Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Monday, December 1, 2014

I Hate Shopping or the My Computer Died Rant

The search for a laptop on cyber Monday should be easier. I would avoid it normally but my laptop died a few weeks ago and I thought I would make a blessing out of necessity and see if I could make the new purchase a bit less painful, fiscally. Sadly, I think the frustration caused stress is negating any fiscal advantage.
I tried the Dell site, because I had seen an ad for their cyber Monday specials with coupon codes to use in the in-law's paper during family time, but it took me through multiple pages to even find the list of laptop deals and then they did not have the specs I was looking for and I discovered I had left the ad at their house.
Very frustrating to find a site - Lenovo - that seems to have all the specs and prices easily displayed only to find that the listed price is for the minimum build while the listed specs are "up to" the maximum build - which means that I have to click to another page at every single listing to determine if they have what I want for my budget - FAIL - why not have it as a pop up when I click that link? (Or, list the price that goes with the listed specs so that if I click on the listing, I can be delightfully surprised by the opportunity to save a few bucks by deciding to go for fewer GB RAM or HD? Or maybe - here's an idea list the price and specs as a range, so that at least I know that it is a range at a cursory glance.)
Then there was the Toshiba site which is having a technical issue so that 1.) the price field is blank and 2.) when I clicked on a listing - it takes me to a page that says they don't sell that one directly for every single listing! I did do the chat thing to discover that their site was misbehaving (some poor programmer is doomed), but still very frustrating.
Especially as I am on the old desktop for this  challenge, which is distressingly slow and frustrating anyway.
Apple doesn't appear to do cyber Monday at all and even their refurbished models are out of my price range so  to them (Sour grapes I know, because I need to do a lot of photo and video stuff, so I would really like an Apple [at least if one may believe the reviews]- but you can't always get what you want.)
Now I am off to the HP site. Even though I have read that their customer service is not good. Their web-site did not help me with the issues I was having and the help pages were frustrating  as well. (My old lappy was an HP so I have a bit of recent experience with this one.)
Note 1: The HP site has no option to sort the products by price or processor or memory and, in fact, does not list the hard drive storage available at all on the display page, so, again I will have to load a new page to get the specs for every single one of them.
Note 2: Annnd the HP site is another list the highest possible specs with the lowest possible price deal. Lenovo, meet your listing logic partner. I am going to copy and paste this status to all of their facebook pages, because feedback is a gift.
Except Apple, because they don't have one. Too good for the likes of us no doubt.
arghhh

Note 3: And as I pasted this to the various FB pages of these companies, I could not help but to notice that the ones who provide no opportunity for people to post on their pages have frustrated people posting in the comments of their posts to let people know what issues are currently plaguing the service recovery teams of those companies - oh wait, from the comments and some of the replies, it seems that they may not have service recovery teams - oops. Perhaps they might want to get some.

Just for the sake of sounding reasonable, I did find a deal here that I thought would suit my needs, but after reading some of the comments specifically directed to the Satellites, I decided not to make the purchase and have a bit of patience instead. So I ask those who follow my posts on FB to please bear with the dearth of them for a while longer. 

Yes, Feedback is indeed a gift. I feel better already. And I don't think I'll be purchasing a new lappy from any of these no doubt fine companies.  Ebay is looking good.

Just by the way, if any of the companies mentioned in this post happened to have given this a read through, why do you insist upon built in cameras and microphones? Especially now, when it has become painfully apparent that our government does not respect our privacy? How hard would it be, really to include at least a sliding lens cover for those cameras and a "hard" on/off switch for the microphones?

 I am probably one of the most boring people in the world, but I value my privacy. It is abhorrent that I have, in my home a camera and microphone that may be hacked and used to spy on me - whether the stated intentions of said hacker are good or evil. I want a better option than taping black paper over the lens and poking a paperclip into the microphone holes or otherwise physically damaging a piece of equipment for which I just paid hard earned money, to ensure my privacy.  

"Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly." ~ Heb 13:8


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Political Pistachio: Perversion versus a Virtuous Society

"Benjamin Franklin accurately observed, "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom."


John Adams said, "The Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

The United States, and the global community for that matter, have entered into a dark era of history where morality has become nothing more than a pluralistic free for all.  With the removal of the set standards of morality which have guided cultures for the betterment of society, we find ourselves doing the same thing the Greeks and the Romans did.  We are destroying ourselves from within.

Free will is an incredible gift we have been given by God, but when our activities as a people move away from godliness, the consequences begin to build up.  When we replace the truth with lies, and then try to condone our actions by placing one of our feet into the cesspool of the world, our children jump into the steaming pot of debauchery with both feet."

 Read the remainder of this excellent post here: Political Pistachio: Perversion versus a Virtuous Society

Thursday, November 6, 2014

And the GOP Hypocrisy Begins

I had much to say on Mr. mcconnell's comments shortly after the elections. (If you are so inclined, you may listen to the Nov 5th show on the sidebar.) I was hard pressed to say it without the use of profanity. My main thoughts, I have already posted on this blog under the title:  "Or Else What?".

 From Mr. mcconnell's remarks in his post election interview with Time - especially this one ""Notably, a full repeal of Obamacare was not on his mind, but rather a partial repeal through the appropriations process. Finally, he named his new top priority: keeping the Senate in 2016" "(emphasis mine) , it is clear that reversing the effects of this lawless current administration is not his top priority. In fact I wonder if reversing any of the horrifically egregious legislation passed by the 111th congress is on his - or the GOP's plate. Because it is clearly the GOP's plate and not America's. Otherwise the listed top priority would be considerably different. 


To be absolutely crystal clear, I think that top priority should be for the House and the Senate to bury the Oval Office under full repeals for deathcare. Not weaselly funding and appropriations bills-although do those too, by all means - but full repeal bills. There should be nothing else - with the exception of the protection of this nation's borders - on their plate until deathcare is gone. If  Mr. obama vetoes it, send him another one. Make his office so full of them that he signs one by mistake. Let there be stacks of them piled so high that the man cannot enter the office for the stacks of them. If he vetoes one, send it back for an overriding vote until the communist/democrat holdouts give in and do the right thing because of the sheer persistence of their colleagues and because their constituents are demanding it of them. Yes, people, it is time to get on the phones and flood their offices with demands -not requests- demands for full repeal. 

Because I am so very incensed by those remarks, and because I choose not to use the unladylike language which is currently the majority of what I am thinking in response to that reading, I am going to share the thoughts on this election and Mr. mcconnell's remarks from a twenty something young man of my acquaintance.
With his kind permission, the thoughts of young Mr. P. 

"Obviously one might expect me to be happy about yesterday's election results given how conservative I claim to be....I'm not sure though. As far as I can tell the Republican party has sold out and it's only a matter of time before they collapse. I no longer view Republicans as a conservative party, I view them as cheerleaders. Their greatest ambition in life seems to be gaining popularity more than doing what's right. I found Mitch McConnell's statement this morning rather unsettling. I hope that Republicans either miraculously start doing the right thing instead of trying to be popular or that this republican congress ticks people off so much that they lose everyone's support and the party collapses so we can finally get candidates who stand for something. It actually pains me a little bit to see the Republican landslide because I know it'll take at least one more pendulum swing before we start seeing candidates with integrity, and I don't know if America can take it. Impeach Obama. That is all." 

And after a few comments back and forth, he shared this in reaction to the quote above:

"Lol, and they're not going to keep the senate forever. Haven't they learned how a pendulum works? Mitch McConnell said a lot of stuff about how he wanted republicans and democrats to pass bills they both agreed on and find ways to work together. 
I'm sorry, but I don't elect my representatives/senators to go and avoid conflict. I elect them to represent my interests, and what I believe are the best interests of the nation. I elect them to do the right thing, not the convenient thing and not the thing we can all agree on. I don't elect them to wring their hands and do nothing when the acting president betrays our country, our citizens are in danger from within and without and the country has been sold out from under us. I don't elect them to pander to me and tell me everything is fine. And I don't elect them because of their party affiliation. I don't want them to get along with all the yahoos that are spending us into oblivion and supporting our moral degradation and destroying the constitution and taking away our liberty. I want them to fight and fight and fight and fight and keep fighting from day one until they are removed from office or die. If they don't, they are wusses, and the Republicans are the biggest wusses of all, and I'm sick of it. 
Rant over.
"
"He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit." ~ Proverbs 12:17


Sunday, November 2, 2014

If Momma Ain't Happy ...

Being a parent is the best and I am thankful that my husband and I chose to have me be a stay-at-home Mom. It was hard, but well worth it. We sacrificed many things to do it, we are not rich people. But what good is more stuff if you lose the time you have with your child? I even homeschooled for 5 years and I wish I had done more. (But hey, when the child is arguing for 3 hours about why he shouldn't do 30 minutes worth of math it's time to admit that you'll be raising a lawyer if this keeps up and try something else.) For those who are interested, he graduated from a private college, debt free, this spring.

I would not trade even the worst of the seconds spent homeschooling for all the money in the world. It was a privilege and a gift to have the raising of this precious child. There is no career that would be worth having missed it and it's about time that we stay-at-home Moms start speaking up and reminding the feminists and progressives that those who choose career over children are missing out on the very best of life.

Oh yes, they say they want what's best for "the children" as though children are an abstract concept that they really don't "get." And that's kind of sad for them. There is also some sort of assumption that stay-at-home Moms are stupid or incompetent or abused. As though no one in their right minds would choose such a thing. What a crock. You wish you were us.

And maybe that's the crux of it. Perhaps they realize that they are missing something that we have. Contentment, fulfillment, purpose. Although, I will grant you that such terms are not what comes to mind when the colicky baby is crying all night or when the toddler asks embarrassing questions in public, or when our child is desperately ill - but as I told his Troop(before the Scouts lost their integrity) the worst campouts make the best stories.

When they are grown into people we are proud of, we know the truth, that we have engaged in a years long challenge - and we have won. When our children grow into civilized, functioning adults who are contributing to a stable society, we recognize that this is the point of life. This is what provides us with the ability to affect the future. This is worth doing and more, it is worth doing well.

I am not saying that you cannot grow into a decent person raised by a single parent - I did, after all. (At least I endeavor to be a civilized and functioning adult.), but it is more difficult. And I am not saying that single parents cannot raise children who grow up to make valuable contributions to a stable and civilized society, but again, it's more difficult.

Then there is the other thing. The political thing. The progressive*cough* communist*cough*  thing. In order to truly reshape the fundamental vision of America - the vision of a self reliant, independent people who do not bow and scrape to government control because we ARE the authority behind this republic of ours, the enemies of freedom - and they are legion - MUST have control of the children. It is much more difficult to fulfill their Utopian (and false) vision if family loyalties, expectations and obligations are standing in the way. So, of course, stay-at-home Moms(and Dads) need to be eliminated. And while there would be resistance if the government simply attempted to take our children by force, getting Mom to think she is worthless if she doesn't go out and get herself a career is so much easier. Just look at how advertising works for make-up: Make her question whether or not she is beautiful and she will buy your cosmetics. Make her question her place as honored wife and mother and she will destroy the family for you.

We have been quiet for far too long. We are the natural guardians of our children and we need to remind the "useful innocents" out there that if Momma ain't happy then nobody's happy. Because as I look out at what this nation is becoming, I am not happy. And now, that traitorous usurper sitting in the office of the POTUS seems to think it is okay to portray me, and millions like me, not as a strong, independent woman who has chosen a career as a wife and mother, but as a helpless, victim of circumstance who can't handle life's best and greatest challenge - that of raising MY child.

From the article linked to below: "“Sometimes, someone, usually mom, leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result. And that’s not a choice we want Americans to make,” Obama said."

The Twitterverse answered this one for me with the succinct and accurate phrase: "WHO IS "WE""
And I would follow it up with "It's MY choice to make, so you just butt out."
And this: "“Moms and dads deserve a great place to drop their kids off every day that doesn’t cost them an arm and a leg,” Obama added."

Excuse me? Dropping my child off so that someone else is raising him and shaping his character everyday is NOT a good thing. It's something done out of necessity by those who can't afford to have one stay at home parent. (Or those who aren't up to the hardest and most rewarding challenge of this lifetime. )

What America needs is a POTUS who is working to get the economy back to the point where we can have the majority of our children raised in a two parent household where one parent can stay home with the children. It's what our children deserve and more, it's what they need from us.

 
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. "
~ Prov 22:6

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Why We Must Vote Republican (American Voter Guide Video 2)

I will vote my conscience, but Joe Dan is correct to say talk to your neighbors, and if they are not informed of the shenanigans of this admin, inform them. I have seen two "news segments" this very day on PBS that were nothing less than blatant advertisements for the democrat challengers. If that's journalism, I'm a turnip.




Thursday, October 23, 2014

American Voter Guide 2014 (Video 1)

I am in favor of voting for the best candidate, not for party. There must be some independents out there that are better than any RINOS by a long shot. The point here is to boot the communists who have taken over the democratic party and who have been working to take over the republican party OUT of power in America.

Here's an even better idea. Let's start a collection to pay the airfare of anyone who wants to live in a communist country. The only condition to get that free ticket is that they renounce their American citizenship. (Full disclosure: All those who have done their homework know that such a renunciation is permanent.)




Monday, October 13, 2014

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Political Pistachio: Enemy's Nuclear EMP Attack

"An EMP would be an efficient weapon, rendering the population defenseless, while keeping the land habitable for an invading force.  A simultaneous attack against Europe would ensure no aid would come into the United States, and the enemy would only need to wait patiently for most of the native population to die during the aftermath of the EMP.
Dr. Pry has testified that attempts to bring launchers and devices into the region has been attempted a number of times, and in one such instance, they caught the shipment at the Panama Canal, buried under a shipment.




While Mr. Gibbs does not mention it, such an EMP burst could also come from a completely apolitical source, to wit, the sun. A solar flare could do the same. The Shield Act legislation should have been passed long since. It is highly irresponsible of Congress to have neglected this for so long. They have been aware of this threat since at least shortly before the 2004 Congressional report on EMP. For the rest of this article, follow the link:

Political Pistachio: Enemy's Nuclear EMP Attack

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Here is a question no one is asking about this appalling case: Why are there secret courts in the USA? Isn't that contrary to the notion that the government derives it's authority from the governed? How are the governed to make good decisions when the government has secret courts that can do this to a company?

Where is the left on this? Those who have assumed the mantle of moral giants in the current PC culture surely must have an opinion on this?  They are certainly quick enough to decry the "greedy" corporations. Why aren't they looking at this and thinking: "That would be a very good reason for a company to need to make huge profits - to pay off secret fines when they refuse to violate the rights of their fellow citizens"?

How often is this occurring? We don't know. And we don't know, because the government, in having secret courts that can do this to companies, has cut the American citizenry, the same citizenry from whom they derive the authority to do this, out of the equation? No one asked me if secret courts were okay. And I would have said no had I been asked.

I am aware that there may be serious, serious security risks in doing away with such courts, but freedom isn't about being safe, it's about being free. There is no government so saintly that they can resist the urge to abuse such a system. Sunshine works better in the long run.

"Attorney Marc Zwillinger, who represented Yahoo before the secret court, wrote in a blog post that the government put “great pressure” on Yahoo to comply. Yahoo received the initial, classified order from the FISC demanding it turn over data on May 5, 2008. The FISC said Yahoo needed to decide that day whether it would comply or appeal. The NSA had already told the court a delay in getting information from Yahoo “could cause great harm to the United States.” The magnitude of the threatened fines may have reflected the NSA’s sense of urgency. Yahoo appealed to another secret court, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, or FISC-R, which denied the appeal on May 9. At that point, Yahoo began turning over the info the government wanted.

There’s nothing unusual about a court threatening to fine a company that refuses to comply with a court order. What’s unique about the Yahoo case is the fines were threatened in secret and would have been paid in secret had Yahoo not turned over the information the government wanted. Since company executives were forbidden from disclosing anything about the case — including that the NSA’s request even existed — Yahoo could have ended up writing larger and larger checks that overwhelmed its profits, with no public notice at all."

Read the rest of this article here.

"Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;" ~Isaaiah 10:1

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Intellectual Froglegs "Ayatollah You So" 2014-N6



But I disagree with Mr. Gorman on the voting thing. Unless it's his contention that God will only provide major party candidates. I think the Lord has provided better candidates and left it to us to do the work and research to know who they are and vote for them, but we have not done it.




Saturday, September 6, 2014

Experts Discuss the Threats from Alibaba's Planned I.P.O.

Ever heard of financial warfare? You may want to pay attention.






ISIS on the border: a clear and present threat to the US electric grid

If you haven't been paying attention, this may come as a shock to you.




Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Monday, August 25, 2014

Monday, August 18, 2014

Michael Johns: Listen to the American People: Secure Border, No Amnesty

While he repeats the talking points of the left (namely that democrats want voters and republicans want cheap labor) with which I do not entirely agree, the post addresses the underlying stresses on the system very well. Michael Johns: Listen to the American People: Secure Border, No Amnesty

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Why We Are Afraid, A 1400 Year Secret, by Dr Bill Warner

For





For those who are beginning to wake up and wonder what islam is really about, here is a primer for you. It seems like an appropriate time to re-post this fine video.


Sunday, August 10, 2014

Sunday, August 3, 2014

A Quick Post

To those in the Milwaukee, WI area, will be performing on Aug 22nd Get your tickets and more info here:   A long overdue update: This show was cancelled due to a death in the promoters family. My apologies for not having mentioned it earlier. I f you purchased a ticket online, you should get a refund.

I know I have not been posting much of late and offer my apologies. I hope to post more soon Those who would like to keep up on what I am reading/watching may "like" the Call Me Mom page on Facebook. And the show is still once/week and available on the sidebar.

Other than just the cares of life, the burden of prayer for our military grows as the threats facing our nation grow ever more daunting and their numbers grow ever smaller. The communists in power in this nation have done their work well in crippling our ability to defend ourselves as you can see from this article: "Pentagon Official: The Facts Are In, And Obama's Policy Is a Direct Danger To The United States"  And, the penchant for indulging in social experimentation on our military and then the added indignity of sending them pink slips while they are still deployed in combat areas, one could hardly blame them for thinking ill of us. This must surely have been intended to create a schism between them and their fellow citizens, who by our perceived inaction, have allowed them to be so shabbily used.

In such a time as this, it seems like even a child could see that we need to be strengthening our military, not weakening our defenses. The barbaric death cult that is islam is on the rise again, China and Russia grow ever more belligerent in the face of our perceived weakness, we are being invaded across our Southern border, and the Congress sits idly by while the person sitting in the office of the POTUS becomes ever more tyrannical.

Usama Dakdok and other Christian patriots, myself included, have noted that islam may well be a challenge from the Lord for Christians. They have been sent here to be evangelized. If we fail to convert them, the punishment for that failure is self evident in the Islamic takeover of our nation.

That said, the communists have been working towards the destruction of this nation for well over 100 years. They ignore the long history of their movement which indicates to a sensible person that it is fundamentally flawed and so it is. The premise upon which communism is based is that the nature of mankind is basically good. They believe with a religious fervor that if all of a person's basic needs are met, that person will automatically become happy and productive. The basic nature of mankind is not good, as we can clearly see from a cursory examination of history, but denial kills and so this delusional pipe dream continues and thinks nothing of killing all who may appear to oppose it.

While true Americans, those with their wits about them can see the train coming, it will take a concerted and organized effort by trained people to get this nation off the tracks in time and that effort will almost certainly fall upon the shoulders of our military - active and retired - little though we deserve them. So I pray for them always and hope that my fellow Americans do as well, while we prepare as best we can for that effort when it comes.

"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." ~ 1 Samuel 16:7

Monday, June 30, 2014

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Mexico's Children

Update: This article says that the children at the Nogales Border Patrol station are mostly from Guatemala, El Salvador, or Honduras, NOT Mexico. (It also says most of them have parents already in the US and these children will only be released to parents. Shouldn't the entire family be sent back when mom and dad come to get them then? What in the world is going on here?)

It seems that Mr. obama's blatant refusal to enforce US law - US immigration law in particular - and his recent statements saying he would not deport illegal alien children has spawned a wave of children being sent over our borders. What should we do? Send them back or adopt them.

Americans have been conditioned to think of Mexico as some third world h**l hole. A country so awful that it would be inhumane to deport illegals back to it - especially children.  In truth, Mexico is not even on this list of the world's most miserable countries. (And just for the sake of bursting the bubble that such people will have a life of beer and skittles once they come here, the US was not on this list of the world's 5 happiest nations.) Mexico is a nation with its own problems, just like any other and the USA has no obligation allow unfettered access to the resources provided for our own citizenry to the citizens of Mexico. (I reference Mexico here, because, at this point in history, the largest numbers of illegal immigrants are Mexican citizens - although this solution can and should be applied to all illegal immigrants.)

Why are we rounding up these children, vaccinating them and sending them further in to our nation? Round them up, give them a good meal and send them home. Then charge the government of Mexico for their "vacation" here. We owe them no other obligation than to treat their children more humanely than to send them trekking back to their homes through the desert unaccompanied.

For those who object that these are just children and their folks are sending them here in hopes that their lives will be better out of a sense of sacrifice for them, okay. Here's the other alternative. We keep them. All of them. We send them to child protective services where they will be assigned to an orphanage and adopt them out to American families. But here's the catch. If you send your child here, unaccompanied, for a better life, you give up that child in perpetuity. The Mexican government (and other governments that are allowing their citizens to come here undocumented) should be made either to pay for the maintenance and return of these children or to declare them orphans and allow them to be stripped of their former citizenship to be adopted by America.

This would not be amnesty because the caveat to the loss of their old citizenship lies in this: They will be declared orphans in the sense that they will be giving up all former familial ties. In addition, when a child is pushed across the border for this purpose, their adult relatives lose, in perpetuity, the right to apply for American citizenship.

That's right, if these parents really think their children will be better off in America, then they send them knowing that they will lose, not only their child, but any hope of rejoining that child once they have been granted citizenship here. They should also know that the foster care system here is not exactly spectacular either and their children would be at its mercy. Since there is an argument to be made that these children are being used to gain citizenship down the road for their relatives, this incentive needs to be removed.

These children should not be used as the rope in a political tug of war. It needs to be made clear to other nations, and any discontented citizens of those nations, that US citizenship cannot be gained by risking the lives and health of children.

"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." ~ Psalm 127:3-5

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Marriage in Wisconsin and the United States

One of the most appalling things about the entire "gay marriage" issue has been the failure of the judiciary to recognize the fundamental meaning of the term "marriage" from a strictly logical standpoint. Marriage is a contract between two individuals regarding the production of children in which the parties to the contract mutually agree that any children they produce from the resources of their bodies will be produced with the other party to the contract. This contract does not require the production of children, nor does it prohibit adoption. Such a contract does, however, require that the parties to the contract be one male and one female because that is the only combination of individuals that can produce offspring between them. 

No religious arguments are necessary. In fact, I am convinced that they are merely a red herring to distract and demean any who might oppose the efforts of the lgbt political power seeking machine..

Homosexual couples say they want the legislative benefits that come with marriage, but they do not want to go through the legislative process to get them. This undermines the rule of law

To redefine a legal term like marriage to provide a legislative shortcut for one group of people is nothing less than to undermine the rule of law itself. Words, particularly words as powerful as "marriage", must mean what they meant when they were written in the law. If they do not then no legislation is binding. It cannot be, because next week or next year key words may be subject to having their definitions changed to provide more legislative shortcuts.

Here is the 500 pound gorilla in the room that everyone sees but that no one wants to talk about: It is also necessary to legislate these benefits by redefinition because a sane society will not condone such an unhealthy lifestyle choice, nor should it. But the problem is that this method of handling the challenges of homosexual couples who are raising children has serious, long term consequences that should not be ignored or shoved under the rug to make people feel good about themselves. The destruction of the rule of law by undermining the integrity of the language is not something reasonable people should ignore.

This is reflective of a society which has rejected the existence of absolute moral values as their guiding principles. In other nations this might not be such a big deal, for the people in other nations  are under the authority of their governments. For America, however, it is a disaster of epic proportions.
This government was DESIGNED for a moral and religious people. Not because the founders were religious fanatics(although I have no doubt that they would be counted as such in today's society) but because in order for a people to be the repository of governmental authority, the people must have a shared set of absolute values outside of the government in order to promote trust and consistency in the society itself.

It is shameful that the judiciary of this nation is so lacking in logic skills that they cannot work out this simple thing. I do not expect the same selfish people who value their own appearance of patriotism over the lives of our military to understand or sacrifice for the preservation of  the most successful nation in the history of the world, but I do expect it from the judiciary.

"But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors."~James 2:9

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Enemies Within

Join us today at 1:30 CST. Our guest will be Trevor Louden, author of "The Enemies Within:
Communists, socialists and progressives in the U.S. Congress"

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/irate-tireless-minority/2014/05/21/irate-tireless-minority

You will come away with a new appreciation of why the Project Veritas video that is posted directly below this one is treason.

"Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully." ~ 2 Kings 12:15

Hollywood celebrities caught on hidden camera accepting money from "Midd...



This is treason. They were willing and eager to take money to help a foreign nation prevent America from achieving energy independence. American energy independence is vital to the republic. Our economy depends on being able to access economically priced energy. This is treason.




Monday, May 12, 2014

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Benghazi

I have been making the effort to call my Rep daily since the attack on Benghazi to demand the impeachment of Mr. Obama over it. Now, nearly two years from this attack and it's more heinous lack of response during and cover-up after, we are finally seeing some action by Congress. That action is a committee to investigate. Undoubtedly this committee was formed because of people like Breitbart, Special Ops, Judicial Watch and other appalled individuals like myself who have been so outraged over this that we have refused to let it rest.
I have been thinking about what needs to be written on this committee and their findings, but found the Pamela Geller has penned an article for Breitbart that sums it up nicely.

Among other bits are these:
"In reviewing the 41 new documents, one sees that huge sections of these unclassified documents are blacked out. If they are unclassified, why are all the Benghazi paragraphs redacted? Fox News is reporting there are discrepancies between the emails released to Congress and the same emails released to the watchdog group, Judicial Watch."

"The February 17 Revolution Brigade is a jihadist militia that is tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. It was repeatedly accused of engaging in atrocities during and after the Libyan Civil War. Yes, with the world’s largest, most technologically advanced, and best-armed military, the Obama administration and State Department outsourced their response to a jihadist group."

Read more here .... "Benghazi Cover-Up Blowing Up"
The February 17 Revolution Brigade is a jihadist militia that is tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. It was repeatedly accused of engaging in atrocities during and after the Libyan Civil War. Yes, with the world's largest, most technologically advanced, and best-armed military, the Obama administration and State Department outsourced their response to a jihadist group.
Read more at http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/05/benghazi-cover-bombshells-exploding-midst-release-documents/#W0gD66WzS2hRsBs1.99
The February 17 Revolution Brigade is a jihadist militia that is tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. It was repeatedly accused of engaging in atrocities during and after the Libyan Civil War. Yes, with the world's largest, most technologically advanced, and best-armed military, the Obama administration and State Department outsourced their response to a jihadist group.
Read more at http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/05/benghazi-cover-bombshells-exploding-midst-release-documents/#W0gD66WzS2hRsBs1.99
The February 17 Revolution Brigade is a jihadist militia that is tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. It was repeatedly accused of engaging in atrocities during and after the Libyan Civil War. Yes, with the world's largest, most technologically advanced, and best-armed military, the Obama administration and State Department outsourced their response to a jihadist group.
Read more at http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/05/benghazi-cover-bombshells-exploding-midst-release-documents/#W0gD66WzS2hRsBs1.99

Friday, May 2, 2014

Facism or Corruption?

I saw this article posted with the comment:
 "THIS is the classic face and definition of FASCISM. BIG BUSINESS IN CONTROL OF AND IN CAHOOTS WITH, BIG GOVERNMENT!"
To which I say: "No it's not" Just to be thorough, here is the dictionary.com definition of "fascism":
"noun
1.
( sometimes initial capital letter ) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
2.
( sometimes initial capital letter ) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.
3.
( initial capital letter ) a political movement that employs the principles and methods of fascism, especially the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922–43. "
 
While it may look like fascism, what it really is, is an indicator of just how deadly the two party system mindset is to our thinking. This is America. If a citizen wants to open their wallet and give a donation the size of the national debt to any given candidate, they can.
 
The problem with that is not the size of the donation or the intentions of the donor, but the character of the candidate who receives that donation. If the candidate has sound character and shares my values, I should know it and vote for that candidate regardless of how much money he/she has for advertising or other promotional efforts. It is MY duty, as a citizen, to research all the candidates for a given office and vote for the BEST one.
 
A candidate who had this kind of financial backing would certainly be seen as a candidate who can win by any political party, but that doesn't mean they SHOULD win.
 
The implication in the article referenced above, is that if this donor doesn't get his way, then the candidates of one political party will not get his money and that the acting POTUS acted because he wants HIS party's candidates to have that money.
 
This illustrates who the acting POTUS serves and, if true, shows that he is not fit to serve in that capacity. No, the problem illustrated by this article is not fascism, but the corruption of the character of our legislators through the promotion of an easy button, two party system that insists that character and values are irrelevant when compared to the ability to win: aka the ability to raise money for the party.
 
Our elected officials serve, or are supposed to serve America. They are supposed to do what is right for the nation, regardless of offers of money, threats, influence or reputation. They are to be paragons of virtue, protecting the nation from the baser motivations that trouble mankind as well as from the sacrificial gallantry that can at times afflict us.
 
If you love your nation, vote character and values this fall, not party. Money doesn't matter if we are doing our duty as citizens. We can discover every candidate through our local elections boards and do our due diligence with regard to finding out their character and values. That's not convenient, but it is a good deal more convenient than becoming conversant with the plethora of laws, rules and regulations our current legislators allow to remain in place to burden us. It's time we step away from convenience and get back to doing quality work when it comes to the maintenance of the republic.
 
"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin." ~ Eze 18:30
 

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Friday, April 11, 2014

Disarming the Warriors



We have an ETHICAL duty to our fellow citizens who serve to do better than this.




Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Update on AB 390 and SB 309

Just checked my e-mail. I think I need to take a break now. Because I'm just that disgusted and annoyed. If you need me, I may be in a church somewhere. Or playing games. It's a toss-up.

"Proposal: AB390 (-3042) View Bill History
relating to: parental notification for questioning pupils about criminal activity.

4/8/2014: Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Proposal: SB309 (-04...13) View Bill History
relating to: parental notification for questioning pupils about criminal activity.

4/8/2014: Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1"

I know you were swamped in the Education committee and in the legislature in general, Mr. Leibham and Mr. Kestell, but this needs to be taken care of. The Wisconsin State Constitution demands it of you - to wit:

 "Remedy for wrongs. SECTION 9. Every person is entitled
to a certain remedy in the laws for all injuries, or wrongs which
he may receive in his person, property, or character; he ought to
obtain justice freely, and without being obliged to purchase it,
completely and without denial, promptly and without delay,
conformably to the laws."

Where is my remedy and that of all the parents and children of this state who have been injured by the current status quo? Parents opt to utilize the schooling option provided by the state of WI on the basis that the personnel provided by the state of WI can be trusted not to harm our children. They are doing harm. Fix it.
 
"Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide."~ Psalm 26:1
 
 

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Hey liberal feminists--feminazi this:(And no, this is not a joke.)  Islamabad - Sharia Correspondent: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) concluded their 192nd meeting on Thursday with the ruling that women are un-Islamic a...

Update: Apparently, contrary to the title of the original post, yes it is a joke. Having followed this article back to its source, that source has turned out to be Pakistan Today - a satire site. (Yes, I know, who would've thought Pakistan would allow a satire site. This article surely points out one of the more glaring challenges inherent in islam-it's treatment of women.) Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa and apologies to those who were taken in.

Where are the so called feminists?  " As the meeting concluded CII Chairman Maulana Muhammad Khan Shirani noted that women by existing defied the laws of nature, and to protect Islam and the Sharia women should be forced to stop existing as soon as possible." 


 And

 "They also decided that by restricting them to their subordinate, bordering on slave status, the momineen and the mujahideen can ensure that Islam continues to be the religion of peace, prosperity and gender equality."


Read More here: Hey liberal feminists--feminazi this:

(And no, this is not a joke.)  


Islamabad - Sharia Correspondent: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) concluded their 192nd meeting on Thursday with the ruling that women are un-Islamic a...




 

Friday, March 28, 2014

Change you can Step In (IFL 2014 #5)



A little late, but here it is...




Daydreaming of a Solution to America's Woes

Presenting a humorous, tongue-in-cheek solution to many of the ills which currently plague our nation.
Instead of sending millions(or billions) in foreign aid overseas with no return to us, I propose that we, instead use that money more efficiently, by giving certain people $50,000-$100,000 each to move to those nations.
How could this help? Which people?
Here's the thing. This nation is currently infested with citizens who refuse to recognize the value of it's founding principles, insisting that in order to be any good at all, America must become more like Europe. There are those who seem to prefer a socialist system of government to the one we have. We also have a certain number who we can only assume wish to live in a nation ruled by sharia as they are making a great effort to subvert the rule of law under the US Constitution to that of islam. Then there are those who think they would have a higher social/economic status if their ancestors hadn't been sold into slavery by their neighboring tribes and the islamists of that time and brought here who are looking for reparations for that horror. (Slavery was and still is a horrible thing, but America outlawed it, as you may recall, some decades ago.)

It seems to me that these folks, rather than being kept in this nation where they are so very unhappy, should be given a sum of money equal to say a year's salary for them and transportation by the US Military to the foreign nation of their choice. In order to claim this deal, they must renounce their US citizenship and agree to never return on a work or marriage visa.

Just think about this for a minute, It's a win-win-win. Those who are unhappy here, get to relocate to their chosen utopia with money to get them started and free transportation The nations who get them will be the beneficiaries of all their spending to set themselves up with houses and etc, so they wouldn't need foreign aid any more. They would also be getting all that human capital - people who will be supportive of the government of their newly adopted homes. The military gets a chance to do something that doesn't violate their oath. And we get a nation of people who want to be here. People who understand and value the vision. principles and underlying philosophies of our founders. No more socialist creep or creeping sharia as those folks can leave to live under the systems they claim are so much better.

Just imagine the peace of mind for all those who do value liberty over license, when we can listen to a fellow citizen propose a move towards socialism or islam or any other governmental form or philosophy which is antithetical to the US Constitution and simply suggest to them that they take advantage of the wonderful deal they are offered.

This would surely cost less than we are spending on foreign aid now and as an added bonus, the immigration problem could be addressed more seriously because it would be apparent that only those who want to be Americans are welcome here. (No, legal immigrants would NOT be eligible for this deal, only those who were born here and "subject to the jurisdiction thereof")

Yes, other nations may start refusing to take these people as they realize their mistake and start trying to change those governments into the republican form of government they left behind, but that would be an added benefit for us too, as it might create other nations who nourish freedom over time, so that if we lost our minds and allowed freedom to be lost here, there would be someplace else to go. Yup, that would be a win-win all the way around.

Just a daydream, but please feel free to share your refinements in the comments section.

"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."~ Luke 6:35

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Political Pistachio: A Coddled Tyrant

This post by a friend of mine, Douglas V. Gibbs, said what I have been thinking for some time. As I could not have said it better myself, it seemed like a good idea to share his post:

"One more parallel exists.  As with the British, the attempt by the federal government is to influence public opinion through misinformation.  The press has always been a valuable weapon for tyranny, serving as an important tool in any propaganda campaign.  To properly carry out such insidious public opinion engineering, however, the tyrant needs more than just a compliant and complicit media, but one that is fully aware of what the flow of information is supposed to be.  Theirs is not about what is best for the country, but what is best for their agenda.  It is not enough to lead the Americans to socialism.  These tyrants wish for the American people to raise the red flag of socialism themselves, willingly, and enthusiastically.

The leftists in control of the federal government are not interested in being reasoned with, because their agenda for socialism trumps the welfare of the United States, or the welfare of its citizens.  No other choice exists, but to stand up against the federal government, and restore our Constitutional Republic."

See more of this excellent post at: Political Pistachio: A Coddled Tyrant

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Q and A with Senator Leibham part 2

I know this is taking me a while, but real life interferes now and again and this time joyously in that my son is preparing his Senior Voice Recital. I will keep posting these bits as I can. The material should remain relevant for a while.
 
Part 4
 
Part 5
 
 
 
Part 6
 
 
"Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor."~ Neh 5:14

Friday, February 28, 2014

Sessions To Dems: Is There One Wasteful Program You'd Be Willing To Cut ...

Here's a message for Congress from the people, if I may be so bold as to speak for the people: " STOP SPENDING MONEY! THERE ISN'T ANYMORE! Our pockets are NOT bottomless."




Sunday, February 23, 2014

Q and A with Senator Leibham part 1

Over the weekend I attended a Q and A session with Wisconsin State Senator Joe Leibham. Mr Leibham wanted to concentrate on the budget, but did get into other topics towards the end of the session. This was over two hours long, so I have several videos to process and I will post them two or three at a time to keep the posts manageable. Please forgive the unsteadiness of the video as I neglected to bring my tripod.
Part 1
Part 2
 
Part 3
 
"Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good."~ Proverbs 14:22  

Monday, February 17, 2014

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The Rebranding of Karl Marx - Intellectual Froglegs 2014 #2


Congressman Threatens To Cut Off Funds For Obama's Illegal Executive Orders


Rep. Kestell Question and Answer

Tonight I attended a Q and A session with WI State representative Steve Kestell. This was hosted by the Sheboygan GOP. I had planned to take video and post it here as I have done for similar Q and A sessions with WI State Senator Joe Leibham, but after the first minute, I was asked to turn off the camera and told I could not take video .. at a free event that was advertised in the paper as being open to the public, where a legislator was speaking.

After the event, I asked Mr. Kestell if he had any objection to my posting the small snippet of video I took on my blog and he said go right ahead, that's fine, I have no objections", as I rather suspected that he would. So here is the video:

This is only about 2 minutes long and I will attempt to write from my own notes what was said during the rest of the session, but be aware, please that these are my interpretation of what was said with all of my own biases and limitations. (I can only write so fast, even if I am a compulsive note taker - one of the reasons I wanted to video the  session.) I did turn off my camera at the request, because I am a polite person, not because I was legally required to do so.

Before I go on to detail the rest of the session, let me say how very disappointed I am with the Sheboygan GOP. One of the myriad reasons I despise the Obama administration is because of the way he treats those who he considers hostile to his agenda - even going so far as to forbid phones along with all other recording devices at his speeches. This is so that he may control the message that gets out. Many do not know this, but the Obama administration requires the right to edit any interviews or etc before airtime/going to print if a reporter wants access. That is a blatant violation of the freedom of the press, but the press has, by and large, accepted the restrictions. (Shame on them.) I do not consider myself to be a reporter, just a blogger, but I have the same freedoms. This was a public event and the GOP, who tries so hard to reassure conservatives that they are different, that they respect our freedoms and want to maintain them, told me to turn my camera off.  That's a fail folks.

Now, on to the meat of the Q and A. My own comments are in italics. 
After the budget question Mr. Kestell also noted that the Wisconsin legislature has not done a good job, historically, of looking down the road with regard to the budget.

Q Is WI accepting federal funding for the implementation of common core, with the addendum that the questioner would prefer the budget surplus to be sent to DC if it could "buy" us out of federal interference with our educational system.

A. Mr. Kestell said it is his dream for WI to divorce ourselves from the federal level entirely in the area of education. He said it would take about 2 billion dollars per school year to do that at this point. He also noted that even at that, federal funding for education only supplies less than 10% of our educational budget here in WI and that it isn't worth the price we have to pay for it. There are too many strings attached and the feds have too much control of our educational system.

 Mr.. Kestell further noted that we can't change our educational system here in the blink of an eye, that it would take planning and study. (I both agree and disagree on this one. Technically we could change it in the blink of an eye, but it is probably better to do such a thing gradually if we can.)

Q There was an inquiry made as to whether or not the current state Sec of Ed is able to distribute the federal money as he sees fit(with implications of cronyism).

A. Mr. Kestell said the Sec of Ed does not control the purse strings, the legislature does. The awarding of grant money is subjective, but there isn't any leeway otherwise as to how that money is to be spent. He allowed as how the current Sec of Ed had issues with the degree of authority he wields within the system, but the State Constitution outranks him.

Q. Are there any other states out there taking the lead in getting their educational systems off of the federal teat?

A. No. And Mr. Kestell was disappointed that such a thing was so.(In my estimation)

Q How did the Sec of Ed become an elected office rather than being appointed by the governor?

A It is required by the WI State Constitution. Mr. Kestell also referenced a 1996 court decision.

Q What about the counties who don't want to comply with state mandates - particularly unfunded ones?

A. Mr. Kestell sympathized with local units of government and said the solution is to have as little government as we can. He mentioned the major local expenses like law enforcement, and then referenced a number of court cases with which I was unable to write fast enough to keep up. :(

Q Is there federal pressure in the form of funding for the state to adopt the common core curriculum?

A No. (Bear with me here as I am not as up to speed as I should be.) Mr. Kestell said that when Mr. Bush implemented No Child Left Behind, it was the largest expansion of the federal government into education since Mr. carter was president. That, in order for a state to receive waivers for the requirements of NCLB, we had to implement the WKCE testing and the school report card system. Common core is just a set of standards that can be also be used to waive NCLB requirements. That the districts in WI are free to do whatever they like for curriculum, that there are suggested curriculum materials that go along with the common core standards, but which our school districts are free to ignore. Mr. Kestell expressed the opinion that NCLB did some good in waking some people up to the fact that schools were not doing such a good job, but that it was the wrong way to go about it.

As I am understanding this, the point of common core is to establish a set of standards - i.e. a child in kindergarten shall be able to do thus and such, (Know their alphabet and count to 20 was what I was told 20 years ago, which I found an appalling standard for kindergarten. In my opinion you could teach a child that in 2 weeks or less.Clearly we can do better than that.) The idea is that a high school diploma in Alaska should mean the same thing as a high school diploma in Arkansas or Wisconsin or Texas, which is not a bad thing. The problem comes when those who have an agenda try to twist such a basic goal to serve their own ends.

Q. We should have expectations of the school at the local level, so why shouldn't the standards be set at the local level. ( I would argue that they are, since parents are supposed to be attending curriculum and other school board meetings. If we choose not to do so, our children will reap the rewards of that choice and have been.)

A. The majority is not paid for locally and Constitutionally, the state is responsible for public education. (That does not mean that the state is responsible for educating our children, merely that the state is responsible to provide the option of public education to the parents of the state as they are deciding how to meet their right, responsibility and duty to direct the education of their children.)

Q. This was a question regarding standards that didn't make logical sense to me, so I was flummoxed about how to write it down.

A. Standards testing is to show how kids are doing, not for the sake of testing. (to get federal funding or a waiver of NCLB requirements is my assumption of how Mr. Kestell meant that.) To that end, the WKCE is being replaced.

At this juncture there were quite a few comments about the MKE school system - most negative. Voices were being raised and many started trying to remind each other to be calm and keep it polite.  It is my own opinion, that we need to work with people where they are and not where we think they "should" be. Reality trumps idealism, so let's deal in reality both where it comes to the education unions and parents in Milwaukee.

Mr. Kestell said: "A high school diploma should mean something".

Q There was a comment saying that we need to give teachers back the tools they need to enforce discipline in their classes.

A Mr. Kestell said that WI has a suspect teacher preparation program.  He continued to say that after the Act 10 stuff was settled, Gov Walker came to the education committee to ask what could be done to improve reading performance. They brought in a number of people to ask about this, including a number of teachers. The teachers told them that the DPI made it easier for elementary school teachers to become certified. (I wondered at this point if that was due to a shortage of teachers we had in WI about a decade ago. As I recall , the standards were lowered in order to encourage more people to become teachers so we would have enough, but I didn't get the opportunity to ask as the meeting was moving pretty quickly.)
In response to this, they looked around the nation to see what was being done in this area. Florida and Massachusetts had a system test which they allowed us to use for free to see that teachers are properly prepared.

Q What can we do about kids who take over classes and waste class time with unruly behavior?

A. Mr. Kestell acknowledged the problem and said it has now been made worse by the federal directive to discipline children differently according to their race. He doesn't have a solution and schools are in a tough spot.

Q There was a question about the federal government's apparent intent to collect data on us from the cradle to the grave.

A We should be worried about that. The data collected on our kids under NCLB and under the waivers to NCLB currently dictates that there are to be no personal identifiers in the data once it leaves the school district. For groups under 20 (voucher schools and some private schools), no data may be collected because it is deemed to be statistically insignificant. Mr. Kestell referenced the Pridemore legislation (I haven't heard of this)

Q. Who governs the content of the data collections?

A. All the data is related to student performance.

Q. I have seen some forms that are asking an intrusive amount of information.

A. There are all sorts of forms that have snuck in over the years. Mr. Kestell recommended answering none of your business to any intrusive questions or simply not answering.

Q. There was a question about SIS (Student Information Services) testing costs.

A. If the state requires it, in general the state has to pay for it. He also noted that the ACT will now be a state required test. (One of those replacing the WKCE) He said that since 60% of WI students were taking the ACT anyway, the legislature decided they may as well use that instead of having them subjected to another test. This means the state will now be paying for ACT testing. 

Q. There was a question asking if the deterioration of discipline could be linked to the mainstreaming of special needs students.

A. Mr. Kestell referred to Lightfoot school(a school I do not have sufficient history in this area to know about) and noted that it worked. Then he said that there were some court decisions in the 80's that said that all students must be given the least restrictive environment possible and that this is what drove and is driving the mainstreaming of special needs individuals. He said that there is such a spectrum of possible special needs that it is very difficult to find a solution.

Q. The referenced the many broken promises of the federal government (such as "If you like your health care, you can keep it") and asked how are we to keep the federal government from becoming more intrusive with regard to data collection?

A. Mr. Kestell would like to see a "trigger" put in place in WI, so that if the federal governments starts demanding more intrusive information, the trigger would be pulled and WI would refuse to give it.
 Mr. Kestell also reiterated his concerns about the potential costs of school choice. His concern is that the cost of public education as it currently exists will not decrease even though 5% of the students opted for school choice. Then we would be paying for the current system as well as, for the sake of argument I term it, another system.

I apologize for any errors or omissions, but, as noted above, I can only write so fast and I was asked to turn my camera off. At a Q and A session with a state legislator. That was open to the public. By a member of the local GOP.


"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness."~ Romans 12:6-8