Enough, Rev. Wright!!!!!!!!!!!

Enough, Rev. Wright!!!!!!!!!!!

an article by Jenice Armstrong Philadelphia Daily News

OK, REV. WRIGHT, we've heard enough out of you.
Thanks to your untimely speechifying and your appearance on Bill Moyers' PBS show, Americans have gotten more than enough opportunity to hear what you have to say. We've listened to your unfounded theories about the spread of the AIDS virus, the 9/11 attacks, and your views on the differences between how black and white children learn. We've been patient as you've defended your patriotism; we've nodded as you've insisted that critics need to hear your speeches in their entirety and not just in sound-bites. And now it's time to say "enough."

Rev. Wright, you are a complete and total distraction.

Because of you, we have been sucked into a sideshow that has been all about you. Instead of remaining in the background, as an honorable man would have, you thrust yourself into the national spotlight, posing as a defender of the "black church." Well, I'm black, and I go to church. But you do not speak for all black people.
Your remark that "Barack is doing what he needs to do as a politician and I'm doing what I need to do as a preacher," was an insult to Sen. Barack Obama and what he stands for. Either you are willfully ignorant of the meaning behind your words or you are no longer in Barack's corner.
Your emergence just a week before the Indiana and North Carolina primaries suggests that you are no longer even his friend. What you have done in the last several days has hurt Barack more than all the other mudslinging of this campaign. Whose side are you really on? I say, "Et tu, Jeremiah? Et tu?"

Before Obama made his historic speech on race in Philadelphia, I'm sure there were plenty of advisers who urged him to throw you under the bus, so to speak. But Obama took the high road, as he has continued to do. Yesterday's denunciation of the public spectacle you put on earlier this week was his strongest yet and, frankly, overdue. Obama called it like it is, though, when he publicly denounced your comments and said they have been "divisive" and "destructive" and that they "give comfort to those who prey on hate." Your comments are the antithesis of who Obama is and what we, as a nation, are supposed to stand for.

We've already wasted too much time on you, Rev. Wright. Your senseless public grandstanding has proven to be a distraction from real issues that both Democrats and Republicans should be focusing on - skyrocketing gas prices, the mortgage crisis, the war in Iraq and the need for universal health care.

I recognize your right to go on TV or give interviews. But if you really want to help African-Americans, I urge you to let Barack turn his focus back to doing what he says he wants to do: Bringing together black Americans, white Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics and everyone else for the betterment of our country. As Obama pointed out yesterday, "The problems that face our country are too great to be divided."

I Don't Want to Die (a Poem by Jeff Pierce)

This poem is dedicated to all the terminally ill people of the planet, to all the people suffering from mental illness and suicidal ideations, and to every and anyone who wishes to see beyond the now and contemplate tomorrow.

I Don’t Want to Die by Jeff Pierce

I don’t want to die; tell the frost to stay away
The grass is still green and my lines I have yet to say
Hold death back; please wrap it with mighty twine
I am not ready to surrender my breath
Too early in the day to gaze upon sunset
I don’t want to die
Do not pick, prune, poke, or pry; tell them to harvest on another day
I am not ready yet, so please push pause and cast not your net
I am waiting for another hard rain to fall
I am looking to get soaking wet; I was hoping for an open-ended interval
I don’t want to die
God put eternity into my heart and I still taste the sweet
I will break down and cry, throw myself at God’s feet
Don’t ask me to say goodbye; I do not wish to depart
Let me keep my misery, too many journeys on which I must embark
I don’t want to die
True, the moment is bitter and cruel
Dark blue is the mood, and a ton of weight life places on you
But, to sleep and not awake, that is too much for one to take
I’d rather take sorrow and tragedy and ride it like a wave on the sea
The other side calm and glee awaits, but, not if my last breath I take
I don’t want to die
For each day is a new start, and I am glad to be alive
I long to linger like a lover’s kiss
Take my body and soul and spin them as if the earth on its axis
I want to strike like a cobra and fight like a soldier
I want to burst like fireworks in the night
Learn my lines, rehearse, and deliver them night after night
I don’t want to die
I am but a musical chord with much to live for
Its song plays on with sweetness, charm, and haunting beauty
It doesn’t want to end; it doesn’t want to die
Like a wind chime on a breezy day with oh, so much, to say
Vines, bushes, and flowers are still dressed in green, red, and gold
They have barely ventured out from beneath the shadow of a cloud
So they’re still new, and their days too few; wait until they’re old
The music, the vegetation, and I share the same sad situation
We are not brain dead and our hearts beat strong
Thick clouds in our minds descend, to occupy for a while later to ascend
We don’t want to expire; we do not desire life to end
But, alas, if it is I that is to die
Devour me with tiny bites, at a later hour and on another night
For I do not want to die

A Picture that is Worth a Thousand Words

NORTH AMERICAN UNION & VCHIP TRUTH

Introducing "Max": My New Puggle Puppy

Isn't Max so cute? He was born on January 30, 2008. He is a puggle. You may be wondering "What is a puggle?"

Well, let me tell you...

Puggle dogs are being called the new designer dog and are a relatively new hybrid. They are a cross between a male pug and a female beagle.

They have become very popular and people love them because they are so cute, cuddly and adorable! They are a wonderful and caring breed with a lovable disposition.

Puggle dogs seem to have the best characteristics of the beagle and pug but not the bad ones. They have the combined physical attributes of a beagle with the temperament of a pug. They have less health problems then both parents, don't howl like a beagle and aren't hyper.

They are sweet-tempered. affectionate and happy with a can-do nature. They are sociable, intelligent and easy going. Since they are very mellow and loyal they make great family pets. They are great with children and other pets. These dogs easily take rough-housing (great for boys) but also like to be cuddled and be a lap dog (great for girls).

Puggles are easy to train but be gentle when training because they are sensitive to the tone of your voice. Once they learn to obey commands they are the perfect companion. When they get the attention and care from their owner they become a relaxed and gentle dog. They love being in owner's presence.

They are a durable hardy dog and love to play outdoors but they do need a cool place.

Puggles have a short snout and fur like a pug but big brown eyes and droopy ears like a beagle. They have a curly tail like a pug but a body like a beagle. They are loose-skinned, wrinkly-faced with a black nuzzle. Their legs are short. Their short coats come in black and white, red and white, tri color, black and tan with fawn the most common.

They weight between 14-20 pounds and are 12-15" high. Life span is 10-15 years.


More Pics of Max:

Teacher Beat By Black Student at School!!!!

I Release My Anger....sigh...

Here are some quotes on Anger:

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.-- Buddha

For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

To belittle is to be little.-- Unknown.

Never write a letter while you are angry.-- Chinese Proverb.

Be careful of the words you say,And keep them soft and sweet;For you never know from day to day,Which ones you'll have to eat.-- Unknown.

Just as war is more the absence of love than the presence of hate, and darkness is the absence of light, a negative attitude is the absence of a positive one.-- Unknown.

The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.-- George Bernard Shaw.

Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.-- Buddha.

If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.-- Chinese Proverb.

The greatest remedy for anger is delay.-- Seneca.

Anger: an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than on anything on which it is poured.-- Seneca.

Anger is like those ruins which smash themselves on what they fall.-- Seneca.Anger begins with folly and ends with repentance.-- Pythagoras.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.-- Buddha (Yes, it is worth repeating....)

It Just Seems Wrong...

Apr. 4 - Palestinian fishermen catch and kill a giant sea turtle, thought to be a Leatherback, an endangered species.

"The rare giant sea turtle caught on a beach near Gaza City was slaughtered and eaten by Palestinian fishermen who said its blood was an aphrodisiac, among other therapeutic qualities. A cameraman said the fishermen collected the giant turtle's blood and gave it to children suffering from trauma and adults with back problems."--Reuters



I am not a big animals rights activist...BUT, something about this video made me feel ashamed of the occasional (or arguably frequent) inhumanity of humanity...

The following quote seems appropriate:
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe"-Albert Einstein

Again, You NEVER Really Own Your Own Home

According to news stories in Wisconsin,

Officers in Wisconsin are working to communicate with a landowner said to have "strong anti-government attitudes" who has barricaded himself in his rural home.
Authorities say shots were fired at SWAT officers trying to search his home and arrest him, but no injuries are being reported.
Police say officers are trying to talk to the man with a bullhorn because he does not have a telephone.
The dispute started Monday when deputies tried to serve Robert Bayliss with a lawsuit seeking to evict him for failure to pay property taxes back to 2001 on his home and 18 acres.
Prosecutors say the county took ownership of the land in November because of the unpaid taxes.

Again people, if you truly own your home, then no one should ever be able to take it from you for any reason. Yes, I understand why there are taxes. However, that is not my point.

Yes, this man is probably an extremist. However, I could understand his point...to a certain extent.

Consider the following hypothetical scenario:
For over 32 years, Mark worked hard and sacrificed much of his time and money to pay off his mortgage.
As an older retiree, Mark decided that he wanted to live out the remainder of his life in seclusion with his wife on his own land, "roughing it out" without no assistance from outside sources--meaning he would grow his own food, raise his own animals, and generate his own electricity using a windmill.

With no real need for money and living miles from civilization, Mark decided to give up the last of his money to his favorite charities. For 5 years, Mark and his wife lived alone, enjoying their simple life without all the complications of bills, credit cards, and etc...

Then, one day, a man in a suit showed up at his door. Since Mark and his wife Kori no longer received mail or rarely had visitors, they were truly surprised by this stranger's visit. The man introduced himself as Mr. Al, a tax collector for the county. He told them that they had not paid property taxes for the last five years.

Mark kindly told the gentleman that he and his wife decided that they no longer wanted to participate in mainstream society and that they wanted to live out the rest of their days in perpetual isolation without participating in the American "debt cycle." They admitted that there were not "pro" government, but that they were not "anti" government either.

Mark showed Mr. Al his last statement from his bank showing that he had paid off his entire mortgage and owned his home and the fifty acres surrounding it.

Mr. Al told them that while he admired their simple lifestyle, they were still responsible for paying property taxes each year.

Mark informed Mr. Al that they did not want anything to do with the government or with America. They just wanted to live and support themselves, without the assistance of the government. They paid taxes all of their working lives and had contributed to America's tax system for over 40 years each.

Mr. Al told them that they owed $35,000 in taxes ($7000 in taxes each year for the last 5 years).

Mark quickly let Mr. Al know that they did not have any money. They lived "off the land." They had no real need for money.

Mr. Al told them that if they did not make payment arrangements within 30 days, the county would confiscate their home and property. They would then auction it off to the highest bidder in order to pay off Mark's tax bill.

Mark simply replied, "But you can't take my home and my land. I own it. I have the papers right here."


Questions:
Should the government have the right to take Mark's home?
Did Mark ever truly own his home?
Should Mark and his wife be forced to get a job or a loan to pay off the tax bill?
Would any bank even give them a loan for the tax bill? (Neither has a job or source of income)

Referring back to a recent post, this is just another validation of my point that you never truly "own" your home. So, why would you ever have a goal of paying off your mortgage?

Conditional ownership is not ownership AT ALL!!!!!!!