Nov. 7, 2012

 This morning, a young lady at work asked the question, “What would Jesus do?”

Without much thought I quickly responded with, ‘Weep.’

 “He would say, ‘Pray to Me, please’.” She said

I instantly stood rebuked. She was absolutely correct.

I love my country. I am grateful that I had the privilege of being born and raised here. Does the fact that the leaders of this country have turned away from her greatness to pursue ideologies that are proven disastrous change my loyalty? Certainly not. It does however remind me of how fragile this republic is, and it saddens me.

I recall how the Israelites demanded a king over Israel. God told Samuel to tell the people what a king would take from them, that everything they owned would become his. Land, livestock, even their children would belong to the king. The people replied, “No, we must have a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations.” (1 Sam. 8-19)

That’s where we are now. For some insane reason, a small majority in this nation wants to turn ‘The Land of the Free’ into just another European country. This totally baffles me. Our forefathers gave everything they had, including their lives, to found a nation set apart from Europe, a nation that would be a ‘beacon on a hill’ to the rest of the world. And they accomplished that. While we held onto the principles they set forth, we flourished. But somehow we allowed those who hate liberty to slowly creep in and tear down what had been so costly to acquire.

Just as the Israelites chose to reject the governance of the Creator of the Universe in lieu of the rule of a man, America has rejected the system God set up for her.

Some say the American Ideal will be unable to rebound from this election. That four more years of our current policies will destroy us. I don’t know. I believe that there are those who will continue to pursue the tenets of the U.S. Constitution. I believe there are thousands of parents and grandparents who will teach their children the truth about the USA and what she stands for. I believe that we are not done yet. But I also believe that if we refuse to bow our knee to the Most Sovereign Father, our children will be forced to bow their knee to the state. So, please, take time to pray. Pray for our nation, that she once again will be that Beacon To The World. Pray for our lawgivers and our justices, that they hold fast to their oath to the Constitution of the United States. And yes, please pray for the President that he too will fulfill his oath to the Constitution and that the true King of kings will prick his heart.

With Spring Comes...

With good weather almost here, there will be countless motorcyclists hitting the roads. Here are some things to keep in mind.

When you see us moving past you quickly:

Don't take offense or think we're trying to "show off". Ninety five percent of the time, we're trying to get out of your blind spot or taking ourselves out of a potential dangerous situation that has evolved around us. Distancing ourselves from you does not mean we want to race, but that we're giving ourselves the edge we need at the moment.

When you hear our horn:

Don't take offense or think we're trying to aggravate you. All we're doing is letting you know where we are in relation to you on the road, and we're more than likely aware of your inattentiveness to us while you're talking on a cell phone, eating, reading or involved in some other distracting aspect to your driving. It's important to us, and you, that you know we're there.

When you hear our loud pipes:

Don't become angry and hostile toward us. Yes, some are quite loud, but for some, there's a purpose behind being loud. It's about letting you know we're close by and we're constantly hoping that our investment in this accessory will help save our lives. Our pipes are really not about our ego...it's a pride and personalization to our form of transportation.

When you see us in our clothes:

Don't become fearful of us or think us weird. Our leather jackets, chaps, gloves and boots are the barriers between loosing massive amounts of flesh should something cause us to go down...nothing more, nothing less. Safety gear is paramount to our riding. We wear patches on our jackets, and pins on our vests. These are symbols of pride and honor within our group(s), individuals giving back to those who gave. These things bond us as a brotherhood and sisterhood among bikers. Not that we're better than anyone else, but that we have the same kind of nobility and pride in our accomplishments as you may have in the various aspects of your life. I guess one could say; our patches and pins are the decals and the bumper stickers of our involvement with society and the general public, of which we are very pleased to be a part of in our own little way.

When you see us in a restaurant:

You don't have to shield your child or feel intimidated. We have family, wives, husbands, children and loved ones too, just like you. We smile; we laugh and enjoy the moments we have. We are approachable, and could befriend you, if given the opportunity.

When you see us in a parking lot:

Don't convince yourself that we're there to "get you". More than likely, we just finished a long ride and are taking a break. Or, we may be meeting up with other riders for a charity run for young children, or another very worthy cause. We may just be admiring one another's bikes, sharing our pride with other brothers and sisters, just like you do with your personal vehicle. It's what we do...it's a part of our lives, and we'd be more than welcome to share with you what riding a bike is all about...if you'd only ask.

When you see aggressive riding bikers:

Don't put us all in the same stereotypical category as those whose behavior and actions would cause you to react in disgust and intolerance. Many of us do not agree with this style of riding either, and we know and understand that human nature tends to blend us all together as the "same group". Most of us don't want that title...and don't deserve it.

 When you see a group of bikers on the roadways:

Give us the courtesy of sharing the road with you. Please don't "move in" between several bikers in formation. This gets us very excited and nervous, especially when it's done with no due regard for our safety. Provide us with your awareness of the fact that we are much more vulnerable than you. We don't want to challenge you, for all of us are wise enough to know...we'd lose that battle.

When you are turning left or entering a roadway/highway:

Look, then look again...and then one more time. For we can be easily hidden, and appear to be invisible by such things as a telephone pole, another vehicle, bright lights or the glare of the sun...or possibly, the beads hanging from your rearview mirror, among numerous other items that are displayed there. If you see us flashing our lights at you or blowing our horn, we're only trying to ensure that you will see us before tragedy changes both our lives.

When you are behind us:

Please give us the room we need and don't tailgate us. If you hit us, we're going down...HARD! We don't want to play games with you, we just want to enjoy the ride and the fresh air, and experience that which many of you have never lived for. If we accelerate away from you, don't interpret this action as though we want to drag race you. We're only trying to take ourselves out of a bad situation if you insist on being too close.

When, and if, you experience road rage:

Don't take it out on us just because we're smaller than you and more vulnerable. Think about what you're doing and the end result that may become a reality. The consequences of your actions and choices could be very detrimental to our well being, our families, our children and our loved ones. Yes, there are those that can tend to piss you off, however, rage towards them will not solve the issues, but accentuate them. Nine out of ten bikers will do everything they can to take themselves out of that situation without causing you or them harm.

When you have an opportunity to talk to us:

You'll discover, outside any influenced or stereotypical mindset you may have, that we are just as human as you are, just with different interests and toys. Many of us would give you the shirt off our back if it would tend to brighten your day or console you in some way. We're really no different... and we drive cars, trucks and vans too. So, meet us and greet us...I think you'll be pleasantly surprised that you'll be met with open arms.

Thank You for attempting to understand!

The Sky Is Falling....Again

Well it’s just a few more hours and the United States as we know it will go up in flames as Firefighters, EMTs, and Police officers are sent home. Criminals will be released to rape, kill and basically raise havoc in our neighborhoods. Our defenders of peace, the military, will not get paid, causing the colapse of our nation. Children will be put out into the streets to starve. They will be refused an education, and, as if that isn’t horrible enough, they will have their cell phones turned off.

These and many many more fear evoking scenarios have been shouted from the rooftops for weeks. Problem is, it’s all lies. The ‘Sequester’ will do none of this. First, as a side note, Police, Fire, Emergency Medical, and Education are all local entities. Federal cuts should have nothing to do with them. It’s not the Feds job. But I digress, as that’s a rant for another day.

What the ‘Sequester’ will do is make Federal departments cut less than 2.5% of their projected spending. Not cut their spending, but cut the increased requested spending by less than two and a half cents on the dollar. To illustrate, let’s say a family has a budget of $1000.00 a month and decide they want to increase it to $1250.00. But then, due to income restrictions, (taxes went up, a raise didn’t go through, a washing machine went south, etc) they find that they have to trim 2.5% from the new budget. This means their budget is reduced to $1218.75. Is this going to force them into the streets? Is this going to cause them to starve? No, they will just reallocate what they have available.

Let me state here that I realize the above example is not a perfect one. The family spends their own money, and live within their means. Which is the total opposite of those elected officiqals on Capital Hill. But what I’m trying to point out is that there is no cut in spending. To put it another way, all these Federal bureaucracies will only receive 97.5% of their increased budget requests. If they can’t operate on that, then they have other issues. (Which goes without saying.)

Do I think the ‘Sequester’ is a great idea? No. Cutting 2.5 cents on the dollar from an increased budget that is already unrealistic is going to do nothing. It’s just a distraction, another ridiculous ‘compromise’ from a group of people who have forgotten (or never cared about) the oath to the Constitution and country they swore to uphold and defend. Both sides of the aisle should be held accountable for the lack of doing the job they were hired to do. They should be held accountable for the stupidity that is running amuck in our nation’s capital. But then again, we the people should be held accountable for re-electing them over and over and over again. (But that too, is a rant for another day.)

According to Encarta, ‘Sequester’ is defined as A) to put somebody in an isolated or lonely place away from other people, the pressures of everyday life, or possible disturbances; B) law to take legal possession of somebody's property temporarily until a debt that person owes is paid, a dispute is settled, or a court order is obeyed, and C) international law to demand or seize the property of an enemy.

 I'll let you decide for yourself which of the above definitions apply to our budget.