About Me

Name:KenUSA
Loading...

Create Your Own Blog Find Other Townhall Blogs

Comments

Blog Roll

 

The Wooden Beam In Your Own Eye

Posted by KenUSA on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 8:32:22 PM

The Wooden Beam In Your Own Eye



“Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but you do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?” Mt.7.3


We see the world through our own eyes and perceive it in our own minds. What we think about something we see can be very different than what the next person thinks about the same thing. A farmer may see a stone in his field as an impediment to his prosperity, while an artist may see fortune in the very same stone. This is the healthy outcome of recognizing our own strengths and weaknesses and coupling them with vision.


The same is true for our behavior. We tend to se something we like to do as “good”, even if evidence surfaces to suggest otherwise. Very often we and our friends and family have similar likes and dislikes, so our attachment to activities and behaviors is reinforced. This is a good thing when what we like is, in fact, good. This is a bad thing, obviously, when the thing we like is bad. This is the true origin of peer pressure.


Sometimes a loved one will tell us they are worried about our behavior, health or spending habits. Our response to genuine concern should be gracious and appreciative. A mature person will examine the merits of these observations and make adjustments where necessary. If our actions are righteous, there is no reason to be defensive.


So what would make an otherwise intelligent person resentful of the loving concern of a friend?


Denial.


When we see something we like, we want it to be a good thing. The more we like it, the more we will that it  be good. Conversely, when we don’t like something, we look for reasons for it to be bad. These reasons justifying the goodness and badness of things do not need to be rooted in reality for us to come to believe them.


These justifications are called denial by therapists, attachment to sin by the church and they were called “the wooden beam in your own eye” by Jesus.


The admonition of our Savior to “remove the wooden beam in your own eye first: then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye”, serves to teach us to use discretion when confronting a friend with a problem, but more than that, He tells us that we will be better able to help after we have removed denial from ourselves.


Another observation about these “splinters”


A penny seen from twenty or so feet away looks very small, but up close it can completely cover your eye. This analogy is to indicate that a behavior or habit is only the tip of the iceberg. It may be almost imperceptible to others, but the attachment to it can taint our perception of everything in our lives. It will prejudice our thinking, decision making, child rearing and money spending. It will choose our mate, our friends and our jobs. It will stand as an obstacle to communion with God.


There is no greater obstacle to spiritual growth.

Tags: essays  
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (4) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Dogs and condoms

Posted by KenUSA on Saturday, May 10, 2008 11:12:23 AM
One of my favorite scenes in any movie occurs in one of the National Lampoon movies. Clark Griswald is being sexually assaulted by his brother-in-law Eddie"s dog. Eddie assures Clark that the best thing to do is to "just let him finish."

According to the loony left, an appropriate "fix" would have been to place a condom on the dog. Thereby removing the threat of a stain on Clarks trousers or a blue dress as the case may be. They completely ignore the fact that the behavior itself is disordered. They would have us believe that a perpetually humping dog is the natural state of pet ownership. (I mean pet stewardship, sorry PETA).

We are building a culture of dry humping sex addicts one condom at a time. The spread of AIDS is a direct result of the refusal to see sexual contact for what it is, and more importantly, for what it is not.

Do we say about our kids "The best thing to do is to just let them finish?" Or do we instruct them in proper, decent behavior that results in an orderly society that allows women to be fully human and not just "pant legs" for boys to hump, and men to be fully men and not just snivelling children angling daily for a place to assert counterfeit manhood.
Tags: sex  
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (6) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Holy War? I'm In

Posted by KenUSA on Saturday, May 10, 2008 10:23:47 AM
Code Pink  so far has been a very entertaining diversion on the cable networks. Much like the dancing hot dogs in the movie trailers at the drive-in, they neither add or subtract anything of value from the feature attraction. They do, however, remind you that you're at the theater.

That's an interesting point this week. The thespians protested this week in front of a Marine recruiting office you can guess where. This is by no means unusual in itself but they tried a new tactic. It failed. You see, they brought their spiritual advisors along this time. Assorted "Wiccans"? gathered to cast "spiritual attacks" on the recruiters and presumably their "handlers", the Bush Administration. 

These pagans (due reverence granted the diversity of faith) believe that these attacks will work. Or do they? 

If they do believe it, they are guilty of assault, subversion, giving aid and comfort to the enemy, and stupidity.

If they don't believe it, they admit to being the charlatans they are.

While Elijah's solution may be extreme in modern day America, we can take comfort in the fact that one man armed with true faith, defeated (in stunning theatrical fashion) a few hundred false prophets, thus preventing false teaching to corrupt the masses.

We can also relish the moment after his stunning victory when, while catching his breath, he told God he needed a break.
Tags: Elijah  
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (3) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

SHUT UP AND SING

Posted by KenUSA on Friday, May 09, 2008 7:30:36 PM
Dad was a union steward for years, so I learned a little about both of his jobs as I was growing up. One memorable discussion we had occurred after a call from an employee that thought he had a grievance.

After several minutes of polite question and answer type conversation (I only heard one end),Dad firmly asked a question. "What do you think you're being paid for?"

After a "listening pause" dad's jaw set. I could tell he had something to say, I'd seen that look before, not often, but I'd seen it. Then he said "If you think the company is paying you the large salary they're paying you to drive a little brown truck, you're crazy!" "They're paying good people enough to keep them from working somewhere else!" 

And now a news flash for Sean Penn, Assorted Baldwin Brothers, Babs Streisand and a seemingly endless litany of idiot savants. WE, YOUR PUBLIC, PAY YOU HUGE SUMS OF MONEY TO KEEP YOU FROM LEAVING THE SANDBOX. Stick to what you know - fantasy.

Another note to airheads everywhere. There is no shame in taking direction. Accept criticism, grow up and join the rest of us on the road to adulthood.


Tags: labor  
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (2) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Barbara Walters is a Drip

Posted by KenUSA on Friday, May 09, 2008 5:54:44 PM
Barbara Walters revealed an affair with a married United States Senator in the 1970s in her memoirs. On an interview tour to publicize the book she has stated many times that if the public became aware of the affair with Senator Edward Brooke, who is black,  their respective careers would have been ruined.

Here is the problem with her analysis. What she means is that if the great unwashed, racist, horde found out she had sex with a black man their careers would be ruined. I am sure that a percentage of whites would have been enraged and responded angrily. I am equally sure that a percentage of blacks would have been equally enraged and responded equally angrily. What percentage? That's anyone's guess, but let's say 50% for arguments sake.

What she fails to acknowledge is that a far greater percentage of said unwashed horde, white and black, would have been horrified that a "lady" would have sex with a married man. What percentage? I'd say, maybe 90%, but that's a guess.

Further, I think that a large number of people would be angry that a United States Senator would risk so much, putting national security, respect for the office, and jeopardizing the aspirations of subsequent black politicians. Pressed for a percentage and bearing in mind that we're talking about the early 1970s, I'm guessing a fairly high 60% in each of these categories.

The network she worked for might have had reason to feel aggrieved for being recklessly exposed to charges of professional misconduct. At the time they had credibility to consider.

Miss Walters says that she has never been good at marriage. I'm not surprised, considering the lack of respect she showed for the Senator's marriage. I am quite certain that she knows absolutely nothing on the topic. Releasing this detail of her life, in an attempt to show the world how "progressive" she has been for all these years, is proof that she knows nothing about wives either. 

The new Mrs. Brooke might have been ok marrying a guy that slept with someone before she met the Senator. She may have a much different view of the character of a man that slept around on his first wife. 

Some might see the elitism in blaming "the ignorant public" for racism, while ignoring completely the moral, ethical and potentially legal ramifications the public has every right to be indignant about.  My mom would have seen it and would not have kept quiet about it either. Words like tramp, whore and worse were certainly part of the lexicon at the time, but mom would have just called her a "drip".

Makes me wonder if the co-anchors she ravages in the book knew something we didn't.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (2) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Dissident Democrat Talking Points

Posted by KenUSA on Wednesday, May 07, 2008 7:29:36 PM

My New Mission Explained  

I've Learned From The Left

 



I'm completely out of the closet as a democrat crossover voter. I am officially a "Dissident Democrat" until I change my mind. These are exchanges with my new friends.



I know you are just "hazing" the new guy, pretty funny. Hey, I want to suggest something really important. I hope some high up people read this blog, because I don't know where else to suggest it.

Anyway, here goes.

You know how we are always giving away condoms and pushing to allow more abortions?

Well, it's working and I'm afraid pretty soon there won't be enough of us democrats left to win any elections.

WoW! Wait a minute. Is that why we support open borders? WoW! We are smart. Man, I never saw it coming. WoW!

Posted By: KenUSA | May 07 2008 at 03:06 PM


  

 



I've got another idea, too. But somebody has to have already thought of it. I've been thinking about the "gas tax holiday". I think it's too little, too slow. And, we have to trust these big oil guys with their big tax lawyers to pay all of their windfall profits taxes. Too iffy, I don't trust them. My idea will speed it up.

I say we raise the tax the consumer pays at the pump by about a buck, maybe two. A lot of people won't be able to buy it. See, that's good because of that whole "supply and demand" thing. Less demand means more gas. More gas means lower prices. AND we eliminate the middle man (who would probably cheat like crazy on his taxes anyway).



Correction--the E.T. Party, because I don't know what world you're living in, but it's not this one.

Posted By: dsgonzale6 | May 07 2008 at 03:47 PM



  

 

 
     

Come on dsgon.

I know I'm new to the party and I don't expect to be a "policy wonk" right out of the gate, but you're being mean. I want to help get Bush out of the White House.

I'm so happy to be in a party that cares. And you guys are smart, man are you smart.

Like the crazy mortgage crisis. Brilliant.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I like forests. Especially big ones. Someday I might like to go to one. So I'm glad we don't allow lumber operations in there any more. I don't see why anyone would want to grow 2x4s in a forest anyway. There's so many trees, there's barely any room for a lumber operation. I think they should grow their 2x4s in the desert or somewhere where there's nothing already growing.

Anyway, since the lumber companies won't be reasonable and move, 2x4s (they make houses out of them) are pretty pricey. So housing prices are sky high.

My point is that the lumber companies were probably going to try to blame us for not letting them grow 2x4s in a forest. So we blamed the banks for making it hard to afford a 3000.00 a month payment. (banks have a lot of money).

I know I have a lot to learn, but I have a lot to give, too.


dsgonzale6 wrote: "As a moderate Democrat, I'd rather slit my wrists than vote for McCain."

Yes, of course, all the "moderate" people I know go around talking about slitting their wrists.


  

 



As a "Dissident Democrat", I think the voters in Florida and Michigan should be un-dis-reinfranchised. I wonder if I can catch a bus ride with a group of "get out the vote" activists and vote there too. You know, like they did in Iowa. It's a lot easier to be a democrat, there's far fewer rules and the few there are, are really flexible. Like a living document or something.

Posted By: KenUSA| May 07 2008 at 02:46 PM



Preach, you should check out Chris Matthews' comment about the Republican jerks who voted for Hillary in order to keep an unbeatable Obama out of the general election. People fought and died so that you would have the right to vote, and this is how you use it? You sir, are a buffoon and a total loser.

Posted By: YogiBarrister | May 07 2008 at 08:18 PM





If Obama is kept out of the general, it will be because of the democrat party rules committee. They will decide whether MI and Fl will count. BTW Mrs. Clinton owns the rules committee. If the ultra left of our once great democrat party, had not pushed to move states with ultra left constituencies up in the primary process, in an effort to use the process to leap frog otherwise radical candidates into the national spotlight, none of this would be happening.
When a man as liberal as Lieberman is no longer welcome in our party, we have gone too far.
As far as Mathews is concerned, it is a pleasure to meet one of his dozen or so viewers.
I am a loyal "Dissident Democrat". I will not be disenfranchised.

Posted By: preach987 | May 08 2008 at 04:13 AM




Preach, So let me get this straight, you are a Bush/McCain loyalist who claims to be a dissident Democrat. WTF does that even mean? Why are you so ashamed of yourself that you can't call yourself a Republican? OK, I just answered my own question. I repeat, you are a contemptible imbecile. By supporting Bush/McCain you have betrayed the troops, the taxpayers, law enforcement, your co-workers, your neighbors and your children. When Republicans engage in fraud, voter suppression, and dittoheaded shenanigans, you are spitting in the face of all the soldiers and patriots who gave their lives for democracy.

Posted By: YogiBarrister | May 08 2008 at 08:06 AM

Yogi,
That kind of anger is not going to build any bridges. We've lost the respect of our republican friends across the aisle, but we can win it back. You see, I am for Change. I have Hope. We can rebuild our party from the ground up.

 


Tags: Politics  
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (2) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

I've Learned From The Left

Posted by KenUSA on Tuesday, May 06, 2008 6:53:57 PM
I voted in Operation Chaos today. In doing so, I learned plenty about "the system". I've voted as a republican before and although I felt the satisfaction of doing my duty, I now know that something was missing. Here's how it went:

I looked in my files for my voter registration acknowledgment notice, an official looking post card with pertinent information on it. I have looked at that thing several times in the past, but now I scanned it carefully, looking for evidence that the "man" could find out that I really think like a conservative. No dice, nothing that would suggest a past of republican voting.

Next, I looked online for laws regarding primary voter eligibility. I was on a slippery slope, but it's my word against theirs.

Time to go. My polling place is only three blocks away, but we've had a cold winter and I want to do my part for global warming, so I drove. I thought the car might blow my cover, but the lot was full and there was no turning back now. Besides, my crew cut and fairly conservative attire were more likely to alert the citizen profilers at the entrance. As I walked through the gauntlet of leaflet passer outers, I began to feel that I might be disenfranchised. I swallowed hard and pressed on.

There were several election officials with books in front of them. The first person at the table, a man, looked for my name and said "He's not in here". Again I had that "disenfranchised" feeling. The lady next to him found me in her book and the feeling passed. Obviously, the man was the republican of the bunch. There was no way he was going to hug me if my name wasn't in either of the books.

Now, the moment of truth. "Republican or Democrat?" Wow, I hadn't counted on having to actually say it. Democrat, I said. I got a tag with a "D" on it and went in the booth. A very nice electronic model that would verify your vote if you wanted it to. User friendly and brand new, just the kind of thing you'd need to steal an election.

I did the deed and walked out a new man.

You see, I've been won over by the left. "Dissent is Patriotic" they say. I finally figured it out. They have helped me see that undermining the foundation of our Republic is a good thing. If it's good for the country, it's got to be good for the democrat party. I will be a good democrat, dyed in the wool. I will question every aspect of "our" platform. I will "speak truth to power" to my new democrat brethren. I pledge to assume that every decision they make, every proclamation they speak, is rooted in greed and self interest. I promise, at every opportunity, to teach their "our" (it takes a village) children how horrible their (our) values are. 

I thought I was taking marching orders from Rush Limbaugh when I went in to vote, but on the way out, I realized that I am really following the advice of the terrorist (freedom fighter) dissident (patriotic) William Ayers:

"To teach obedience and conformity, or to teach its polar opposite: initiative and imagination, curiosity and questioning, the capacity to name the world, to identify the obstacles to your full humanity, and the courage to act upon whatever the known demands. A pedagogy of questioning can begin to open those doors." Bill Ayers

The (we) democrats have lost standing in republican circles. We have got to reclaim our once great traditions of reasonable discourse, fiscal responsibility and general agreeability. "You say God Bless The Democrat Party? NO, No, I say, GOD D***THE DEMOCRAT PARTY!!!"

Thank you rev. Wright, Thank you William Ayers. That kind of loyalty feels funny at first, but I'll do my best with it.
Tags: Politics  
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (4) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Now I Know How My Dad Felt

Posted by KenUSA on Sunday, May 04, 2008 11:08:17 PM
I have always wondered how I could ever repay my dad for the patience he showed me as I recklessly trashed my life and my reputation. I figured he was a tough guy and I would never get the chance. I also thought that if the opportunity did arise, it would be a token gesture of understanding and friendship. I never dreamed it would be now and I never dreamed it would be this.

Dad is a life-long democrat, a retired semi-skilled worker, a union steward. He worked hard for every dollar he ever earned and managed to save some of it for his retirement. He will be voting democrat, that's his right and that in itself doesn't bother me. The circumstances do.

I remember the riots in Chicago in the '60s. I remember hearing about the Black Panthers, the FALN and the SDS. I remember Mayor Daley. I remember seeing Vietnam war footage on TV, and hearing over and over how it was a lost cause. I remember John Kerry testifying before congress. I listened to the music of my generation. I remember seeing a college girl with a sign that said "Jesus is dead".  I learned "new math" and "phonics".

I dropped out of high school, grew my hair long and told my dad he was crazy for working. I smoked pot and started calling police "the pigs". I was a kook liberal and dad had no idea what I was talking about. I'm sure I scared him. He had the same high hopes for me that most fathers have for their oldest sons.

After a few years and some hard knocks, I started to get a clue. I found out how easy it is to be a liberal, when you have nothing to lose. I had kids, a house, car and responsibilities. I had no choice but to grow up. The change is gradual and I was always the only conservative at the table. I returned to my faith with real interest. I rediscovered the love I had for life, for my life, my country and my God. Then I started to figure some things out.

John Kerry lied to congress. The Black Panthers were killers as were the SDS and FALN. The news media was complicit in our withdrawal from Vietnam resulting in murder and mayhem on an unprecedented scale. My dad was right, my church was right and these influences had driven a wedge between me and all that is valuable.

Now, it's dad's turn. I asked him about William Ayers and Barak Obama. Dad reminded me that I have done things in my past, that shouldn't be held against me now. The same with Hillary Clinton representing Black Panthers in murder trials. Dad was never prone to moral relativism. His judgement has been eroded by all these years of endless propaganda.

So, it's deja vu all over again. My family is under assault by John Kerry, Black Panthers and SDS kooks. FALN terrorists are pardoned by a draft dodger. Another Mayor Daley is running the city. The news media are blaring every day, endlessly about our new "quagmire". Musicians and hollywood types are shaping the perspective of my kids and grandkids. 

The lunatics and malcontents that shot and bombed their way onto the television news 40 years ago could very well end up advising the president of these great United States of America. They are infinitely more dangerous today than they were back then.

To make matters worse, they are not cryogenically frozen, waiting to be thawed out on inauguration day. They are congressmen, educators and senators. They are already policy makers. 

I pray I can wake my pop up. I love him. I hate to hear him defend this communist sewage. Please pray for me as I pray for us all.

Check out this unbelievable web page. 
http://www.areachicago.org/p/issues/how-we-learn/local-and-national-organizing-by-radical-teachers/

Tags: Politics  
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (6) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive
« Previous1Next »