One of my favorite country songs is “I saw God Today” by George Strait. I’ve been a George Strait fan for as long as I can remember and that song I think is one of his best. It helps me to remember to never take life, or the ones you love for granted, and many times our heart will see more than our eyes ever will. I was raised in the south and going to church on Sunday was just part of life. You knew on Sunday at 11:00 AM you and the family would be sitting on a pew getting ready to sing a hymn and listen to a sermon. The church my family went to was very small, as most churches across America are. The mega-church phenomenon of today did not exist. When I think about today’s mega-churches, Joel Osteen and Rick Warren come to mind. On any given Sunday they preach to a crowd that rivals some sporting events, and their popularity with Christian America can also rival most celebrities.

Osteen and Warren both have very charismatic ministries and both have written best sellers that generate a tremendous amount of income. Both seem to be very frugal in their lifestyle. Osteen is reported to take no salary from his church, and Warren reports that he lives off 10% of his royalties and donates the rest. It is very admirable on both of their accounts. But the truth is, both are very wealthy men and preachers of the gospel. The vast majority of the “white haired warriors” that preach in small churches throughout this great country of ours are not wealthy people. They go about the task of doing the Lords work with not a lot of monetary reward or recognition. Each Wednesday night and all day on Sunday they can be found spouting the word with a bible in one hand and a handkerchief in the other. This is where I believe the “real” gospel is being preached. It is also where I had the opportunity to see God for the first time.

I went to a small southern Pentecostal Holiness Church. The preacher had to preach loud in the summer time to be heard over several window air conditioning units that were always running on “high”. The air conditioning was needed because when the service got cranked up, there was a lot of running, healing and speaking in tongues. I learned early that being in the spirit works up a sweat. The church also issued out “paper fans” propelled by the human arm if you were not lucky enough to sit by an air conditioning unit. One of the most prolific characters at the church, and the man who helped me see God for the first time was one of the deacons named “Brother Jack”.

Brother Jack was a painter and a carpenter by trade during the week, and a very dedicated deacon at all times. I never knew him to miss a service other than the times he would take his family on vacation. Brother Jack could not read or write, but had managed to memorize the bible by listening to audio tapes. He was always prepared to “heal” the nearest person in need, and would preach a sermon every now and then. Brother Jack had a very unique “healing stance” that he would always use during the deed, and his sermons at times were a little confusing. Since he could not read and relied on memory to quote scripture, he would sometimes tell the congregation to turn to one passage but begin quoting another. Everyone loved him and didn’t seem to mind.

The church eventually got enough funds to buy a bus. It was just an old yellow county school bus bought at an auction, but it served its purpose. Brother Jack lived near the church and it was only natural that he became the “keeper of the bus”. Back in those days in the south, if a church had padded pews it was known as a “place of worship”, but if it had a bus and padded pews, it was known as a “cathedral”.

I remember one weekend during the summer when all the young people in the church were going to a youth retreat. The retreat was way out in the country, and Brother Jack and Brother Clements were going to be our chaperones. During the trip we found ourselves on a desolate stretch of a two lane highway. The bus began to shake and Brother Jack pulled over. He found that the bus had developed a flat tire. A flat tire is nothing to get excited about unless you have no spare, which was our case. Brother Jack got out and started to pray and ask God to fix the flat tire. I’m not saying that Brother Clements, the other chaperone, didn’t have the same amount of faith, but while Brother Jack prayed he began to walk. After a while I guess Brother Jack needed more “prayer” power, so he got everyone off the bus to help him pray. I can still see us all beside that lonely road praying for God to “heal” the tire. We prayed for about an hour and then Brother Clements returned in a tow truck. Another thirty minutes and we were on our way.

After we arrived at the youth retreat we had a service that night. During the service Brother Jack stood up and said he wanted to testify. Brother Jack told everyone there about our ordeal getting to the retreat, and how the devil had tried to prevent it by flattening one of the bus tires. He went on to tell how God had not let the old devil win, and had fixed the bus tire so we could get there. That was not the way I remembered the tire repair happening, but I was just a young boy back then and Brother Jack was much more experienced in the mysterious ways God. I had no reason to doubt Brother Jack, and I concluded that I had obviously seen God that day for the first time. He had looked nothing like I had thought. Actually, he looked pretty ordinary. He was wearing work clothes with a shirt tag that read, “Willard’s Garage”, and he was driving a tow truck smoking a cigarette.

The above story is not to make fun of Brother Jack or the power of God. It was only meant to illustrate one of the many fond memories I have of growing up in a small southern church. I still believe Brother Jack was one of the godliness men I ever met, and the power of God is extraordinary. Now as I look back on that day many years later I firmly believe I did see God that day. I saw him in the songs we sang as we drove to the retreat. I saw him in the love Brother Jack showed for us and his church. I saw him in my best friend who sat beside me during the trip. I hope in the coming years America continues to hold on to the values and faith the Christian religion has given it. Our belief in God has been instrumental in creating the greatest nation on earth. It has been the thread of America’s fabric, and the azimuth that has kept many of us on a course of hope during trying times. Every time I see one of my kids, my wife, a good friend, or just sit by a slow rolling river and fish, I can truly say, “I saw God today”. Right or wrong, that’s the way A.P. American sees it. Yeah baby!!!!!!

It’s the last weekend of May, 2009. This year is almost half over.
6 months from now, we’ll be getting ready for 2010.
Remember the Y2K bug? How about June 6th 3 years ago…6/6/6?
We’re still here folks, but we better start paying attention. We’re losing the very foundation of our American lives at a local, state, national, & spiritual level. I really believe the ship is sinking from breaches in the hull starboard, port and aft. Without divine intervention, and moral, focused leadership, we’ll not turn it all back around, and what was the most near perfect society in the history of man, will simply slip beneath the waves of history.
If you question what your leaders are doing, then challenge those leaders, and challenge them at the tops of your patriotic lungs.
This “Christian” based republic, the dream and vision of our founding fathers demands vigilance and personal responsibility.
If 70% of General motors being owned by the government rubs you the wrong way, speak out.
If the banking industry becoming a pawn of the Federal Government leaves you burying your little remaining savings in a coffee can in your back yard, let them hear your voice.
If this land of the free and home of the brave rapidly becoming the land of the weak, and home of the dependent makes you fear for the former super power our children will inherit, then contact those we’ve put into power, and let them hear you scream that you demand your independence back.
I promise you that our kind loving, and all powerful God hears your prayers, but only with the loudest of unified voices will those in our capitol hear us. Only then will the representatives we’ve put into power take notice. Only with the echoes ringing in their ears from a free, self sufficient, independent population will the duly elected officials, whose only mission seems to be maintaining and strengthening their base of power take notice, and respect and respond to those that gave them the power they only seek to increase.


Only when we unite shoulder to shoulder and in mass refuse to continue down this immoral, unrestricted path toward destruction of all we hold sacred will we as a free people prevail, and emerge victorious.
Answer this question. When’s the last time, on any issue, you heard from Washington, “Well, that’s not the affair of the Federal Government, according to the Constitution, that must be dealt with on a local or state level.”? That was the basis of our nation, Federal intervention in our daily lives as little as possible, but it’s a philosophy that has ceased to exist in Washington.
Don’t you miss the United States of America?

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Written By Kimberly Alyn:

If you see injustice, speak up
If you make an appointment, show up
If you make a mistake, fess up
If you get behind, catch up
If they knock you down, get up
If you are out of line, straighten up
If your boss instructs, keep it up
When your parents speak, listen up
When your teacher teaches, sit up
If your country calls, stand up
If you’re being hard, ease up
When a fight is over, make up
If your heart is closed, open it up
If you want to buy something, save up
It is not an entitlement, so shut up
If it is a mess, clean it up
If a car is waiting for you cross the street, speed it up
If people fall down, help them up
It is not the government, you step up
If the music is wholesome turn it up
If the message is poisonous, throw it up
If the words are vulgar, clam them up
If your pants are baggy, pull them up
If a belt is loose, cinch it up
If you fly is down, zip it up
If you dress half naked, cover it up
If you make a promise, keep it
If you bail out, pony up
If you are whining, pack it up
It’s call personal responsibility, so take it up
If this country was founded on it, you can look it up
If life gets boring, you should shake it up
If life is good you soak it up
If life’s not fair, you suck it up.
So life’s too short, so live it up!

An economics professor at Texas Tech said he had failed very few students but had, once, failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, "Ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism."
"All grades will be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade meaning, obviously, no one will receive an A." They all agreed to this. After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a C. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
But, as the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too, so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F.
The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. To their great dismay the professor failed them all. Then he sent all of them this note: "A socialistic government will also ultimately fail - because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed."

From the recent retirement ceremony of Glen D. Thompson
I am an American Patriot.

I believe in the United States of America. There are few things as sacred to me as Duty Honor Country Flag. My heroes are the men and women who currently wear and those who have worn the uniform of our armed services

Army Marine Navy Air Force Coast Guard Active Reserve Past Present Future. When I was growing up, patriotism was respected. Serving your country was respected. Our flag was respected, the American way of life; liberty and freedom was respected.

Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and our Veterans were respected. Thank God that, for some of us, this (being a patriot) will NEVER change. I’d like to quote a couple of Past Presidents: Theodore Roosevelt defined patriotism as: "Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else. " –
President Kennedy cautioned us; “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”

It is my hope that we can return to a deep patriotic principle vice political climate that runs shallow holding little substance. It is my opinion that the best way to do so is by being a living example. Hold you head high, wave our flag proudly, pass along to the next generation what it stands for so that our early patriots are remembered for their contributions. This is one area where history needs to repeat itself. As I move from the ranks and hang up my uniform for the final time. I will always be proud that I was a United States Sailor, that I am a veteran, and I will always be... An American Patriot.

The Domino Theory
By
A.P. American

On November 14, 2008, in the Netherlands the new world record for dominos was set. During this attempt, 4,345,027 dominos out of 4,500,000 were successfully toppled. It was really amazing to watch the video of the event. If you are not familiar with what I am speaking of please allow me to explain. The dominos used in world record attempts are the same dominos utilized in a regular dominos game kit; small rectangular black blocks. The object is to set the dominos up so when the first domino falls, it starts a chain of events that will ultimately topple the rest. I guess you could say that it was “cause and effect” in action. The cause of the dominos falling was the first domino being felled, and the effect was a chain of dominos being toppled until none were left standing. The falling dominos could teach us a very important lesson in life; for each action or decision, there is a consequence.

America is currently faced with many challenges, with the priority for most people being the economic situation. Many of us have had our “golden years” turned into more “working years”. Who would have ever thought that we would see GM, Chrysler and Ford in danger of becoming extinct? They are American business icons. Foundational strengths and traits that made America the greatest country in the world now seem to be voluntarily discarded by some, including our elected officials. The world in general has changed dramatically, and threats to America’s future stability are growing steadily. While the economic situation must be addressed for the sake of our future, we must not forget how vitally important security of our nation is. One of the greatest threats to the homeland is the porous state of our border and illegal immigration.

Each time we begin to debate the illegal immigration issue, cries of racism and hate mongering are raised. I can’t understand this because it is not racist to deeply care about your country and the safety of its citizens. There are many legal immigrants who have come to this country and contributed tremendously to strengthening America, and have fought honorably under its banner. The argument has been made that we are all immigrants to a certain extent, and there exist undeniable truth in that statement. Our ancestors came in search of a new world, and out of that search a great republic was created. Our history has not always been perfect, but America has always attempted to use mistakes of the past to be a greater country in the future. But we all must realize that illegally breeching the borders of a sovereign nation is unlawful and a clear and present danger to a country’s security and well being.

The issue pertaining to border security is not just an issue concerning illegal immigration. It is an issue of much greater proportion. In 2005 the border authorities apprehended 1.2 million illegal aliens who were attempting to cross illegally into America. Of those 1.2 million, 165,000 were from countries other than Mexico. In fact, 650 were from countries of special interest. Special interest countries are those “designated by the intelligence community as countries that could export individuals that could bring harm to our country in the way of terrorism.”

Republican Congressman John Culberson reported in 2005 that an al-Qaida operative who was on the FBI’s terrorist watch list was arrested near the Mexican border. The operative was subsequently held within the Brewster County Texas Jail. Culberson also reported FBI Director Robert Mueller had previously "confirmed" in testimony before his committee "that there are individuals from countries with known al-Qaida connections who are changing their Islamic surnames to Hispanic-sounding names and obtaining false Hispanic identities, learning to speak Spanish and pretending to be Hispanic immigrants."

In a U.S. government report entitled, “A Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at the Southwest Border”, U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement stated the following:

-Illegal aliens were smuggled from the Middle East to staging areas in Central and South America, before being smuggled illegally into the United States.

-Members of Hezbollah have already entered the United States across the Southwest border.

In 2006 the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General released a 52 page report that stated between 2001 and 2005 an estimated 45,008 illegal aliens from countries listed as state sponsors of terrorism, or states that protected terrorist members and terrorist organizations were released into the American public with no 100% confirmation of identity. This was not a document compiled by some “right wing” conservative news source, but rather a document released by our own Department of Homeland Security.

We can also look at crime and the economic consequences of the illegal alien issue. In Los Angeles 95% of some 1,500 outstanding murder warrants are for illegal aliens. Illegal aliens account for 67% of the 17,000 outstanding fugitive felony warrants. In 2005 border officials confiscated the following illicit drugs destined for American streets at the border:

222, 714 kilograms of cocaine

1,162,509 kilograms of marijuana

 
5,470 kilograms of methamphetamine

 
A 2004 statistic showed that approximately 267,000 illegal aliens were incarcerated in American correctional facilities with an annual cost of 6.8 billion dollars. And let’s not forget about the safety of our children when a report stated that there may be 240,000 illegal alien sex offenders within the borders of the U.S. It is obvious that the illegal immigration problem solicits a much larger question than just the issue of not wanting illegal aliens to come here and pursue the American dream.

I am in no way saying that without illegal immigration America would be safe. If we closed our borders tomorrow we would still have crime committed by American born citizens. Timothy McVeigh is a prime example of home grown terror. But I am saying the refusal of our government to enforce current immigration laws and protect American citizens to the fullest extent is negligence. Al-Qaida has already stated in its strategic plan that crippling the American economy is one of its primary goals. If you really want to see cause and effect, just think what would happen to our economy if another catastrophic attack occurred within our borders. The enemy is cunning enough, why should we help them. Security really is America’s first domino. Right or wrong, that is how A.P. American sees it. Yeah baby!!!!!

This is the day we pause
in these hectic lives we live
to praise those who gave for our country
everything they had to give.
This is the day we remember
to enlighten each new generation
that we can never cease to pay homage
to those who died for this great nation.
This is the day we bow our heads
to honor headstones with no name,
though we may not know who is buried there,
we thank them just the same.
This is the day for thankfulness;
a day filled with gratitude
a day to ensure these heroes are still revered
after these twenty four hours conclude.
This is the day for families
to share memories from years ago
and to learn about the relatives
they never got the chance to know.
This is the day to remember
the battles so easy to ignore
those they fought to protect our future;
a cause they believed worth dying for.
This is the day in our minds,
to remember and reflect
and bestow upon each fallen hero,
the highest medal.our respect.
This is the day of heroes
and a chance to display our pride;
a time to show that we still adore
the country for which we fought and died.
This is the day to cherish the freedom
too often taken for granted,
for the blessings we enjoy today
are from the seeds these heroes planted.
This is the day we face our flag
and get down on our knees
to pray for those who gave the greatest gift
so it could wave proudly in the breeze.
This is the day to affirm...
though their earthly bodies are gone,
their bravery pride and spirit
in American hearts, live on.
And as they look down on Memorial Day
from their heavenly domain,
they'll know we still cherish our freedom
and that they did not die in vain.

©Copyright 2001 by Linda Ellis

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Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.
Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.
Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit
with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.
Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.
Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.
Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.
Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.
Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.
Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.
Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.
Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.
Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.
I will think about the mothers And fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms,
and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.
And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer.. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day.............

It greatly alarms me that Americans' constitutional right of freedom of speech is being squeezed out of our culture. Several years ago, I watched then-"20/20" correspondent Diane Sawyer interview Saddam Hussein, who was dictator of Iraq at the time. She respectfully confronted him for the atrocities and executions he used as punishments for people who merely spoke out against him, his rule or his politics. Surprisingly naive of America's constitutional basis, Saddam asked, "Well, what happens to those who speak against your president?" (He clearly was expecting that such speech was also a crime in the U.S. and punishable by law.) Shocked by his sheer ignorance of the U.S. -- and somewhat at a loss for words herself -- Diane quipped back in answering his question, "They host television talk shows!" Saddam's facial expression revealed that he was totally confused by her answer. Sounds so far-out, doesn't it? Offensive speech being punishable by law?

But it might not be that far off for America, especially if the course of free speech continues on its present track -- a path of progressive restrictions, both from our government and our culture. If our policymakers understood and followed the constitutional government our Founders laid down for us, they never would advocate any so-called hate crimes bill. As Rep. Ron Paul once wrote: "Hate crime laws not only violate the First Amendment, they also violate the Tenth Amendment. Under the United States Constitution, there are only three federal crimes: piracy, treason, and counterfeiting. All other criminal matters are left to the individual states. Any federal legislation dealing with criminal matters not related to these three issues usurps state authority over criminal law and takes a step toward turning the states into mere administrative units of the federal government." The limiting of free speech is happening through not only legal ends but also social avenues. It was tragic to watch at the recent White House Correspondents' Association dinner how the present administration provided the platform for and then laughed at a parade of mean-spirited, cruel jokes about Rush Limbaugh, which made fun of his history of addiction to painkillers, wished him kidney failure, and suggested he might have been the 20th hijacker involved in 9/11. Is that even funny?

Despite the fact that I believe even this offensive language is protected by the First Amendment, is it the type of belittling humor we should expect at a White House function? When the feds seek to silence their critics through intimidation and social demise, have they not failed to properly lead a blended nation and uphold the heart of the Constitution? Mark my words that the reinstitution of the Fairness Doctrine -- which would subject talk radio, among other media, to government regulation -- is right around the corner. I don't care what your cause is. I don't care what your mission is. I don't care what the issue is. I don't care what your beliefs are. It is every American citizen's constitutional right to speak freely, without fear of repercussion. If the First Amendment is not there to protect anyone's offensive speech, then what type of speech is it protecting? It's simply un-American and unconstitutional to impede, harass, threaten or persecute anyone who is guilty of nothing more than sharing his opinion or even exercising his right to vote. This is America, not Saddam's Iraq! When free speech is restricted or punished, we can be certain that we've drifted from our roots. Isn't it time we returned home to the Constitution?

It's TimeThe Artists' Stop Whining by Moby In The Morning
June 15, 2008
The musicFIRST Coalition has been in entertainment news lately. They’re the group whining, griping, lobbying, and campaigning to have radio stations required to “pay a performance royalty” for the privilege of airing their product. They’ve sent free songs to National Association of Broadcasters executives. They’ve sent copies of Steve Miller's "Take The Money And Run," Bruce Springsteen's "Pay Me My Money Down," & Paul McCartney's "Back In The U.S.S.R." to NAB President/CEO David Rehr and EVP/Radio John David to remind them of the "inequity" facing recording artists who go unpaid when their music is played on the radio. Caca del Toro!! Unpaid?!? Why you Gold & Platinum plated Pansies!!! Are you nuts!?! At what point in your career did you get beyond begging radio to just listen to your stuff? At that point, if it had been legal, you would have gladly paid any radio station to air your music. Have you totally forgotten when you dreamed of driving in a car, and hearing part of your soul emanating from the dash. How cool it would have been to stop at a pay phone, and make the call saying, “Were you listening, Mama? They played my song on WXXX!!” When did it begin to make sense that in this partnership we’ve enjoyed for years, that experience was something you should be paid by the radio stations for? I know you’ve heard the stories when backroom deals, and under the table promotion finally got airplay for musicians on a label, not because of the talent of the musicians, but because of the label’s pockets, and the deals they cut to get that airplay. Why don’t you ask the suits at your label to take a smaller piece of the pie that you’ve baked? Let’s see how that affects your career. It appears to me that when success & public acclaim finds you, you folks are well-compensated for your art. Just leave it alone and enjoy the yachts, mansions, and all the other spoils that your fans have paid for. Enjoy the life that most folks can only dream about living. Boys, this is a slippery slope you cry babies want to walk down, and you’ll not like the ending of this song, there Mozart. I agree with what NAB EVP Dennis Wharton said: "This silly gesture obscures the fact that most musicians became successful through free airplay from America's hometown radio stations.” You folks will really go unpaid when your music isn’t played on the radio at all, and people quickly forget who the devil you are. Do you really think you’re that unique just because you were lucky enough to land a record deal? Do you really feel that superlative over undiscovered, but equally talented artists that would kill to have the opportunity radio has provided the lot of you? “The "inequity" facing recording artists who go unpaid when their music is played on the radio.” Give me a break!! Are you really that oblivious to how you got here? If we go down that path, then we’ll need recording artists to pay us for the time their songs are on our air.
If we gotta pay them to play their performances, then they should pay us for the entirety of the time their performances consume. Because when we make these changes, what would each song be other than a 3 or 4 minute long commercial advertising their products? Time is what we sell. We get paid to broadcast commercials in radio, and the recording artists will have to pay us for those commercials. Sounds fair to me. How about you artists? Get out your checkbooks. We normally insist on being paid in advance, especially with clients as unstable as most musicians seem to be. Tell you what, why don’t we leave it alone? We’ve played well together for decades, folks. Don’t go getting greedy at this stage of the game. You sell your records, CD’s, & digital downloads, for more than the music consumer can really afford to spend. You go ahead take $100+ dollars from your dedicated fans for obstructed view concert tickets. Go ahead and sell your $30+ cheap, lo-quality t-shirts, and other collectibles to your fans living paycheck to paycheck. Just appreciate radio for the gift of airplay that makes all your music and non-music stuff marketable? Otherwise, in these tough economic times, the big stars will simply disappear from the radio, because radio ain’t gonna be victim to any sort of “Picker Powerplay”. The local artists begging for airplay will surface, and be more than happy to play ball with radio. You sure you wanna play that game, Bruce? How about you, McCartney? To all the artists lucky enough to be successful, you’re welcome. Without radio, who would have ever heard your name, let alone your music? This has been a great partnership all this time. Don’t try flexing muscles you’re not really in control of. You need radio just like radio needs you. Now shut the heck up, and write a song about it. Then if you’re really lucky, radio might just play it.

Dear Moby,

I am writing to you just to express a thank you to some people that don’t get noticed enough, in my opinion. You hear people all the time thanking and honoring our troops and their families. I am very thankful to them and thank God every day for them and pray that God will keep them safe and bring them home to their loved ones. I am thankful to our police officers for protecting us from all of the violence that is taking place in all of our hometowns. Thank you!!!! But one you don’t hear a lot is people honoring and thanking our farmers and their families. The farmers put in very long hours and work days and days in a row. Their families hardly even see them at certain times of the year. You hear people complain about Tractors in their way on the road. They complain about the dust in the air or the smell of the fertilizer. But do people actually stop and think about where our food comes from. Do people think about what the farmers do for us to live? To the people that are complaining, do you have gardens growing everything they need to survive. Are you leaving work and in a hurry to get home to have fun while that farmer is still working on planting that corn or peanuts or etc.? When that tractor is in front of you instead of complaining and blowing the horn you should stop and thank that farmer for your next meal. I feel that our farmers are just as important to us as the troops and the police officers. That is my opinion.


Thanks to the Farmers
Nita Harrell

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Over the last couple of months I have heard various people on television and radio, give their opinion on who should be the new face of the Republican Party. They all have varying views as to whom that face should be.

As I sit and ponder that question, several people that I know, and have met on this road I call life come to mind. I think about a 27 year old Sergeant I work with in the Washington DC area that lost both legs a couple years ago in Iraq. He gets around these days on a set of prosthetics and still wears the uniform of the US Army proudly. I never hear him complain or dwell in self pity. He recently bought a condominium in the DC area, and seems to be adjusting fine with his disability. He is an inspiration to me each day and re-enforces the fact that freedom is not free.

I think about a waitress I saw a few months back at a Waffle House down in North Carolina. It was about 9:00 PM, and she was obviously working the evening shift. She was not my waitress, but I noticed her because she kept going over to a young boy sitting in one of the booths and assisting him with his homework. The boy was about 10, and you could tell from the conversation he was having some difficulty with his math.

My waitress was a young girl in her mid-twenties, and based on her service, should have thought about another profession. She was a good conversationalist however, and when asked about the boy she was happy to answer. The boy was the son of the waitress who was helping him with his homework. Her husband had been killed in a car accident and she worked the Waffle House in the evening and another job during the day to make ends meet. The boy came there each evening because his mother had no one to keep him. The boy was her only child.

I think about a young man I sat beside on a plane flying to the midwest. I tend not to talk much on flights and use the time to read a book or work on a project. On this particular flight I dropped my book as I positioned my tray and the young man reached over and picked it up. We struck up a conversation and he told me that he had been in Washington as a member of his state’s “Young Farmers Association”.

He was 24 years old and had worked on his daddy’s farm all his life. I asked him how it was to work on a farm and he simply answered, “hard and honest”. He then began to tell me about farming and the rotation of crops, and a hundred other things concerning his profession.

I also learned that his father had cancer and would probably not make it to the following year. He had gone to college for a short time but had to drop out to come home and help out when his father got ill. He assured me that one day he would go back and finish, but would always be a farmer.

I asked him what type of degree he wanted to get. He told me business because “you can’t run a farm these days without good business sense.” I learned a lot about farming before the flight was over, but I also learned that I had sat beside a fine young American, and a “son” a father should be proud of.

As I sit and think about who should be the face of the Republican party, the Sergeant who lost his legs in Iraq, the waitress who is working two jobs to survive, the young farmer I sat beside on the plane, all come to mind. That is who should be the face of the Republican Party.

It’s the police officer working night shift, the soldier who is away from his family, the old man who gets by on social security, the single mom, the construction worker, the successful business man, the boy scout, the young couple who just bought their first home, the lady who gave the homeless man a dollar as she sat at the traffic light. That should be the face of both the Republican and Democratic parties.

No party is identified by one person’s face. It is indentified by every person who considers themselves an American, and who takes ownership in this great country by exercising their right to vote. So the next time you want to see the face of your respective political party; just look in the mirror. Right or wrong, that is how A.P. American sees it. Yeah baby!!!

So as to attempt to be sensitive to everybody, we’re gonna name a new political party this morning. They’ll be known as the Orangutang Party…
I'm a Oranutang because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.
I'm a Oranutang because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing that same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.
I'm a Oranutang because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.
I'm a Oranutang because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.
I'm a Oranutang because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.
I'm a Oranutang because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies, so long as we keep all death row inmates and al-Qaeda terrorists alive.
I'm a Oranutang because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as THEY see fit.
I'm a Oranutang because I believe appointed judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who couldn’t get their agendas past the voters.
"A Liberal is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own."
I'm a Oranutang because my head is so firmly planted up my ass, it's unlikely that I'll ever have another point of view.

"A Orangutang l is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own."

Hi Moby my name is Danielle, i listen to your show every morning on the way to school and turn up the radio extra loud just to make sure i hear every word to the daily small town soap box! i am writing this for it to hopefully be your next small town soap box... here it goes:

On Friday May 8, 2009 Jordan; my classmate and friend of 8 years committed suicide. He was 17 years old. This is the first time our high school has gone through something like this. The thing about Jordan is he seemed fine like it was just another day. Then we all get the terrifying text saying he died and that Monday at school the whole school was quiet. No one spoke a word. While everyone was trying to figure out what they said to him I was to busy staring at the empty desk in class right next to me. That was when it hit. A life that had so much ahead was gone! A life that never knew how much he was loved or going to be missed was gone! A friend that I have known as well as everyone else for about eight years is never coming back!

The funeral was filled with classmates and family. The casket had a skateboard on top cause that is what Jordan loved to do. A 17 year old boy took his life because he didn’t think life was worth living. My friend who I thought was just an annoying boy everyday, ends up being the one that I was sitting there shedding all the tears in my body over. Seeing him lay there and trying to actually believe that he is gone was still unbelievably terrifying. The last thing I said to him was not the nicest at all. None of the last things any of us said to him was nice to begin with. Now that he is gone we all realize how big of an impact he put in our lives.

After the funeral kids, were walking around saying they were sorry to the people they have hurt. Then we all gathered around and signed his yearbook, with all the regrets on how we wish we could have been nicer and treated him different. We then realized that the last thing you say to someone could really be the last, that maybe that one thing you say or don’t say to someone could account for their life. He is missed and we all feel to blame. Its just sad that a life had to be taken in order for everyone else to realize how he changed our lives, how cruel kids are, and how what we say really does have an impact on others lives. Jordan taught us more than anyone could teach us through a lecture or book. He taught us how to treat people and love people. how to show it and how to let the ones around us know it. Jordan will be missed and there will be an empty seat at graduation just for him, because that is where he was meant to be the whole time, just no one ever showed it enough for HIM to know.. God Bless! And Yeah Baby

Danielle

Monsters and the Weak Michael Marks

The sun beat like a hammer,
not a cloud was in the sky.
The mid-day air ran thick with dust,
my throat was parched and dry.

With microphone clutched tight in hand
and cameraman in tow,
I ducked beneath a fallen roof,
surprised to hear "stay low."

My eyes blinked several times
before in shadow I could see,
the figure stretched across the rubble,
steps away from me.

He wore a cloak of burlap strips,
all shades of grey and brown,
that hung in tatters till
he seemed to melt into the ground.

He never turned his head
or took his eye from off the scope,
but pointed through the broken wall
and down the rocky slope.

"About eight hundred yards," he said,
his whispered words concise,
"beneath the baggy jacket
he is wearing a device."

A chill ran up my spine
despite the swelter of the heat,
"You think he's gonna set it off
along the crowded street?"

The sniper gave a weary sigh
and said "I wouldn't doubt it,"
"unless there's something
this old gun and I can do about it."

A thunderclap, a tongue of flame,
the still abruptly shattered;
while citizens that walked the street
were just as quickly scattered.

Till only one remained,
a body crumpled on the ground,
The threat to oh so many
ended by a single round.

And yet the sniper had no cheer,
no hint of any gloat,
instead he pulled a logbook out
and quietly he wrote.

"Hey, I could put you on TV,
that shot was quite a story!"
But he surprised me once again --
"I got no wish for glory."

"Are you for real?" I asked in awe,
"You don't want fame or credit?"
He looked at me with saddened eyes
and said "you just don't get it."

"You see that shot-up length of wall,
the one without a door?
before a mortar hit,
it used to be a grocery store."

"But don't go thinking
that to bomb a store is all that cruel,
the rubble just across the street --
it used to be a school.

The little kids played soccer
in the field out by the road,"
His head hung low,
"They never thought a car would just explode."

"As bad as all this is though,
it could be a whole lot worse,"
He swallowed hard,
the words came from his mouth just like a curse.

"Today the fight's on foreign land,
on streets that aren't my own,"
"I'm here today 'cause if I fail,
the next fight's back at home."

"And I won't let my Safeway burn,
my neighbors dead inside,
don't wanna get a call from school
that says my daughter died;

I pray that not a one of them
will know the things I see,
nor have the work of terrorists
etched in their memory."

"So you can keep your trophies
and your fleeting bit of fame,
I don't care if I make the news,
or if they speak my name."

He glanced toward the camera
and his brow began to knot,
"If you're looking for a story,
why not give this one a shot."

"Just tell the truth of what you see,
without the slant or spin;
that most of us are OK
and we're coming home again.

And why not tell our folks
back home about the good we've done,
how when they see Americans,
the kids come at a run."

You tell 'em what it means
to folks here just to speak their mind,
without the fear that tyranny
is just a step behind;

Describe the desert miles
they walk in their first chance to vote,
or ask a soldier if he's proud,
I'm sure you'll get a quote."

He turned and slid the rifle
in a drag bag thickly padded,
then looked again with eyes of steel
as quietly he added;

"And maybe just remind the few,
if ill of us they speak,
that we are all that stands
between the monsters and the weak."

Michael Marks January 25, 2006

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Donna Taylor..
"Moby, 33yrs. ago today I married My High school sweetheart. I was 5mo. pregnant, and 15yrs. old he was17. My Dad went into orbit when he found out we had eloped, everyone told us it would not last 6mos. Now after 2 Wonderful kids, 5 beautiful grandchildren, We are still together he was the only boy I ever dated, and I am so proud of what we still have today. I love him more everyday!"

------------------

Donna, you do know that you guys are the exception, and not the rule. I wish you’d write back and tell young folks that what happened to you and you husband was a bad thing, and other 15 year olds should avoid it because it caused more hardships than teenagers should have to bear.
I’m so very happy this has worked out like it has, but the odds were so against you, and the chances of you ending up a single mom back at your parents house with at least that one child was much more likely than making a long term happy life and household out of that tragic situation.
That said, I’m very happy for you and your unlikely, but extremely blessed family.
I do hope you’re a Christian family, because only the grace of God got you through all of that together and in love.
I hope you told your children, and that they tell theirs not to do what grandma did.
Blessings to all you & love for the rest of your days.
Yeah baby,
MOBY

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My grandson likes Hershey’s candy.  It is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more.  My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now.  I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.
This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60W light
bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb
aisle and  right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off
brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price.
The GE  bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand
but the thing that  surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in – get ready for this - the USA in a company in  Cleveland, Ohio.
So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.
So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets....yep, you
guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!
So my challenge to you is to
start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors! 
If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your
address book so we can all start buying American, one
light bulb at a time! Stop buying from China ..........
 
(We should have awakened a decade  ago......)

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"A WORK THAT NEVER ENDS"

A mothers work starts when she wakes up and ends when she goes to bed. She never gets tired, if she does, she doesn't complain.
She must be pretty smart, because she must be a doctor, a cook, a bookkeeper, and an accountant to take care of the house, & the family the bills. She sacrifices everything and asks for nothing in return. When she gets sick she never stops. She is always there when you need her. She gives unconditional love. She never stops worrying about her children, even when they're grown. She will always love them, never judge them. I think a mother should be thought of everyday, instead of one day of the year. So if you can hug your mother and tell her you love her while you still can.
Sincerely,
Lamar Faulk from Jack, AL
YEAH BABY!

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby..... somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'normal' is history.
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct .. somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
Somebody said being a mother is boring ....somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.
Somebody said if you're a'good' mother, your child will 'turn out good'.... somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.... somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.
Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the first ... somebody doesn't have two children.
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother
is labor and delivery.... somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten .. or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married....somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.
Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home....somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her.... somebody isn't a mother.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer.

"To celebrate growing older, I wrote 20 of the lessons life taught me. My odometer’s rolled over to 90"

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
5. Its OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
6. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
7. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
8. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
9. Its OK to let your children see you cry.
10. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
11. it’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
12. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
13. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
14. Forgive everyone everything.
15. What other people think of you is none of your business.
16. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
17. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
18. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
19. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
20. The best is yet to come. So, no matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

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An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in December, some years ago: A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'

'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,'was the boy's reply. The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.

She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel. By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks.. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes..

She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.' As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her. 'Are you God's wife?'

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind
to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a
prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each
other.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of
your time and money to help people who had nothing,
and I learned that those who have something should
give to those who don't.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of
life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and
wanted to say,'Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn't looking.'


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 I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.
I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.
I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever,
but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

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Rhubarb Jones filled in for Moby on Friday, and got on his "soapbox" about the media. Text is not available, but you can listen and download it by clicking here.

Visit Rhubarb's Site by clicking here.