Get a Grip

• ·         Half-mast flags in NJ for Whitney Houston?  Gov. Christie defends his decision by holding up Ms. Houston as a "daughter of New Jersey".  Fine, but that reasoning would suggest the flags stay at half-mast perpetually because it is certain there are daily funerals in New Jersey for a "daughter" of the state.  Whitney Houston was an amazing singer who got caught up in some bad stuff.  It's not ok, but it happens to the best of us in varying circumstances.  Still, I would suggest there is a NJ church-goer who gives more than the best of herself on behalf of the Lord to children in their neighborhoods, but these many persons go unnoticed because they are not "noteworthy".  Wanna talk about "values"?  Maybe we should get some first.
• ·         Kid in CO quitting choir over a piece that mentions "Allah"?  Yes, "Allah" is an Arabic word for "God" that has become something of a battle cry for terrorists who align themselves with Islam.  "Yeshua" is Hebrew for Jesus, and the word "God" itself is an English transliteration that does not actually name the Almighty.  As for truth (the gist of the kid's objection), well, I guess it depends on one's own perspective.  I wonder, however, if this kid has a genuine religious objection - or - is he more concerned about the social implications?  I certainly don't know, but it is an important reminder to Christians who insist upon injecting Jesus into the public realm: fair is fair as our Constitution goes.
• ·         US Gov mandating religious disobedience?  DHHS, under the authority of "ObamaCare", recently mandated that all insurance plans cover contraception and sterilization with no deductible or co-pay; including insurance plans funded by religious institutions.  This struck the Roman Catholic Church hardest because it is the only religious institution that consistently and officially teaches against artificial birth control and voluntary sterilization (incidentally, this argument by DHHS and the president has been for women's health care "rights".  Does this rule apply equally to vasectomies?).  I'm with the Church on this one because I fail to see a "right" that someone possesses at my expense.  This is the proverbial "slippery slope" that was discussed in 1968 (I grew up in the Catholic Church and remember some sermons well) when Pope Paul VI issued his "Humane Vitae" that argued against birth control and actually foresaw what we see coming to fruition today - and - in 1973 when abortion became legal with restrictions that no longer exist, even to the point of that despicable practice more commonly referred to as "partial birth abortion".  It is only a matter of time before government edicts begin to mandate such things - and you and I will pay for it with our taxes whether we like it or not.  Tread very carefully, and pay strict attention to those who are asking you to trust them at the government helm! 
• ·         $$$$  spent in elections convincing us that American "messiah" might be a Democrat ... or is he/she/it a Republican - but - children still go to bed hungry in this country of unbridled wealth?  Watching the TV news this morning, an advertisement for one Republican candidate tried to use humor to poke fun at another Republican candidate.  And this we are to take seriously as earnest political discourse?  My concern is that $$$$$$$$ = billions spent trying to convince this nation that finding and cultivating a genuine leader is where we should focus our resources, that it is more important to elect this person or that than to see to it that children do not go to bed hungry or wake up uncertain as to whether they will eat.  I am not so naive as to believe we can choose either/or.  Sadly, political contests are little more than political struggles for the right to power (see above) in favor of one party over the other.  Political decisions are made not according to what is right but according to what is politically expedient and according to how it will pay off come re-election time.  As far as I can tell, for all the money devoted to and spent on these contests, the American public is getting a royal screwing.  Worse still, we are actually "presenting" ourselves for it.
• ·         Another DHHS overreach?  In Hoke County, NC an elementary student, whose mother packs her lunch rather than have her eat the cafeteria food, apparently had her bagged lunch "inspected" by a DHHS official who was at the school inspecting the lunch program.  This child was one of six whose bagged lunches were inspected and found to be deficient according to DHHS nutritional standards.  These standards require: one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetable.  These items are required whether packed by mom or served by the school.  The child's bagged lunch contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, a banana, potato chips, and apple juice. Now, of course, there is claimed to have been a "misunderstanding", but I cannot help but to wonder what was going through this child's mind as she was singled out by a stranger to have her lunch "inspected" and then was sent through the cafeteria line because mom's lunch was insufficient.

Make no mistake.  This is not "Obama's fault".  These things have been building for years, and we voters have no one to blame except ourselves because we are entirely too busy either looking for a "free lunch" or demanding government supplements (think Social Security and MediCare) when our own resources are not enough.  We have to decide how much we are willing to tolerate, but we cannot believe this will be settled only with this 2012 presidential election.  These laws come from Congress - essentially us because we put that Congress in place every two years. 

We need to get a grip on ourselves.  Otherwise, we can expect the government to eventually do our gripping for us.  And to us.