Rebellion

 The Trump administration said it wanted to send National Guard troops to Portland because the immigration protests there constituted a state of rebellion. The federal Judge Immergut said it didn't constitute a state of rebellion. Referencing what would constitute a state of rebellion, she mentioned the Whiskey Rebellion in the early 1790s when President Washington sent the militia against farmers in Western Pennsylvania who were protesting a federal whiskey tax.

Back then, transport from the western areas was very expensive, so farmers would convert their grain to whiskey in order to transport it easier to market. 

But the tax was applied unequally. The big city, big distillers were charged by the barrel produced. But small farmers out in rural areas were charged a flat tax based on the size of their still. So even if in a certain season they made a small amount or maybe even no whiskey, they were still charged the tax and had to pay in hard currency, which was always a problem in rural areas, where most people survived on a barter system.

It was all part of Treasury Secretary Hamilton's plan to consolidate farms and industry into big operations to give the country a solid economy and a stable base to tax. See The book, The Whiskey Rebellion by William Hogeland.

It's like today, when politicians want to tax rich people more. I'm no fan of rich people, but any tax should be the same rate for anyone and I would argue a tax that is not fairly administered would be fair game to be rebelled against.

Reality

 I'm not trying to let the Repubs off the hook. They are definitely part of the problem of Congress letting the Executive branch have more power. But I think the Dems are causing the shutdown to keep going.

The health premium subsidies they are holding out for are the enhanced subsidies put in place during the pandemic. A family of four making under $120,000/year is still going to get subsidies. Seems like the Dems are holding out for people making big money and shouldn't be closing down the government for. 

As for inflation, sure, if you shop at ritzy stores like Whole Foods or New Seasons market, you are paying big bucks, but if you shop at WinCo in Portland things aren't bad.

Seems like most Dems and Repubs and the media, too, aren't getting out and talking to everyday people. 

Inflation

 I'm not trying to let Trump off the hook. He did say he'd bring down the price of eggs.

But I haven't really seen big increases in prices. Today I stopped in a Starbucks in Gresham OR. I got a 12 oz cup of coffee and a biscotti for $4.60 and they give you a free refill. That's a good deal.

A couple weeks ago, we bought chicken breasts for $2.60/lb. Generic cereal is still $2.00/box. Peanut butter is still around $2.50 for 16 oz. Half gallon milk is around $2.20. 2 lb cheese is $6.48. All these prices in the Portland metro area.

No law says you have to buy eggs or beef. No one says you have to buy brand names. No on says you have to spend $200/mo on cable, Internet and streaming. We use our phone for Internet and a $50 antenna to get over the air TV.

And we're supposed to get a 2.8% Social Security raise. I can't complain.

Canada

 There are a million reasons why Trump will go down as one of the evil ones in history. But his tirades and actions against Canada lower him into a category of evil way below anyone else. 

It's bad enough we attacked them in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. But they put that aside and we're faithful allies in the two World Wars. And the citizens of Gander, Newfoundland gave Americans sanctuary in the aftermath of 9/11.

Trump should be banished to St. Helena if for nothing else than how bad he treats Canada. He really is a despicable blowhard.

Richelieu

 My wife told me that actor Tim Curry had his autobiography out. I said the only part I always see him in is as Cardinal Richelieu in the Three Musketeers. And I think the real Cardinal was a real tough, Machiavelli type of person. But he was a great advisor to Louis the XIV, the Sun King, and made France a world super power and developed the idea of the powerful nation-state. And a great leader always walks a fine line between a personal ego and the ego of the country, and the great ones always pull the country up with them. You have to think that at the time of the Sun King, the lowliest beggar in France thought himself higher than the King of England.

Which makes me think of Trump. Some people think Trump's an idiot, but I don't think so. He's got a great ego and a manipulative mind but he will never be greater than the sum of his parts. He gets his money from selling his luxury condos to sleazy Eastern European and Middle Eastern oligarchs and he surrounds himself with idiots. He will never raise the USA to greatness as all he cares about is increasing the bottom line of his bank account. 

Most presidents haven't raised the country up. The closest probably was FDR who surrounded himself with good advisors like Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, who truly cared about people of the country. It makes you wonder what Trump could do if he had an unselfish bone in his body.

Groups

 Saw an article today about a sex scandal in the Anglican Church of North America and there is the ongoing scandal in the Catholic Church. Then there are various lobbying groups and corporations. Why do people feel they need to be in groups? I'm retired now and just volunteer, but don't feel any loyalty to any any organization. When I was working, I had jobs to pay the bills, but didn't have any loyalty to the company or any educational institutions. I didn't get high up anywhere, but my integrity is intact. Institutions over time, tend to lose sight of their customers and just care about keeping the institution going.

About the only thing people need to come together on is building bridges or going to outer space. SpaceX has proven free enterprise can do better than NASA on space. 

As for as bridges: they want to spend billions on building a new I-5 bridge between Oregon and Washington. But who needs it but trucking traffic. People like going across in cars but should the taxpayer pay for that? And trucking companies should pay for any bridge or they can start a truck ferry and companies can start car and passenger ferries.

I was once on a Coast Guard icebreaker that kept the Great Lakes shipping lanes open on winter for the shipping companies. Why is the taxpayer paying for that? Why don't the shipping companies pool their money to run an icebreaker?

I don't mind being in with people but people in groups get weird and take on bad tendencies keeping a group going when it no longer serves any redeeming social value.

Rooting interest

 The Blazers coach was indicted along with many others in a betting scandal. I don't totally blame Chauncey as all the sports leagues have been promoting gambling for years. They look the other way on on gambling or drugs until it hurts their bottom line and this has been going on since the nineteenth century.

I'll probably still watch sports, but won't be rooting for any one team. You don't know anymore who is tanking. I will now just watch and enjoy great plays, no matter what team. If Mariners or Seahawks win, great, but if they don't I won't lose sleep over it. I kind of do it now anyway. The other team makes a great play and I find myself cheering. 

And I won't pay to see a high level game in-person or on TV. I'm going to see Portland State in November and sometimes I go to Western Oregon games. 

Gambling is crazy business, but I don't have to be party to it.

Filibuster

 All the Senate has to do to end the shutdown is get rid of the filibuster. That's crazy that the minority can dictate what the majority can do. It doesn't make sense that the Senate has anything to do with the budget anyway. It is an archaic institution like the House of Lords in England .

We need a new constitution. Ditch the President and Senate. Have a 700 member House that elects a prime minister and cabinet from the members to run the government.

Fishermen

 There's that story in New Testament where Jesus and disciples are on Sea of Galilee and a storm comes up and disciples are afraid and wake Jesus up to calm the storm. Very strange story as these are fishermen who have been on the lake all their lives in all kinds of weather, why would they be afraid and why would they wake up a landlubber for help? Why would they even be following around an itinerant preacher and not fishing? Why would Jesus be traipsing around the countryside, depending on rich women to support him and having people following him and neglecting their jobs and families? And what about the story in Old Testament about God giving Palestine to the Israelites? Was it put in by some outer space alien to cause the problems we are having today in Middle East that could lead to nuclear war and then the aliens could swoop in, clean up the radiation and take over the planet. And what about having an all-powerful God that sets the example for kings and powerful leaders. And then a few get the idea in 1776 to say, we don't need no stinking king, but that only lasted a few years, until 1787, when a Constitution is adopted that's almost a replica of the British system with a President to replace king and a Senate to resemble the House of Lords to protect monied and property interests, instead of having a single house legislature voted by all the people. Strange religious stories that can have long range implications.

Your mind at death

 Psalm 146: 3-4: Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.......the last sentence seems to suggest that when you die, there is no life after death. Which is what I think. If people lived after death, there'd be a lot of confusion in the ether. It'd be like listening to a radio station switch a lot of interference. The energy in your body is repurposed, but the switch to your thoughts is turned off. 

End of the Earth?

 2nd Peter 3:10:  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up....... This sounds like 4 billion years from now when the sun will expand to a red giant and burn up the inner planets.

On Eternal Life

 Mostly I believe when you die you die. The blackness slowly comes around from your peripheral vision and then you're gone.

But sometimes, I think maybe I won't die. Maybe I'll be around for the second coming. But maybe not the second coming, but just an end-of-planet event. Maybe everyone thinks that as they can't really process their own death. 

But, the brain activity is electric impulses between neurons. What if that information of everyone's thoughts was somehow stored in the Earth's magnetic field or some stable part of the Earth's core or mantle. 

And, then right before planetary destruction( ours or any planet), from a large asteroid or the expansion of the sun into a red giant, all the collective intelligence stored in the Earth, was somehow transmitted to the DNA of the Universe. Bingo. Eternal life. Well, it's just something I think about now and then.

Philadelphia Aurora

 

This book is like reading current events. American Aurora by Richard Rosenfeld.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1216800.American_Aurora

Richard Rosenfeld's dramatic epic traces the incendiary history of the young American nation in the 1790s, and chronicles the birth and near-death of civil liberties in that turbulent decade via the story of a Philadelphia newspaper, the Aurora. The story of this newspaper, Rosenfeld argues, is the story of young America.

Rosenfeld has chosen as his heroes its two young editors, Benjamin Bache, Benjamin Franklin's grandson, and William Duane, who fearlessly waged a decade-long campaign to keep America's Founding Fathers true to their original mission.

They claimed that George Washington was not the true "father of his country," but a completely incompetent commander-in-chief, and that John Adams, his presidential successor, wanted a monarchy and was plotting to be king. As a result of their inflammatory articles, both editors were arrested. Bache died awaiting trial, and the paper was briefly silenced.

Nonetheless, the Aurora was eventually successful in persuading the nation to oust Adams and to usher in a Jeffersonian democracy, of which Benjamin Franklin, the true father of our country, could only dream.

89%

 Marie Perez ( Washington 3rd district Congressperson) said in a recent interview: politicians and media talk about the top 1% and the bottom 10% and a lot of the time they forget about the other 89%.

As part of the 89%, I'm going to give some of my ideas of what I expect out of government and then why the 89% matters.

On the local level, there's 3 things cities need to do: provide clean water, working sewers, good streets. Everything else is gravy.

On the state level, back in the day, if you broke down on the highway, you knew within a half hour a State Patrol would show up. Now, you never know. So, fund a 24/7 state patrol.

On the federal level, the less we see or hear of the federal government, the better.

Now those are my ideas. I'm  sure other people in the 89%, will have different ideas. But the common denominator is that people expect government to show a level of basic competency. 

It's not that we don't care that the top 1% is oblivious to everyone else or that the bottom 10% deserve some hands up. But the price of everything is going up and no matter what they say about taxing the rich, the tax bills are so full of loopholes, that the rich still end up paying nothing and the bulk of taxes falls on the 89%. And you can only get so much blood out of a turnip. Money gets thrown at everything under the sun, there is no accountability and nothing gets done.

And right now, the competency level of government at any level is close to zero. So just Keep It Simple. Do the basic stuff and keep things stable, then the politicians can work on all their pet projects.

Baseball

 Well, here we are. Mariners are in 1st place by themselves for at least 2 days. But the Astros and Rangers are fighting hard, also. All fans will be walking on eggshells for the last twelve games. We need strong hearts and calm demeanors. Even though we might wish to have already clinched a division title, it seems like as Pacific Northwest fans, we have to go to the end on a wing and a prayer. Play ball!

Greed

 I've been reading the Revised Common Lectionary every day. And there are usually Old Testament reading. And usually the prophets are railing against the Israelites about this and that. I don't mind when they fault people for cheating or mistreating the poor. But I got to thinking about when they chastise people about praying to Baal or Ashtoreth. Basically, the priests at the temple wanted everyone to come to the temple at Jerusalem to pray and bring their money. But the poor can't always afford to quit their job for two weeks to trek to Jerusalem, so they set up a little carved idol in their house or on a hill close by to pray to and it was cutting into the priests' profits. So from now on, when the Bible says, God or the Lord doesn't like this or that, I'm going to read, the priests at the temple don't like this or that.

Strength of Schedule

 I read where CFL will use strength of Schedule more in determining the twelve teams for the CFP playoff. In my opinion ( yes, I know, who asked me), anything besides head to head competition is worthless. Maybe the coaches, fans and media like all these metrics, but I think the players would want it decided on the field.

I propose that in March of each year the CFP committee choose the top 48 teams in the country. Then you form 4 conferences as follows:

The 1st, 5th, and 9th teams go into one conference. Then 2nd, 6th, 10th, in the next. 3rd, 7th, 11th in next. 4th, 8th, 12th in next. The last 36 teams split randomly among the 4 conferences. Then each team plays the 11 teams in their conference for their college season. Randomly decide which teams get the 6th home game. If two teams tie for the lead have a playoff. Then the four winners of those conferences play in a four team semifinal and final playoff.

I can hear the screaming already. What about the traditional conferences? What about them? They've all been turned upside down and they change pretty much every year anyway.

Media and Alumni: we need more than 6 months to schedule telecasts and make travel arrangements. Well, tough. The media and rich alumni are what caused this mess to begin with. The only people that matter, the students, will be there.

And yes, Note Dame, if you want to be in the mix, you have to participate.

No more committees, polls, or metrics deciding things after the March 48 decision.

Eternal Life?

 Mark 10:17-22: And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions......A couple things in this passage. Jesus says, no one is good but God. He is seemingly saying that he isn't God, just interpreting God to people. Second, eternal life isn't about you. Jesus tells the man to spread his possessions to the poor. Spread life around. Maybe even hire more people or raise the wages of the people already working for him.

Bowing down to pro sports leagues

 The NBA Commissioner was in Portland and said we need a new arena in Portland. Now everyone and their brother among the elite are falling over themselves groveling to the NBA to build a new arena or substantially renovate Moda Center. All due respect to Chris Dudley and Clyde Drexler, but we need a new or renovated arena in Portland about as much as we need a baseball stadium which is to say as much as we need a hole in the head.

Every time I go into the Moda Center, which is about once a year and only with steeply discounted nosebleed tickets, it's like entering a Star Trek spaceship. It's a beautiful place and needs nothing. The only people who need new stadiums are the elite politicians, business people, and athletes who want to hobnob with the rich and famous. They are drunk on their own egos.

Most people in Portland can't afford to go to the games and have other priorities. If we get a chance to vote, it would be voted down. But if we did vote it down, it would probably mean nothing.

In Seattle in the 1990s, the voters voted down Safeco field, but the state legislature voted the money anyway. Last year the voters in Kansas City voted down a stadium bond but now the state legislatures in Kansas and Missouri are both competing to build new stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals.

So I'm sure in Portland it will follow the script so the pols can have their glitz and glamour. 

To HOAs everywhere

 Every month we get the newsletter and there's always good info in it, so we're glad of that. But every month there are always notes asking for volunteers. And I'm just writing to tell why we're not volunteering. We knew when we bought our condo that there were rules, but it seems every month there are more rules. And I know we are on the far fringe, but I figure maybe as time goes by, more people will write in that are adverse to rules, too.

First thing is this over 55 rule. This would be a great place for young families pushing strollers and kids riding bicycles. And maybe there'd be less people driving cars as it gets pretty dangerous around here with people going over 20-25 mph. And maybe younger people wouldn't want so many rules.

And here at our condo, there's this idea that the exteriors should all be the same color. Is this a military base??

And then this business of keeping the grass green in the Summer? Of course, you can put in rock gardens or AstroTurf, but why spend thousands of dollars just to keep the Architectural Review Committee happy? After 6 weeks the grass will turn green again with the Fall rains, so just wear green sunglasses until then.

Also, we are in a food and retail desert here. There's the big parking lot at the clubhouse, but no food trucks. It'd be nice to have a place to get a cup of coffee, pastry or produce without driving or taking a bus. Why are residential areas so adverse to having retail?

 Then the latest, no estate sales on Friday. Who comes up with these rules?

I know you do it theoretically to keep property values up. But isn't that kind of greedy? There's a condo here now that is the same floor plan as ours selling for 20 grand less than what we paid. It's nice to have things increase in value, but it's also nice for the people trying to buy real estate to get a good price, also.

My wife is wondering when this change of thinking happens. One day, you are a free-spirit American, the next you are an old, conformity seeking high-property value seeker. Who knows?

We enjoy the library and the pool and appreciate you keeping it up. But we are hoping someday there will be more non-conformity people. Thanks for listening.

Suppose they gave a war and nobody came

I was reading the other day, that Trump wants basically unregulated AI, which is probably because he will make money on it some way, but I agree as the regulation writers don't seem to have done us much good on anything.

I was also reading an article questioning whether the U.S. is ready to fight the next war. They were talking about the Ukrainians 3-D printing those drones they were using to hit Russia. The article mentioned the 5 year planning the Pentagon takes on new weapons by which time most are obsolete.

Which makes me think about how all the new cars have all these bells and whistles that no ones needs but add thousands to the cost of a car. This past weekend we had to get a new battery. $392 installed. Whew! It turns out you can't just buy a new battery and drop it in. For VWs at least, you have to reset the new battery to the computer and it takes a special device for that.

Today I saw an old 1930s style car going down the street. It seems like you could get an engine and drivetrain in the after parts market that would meet emissions standards and you could 3-D print a body to drop on top and just have the bells and whistles you really want. Seems like a small business could turn out cars at a reasonable price.

The upshot of all this is that world leaders like Trump, Putin and Xi try to engineer the world to their preferences and the people fighting them are trying to engineer it their way. Meanwhile, 80% of the world's people are living their lives, making things work and working around the impediments big shots try to put in their way. Let's face it, Putin is basically fighting his war with mercenary troops, while most of the people in Russia are going about their business. It's like the old saying, someday a world war will be declared and no one will show up.

What is the strongest tie?

 Esther 3:7-15: Haman, the king's chief of staff, tells the king that the Jews follow their own God and his precepts and don't bow down to the king or Haman. Haman asks the king for permission to destroy the Jews and the king says okay for this attempted genocide...... Ah, our connection is not to these artificially concocted political systems. But what is God? The infinity of space which we can only recognize through the strands of stardust that connect everything in the universe. That is our highest calling to feel the connection we have to everything and act accordingly.

Elite religion

 I've been reading the Revised Common Lectionary for 6 months now and it appears most of the Bible is written for rulers and the elite, because they have no conscience. Most people just want to be left alone and if they need religion it's to keep their composure during sickness and adversity, mostly caused by rulers and the elite.

Discretion

 Proverbs 19:11: The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

Bastille Day Eve

In 1789, the French people had enough of the monarchy. They stormed the Bastille prison, freed the prisoners, and not long after, King Louis the XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, met their demise. 

Sometimes that incident resonates in this country, where, no matter what party is in power, Washington, D.C. has no clue what's really going on in the rest of the country.

But I would propose a reverse Bastille Day. Let's just ignore the federal government. A lot of people are upset that the federal government is cutting funds going to state and local governments and individuals. But the thing is, there is no real money anyway. Much of the budget is just borrowed money. And even though it was mostly printed money, we and the state and cities got boatloads of free money during the pandemic. So let the feds keep their money. Maybe it will help the deficit a little.

The states and local governments need to fund whatever programs they want on their own. And once the locals prove they can be trusted with our money, we need to approve the higher taxes. 

Here in Oregon, the politicians and bureaucracies could find tons of money if they were just more efficient. We approve lots of taxes but it all seems to go into a black hole with no results. But, also, labor and material costs keep going up, so more money is needed for that. And on the other hand, they could stop spending millions on consultants and just use their employees, who are already getting paid.

And by not taking state or federal funds, we don't have to pay compliance people and do paperwork to satisfy state or federal requirements. 

I figure federal cuts are an opportunity to get to more responsive government.

Be honest & welcoming

 Leviticus 19:33-36: And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have.

Washing in the Jordan

 2nd Kings 5:1-14: Elisha tells Naaman, the Aramean army commander, to wash seven times in the Jordan, to cure his skin disease. He balks at first, but then his servants say, what have you got to lose. So he does it, and is healed.

Luke 10:1-20: Jesus send out 72 disciples to heal the sick, cast out demons and preach the good news.

What shall I say

 2nd Kings 4:1-7: Elisha helps a widow in debt by multiplying her oil.

Matthew 10:19-20: The Holy Spirit will tell us what to say.......This mostly applies to being hauled before the councils as a Christian, but in everyday life, count to ten before you speak, and maybe something wise or funny will pop into your head, as the situation warrants.

Psalm 140:10: God helps the afflicted and the poor.

Psalm16:8

 Psalm 16:8:  I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Luke 9:37-43

 Luke 9:37-43: Jesus casts out a demon from a young boy.

Political parties

 I read an article in the Saturday NYT about the disarray in the DNC and their money problems. I'll be honest with you. I think the American people are moving on from parties. I think most American voters are independent. If they are registered for a party it is only so they can vote in a primary which ought to be open anyway. Like Karine Jean-Pierre, I recently changed my party registration to independent non-affiliated in Oregon. I'll never vote for someone in a party again.

Most voters want policies somewhere in between the extreme party platforms of either party. They'd rather vote for independent candidates who are honest and have integrity who can pursue policies that are right for the whole country and not just further the power of the parties. Why should we have to vote for the better of two evils?

It just doesn't make sense for us to vote for parties that try to put in place policies that just the extreme wings of the parties want. We want common sense ideas that can be implemented in a reasonable length of time. We want laws that can be written in a few pages that are fair for everyone, and not 2,000 page bills that have as many loopholes as a sieve.

Some people are worried about Artificial Intelligence becoming self-aware and taking over things. But can it be any worse than now with do-nothing politicians?

Let's put the parties out to pasture. Vote for independent candidates.

Silence

 1st Kings 19:11-12: He said to Elijah, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

Galatians 3:28: There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Luke 8:26-39: Jesus casts out a demon from a Gerasene man and sends the demon into a herd of pigs and they stampede down a hill into the lake and are drowned...... Even if it's just a story, seems like killing off a herd of pigs is not right, even if they are non-kosher. It's like in crime novels when they have gratuitous murders. They could have burglaries, or embezzlement. Bad enough killings in real life. Why do it in fiction books?

Words of wisdom

 Isaiah 59:8: The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Matthew 9:27-34: Jesus heals 3 people, but the Pharisees say he is working for the devil.....Why would anyone be against healing? Heck, they'd be able to work and pay taxes, then. I think that the author of Matthew was just trying to to cast a bad light on the Jewish leaders just to distance Christians away from them when the Jews were rebelling against the Romans.

Ruling class

 Daniel 1:1-21: Nebuchadnezzar sacks Jerusalem and takes some of the uppity-ups back to Babylon with him, including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego. They decide they won't eat the kings non-kosher diet and turn out in better shape than the others who ate the luxurious food. They become the King's advisors....... 

Meanwhile back in Israel, the regular people are enjoying a little peace and quiet. But 70 years later, here come the religious higher-ups with their fully developed theology and the people are again burdened by temple taxes and rules. Would that we all had the oath of allegiance that Catalonia and Aragon had with their count back in the 13th century. (from the book, Barcelona by Robert Hughes, p.119):

 We, who are as good as you, swear to you, who are no better than us, to accept you as our king and sovereign lord, provided you observe all our liberties and laws-but if not, not.

Illegal pays more to the few, than legal does to the many

 The powers that be have no reason to want a reformed legal immigration process, even though they are always clamoring for it. Non-profits that help illegal immigrants would be out of work. ICE and Border Patrol and companies building walls would lose funding. Cartels and coyotes that ferry people across the border would lose money. Farmers and the hospitality industry would have to pay higher wages to legal immigrants. Other countries don't have to mend their ways as they can de facto say to their people, go to the U.S. if you don't like it here. School districts love illegal immigration because they get paid on a per student basis.

What's in it for the greater good? Legal immigration would cost less taxpayer dollars. Although it would cost companies more to higher legal green card holders, they'd have a consistent flow of workers and not have to worry about the complexities of dealing with undocumented workers. Although there will still be illegal immigration, a smaller enforcement group, could deal with it. Countries that used to have a huge outflux of people, would have to hopefully make reforms to make life better in their countries. Communities in the U.S. would have more time to gradually absorb a more consistent flow of immigrants. And with the U.S. population aging, the U.S. would have workers coming in to keep the economy going.

Congress had that new immigration law ready to go before Trump put his kibosh on it. It's hard to understand why Congress caters to him. I suppose it's always easier to do nothing and collect their salary than to govern the country. Since Hamilton started sending treatises to Congress back in the late 1700s, Congress had deferred to executive law making. It's time to get the power back to the people and curb the federal bureaucracy.

Terry Moran

 Terry Moran, long-time ABC news reporter, was fired by ABC for posting that supposed Trump advisor Stephen Miller (is he really a government employee being paid with our tax $? Hard to believe) was a hater. Why does ABC care what he posts? I suppose they think they will be perceived as being partisan toward the left. But back in the day, when every city had at least 3 newspapers, every paper had a partisan slant. Now that there are thousands of news outlets, every one should take a stand in some direction. 

The problem is news outlets are getting like sports outlets. They want access to the powers that be, so they buddy up and embed themselves. But you really don't need access. Whether it's a sports front office, player, White House or government agency, they either say inane things, or embellish or withhold reality. You have to wonder if reporters are worth the money if all they can do is sit around the White House press office and ask questions that never get a straight answer. Get out in the real world and observe and listen. Same way with these people who've just had their home blown away in a tornado. Why do these reporters bother them? Just observe and listen.

Just watch the game, political or sporting, tell us the facts and give your take on it. We don't need to hear what these primadonas have to say or what their lives are like. Like Joe Friday said in Dragnet,"Just the facts, ma'am."

Discussion group

 Luke 2:41-52: When he is 12, Jesus and his parents go to Jerusalem for Passover. When it is over, his parents head back with their group, but Jesus stays behind to talk to and ask questions of the elders at the Temple. His parents are perturbed when they find him a day later, but Jesus is unfazed, saying he wanted to learn more about his heavenly father.

A new theory of the beginning of the Universe

 https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/blogs/space-cosmology-and-the-universe/what-if-the-big-bang-wasnt-the-beginning-our-research-suggests-it-may-have-taken-place-inside-a-black-hole

Probably makes more sense than my hair-brained theory: The last thing I had in my head was a flat infinite universe. I read where even in a vacuum there was a virtual energy field. And so theoretically there would be virtual black holes. And Hawking theorized that black holes would leak radiation over time. So if you have matter antimatter particles popping out near the event horizon, normally they would come together and cancel each other. But what if one antimatter particle falls back in the black hole, and the other matter particle stays out, then you have a real particle. And in an infinite universe, over time, that's a lot of particles that would coalesce into gas clouds, stars and galaxies.

You don't always get what you pay for

 Numbers 24:1-14: King Balak of Moab is upset because he had hired the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites and Balaam had blessed them. Balaam said, I can't go against what God commands.

Religiocentric

 Ezekiel 11:14-25: God tells Ezekiel to tell the exiles in Babylon that they will be brought back to Israel.

1st Corinthians 2:14: Paul says, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God..... Hmm. Really? Seems like every person has access to the Spirit. Seems like the hierarchies of any religion want you to believe that they have the inside track on spiritual insights. Maybe people shouldn't divide the spiritual and the physical. A person is all one entity until they return to the dust and become part of something else. We should look at all aspects of situations from whatever means we can gather. It's amazing that in the Bible, there's no incident of someone telling Paul to be quiet and listen.

Simple words

 Joel 2:28-32: See Acts 2:17-21

1st Corinthians 2:1-11: Paul says, I come not speaking fancy words like the wisdom of men, just Jesus Christ and him crucified.......Why was that the main thing for Paul? I think it was like Jesus said at one point, a seed has to be buried in the ground and die before it sprouts forth new growth. I don't think Jesus had to die as a substitute for our sins, or that he even had to die. But it's not good for devotion to be centered on one spot. That would be like the idols of old. Jesus had to go, so that God could send the Holy Spirit through the seed Jesus had started. The Spirit is like a vine that goes everywhere and can sprout anywhere there is love and community.

Pentecost

 Acts 2:1-21: the Holy Spirit is bestowed on the disciples of Jesus and they speak their message in different languages in Jerusalem. People say what's going on? or They're drunk. Peter says, we're not drunk, it's only 9am. What's happening was prophesied by the prophet Joel long ago.(Joel 2:28-32) Young people will prophesy and see visions and the old will dream dreams and everyone who calls on the name of God will be saved.

Genesis 11:1-9: People gather to build the city and tower of Babel, but God confuses their language so they can't understand each other and give up and scatter....... This is still happening because no one can get anything built now. Bureaucracy rears it's ugly head.

Romans 8:14: Paul says all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Led or not, we all have stardust DNA.

Fiery chariot

 2nd Kings 2:1-15: Elijah touches his mantle to the Jordan River. It parts and allows him and his assistant Elisha to cross. Elijah is taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot. Double his spirit is bestowed up Elisha. Elisha picks up the mantle or cloak, touches the Jordan, it parts and he walks back to take up his prophetic duties.

Luke 1:5-17: The priest Zacharias hears from an angel that his wife Elizabeth will have a boy who will be the prophet John the Baptist who will bring many people to God.

D-Day 81 years ago

Today we remember over 2,000 U.S. soldiers dying on the beaches of Normandy in order to push back Hitler's armies. Do we need to do it now in Ukraine? We did it in 1991, when kicked Iraq out of Kuwait. Our current and former presidents seem averse to sending forces into Ukraine. Everyone is leery of nuclear war, as well we should be. Maybe NATO minus the U.S  will go in. Can we allow Putin to take Ukraine and maybe the Baltic states and part of Poland and Finland? Can we allow Xi to take Taiwan? Congress needs to decide these things, because they are the branch of government constitutionally tasked with deciding to go to war and sending U.S. forces into harm's way.

Fruit of the Spirit

 Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.

Responsibility

 Ezekiel 3:12-21: God tells Ezekiel that he's responsible for telling people to repent from their iniquities, and if they don't change he's not responsible.......That's what people do today. Put up billboards, have rallies, stand on soap boxes yelling repent and then figure, well, we told them, let them go to hell; instead of walking alongside them in their distress. We're all in the Universe together. Religions seem to separate people more than bring them together. 

Luke 9:18-27: Jesus asks the disciples who they think he is. Peter says the Christ of God. A little further in the passage Jesus says, he whosoever loses their life for my sake, shall save it......  Is this encouraging martyrdom? I've never been a fan of martyrdom. Sometimes in an emergency situation you have to make decisions about risk to help someone else survive, but just to die for some belief doesn't make sense to me. That's where a belief in eternal life can lead you to make idealistic decisions that maybe aren't so smart in the long run.

Ark of the Covenant

 2nd Chronicles 5: Solomon brings the Ark of the Covenant containing the two tablets that Moses had received from God, into the new temple in Jerusalem.

Tabernacle

 Exodus 40;16-38: Moses set up the Tabernacle. And it was covered with spirit of God in a cloud by day, and fire by night. The Israelites stayed where they were as long as the cloud was over the Tabernacle. But when the cloud lifted, the Israelites moved on.

Acts 16:35-40: The magistrates of Philippi sent word to the jailer to let Paul & Silas free. But Paul said, you have beaten and jailed Roman citizens, let The magistrates come themselves and set us free. So the magistrates came and let them out and asked them to depart the city. After they had seen Lydia and the other believers, they departed.

Hudson's Bay Company

 Today was the last day of HBC existence. Although my son said, 355 years is a good run. But how can you not market a name like Hudson's Bay Company? It's synonymous with North America. A friend of ours took his son to a store that HBC ran in Montreal, The Bay. He said there was no HBC branded merchandise. How can you run a store where you don't even market your own merchandise. I'd pay big bucks for a sweatshirt that said Hudson's Bay Company 1670 and I live in Oregon. And speaking of Oregon, it would have had a rougher time getting started if not for John McLoughlin, the HBC factor at Ft. Vancouver, who helped more than a few Oregon pioneers with a few cows and seed to get started, much to the dismay of his minders in Montreal, who were trying to keep the Americans out. Maybe this was the start of their demise. HBC was cutthroat fighting their fur trapping competition and I'm not sure of their record in their dealings with First Nations peoples, but I'm sure they helped their share of wayward travelers.

My family and I were at a cider tasting event today at Stone Circle Cidery. We were talking this and that and got to talking about the Snake River canyon, which made me think of the Snake River dams, which brought up that my 5th grade granddaughter went on a field trip to the Clackamas River dams. So the day before all the 5th graders came home and announced, Oh! my DAM field trip is tomorrow. Which made me think of beavers, the original hydrological engineers. Their dams and dens are structures of perfection. Maybe HBC's demise is their comeuppance for hunting to near extinction a lot of the beaver population in North America.

Good and bad, HBC has left their mark on North America, and they will be missed.

Soon

 Acts 16:16-34: Paul casts out a spirit of divination from a slave woman, so that her owners couldn't make money anymore on her fortune telling skills. They convince the authorities to flog them and throw them in jail. At night, there is an earthquake and the cell doors are opened. The jailer thinks he's a goner for letting the prisoners escape, but Paul says, we're all here. The jailer asks Paul for baptism and then he dresses their wounds and gives them food to eat.

John 17:20-26: Jesus prays for his disciples and all believers who come after.

Revelation 22: Jesus says, I am coming soon. .....Soon: famous last word. Parents: We'll be there soon. Kids: we'll be home soon. Politicians: there will be justice soon. Boss: the company will be able to give raises soon. Employee: that project will be done soon(as soon as hell freezes over). We just have to look at the situation now(SNAFU- situation normal, all fouled up) and make our decisions, because soon means nothing.

Songs of praise

1st Samuel 2:1-10: Hannah, Samuel's mother, prays her song to God.

Psalm 113:7-9: same as 1st Samuel 2:5,8

Romans 12:13-16: Be hospitable to strangers, live in harmony, don't be arrogant, but associate with everyone.

Luke 1:44-55: Mary's Magnificat. Almost the same as Hannah's song in 1st Samuel 2:1-10.

May 30th

 Psalm 97:11: Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.

Exodus 33:14: God said to Moses: My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

Background radiation

 Acts 1:1-11: Jesus tells his disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit which will give them power to witness throughout the whole world. Then Jesus is taken up to heaven..... Is the Holy Spirit just the background radiation that pervades the whole Universe that enhances our ability to understand the mysteries of everything?

Psalm 47: Clap your hands all ye peoples, shout to God with songs of joy. God is awesome.

Psalm 93: God's decrees are very sure.

Ephesians 1:15-23: Paul prays that the church, which is Christ's body, may receive the spirit of wisdom.

Luke 24:44-53: Jesus says when the Holy Spirit comes, you will preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in my name unto all the nations. Then he was taken up to heaven.

Right with God

 2nd Chronicles 34:20-33: Josiah brings Israel back into compliance with God's covenant.

Luke 2:25-38: Simeon and Anna rejoice when they see Jesus at the Temple when he is eight days old.

Freedom of religion?

 2nd Chronicles 15:1-15: On the advice of the prophet Azariah, King Asa puts away all the idols and starts worshipping God again. That's all well and good, but then in verse 13, it says, whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel shall be put to death...... No freedom of religion there. It is very intolerant and a lot of people act the same way today. Seems like any religion, anywhere in the Universe, should have just one credo: Be nice!

Revelation 21:15-22: Measurements and fancy materials of the New Jerusalem. It says in verse 22, God us the temple...... So why do you need all the other gold and precious stones? Religions are like car salespeople: This model is better!

Not much today

 Psalm 93: God is strong.

1st Chronicles 12:16-22: David gathers allies for his fight against Saul.

Revelation 21:5-14: list of people going to hell and more descriptions of the New Jerusalem......the first people on the list are the fearful and unbelieving. But who can believe this stuff? Why can't religions be commonsensical and even-keeled?

New life

 Acts 16:9-15: Paul travels to Philippi and meets Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, and converts her and her family to the Way of Christ. .....Seems like most of the people who are named in the Bible, except for the beggar Lazarus, are people with money. And after Constantine is converted, the main way Christianity is spread is a prince or king of a region is converted and then the whole region is de facto converted as Christianity is mostly all there is, at least in the West, but same principles apply to other areas and other religions. And the women go to church to keep the family on the straight and narrow, and the men go sometimes to keep the women happy. It's more of a cultural phenomenon than a spiritual or theological thing.

Revelation 19,22-22:5: the holy city Jerusalem coming out of the sky. There is no temple, because God is the temple. No need for sun or moon because God is the light. The crystal clear river of life flows thru the city and the tree of life bears a different fruit each month.

John 14:23-29: Jesus says the Holy Spirit will come and help you understand things when I am gone. So is the Holy Spirit the background radiation or the the neutrino wind that flows through the Universe? In reality, we don't have to believe in anything, our religion surrounds us all the time.

John 5:1-9: A man has been lying by the Bethzatha pool near the Sheep Gate for 38 years and Jesus heals him.

The light goes on

 Proverbs 2:11: Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.

Luke 19:1-10: Jesus meets Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Zacchaeus perceives the narrow path, and says he will give half his goods to the poor and if he has taken anything falsely, he will return it fourfold. Jesus says, the light has come on in this house, for he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which is lost.

Sometimes

 Sometimes the Revised Common Lectionary makes no sense to me. I'm not in favor of hierarchical Gods or organizations. I like to interact with people on an individual basis not thru a top-down organization. Some of the Bible like today's passages, are decrees sent down by God or church higher-ups giving the church controlling guidance. I suppose everyone needs guidance, rules for street intersections come to mind, but a lot of guidance is just to make God and the higher-ups happy and doesn't do much except complicate the life of the scrubs.

Travel companions

 Psalm 67: a song of praise to God.

Proverbs 2:2: Incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding.

Acts 15:36-41: Paul splits up with Barnabas and John Mark because John Mark had deserted them one time. They take off to Cyprus and Paul takes Silas on a trip through Syria and Cilicia to check on how the churches are doing.

Neighbor

 Leviticus 19:9-18: When you harvest, don't fully reap the corners of your field or gather up the gleanings, but leave them for the poor and strangers. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Luke 10:25-28: Someone asked Jesus what do I do to get eternal life? Jesus asked, what do the Scriptures say? The man said, Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said, you have answered wisely, do it and you shall live.

Ego

 2nd Samuel 1:4-27: Saul & Jonathan are killed in battle. David acts like he's distressed...... David had his chance here. He could have gone home to his sheep. Israel only needed God as king. But David had a king-sized ego.

Acts 11:27-30: People come to Antioch from Jerusalem telling of hard times in Judea. They collect a relief fund and send it to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Paul.

Unity

 Psalm 133:1: How good and pleasant it is for people to dwell together in unity.

1st Samuel 20:1-42: David tells his best friend, Jonathan, that his father Saul is out to get him. Well, as I've said before, all David has to do is go home and tend his sheep and he wouldn't have these problems.

Acts 11:19-26: Believers fan out from Jerusalem to Phenice, Cyprus and Antioch to tell the Good News. Barnabas goes out to check on things and then finds Saul in Tarsus, then they go to Antioch for a year.

New guidelines

 Acts 11:1-18: The believers in Jerusalem are concerned that Peter are with the gentiles. He told them that he had a vision from God that nothing was unclean and the gentiles could receive the Holy Spirit, also.

Revelation 21:1-6: The New Jerusalem comes down from God.

John 13:35: Jesus says you will be known as my disciples if you love one another.

Horizontal God?

 Daniel 7:27: All dominions shall serve and obey the most High......  Seems like a hierarchical God leads to hierarchies on earth. Better to have a horizontal God that we each have a piece of and we all work together.

Revelation 11:16-19: Apocalyptic stuff that's doesn't make much sense.

Eternal Dominion

 Daniel 7:13-14: The Ancient of Days gives the Son of Man dominion over everything forever.

Revelation 11:15: And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Retribution

 Jeremiah 50:17-20: the passage says that God says he will punish Assyria and Babylon for taking Israel into exile. But wasn't it because Israel was behaving badly that God let them be taken into exile? .... I think a lot of this stuff didn't come from God.

John 10:31-42: the Pharisees want to stone Jesus because he says he's the Son of God. But Jesus says that in Scripture (Psalm 9:5) it says man was made a little less than God and above the angels. If you don't believe in me, believe the works I do. Then he slipped away from them, to the area beyond the Jordan.

Good governance

 Ezekiel 45:1-9: God says to reserve part of the land for the Sanctuary and the Levites. And in verse 9:

Thus saith the Lord God; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord God.

Acts 9:32-35: Peter heals Aeneas.

Psalm 100

 Psalm 100: Another Psalm I memorized as a kid.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Ezekiel 37:15-28: God says Israel will be one nation under one king, not split into Israel and Judah. And the King will be David forever..... But this is written after David, so maybe it means the Messiah, who is supposed to come from David's lineage.

Revelation 15:1-4: seven angels with seven last plagues - last, because God's wrath is done..... Dangerous words because some people seem to think they can be instruments of God's wrath and take action against other people on their own.

Eternal life?

 Acts 9:36-43: Peter brings Tabitha back from the dead. Why do people fear death?  Why do they like these back from the dead miracles? Why is eternal life a part of religion?..... I used to believe in that stuff. Now I figure, you live, hopefully a good long life, and then you die, and the world moves on, usually a better place from people being here.

Revelation 7:9-17: An uncountable multitude dressed in white stands before the throne singing praises to God.

John 10:22-30: People ask Jesus, tell us plainly if you are the Messiah. He says, I told you and you didn't believe. You don't believe the works I do in God's name. My sheep hear me and follow me. I will give them eternal life..... It's been a dog eat dog world for most people throughout history. I suppose people figure they'll get a rest after death. But it seems to me, it's like when you're going under anesthesia. The black closes in from your peripheral vision and then everything is dark and it stays that way. And the baton is passed to the next generation.

Dubious advice

 Ezekiel 28:25-26: God says Israel will live in the land he has given her and he will inflict punishment on her neighbors...... The right wing in Israel 2025 probably looks at these words and figures they have a blank check in the West Bank and Gaza. But people always forget, revenge is God's bailiwick.

Luke 12:29-32: Jesus says don't worry about eat or drink, but seek ye first the Kingdom of God. I suppose he's saying, those of us with food should seek the Kingdom by giving food to those who need it.

Slow to anger

 Ezekiel 20:39-44: Israel always falls away, but God never gives up on them. God says, I will deal with you for my name's sake and not according to your evil ways.

Revelation 6:1-7:4: six of the even seals are opened. The first four release the four horsemen, white, red, black and pale. The fifth seal shows all the slain saints and prophets who testified about God. The six seal releases an earthquake. The sun turns black, the moon red and the stars fall from the sky. Then the servants of God are marked before the seventh seal is opened.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

 Psalm 23: the most famous Psalm. Memorized by many from the King James version as kids. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Ezekiel 11: The people left in charge of Jerusalem when Israel was exiled haven't done very well. They've allowed vile images and idols to be set up. God will drive them out to be slain by foreigners and the Israel will return from exile to make Jerusalem right again.

Revelation 5:1-10: God has a scroll to with seven seals and only Jesus is worthy to open it.

Eating scrolls

 Psalm 148: a song of praise.

Ezekiel 2:-3:11: Ezekiel is given a scroll to eat with words of lament, mourning and woe, and told to talk to people in exile.

Revelation 10: almost the same story as Ezekiel 3:3.....It seems like over half of the New Testament comes almost directly from the Old Testament.

Commisioned

 Isaiah 6:1-8: Isaiah sees a vision and is overwhelmed and says, I'm a goner and I live among a people with unclean lips. The seraphim takes a hot coal and touches his lips, and says You're ready now. God asks, who shall I send? Isaiah says, send me!

Luke 5:1-11: Jesus is being crowded and he asks Simon to push his boat out in the water a little so he can teach the people from there. When he's done speaking he tells Simon to push out and let down his nets. Peter says ok but we didn't catch anything all night. The net comes up and is almost breaking with fish. Simon is astonished. Jesus you haven't seen anything yet. Now you will fish for people. And Simon and his partners James & John left everything and followed Jesus.

Idealism will get you nowhere

 Acts 25-26: The Jewish leaders accuse Paul of blasphemy and other crimes and Felix the Roman governor puts Paul in jail until he can deal with it. But then Festus the new governor arrives and has to deal with it. Festus listens to Paul and realizes it is just a religious dispute and asks Paul if he will stand trial in Jerusalem before his accusers. Paul, a Roman citizen, appeals to Caesar. Festus says to Caesar you shall go. Then King Agrippa, the king over Judea, shows up and Festus tells him about Paul and Agrippa wants to hear him. Paul lays out his defense which is that a careful reading of the Scriptures show that Jesus is the Messiah. Agrippa realizes the same thing as Festus, that Paul just has a religious dispute and has done nothing to deserve death or imprisonment. Agrippa says to Festus, this man could have been set free if he hadn't appealed to Caesar....... First thing, you wonder why they didn't talk to Paul about changing his mind about his appeal and just let him go. But also, why did he appeal to Caesar? He says all along he was a good Pharisee and now is a fervent Christian, and in Acts 25:11 he says he's not afraid to die if guilty. So why wave your Roman citizenship around? Like I've said before, in every religion it's their way or the highway. No middle ground. Jesus and all the prophets and religious higher-ups warn against being lukewarm. But I say the world would run a lot smoother if people were lukewarm about everything.

Winged creatures?

 Psalm 121:1-2: I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Ezekiel 1:1-25: Ezekiel sees a vision of heaven, but his winged creatures just have 4 wings instead of 6 like Isaiah and Revelation. Why, when people are trying to sell stuff they always go to the extreme? Why can't they be like Joe Friday in the TV show Dragnet, "Just the facts, please."

Acts 9:19-31: Saul preaches in Damascus, escapes from there as people trying to kill him. Then he goes and preaches in Jerusalem but disciples there don't believe he has changed. Barnabas tells them, yes, he has and recounts his conversion experience on the road. He debates the Hellenistic Jews but they want to kill him, so his friends ship him off to Tarsus. The last line says now there was peace in the region and the church grew in numbers. People didn't seem to see the departure of Saul being related to the peace. Saul seemed to rub people the wrong way everywhere he went. He should have mellowed out as should religions everywhere.

Mental health crisis

 Acts 9:1-20: Saul, after persecuting followers of Jesus in  and stoning Stephen to death, heads to Damascus to persecute there. On the way he had his conversion experience and pretty much launches the Christian movement on the world..... I think that this was a mental health reaction to his stoning of Stephen. I've always thought that most religions are started due to people not being able to personally process their situation or the situation of the world at the time. Joseph Smith and the golden plates, Martin Luther and his inability to handle his inner guilt, Mohammed and his visions, Moses and the burning bush. But why do crowds of people indulge them? Why can't people just do their own thing as far as religion goes? Maybe people have their own crises and it's easier to latch on to someone else's explanation than work through things on their own. But when you have these large groups of people who fervently believe certain things, there is a lot of friction and a lot of people get hurt.

Revelation 5:11-14: Thousands of angels sing praises to God and Jesus.

John 21:1-19: Disciples are still reeling after Jesus death and resurrection. Peter says, I'm going fishing. Jesus appears to them and cooks breakfast by the Sea of Galilee. Then Jesus puts Peter in charge. I like this story as most people are like Peter; faced with unexplainable stuff, they revert back to familiar things.....maybe Peter just kept fishing. Maybe he's been fishing all along. Maybe our whole existence is just like Whoville in the Grinch, our whole Universe just a snowflake in another time continuum. I'm kind of reverting to that now. Following daily baseball games. We all need something we feel is on solid ground to get through the day to day turmoil of life.

Hospitality

 Genesis 18:1-8: God appears to Abraham at Mamre. That's not the important part. The big thing, Abraham falls over himself preparing refreshments. He tells Sarah, Quick, bake some bread. He picks the fatted calf and has a servant prepare it. Probably should have said please to Sarah. Women were taken for granted back then. But generally Middle Eastern people are pretty hospitable.

Luke 14:12-14: Jesus says don't invite your friends and neighbors to dinner, but invite the poor and downtrodden from the streets and you'll get your reward in heaven. ...... There's always this quid pro quo. Why can't you do it just to be nice? And you don't have to do dinner. It's like the rich man and Lazarus. It wouldn't hurt to give the leftovers from dinner. Or carry around a granola bar if people ask for something. I'm not big on eternal life as a reward or anything else. Just do the best you can and then pass the baton.

Heaven?

 Isaiah 6:1-4: Isaiah has a vision of God in heaven, similar to Revelation 4.

Revelation 4:1-11: John has a vision of heaven, similar to Isaiah 6. 6-winged creatures. .....It's probably code to keep the authorities off their backs, but sometimes it seems like these prophets are smoking the wacky weed. Makes you feel tolerance for the Native American Church peyote rituals. But seems like people should write clear language.

Lukewarm

 Psalm 30:5: For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Isaiah 5:12-13,15: they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands.13 Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; So people will be brought low and everyone humbled, the eyes of the arrogant humbled.

Revelation 3:16: You are lukewarm...... Well, better not to get too excited about theology and religion.

Purim

 Esther 9'21-23: Purim set up as two days to celebrate when their sorrow and mourning was changed to joy and celebration. They would have feasting and give presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

Luke 12:11: Don't worry what you will say when you are brought before the authorities. The Holy Spirit will teach you what to say.

Protector

 Esther 8: King Xerxes writes a new decree to protect the Jews and allow them to plunder their enemies.... Nothing in this book about God protecting them Just Esther, Xerxes and their own military prowess. Seems this is where all countries get in trouble, foreign alliances and forgetting to let God take revenge.

Revelation 2:8-11: To the church at Smyrna: there will be persecution, but you'll be alright in the end.

Psalm 122

 Psalm 122:6-7: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.

Esther 7: Esther asks the king to save her people. He asks who has ordered them destroyed. She says, Haman, his advisor. The king has Haman impaled. 

Revelation 1:9-20: John says he heard a voice and it said to write down what he sees in a vision and send it to the seven churches.

Great people

 I'm getting along in life, almost 72 years old. Looking back, I mostly did things to keep the higher-ups off my back and to make enough money to pay the bills. Not a great scorecard, but it is what it is. But through it all I've met lots of great people. Not famous and important people, although some of them knew famous and important people. But just regular people who did great things. And what's a great thing? Just doing things that make other people's lives better. I'm going to try to write down the stories of these people.

God's authority

 Acts 5:27:32: The Council tells the apostles that they weren't supposed to preach their new doctrine. The apostles say we have to obey God, not human authority.

Revelation 1:8: I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

John 20:19:31: Thomas wasn't with the disciples when Jesus appeared, so he didn't believe. When he saw Jesus he believed. Jesus says, blessed are those that have not seen but still believe..... I always say, anyone in the universe, shouldn't have to believe or have faith. All the facets of the Universe should be readily apparent.

Bears and lions

 1st Samuel 17:33-51: Saul questions David's ability. He said, I've killed bears and lions who have come after my sheep. This Philistine is no problem. David goes out with his slingshot. Goliath scoffs at David's challenge. David says it is God who will deliver you to me. Then he puts the stone in the sling and hits Goliath right in the forehead and kills him.

Confidence

 1st Samuel 17:24-32: David hears everyone talking about Goliath. He says, who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living God? Then he tells Saul, don't worry, I'll take care of this guy.

Acts 5:17-26: The high priest and Sadducees have the apostles arrested, but during the night, an angel unlocks the jail and tells them to go back to the temple and teach the people about this new life. When the Sanhedrin(the whole Jewish Council) meets in the morning they find the jail empty and the apostles back at the temple. They send their soldiers to escort the apostles to meet with them.

Praise

 Psalm 150: the last Psalm, a song of praise to God.

1st Samuel 17:1-23: the first part of David vs Goliath. Davide takes food to his brothers, who are with Saul's army, and he hears Goliath's challenge.

Acts 5:12-16: the believers meet at Solomon's Portico and the apostles heal many.

Sacred

 2nd Samuel 6:1-15: They were taking the ark to Jerusalem from where it had been after Philistines gave it back. The oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and a guy named Uzzah touched the ark to keep it from falling. The passage says, God struck him down, but for all we know David might have. Whoever, it begs the question that some hyped up religious relic is more sacred than life?

Treachery & funny mushrooms

 Judges 4:17-23;5:24-31: Jael invites Sisera, the leader of the army fighting Israel, and kills him while he is sleeping. In Chapter 5, they write a song about her..... Do we really need stories like this in the Bible?

Revelation 12:1-12: A dazzling woman has a baby. A dragon waits to kill it. Baby taken to heaven and woman is hidden for 1260 days. Michael the archangel drives the dragon out of heaven and it falls to the earth where it rampages for, I suppose, 1260 days..... Theoretically, this is all coded theology, but who needs this stuff? Was the writer eating those funny mushrooms or wacky weed?

Cornerstone

 Psalm 118:22: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...... For Christians, this verse represents Christ. For Jews, maybe Israel, rejected by the world, but the cornerstone of monotheism.

Joshua 10:16-27: Joshua kills 5 Amorite kings..... I guess it was too much of a stretch back in those days, to conclude a peace treaty with them.

1st Corinthians 5:8: sincerity and truth.

Easter

 Genesis 1:3: Let there be light.

Psalm 136:1: God's steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 46:10: Be still.

Psalm 16:11: God shows me the path of life.

Proverbs 8:19: Wisdom's fruit is better than gold.

Proverbs 9:6: Lay aside immaturity and live and walk in way of insight.

Psalm 19:14: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable to God, my rock and redeemer.

Ezekiel 36:26: A new heart God will give you and a new spirit within you.

Psalm 143:10b: Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.

Luke 24: The women see the empty tomb, but the men don't believe them.(Men discount women at their peril). Jesus appears to disciples on the Emmaus road and then to the disciples in Jerusalem.

John 20:11-18: Mary Magdalene sees Jesus.

Acts 19:34: God shows no partiality.

Life after death?

 Job 14:1-14: Man isn't like a tree that can come back to life. We lay down and don't wake up. But then in verses 13-14: Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time and remember me. If mortals die, will they live again? All the days of my service I would wait until my release should come. ..... I think maybe we live in the memories of others.

Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24: The writer is locked away in the tomb, his prayers unanswered. But then in the last verses: But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." .....Even in our darkest moments, we can hope that someone is getting help.

Psalm 31:1-4: God is our refuge and fortress.

1st Peter 4:1-8: Love one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

Matthew 27:57-66: Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus's body in the tomb and the Pharisees post a guard.

John 19:38-42: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrap Jesus's body in spices and linen and bury him in the tomb.

What is truth?

 Isaiah 52:13-53-12: The suffering servant, Jesus to Christians, Israel to the Jews, The Earth to me. The whole New Testament in one chapter.

Psalm 22: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?......verse 29:To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.

Hebrews 4:14-16;5:7-9 Jesus understands us, Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

John 18:1-19:42: Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died and was buried.

Rituals

 Exodus 12:1-14: God institutes the Passover. 

Psalm 116:1-2,12-19: God inclined his ear to me and heard my voice.

John 13:1-17,31-35: Jesus washes the disciples' feet and tells them to love one another.

Corinthians 11:23-26: Paul lays out the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

Perseverance

Psalm 70: Let all who seek God rejoice and be glad.

Hebrews 12:1-3: Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.

John 13: 21-32: Another passage where John is dissing Judas. It's not like Jesus needs a betrayer. He's preaching openly in the Temple daily and if the authorities were afraid of the crowds, they could nab him on the way back to Bethany for the night.

Badges

 These are crazy times. My wife's always thinking about some government agent coming to the door to demand a loyalty oath and what will happen when we refuse. And it makes me think of Cheech and Chong." We don't need no stinkin' badges." We don't need no stinkin' ID. We don't need no registration. Because none of it matters. Since 1789, one party or another does their thing and the American taxpayer gets to pick up the pieces. And I mean that American literally. From Point Barrow to Punta Arenas, the average person gets to wade thru the mess up to their **s in alligators, figure out their best course of action and get on with their lives. Tax the rich? Tax cuts for middle class? Healthcare for everyone? C'mon, these 2,000 page bills are so full of loopholes the pages look like they were used for machine gun practice. Can no one write a concise one page bill? Sure, but there are so many lawyers and lobbyists passing money both ways, no one wants to do it. When the stock market goes down, I always wish it will keep going back to the 500 the DOW was at in 1975. Then maybe people will put their money back in savings and the S&Ls will have plenty to lend out for mortgages and there will be plenty of housing as the hedge funds will be no more to bid up the price of housing. And maybe the federal government will go bankrupt and sink into the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers and the states and counties can run things in loosely configured regional groups. And if the people of D.C. want to get in on things, their best bet is to become part of Maryland.

All the world

 Isaiah 49:1-7: God says his servant will not only restore Israel, but be a light to the nations, and bring salvation to all the world.

Psalm 71:1-14: God is my rock and my fortress. God is my hope, my trust, from my youth. From my birth I have leaned upon you, my protector since my mother's womb.

1st Corinthians 1:18-31: Paul proclaims Christ crucified. Foolishness to most people..... Most people want to live forever, building companies and monuments. God says dying isn't the end. Christ's servant life lives on in those who believe and become servants also.

John 12:20-36: Jesus says, very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit.....Jesus dies and is resurrected as the body of people of the earth. He says in verse 32, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.

God's wings

 Isaiah 42:1-9: God's servant is given as a covenant to the people, a light unto the nations; to let the blind see, free the prisoners, bring light to those in darkness.

Psalm 36:5-11: All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Hebrews 9:11-15: Paul says we are redeemed by Jesus's death.... I don't agree. No one should have to die for the cleansing of our sins. That's between each person and the Holy Spirit. People will say that no one can understand the mysteries of God. That's like saying only a lawyer can understand legal documents. If things can't be understood, they need to be re-written.

Humble yourself

 Psalm 118:1-2,19-29: verse 24 is the best for starting your day: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Isaiah 50:4-9a: Every morning God wakes my ear to listen. Do I care who insults me? It is God who helps me; who will declare me guilty? ...... Just make doubly sure it's God you are listening to.

Luke 19:28-40: Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt and the people shout, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!

Luke 22:14-23:56: The Lord's Supper, a dispute about who is the greatest disciple. Jesus says, the greatest must become like the youngest, the leader like one who serves. Jesus is arrested, beaten, tried before the Council, sentenced by Pilate and the crucified. The curtain of the temple was torn in two and Jesus breathes his last. Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus in a brand new tomb.

Philippians 2:5-11: Jesus, though he was in the form of God, humbled himself and was obedient to death. God exalted him. ....An example for all of us. We all come from God, and if we live our life and die, we've done our part. We all add something to the mix.

Regular people

 Leviticus 23:1-8: God tells Moses to set up the religious festivals. The Seventh day is always a day of rest......Not for God but for your average worker to get a day off. Like in the Middle Ages when people were celebrating Saints' days. Not to celebrate the saints, but to give people a day off.

Luke 22:1-13: Judas supposedly take money to betray Jesus and Jesus sends Peter and John to set up the Passover meal. ...I don't think Judas betrayed Jesus. Pharisees or anyone could knock him off anytime. He didn't need the money as Jesus and crew were being bankrolled by a few rich women. I think the gospel writer was just trying to badmouth Judas and make Peter and John look good to set up the hierarchy of the church. The big shots always have to put the little guy in his place.

Death

 Isaiah 54:1-10: God says just like in the days of Noah, I said I'd never cover the earth with water again, now, I won't forsake you, I'll have compassion on you. The question is , can you trust God? Or even, is he in a position to guarantee anything. He wasn't there for the Holocaust. Some of these writings are just to keep the theologians and religious leaders in business. Ultimately, every person has to define God for themselves.

Hebrews 2:10-18: Paul expounds more on Jesus as the atonement for sin and to free people from their fear of death. Why this fear of death? I guess everyone has an anxiety about it. I had a precursor to it going under anesthesia for a colonoscopy ( which is kind of like death, at least the prep for it🙂) But the dark just closed in from my peripheral vision and the light blanked out. I woke up from that, but in death I wouldn't. Seems simple enough. 

Do better next time

 Psalm 31:9-16: Another Psalm where David is lamenting his adversaries, persecutors and enemies. Again, I say, you could have stayed a shepherd and as a king, you should take a look at how you treat people.

Isaiah 53:10-12: The suffering servant chapter that Christians believe foreshadows Jesus. But I think maybe the suffering servant is the world. It takes the brunt of our bad choices and greed, but only for so long.

Hebrews 2:1-9: Paul says Jesus was made lower than the angels but now is crowned with glory because he tasted death for everyone. The idea that something has to die as expiation for wrong deeds doesn't make sense. Just do better next time.

Power

 Habakkuk 3:2-15: The power of God described as military victories.

Luke 18:31-34: Jesus predicts his death and resurrection. The disciples are clueless. No one seems to ask follow-up questions. Where are Woodward and Bernstein when you need them?

We don't need no stinking king

 Judges 9:7-15: This passage is the parable of the trees. Abimelech is trying to set himself up as king and Jotham tells this parable to tell the people, the only king you need is God. The same thing Samuel told them later and to this day, people are trying to set themselves up as king, I'm not naming any names, Netanyahu.

1st John 2:18-28: This passage is a warning about the anti-christs. It makes it sound ominous, but these people who went out on their own, were probably just people who had different ideas about what Jesus meant to them. Nothing to get excited about here. A little freedom of religion never hurt anyone, except maybe those Jim Jones people who drank the kool-aid.

What you take pride in

 Exodus 40:1-15: The tabernacle is set up and Aaron and his sons installed as priests.

Psalm 20: Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God....... Israel didn't always follow this precept, but put their hope in military might and foreign alliances, just like they do today.

Hebrews 10:19-25: Encourage one another to love and good deeds and meeting together.

Future

 Isaiah 43:16-21: God says, I am about to do a new thing. I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honor me......Reading before and after this passage, it seems like God is saying, I'll never forget Israel, but anyone who follows me, I will take into the fold.

Philippians 3:4b-14: Part of this was gone over before, but in 13, I like what Paul says, forget what lies behind and look forward to what lies ahead.

John 12:1-8: Mary anoints Jesus with expensive perfume. Judas asks why wasn't the perfume wasn't sold and the money used to help the poor? Then the writer, John? says Judas didn't care about the poor, he was thief who took money out of the common purse.... Just the way this reads, it sounds like John is jealous of Judas and wanted to portray him in a bad light. It raises questions in my mind whether the big shot disciples, Peter, James and John, just pulled a power play on the other disciples after Jesus was gone and maybe the other disciples were the better ones and more exemplified Jesus's teachings.

De facto borders

 They talk about the invasion at our borders, but our borders have never been where they are on a map. Our military and intelligence agencies have always expanded our borders way beyond our geographical borders. In 1846 we went to war to expand our borders into Mexico. And various soldiers of fortune in the 1800s tried to foment regime change in Central America. And our military spent lots of time in Cuba and Central America in the early 20th century. Then in 1854, Matthew Perry took and armed ship to force Japan to trade with us. In 1898, we declared war on Spain to expand our borders to Guam and Philippines. Also, in early 1900s we had gunboats patrolling China's rivers. In 1973, the CIA fomented the demise of Allende's government in Chile. I think a lot of the people coming across the border are not legitimately seeking asylum. They are seeking better economic opportunities, but they are basically following the tendrils of the U.S.'s expanded borders back to their source.

Bloody

 Exodus 12:21-27: Moses sets up the passover, when the Israelites smear the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and the destroying angel passes over their houses when it kills the first born of Egypt..... Always seems like the plagues against the Egyptians were over kill. Your average Egyptian was no better off than the Israelites. Seems like if Israelites were tired of the slavery, they could have snuck off a few at a time during the night.

John 12: 45-57: Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead, and the Pharisees were at their wits end and planned to kill Jesus because the people liked him too much. So Jesus disappeared for awhile. This whole  thing doesn't make sense. Seems like Pharisees could have had spies watching Jesus all the time and knocked him off anytime....... The Jesus I think about was a poor but civic-minded carpenter in Nazareth who couldn't afford traipsing around the countryside. I'm sure there was some divine guy that the religion is based on, but the whole thing is overblown for me.