My favorite quote for the week comes from Ann Coulter- “Liberals know they're losing the demographic war. Christians have lots of children and adopt lots of children; liberals abort children and encourage the gay lifestyle in anyone with a flair for color. They can't keep up.”
I absolutely adore Ann.
Anyway… Tonight I am not going to give you a long drawn out blog. Tomorrow is the first day of school and after five years of teaching I still get so excited about school starting that I have to drug myself just to get some sleep. Crazy- I know!
To anyone heading into a classroom tomorrow- be a light. Let the anointing of God that is already on you flow from you as you go throughout your day.
On a personal note- and I don't make requests of my readers often- pray for my brothers: David and Brandon. I worry about them starting back to school after such a difficult and unsure summer. Although I am a teacher- I have never pretended that public school is anything other than an arena of humanism.
Pray for my family, and all families in our church, that we would have the strength, wisdom, and perseverance to stand against whatever would come at our young people in Jesus' name.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Still
Just wanted to let everyone know that I am STILL offline. Apparently, my new line is 'too grounded.' Don't ask me what that means, I just know it means it doesn't work. Someone will be out on Wednesday to fix the problem. I am crossing my fingers...
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Quote This
I have a friend who recently applied to work with the Wichita Falls Police Department. Apparently, one of the many qualifications for acceptance within the department is to have a clean record with no ‘criminal mischief.’ In other words, the applicant cannot have committed certain acts that are labeled criminal and mischievous by the city of Wichita Falls. (i.e. toilet papering someone’s residence)
I have no problem with this qualification. If the Wichita Falls Police Department feels that toilet papering someone’s house is unacceptable for applicants they have every right to do so. (Personally I feel that possessing a cocky attitude should be among the list of qualifications that exempt applicants- I know from one particular incident it is not.) What I don’t agree with is how the department recently overstepped a boundary in learning about the un-named applicant’s ‘criminal mischief.’
On Friday August 10, 2007, the Wichita Falls Police Department used my blog (The Dialogue of Joseph James) as evidence to not hire a prospective applicant due to a past post- at least that was their excuse. As ridiculous as it sounds, I am not making this up.
The post sited had listed the applicant’s name, along with other individuals, as a group of people who had toilet papered my house. This individual now has on his/her record a listing for ‘criminal mischief’ due to my posting- as I assume do all the names that were listed in that post assuming the WFPD is an equal opportunity entity.
Needless to say… I am anything but speechless…
As an American citizen I am guaranteed a right to freedom of speech, privacy, and in the case of those who were listed on my post, freedom from incriminating evidence without a reasonable doubt.
In case someone might have misunderstood the reason for my blog, let me be the first to say that my site should be the last site quoted by anyone as doctrine. (I take this moment to refer my readers back to Dialogue Record Entry Number 1- how any good inspector could have missed it is beyond me.) I don’t know of anything that causes me to rest easier at night than knowing the Wichita Falls Police Department brain trust is using the proven and expert method of searching peoples’ ridiculous internet web logs to track down our city’s hardened criminals. Go WFPD!
I believe, as dutiful members of this American Republic, we have a solemn duty to protect our basic rights, insuring freedom’s survival for however long God chooses to leave us on this earth.
When entities like the WFPD use sites such as this in the underhanded fashion in which they did, it causes a certain amount of fear to be possessed by the individuals who create such sites. This should not be. In fact- if freedom is to remain what it is- it cannot be.
Woodrow Wilson said it like this, “Just what is it that America stands for? If we stand for one thing more than another; it is for the sovereignty of self-governing people.” In other words; America is a government unlike any on Earth because it is a government responsible to the sovereign will of its people.
When we as citizens fear what we say because of our government we are less likely to speak. The process of a democratic and open dialogue without fear of repercussions is suddenly closed. People should not fear government- government should fear people. You think that statement is off?
James Madison, fourth president of the Republic, signer of the U.S. Constitution, and author of many Federalist papers which frame all of our American doctrine, said this: “We are right to take alarm at the first experiment upon our liberties.” As citizens of this country we have every right to stand up and take alarm at any entity which degrades our liberty.
Thomas Jefferson said it like this, “…If our house be on fire, without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it.” Do you understand what he is saying? It does not matter who attacks our ‘house’- our own government or a foreign entity- we must stand up to anyone who seeks to destroy our liberties without even stopping to question why.
Do I advocate total anarchy? No. Do I hate police or those who serve in public service on behalf of our government? No.
I believe that America is a nation that was created by God to exist in a specific time in history to work His will; however, I do believe that government should be bound by the will of its people and that people should not fear speaking due to government or police retaliation.
Perhaps my favorite quote of all comes from Jefferson as well. “I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.” Wow.
For anyone who thinks that people should not be in total control of government at all times; for anyone who thinks that government should exercise control over our speech, business, education, or other unalienable rights; to anyone who believes that our society should be fearfully ignorant of government entities then educate yourself in the classroom of our nation’s founding fathers.
You and I are the safest way to protect liberty and freedom. If we, or other members of our society, cannot exercise this control responsibly then we must educate ourselves and others. We cannot- absolutely cannot- turn such an important responsibility over because of fear.
So, in conclusion, this is a ridiculous site created to express my first amendment rights guaranteed to me by my Constitution and the God who gave me an individual mind and mouth. Anything I write could be completely fabricated- then again it could not. No self-respecting, half-minded nitwit should consider anything on this site to be absolute.
Oh… and before I forget…
I openly invite the Wichita Falls Police Department to read this post. Feel free to use this one in the next interview.
I have no problem with this qualification. If the Wichita Falls Police Department feels that toilet papering someone’s house is unacceptable for applicants they have every right to do so. (Personally I feel that possessing a cocky attitude should be among the list of qualifications that exempt applicants- I know from one particular incident it is not.) What I don’t agree with is how the department recently overstepped a boundary in learning about the un-named applicant’s ‘criminal mischief.’
On Friday August 10, 2007, the Wichita Falls Police Department used my blog (The Dialogue of Joseph James) as evidence to not hire a prospective applicant due to a past post- at least that was their excuse. As ridiculous as it sounds, I am not making this up.
The post sited had listed the applicant’s name, along with other individuals, as a group of people who had toilet papered my house. This individual now has on his/her record a listing for ‘criminal mischief’ due to my posting- as I assume do all the names that were listed in that post assuming the WFPD is an equal opportunity entity.
Needless to say… I am anything but speechless…
As an American citizen I am guaranteed a right to freedom of speech, privacy, and in the case of those who were listed on my post, freedom from incriminating evidence without a reasonable doubt.
In case someone might have misunderstood the reason for my blog, let me be the first to say that my site should be the last site quoted by anyone as doctrine. (I take this moment to refer my readers back to Dialogue Record Entry Number 1- how any good inspector could have missed it is beyond me.) I don’t know of anything that causes me to rest easier at night than knowing the Wichita Falls Police Department brain trust is using the proven and expert method of searching peoples’ ridiculous internet web logs to track down our city’s hardened criminals. Go WFPD!
I believe, as dutiful members of this American Republic, we have a solemn duty to protect our basic rights, insuring freedom’s survival for however long God chooses to leave us on this earth.
When entities like the WFPD use sites such as this in the underhanded fashion in which they did, it causes a certain amount of fear to be possessed by the individuals who create such sites. This should not be. In fact- if freedom is to remain what it is- it cannot be.
Woodrow Wilson said it like this, “Just what is it that America stands for? If we stand for one thing more than another; it is for the sovereignty of self-governing people.” In other words; America is a government unlike any on Earth because it is a government responsible to the sovereign will of its people.
When we as citizens fear what we say because of our government we are less likely to speak. The process of a democratic and open dialogue without fear of repercussions is suddenly closed. People should not fear government- government should fear people. You think that statement is off?
James Madison, fourth president of the Republic, signer of the U.S. Constitution, and author of many Federalist papers which frame all of our American doctrine, said this: “We are right to take alarm at the first experiment upon our liberties.” As citizens of this country we have every right to stand up and take alarm at any entity which degrades our liberty.
Thomas Jefferson said it like this, “…If our house be on fire, without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it.” Do you understand what he is saying? It does not matter who attacks our ‘house’- our own government or a foreign entity- we must stand up to anyone who seeks to destroy our liberties without even stopping to question why.
Do I advocate total anarchy? No. Do I hate police or those who serve in public service on behalf of our government? No.
I believe that America is a nation that was created by God to exist in a specific time in history to work His will; however, I do believe that government should be bound by the will of its people and that people should not fear speaking due to government or police retaliation.
Perhaps my favorite quote of all comes from Jefferson as well. “I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.” Wow.
For anyone who thinks that people should not be in total control of government at all times; for anyone who thinks that government should exercise control over our speech, business, education, or other unalienable rights; to anyone who believes that our society should be fearfully ignorant of government entities then educate yourself in the classroom of our nation’s founding fathers.
You and I are the safest way to protect liberty and freedom. If we, or other members of our society, cannot exercise this control responsibly then we must educate ourselves and others. We cannot- absolutely cannot- turn such an important responsibility over because of fear.
So, in conclusion, this is a ridiculous site created to express my first amendment rights guaranteed to me by my Constitution and the God who gave me an individual mind and mouth. Anything I write could be completely fabricated- then again it could not. No self-respecting, half-minded nitwit should consider anything on this site to be absolute.
Oh… and before I forget…
I openly invite the Wichita Falls Police Department to read this post. Feel free to use this one in the next interview.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Offline
Staring today I am going offline for the next few days. It will take a few days to get service at my house during the move. The next time I write it will be from my desk in my den at 1816 Wilson. (Thank GOD!)
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Stuff
As I am dealing with all sorts of things concerning my mother’s business and preparing to empty her house of all ‘things’, I am struck with the truth I find in the following statement: “You cannot take anything with you when you die.”
I find that the sorts of things I want to keep are perhaps the most meaningless of all the ‘stuff’ they had. Going through her books (and when I say going through her books I mean books by the hundreds- and I am NOT exaggerating) I found a book that her and I read when I was only 13 years old. It was a book by Dr. Dobson for young boys and parents to read together. I absolutely HATED reading that book. Today I couldn’t bring myself to put it in the donation box headed to the local Adult Literacy Council. It is kind of funny when you think about it.
I found a letter that I had written my mother on her first day of teaching. She had laminated it and put herself a note at the bottom so that she could remember when I gave it to her. It is only a laminated sheet of paper with a note that would mean nothing to everyone else on the planet but me. How worthless is something like that?
Every book I picked up today had to be flipped through. I don’t know what I was looking for? I was just looking, looking for all that worthless ‘stuff’ that has no real value. I snatched up the smallest piece of paper and turned over every bookmark in search of anything meaningful. Some books were only saved simply because I discovered on some of their pages notes or thoughts of my mother’s; for some reason, even though I may never read them again, I could not throw them away.
I find it so odd because all of these things have no monetary value. Who would pay for a laminated note from a child to his mother? All these things however are valuable to me, but not to anyone else. So many people waist so much time earning money and buying ‘things’, they don’t realize, and if they do realize they forget, that none of these things will ever leave this earth.
I am going through my parent’s things, and there is SO much, but the only things that matter to me seem to be the smallest most insignificant items. Why?
I am thankful that my parents where not the type of people who spent their lives trying to keep ahead in the rat race of life. They did not stay away from our home working long hours to provide us with expensive, empty, and meaningless things. Of course, they had to learn that lesson, just like everyone else.
Shortly after my parents were married they moved to Florida. It was at that time that they had my sister, Michelle. My father was given an opportunity to go to another state and make three times the amount of money he was making in Florida. Seeing an opportunity to provide his family with ‘more’ he took the job. For three months he lived in another state sending money home and calling often. Three months after moving back to Florida, my sister died suddenly in her sleep. She was only six months old, and my father only knew her for three.
It was at that time that my mother said he made her a promise. He told her that he would do everything he could to provide for his family, but he would never leave her or their children in order that they would have ‘more’. He kept his promise. My brother and I never had everything we wanted, and we certainly never had everything everyone else did, but we did have everything we needed. Perhaps the thing we needed most was both of our parents and we had them, always.
‘Stuff’ and ‘Things’ get in the way for so many people. Far too many people have the most ridiculous amount of extravagant stuff and not enough laminated sheets of paper with hand written notes.
This next week we will be moving lots of ‘stuff’! I am going to keep myself offline as much as possible to allow myself every opportunity to be working during my free time. If you wonder where I am- I haven’t fallen off the end of the earth, not yet anyway- I’m just dealing with stuff!
I find that the sorts of things I want to keep are perhaps the most meaningless of all the ‘stuff’ they had. Going through her books (and when I say going through her books I mean books by the hundreds- and I am NOT exaggerating) I found a book that her and I read when I was only 13 years old. It was a book by Dr. Dobson for young boys and parents to read together. I absolutely HATED reading that book. Today I couldn’t bring myself to put it in the donation box headed to the local Adult Literacy Council. It is kind of funny when you think about it.
I found a letter that I had written my mother on her first day of teaching. She had laminated it and put herself a note at the bottom so that she could remember when I gave it to her. It is only a laminated sheet of paper with a note that would mean nothing to everyone else on the planet but me. How worthless is something like that?
Every book I picked up today had to be flipped through. I don’t know what I was looking for? I was just looking, looking for all that worthless ‘stuff’ that has no real value. I snatched up the smallest piece of paper and turned over every bookmark in search of anything meaningful. Some books were only saved simply because I discovered on some of their pages notes or thoughts of my mother’s; for some reason, even though I may never read them again, I could not throw them away.
I find it so odd because all of these things have no monetary value. Who would pay for a laminated note from a child to his mother? All these things however are valuable to me, but not to anyone else. So many people waist so much time earning money and buying ‘things’, they don’t realize, and if they do realize they forget, that none of these things will ever leave this earth.
I am going through my parent’s things, and there is SO much, but the only things that matter to me seem to be the smallest most insignificant items. Why?
I am thankful that my parents where not the type of people who spent their lives trying to keep ahead in the rat race of life. They did not stay away from our home working long hours to provide us with expensive, empty, and meaningless things. Of course, they had to learn that lesson, just like everyone else.
Shortly after my parents were married they moved to Florida. It was at that time that they had my sister, Michelle. My father was given an opportunity to go to another state and make three times the amount of money he was making in Florida. Seeing an opportunity to provide his family with ‘more’ he took the job. For three months he lived in another state sending money home and calling often. Three months after moving back to Florida, my sister died suddenly in her sleep. She was only six months old, and my father only knew her for three.
It was at that time that my mother said he made her a promise. He told her that he would do everything he could to provide for his family, but he would never leave her or their children in order that they would have ‘more’. He kept his promise. My brother and I never had everything we wanted, and we certainly never had everything everyone else did, but we did have everything we needed. Perhaps the thing we needed most was both of our parents and we had them, always.
‘Stuff’ and ‘Things’ get in the way for so many people. Far too many people have the most ridiculous amount of extravagant stuff and not enough laminated sheets of paper with hand written notes.
This next week we will be moving lots of ‘stuff’! I am going to keep myself offline as much as possible to allow myself every opportunity to be working during my free time. If you wonder where I am- I haven’t fallen off the end of the earth, not yet anyway- I’m just dealing with stuff!
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