with its major allies while still recognizing and pursuing its core interests. However, I also identify anti-Americanism as an "ism," like communism or fascism, that is gaining its own momentum as an ideology that radically oversimplifies a dichotomy between what America is presumed to be and what traditional culture, religion, and power structures are proclaimed to have been. This kind of anti-Americanism empowers populist demagogues in many societies and makes it increasingly difficult for governments that wish to work with the United States to do so. It is particularly dangerous in a world in which non-state actors can both complement and combat states."

Task Report # 57
"Let me start with three definitions, since we can confuse ourselves if we are not clear about what we are talking about: globalization, governance, and democracy. By "globalization" I mean simply interdependence at intercontinental distances, and that distinguishes it from regionalism or localism. Essentially, it's interdependence on a worldwide basis. By "governance" I mean the pattern of ways in which we manage our common affairs. Governments are a subset of governance, but they are not the only way we govern collective affairs. By "democracy" I mean a situation where leaders are accountable and ultimately removable by a majority of the people."

2002 Events: North American Regional Meeting of the Trilateral Commission
"Friday, November 1,3:00 pm
FUTURE NORTH AMERICAN INTEGRATION: THREE PERSPECTIVES
Chair: Allan Gotlieb
Panel:
Wendy Dobson, Professor and Director, Institute for International Business, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
Robert Pastor, Professor of International Relations and Vice President of International Affairs, American University
Luis Rubio, Director General, Center for Research on Development (CIDAC), Mexico City"

To me, reading through the meeting notes that are available for the Trilateral Commission sheds new light on the seriousness of this subject. What do you think about this information?

Now, back to the August Review article... Click Here

"May, 2005, in a paper titled "Building a North American Community" and subtitled "Report of the Independent Task Force on the Future of North America." Even the sub-title suggests that the "future of North America" is a fait accompli decided behind closed doors.

Some of the recommendations of the task force are:

"Adopt a common external tariff."
"Adopt a North American Approach to Regulation"
"Establish a common security perimeter by 2010."
"Establish a North American investment fund for infrastructure and human capital."
"Establish a permanent tribunal for North American dispute resolution."
"An annual North American Summit meeting" that would bring the heads-of-state together for the sake of public display of confidence.
"Establish minister-led working groups that will be required to report back within 90 days, and to meet regularly."
Create a "North American Advisory Council"
Create a "North American Inter-Parliamentary Group."16
Sound familiar? It should: Many of the recommendations are verbatim from Pastor's "modest" presentation to the Trilateral Commission mentioned above, or from his earlier book, Toward a North American Union."

Here is a link to that paper..
Building A North American Community
"The Task Force offers a detailed and ambitious set of proposals that build on the recommendations adopted by the three governments at the Texas summit of March 2005. The Task Force’s central recommendation is establishment by 2010 of a North American economic and security community, the boundaries of which would be defined by a common external tariff, and an outer security perimeter."

Interesting, huh? There really is such a paper.
Where is your opinion now? Are you thinking that maybe the idea isn't quite so "out there"?

Let's return to the August Review article... Click Here

"2006 SPP Summit in Cancun Shortly after the task force report was issued, the heads of all three countries did indeed meet together for a summit in Waco, Texas on March 23, 2005. The specific result of the summit was the creation of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPPNA). The joint press release stated...

"We, the elected leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, have met in Texas to announce the establishment of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America.

"We will establish working parties led by our ministers and secretaries that will consult with stakeholders in our respective countries. These working parties will respond to the priorities of our people and our businesses, and will set specific, measurable, and achievable goals. They will outline concrete steps that our governments can take to meet these goals, and set dates that will ensure the continuous achievement of results.

"Within 90 days, ministers will present their initial report after which, the working parties will submit six-monthly reports. Because the Partnership will be an ongoing process of cooperation, new items will be added to the work agenda by mutual agreement as circumstances warrant."

Here's a link to the SPP's Site.
Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America
I encourage you to read the information on the site to judge it's validity for yourself, however, here are some of the items listed in the Myth/Fact area of the site that I found of interest.

"Myth: The SPP is a movement to merge the United States, Mexico, and Canada into a North American Union and establish a common currency."

"Fact: The cooperative efforts under the SPP, which can be found in detail at www.spp.gov, seek to make the United States, Canada and Mexico open to legitimate trade and closed to terrorism and crime. It does not change our courts or legislative processes and respects the sovereignty of the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The SPP in no way, shape or form considers the creation of a European Union-like structure or a common currency. The SPP does not attempt to modify our sovereignty or currency or change the American system of government designed by our Founding Fathers."

"Myth: The U.S. Government, working though the SPP, has a secret plan to build a "NAFTA Super Highway."

"Fact: The U.S. government is not planning a NAFTA Super Highway. The U.S. government does not have the authority to designate any highway as a NAFTA Super Highway, nor has it sought such authority, nor is it planning to seek such authority. There are private and state level interests planning highway projects which they themselves describe as "NAFTA Corridors," but these are not Federally-driven initiatives, and they are not a part of the SPP."

Back to August Review again...
August Review
"Where from here?

"The stated target for full implementation of the North American Union is 2010.

"The Task Force proposes the creation by 2010 of a North American community to enhance security, prosperity, and opportunity. We propose a community based on the principle affirmed in the March 2005 Joint Statement of the three leaders that 'our security and prosperity are mutually dependent and complementary.' Its boundaries will be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter within which the movement of people, products, and capital will be legal, orderly, and safe. Its goal will be to guarantee a free, secure, just, and prosperous North America."

Don't underestimate the global elite's ability to meet their own deadlines!"

Review the deadlines in the "Task Force" paper. They are very determined to meet those deadlines and they will find ways to do so.

Here are some other organizations and information that are pertinent resources for this subject.

CIDAC "NAFTA: Lessons from Mexico to Central America"
World Trade Organization
GATT
BIS
IMF
CFR

There is so much more information that I could provide, however, unless you would like to leave comments with particular questions that I may respond to with exact information, I believe that this, along with the links I've provided, give enough for a basic understanding of what is formulating in the international community.

You must draw your own conclusions based on your own reality and based upon your own interpretation of this material.

What do you think about this subject? Do you think this is a conspiracy theory or reality? Don't you want to know which, if any, of the candidates for the 2008 elections have affiliated themselves with these proceedings, i.e., are, or were they ever, a member of the Trilateral Commission?

Story "Romney and Mormonism"...Take Your Own Time To Research...

Note: This story, because there where so many diverse remarks made by various parties on Digg, as it is a place where opinion is welcome and cherished, was buried.

"How many Diggs or buries does it take to promote or remove stories? The promotion and burying of stories is managed by an algorithm developed by Digg. There is no hard number of Diggs/buries to promote or remove a story. It's based on a sliding scale that takes several factors into consideration, such as number of Diggs, reports, time of day, topic submitted to, Digging/burying diversity, etc. "

Therefore, doing a search on Digg for this, even though it received 264 Diggs, you will not be able to find the story unless you go back through this site or to see the various comments (some of which may be offensive, but opinions non-the-less) click the following...

Click Here For My Digg Submit List

Just the name of the game in networking my articles.

For information on technology, please see my blog at

maxyourping.blogspot.com

Look Forward To New Posts Coming Every Day...

War Against the Republicans...A Reflection of America Today?

Lately, I've been reading many "articles" on the blog networking sites (Digg shown in examples) that have been obvious mud-slinging toward the Republican candidates and their party candidates.

Of course, this is to be expected from the mainstream media outlets, due to their general alignment with the democratic party. However, these articles are so obviously ridiculous, reflecting a lack of strength in character of both the media outlets that are participants in these biased attacks, the democrats backing those outlets, and the comments left on the networking sites where these are re-submitted.

A clear indication of Americans interested in bonding with these outlets/article producers is that of the vocabulary used in the comments following the article submissions, either directly on the main media sites or on the blog networking sites where they are increasingly being re-submitted for their controversial value and popularity rating. Comments from Americans, who should be proud of their country and care about its reputation, seem to begin with four letter words (I choose not to use in my vocabulary), include these same words in the content of their comment and end with these same profane words. Wouldn't someone who has pride in the outcome of their nation be more educated than to use such language? Wouldn't someone who desires to actually be heard regarding their comment actually articulate it in English that everyone should be able to relate to, instead of words that fill vacant space for no apparent reason except to be vulgar? Are these a real reflection of America today?

And what about those articles anyway? Allow me to show you a few and let you judge for yourself if they reflect what I am stating above.

Huckabee on AIDS, CBNnews.com...Click Here
DIGG SUBMIT...CLICK HERE
NEWSWEEK...SAME ISSUE...CLICK HERE
Of course they will pull something out of 1992 when we were not at all sure about AIDS. I am sure that he was NOT the only person who was worried about the issue at the time. This just happens to be a convenient time to pull that tidbit out of the archive. Does he still stand by his moral beliefs as a conservative Evangelical Christian? Of course. Why should he lie?

McCain Is Out Of Touch...Click Here
DIGG SUBMIT...CLICK HERE
USA TODAY...CLICK HERE
Obviously, in this report they are making a mockery of McCain, who has made regular effort to visit Iraq and keep aware of what is going on there. He has more clout with General Petraeus than some reporter. This report was obviously pointed directly at discrediting McCain.

MITT ROMNEY'S WINDY, WORTHLESS SPEECH...Click Here
DIGG SUBMIT...CLICK HERE
This "author" has obviously not done any homework on the "Mormon" religion, officially known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Reading the review about his thoughts on the speech, I found myself laughing out loud! There have been so many critics of Romney and his religion...all of whom have not been educated fully on the details...but this guy...can you say NUT JOB!!!??? Read this one for a good laugh!

Guiliani...The World Trade Center Collapse...Click Here
DIGG SUBMIT...CLICK HERE
This is a conspiracy theory being brought out pointedly toward Guiliani at a convenient time. This conspiracy theory has been defunct many times over, so to have it brought up again and in pieces directed at Guiliani is pretty darn vindictive.

Ron Paul...CNBC took down the polls...Click Here
DIGG SUBMIT...CLICK HERE
Copy of Polls Before Pulled...Click Here
An interesting item to be noticed...that a network like CNBC would purposely remove the results of the polling from one of the candidates. Would that be considered legal? What would their agenda or end game be in doing such a thing?

Poll finds Republican field isn't touching U.S. voters...Click Here
This is a biased report about the weakness on the end of the Republican Party and the strength of the Democratic Party. MAJOR BIAS!!!

There are so many other articles and I know I have lacked to include all of the candidates, but isn't this representation enough of an example?

Judge for yourself.

Please feel free to leave your opinion. I'd love to know what my readers think.

Sabbath Day, December 9, 2007

What a great country we live in, this great United States of America, that we have the freedom to practice our religion.

"Freedom of religion is a guarantee by a government for freedom of belief for individuals and freedom of worship for individuals and groups. It is generally recognized to also include the freedom not to follow any religion. Freedom of religion is considered by many in many nations and people to be a fundamental human right."
-The freedom of religion as stated by Wikipedia

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Sunday is a day of rest from our weekly schedule of work. Today is a day that we reserve for worshipping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

My thoughts for today are to give you thoughts on the United States Constitution as I truly believe it was inspired by God.

My First Quotation comes from President George Albert Smith...

"The Lord in his wisdom saw the necessity of giving us a nation in which we could thrive. In no other nation under heaven could the Church have been organized and gone forward as we have in this nation. The founding of the United States was not an accident. The giving to us of the Constitution of the United States was not an accident. Our Heavenly Father knew what would be needed, and so he paved the way to give us the Constitution. It came under the influence of prayer, and he guided those who framed that wonderful document."

"I hope that the membership of this Church will not be deceived into thinking that other plans, other forms of government, other systems of direction whatsoever, are desirable. I want to say to you without any hesitation that no form of government in the world can be compared favorably with the government God gave to us. This is his plan."
-April 1947

The following quotation is by the prophet Joseph Smith as a Declaration of Belief Regarding Governments and Laws.
"We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society. 2. We believe that no government can exist in peace except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life.
-Doctrine & Covenants, Section 134, 1-2
-August 17, 1835

I am strongly patriotic and believe that our country was founded for reasons beyond you and I...that it was founded so that we can have the freedoms that we enjoy and most take for granted. I believe that, because of our Founding Fathers, I have the right to practice my religion freely and to enjoy the benefits of a society, full of others with diverse religions, who can do the same.

A great resource for more about the doctrines and principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that goes into detail topic by topic, is a book called "We Believe" by Rulon T. Burton. I utilize it regularly because it includes references to scripture from the Bible, Book of Mormon, General Authorities of the Church, as well as other figures of support. A great resource indeed.

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.

Romney & "Mormonism", Take Your Own Time To Research Your Personal Concerns

Looking over other's sites regarding reviews of the Mitt Romney speech, I find very few positive reactions that are posted on the blog networking sites and the comments are full of ignorance (if I may be blunt).

Perhaps there are those who would assume that to remain ignorant as to the beliefs of another religion allows them the right to believe the "rumor-mill" that runs rampant, especially regarding religions who hold their faith sacred.

To change the minds of those who feel that need to retain their tunnel vision is a fruitless venture and a frustrating thought. There are so many beautiful and wonderful people in this world of every religion.

Perhaps a review of the speech would be worthy of my blog. I'd like to keep it here just for my benefit, if you don't mind. I thought it was well thought out, beautifully spoken, and emotional for Mr. Romney...you can see that his heart was into every word.

Initially, I'd like to provide the interview prior to the speech. I appreciated this as well.

Romney prior to speech


Here is the speech in full. I appreciate a news network willing to show the complete speech on their site.

Romney Speech on Religion


Now, for those who appreciate the speech in print, here is a copy of the transcript according to humanevents.com.

Romney Speech Transcript

The comments on the transcript site were very supportive, as they should have been. As I stated earlier, the stories regarding the speech that were submitted on the article networking sites, for the most part, were negative, anti-mormon related in either content or comments.

Everyone has their own opinion. However, if you read closely, most of those opinions that are educated will not have the negative connotations and exclaimations that the educated opinion commentator will have, unless they are filled with pure hatred for the religion or the people itself.

Draw your own conclusion. What do you think about the speech? Do you feel that every candidate should answer to their religious beliefs?

Managing Time...My Lessons

I'm learning that between my blogging, networking my blogs, and everything that goes into the articles that my time management skills are in need of work. I seem to be burning the candle at both ends between taking care of my family, an illness, and my love of reading and writing.

Therefore, tonight I spent some time on my developmental blog site at

maxyourping.com
maxyourping.com, article

where I manage all of the new information that I continue to learn regarding "Technology, Widgets, Networks, and More...Increasing Traffic and Personal Happiness In Blogging" during this Internet journey.

I wanted to write both blogs tonight, as I usually do, however, with this illness, kids home sick, a Husband out of work, etc., today just kind of became an out of balance day.

So, to all of my readers, I appologize if the topics on my other blog site are not your type of topics. I will be writing more on this site tomorrow, attempting to regain some semblance of daily balance.

Thank you for your patience and for your loyalty in readership.

Here's a little laugh from

Joke-A-Day.com


Two bachelors, Larry and Frank were out to dinner. The conversation drifted from office, sports to politics and then to cooking. “I got a cook book once” said Larry. “But I couldn’t do anything with it.” “Too much fancy stuff in it, huh?” asked Frank. “You said it, Larry replied, nodding. “Every one of those recipes began the same way: “Take a clean plate…”

Having Babies Pollutes The Planet?

So, here's an issue for you.

Have you ever heard anyone say that childbearing is selfish?

..."oh, you're having kids? You are so selfish!"

..."Those childbearing types...they are so selfish!"

Wouldn't that sound ridiculous and uneducated for someone to talk like that?

Well, here's a story about some who say its 'selfish' to have children because you're ruining the Earth by doing so.

As put on a recap from the Glenn Beck program from CNN, "Spoken like a childless person -- obviously they wouldn't know just how selfless having a child is. Maybe if their Friday night excitement consisted of cleaning the snot bubbles out of their kids noses and trying to get a 2 year old to eat green beans they would better understand the definition of 'selfless'."

Here is a link to the article along with some priceless quotes I have excavated from its contents.

"Meet the women who won't have babies - because they're not eco friendly"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=495495&in_page_id=1879

"Had Toni Vernelli gone ahead with her pregnancy ten years ago, she would know at first hand what it is like to cradle her own baby, to have a pair of innocent eyes gazing up at her with unconditional love, to feel a little hand slipping into hers - and a voice calling her Mummy.

But the very thought makes her shudder with horror."

My Commentary: Shudder with horror?

...following her decision to not ever have children...
"At least then, we'd be doing something positive for the world, rather than something negative."

My Commentary: I agree that if she would "shudder with horror" at the thought of cradling her own baby that, yes, sterilization for her is doing something positive for the rest of us...the world.

...working with fellow environmentalists...
Toni was happy, at last, with fellow environmentalists who shared her philosophy. But when she was 25, disaster struck.

"I discovered that despite taking the Pill, I'd accidentally fallen pregnant by my boyfriend.

"I was horrified. I knew straight away there was no option of having the baby.

"I went to my doctor about having a termination..."

My Commentary: Fallen pregnant?

...She had the termination...later had appointment for sterilization...
"A week before my sterilisation, I went to an animal rights demonstration and met Ed.

"I liked him immediately, and I told him what I was doing straight away - because if he wanted children then he needed to know I wasn't the woman for him," she says.

"But Ed was relieved when I told him how I felt and said he didn't want children for the same reasons."

My Commentary: How many of these "environmentalists" are out there?

On the morning of surgery, Ed gave Toni a card saying "Congratulations".

Toni says: "After the operation, which is irreversible, I didn't feel emotional - just relieved.

"I've never doubted that I made the right decision. Ed and I married in September 2002, and have a much nicer lifestyle as a result of not having children. "

My Commentary: Congratulations? They were definitely meant for each other. Didn't feel emotional, just relieved? Not human! Additionally, of course their lifestyle is "richer" in the monetary sense of the word. They have no idea what they are missing in the sense of those wonderful moments with children who have unconditional love, missing you when you are gone, loving you when you are around, and endless other selfless and selfish benefits of having children. Their loss, but evidently much better for everyone else.

...Another case (if you can believe it--in the same article)...
"Most young girls dream of marriage and babies. But Sarah dreamed of helping the environment - and as she agonised over the perils of climate change, the loss of animal species and destruction of wilderness, she came to the extraordinary decision never to have a child.

"I realised then that a baby would pollute the planet - and that never having a child was the most environmentally friendly thing I could do."

My Commentary: A baby would pollute the planet? Do they think that humans were here by accident?

...Later in the article...
"I'd never dream of preaching to others about having a family. It's a very personal choice. What I do like to do is make people aware of the facts."

My Commentary: What facts? They are preaching. Again...Having a baby would pollute the planet?

...her husband chimes in saying...
"In short, we do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint. But all this would be undone if we had a child.

"That's why I had a vasectomy. It would be morally wrong for me to add to climate change and the destruction of Earth. "

My Commentary: Doing all they can do to reduce their carbon footprint would all be undone if they had a child? What a way to make their decision sound so unselfish...also, that it would be morally wrong to add to the destruction of the earth. Hmm, do these people sound very stable to you in the first place? Do they sound like they are not already adding to the destruction, at least to the societal structure of the earth? Not so stable, in my opinion.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. That is what makes this world go around. It's always interesting to hear what people think and do outside of my reality. This one...is really outside of my reality...thankfully.

Armed In The USA

One of my readers requested information on statistics of the percentage of times that people who own guns use them to protect their families compared to the percentage of family members injured by guns in their home.

Here are some helpful statistics and some resources for further information.



Statistics, Facts and Quotes

http://www.ichv.org/Statistics.htm



..."FACT: Contrary to popular belief, young children do possess the physical strength to fire a gun: 25% of 3 to 4 year olds, 70% of 5 to 6 year olds, and 90% of 7 to 8 year olds can fire most handguns."


..."FACT: In 2002, a total of 828 young Americans ages 10-19 committed suicide with firearms, a decrease of 11% from the 2001 total of 928 youth gun suicides. Unlike suicide attempts using other methods, suicide attempts with guns are nearly always fatal, meaning a temporarily depressed teenager will never get a second chance at life. Nearly two-thirds of all completed teenage suicides involve a firearm."



..."FACT: The firearms used in 72% of unintentional firearm deaths and injuries, and in firearm suicide attempts and completions, for people ages 0-19 were stored in the residence of the victim, their relative, or their friend."



..."FACT: 59% of students in grades six through twelve know where to get a gun if they want one, and two thirds of these students say they can acquire a firearm within 24 hours"


..."FACT: While handguns account for only one-third of all firearms owned in the United States, they account for more than two-thirds of all firearm-related deaths each year. A gun in the home is 4 times more likely to be involved in an unintentional shooting, 7 times more likely to be used to commit a criminal assault or homicide, and 11 times more likely to be used to attempt or commit suicide than to be used in self-defense."



Guns In America

Guns In The Wrong Hands (i.e., Terrorists)

http://www.neahin.org/programs/schoolsafety/gunsafety/statistics.htm




Coalition for Gun Control
(Canada comparing statistics to show that owning guns does not solve crime)

http://www.guncontrol.ca/Content/TheCaseForGunControl.html


Arming For Self Protection Does not Work
"The easiest response to suggestions that Canadian civilians need guns to protect themselves is to look south to the US to see where arming for self protection leads. While rates of violence in the US are comparable to countries such as Canada, Australia and Great Britain, rates of lethal violence are much higher. For example, murders without guns in the US are about 40% higher (1.4 times the rate) than in Canada while murders WITH handguns are 1500% higher (15 times the rate)."


Alternate Self-Defense/Protection Options

http://www.selfdefensegearco.com/IM5-LauncherSelfProtectionGun.htm


"The statistics are staggering: 95,000 rapes reported every year in the U.S., 875,000 assaults, and 400,000 other violent crimes. Choose the most advanced personal safety solution on the market - the Avurt ™ IM-5 ™ gun.
The Avurt IM-5 gun is a small, handheld unit that shoots up to five PAVA filled projectiles at attackers up to 40 feet away. It's non-lethal, easy to use, and highly effective at disabling attackers before they get close enough to do you harm."


Statistics, Gun Control Issues, and Safety

http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/TUTORIAL/GUNS/GUNSTAT.html

I know there are many differing view points/opinions on gun issues. I have not made up my mind on which one is correct or incorrect. I find myself split between protection and the dangers involved in gun ownership. I am personally siding more on the protection end, however, once I found the alternative gun units, there are other thoughts of protection that have gone through my mind that may take the place of the standard gun.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

"Mormon"...Have you been quizzed about your religion?

I'm finding it interesting, this debate for the White House. It seems that all questions regarding religion are pointed directly toward Mitt Romney, and his beliefs in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...his religion as a "Mormon".

I loved this article that I found on Digg, finding the comments interesting, knowing that they must not really know much about the religion they are judgmentally, openly typing hatred toward.

"Dear ALL 2008 US Public Office Candidates: When Quizzed About Your Religion"
"archives.gov — Please say: "Thankfully, the Founding Fathers of the United States of America forever resolved this and engraved the answer into the Constitution. It's in Article VI which in part reads: 'no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.' That, my fellow American, is my answer too."

link...

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Dear_ALL_2008_US_Public_Office_Candidates_When_Quizzed_About_Your_Religion

Constitution of The United States

"Article. VI.
All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.


The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

Why shouldn't the other candidates be accountable for the same questions?

Here is some information for those who actually have interest in what Governor Romney believes in. If you are only interested in judging Mormonism or bashing Romney as a candidate, please refrain from continuing to these links because they contain factual, up-to-date, information, without argumentation.

This first link is entitled "Leaders Answer Questions on How Mormons Worship" and includes details along with audio and photos.
http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=6d81dd9848f36110VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=9ae411154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD

This second link is entitled, "Of Chapels and Temples: Explaining Mormon Worship Services"..."Recent research, supported by anecdotal evidence from a variety of sources, including conversations with prominent editorial boards, shows that many people know little about what a Mormon worship service looks like. And unfortunately, many think they are not invited or welcome to attend church with the Latter-day Saints, where they could see for themselves how Mormon worship is focused on Jesus Christ."
http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f324dd9848f36110VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=f5f411154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD

This third link is entitled, "Public Issues", addressing political candidates, political parties, relationship with government, etc.
http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=6203d93c8688f010VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=726511154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD&vgnextfmt=tab1

Additionally, I'm impressed by an article from CBS regarding Romney and regarding politics and religion. I find the comments humorous following these type of articles, mostly due to the lack of knowledge on the subject of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You will find also that most Mormons won't interject their comments to mostly negative articles (although, this one is more on the positive) because it is typical to remain humble and not argue religion.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/09/opinion/main2340298.shtml

As you can see from many of the above links, there are many resources to find out more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, otherwise nicknamed the "Mormon" church.

I like to see comments regarding articles after readers have done real research on the topics, instead of interjecting their hatred, their bigotry, or their judgments based on comments from others around their social circles.

Knowledge is power!

Sabbath...A Day of Rest, December 2nd, 2007

What a great country we live in, this great United States of America, that we have the freedom to practice our religion.

"Freedom of religion is a guarantee by a government for freedom of belief for individuals and freedom of worship for individuals and groups. It is generally recognized to also include the freedom not to follow any religion. Freedom of religion is considered by many in many nations and people to be a fundamental human right."
-The freedom of religion as stated by Wikipedia

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Sunday is a day of rest from our weekly schedule of work. Today is a day that we reserve for worshipping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

My thoughts for today are to give you "The Articles of Faith". Following the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, people wanted to know what "Mormons" believed. Joseph Smith, the Prophet, wrote a letter to John Wentworth, a newspaper editor, explaining our beliefs. Part of that letter became known as The Articles of Faith. Here they are. If you would like further explanation, please comment and I will give further explanation in following Sabbath posts.

The Articles of Faith

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.

3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.

11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul -- We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

I hope that, for those who are unfamiliar with the beliefs of Latter-Day Saints, these articles of faith help to give a brief description of our beliefs. I add that I truly believe in these things and in the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the Holy Bible.

Have a restful Sunday.

Fire Alarms Throughout Your Home...Not Enough! Must Watch!!

As you will see from this video, you must have regular preparedness drills for fire safety and other emergencies.

Preparedness is an issue that deals not only with food storage and water storage, but with learning and training for all emergencies. This is not something that you are hearing about from political candidates, or from the major media outlets. We are lucky to have this video.

Spread this information as it is important to all families...all people...to be aware of things that work and things that need working on to protect each other.

Life is precious. Spread the word.

Have a great Saturday Night.

Good Humor...Love It!

Keeping with this weeks theme...

One thing that is always free is good humor. Laughing is healthy and keeps you young.

Here are some clean humor links...

AhaJokes.Com

http://www.ahajokes.com/

Thousands of clean jokes, funny pictures, cartoons, funny audio, funny videos, and more. Search for humor by keyword, by topic, or even by date! Plus, sign up to get humor in your e-mail three times a week!

Example:

"Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? A: Frostbite. "

The Joke Yard

http://www.thejokeyard.com/clean_jokes/index.html

Clean Jokes: Collection of super clean jokes that everyone can enjoy. Note: Be careful, because the list is selectively "clean".

Example:

"Ol' Fred had been a religious man who was in the hospital, near death.

The family called their preacher to stand with them.

As the preacher stood next to the bed, Ol' Fred's condition appeared to deteriorate and he motioned frantically for something to write on.

The pastor lovingly handed him a pen and a piece of paper, and Ol' Fred used his last bit of energy to scribble a note, then he died.

The preacher thought it best not to look at the note at that time, so he placed it in his jacket pocket.

At the funeral, as he was finishing the message, he realised that he was wearing the same jacket that he was wearing when Ol' Fred died.

He said, "You know, Ol' Fred handed me a note just before he died. I haven't looked at it, but knowing Fred, I'm sure there's a word of inspiration there for us all."

He opened the note, and read out loud, "Hey, you're standing on my oxygen tube?"

A Joke A Day
http://www.ajokeaday.com/

"Since 1995 www.AJokeAday.com been the number one full time, professionally-maintained, humorous joke site! Score big at your next gathering, cocktail or sales appointment with politically-correct jokes. The best and freshest clean jokes in the world! A Joke a Day guarantees to keep all jokes and humor clean."

Example:

"Betty's psychiatrist convinced her that she had 120 different personalities.

Then billed her insurance company for Group therapy!"

So, give a little laugh to yourself or others and you'll enjoy it too.

Have a great Friday night!

Give The Gift of Service

This week's theme of giving gifts from the heart instead of just from the wallet...

The following are some great websites I've stumbled upon with some great ideas for Christmas gift giving.

Helping the Needy for Christmas

http://www.christmasgifts.net/Christmasblog/2007/11/21/helping-the-needy-for-christmas/

Making gifts for needy leaves stitchers with a warm feeling..."Hugs and Stitches"

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/carroll/bal-ca.hugs07oct07,0,148528.story

Adopt an Angel VOLUNTEER PAIRS GIFTS, NEEDY KIDS

http://www.mercurynews.info/wishbook/2004/09-angel.shtml

Other service gift giving ideas may be...

...visit a senior center/retirement home and read or play games with those living there.

...volunteer at a home for the physically handicapped to read and/or play games.

...take cookies and a homemade card to one of your neighbors that you may have never met, or who you rarely interact with.

Don't forget Hanukkah. You may use these same ideas for other celebrations as well.

I hope that these ideas add to your enjoyment of the holiday season.

Have a fabulous day!

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Blogging Joke of the Day

We've all been passed by motorists on the road going much faster than we were.

But you can imagine my shock at recently being passed by a speeding lady going down the middle of the road's dotted line at a truly breakneck speed (at least 100 mph, on only a two lane road)!

The danger she proposed was high, so you can imagine my relief when I passed her later on down the road parked in front of a car with whirling lights.

Their conversation went something like this...

"License and Registration please," the officer asked.

"It's okay, Officer, I have a special license that allows me to do this," said the lady, smiling.

"Yeah, right!" he replied, "I've never heard of such a license."

The lady reached into her purse and handed him her license.

"Just as I suspected," the officer said, "this is an ordinary license, and I see nothing here that would allow you special consideration."

But the lady, still smiling, pointed to the bottom of the license.

"See? It says so right here: 'Tear Along The Dotted Line.'"