The Earth Is Eternal

Photo Credit: Nasa, Apollo 13
"The Earth in the Age of Grace"

Here I go again bugging my friends and family with something that I’ve learned and just can’t keep to myself. Have you ever felt compelled to share some news that you’ve learned out of sheer excitement?

I am elated when a wrong doctrine I have held from previous religions teachings or a wrong thought from my own fleshly devices has been brought under the scrutiny of Jesus’ truth and revealed to me so I can submit and change to what He says is true. (Colossians 2:8)

I want to share this specific encounter with God’s truth because the thoughts I had seem to be a main theme talked about in current times in both religious circles and secular circles as well. It is a big topic; this phrase comes with a lot of emotion backed to it. People take this very seriously and many sermons and articles have had countless hours put into them about this subject, and it is one that can keep you from experiencing the full joy God has intended if it is not understood correctly.

The big topic on many minds and has been a recent subject many discuss especially with the current events in the Middle East is “The End Times”.

Let me tell you the wrong thinking I had about this subject and then you can decide if you relate and can read on. Maybe I am one of the few who thought this way and you’ll think, “Where did she get this concept, duh, Chandra how could you think that way”? But I have a feeling many people may have had the same problem I have, so I’ll just explain and go from there.

Anytime I heard or read or listened to preaching about “End Times” I would get this feeling of doom and gloom. It seemed so “final” and I would envision the hobo standing on Times Square in New York with his sign stating “the end of the world” is near. Somehow the phrase “end times” and “end of the world” inter-meshed to mean one in the same. When I heard anyone talk about this subject I would feel fear and hopelessness, wouldn’t you, when you thought the earth was going to be done and gone and void of human life? I would equate this with the end of the human race, the oblivion of the earth and any one who died just lived in heaven or hell, but there was still a nagging sadness at the thought that the earth was no more. I’ve always struggled with this and always thought something was missing.

I’ll throw a jab at myself here, a few brain cells must have been missing. Ha! I’ll blame my youth, it’s the easiest target, but something WAS missing and it was the full truth. The nagging feeling, I should have known was the Holy Spirit trying to get me to let Him show me what that full truth was. Ya know, He does have your best interest at heart.

Then during a discussion about this subject, a light bulb came on. Have you ever had a very slow computer, one that slowly loads information and then you call the Geek squad out and they get it going to full speed and you wonder how in the world did you get anything done on that old, slow version? Well, this is how the full truth finally hit me. I have been studying biblical passages, tweaking things along the way that the Lord has shown me needs changing. This discussion was like the Geek Squad because as I began to talk about what I was learning the thought hit me, “the end times is just that, the end of a time, the end of an age, it has nothing to do with the end of the big physical ball we call earth. In fact, the earth is eternal.”

This is where explanation is due, how can I say the earth is eternal when 2 Peter 3:10-13 talks about the heavens passing away and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up? (This is where a good teacher in the language of the Bible comes in really handy and I’m glad I have someone like that.) The more I study the Bible the more I understand the importance of context, history and original word study.

In order to fully grasp what Peter is talking about, one must also look at Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22-24. In the New American Standard verse 65:17 reads, “behold I create a new heavens and earth, 66:22 read, “which I make” verse 17 had a little mark at the top of the word create, so I looked it up in the Greek/ Hebrew lexicon. The word was ‘Asah’ the basic meaning is “to do” or “make”; in creations context ‘asah’ is a broad scope and deals with refinement. This word is used to define God’s creative activity. BINGO, did that explanation hit you between the eyes like it did me? It doesn’t mean a complete, new act of creating something from nothing, it means an act of refinement, taking something that is there and making it better.

Not only did this help me understand this intense heat that melts the elements isn’t going to annihilate the earth, just change it; the following verse solidified this notion, Isaiah 66:24 talks about man going forth to look on the corpses of the men who transgressed against The Lord after this intense heat is finished. If believers are able to see the corpses on earth the earth has to still be here.

Then a more complete picture comes into view as you read Revelation 21:1-8. Awhile ago I thought when we die or are raptured we go to heaven and stay there. The Holy Spirit dissolved this wrong thinking in verse 2- 3, in verse 2 The Holy City comes down out of heaven, and in verse 3 “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people.” The earth is eternal because God changes it so the city can come down from heaven and He dwells with men here. There has to be something here for the city to come down to.

And then what about Hell, it is a place on Earth. If Earth is utterly gone, a void in space, hell would be gone too, but that is not what scripture says. Revelation 21 verse 8 describes hell as being still here as a warning and reminder.

Another word that helped me see the full truth was the word for “world” is kosmos. Kosmos is “social system” and is used to describe a culture or race. The end of the “world” is the end of all the man manipulated systems that involve our daily lives and have nothing to do with God’s social system. It will be a breathe of fresh air when all the systems that hinder us from knowing God will be burned away forever. And sadly, men will die and their soul’s sent to the Lake of Fire because they chose to rebel against God’s plan, now that is something to look at with doom and gloom. A believer’s perspective should be one of rejoicing.

Can you imagine the sigh of relief, the extreme weight lifted off my shoulders knowing that Jesus the author of history, planned time down to the last detail and it included changing Earth into a place where tears are wiped away, no mourning or pain, death is overcome and God resides among men. (Revelation 21:4-6)Yes, “heaven” (or at least its attributes) will be a place on Earth, a place I speculate is hard for us to truly imagine in our finite mind.

Maybe you read this and think, ‘Duh, why would you ever have been so confused?” Or maybe you can relate and can now rejoice that when you hear the all too familiar phrases, The End of the World is near or, The End of Days is upon us, you will understand that yes, a time is coming to a close so another can take its place. And the next age is always moving towards Restoration of God’s original plan.

I have been reveling in the Joy of this truth. Christ’s message is always one of hope for mankind.
Romans 8:28-39… “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose…For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Wolf in Sheeps Clothing

Ideas Shape The Course of History

John Maynard Keynes

In the world of 21st Century politics it is common knowledge and safe to assume that power is at the core of what is debated, analyzed, struggled over and what ultimately shapes the laws that control life's qualities. To make the definition of politics simple it can easily be described as a moral war fought out through ideologies.
I like asking questions where you know I'm going to give my answer to them so hear it goes... If politics is an ongoing moral war, why do people view it as a separate subject from religion, economics and education when in reality politics effects and encompasses this broad spectrum? While you gather your answer I want try my best to explain how ideologies or what I like to call thoughts and beliefs shape our views and influence us to become side takers in this moral war.
Before I proceed I want to go back to the prize of this moral war; power, and ask another question. If power is the ultimate glory of winning the moral war and comes at a great price, what is the power used for?

First, I'd like to introduce you to the teacher's of ideology, the moralist. The definition of a moralist in the Webster Dictionary is: "one concerned with regulating the morals of others."  So the teachers of ideology use influence to direct their thoughts and beliefs to their students, usually those are the ones who will listen and then adopt and integrate those beliefs into their daily lives through activities. Those activities involve going to school to learn a trade or career that suites their desires and beliefs with many many books being studied with certain ideologies attached; that sounds like education. Then they find a job and work it in order to spend the money; sounds like economics. Sometimes those students with strong feeling for the good of others or to feel good about themselves join a congregation and discuss their moral codes between other like-minded students; sounds like religion. This cycle of life lived out has an ideology proding them in these daily decisions.

Now there are myraids of idealogies in the vast world. Many seem similar, some are born out of others, cultures and tradition create some, some seems so out there that only a few relate, the factions are countless. One can spend a lifetime studying these various sects. When you begin to widdle the similarities and differences down a pattern emerges that consistantly leads to two main ideologies. These two ideologies are opposing, making it simple to distinquish what faction goes where. I call them the For and Against Sides. For and Against what? For and Against God.  I do admit there are a few out there that have done a great job masking themselves to look like they belong on the For side and that is where one needs the Holy Spirit to quide them in truth. The For Side is much simpler than the Against side because it is cut and dry; simple. It states what it is and hasn't changed since the beginning of time as we know it. It is one way, Jesus and if the criteria doesn't fit with what He taught then one knows to automatically put it in the Against side.

If you are still with me, I'd like to use an example of an ideology that is current in today's world. This one falls under the somewhat complicated, masked to look good but really isn't category. It's adopted name is Fabion Socialism. I say adopted because this idea is not new, it has been tweaked a little here and molded a little there to fit in with the times, there will be more on that later. This widely unheard of ideology is actually everywhere you go but most do not know that what they live in or experience has this name. This form of socialism is like a chameleon and changes to fit the agenda at hand. Their international symbol is that of a turtle with the motto: "When I strike, I strike hard" The turtle represents the slow, gradual way in which they insert their beliefs and the hard shell represents their resolve to do what they set out to do. The original Fabian Society emblem is quite telling and should make one stop and think about this choice of symbolism long and hard. It is a wolf wrapped in a sheep's hide. I'd say that is blatant and in your face yet they have been able to accomplish their goal virtually unnoticed. How ironic!

So what do these Fabian wolves want to do, what is their goal? It starts as a pretty good story with promise as most stories do but as the emblem portrays, ends with the sheep slaughtered. So please, as you read on ask yourself if you've been a sheep lead astray.

Fabian Socialist admit their goal is by scientific design to mold and push the world into one world governance, also known by most as The New World Order. Socialism by definition is the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.Socialism on the surface seems fair and just but in reality, this ideal is unattainable under human control. There will always be something lacking. Why should I dash this inspiration to make life fair, ruin a dream, call it out on the floor as wrong and even go as far as to call it evil? Because it is a bastardized version of God's original plan. Remember when I mentioned Fabian Socialism adopted its name, its long lost lineage lies in the age old struggle between God and Satan. Its root grows from the idea of wanting to be like God, to have His power and to control the Earth and this power grab is accomplished through religion. Remember how I mentioned religion, education, economics and politics are really all intertwined, these are the vehicles used for deception and manipulation to keep you in the dark to what is really going on.

Let me explain the connection with quotes from dedicated Fabian Socialists and see if you can put the puzzle pieces together.

First, what Fabian Socialism IS:
1. A mixture of capitalism and socialism (reason they mix this is to slowly get rid of capitalism, strategy of      using the system to change the system)
2.Corporate fascism
3.Globalism, One world Government and Economy, they will use religion as the vehicle to accomplish this goal. (remember the definition of socialism from earlier in the article...and apply that to what a one world economy and government would look like...here is a first hand account of what living under socialism is like..it is a good account of how great it seems until you find out what freedoms have been taken from you. It is a system for the betterment of the few while they sell the system as a betterment for all. (If you believe everyone will benefit from this way of life you have been sold a lie.) Socialisms terminology is well-known  and used, for instance we've all heard of the greater good.  This idea is sold through the venue of community service. There is nothing wrong with community service until they REQUIRE it of you, then the terminolgy needs to change to enslavement. This community service will have ties to taking care of the environment, again nothing wrong with taking care of your surroundings, recycling, reusing etc. but when they can threaten to take away rights and freedoms we take for granted such as; owning a home because you only have a family of three when a family of 6 can USE that resource more efficiently, the real meaning of their IDEA becomes clear. These examples are real, and happen already in socialist countries like Cuba. Do you see the subtle way in which this has crept into the American way of life. (The phrases or words highlighted in red and yellow are cues; I suggest keeping the definition of socialism in the back of your mind as a filter when hearing or seeing these cues used in political speeches, at the pulpit, in your school etc.)

Economics:

London School of Economics
John Maynard Keynes, Fabian Socialist 
"The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens."

This rip-off of the American citizen began when the Federal Reserve Act was implemented in 1913.  A main supporter of this Act was John Rockefeller, a Fabian Socialist.

Politics:

Agenda 21 or Division for Sustainable Development
Council of Foreign Relations (also started by the Rockefellers in 1921)
The United Nations (started by Council of Foreign Relations)
Richard Haass: President of Foreign Relations
"The near monopoly of power once enjoyed by sovereign entities is being eroded, states must be prepared to cede some sovereignty to world bodies. Globalization thus implies that sovereignty is not only becoming weaker in reality but that it needs to become weaker. The goal should be to redefine sovereignty for the era of globalization, to find a balance between a world of fully sovereign states and an international system of either world government or anarchy." For the Full Article click here

Mix of Politics and Religion:

Doctor Walter Rauschenbusch, Fabian Socialist
"Socialism can only succeed with religion."
Father of the Social Gospel wrote a book called Christianizing The Social Order.
His teachings/theology was that Jesus death was out of love for society but has no bearing on
sin or that He was Deity. And that our "higher thought" will give us answers the Bible can not give.
This gave birth to what we know as Dominion Theology or Kingdom NOW ministries. This falls under the humanist thinking that heaven can be made on earth through man's good works and promotes group salvation, the individual is not responsible for looking to God but sees himself as a god...more on this later (For those who know the Bible good works do not lead to salvation) 

Tony Blair, Former Prime Minister of Britain, Fabian Socialist  
" Despite all of the various obvious differences in policy and attitude and positioning a lot of the values of the Fabian Socialists and George Bernard Shaw stood for would be very recognizable, at least I hope they would in today's Labor Party." He said this in regards to the famous stained glass window Mr. Shaw commissioned but was lost and refound in 2006. Click here to see the window. it depitcs two men hammering/molding the world on a table, on the bottome people praying, above the world is the fabian emblem of the wolf in sheeps hide. (Look up Matthew 7:15-16) (keep Tony's words in mind when you watch the video on Mr. Shaw in the following section.)

"I think the place of faith in the era of globalization is the single biggest issue of the 21 century. In terms of how we live together, how we minimize the process of conflict and maxamize the propects of peace. The place of religion in our society is essential. I think religion could be in an era of globalization, a civilizing force."

Tony Blair started the Faith Foundation after becoming a Catholic, Rick Warren sits on this board. He was mentored by Peter Drucker who was mentored by...John Maynard Keynes, Fabian Socialist.

Pope XVI aligns with the Fabian Socialist in his encyclical. he called for reform of UN for true political authority, global tax and redistribution of wealth and energy.


Education:

Richard Rorty, (Grandson of Dr. Walter Rauschenbush) Professor of Philosphy At Stanford University, Fabian Socialist
"It seems to me that the reclative idea that we, heirs of the enlightenment, we sociocrats, most frequently use to criticize the conduct of various conversational partners is that of needing education in and to outgrow their primitive fear, hatred superstitions, is a concept which like I, most Americans who teach humanities or social science at colleges and universities invoke when we try to arrange things so that students that enter as bigoted, homophobic, religious, fundametalists (he's talking about those of the Christian Faith who believe Jesus is the Son of God, Died for OUR sins, was resurrected and that He is the only true way to know God) will leave college with views more like our own. (socialist, who believe Jesus was just a social justice hippie, and that they are in fact gods unto themselves..more later on this) The fundamentalists parents of out fundamentalist students think that the entire American liberal establishment is engaged in a conspiracy, the parents have a point." 

I highlighted enlightenment, what has he and other Fabian Socialist been enlightened with? Look up Genesis 11, it is the account of the Tower of Babel. Verse 4 talks about the tower man will build to reach into heaven. This is the beginning of religion, a man-made way to try to reach heaven and be like God according to their own set of rules. This "enlightenment" has it's root all the way back to this first ideology that man can do it on their own. (If you know your Bible, God has always shown His way to man through the covenant and then through Jesus, the new covenant and man consistantly rejects that) If you go further back the account of Lucifer wanting to be like God you'll see where these ideals are not new. (Isaiah 14:12-14)

It is simple to see where ideologies fall when you trace them back to their original source. There are two worldviews and those are; For or Against God.

Entertainment/Literature:

George Bernard Shaw, writer and co-founder of The Fabian Society
Click here to see this video and you can see why people are worried about the "end of life section found in the Health Care Bill but in fact is already funded for in the Stimulus Plan under the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research.

"As a socialist I have to preach as much as anyone the enormous power of the environment, we can change it, we must change it, there is absolutley no other sense in life then the task of changing it, what is the use of writing anything if there is not a will which finally molds chaos itself into a race of gods."

Religion:

First, did you notice the end part of Shaws quote...this isn't an isolated person in the Fabian system. This idea that man can be little gods is rampant in our society...it also has a name, Pagan Spirituality. Maybe you've heard the all too familiar sayings, phrases or quips...


"It is never too late to embrace your truth."
"What is your truth whispering?"
"Use compassion to stay on the path to your own truth
"There is only your truth."
Sounds good on the surface, but is rotten to the core.

These phrases are common in the New Age or Nature Worship sects of Pagan Spirituality and one doesn't have to go to church to be a part of it. Pick up a Self-Help book and you will most likely see these phrases in there.

If you read this entire article and clicked on all the links, I think you'll find it was impossible to seperate out the politics from the religion, the religion from the education, etc. It's one massive, united ball meant to collapse America and the most important thing, keep the masses in spiritual darkness.

I leave you with these words from a known communist as food for thought, "America is like a healthy body and its resistance is three-fold, patriotism, morality and spirituality. If we could undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within." Joseph Stalin

It is here, don't be fooled! John 14:6 means more to me than ever....

(With thanks to Brannon Howse, watchdog for the American Christian)

The Quitter...The Tale of When "I Quit" Is The Best Answer



My Mom Never Quits!

Growing up in my household we were taught to never quit, keep going, suffer through until your perseverance paid off and you came out on top. When someone would whine and sulk themselves into a quitter attitude, we'd remind the pouter, "You're a Debee don't quit, it's not in our genes."

Now I'm sure the phrase, "Never, say never," has been used in households across America in the same manner as "never quit," but there is a time when one should throw in the towel, give up and call it quits. And even though a Debee never quits, this one time it was necessary, in fact if it wasn't done I dare say, would have been detrimental...   The following true story will tell you why...

My mother is the picture of a model worker, prompt, ethical, always ready to go the extra mile to please. She takes personal pride in a job well done. She started her own cleaning business that grew by word of mouth and had a waiting list because her reputation was highly regarded.

One day Mary called to inquire about my mother's availability and since another client either moved or passed away a spot was open for a new client so my mother entertained the call. Now Mary was a nurse and being a nurse she had high standards concerning the cleanliness of her home. She lived under the "white glove" standard and expected none less from the service provided by my mother. This staunch standard didn't cause my mothers eye to bat, that was what her business was built on in the first place.

The first few months went by with ease and with glorious compliments on a job well done. THEN an odd phone message set the downward spiral to those infamous words we all have wished to say at one time in our life or another.... "I QUIT!"

The message started with a higher than thou tone and when you hear that you know you are in for a harangue, so you get your eyes set for some rolling, cock your head to the side with your arm on your hip and get ready to take it.

Of course the preliminary sentence is a bunch of 'blah, blah's', you want the discomfort out of the way so you wait patiently until the point is made. Mary's started off with a bunch of, "I know, because" statements proving she is the end all of the argument before one is even made then finally she gets to the point of the call, her dissatisfaction.

Now, do not get me wrong, customer service requires you listen to complaints, work them out and please your customer any way you can, it is good business, (you knew there had to be a but) BUT what do you do with the customer that is not going to be pleased until your groveling, licking their toes, crying in admittance that they are right and you are so wrong you should stay at your lowly level FOREVER? The customer from hell, in this case Grendel's Dam incarnate needs to be shown the other shoe of customer service, not the one that says, "the customer is always right" the one that says, "don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Back to the call: Grendel's Dam, oops I mean Mary called to voice her utter disgust in finding a single pubic hair on the floor of the bathroom. Obviously this forensic evidence found at the end of the day by "white glove" Mary gave her reason to come to the conclusion my mother was slacking on the job, therefore, presenting her the right to berate and belittle without first giving benefit of the doubt.

Of course my mothers was beside herself. Being the hardworking, pleasing person she is she re-hashed the cleaning of Mary's house over and over trying the remember if she could have over looked that particular bathroom. No, she did that bathroom and to utter perfection, how could have that absurd pubic hair made its way to the floor so visually front and center as to catch Mary's irrate attention?

The answer came to my mom, it was Mary's husband, he arrived home as she was leaving and mentioned getting cleaned up before Mary got home. She called to explain the scenario and clear the lines so life could go on. It was my mother giving the benefit of the doubt and extending the friendly hand of customer service to make everyone happy, and get back to the normal working environment. Phew, there is an end in site to this ridiculous situation.

My mother gets Mary on the phone and explains what took place but do you think Grendal's Dam has a smidgen of humility. No, monster women don't understand the concept. Instead it was denial on Mary's part, how dare he do his human natural function before I get home from work, "No, it has to be YOUR pubic hair." WHAT? Where was the husband, ask him yourself?  Oh, he went A-WOL, I would too if Grendal's Dam was my wife.

By this time you should know what my mother had to do, the "other" foot of customer service needed to be put on, laced up and used to its full extent. The way my mother used that shoe was gracious and I remember beaming with pride as I heard the words beautifully roll out of her mouth to finalize this lethal customers transaction.... " I QUIT!"

My Mother is still the one who came out on top!

Update: Susan Debee now owns a deli in Downtown Denver with her husband John and their customers love them.

Another De'Javu Article From The Past...Haunting Me in Reality

Before you read this article I wrote over two years ago click these links and read the recent ways the federal government is exerting it's parasitic control over the people.

This one is about a farmer who grew too much on his land so the government fined him

 

This one is about not being able to build a sand castle on the beach???? YES, it's real and doesn't make sense to me.....

It's not so subtle as years past....The FEDS are rearing their ugly head deeper in the private sector and they keep on infesting as a parasite naturally does.....

Patriots in Action

The Feudal Bully Among Us

Or

Why I Hate the IRS

By: Anonymous Taxpayer

If you are eating a meal while reading this, take your fingers and pull that masticated ball of food out of your mouth and throw it in the trash. You’ll begin to understand the first demonstration behind how the IRS fleeces families across America every paycheck.

You may think the feudal picture of the tax collector knocking on the door of the peasant tenants demanding an absurd amount of money a far gone picture of histories past or a story from a tale that we shake our heads at and gullibly think, “I’m glad I didn’t live back in those days.” Well pull the wool off those eyes folks, there is no difference. In this present time the landlord has become the IRS with better lawyers and more power than the feudal kind and the tenants have let it happen. What a shame!

Instead of burly buffoons that threaten beating or eviction from land and home for not paying their tax the IRS has refined this pay or else technique with interest penalties, late filing penalties, seizure of property, invading house and business and jail. I ask these questions. Is it right; is it a good thing to take a cut from the primary source that keeps shelter over our head, food on the table and clothes on our back? In context of all the other taxes we pay, is this not double taxation when we already pay sales tax on our food and clothes and property tax for our homes and land? How did we give this power to the government, to take from the source that supports our very basis for living? When is enough, ENOUGH? Enough will never be enough until the citizens of this country stand up to the bully and say no more stealing my milk money!

Let me tell a tale to emphasize my point.

A hardworking potato farmer who put in very long hours has a good day selling his wares. A generous Friar has given him a little extra for his product out of the kindness of his heart. In his small good fortune the potato farmer is happy because he can now afford to buy his daughter a very much needed pair of shoes. He buys the shoes, a luxury, since he lives on the lessons of frugality. He even feels guilty about this purchase even though it is a necessity of life. Months pass and a tax nobleman is sent to his home demanding payment.

“For what do I owe, I’ve always paid and on time?” replied the potato farmer.

“It says here the Friar gave you extra. You did not tell us this minor detail and it has been two months, so with added interest you owe the equivalent of your potato cart.” stated the tax nobleman.

The potato farmer was dumbfounded. A good days work, a chance to provide for his family and he must pay the price of a cart, twice what it costs for a pair of shoes. The potato farmer was sick to his stomach, “How can I pay for this?”

And then he had a thought. An occurrence came to his memory, one that might save him from this situation.

“Dear nobleman,” he said, “I was traveling to the next town to sell my produce when a nobleman of the state, not unlike yourself ran into my cart spilling my goods in the river. In order to make up for this he gave me a piece of paper stating I could reduce my tax. Here it is.”

The tax noble man reads the paper and says, “This has an expiration date. You should have shown this to your tax man months ago. It’s no good now.”

The potato farmer asked, ‘How can this be, you can go back in the past and change things as long as it’s in your favor. I forget an item that can help me; I’m the one that loses?”

The nobleman replied, “It’s the law.”

So if you paid attention, the potato farmer paid a cart’s price for a pair of shoes, the friar told on the potato farmer-unintentionally making his good deed a rotten potato in the farmer’s eyes and the tax nobleman was going to get his money no matter what.

I give this reason why we let this bully strong arm our income. It started as a great idea, put money away for retirement and health issues and pull from the pot once you make it to a certain age. We did it to help ward off another Depression, to plan ahead, to pay for War Debt. Our mistake was giving away our power. Any great idea that has money attached to it needs restrictions when it comes to government control. The IRS should have been a temporary solution. The citizens sacrificed to help out their country by agreeing to this wallet tax and now the government being used to this inflow of money will not let it go without a fight and will keep it at a standard norm by using bully techniques to the highest degree.

Bullies find weakness and exploit it for their advantages. Many times the bully is so good at sniffing out the weakness and loves the rewards of the advantages so much he creates opportunities to ensure the rewards keep coming. This is proven by the fear sown among the citizens that if they do not follow the bully’s wishes their life will be made difficult along with potential freedom lost. You don’t pay, you go to jail for tax evasion. You make an error- legit or not they send the audit bullies.

A little extreme, on the contrary, I believe this rendition is right on. I know there is a feudal bully among us by the fear I feel when I write these words. If I circulate these thoughts will they audit my records just to push their weight and let me know they’re watching? Dare I put my real name on this paper lest I bring more attention to myself then wanted. Mind you, I am not a conspiracy theorist, schizophrenic, lobbyist or victim. I am your average citizen who is writing from what she sees and feels. In my quick research, I found this eye opening quote.

“Does the IRS cover up occurrences of abuse? The answer is yes! If the true number of incidences of tax payer abuse were ever known, the public would be appalled. If the public also ever knew the number of abuses “covered up” by the IRS there would be a tax revolt.” - wikipedia

I will end this Ninety-Five Theses inspired paper with a quote to spur on a needed revolution.

“All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”

Edward Burke

Update: September 2010
IT"S HIGH TIME AMERICANS WAKE UP AND TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!

Note: I'm not right all the time but every once in a while my gut instinct needs some attention.

Tea Party Demonstration Austin 2009

Twelve Years, September 12, 2010

Nathan and Chandra Brown

Did I tell you what he did?
Usually when women say that it's a precursor for a way to complain about their husbands to their friends. Well, I am gonna tell you about how he made me feel like Princess Ann played by Audrey Hepburn in the movie Roman Holiday. He let his romantic creative juices flow and I was the benefactor.

This post is dedicated to Nathan and is my thank you to him for being the man that he is.....

Between the two of us, we forget dates like forgetting the important date needed to answer a history quiz. We have to use our math skills and count backward or forward to figure out how old we are. We are hazy on what year it really was that we got married and have to look it up in our photobook. Numbers just seem to elude us, but we are fine with that, we feel comfortable enough with each other that we are just happy to be together, counting years doesn't really matter. Growing older this method will definetly help us. I'll be able to say I'm 65 when maybe I'm really 70. I wish this number method applied to bank acounts.

Recently, my husband informed me he had our anniversary all taken care of. I asked if I needed to get a babysitter and he said, "No".  That got me wondering what he had up his sleeve. A few weeks passed and our anniversary was drawing near, I was busy and almost forgot about the up coming event,  when  September 11th and the news memorializing the twin towers came to my rescue reminding me that the next day was our anniversary. I almost blew it, usually that is the man's motif. Nathan gave a hint of what he planned that night by letting Alex know she was going to have a sleep over, my clue for knowing we were going on a weekend getaway. I was totally impressed, especially since we have no family living near us in Texas. He went the extra mile and asked our dear, sweet neighbor if Alex could spend the night, and boy was she excited for extra time playing with friends.

The next day we dropped Alex off with extra instructions to mind her manners and jumped on the Harley for an exhilarating road trip to Fredericksburg, Texas. (I was inspired so I wrote an article about it, click the word to read)  We ate at Wheeler's and strolled the town, bought a beer at The Fredericksburg Brewery and chatted about current things. Then he surprised me by taking me to The Hangar Hotel, a place I've loved and visited and always wanted to stay. I have had a love affair with the 40's era and airplanes since I was in high school and this hotel has both.  We ate dinner at the Auslander and had authentic German weinerschnitzel and drinks at the Officer's Club where they had a soloist playing an acoustic guitar. We caught up on things you don't normally get to talk about. We took our time at the Airport Diner for breakfast and watched countless airplanes and even a private jet land and taxi.

It may not seem like much but to a couple that hasn't been on a weekend getaway alone since 2004, it meant the world! Those little steps that were actually big planning to make sure it worked helped me see how much my husband cares for me. We celebrated our twelfth year and I dream and hope for twelve + + + + more.

Nathan, I LOVE YOU, and I still want the world to know just as I did in the puppy love days when we first met....

Not so "Funny" Note: The sign says, "I slept like a baby at the hangar hotel....Well, somehow that wasn't in the cards for us, The county fair (next to the hotel) decided to have live music starting @ 10 o'clock and last til' 12 o'clock....Why is it when I'm not at a concert the music lasts longer than is should?
So we stayed up watching the golf channel...actually pretty interesting when you are paying attention! LOL



Having a Drink at the Beirgarten


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One of Our Favorite Planes

Nathan was in car heaven....

The annual Boxstober Fest is held

at the Hangar Hotel and we

happened to be there to see the cars!  

The car showed is $120,000 Porsche...



How To Strip And Paint Your Bathroom Vanity

Since I am a  home stager for real estate and run into many a home that needs an update but not a total re-do, I thought I'd lend a helping hand by showing how easy it is to give that bathroom a fresh feel. Paint is your best friend when trying to change a look or make your home keep up with the times.Most of the homes in my neighborhood are anywhere from 15-20 years old and have the original oak cabinets. They do the job, but after a while they just start feeling 80ish.
The Do-It-Yourself process can save money in this economy and also give you a sense of pride in saying, "I did that!" With a little time, patience and effort you can achieve a better atmosphere that is pleasing to the eye and the wallet.

Preparation Process/Original Oak Cabinets

TOOLS NEEDED
Drop cloth
Stripper/Paint brush
Scraper/Screw Driver
Trash Can/Cloth (old Rags)
Paper Towels/Plastic sandwich bag
Mineral Spirits
Primer (white/grey depending on color chosen)
Sand Paper (100-120 grit)
Paint



STEP 1:
Keep a well ventilated area by opening the windows.
Remove all the items from cabinets.
Remove the doors from the cabinet face and remove the
hinges, store them in a plastic bag for safe keeping.
Remove the drawers. Arrange Drop cloth accordingly.
Remember the insides of the cabinet as well.
Apply stripper, just about any full strength stripper will
work, they have improved over the years and work beautifully.
You can also opt to sand the wood. Either way, the goal is to
remove all the sheen and/or finish, so the new paint can adhere.
I start with the cabinet face frame and then work towards the doors
and drawers.
Allow proper sit time if using stripper (directions on back of product)
and scrape the excess finish off. Have a paper towel handy to help keep
the scraper clean and place in trash can. Allow time for cabinet surfaces to
dry and look for spots that may have been missed by the scraping process.
Sand these areas to dull look and feel.
                                                                                  

               

Stripped Cabinet, Begin Priming

STEP 2:

Prime the cabinets. One coat usually all that is needed.

A white primer is best for light colors. A grey primer is

best for dark colors. (Although I used a white primer

for a Chocolate Brown color-I used what I had for

economic purposes, and it turned out fine)

After the primer has dried, a quick sanding to knock down the

nubs for a smooth surface is needed. Wipe the surfaces with clean, dry cloth.

STEP 3:

Apply First coat of color. I chose a water-based satin,enamel. Oil is best but if you are not experienced in painting it can leave brush marks and is a clean up nightmare. Enamel hardens and provides a good cleanable surface. I only had to buy a quart and had some left over for later touch-ups. I also applied 2 coats for best coverage.

Let paint dry fully between coats. I recommend waiting 12-24 hours before putting the cabinet drawers and doors back on.

STEP: 4

VOILA!

Enjoy the new look.

For added fun you can install door pull or knob hardware

(*This picture sadly doesn't do the final work justice)

When all was finished, I spent around $45.00

(my costs were for mineral spirits, paint,drop cloth, and stripper)

NEXT: How to improve and update lighting. Hollywood lights are a NO! NO!

8' Above Sea Level

Camping on Mustang Island, Texas/ September 2010

A Little History: The earliest known inhabitants of Mustang Island were Karankawa Indians, known for their fierceness and cannibalism. The Karankawas were a hunter-gatherer people, and depended heavily on shellfish and mussels for food. Encountered first by Spanish explorers, the Karankawas survived in the region until the 19th century. The island was first named "Wild Horse Island," then "Mustang," because of the wild horses, called "Mestenos," brought to the island by the Spaniards in the 1800s.

Nathan and Alex Surfing

I find it amusing this islands height above sea level is slightly taller than a man, yet it has weathered storms and hurricanes and is still there. One fun historic fact about the island is the storm that sunk Spanish ships in 1553,quickly capsizing three vessels and displacing or wrecking thirteen others, some of which had treasure on board.

This years camping trip included fun in the sun with family and friends and a few challenges to break us in to outdoor life.

We got camp set-up and the kids played in the sand and waves all day, we did better this year with the constant multiple applications of sunscreen and only had a few spots that got sunburned. We were doing pretty good at our usual sitting, bumming and being plain lazy on the beach. The kids chased and caught crabs, they surfed and made it to the standing position.  We ate like kings, Smoked Ribs with Homemade bean chili, S'Mores roasted over the fire pit, a full breakfast; bacon, eggs, potatoes and French pressed coffee. Living it up gourmet style on the beach. We should have had a clam bake the way we were going.  The it started to get a little windy. Nothing we couldn't handle and it did help the surfing, but darn it after a while, the peristent blowing gets on your nerves. It kicks up the sand and of course, in our laxidaisical coma we forgot to zip tent doors, or close truck tail gates which house ALL your belongings. Dinner became a fight to keep sand out of the cooking zone and utensils from flying off into the dunes. We even spotted a water funnel in the not so far off clouds and were relieved when it dissipated.  Then our sweet friends who showed up that day after a 4 hour trip and just barely finished setting up camp had to leave because their youngest had severe diaper rash. Poor baby! The wind picked up and was blowing tents into a concave, so we improvised by taking off the topper to let airflow help make the tent more stable, it worked until midnight when it started to rain and soak us. So we scrambled in the wind and rain to put the tent topper back on while the dog slips out the door and I'm yelling, "Odie, come here!" as I wake up the campers next to us.  We weather it (LITERALLY) through the night. In the morning we notice the storm surge took out the road leaving seaweed at the tires of our vehicle. We start packing up camp in a downpour that not only soaks everything but adheres half the beach to whatever is wet, which is EVERYTHING! Oh ya, did I forget to mention Nathan's truck was stuck in the sand too, (for the second time) adding to the mess. Well I'm here writing this so that tells ya we made it out. The first time the ranger pulled the truck out, the second time we were lucky, the wet sand was a benefit, it gave enough traction to get us out of there. Oh ya and did I mention we were searching for our camping campanions lost truck keys...talk about a needle in a haystack. No, we didn't leave them in high water...they were able to avert several mini heart attacks and a lot of financial stress and found their keys hiding from them in a very conspicuous spot in the tent.

Think it's over, not yet! We get home and are so plumb tired we do the bare minimum; take the cooler out and put away still usable food and throw some clothes in the laundry. We catch up on some rest and try to ignore the mountian of mess we know we have to take care of later, thinking tomorrow will be a better day to think about it. Well, that storm followed us up to Austin and you guessed it the forecast shows rain for the next 2 days. I thought about leaving the mess for a sunnier day but after opening the tailgate and smelling the stench of saltwater, sand, plastic, and smoke, did I mention sand already? I couldn't leave the mess in there. So I haul a truck load of debris, onto the driveway in sheets of rain, grab the hose and go nutty like a fireman on a five alarm fire and spray every last thing down. (Yes, I had to set the tent back up to get it clean) A few neighbors drove by and a police car...I'm sure they were wondering what the lady that looked like a drowned cat was doing in the middle of a thunderstorm breaking all water conservation rules was up to. I really thought the cop was going to stop and write me a ticket just for the absurdity of it all.

I am proud to say there is a garage full of clean camping items and I conquered this camping trip. The  pestering wind and gritty sand could have had a bad influence on our attitudes but I am happy to say we all worked together and had a GREAT time despite it all.

Let's See What's In Store For Next Year!.......We are still here....