Do you remember the 2005 Budweiser commercial....'airport patrons applaud troops'? May God....if it be His will....seal this breach that is tearing us apart.
The results are out on a study of the effectiveness of masks. The study employed 78 different experiments from around the world. Fox Internet highlight this with wordage in the caption where the typical Fox viewer will read that and then say....'see there....they proved that masks are of "little to no help".' If you even read into the Fox story you can see that there is more to the overall story. The Atlantic Magazine has an informative and more detailed review of the review. The tests were small and not regulated as tight as they could have been....and limited as compared to real life population reviews. I'm adding this to this DISPATCHES post....not because of the topic of masks.....for that battle will be going on for a while....but because it shows that we have to be careful at what biased media gives us....whether that media be liberal or conservative....and particularly the talking heads on cable and radio....who give us even less information.
"Oh listen, Lord, if you want to know"....To the Baby Boomer....of which I am one....a part of our memory of another America has passed. It's odd....to me anyway....that Burt Bacharach had the letters....Bach....in his name. But J.S. Bach signed all of his compositions with...SDG....Soli Deo Gloria....to God alone be glory. Yes....we don't need another mountain or hillside or meadow or ocean....and we do need love....but I could never sing that particular part of the lyrics. Lord cause us to sing...."Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me. for you are the God of my salvation, for you I wait all the day long." (Psalm 25:5) I want to know Lord....teach me how to live....give me words....give us all what we so desperately need....and all to Thy glory alone!
Germany is considering whether to bring back military conscription....the draft....Latvia is close to doing just that....and Taiwan is increasing the time element from a meager four months to a year....this change to begin in 2024. France has some very questionable one month training system in place....and Poland....(to no one's surprise)....is successfully increasing its military without conscription. My post titled...."Greetings"....which is about a dozen posts below this....addresses the issue here in America. The conversation on the draft needs to begin here....yesterday. Young people need to know what is on the table....the public needs to know how problematic a draft would even be....and the government....(wow....it's tough to use the word government with people like MTG and AOC all over the place)....the government needs to put some very public time in in addressing the issue.
Our son was not even a toddler....it was 1986....and he was sitting up in from of the television. I called out to him....and he didn't respond....his gaze fixed on the pixelated screen. I walked over and waved my hand in front of his face....again no response. I pulled the plug on the television and put it in the basement for nine years. Our son graduated cum laude from law school and is an attorney today. The Grammy's this past Lord's Day....apparently....from what I read....were a celebration of LGBTQ. It was October 17, 1989....the beginning of the televised third game of the World Series. I would not have been watching. Al Michaels and Tim McCarver were announcing. A moving video....baseballwise....on the history of the game....had just ended. It was a home game no matter how you looked at it....Oakland vs San Francisco....and the screen jumped around and went blank....as the 6.9 earthquake had hit.
Like most of you....probably....I receive political surveys all the time in my email....but I never fill them out because the yes/no questions are inane....for the only thing they want is a contribution.....but I received one from.....supposedly Lindsey Graham....telling me how much he wanted to hear my opinion. So I thought I would look to see if they had a block to write in my opinion. OK...the first question....'What is the most important issue in the coming 2024 elections." It had seven answers to choose from....and one 'other'....which I checked....and there was a block to write in what that 'other' might be. I wrote in....."that Donald Trump retires to Mar-a-Lago." That was the most important thing right now. There were additional questions....and then it asked my how much I wanted to donate. I checked the...."I do not want to donate at this time" block. There were a couple more questions on how I wanted to make my contribution....and at the end of it all....there was no place to click 'send' since I did not make a contribution. Yeah....they really want my opinion.
I put out a post every year at this time....a few days before the annual State of the Union Address. I've done this since the Obama administration. I've emailed Senators and Congresspersons....and radio talk show hosts on it....telling them that we should do away with this pomp and circumstance....dog and pony show....and that Thomas Jefferson refused to give a State of the Union speech because it reminded him of England's....Speech from the Throne....but after all of that....this Tuesday is a little different.. Oh it is the same nonsense....the one side will stand up and cheer their man....and the other side will sit there with a stern look on their face....but what is different this year is that no matter who the president is....we are in dire straits....and a joint session of Congress speech would be forthcoming....whatever it is labelled.
Update on the State of the Union Address: One news report described Senator Sinema's dress as...."Oscar-worthy." Big Bird was also mentioned. Marjorie Taylor Greene carried a big white balloon into the building....and wore a winter coat with a large white fluff collar. It has been described as that worn by the witch in C.S. Lewis's...The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe." It also was described as the coat worn by Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians. Mitt Romney admonished....in the aisle of the receiving line....and rightfully so....the New York congressman whose campaign resume was filled with lies....telling him...."You shouldn't be here." Sarah Sanders gave the GOP response and said...."So forgive me for not believing much of what I heard tonight" and that the choice before us is...."between normal and crazy".....which sounds good except this is the lady who for almost two years...as Trump's Press Secretary....had no problem with lies and crazy. Isaiah....(3:12)....admonished the government with...."Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray, they turn you from the path." NIV
Note on the above: Deborah was a strong judge and leader ordained by God. Margaret Thatcher....a mega-hero of mine....was was one of the strongest leaders in the twentieth century. There were and are many other women leaders who are wise and strong....but when a society reaches below the wise and mature for its leaders....both men and women....which it has today....then Isaiah's words kick in.
I never heard the 'performer's' name until today....Sam Smith. His performance on the Grammy Awards last evening is described in the news today....as a...."Satan themed number." There is already a lot of outcry over it....but my first thought was that this was a Lord's Day evening. The Super Bowl....the Academy Awards....the Grammys....and so many other special events....are standard fare on the Lord's Day....that is only one reason....but one of the primary reasons....that America has collapsed. Do you think that there was any preaching yesterday on how we have trampled the day that God has given us to worship Him? No way....only in tiny fundamentalist or older pentecostal churches will you hear faithful warnings on what we have become. The rest of the pulpits are too busy telling us how much God loves us.
