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A Little Sanity Please, The Men Who Gave Us The 4th Of July, Self-serving 28th Amendment, Golf Ball MarkersThe 4th Of July, Self-serving 28th
Greetings ta ever one in Western Illinois and all readers of "The Quill".
I'm a hope'n all is go'n well fer ya this week.
With the 4th of July last week, I'm inlude'n in this week's column the follow'n information:
The follow'n quote is credited ta Ben Stein:
A Little Sanity Please
My confession:
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat...
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the American we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different. This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school...The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. We said an expert should know what he's talking about...And we said okay..
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send "jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulger and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
It's odd how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
With those thoughts from Mr. Stein, here is some additional thoughts on the men who gave us our July 4th:
The Men Who Gave Us Our July 4th
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
Our liberties in the U.S. should never be taken for granted. Patriotism is not a sin. Freedom is never free!
Self-Serving
So, with those thoughts in mind, what do ya think of this self-serving situation.
Children of Congress members do not have pay back their college student loans.
Staffers of Congress family members are also exempt from having to payback student loans.
Members of Congress can retire at full pay after only one term.
Members of Congress have exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed, under which ordinary citizens must live.
For example, they are exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment.
And as the latest example, they have exempted themselves from Healthcare Reform in all of its aspects.
Why should we tolerate an elite class of such people, elected as public servants and then putting themselves above the law?
It doesn't matter if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent, or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon their states. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.
Some folk are propose'n a 28th Amendment ta the United States Constitution:
"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and /or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and /or Representatives that does not apply equally to the Citizens of the United States..."
With those thoughts in mind, here's one final thought fer this weeks column:
Golf Ball Makers
A Golfer walks into the new Government National Golf Course pro shop and asks the golf pro if they sell ball markers.
The golf pro says that they do, and they are $1.00.
The golfer gives the golf pro a dollar.
The golf pro opens the register, puts the dollar in, and hands the player a dime to use as a marker.
This economic model is part of Bernie Sanders 90% tax plan to restore the U.S. economy.
Please make sure all golfers are aware.
Plan on attend'n the church of yer choice with your family this week.
Remember where ever ya are, what ever ya be a do'n "BE A GOOD ONE!"
Keep on Smile'n
Catch ya later
Barnyard Bruke