Month: November 2014

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Prayer Requests 11-15-14

Anyone have a request or a praise they’d like to share?

Psalm 133

¹Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

 

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Our Daily Thread 11-14-14

Good Morning!

It’s Friday!!!

And Happy Birthday to InButNotOf!

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On this day in 1832 the first streetcar went into operation in New York City, NY. It was horse-drawn and had room for 30 people. 

In 1940 German war planes destroyed most of the English town of Coventry when about 500 Luftwaffe bombers attacked.  

In 1968 Yale University announced it was going co-educational. 

And in 1979 President Carter froze all Iranian assets in the United States and U.S. banks abroad in response to the taking of 63 American hostages at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran.

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Quote of the Day

“Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”

P. J. O’Rourke

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For today’s music we have birthday boys named Johann.

First we have Johann Georg Leopold Mozart.

And then Johann Nepomuk Hummel.

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Anyone have a QoD?

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Prayer Requests 11-14-14

It’s Friday, so don’t forget to pray for Mumsee, Mike, and the young folks at the Nest.

Anyone else have something to share?

Psalm 131

¹Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.

2 Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.

3 Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.

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News/Politics 11-14-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. You say veered left. I say returned to his comfort zone.

From TheHill  “President Obama has taken significant steps to the left since his party’s devastating losses in the midterm elections.

In a surprise, he announced a major deal on climate change with China during a trip to Beijing Tuesday. That followed another unanticipated move — a Monday statement pressuring the Federal Communications Commission to adopt new net neutrality rules for the Internet. 

The moves are helping to rally a dispirited Democratic base while re-establishing Obama’s political leadership after he was sidelined during the midterms.”

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2. The Army continues to purge middle management.

From TheNYTimes  “For all the insecurities of war, Capt. Elder Saintjuste always figured the one thing he could count on from the Army was job security.

A Haitian immigrant who enlisted as a teenager, he deployed three times to Iraq, missing so many birthdays and Christmases that he sometimes felt he barely knew his four children. He hid symptoms of post-traumatic stress so he could stay in the Army, because he loved his job and believed that after 20 years he could retire with a captain’s pension.

Then this summer, on the day Captain Saintjuste reached his 20 years, the Army told him that as part of the postwar downsizing of the force he would have to retire. And adding insult to injury, he would have to retire as a sergeant, earning $1,200 less per month, because he had not been a captain long enough to receive a captain’s pension.”

“The cuts have largely come through attrition and reductions in recruiting, and have, so far, mostly affected low-ranking enlisted soldiers who have served only a few years. But this summer, the cuts fell on officers as well, 1,188 captains and 550 majors, many who were clearly intending on making a career of the military. More are expected to lose their jobs next year.

And for reasons the Army has not explained, the largest group of officers being pushed out — nearly one in five — began as enlisted soldiers.”

They’re also the ones who make the best officers in my opinion. They seem to connect with their troops in a way that officers never in the enlisted ranks don’t, at least in my experiences.

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3. I hope he’s successful. But given the PC stupidity running wild in the military now, you never know.

From TheWashingtonTimes  “The Army is moving to discharge a decorated combat pilot who intervened to stop two lesbian officers from showing what he considered inappropriate affection on the dance floor during a full-dress formal ball at Fort Drum, New York, in 2012.

Lt. Col. Christopher Downey, who was once assigned to the White House and completed tours in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, ended up being convicted administratively of assaulting a soldier trying to videotape the kissing and grabbing. Col. Downey’s attorney, Richard Thompson, says his client merely pushed down the camera to prevent photos and video that could end up on social media. Mr. Thompson said Col. Downey’s commanding officer also convicted him of violating the directive that ended the ban on gays openly serving in the military.

Col. Downey won early battle with the Army last year. A special three-officer “show cause” board reviewed the punishment and unanimously ruled that the evidence showed he did not violate Army rules.

“The allegation of conduct unbecoming an officer … is not supported by the preponderance of the evidence,” the board wrote. “The findings do not warrant separation.””

“Yet Col. Downey still faces separation by an Army forced-retirement board that began meeting this week.”

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4. Huh. Yet the President keeps insisting illegals are not eligible for ObamaCare. 🙄 Yet another lie.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Immigrants and their U.S.-born children make up more than 40 percent of new Medicaid recipients at a cost of $4.6 billion, according to an analysis of government data.

The Center for Immigration Studies, a low-immigration advocacy group, released a report early Thursday that found both legal and illegal immigrants and their minor children made up 42 percent of Medicaid growth from 2011 to last year.

Part of the increased enrollment came as a result of the new healthcare law’s expansion of Medicaid to impoverished and low-income adults.”

““The high rate and significant growth in Medicaid associated with immigrants is mainly the result of a legal immigration system that admits large numbers of immigrants with relatively low-levels of education, many of whom end up poor and uninsured,” the report says. “This fact, coupled with the extensive supports we provide to low-income residents, unavoidably creates very significant costs for taxpayers.””

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5. Wow. Abuse your power for personal gain much Governor? 🙄

From HotAir  “Lame duck season is often seen as a boring, slow time for punditry, but there are lots of fun stories which crop up if you know where to look. For one thing, this is the season when Governors frequently take on the prickly problem of whether or not to issue rafts of pardons and sentence commutations before they head out the door. One of the first such stories to emerge comes out of Arkansas, where Governor Mike Beebe is packing his bags, being term limited out of office. But before he goes, he may have one special gift… for his own son.

Outgoing Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said Wednesday he plans to pardon his son’s felony marijuana conviction, arguing he deserves the same second chance as hundreds of other nonviolent offenders.

Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said the two-term Democratic governor would pardon Kyle Beebe, 34, who was convicted in 2003 of felony marijuana possession with intent to deliver. DeCample said the governor planned to formally announce his intent to pardon his son in early December.

Bebee doesn’t look like he has any (realistic) national aspirations at this point, so he probably doesn’t have to worry too much about this. Further, this is one of those non-violent pot related crimes which are under scrutiny at a national level. (Though to be fair, this was an intent to deal bust, not just some kid with a couple of joints in his glove box.)”

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Our Daily Thread 11-13-14

Good Morning!

Today’s header photo is from Kim.

On this day in 1775 U.S. forces captured Montreal.

In 1956 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws calling for racial segregation on public buses.

In 1971 the U.S. spacecraft Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, Mars.

And in 1982 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC.

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Quote of the Day

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

Robert Louis Stevenson

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 Today is George Whitefield Chadwick’s birthday. From David Sawtelle and the Texas State Symphony Orchestra

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Anyone have a QoD?

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Prayer Requests 11-13-14

It’s Thursday, so don’t forget Jo and the folks in PNG.

Would anyone else like to share something?

Psalm 130

¹Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.

2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

3 If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

7 Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

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News/Politics 11-13-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. Looks like the President is once again going to ignore the will of the American people.

From FoxNews  “President Obama is planning to unveil a 10-part plan for overhauling U.S. immigration policy via executive action — including suspending deportations for millions — as early as next Friday, a source close to the White House told Fox News. 

The president’s plans were contained in a draft proposal from a U.S. government agency. The source said the plan could be announced as early as Nov. 21, though the date might slip a few days pending final White House approval. 

Obama was briefed at the White House by Homeland Security officials before leaving on his Asia-Pacific trip last week, Fox News has learned.”

“The plan calls for expanding deferred action for illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children — but also for the parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. The latter could allow upwards of 4.5 million illegal immigrant adults with U.S.-born children to stay, according to estimates.”

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2. Add another to the list of Democrat losses.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Dan Sullivan has defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Begich in the Alaska Senate race, the Associated Press reported late Tuesday evening.

The Republican challenger led by more than 8,000 votes with 100 percent of precincts reporting the day after last week’s midterm elections. The AP had been waiting on Alaska to begin counting more than 53,000 absentee, early-voting and questioned ballots.”

“But Alaska officials counted roughly 20,000 votes on Tuesday, and Sullivan’s lead remained at about 7,900 votes.”

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3. Oh look, ACORN is back (again) and instigating in Ferguson.

From AmericanThinker  “Ferguson’s Don’t Shoot Coalition members are supplemented by professional social activists, from in, and outside, Missouri.

Two such groups are profiled below – one that is a member of the coalition, and one from outside Missouri that saw the crisis in Ferguson as an opportunity to “accelerated the quest for social justice.”

“But Hands Up United has a vision that “means an end to state sponsored violence, including the excessive use of force by law enforcement. We are committed to an America that comes to terms with the trauma of its painful history and finds true reconciliation for it.  Mass incarceration and the criminalization of black and brown people must forever end, leaving in its place a culture that embraces our histories and stories.  This means an end to racial bias and white supremacy in all its forms.”

“MORE’s Form 990’s for 2010-2012 list annual gross revenues for those three years as $90,943, $127,308 and $333,896. On the 2012 Form 990, Jeffery Ordower is listed as the unpaid Executive Director and Secretary. A phone call to MORE confirms Ordower is still the group’s Executive Director.

On September 28, 2009, a 24thstate.com article, entitled “‘Show Me’ The ACORN CEO’s Rolodex,” identified Ordower as the Midwest Regional Director for ACORN, based in St Louis.”

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4. Why college isn’t for everyone.

“The funny thing is: Every time the federal government increases the amount of money that college students can borrow, college tuition goes up. But teaching isn’t a commodity like oil or wheat or steel whose actual value goes up and down due to market forces.

Standing in front of kids and twice a week and teaching them that America is responsible for everything bad that’s ever happened in the world—and anyone who has the audacity to disagree with a college professor is completely evil—pretty much costs the same year in and year out.”

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Our Daily Thread 11-12-14

Good Morning!

On this day in 1815 American suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born in Johnstown, NY. 

In 1892 William “Pudge” Heffelfinger became the first professional football player when he was paid a $500 bonus for helping the Allegheny Athletic Association beat the Pittsburgh Athletic Club.  

In 1915 Theodore W. Richards, of Harvard University, became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry. 

In 1931 Maple Leaf Gardens opened in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

And in 1940 Walt Disney released “Fantasia.” 

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Quote of the Day

“The freedom of the press works in such a way that there is not much freedom from it.”

Grace Kelly

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Today is Chris Huffman’s birthday.

 Today is also Neil Young’s birthday.

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Anyone have a QoD?