You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001 . Neither will I. I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK..I am ready to go.' I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night. I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said. 'Of course I will show you the way home -only believe in Me now.' I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered. I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them. I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me? I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor. Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; 'Come to Me.. this way... take my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there. I did not place You in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me? Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are 'ready to go.' I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it.??Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana.??As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all the other monkeys with cold water.??After a while another monkey makes the attempt with the same result; all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water.??Pretty soon when a monkey tries to climb the stairs the other monkeys will try to prevent it.??Now, put the cold water away.??Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.??The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs.??To his shock, all the other monkeys attack him.??After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted.??Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one.??The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked.??The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.??Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth.?Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs he is attacked.??Most of the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.??After replacing all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water.??Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana.??Why not???Because as far as they know, that is the way it has always been done around here; and that, my fellow monkeys, is how Congress operates.? ?We need to REPLACE all the original monkeys this November

"WE NOTICED" President Obama: Today I read of your administrations' plan to re-define September 11 as a National Service Day. Sir, it's time we had a talk. During your campaign, Americans watched as you made mockery of our tradition of standing and crossing your heart when the Pledge of Allegiance was spoken. You, out of four people on the stage, were the only one not honoring our tradition. YES, "We noticed." During one of your many speeches, Americans heard you say that you intended to visit all 57 states. We all know that Islam, not America has 57 states. YES, "We noticed." When President Bush leaned over at Ground Zero and gently placed a flower on the memorial, while you nonchalantly tossed your flower onto the pile without leaning over. YES, "We noticed." Every time you apologized to other countries for America 's position on an issue we have wondered why you don't share our pride in this great country. When you have heard foreign leaders berate our country and our beliefs, you have not defended us. In fact, you insulted the British Crown beyond belief. YES, "We noticed." When your pastor of 20 years, "God-damned America " and said that 9/11 was " America 's chickens coming home to roost" and you denied having heard recriminations of that nature, we wondered how that could be. You later disassociated yourself from that church and Pastor Wright because it was politically expedient to do so. YES, "We noticed." When you announced that you would transform America , we wondered why. With all her faults, America is the greatest country on earth. Sir, KEEP THIS IN MIND, "if not for America and the people who built her, you wouldn't be sitting in the White House now." Prior to your election to the highest office in this Country, you were a senator from Illinois and from what we can glean from the records available, not a very remarkable one. YES, "We noticed." All through your campaign and even now, you have surrounded yourself with individuals who are basically unqualified for the positions for which you appointed them. Worse than that, the majority of them are people who, like you, bear no special allegiance, respect, or affection for this country and her traditions. YES, "We noticed." You are 14 months into your term and every morning millions of Americans wake up to a new horror heaped on us by you. You seek to saddle working Americans with a health care/insurance reform package that, along with cap and trade, will bankrupt this nation. YES, "We noticed." We seek, by protesting, to let our representatives know that we are not in favor of these crippling expenditures and we are labeled "un-American","racist", "mob". We wonder how we are supposed to let you know how frustrated we are. You have attempted to make our protests seem isolated and insignificant. Until your appointment, Americans had the right to speak out. YES, "We noticed." On September 11, 2001 there were no Republicans or Democrats, only Americans. And we all grieved together and helped each other in whatever way we could. The attack on 9/11 was carried out because we are Americans. And YES, "We noticed." There were many of us who prayed that as a black president you could help unite this nation. In six months you have done more to destroy this nation than the attack on 9/11. You have failed us. YES, "We noticed." September 11 is a day of remembrance for all Americans. You propose to make 9/11 a "National Service Day".. While we know that you don't share our reverence for 9/11, we pray that history will report your proposal as what it is, a disgrace. YES, "We noticed." You have made a mockery of our Constitution and the office that you hold. You have embarrassed and slighted us in foreign visits and policy. YES, "We noticed." We have noticed all these things. We will deal with you. When Americans come together again, it will be to remove you from office. Take notice.

IS IT JUST ME, OR IS THERE SOMETHING NICE ABOUT A RELIGION THAT DOESN'T CALL FOR THE ANNIHILATION OF ALL OTHER RELIGIONS. ON A RECENT "BEACH" VACATION, 'NEW LIFE' CHURCH FROM BRUNSWICK HAD A TREASURE HUNT FOR THE KIDS. 'WORLD LIGHT' , 'LIFES CROWN' , 'BAPTISM', AND CLEANSING OF SINS WERE SOME OF THE STATIONS THE CHILDREN ATTENDED ON THEIR WAY TO THE TREASURE OF A HOTDOG AND POOL PASS. THERE WERE NO STATIONS FOR JIHAD, SUICIDE BOMBING, OR TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE JEWISH STATE. IN THIS LAND OF FREEDOM, AND FREEDOM OF RELIGION IS PART OF THIS LAND, I PONDER THE PLACE FOR ANY RELIGIOUS PRACTICE INTOLERANT OF ANY AND EVERY OTHER RELIGION. A PARADIEM, IT IS! DURING 2 YEARS IN SAUDI ARABIA, I WITNESSED THE EXTREMES OF A RELIGION BASED IN HATE AND FEAR. MY 2 TOURS OF DUTY IN IRAQ BROUGHT HOME THE DISREGARD FOR LIFE COMMONPLACE IN A COUNTRY TORN BY THE FIGHT BETWEEN SUNNIS AND SHIITES. I FEEL WE SHOULD PERSERVE ON OUR FIGHT AGAINST THE TALIBAN WHO BELIEVE 'ALLAH' APPROVES THE BARTER OF 15 YEAR OLD FEMALES AS IF THEY ARE LIVESTOCK. A MOSQUE AT GROUND ZERO……….. I PROPOSE A LAW THAT THERE CAN BE NO MOSQUE WITHIN THREE THOUSAND MILES OF GROUND ZERO, THAT'S AT LEAST A GOOD START. I PASSED A SIGN TODAY……….. 'CHRISTIANS HAVE OBSERVED THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT FOR FAR TOO LONG.'

Dear Moby: I've enjoyed your morning show for years. I applaud your patriotism and values. However, I do want to respectfully request that you please speak grammatically and use proper tense. This morning you said, "we was" and this should be "we were". I was, you were, she/he was, they were. Although we're in the south it is still incorrect to end a sentence with a preposition. The most commonly abused is the word "at". Where are you at? This should simply be "where are you?" As you are a beloved celebrity and a role model, I hope you will consider this request. Respectfully, Debbie -- Sincerely, Debbie Dorman in Murrayville Dear Debbie, I would like to tell you a couple of things. First I don’t disagree with what you’ve said. You are correct in your assessment, but in my heart of hearts, I don’t give it the importance you do. I’m in the business of communicating. I never claimed it was a grammar class. I will say that I’m grateful for the very kind tone you took in your criticism. Many people that I’ve upset by things I’ve broadcast criticize rudely, and even threateningly on the phone , in emails, and via letters, both typed, and handwritten. I freely hold myself up as a grammatical “bad example” for school children in terms of absolute proper grammar. Teachers can feel free to point to me, and say, “Bless his heart. I’m sure he was raised better.” As long as my intent, patriotism, morality, a respect for authority is conveyed, then I feel I’ve done my job. By the way, my wife is absolutely right there on the same page as you. My mother’s sister, my dear Aunt Sue would say, I knew it would come to this. He’s always been that way. But sweet lady, I’m proud to sit in the studio, and let what I view as important, moral, and hopefully from time to time funny come into kitchens and cars of the radio family. I only pray that my resistance (OK…my stubbornness) doesn’t drive you away, because you’ll always be a welcomed cousin. I is what I be. I be what I is. I am what I am. God bless & Yeah baby, MOBY

Dear God, Please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart and my life, Rmove the have nots that ca nots and the do nots that I have in my mind. Erase the will nots, may nots, might nots that may find a home in my heart. Release me from the could nots would nots and should nots that obstruct my life. And most of all, Dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind, my heart, and my life all of the "Am nots" that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that I am not food enough. Amen

Just to let you know who I am so you won't think I am just some crazy old man that sits around listening to the radio all day. Actually, that is a pretty accurate assesment. I will be 61 this Friday, September 3rd. I am a retired truck driver. My wife of 36 years passed away 2 1/2 years ago from c.o.p.d. I home school a 13 year old grandson. I am on disability. I draw 40% service connected disability from Viet Nam service. I spent 7 years in the Army. May 1967 till Jun 1974. I was with the 101st Airborne Division in a fun little place named Phu Bai. I am 100% disabled from Social Security due to c.o.p.d. I loved those Marlboro's for 40 years. I had a heart attack and triple by-pass in 2004, but went back to work 86 days later because my wife was sick and needed lots of medicine each month. I continued to work unitl May 2008. She passed away Feb 15th 2008. I have diabetes and neuropathy in both feet. Hearing aids for both ears, bi-focal glasses. Arthritis in my back that makes it difficult to get around at times. I get out and go fishing and hunting and live my life as best as I can. People worry about dying, when they should be worrying about living. Anybody can die. It takes no talent or effort. Living is what you have to work at. Put God in your heart and a smile on your face and every morning you wake up alive, smile real big and say "Thank You Jesus for giving me another day!! Please help me to appreciate it and make the most out of itl. I love your show and listen to you each morning. I hope I didn't bore you to death, but just thought I would let you know that, according to Nancy Pelosi, I am a right wing domestic terrorist that clings to God, guns and country. God Bless you for supporting our military as you do. You are a great American. j. w. platt west monroe, la

'Twas the night before elections And all through the town Tempers were flaring Emotions all up and down! I, in my bathrobe With a cat in my lap Had cut off the TV Tired of political crap. When all of a sudden There arose such a noise I peered out of my window Saw Obama and his boys They had come for my wallet They wanted my pay To give to the others Who had not worked a day! He snatched up my money And quick as a wink Jumped back on his bandwagon As I gagged from the stink He then rallied his henchmen Who were pulling his cart I could tell they were out To tear my country apart! ' On Fannie, on Freddie, On Biden and Ayers! On Acorn, On Pelosi' He screamed at the pairs! They took off for his cause And as he flew out of sight I heard him laugh at the nation Who wouldn't stand up and fight! So I leave you to think On this one final note- IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM GET OUT AND VOTE!!!! Amen

I asked God to take away my habit... God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up. I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary. I asked God to grant me patience. God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned. I asked God to give me happiness.. God said, No.. I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you. I asked God to spare me pain. God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me. I asked God to make my spirit grow.. God said, No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful. I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things. I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me. God said... Ahhhh, finally you have the idea..

Submitted by Gunny Lyndon Smith When driving to, from, and through Frankenmuth, Michigan , I'm always intrigued with the many small simple crosses in the front yards of the homes we pass by. Those crosses are a statement of support for Frankenmuth's Christian foundation. Two years ago an atheist living there complained about two crosses on a bridge in town. He requested that they be removed and the town removed them. He then decided that, since he was so successful with that, the city shield should also be changed since it had on it, along with other symbols, a heart with a cross inside signifying the city's Lutheran beginnings. At that point, the residents decided they had had enough. Hundreds of residents made their opinions known by placing small crosses in their front yards. Seeing this quiet but powerful statement from the community, the man removed his complaint. Those simple crosses remain in those front yards today. After passing those crosses for two years, it finally hit me that a small cross in millions of front yards across our country could provide a powerful and inspiring message for all Americans passing them every day. I think it might be time to take this idea across America . We have an administration that says "we are not a Christian nation" and everywhere you look the ACLU and others are trying to remove from our history and current lives any reference to God, prayer, or the fact that our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Our administration can't bring themselves to talk about "radical Muslims or Islamic terrorists" for fear of offending them, but they can talk about Americans "clinging to their guns and their religion", or insinuate that our own military troops coming home from service overseas might turn into terrorists. The majority of Americans are Christians, why are we letting this happen to us? IT'S TIME TO STAND UP AND MAKE A STATEMENT. A SMALL QUIET BUT POWERFUL STATEMENT. IF YOU AGREE, PLACE A SMALL WHITE CROSS IN YOUR FRONT YARD OR GARDEN FOR ALL TO SEE THAT THEY ARE NOT ALONE. It would be a beautiful thing to see crosses all across America .

I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people. I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country. First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, European, Asian, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships. The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity--your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans. If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity, race- and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values -- e pluribus Unum, "from many, one." And this school will be guided by America's values. This includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness. Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic, racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism--an unhealthy preoccupation with the self, while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So, we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interesting in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you. Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America's citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here. It is deplorable that most Americans only speak English -- but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school. Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning's elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. Many people in our society dress more formally for Hollywood events than for church or school. These people have their priorities backward. Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school. Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school's property -- whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. If you can't speak without using the f-word, you can't speak. By obscene language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission. It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene. Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way -- the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago -- by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight. Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will devoted to scaring you about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual harassment or global warming. No more semesters will be devoted to condom wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or primarily a health issue. There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual or not Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately lucky -- to be alive and to be an American.

Friday, August 6, David C. Dolby passed away suddenly in Spirit Lake, Idaho at the age of 64. Childless, Mr. Dolby had lived in virtual seclusion in the town of Barto, PA since the passing of his wife in 1987. Mr. Dolby’s passing went so unnoticed that even his hometown paper didn’t acknowledge it. His passing was announced by an organization to which he belonged. Evidently most felt Mr. Dolby’s death didn’t merit any notice at all and almost nobody gave it a thought. He apparently hadn’t done anything in his life to merit any special attention. Three days later, on Monday, August 9, Steven Slater, a childish, immature, loser who up until that day had pretty much gone unnoticed like David Dolby, threw a temper tantrum on a Jet Blue airplane at John F. Kennedy airport. Since acting like a spoiled 16 year old, he has been featured on every major news network in the country, his face is on the front page of numerous national publications, Facebook pages have been established to “honor” him, and Mr. Slater has been called a “hero” by people we are supposed to believe know what that term means. Only in today’s America, Mr. Slater will, in all likelihood, stretch his 15 minutes of infamy into 30 and end up making an obscene amount of money from, and revered by, some folks in our great nation who believe that Mr. Slater’s parents actually DIDN”T pollute the gene pool. He’ll be given praise he doesn’t deserve and labels he never earned. He apparently has done something that merits this sort of special attention. In the meantime, a funeral service was held at Arlington National Cemetery. There weren’t be any press there and only a handful of mourners who had the privilege to know David Dolby. And there will probably be a few guys there that are fellow members of the organization that announced his passing: the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. A small portion of Dolby's official Medal of Honor citation reads: Although repeatedly under fire at close range from enemy snipers and automatic weapons, Sgt. Dolby directed artillery fire on the enemy and succeeded in silencing several enemy weapons. He remained in his exposed location until his comrades had displaced to more secure positions. His actions of unsurpassed valor during 4 hours of intense combat were a source of inspiration to his entire company, contributed significantly to the success of the overall assault on the enemy position, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. Sgt. Dolby's heroism was in the highest tradition of the U.S. Army But Steve Slater has been called a hero by the American media, and that must be right because we saw it on television.

dear moby, and friends Just wanted to say thanks for being an American citizen who can stand up and speak. I am a father, husband ,and a full time oilfield worker. I have worked hard to get what the government pretty much owns, just with my name on it. i may only be twenty seven but i have the values of someone three times my age. like you im sure it was beat into me from the time i was a child. i stand with my head up and feet on the ground though the government seems to want us settin down i rebel and refuse to quit and fall into that category of being depressed about how om going to make it. its simple to me ill wake up in the mornin go to work,sweat, bleed, and love my family when i get home. after all my wife and kids are all i need. Thanks moby for being the role model most are cowards not you my friend your friend Jerry Kniceley yeah baby

July 21, 2010 6pm There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia. The time for double standards that allow Islamists to behave aggressively toward us while they demand our weakness and submission is over. The proposed "Cordoba House" overlooking the World Trade Center site - where a group of jihadists killed over 3000 Americans and destroyed one of our most famous landmarks - is a test of the timidity, passivity and historic ignorance of American elites. For example, most of them don't understand that "Cordoba House" is a deliberately insulting term. It refers to Cordoba, Spain - the capital of Muslim conquerors who symbolized their victory over the Christian Spaniards by transforming a church there into the world's third-largest mosque complex. Today, some of the Mosque's backers insist this term is being used to "symbolize interfaith cooperation" when, in fact, every Islamist in the world recognizes Cordoba as a symbol of Islamic conquest. It is a sign of their contempt for Americans and their confidence in our historic ignorance that they would deliberately insult us this way. Those Islamists and their apologists who argue for "religious toleration" are arrogantly dishonest. They ignore the fact that more than 100 mosques already exist in New York City. Meanwhile, there are no churches or synagogues in all of Saudi Arabia. In fact no Christian or Jew can even enter Mecca. And they lecture us about tolerance. If the people behind the Cordoba House were serious about religious toleration, they would be imploring the Saudis, as fellow Muslims, to immediately open up Mecca to all and immediately announce their intention to allow non-Muslim houses of worship in the Kingdom. They should be asked by the news media if they would be willing to lead such a campaign. We have not been able to rebuild the World Trade Center in nine years. Now we are being told a 13 story, $100 million megamosque will be built within a year overlooking the site of the most devastating surprise attack in American history. Finally where is the money coming from? The people behind the Cordoba House refuse to reveal all their funding sources. America is experiencing an Islamist cultural-political offensive designed to undermine and destroy our civilization. Sadly, too many of our elites are the willing apologists for those who would destroy them if they could. No mosque. No self deception. No surrender. The time to take a stand is now - at this site, on this issue. If, after hearing this, you agree with it, please tell others. This is the most clearly stated, sensible, and historically accurate statement that I've seen on this issue. Why can't we have a President as intelligent, educated, and patriotic as this former Speaker of the House?

I have a friend who is president of his homeowners association in the Dallas, Texas suburbs. They were having a terrible problem with litter near some of his association's homes. The reason according to my friend is that six very large, luxurious new houses are being built right next to their community. The trash was coming from the Mexican laborers working at the construction sites and included bags from McDonald's, Burger King and 7-11, plus coffee cups, napkins, cigarette butts, coke cans, empty bottles, etc. He went to see the site supervisor and even the general contractor, politely urging them to get their workers not to litter the neighborhood, to no avail. He called the city, county, and police and got no help there either. So here's what his community did. They organized about twenty folks, named themselves The "Inner Neighborhood Services" group, and arranged to go out at lunchtime and "police" the trash themselves. It is what they did while picking up the trash that is so hilarious. They bought navy blue baseball caps and had the initials "INS" embroidered in gold on the caps. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what they hoped people might mistakenly think the letters really stand for... After the Inner Neighborhood Services group's first lunch time pickup detail, with all of them wearing their caps and some carrying cameras, 46 out of the total of 68 construction workers did not show up for work the next morning -- and haven't come back yet. It has been ten days now. The General Contractor, I'm told, is madder than he**, but can't say anything publicly because he could be busted for hiring illegal aliens. My friend and his bunch can't be accused of impersonating federal personnel, because they have the official name of the group recorded in their homeowner association minutes along with a notation about the vote to approve formation of the new subcommittee -- and besides, they informed the INS in advance of their plans, and according to my friend, the INS said basically, "Have at it!" SO, FOLKS, I THINK YOU COULD SAY THAT TEXAS INGENUITY TRIUMPHS AGAIN! Reminder: Don't forget to pay your taxes... 12 million illegal aliens are depending on you. After hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. I'm NOT sorry if this offends anyone because this is OUR COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP. Come through like everyone else. APPLY FIRST - have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past! Think about this: If you don't want to share this for fear of offending someone -- YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM! It is Time for America to Speak up. No wonder California is in such financial trouble! Calling an illegal alien an 'undocumented immigrant' is like calling a drug dealer an 'unlicensed pharmacist.'

Andy Rooney says: (Even if he didn’t say it. It needed to be said, and said loudly!!) I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution. Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire Book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game. But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue. Yes, and this is the United States of America and Canada, countries founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna? If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer. If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer. If I went to a ping pong match in China , I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha. And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit. When in Rome ..... But what about the atheists? Is another argument. What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humour us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer! Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations. Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying. God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well, just sue me. The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we tell that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority doesn't care what they want.

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?' He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.' I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arms, and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life.' True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be. With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there is one that comes along that has an important message. This is one of those. The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have. 'Life isn't about how to survive the storm, But how to dance in the rain

May the Lord open up The windows of heaven And pour you a blessing That you will not have room Enough to receive it all. May the Lord bless You exceedingly and abundantly, Above all you could ever hope for. May the Lord bless you That you may walk in a Financial overflow. May you fall in love with Him For the rest of your days In the Name of Jesus. Amen!

Here is the link to Linda Ellis's Poem Inside Out

There is much being said today about gun control and gun registration. I will start this comment by quoting Thomas Jefferson. He said that free men must be armed and stay armed to stay free. This nation was freed from England by the way of gun. Slavery was defeated by the way of gun. In World War II, the Japanese and Germans were defeated by the gun and now enjoy unlimited freedom. Hussein was defeated by the gun. No tyranny has ever given in without a fight. Thomas Jefferson also said that there would always be those who would usurp your freedom if you were weak and defenseless. Passing any law that curtails your possession of a weapon gives an advantage to the criminals. By making stringent laws for registration, it will wind up making half or more of the population law breakers as most people will not comply ether by their belief in the Constitution or negligence. Sweden and Switzerland were not invaded by Hitler…why? Politics, for several reasons. However, both countries had a citizen military, and there was a weapon assigned to every male of age, plus there was no gun registration for private guns. All the other nations the Germans military had to do was take the list and go to your house to take your gun. If you didn’t have it, you would be arrested or shot. Chilling, isn’t it? And more chilling is the fact that some of our lawmakers would put your name on a national gun law list. This list will be in every law enforcement agency in the nation and many foreign countries. The criminals will have a field day with them. Only the very dumb would believe that they won’t fall in the wrong hands. There are those who would make you believe that guns are evil. People are evil, not guns. It’s the people who misuse guns who should be banned! Hershell Smith From Fitzgerald ga

Having four visiting family members, the wife was very busy, so I offered to go to the store for her to get some needed items, which included light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags, detergent, and Clorox. So off I went. I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies, and headed for the checkout counter, only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man who appeared to be about sixteen-years-old. I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there. This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice, "Mommy, I'm over here" It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged, and also startled as he turned and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said, "Hey Buddy, what's your name?" "My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded proudly. "Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Steve." "Steve, like Stevarino?" he asked. "Yes," I answered. "How old are you Denny?" "How old am I now, Mommy?" he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle.. "You're fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass by." I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles, and school. I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement because he was the center of someone's attention. He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section. Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him, much less talk to him. I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something I have no idea where it came from, other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in God's Garden; however, "Blue Roses" are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a Blue Rose and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God. She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked, "Who are you?" Without thinking I said, "Oh, I'm probably just a dandelion but I sure love living in God's garden." She reached out, squeezed my hand, and said, "God bless you!" and then I had tears in my eyes. May I suggest that the next time you see a BLUE ROSE, don't turn your head and walk off. Take the time to smile and say Hello. Why? Because, by the grace of GOD, this mother or father could be you. This could be your child, grandchild, niece, or nephew. What a difference a moment can mean to that person or their family. From an old dandelion!

On a Saturday afternoon, in Washington, D. C., an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the Bishop of the Catholic cathedral in D.C. He told the Cardinal that Nancy Pelosi would be attending the next day's Mass, and he asked if the Cardinal would kindly point out Pelosi to the congregation and say a few words that would include calling Pelosi a saint. The Cardinal replied, "No. I don't really like the woman, and there are issues of conflict with the Catholic Church over certain of Pelosi's views." Pelosi's aide then said, "Look. I'll write a check here and now for a donation of $100,000 to your church if you'll just tell the congregation you see Pelosi as a saint." The Cardinal thought about it and said, "Well, the church can use the money, so I'll work your request into tomorrow's sermon." As Pelosi's aide promised, House Speaker Pelosi appeared for the Sunday worship and seated herself prominently at the forward left side of the center aisle. As promised, at the start of his sermon, the Cardinal pointed out that Speaker Pelosi was present. The Cardinal went on to explain to the congregation, "While Speaker Pelosi's presence is probably an honor to some, the woman is not numbered among my personal favorite personages. Someof her most egregious views are contrary to tenets of the Church, and she tends to flip-flop on many other issues. Nancy Pelosi is a petty, self-absorbed hypocrite, a thumb sucker, and a nit-wit. Nancy Pelosi is also a serial liar, a cheat, and a thief. I must say, Nancy Pelosi is the worst example of a Catholic I have ever personally witnessed. She married for money and is using her wealth to lie to the American people. She also has a reputation for shirking her Representative obligations both in Washington , and in California. The woman is simply not to be trusted." The Cardinal concluded, "But, when compared with Obama and Senators Harry Reid and Barney Frank, House Speaker Pelosi is a saint."

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.' Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.' Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat... He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. 'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home... It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!' God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not. Thought for the Day: If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring. He sends you a sunrise every morning Face it, friend - He is crazy about you! God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

Dear Moby, My husband, Don, listens to your program every morning and loves your show. One day you talked about crochet becoming a dying art. He requested I make a pair of booties and doily for you. You are correct in saying that crocheting is a dying art form. I do not know a single person who crochets with thread. My mother began making the baby booties over 58 years ago when she was pregnant with my brother. The booties became sort of a ministry for her as she prayed over each pair, asking that God bless the baby that wore them. At the moment she didn’t know who the booties would go to. Her booties have been sent all over the world and especially to women who wanted to get pregnant and were having some difficulties. Mom died on June 7, 2010 and dad followed shortly after on June 21. I wanted to continue her legacy of crocheting the delicate booties. I suppose you could say she passed the mantel to me. I hope that you and your wife enjoy the doily as much as I enjoy doing the handwork. I pray the booties bless some sweet baby. Please continue to speak out for our wonderful nation and our dedicated soldiers. God Bless, Don and Barbara White

When Obama wrote a book and said he was mentored as a youth by Frank, (Frank Marshall Davis) an avowed Communist, people said it didn't matter. When it was discovered that his grandparents, were strong socialists who sent Obama's mother to a socialist school where she was introduced to Frank Marshall Davis. He was later introduced to young Barrack Hussein Obama People said it didn't matter. When people found out that Barrack Hussein Obama was enrolled as a Muslim child in school and his father and stepfather were both Muslims, people said it didn't matter. When he wrote in another book he authored "I will stand with them (Muslims) should the political winds shift in an ugly direction" people said it didn't matter. When he admittedly, in his book, said he chose Marxist friends and professors in college-- people said it didn't matter. When he traveled to Pakistan , after college on an unknown national passport, people said it didn't matter. When he sought the endorsement of the Marxist Party in 1996 as he ran for the Illinois Senate, people said it doesn't matter. When he sat in a Chicago Church for twenty years and listened to a preacher spew hatred for America and preach black liberation theology, people said it didn't matter. When an independent Washington organization, that tracks Senate voting records, gave him the distinctive title as the "most liberal senator," people said it didn't matter. When the Palestinians in Gaza set up a fund raising telethon to raise money for his election campaign, people said it didn't matter. When his voting record supported gun control, people said it didn't matter. When he refused to disclose who donated money to his election campaign, as other candidates had done, people said it didn't matter. When he received endorsements from people like Louis Farrakhan and Mummar Kadaffi and Hugo Chavez, people said it didn't matter. When it was pointed out that he was a total newcomer and had absolutely no experience at anything except community organizing, people said it didn't matter. When he chose friends and acquaintances such as Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn who were revolutionary radicals, people said it didn't matter. When his voting record in the Illinois senate and in the U.S. Senate came into question, people said it didn't matter. When he refused to wear a flag, lapel pin, and did so only after a public outcry, people said it didn't matter. When people started treating him as a Messiah and children in schools were taught to sing his praises, people said it didn't matter. When he stood with his hands over his groin area for the playing of the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance, people said it didn't matter. When he surrounded himself in the White house with advisors who were pro-gun control, pro- abortion, pro-homosexual marriage and wanting to curtail freedom of speech to silence the opposition people said it didn't matter.. When he said he favors sex education in Kindergarten, including homosexual indoctrination, people said it didn't matter. When his personal background was either scrubbed or hidden and nothing could be found about him, people said it didn't matter. When the place of his birth was called into question, and he refused to produce a birth certificate, people said it didn't matter. When he had an association in Chicago with Tony Rezco--a man of questionable character and who is now in prison and had helped Obama to a sweet deal on the purchase of his home-- people said it didn't matter. When it became known that George Soros, a multi-billionaire Marxist, spent a ton of money to get him elected, people said it didn't matter. When he started appointing White House Czars that were radicals, revolutionaries, and even avowed Marxist/Communist, people said it didn't matter. When he stood before the Nation and told us that his intentions were to "fundamentally transform this Nation" into something else, people said it didn't matter. When it became known that he had trained ACORN workers in Chicago and served as an attorney for ACORN, people said it didn't matter. When he appointed cabinet members and several advisors who were tax cheats and socialists, people said it didn't matter. When he appointed a Science Czar, John Holdren, who believes in forced abortions, mass sterilizations and seizing babies from teen mothers, people said it didn't matter. When he appointed Cass Sunstein as Regulatory Czar who believes in "Explicit Consent," harvesting human organs without family consent, and allowing animals to be represented in court, while banning all hunting, people said it didn't matter. When he appointed Kevin Jennings, a homosexual, and organizer of a group called gay, lesbian, straight, education network as Safe School Czar and it became known that he had a history of bad advice to teenagers, people said it didn't matter. When he appointed Mark Lloyd, as Diversity Czar, who believes in curtailing free speech; taking from one and giving to another to spread the wealth; who supports Hugo Chavez, people said it didn't matter. When Valerie Jarrett was selected as Obama's Senior White House Advisor and she is an avowed Socialist, people said it didn't matter. When Anita Dunn, White House Communications Director said Mao Tse Tung was her favorite philosopher- - and the person she turned to most for inspiration, people said it didn't matter. When he appointed Carol Browner as Global Warming Czar, and her being a well known socialist working on Cap and trade as the nations largest tax, people said it doesn't matter. When he appointed Van Jones, an ex-con and avowed Communist as Green Energy Czar, who since had to resign when this was made known, people said it didn't matter. When Tom Daschle, Obama's pick for health and human services secretary could not be confirmed, because he was a tax cheat, people said it didn't matter.. When as President of the United States , he bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia , people said it didn't matter. When he traveled around the world criticizing America and never once talking of her greatness, people said it didn't matter. When his actions concerning the Middle-East seemed to support the Palestinians over Israel , our long time ally, people said it doesn't matter. When he took American tax dollars to resettle thousands of Palestinians from Gaza to the United States , people said it doesn't matter. When he upset the Europeans by removing plans for a missile defense system against the Russians, people said it doesn't matter. When he played politics in Afghanistan by not sending troops early-on when the Field Commanders said they were necessary to win, people said it didn't matter. When he started spending us into a debt that was so big we could not pay it off, people said it didn't matter. When he took a huge spending bill under the guise of stimulus and used it to pay off organizations, unions, and individuals that got him elected, people said it didn't matter. When he took over insurance companies, car companies, banks, etc., people said it didn't matter. When he took away student loans from the banks and put it through the government, people said it didn't matter. When he designed plans to take over the health care system and put it under government control, people said it didn't matter. When he claimed he was a Christian during the election and tapes were later made public that showed Obama speaking to a Muslim group and 'stating' that he was raised a Muslim; was educated as a Muslim; and that he is still a Muslim-- people said it didn't matter. When he set into motion a plan to take over the control of all energy in the United States through Cap and Trade, people said it didn't matter. When he finally completed his transformation of America into a Socialist State, people finally woke up--- but it was too late.

Moby, I've had a couple of people come up to me recently to ask me if I've heard your recent opinions on babies nursing in public. I also understand you've found a tune to help further your cause. Moby, your words influence too many people to be putting negative stuff like that out there. Do you realize that some may choose not to nurse their babies at all bc of fear of how people like you might react. Does it really mean that much to you to contribute in denying children their GOD GIVEN RIGHT? Every year, babies in the US alone die from complications of formula feeding. When a woman nurses her baby she is potentially extending not only her baby's life, but her own. These are research-based facts. I don't listen to you on the radio but I used to. So, I'm not likely to hear any response you voice on the air. I am a lactation professional and work 40+ hours a week educating, promoting and supporting breastfeeding for the state of Georgia. Come on, Moby! How about a little healthy debate. Liane C. Varnes, CLC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor No need for a debate on it, Liane. You & I both agree that children must be nourished, as well as tenderly nurtured. Certainly, breast feeding is a natural process. However, there are many, many “natural” things we shouldn’t do in public. Like you, I encourage new mothers to breast feed their gifts from God, but I believe they should excuse themselves from view prior to the process. Even though you choose not to listen to me or my show, I sincerely thank you for contributing to a simple “Small Town Soap Box.” I’m sure those you know that DO listen, can tell you what THAT is. God bless you & your family. Yeah baby, MOBY ==============================================================================Thanks for the cordial response. However, Moby, you must understand that this particular issue is a huge barrier to getting the nourishment and nurturing babies deserve. Just for a minute, put yourself in a young mom's place. If you had to go "hide behind the door" every time your baby nursed, how long do you think you'd keep it up? (As long as I continued to love my baby, I’d keep it up, I suspect.) Imagine, friends over to watch a movie or play games -- baby wants to nurse -- everyone has to either sit and wait for mom to return (You’d be at home. Feed your baby when it’s hungry it any manner you choose.) Or, maybe mom is out to eat with friends, or at the movies. Same, same. (This is where we don’t agree. It’s not the same.) I could go on, Moby, but you must see that expecting women to hide while they are doing something that they should be darned proud of oppresses them. It's back to being barefoot and pregnant. Come on, Moby! Open up and give a little. This has nothing to do with being "natural." It has to do with being NORMAL. Now, if it makes you uncomfortable to know that a woman is nursing in public -- is it bc it is hard for you to not look and that is the issue? I can understand that. But, I hold that the more we treat this as normal the less it will make people uncomfortable. God Bless You, Moby. But, with all due respect, you need to reconsider this. Liane C. Varnes, CLC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (I’ll give in on this. But if they’re gonna do it in the food court, I’m probably gonna look.)

Here is the link to this morning's Small Town Soapbox by Linda Ellis. Her Turn

I went to the Lord’s clinic to have my routine check-up, and confirmed I was ill. Jesus took my blood pressure and He saw I was low on tenderness. When He took my temperature, the thermometer registered 40 degrees of anxiety. He ran an electrocardiogram, and found that I needed several “Love bypasses” since my arteries were blocked by loneliness, and could not provide for an empty heart. I went to Orthopedics, because I could not walk by my brother’s side, and I could not hug my friends, since I had fractured myself when tripping with envy. He also found I was short-sighted since I could not see beyond the shortcomings of my brothers & sisters. When I complained about deafness, the diagnosis was that I had stopped listening to Jesus’ voice talking to me on a daily basis. For all that, Jesus gave me a free consultation thanks to his mercifulness. So, my pledge is, once I leave this clinic, to only take the natural remedies He prescribed through His words of truth: Every morning take a glassful of gratitude. When getting to work, take one spoonful of peace. Every hour, take one pill of patience, one cup of brotherhood, and one glass of humility. When getting home, take one dose of love. When going to bed, take two caplets of clear conscience. Do not give into sadness or desperation for what you’re going through today. God knows how you feel… God knows exactly and with perfection, what is being allowed to happen in your life at this precise moment. God’s purpose for you is simply perfect. He wants to show you things that only you can understand by living what you are living, and by being in the place you are in now. May God give you….. For every storm, a rainbow. For every tear, a smile. For every care a promise. And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet sweet song. And an answer for every prayer.

God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael, the archangel, found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired, "Where have you been?" God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made." Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?" "It's a planet," replied God, and I've put life on it... I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance." "Balance?" inquired Michael, "I'm still confused." God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people.. Balance in all things. God continued pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice." The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?" "That's Virginia, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and plains. The people from Virginia are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of good things" Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance..." God smiled, "Right next to Virginia is Washington , DC . Wait till you see the idiots I put there."

A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinkin’. He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway. I told him right off he was crazy. He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes, his car, his hands, and by the way he talked. He said he was driving by, and saw that beautiful old barn sittin’ out in the tall grass, and he wanted to know if it was for sale. I told him, he had a funny idea of beauty. Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But since then, there’s been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind. The summer sun’s beat down on that old barn till all the paint’s gone, and the wood has turned silver-gray. Now that ol’ barn leans a good deal, looking kind of tired and weak, yet this stranger called that ol’ barn beautiful. That set me to thinkin’. I walked out in the field and just stood there gazin’ at that old barn. That stranger said he was gonna use the lumber from the barn to line the walls of his den in a new country home he was building down the road. He said money couldn’t buy paint that beautiful. Only year after year of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and scorching sun could make that beautiful barn wood. That’s when it came to me that we’re a lot like that old barn, you & I. Except it’s on the inside of us that the real beauty grows. Soon, we turn silver gray, too. And we lean a bit more than we did when we were young and full of sap. But the good Lord knows what he’s doin. He always has. And as the years have passed, He’s been busy using the hard weather of our lives, the dry spells and the stormy seasons to beautify our souls like nothing else can possibly do. Think how often folks holler that they’d like life to be easy. Some folks came and took the old barn down this week and hauled it away to beautify a wealthy man’s house. I reckon one day, you & I will be hauled off to Heaven to take on whatever chores the good Lord has for us in that land of glory. And I’d suspect we’ll be more beautiful for the seasons we’ve been through here. Just maybe, we’ll add a bit of beauty to our Father’s house. May there be peace within you today. May you learn to trust in God that you are exactly where you’re meant to be. I do thank God in Heaven for my wonderful family & friends that love and care for me even though I show signs of weathering. Have a blessed day. That’s this morning’s Small Town Soap Box.

Several centuries ago, the Pope decreed that all the Jews had to convert to Catholicism or leave Italy . There was a huge outcry from the Jewish community, so the Pope offered a deal. He'd have a religious debate with the leader of the Jewish community. If the Jews won, they could stay in Italy ; if the Pope won, they'd have to convert or leave. The Jewish people met and picked an aged and wise rabbi to represent them in the debate. However, as the rabbi spoke no Italian, and the Pope spoke no Yiddish, they agreed that it would be a 'silent' debate. On the chosen day the Pope and rabbi sat opposite each other. The Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. The rabbi looked back and raised one finger. Next, the Pope waved his finger around his head. The rabbi pointed to the ground where he sat. The Pope brought out a communion wafer and a chalice of wine. The rabbi pulled out an apple. With that, the Pope stood up and declared himself beaten and said that the rabbi was too clever. The Jews could stay in Italy . Later the cardinals met with the Pope and asked him what had happened. The Pope said, 'First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up a single finger to remind me there is still only one God common to both our beliefs. 'Then, I waved my finger around my head to show him that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground to show that God was also right here with us. 'I pulled out the wine and wafer to show that God absolves us of all our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of the original sin. 'He bested me at every move and I could not continue.' Meanwhile, the Jewish community gathered to ask the rabbi how he'd won. 'I haven't a clue' the rabbi said. 'First, he told me that we had three days to get out of Italy , so I gave him the finger. 'Then he tells me that the whole country would be cleared of Jews and I told him that we were staying right here.' 'And then what?' asked a woman. 'Who knows?' said the rabbi. 'He took out his lunch so I took out mine.

We are worried about 'the cow' when it is all about the 'Ice Cream.' The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching third grade this year... The presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest. I decided we would have an election for a class president. We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote. To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members. We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have. We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot. The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids. I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support. I had never seen Olivia's mother. The day arrived when they were to make their speeches. Jamie went first. He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best. Everyone applauded and he sat down. Now is was Olivia's turn to speak. Her speech was concise. She said, "If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream." She sat down. The class went wild. "Yes! Yes! We want ice cream." She surely would say more. She did not have to. A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? She wasn't sure. Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it... She didn't know. The class really didn't care. All they were thinking about was ice cream... Jamie was forgotten.. Olivia won by a landslide. Every time Barack Obama opened his mouth he offered ice cream and 52 percent of the people reacted like nine year olds. They want ice cream. The other 48 percent know they're going to have to feed the cow and clean up the mess." Remember, the government cannot give anything to anyone -- that they have not first taken away from someone else. Did you vote for the ice cream?

Barack Obama is the best thing that has happened to America in the last 100 years. Truly, he is the savior of America 's future. He is the best thing ever. History will see Barack Obama as the source of America 's resurrection. Barack Obama has plunged the country into levels of debt that we could not have previously imagined; his efforts to nationalize health care have been met with fierce resistance nationwide; TARP bailouts and stimulus spending have shown little positive effect on the national economy; unemployment is unacceptably high and looks to remain that way for most of a decade; legacy entitlement programs have ballooned to unsustainable levels, and there is a seething anger in the populace. That's why Barack Obama is such a good thing for America . Obama is the symbol of a creeping liberalism that has infected our society like a cancer for the last 100 years. Just as Hitler is the face of fascism, Obama will go down in history as the face of unchecked liberalism. Average Americans who have quietly gone about their lives, earning a paycheck, contributing to their favorite charities, going to high school football games on Friday night, spending their weekends at the beach or on hunting trips - they've gotten off the fence. They've woken up. There is a level of political activism in this country that we haven't seen since the American Revolution, and Barack Obama has been the catalyst that has sparked a restructuring of the American political and social consciousness. Think of the crap we've slowly learned to tolerate over the past 50 years as liberalism sought to re-structure the America that was the symbol of freedom and liberty to all the people of the world. Immigration laws were ignored on the basis of compassion. Welfare policies encouraged irresponsibility, the fracturing of families, and a cycle of generations of dependency. Debt was regarded as a tonic to lubricate the economy. Our children left school having been taught that they are exceptional and special, while great numbers of them cannot perform basic functions of mathematics and literacy. Legislators decided that people could not be trusted to defend their own homes, and stripped citizens of their rights to own firearms. Productive members of society have been penalized with a heavy burden of taxes in order to support legions of do-nothings who loll around, reveling in their addictions, obesity, ignorance and "disabilities." Criminals have been arrested and re-arrested, coddled and set free to pillage the citizenry yet again. Lawyers routinely extort fortunes from doctors, contractors and business people with dubious torts. We slowly learned to tolerate these outrages, shaking our heads in disbelief, and we went on with our lives. Barack Obama has ripped the lid off a seething cauldron of dissatisfaction and unrest. A former Communist is given a paid government position in the White House as an advisor to the president. Auto companies are taken over by the government, and the auto workers' union - whose contracts are completely insupportable in any economic sense - is rewarded with a stake in the company. Government bails out Wall Street investment bankers and insurance companies, who pay their executives outrageous bonuses as thanks for the public support. Terrorists are read their Miranda rights and given free lawyers. And, despite overwhelming public disapproval, Barack Obama has pushed forward with a health care plan that would re-structure one-sixth of the American economy. Literally millions of Americans have had enough. They're organizing, they're studying the Constitution and the Federalist Papers, they're reading history and case law, they're showing up at rallies and meetings, and a slew of conservative candidates are throwing their hats into the ring. Is there a revolution brewing? Yes, in the sense that there is a keen awareness that our priorities and sensibilities must be radically re-structured. Will it be a violent revolution? No. It will be done through the interpretation of the original document that has guided us for 220 years - the Constitution. Just as the pendulum swung to embrace political correctness and liberalism, there will be a backlash, a complete repudiation of a hundred years of nonsense. A hundred years from now, history will perceive the year 2010 as the time when America got back on the right track. And for that, we can thank Barack Hussein Obama.

Clutching their Kohl's shopping bags, Ellen and Kay woefully gazed down at a dead cat in the mall parking lot. Obviously a recent hit because there were no flies and no smell. "What business could that poor kitty have had here?" murmured Ellen. "Come on, Ellen, let's just go". But Ellen had already grabbed her shopping bag and was explaining, "I'll just put my things in your bag, and then I'll use this tissue to at least get it off the parking lot." She dumped her purchases into Kay's bag and then used the tissue paper to cradle and lower the former feline into her own Kohl's bag and cover it. They continued the short trek to the car in silence, stashing their goods in the trunk. But it occurred to both of them that if they left Ellen's burial bag in the trunk, warmed by the Texas sunshine while they ate, Kay's Lumina would soon lose that new-car smell. They decided to leave the bag on top of the trunk, and they headed over to K & W Cafeteria. They went through the serving line and sat down at a window table. They had a view of Kay's Chevy with the Kohl's bag still on the trunk. BUT not for long! As they ate, they noticed a big woman in a red gingham shirt stroll by their car. She looked quickly this way and that, and then took the Kohl's bag without breaking stride. She quickly walked out of their line of vision. Kay and Ellen shot each other a wide-eyed look of amazement. It all happened so fast that neither of them could think how to respond. "Can you imagine?" finally sputtered Ellen. "The nerve of that woman!' Kay sympathized with Ellen, but inwardly a laugh was building as she thought about the grand surprise awaiting the female thief. Just when she thought she'd have to giggle into her napkin, she noticed Ellen's eyes freeze in the direction of the serving line. Following her gaze, Kay recognized the big woman in the red gingham shirt with the Kohl's bag hanging from her arm. She was brazenly pushing her tray toward the cashier. Helplessly they watched the scene unfold: After leaving the register, the woman settled at a table across from theirs, put the bag on an empty chair and began to eat. After a few bites of baked whitefish and green beans, she casually lifted the bag into her lap to survey her treasure. Looking from side to side, but not far enough to notice her rapt audience three tables over, she pulled out the tissue paper and peered into the bag. Her eyes widened, and she began to make a sort of gasping noise. The noise grew. The bag slid from her lap as she sank to the floor, wheezing and clutching her upper chest. The beverage cart attendant quickly recognized a customer in trouble and sent the busboy to call 911, while she administered the Heimlich maneuver. A crowd quickly gathered that did not include Ellen and Kay, who remained riveted to their chairs for seven whole minutes until the ambulance arrived. In a matter of minutes, the big woman with the red gingham shirt emerged, still gasping, and securely strapped on a gurney. Two well-trained EMT volunteers steered her to the waiting ambulance, while a third scooped up her belongings. The last they saw of the distressed cat-burglar was as she disappeared behind the ambulance doors................the Kohl's bag perched on her stomach!! God does take care of those who do bad things! AND once in a while... He allows us to witness!

Well, boys and girls, today while we are letting the fox guard the hen house, the wolves will be herding the sheep! Obama appoints two devout Muslims to Homeland Security posts. Doesn't this make you feel safer already? Obama and Janet Napolitano appointed Arif Alikhan, a devout Muslim as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano swore-in Kareem Shora, a devout Muslim, who was born in Damascus, Syria as ADC (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee) National Executive Director as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC). NOTE: Has anyone ever heard a new government official being identified as a devout Catholic, a devout Jew or a devout Protestant...? Just wondering. Devout Muslims being appointed to critical Homeland Security positions? Doesn't this make you feel safer already?? How can one pledge Allegiance to the Nation of Islam and to the United States at the same time? The Nation of Islam forbids that! That should make our homeland much safer, huh!! Was it not "Devout Muslim men" that flew planes into U.S. buildings 8 years ago? Was it not a Devout Muslim who killed 13 at Fort Hood ? SWEET DREAMS!!

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor". So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinners together. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when you get old." The four year old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

AMERICA NEEDS TO WAKE UP! In case you missed it, World War III began in November 1979 Our war on terrorism (or WW III) didn't start on 9-11-2001. I know that's what we hear and think when we talk about what happened on that day (when more than 3,000 Americans were killed) -- and maybe it was. But I think that day should be more of a "GET OUT OF BED" final warning. In fact, the alarm clock has been buzzing since 1979 and we have continued to hit the snooze button and roll over for a few more minutes of peaceful sleep. It was a cool fall day in November 1979 in a country going through a religious and political upheaval when a group of Iranian students attacked and seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This seizure was an outright attack on American soil; it was an attack that held the world's most powerful country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. The attack on this sovereign U.S. Embassy set the stage for events to follow for the next 25 years. America was still reeling from the aftermath of the Vietnam experience and had a serious threat from the Soviet Union when , then President Carter, had to do something. He chose to conduct a clandestine raid in the desert. The ill-fated mission ended in ruin, but stood as a symbol of America's INABILITY to deal with terrorism. America's military had been decimated and down sized since the end of the Vietnam War. A poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly organized military was called on to execute a complex mission that was doomed from the start. Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans began to be kidnapped and killed throughout the Middle East. America could do little to protect her citizens living and working abroad. The attacks against US soil continued. In April of 1983 a large vehicle packed with high explosives was driven into the US Embassy compound in Beirut. When it explodes, it kills 63 people. The alarm went off again and America hit the Snooze Button once more. Then only six short months later in 1983 a large truck heavily laden down with over 25,000 pounds of TNT smashed through the main gate of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut and 241 US servicemen are killed. America mourns her dead and hit the Snooze Button once more. Two months later in December 1983, another truck loaded with explosives is driven into the US Embassy in Kuwait, and America chose to continue her slumber! The following year, in September 1984, another van was driven into the gate of the US Embassy in Beirut while America slept. Soon the terrorism spreads to Europe. In April 1985 a bomb explodes in a restaurant frequented by US soldiers in Madrid. Then in August 1985 a Volkswagen loaded with explosives is driven into the main gate of the US Air Force Base at Rheine-Main, 22 are killed and the snooze alarm is buzzing louder and louder as US interests are continually attacked. Fifty-nine days later in 1985 a cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, is hijacked and we watched as an American in a wheelchair is singled out of the passenger list and executed. The terrorists then shift their tactics to bombing civilian airliners when they bomb TWA Flight 840 in April of 1986 that killed 4 and the most tragic bombing, Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie Scotland in 1988, killing 259. The terrorists decide to bring the fight to America. In January 1993, two CIA agents are shot and killed as they enter CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The following month, February 1993, a group of terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed with explosives is driven into the under-ground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. Six people are killed and over 1000 are injured. Still this is considered a crime and not an act of war! The snooze alarm is depressed again. Then in November 1995 a car bomb explodes at a US military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven service men and women. A few months later in June of 1996, another truck bomb explodes only 35 yards from the US military compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It destroys the Khobar Towers, a US Air Force barracks, killing 19 and injuring over 500. The terrorists are getting braver and smarter as they see that America does NOT respond decisively. They move to coordinate their attacks in a simultaneous attack on two US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. These attacks were planned with precision. They kill 224. America responds with cruise missile attacks and goes back to sleep. The USS Cole was docked in the port of Aden, Yemen for refueling on 12 October 2000, when a small craft pulled alongside the ship and exploded killing 17 US Navy Sailors. Attacking a US War Ship is an act of war, but we sent the FBI to investigate the crime and went back to sleep! And of course you know the events of 11 September 2001. Most Americans think this was the first attack against US soil or in America. How wrong they are. America has been under a constant attack since 1979 and we chose to hit the snooze alarm and roll over and go back to sleep. In the news lately we have seen lots of finger pointing from every high official in government over what they knew and what they didn't know. But if you've read the papers and paid a little attention I think you can see exactly what they knew. You don't have to be in the FBI or CIA or on the National Security Council to see the pattern that has been developing since 1979. I think we have been in a war for the past 25 years and it will continue until we as a people decide "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH". America needs to 'Get out of Bed' and act decisively now. America has been changed forever. We have to be ready to pay the price and make the sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues. We cannot afford to keep hitting the snooze button again and again and roll over and go back to sleep. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto said, ".... it seems all we have done is awakened a sleeping giant". This is the message we need to disseminate to terrorists around the world. This is not a political thing to be hashed over in an election year, this is an AMERICAN thing. This is about our Freedom and the Freedom of our children in years to come.

Dear President Obama: I’m planning to move my family and extended family into Mexico for my health, and I would like to ask you to assist me. We’re planning to simply walk across the border from the US into Mexico, and we’ll need your help to make a few arrangements. We plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I’m sure they handle those things the same way you do here. So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Calderon, that I’m on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following: 1. Free medical care for my entire family. 2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not. 3. Please print all Mexican Government forms in English. 4. I want my grandkids to be taught Spanish by English-speaking (bi-lingual) teachers. 5. Tell their schools they need to include classes on American culture and history. 6. I want my grandkids to see the American Flag on one of the flag poles at their school. 7. Please plan to feed my grandkids at school for both breakfast and lunch. 8. I will need a local Mexican driver’s license so I can get easy access to government services. 9. I do plan to get a car and drive in Mexico, but I don’t plan to purchase car insurance, and I probably won’t make any special effort to learn local traffic laws. 10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from their president to leave me alone, please be sure that every patrol car has at least one English-speaking officer. 11. I plan to fly the US flag from my housetop, put US flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I don not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals. 12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, or have tax laws enforced on any business I may start. 13. Please have the president tell all the Mexican people to be extremely nice and never say critical things about me or my family, or about the strain we might place on their economy. 14. I want to receive free food stamps. 15. Naturally, I’ll expect free rent subsidies. 16. I’ll need income tax credits so that although I don’t pay Mexican taxes, I’ll receive money from the government. 17. Please arrange it so that the Mexican Government pays $4,500.00 to help me buy a new car. 18. Oh yes, I almost forgot, please enroll me free into the Mexican Social Security program so that I’ll get a monthly in retirement. I know this is an easy request because the US already does all these things for all his people who walk over to the US from Mexico. I am sure that President Calderon won’t mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely. Thank you so much for your kind help. AN AMERICAN TAXPAYER

Let me tell you, Jesse hated his job. And you would too, I imagine, if you had to do it. Jesse was a chicken plucker. That’s right. He stood on a line in a chicken factory AND spent his days pulling the feathers off dead chickens so the rest of us wouldn’t have to. It wasn’t much of a job. But at the time, Jesse didn’t think he was much of a person. His father was a brute of a man. His dad was actually thought to be mentally ill and treated Jesse rough all of his life. Jesse’s older brother wasn’t much better. He was always picking on Jesse and beating him up. Yes, Jesse grew up in a very rough home in West Virginia. Life was anything but easy. And he thought life didn’t hold much hope for him. That’s why he was standing in this chicken line doing a job that few people wanted. In addition to all the rough treatment at home, it seems that Jesse was always sick. Sometimes it was real physical illness, but way too often it was in his head. He was a small child, skinny and meek. That sure didn’t help the situation any. When he started to school, he was the object of every bully on the playground. He was a hypochondriac of the first order. For Jesse, tomorrow was not something to be looked forward to. But, he had dreams. He wanted to be a ventriloquist. He found books on ventriloquism. He practiced with sock puppets and saved his hard earned dollars until he could get a real ventriloquist dummy. When he got old enough, he joined the military. And even though many of his hypochondriac symptoms, the military did recognize his talents and put him in the entertainment corp. That was when his world changed. He gained confidence. He found that he had a talent for making people laugh, and laugh so hard they often had tears in their eyes. Yes, little Jess had found himself. You know, folks, the history books are full of people who overcame a Handicap to go on and make a success of themselves, but Jesse is one of the few I know of who didn’t overcome it. Instead he used his paranoia to make a million dollars, and become one of the best-loved characters of all time in doing it! Yes, that little paranoid hypochondriac, who transferred his nervousness into a successful career, Still holds the record for the most Emmy’s given in a single category. The wonderful, gifted, talented, and nervous comedian who brought us Barney Fife WAS Jesse Don Knotts As Paul Harvey would say, “Now you Know the Rest of the Story!”

Editor, Has America become the land of the special interest and home of the double standard? Let’s see: if we lie to the Congress, it’s a felony and if the congress lies to us it’s just politics; if we dislike a black person, we’re racist and if a black dislikes whites, it’s their 1st Amendment right; the government spends millions to habilitate criminals and they almost nothing for the victim; in public schools you can teach kids that homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word God in the process; you can kill an unborn child, but it’s wrong to execute a mass murderer; we don’t burn books in America, we now re-write them; we got rid of the communist and socialist threat by renaming them progressives; we are unable to close our border with Mexico but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea; if you protest against President Obama’s policies you’re a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your 1st amendment right. You can have pornography on TV or the Internet, but you better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas; we have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called sick people; we can use a human fetus for medical research, but it’s wrong to use an animal. We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don’t want to work; we all support the constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology; we still have freedom of speech, but only if we are politically correct; parenting has been replace with Ritalin and video games; the land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs; the similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf coast oil spill is that neither president did anything to help. And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who’s at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes; then tells us the issue is resolved so they can get back to their reelection campaign. What has happened to the land of the free and the home of the brave? -Ken Huber Tawas City, Michigan

PHOENIX – The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona's new law targeting illegal immigrants, setting the stage for a clash between the federal government and the state over the nation's toughest immigration crackdown. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix argues that Arizona's law requiring state and local police to question and possibly arrest illegal immigrants during the enforcement of other laws such as traffic violations usurps federal authority. "In our constitutional system, the federal government has pre-eminent authority to regulate immigration matters," the lawsuit says. "This authority derives from the United States Constitution and numerous acts of Congress. The nation's immigration laws reflect a careful and considered balance of national law enforcement, foreign relations, and humanitarian interests." (How about protecting the citizens of the United States from all aggressors?) State Sen. Russell Pearce, the principal sponsor of the bill, denounced the lawsuit as "absolute insult to the rule of law" as well as to Arizona and its residents. "It's outrageous and it's clear they don't want (immigration) laws enforced. They ignore the damage to America, the cost to our citizens, the deaths" tied to border-related violence. . President Barrack Obama has called the state law misguided. Supporters say it is a reasonable reaction to federal inaction on immigration. Gov. Jan Brewer's spokesman called the decision to sue "a terribly bad decision." "Arizona obviously has a terrible border security crisis that needs to be addressed, so Gov. Brewer has repeatedly said she would have preferred the resources and attention of the federal government would be focused on that crisis rather than this." Three of the five Democrats in Arizona's congressional delegation, who are facing tough re-election battles, had also urged Obama not to try to block the law from going into effect. (The American People are watching, and we want our country’s borders secure from all assaults.) Two Arizona senators lashed out at the administration's decision, saying "the American people must wonder whether the Obama Administration is really committed to securing the border when it sues a state that is simply trying to protect its people by enforcing immigration law." Obama addressed the Arizona law in a speech on immigration reform last week. He touched on one of the major concerns of federal officials, that other states were poised to follow Arizona by crafting their own immigration enforcement laws. (Ya dang skippy, big guy.) "As other states and localities go their own ways, we face the prospect that different rules for immigration will apply in different parts of the country," Obama said. "A patchwork of local immigration rules where we all know one clear national standard is needed." (We can all agree on that, sir. If the federal laws already on the books were enforced, this wouldn’t be happening. Why can’t you, our alleged leader, see that? What’s our president’s problem with leading & protecting the American population first and foremost? I truly love America. I love how we got here, and the Christian principles we were founded on. Did you have any idea that the change he campaigned on would mean the end of our free, capitalistic republic, and the end of personal responsibility? George Orwell seems to have been correct. He was just 26 years off target on the year. 1984 seems to have taken a bit over a quarter century longer for this question mark of a leader to take hold, and give all that so many have died for away with an open border and unenforced laws. God bless Governor Brewer of Arizona, and here’s to the states following her lead. The laws of the land have got to be enforced. Without that, we have no law. Without law we have no country. If the federal government won’t protect the citizens of America, then what choice do the states have?

I am the Liberal-Progressives worst nightmare I am an American. I am a master mason and believe in American products. I believe that money I make belongs to me and my family, not some Liberal government functionary be it Democratic or Rebublican! I’m in touch with my feelings and I like it that way! I think owning a gun doesn’t make you a killer, it makes you a smart American. I think being a minority does not make you noble or victimized, and does not entitle you to anything. Get over it! I believe that if you are selling me a Big Mac, do it in English. I believe everyone has a right to pray to his or her own God when and where they want to. My heroes are John Wayne, Babe Ruth, Roy Rogers, and Willie G. Davidson that makes the awesome Harley Davidson Motorcycles. I don’t hate the rich, and I don’t pity the poor. I know wrestling is fake and I don’t waste my time watching or arguing about it. I’ve never owned a slave, or was a slave, I haven’t burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks, and neither have you! So, shut up already! I believe if you don’t like the way things are here, go back to where you came from and change your own country! This is AMERICA. We like it the way it is! If you were born here and don’t like it you are free to move to any Socialist country that will have you. I want to know which church is it exactly where the Reverened Jessie Jackson preaches, where he gets his money, and why he is always part of the problem and not the solution. Can I get an Amen on that one? I also think the cops have the right to pull you over if you’re breaking the law, regardless of what color you are. And, no, I don’t mind having my face shown on my drivers license. I think it’s good… And I’m proud that “God” is written on my money. I think it you are too stupid to know how a ballot works, I don’t want you deciding who should be running the most powerful nation in the world for the next four years. I dislike those people standing in the intersections trying to sell me stuff or trying to guilt me into making “Donations” to their cause. Get a job and do your part! I believe that it doesn’t take a village to raise a child, it takes two parents. I believe that illegal is illegal no matter what the lawyers think. I believe the American flag should be the only one allowed in AMERICA! If this makes me a BAD American, then yes, I’m a BAD AMERICAN!

A news story, & my humble opinion of it. Pres. Obama reignited the Amnesty debate this week after two White House meetings that will be followed up with a pro-amnesty speech at American University today. On Monday, Obama met with his pro-Amnesty Labor Secretary, Hilda Solis and pro-Amnesty lobbyists Ali Noorani (National Immigration Forum), Richard Trumka (AFL-CIO), Janet Murguia (La Raza), Eliseo Narasaki (American Justice Center). On Tuesday, the President met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Obama obviously met with nobody from our side of the issue! He certainly met with no one with the last name of Smith, Brown, Jones, or Johnson, did he? Pres. Obama’s speech today will call for an Amnesty for the nation’s 11-18 million illegal aliens. The new White House strategy is to place blame on Constitutional Conservatives who are demanding increased border security before considering an Amnesty. Would these illegally immigrated people ever be willing to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands? Would any of them be willing to take up arms and die defending and helping spread democracy the way our forefathers did? Do any of them have a concept of the blessing it is to be a citizen of this One nation under God? If anyone set up a pup tent in my backyard, and demanded that my government acknowledge their right to remain on my property and then my government insist I forgive and accept them without a glance at their purpose or background, and tell me it really wasn’t my yard to begin with, but property of the state; we’ve lost our freedom, and all those that have in the annals of our entire history died securing the freedom, independence, and the sovereignty of our nation surely died in vain. Emperor Obama, you are wrong. The sensitive might tell me that in my opinion you are wrong, and I say to the, you’re blind to the invasion. It’s simply wrong, and it puts me and my family at risk. Then he wants to sit a supreme court justice who banned the United States mlitary from Harvard campus, and would disarm the entire population. We’ve never been more at risk of losing it all.

20 Million illegal aliens returned “home” the US economy would return to the rule of law. Employers would have to hire legal American citizens at a living wage. Everyone would pay their fair share of taxes because they wouldn’t be working off the books. That would result in an additional $400 billion in IRS income taxes collected annually, and an equal amount for local state and city coffers. No more push “1” for English. No more confusion in American schools that now must contend with over 100 languages that degrade the educational system for American kids. Our overcrowded schools would lose more than 2 million illegal alien kids at a cost of billions in ESL and free breakfasts and lunches. We would lose 500,000 illegal criminal alien inmates at a cost of more than $1.6 billion annually. Losing more than 20 million people would clear up crowded highways and gridlock. Cleaner air and less drinking and driving American deaths by illegal aliens. Over $80 billion annually wouldn’t return to their home countries by cash transfers. At least 400,000 anchor babies would not be born in our country, which cost us $109 billion per year per cycle. At least 86 hospitals in California, Georgia and Florida would still be operating instead of being bankrupted out of existence because illegals pay nothing. Americans wouldn’t suffer thousands of TB and hepatitis cases rampant in our country-brought in by illegals unscreened at our border Our cities would see 10 million less people driving, polluting and grid locking our cities. It would also put the “secular progressives” on the horns of a dilemma: illegal aliens and their families cause 11 percent of our greenhouse gases. Over one million of Mexico’s poorest citizens now live inside and along our border from Brownsville, Texas to San Diego, California in what the New York Times called, “colonias” or new neighborhoods. The trouble is, those living areas resemble Bombay and Calcutta where grinding poverty, filth, diseases, drugs, crimes, no sanitation and worse. They live without sewage, clean water, streets, electricity, roads or any kind of sanitation. The New York Times reported them to be America’s new third world inside our own country. Within 20 years, at their current growth they expect 50 million residents of those colonias. (I’ve seen them personally in Texas and Arizona; It’s sickening beyond anything you can imagine.) By enforcing our laws, we could repatriate them back to Mexico. “We invite a million people into our country legally, more than all other countries combined annually. We cannot and must not allow anarchy at our borders, more anarchy within our borders and growing lawlessness at every level in our nation. It’s time to stand up for our borders, our language and our culture and our way of life. Rita Lingwood is a practicing attorney in Citrus Heights, California.

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.

Hi Mr. Moby, I was just thinking about the residents of rest homes and know that some of them face this time and time again. How heartbreaking it must be for them. Maybe , if you could share this, families and friends of these fine folks might open their eyes to what some of them may be doing to them. Just a thought. As I finished my breakfast this morning, I could see them coming up the walkway. With anticipation, I readied myself for my glorious visit with my family. It has been awhile since I have seen them and I am so excited. The grandchildren were dressed up in their best clothes and they were bringing presents under their arms, where they were trying to hide them so that I would be surprised when the came in. I am sitting here acting like I did not see them coming, for I knew they were excited to see me and I could hear the knock on the floor… But wait, I heard the voices, but they seemed so far away. The joy in their voices as the said “Grandma” we brought you something”. Oh, I guess I was wrong. Sometimes my eyes aren’t like they used to be. The visit was for my neighbor next door. Sometimes, I just get lonely sitting here, and I sish it were someone coming to see me. Months have gone by since I moved here and I wonder what I may have done to my friends and family for them not to ever come. I notice some of my other neighbors around me seem to have the same thing happen to them, because, I have heard them talk as we sometimes sit in the foyer of our home. I guess the big REST HOME sign is what the sign means, we say. Our families want us to get rest and quiet We would much rather hear a knock on our door don’t they know??!!! My mom passed 1 year this Sunday, and I wish I could see her just on more time. Dianne.

Dear Moby, I am very disappointed in your program when you say you are a Christian and think it is ok to discuss such sexual content and totally inappropriate topics such as you were discussing on your program June 22 about Larry the Cable Guy and the belch and the other word. It is no wonder our nation is in such a moral decline. What has happened to decency and just plain ole respect. It is NOT on your program. I do pray for you and I pray you will use your influence for something besides what you are doing now. Sincerely, Kaye Kaye, I’ll start by telling you thank you for taking the time to write, and how much I appreciate you for listening to my show. I promise you, Kaye, I AM a Christian, and am thoroughly bumfuzzled by why you would consider the word fart “Sexual Content” You’re referring to , I believe, and audio Father’s Day card my very sweet (& Christian) wife gave me with Larry the Cable Guy on it. When my daughter (also being raised in a Christian household) was a smaller child, one of her favorite series of books was Walter the Farting dog. This has nothing at all to do with decency or morality, Kaye. Of the few remaining rights we have as God fearing Americans, is the right to disagree. If this is the case in this instance, then God Bless America. But you don’t have the right to judge me, my family, our values, our morality, our decency or our personal relationships with our God, the Father Almighty. Again, I sincerely thank you for listening. I’d bet I say some things you DO agree with. I’d ask you for tolerance those times you do not. God bless you & your family. If my response has only enraged and disappointed you further, I’d ask you to loosen your halo just a tad. Yeah Baby, MOBY

I hope this offends all illegal aliens. My great-grandfather watched as his friends died in the Civil War. My grandfather watched as his friends died in WW II, and Dad watched as his friends died in Korea and I watched as my friends died in Vietnam. None of them died for the Mexican Flag. Everyone died for the American flag. Texas high school students raised a Mexican flag on a school flag pole, other students took it down. Guess who was expelled ... the students who took it down. California high school students were sent home on Cinco de Mayo, because they wore T-shirts with the American flag printed on them. Enough is enough. This message needs to be viewed by every American; and every American needs to stand up for America. We've bent over to appease the America-haters long enough. I'm taking a stand. I'm standing up because the hundreds of thousands who died fighting in wars for this country, and for the American flag. If you agree, stand up with me. If you disagree, please let me know. I will gladly remove you from my e-mail list. And shame on anyone who tries to make this a racist message. AMERICANS, stop giving away Your RIGHTS! Let me make this clear - THIS IS MY COUNTRY! This statement DOES NOT mean I'm against immigration! YOU ARE WELCOME HERE, IN MY COUNTRY, welcome to come legally: 1. Get a sponsor! 2. Learn the LANGUAGE, as immigrants have in the past! 3. Live by OUR rules! 4. Get a job! 5. Pay YOUR Taxes! 6. No Social Security until you have earned it and PAID for it! 7. NOW find a place to lay your head!

June 22,2010 Dear President Obama: You will be the first American President that lied to the Jewish people, and the American people as well, when you said that you would defend Israel, the only democratic state in the Middle East, against all their enemies. You have done just the opposite. You propagandized Israel, until they look like the enemy-and it has resonated throughout the world. You are putting Israel in harm’s way, and you have promoted anti-Semitism throughout the world. You have brought this to a people who have given the world the Ten Commandments and most laws we live by today. The Jewish people have given the world or greatest scientist and philosophers, and the cures for many diseases, and now you play a very dangerous game so you can look like a true martyr to what you see and say are the underdogs. But the underdogs you defend are murderers and criminals and want Israel eradicated. You have brought to Arizona a civil war, once again defending the criminals and illegals, creating a meltdown for good, loyal, law-abiding citizens. Your destruction of this country may never be remedied, and we may never recover. I pray to God you stop, and I hope the people realize your agenda is not or the betterment of mankind, but for the betterment of your politics. With heartfelt and deep concern for America and Israel, John Voight

Hey Moby, I don't want you and all your fans to worry too much about all those soapbox ditties. Oh, don't' get me wrong, my enjoyment of them is only exceeded by my appreciation of you continuing to ring that ole Liberty Bell and oh, how you do ring that bad boy......and that, is the point I want to make. In case you have any fans out there that are really afraid lil obama or his liberal cronies are going to take down the Greatest Nation ever known. Sometimes, we give him way too much credit. I know you have a lot of exposure to our military, law enforcement and first responders; so, am sure you will back me on this. I recently attended the 2010 Mountain Ranger Association meeting at Camp Frank D. Merrill, Dahlonega, GA. Let me just say "fear not", GOD and country is alive and doing very well. In that environment, when Old Glory goes up or comes down, everything and everybody stops! I mean STOPS! Everyone turns to the Red, White and Blue, stands at attention, salutes or holds their right hand over their chest in total reverence and respect. There was a ceremony for fallen Rangers either killed in combat or recently passed away. Personal testimonies of bravery under fire, nerves of steel in and out of combat. I was surrounded by hundreds of like minded men and women, old and young from Vietnam, Grenada, and Dessert Storm to the current conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. I didn't hear one complaint when the Chaplin offered words to our creator, not in some generic, watered down, politically correct excuse for a prayer; but a heart felt thank you in the name of Jesus Christ. I know a lot of conservatives, but, only a few liberals. I am always impressed by the moral fabric, intestinal fortitude, civic pride, patriotism and "metal" I see and have seen in my conservative buddies and even casual acquaintances. Like wise, I am equally disappointed and not impressed by liberals I have known. I don't hate them, I don't fear them because there is a solid core of Americans out here, too silent sometimes; but rest assured they are out there. I would put them up against any enemy, foreign or domestic and never fear the outcome. Frankly, it would be quite one sided. There actually is a new conservative philosophy brewing. An old Sergeant Major once told me a long time ago, "if you give a man enough slack, he will hang himself every time." I have found that to be very true in numerous cases. With that said, let's stop fighting the homosexual movement, allow women to marry women and men to marry men. Let's stop fighting abortion. Shoot, in a couple of more generations there won't be any liberals. So, thanks Moby, your soapbox most often reflects that core of Americans who are disgusted and appalled at some of the roads our so called "leaders" want to take us down. I am a proud American and personally, I am vigilant and politically active; but, not afraid. Paul from the New Testament said, "I must fight the good fight and run the good race." Too the end and beyond, I'll see you on the other side, Sergeant Eddie Alexander A Co. 75th Infantry Rangers Sgt. Alexander, A true pleasure to hear from you, sir. The optimistic tone of what you've written is reassuring, and I pray you're correct. I'm also cautiously optimistic (granted it could easily be just naivety) that you accurately predict the continued strength & sovereignty of the land of the free, and home of the brave. My fear is that those spoiled, dependent, and lazy among us who've never feared the loss of the sweet taste of liberty, might have never given thought to how easily the government could turn on its own people, then expand & take it all away. It might also be possible that the descendents of old soldiers have taken their collective eye of what it takes to defend what has been fought for and presented to a generation that might ultimately lose it without even so much as a skirmish of defense. We could easily die by our own hands, hung collectively by the slack we've all been given. New soldiers are pledged and sworn to, without question or rebuke, follow a leadership without commitment and resolve, and we could pay an unthinkable price for having allowed such weak leadership to have taken control. So, Sergeant, don't undersell "lil Obama or his little cronies". Many victories have been won & lost because of underestimation. Just because we've had the honor of being born and raised in "the Greatest Nation ever known", in no way guarantees its future, or ours. I believe that if we don't sway the pendulum of independence back closer to center in these upcoming mid-term elections with the only real voice of the people that's ever existed, our votes, our country might be forever changed. America as we've known it will become a gray, bleak, and lifeless land of government dependence, where the masses have little or no voice at all in our fates. So, you vote, and make damned sure that everyone else does. If you're right, Sgt. Alexander, then we win, but woe be to us and our descendents if you're wrong. Future generations will not be taught in our government schools how America came to be, and how unbelievably ferocious & mighty, yet benevolent & blessed it was. Nero fiddled while Rome burned. To me, it appears to repeat itself at the frightening hands of "lil Obama or his little cronies". Be aware, soldier, not only is the wolf at the gate, it's in the field, and feasting on the flock at will without so much as the sound of alarms or cries from the defenseless sheep. God protect us all in these most perilous of times. MOBY

A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package: 'This, - he said - isn't any ordinary package. He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box. 'She got this the first time we went to New York , 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on , was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is it. He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothing he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died. He turned to me and said: 'Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion'. I still think those words changed my life. Now I read more and clean less. I sit on the porch without worrying about anything. I spend more time with my family, and less at work. I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through. I no longer keep anything. I use crystal glasses every day... I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if I feel like it. I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I want to. The words 'Someday....' and ' One Day...' are fading away from my dictionary. If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now.... I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, this nobody can tell.. I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends. She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I'd like to think she would go ou t for Chinese, her favourite food. It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come.. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special. Live for today, for tomorrow is promised to no-one.. No matter if you're superstitious or not, spend some time thinking about this. It holds useful messages for the soul.

Last Saturday the Barnesville Rotary held a tribute for WWII veterans last Saturday. Rotary President elect, Mark Stone invited me to MC the affair. I got this email yesterday from one of those heroes. I’d like to share it with you as today’s Small Town Soap Box It's great that patriotism is flourishing now because it is never more needed than at this time. While we are living in what I believe to be the best 100 years in our history of our Great Country .... we are on a slippery slide to ? ... I don't know. Saturday's "Tribute to our WWII Veterans" was one of the best, most emotional and sincere I have attended. A father and his young daughters approached me at the conclusion of the program. With the look that only a beautiful young girl can melt your heart with, she "Thanked me for my service." I lost it. I openly wept for the first time in fifty years. The grieving and tears with the passing of my wife of fifty-two years were plentiful, but in private. The only reason I could be her "hero" would be because I've lived so long. If you're saluting World War II Veterans, you're dealing with a bunch of old codgers. I volunteered for service, did what I was told to do, went where I was instructed to go and came home when they said we were done. If you add all that up, you have an old veteran, if you organize a program to honor him, you've got a "hero" .... for longivity. Moby, as you well know - the hills of East Tennessee were not known as military hot beds. So, in 1943 when the U. S. Army Air Force announced in the paper that local pin-head Leland Kindred had completed Pilot Training and been awarded a Commission and his silver Pilots Wings, the populace wanted to join France in their act of surrender I am attaching a picture of our beloved B-24 .... sort of proof that I am telling the truth!!!! Again, I'm so glad to have finally met you and hope that we met again and have time for some "hill billy" talk. Leland (H. L. Kindred 1st Lt US Air Corps discharged 1946)

It is important for men to remember that, as women grow older, it becomes harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger. When you notice this, try not to yell at them. Some are oversensitive, and there's nothing worse than an oversensitive woman. My name is Ron. Let me relate how I handled the situation with my wife, Carol Anne. When I retired a few years ago, it became necessary for Carol Anne to get a full-time job, along with her part-time job, both for extra income and for the health benefits that we needed. Shortly after she started working, I noticed she was beginning to show her age. I usually get home from the golf club about the same time she gets home from work. Although she knows how hungry I am, she almost always says she has to rest for half an hour or so before she starts dinner. I don't yell at her. Instead, I tell her to take her time and just wake me when she gets dinner on the table. I generally have lunch in the Men's Grill at the club, so eating out is not reasonable. I'm ready for some home-cooked grub when I hit that door. She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating. But now it's not unusual for them to sit on the table for several hours after dinner. I do what I can by diplomatically reminding her several times each evening that they won't clean themselves. I know she really appreciates this, as it does seem to motivate her to get them done before she goes to bed. Another symptom of aging is complaining, I think. For example, she will say that it is difficult for her to find time to pay the monthly bills during her lunch hour. But, boys, we take 'em for better or worse, so I just smile and offer encouragement. I tell her to stretch it out over two, or even three days. That way, she won't have to rush so much. I also remind her that missing lunch completely now and then wouldn't hurt her any (if you know what I mean). I like to think tact is one of my strong points. When doing simple jobs, she seems to think she needs more rest periods. She had to take a break when she was only half-finished mowing the yard. I try not to make a scene. I'm a fair man. I tell her to fix herself a nice, big, cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade and just sit for a while. And, as long as she is making one for herself, she may as well make one for me, too. I know that I probably look like a saint in the way I support Carol Anne. I'm not saying that showing this much consideration is easy. Many men will find it difficult. Some will find it impossible! Nobody knows better than I do how frustrating women get as they get older. However, guys, even if you just use a little more tact and less criticism of your aging wife because of this article, I will consider that writing it was well worthwhile. After all, we are put on this earth to help each other. Signed, Ron

This was written by a Mexican who is now a naturalized US Citizen, and I think it's a great explanation of the illegal immigration issue. "If you had tickets to a sporting event, a concert, Disneyland, or for an airline flight, and when you got to your assigned seat you found someone else was in that seat, what would you do? You would properly be asked to show your ticket, and you would gladly and proudly do so, for you have bought and paid for that seat. The person in your seat would also be asked for a ticket, which they would not be able to produce. They would be called "gate crashers" and they would properly be removed. Now in this huge stadium called the USA we have had millions of gate crashers. We have been asking security to check for tickets and remove the gate crashers. We have been asking security to have better controls in checking at the door. We have asked security to lock the back doors. Security has failed us. They are still looking the other way. They are afraid to ask to see the tickets. Many people say there is unlimited seating, and whether there is or not, no one should be allowed in for free while the rest of us pay full price! In "section AZ", of "Stadium USA", we have had enough of the failures of Security. We have decided to do our own ticket checking, and properly remove those who do not have tickets. Now it seems very strange to me that so many people in the other 49 "sections", and even many in our own "section" do not want tickets checked, or even to be asked to show their ticket! Even the head of Security is chastising us, while not doing his own job which he has sworn to do. My own ticket has been bought and paid for, so I am proudly going to show it when asked to do so. I have a right to my seat, and I want the gate crashers to be asked to show their tickets too. The only reason that I can imagine anyone objecting to being asked for their ticket is that they are in favor of gate crashing, and all of the illegal activities that go with it, such as drug smuggling, gang wars, murder, human smuggling for profit, and many more illegal and inhumane acts that we’re trying to prevent with our new legislation. Is that what I am hearing from all of the protestors such as Phoenix Mayor Gordon, US Rep. Grijalva, even President Obama? If you are not in favor of showing tickets, (proof of citizenship, passport, green card, or other legal document) when asked, as I would do proudly, then you must be condoning those illegal activities." This makes perfect sense to me. What do you think? Since Obama has never shown his ticket I guess he feels obligated to not ask others to show theirs.

How Nurses are Depicted in the Media Small Town Soapbox entry Dear Moby, As a group of 3 Nurses currently working on our BSN degree we have been studying from a book “Nursing Against the Odds” by Suzanne Gordon. This book has 3 chapters on how nurses are portrayed in the media. Now just think back for a moment to the last medical TV program or movie you watched about nursing and try to remember what you saw the nurse do. Nurses are portrayed in the media as dumb, airheads who are sexually starved and who spend more time copulating in the linen closet than they do taking care of the patients assigned to them. Oh, we realize sex in the media increases ratings and sales, but we feel it is time to concentrate on the good things nurses accomplish rather than to continue to run nurses’ reputation into the ground over and over again. The patients we provide care for would not get the care they need if all we focused on is sneaking away into the linen closet for a quick fling, or running into the restroom to take another dose of illicit drugs. Often nurses shy away from the media because they are afraid of being misquoted or quoted out of context. For most nurses it is not just a job it is a life calling, and part of who they are inside. Nurses spend years acquiring their education and certification. The education and certification is important because our patients depend on us to provide them with the most accurate care possible. Learning for nurses does not stop when they obtain their degree. With the advancement in technology nurses have become lifelong learners. New machinery, new computer systems, new medications and new phone systems all play a role in the life of a nurse today. Nurses defiantly are the “Unsung Heroes” of the medical profession. Most of the nurses we know are hardworking individuals who have families that are important to them. Most love working with patients on a day to day basis. Our rewards come from seeing a real sick patient recover and be able to go back to their daily routine. We also care for the patients who are at the end of their life. These are not thankless jobs to us; instead they are very important aspects of providing nurse care for the whole person. So the next time a TV show comes on that depicts nurses in a negative light just remember this; that nurse is not the kind of nurse you would want to be in charge of your care when you are very ill. During times of illness the patients want the best educated, skilled nurse possible to provide their care, and for the most part that is what nurses do on a daily basis. Brittany Isham, RN, Carol Turner, RN and Cheryl White, RN Cartersville, Ga. 30120

Hey Moby: Although I always enjoy hearing from you, this piece you sent is not entirely of my thinking. Fortunately we live in a country where people can disagree and express their feelings with out fear of reprisal so such presentations are an important part of what this nation is all about. I didn't vote for our current president. In fact I've voted on every election day since I was old enough to do so...And I've never cast a vote for a winner.EVER.So you can't blame me.. Having said that, I can't find much fault with most of what President Obama's done to date. I don't agree with the bank bail-outs but lets remember he inherited that bag of worms from the last administration and their incompetence. I don't profess to be a financial whiz, but what I know about world history has taught me that as the U.S. goes, so goes the rest of the world. When we are in a money pit the rest of the world will fall in that hole sooner or later. That’s what led to both world wars. The healthcare issue has been a mess for years with little or nothing being done because the insurance companies like it that way and money talks. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Insurance companies boast record profits year after year while a staggering number of Americans can't afford or are denied the ability to see a doctor and receive medical help. In the greatest country in the world that's a disgrace. Yes, a great number of Americans have expressed dissatisfaction with the current administration. This says volumes about freedom of speech, but very few are coming up with ways to fix it. The partisan rhetoric that has been a part of the checks and balances fabric that has kept this country strong has soured due to corruption and special interest groups. Here again, money talks.. Frankly, with his obvious intelligence, I'm surprised that Obama wanted the job in the first place. O.K....I'm done. What do I do with this soap box....? David, You'll always be a friend of mine, but on this issue my brother we are polar opposite. This man he lives where a patriotic American should, has done more to subvert, and undermine liberty, and the rights of individuals than any figure in American history. I've never seen him in the slightest behave patriotically, or supportive of the basics of American freedoms or ethics that have been America since it's very conception. Repeatedly I've said, I try to imagine him & his wife standing arm in arm looking at Old Glory, and singing "God bless America, land that I love." and feeling real love for my country. Can you bring that image to your mind's eye. I promise you, I can not. The rights of dedicated free-thinking patriots are being quashed by this resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and if the pendulum of liberty doesn't swing back closer to center in November, I see little hope for the future of our nation, or the future of our descendents, my children, and yours. We should be ashamed of ourselves for putting such an unpatriotic, uncapitalistic, non-freedom of the individual supporting man in such a high office. All administrations have had many things on their plate that left a bad taste in the national mouth, but blaming George Bush for our current stormy waters has been the fall back for a lot of Obama issues, but it can't carry this him for his entire 4 year term. All things from the people to the government, not all things from the government to the people. The Constitution is the basis our our society, and he's wiping his butt with it. Between the two of us, we've constructed a Soap Box. I'm grateful for the debate, but firm in my belief that our republic and our sovereignty has been at no greater risk in American history. So, we don't agree, but we do hear each other's opposing opinion. That's not happening in Washington right now, and it must. MOBY

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States , people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home. They had waved goodbye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany , Italy , France and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France , no one in those villages were looking for the French American, the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl. And here we are with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags. And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.

Dear President Obama: “We The People” have stated resolutely we reject your vision for our country. You claim you have not heard us. “We The People” have assembled across America resisting your efforts to subvert our constitution and undermine our liberty. You claim you have not seen us. Since you have not acknowledged our message, let us here present it once more for if, as President Wilson said, a leader’s ear must ring with the voices of the people – the time has come. Our greatest treasure is freedom – the absence of restraints on our ability to think and to act. The corollary of freedom is individual responsibility. We believe in the power of the individual. A few years ago President Bush said, “History moves toward freedom because the desire for freedom is written in every human heart.” Let us add that we will preserve it only as long as devotion to freedom is expressed in the heart of our actions. When President Lincoln dedicated Gettysburg National Cemetery he declared, “It is for us, the living … to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus so nobly advanced.” That unfinished cause for which our soldiers willingly go to battle and for which so many have given their lives is a free United States of America. It has been nearly one hundred fifty years and the work President Lincoln spoke of is not finished. In fact, that work will never be finished. Freedom is the capacity of self determination. It is not an entity but a condition, and conditions can change. Freedom can expand, yet so can it contract. You promised change when you took office, Mr. President, but subjugation is not change we wanted nor will accept. You have expanded government, violated our constitution, confounded laws, seized private industry, destroyed jobs, perverted our economy, curtailed free speech, corrupted our currency, weakened our national security, and endangered our sovereignty. By compromising our nation’s cultural, legal and economic institutions, you are ensuring that our children will never achieve the same quality of life as we enjoy today. Through generational theft you are robbing the unborn of opportunity. This is not acceptable. Not in America. We did not become a strong nation through hope, but rather through self reliance. No one better understands the relationship between individual achievement, dignity and strength than our armed forces. Through every war our soldiers have held this nation’s destiny in their hands. They have not failed us. They cherish freedom enough that they are willing to die for it. Our duty to them and to ourselves is to treasure freedom enough to live up to it. We accept that challenge, Mr. President. That is why we are assembling across the land to deliver our message to you as often and in every way we can. Dismiss us at your political peril. Our great nation is a Republic. We will not accept tyranny under any guise. Your policy to redistribute the fruits of our labor is Statism and will not be tolerated. By our honor, Mr. President, we vow forever to resist coercive government in America. Patriots will not stand silent as you attempt to dismantle the greatest nation on earth. We the People will defend our liberty, we will protect our beloved country, and America’s exceptionalism will prevail. God Bless the United States of America! Sincerely, We The People

Here is the link to Linda Ellis's poem "Relish" that was read as the Small Town Soapbox for today... http://lindaellis.net/wp/2010/06/relish/

The sound of “Taps” echoed off the Scott County, Virginia mountains Saturday as soldiers saluted a flag-draped coffin. Master Sgt. Roy Head was returned to the Virginia hills he left as a teenager 59 years ago to go to war. Army members carried him to his final resting place, right beside his mother and father, and delivered closure to his surviving loved ones. This ceremony was a remembrance for the sacrifice Head made during the Korean War when he was captured in 1951 while on patrol and died of malnutrition in a Chinese Communist Army prison camp. He starved to death. Most of his family them never got to see the day his body would be brought back home. MSG Head’s remains were identified earlier this year following DNA testing conducted by U.S. Army forensics labs in Hawaii. His body arrived in Virginia on Wednesday following a flight from Hawaii. A unit from Fort Bragg, N.C., was on the tarmac to salute the fallen solider on his way home. Eight members of the 23rd Brigade from Fort Lee in Petersburg, Va., carried Head’s casket up to the plot, while three of the soldiers walked farther above the site to fire the traditional rifle volleys over the casket following a benediction. A pastor said “How nice it is that he is home. What a blessing that is,” prior to the gunshots that shattered the afternoon air with the salute. Fort Lee officers then crisply folded the American flag covering MSG Head’s casket and presented it to his oldest brother, John. “As a representative of the United States of America, it is my highest privilege to present you with this flag. It is with loyalty and dedication that Master Sergeant Head gave up his life,” the officer said, placing the flag in John Head’s lap. As the crowd dispersed, Roy Head, son of David and the namesake of his late uncle, summed up years of yearning, uncertainty and grieving with these words: “You know I went to Arlington National Cemetery years ago and walked to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I often wondered if that might be (my uncle). But we now know that we have him here. He is home,” said Roy. God bless your Uncle Roy, son. That’s this morning’s Small Town Soap box.

MOST PATRIOTIC A new poll finds that the most patriotic American figures are: George Washington, Uncle Sam, and Abe Lincoln, in that order. Source: Woman’s Day I sort of agree. Those are some names I do consider very patriotic. Of course, Uncle Sam wasn’t a real man, but you can’t look at the artists conception of him, and not feel your America loving heart moved as he points a finger at you, and says, “Uncle Sam wants you”. I’m fairly certain that George & Abe loved America, as did most of the men that defeated tyranny to launch these United States, and the men that have occupied the oval office through out American history……until now. How about our leaders today? Who do we see on the news regularly that makes you think “now that person loves America?” Where are our America first, dedicated, “I’ll die for my wonderful country” patriotic leaders? Is there a patriotic citizen of this nation that for a minute thinks the Obama’s bleed red, white, & blue, and in the privacy of the White House believe themselves to be a patriotic American family? I promise you, I do not believe that to be the case, and he with his butt-kissin’ minions on Capitol Hill, might be the ruination of the greatest free republic in the history of humankind……without a shot being fired. Pictures of patriots are unarguably on the one’s, and five’s. As a matter fact, I think we’ll find the picture of a man deeply in love with his country on all our folding money. Who could have known, it could possibly be the face of an American president on our nations loss of liberty, foreclosure notice? With that, I shout to the top of my lungs. Patriots get to the polls, and let your voices be your vote on every opportunity you have to do so. Those with the dream to lead us back. Raise your voice, and move to the helm of a population shouting in unison, “One Nation under God, with liberty and justice for all”, let me hear you say it, and make me believe that you believe it, too. Believe it just like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln did. Convince me that’s what’s in your heart & mind, and I’ll point MY finger, and say, “I want you!!”

Happy Birthday Dad As I watched the young soldier walk toward us, a glance over at my wife and daughter’s face told the story of how my heart was feeling. It had been the longest twelve months of our lives, and today our son, “our hero” had come home safely. Many of the people who were also waiting at the airport asked us if the welcome home sign (our daughter Natalie proudly displayed) was for a soldier. We said yes, it was for our youngest son Tim and we were there to welcome him home from a year in Iraq. All of the people we talked to made us feel so proud with their words of thanks. Most everyone asked us to thank Tim for serving our country. We said we would do our best to let him know. As Tim finally made it to where we were standing, I could hear people in the terminal clapping as he passed by them. My eyes were also watching my wife Lorraine as she handed me the flag she was waiving to meet Tim. Stepping forward to the front of the crowd, both Lorraine and Natalie gave a couple hugs Tim won’t soon forget. After Tim finished giving his mom and sister their hello he walked over to me. I think I was stuck in the moment and couldn’t talk, as I reached out to shake his hand. Tim started to reach for my hand, then pulled his hand back and opened his arms; his eyes told me it was alright to give him a much-needed hug. I know grown men don’t usually hug, but today this 6’5” soldier was my little boy again, and I really wanted him, and everyone else to know how proud I am. For the next few moments I stood there speechless, listening to all the questions and words of thanks, from the people like us, who had just put a face together with the word hero, and that hero was my son. After picking up his bags we made our way to the parking lot and were loading his things into our trunk. Tim said, “Oh, I almost forgot! Here dad,” as he pulled out a box from his duffle bag. “Sorry about the box dad, I think it got flattened on the trip!” he said. As I looked the red, white and blue box, trying to figure out what it was, I pulled the end open to reveal an American Flag. Tim said, “Happy Birthday Dad!” He then asked me if I remembered the phone call a few months before, on my birthday. I told him I did, I said it was near the end of a wonderful day I had spent with my mom and dad. Tim then said, “remember I told you I had your present but couldn’t give it to you yet.” I replied, saying I remember. I asked if he remembered what I told him I wanted for my birthday. Stating my birthday wish was for him to stay safe. “Tim, I got my birthday wish, you came home safe, and you didn’t have to buy me anything!” I replied, but added Thank you. Tim then reached in his jacket, pulling out a pristine piece of paper in a clear plastic protector, saying, “Dad this letter goes with your flag.” I stood there speechless, reading the letter. It said, “Certificate of Recognition Let It Be Know To All, These colors were proudly flown in the face of the enemy, in continuing effort to ensure democracy for the people of Iraq and forever erase the scars of tyranny created by years of oppression by terrorist forces threatening the freedom of the United States of America and the World on August 30, 2007 In Kirkuk, Iraq. They are now most respectfully retired and entrusted to the care of William Garvey Recognizing his support for Soldiers fighting for the War on Terror." His First Sergeant and the Battery Commander had signed the Certificate he gave me at the bottom. I stood there speechless with tears in my eyes, now knowing what Tim meant when he called a few months before, saying he couldn’t send my present yet, the reason was, the day he called my flag was flying over his camp on my birthday. That flag and the certificate were the second best birthday present I had ever received, the first was the soldier who brought it safely home to me. Welcome Home Son! We Love You! May God forever bless our heroes! By William Garvey

The service station trade was slow The owner sat around, With sharpened knife and cedar stick Piled shavings on the ground No modern facilities had they, The log across the rill Led to a shack, marked his and hers That sat against the hill “Where is the ladies resroom, sir?” The owner leaning back, Said not a word but whittled on, And nodded toward the shack With quickened step she entered there But only stayed a minute, Until she screamed, just like a snake Or spider might be in it With startled look and beet red face She bounded through the door, And headed quickly for the car Just like three gals before She missed the foot log-jumped the stream The owner gave a shout, As her silk stockings, down at her knees Caught on a sassafras sprout She tripped and fell-got up, and then In obvious disgust, Ran to the car, stepped on the gas, And faded into the dust Of course we all desired to know What made the gals all do The things the did, and then we found The whittling owner knew A speaking system he’d devised To make the thing complete, He tied a speaker on the wall Beneath the toilet seat. He’d wait until the gals got set And then the devilish tike, Would stop his whittling long enough, To speak into the mike As she sat, a voice below Struck terror, fright and fear, “Will you please use the other hole, We’re painting under here!”

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases. On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things. On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candle-light, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar, of caviar, and a bottle of spring-water. When she had finished, she went into each and every rom and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp dipped in caviar into the hollow of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left…when the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days. Then slowly, the house began to smell… They tried everything; cleaning, mopping and airing the place out. Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were steam cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting. Nothing worked!!! People stopped coming to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit. Finally, they couldn’t take the stench any longer and decided to move. A month later, even though they had cut the price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place. The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house. Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day. She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork. A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as the watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home. And to spite the ex-wife, they even took the curtain rods? I love a happy ending don’t you??

Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this, especially all of the ladies who bake for church events: Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the Church Ladies' Group in Tuscaloosa , but forgot to do it until the last minute. She remembered it the morning of the bake sale and after rummaging through cabinets, found an angel food cake mix & quickly made it while drying her hair, dressing, and helping her son pack up for Scout camp. When she took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly disfigured and she exclaimed, "Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake!" This cake was important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church, and in her new community of friends. So, being inventive, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of The cake. She found it in the bathroom - a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and then covered it with icing. Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect. And, before she left the house to drop the cake by the church and head for work, Alice woke her daughter and gave her some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 and to buy the cake and bring it home. When the daughter arrived at the sale, she found the attractive, perfect cake had already been sold. Amanda grabbed her cell phone & called her mom. Alice was horrified-she was beside herself! Everyone would know! What would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about, ridiculed! All night, Alice lay awake in bed thinking about people pointing fingers at her and talking about her behind her back. The next day, Alice promised herself she would try not to think about the cake and would attend the fancy luncheon/bridal shower at the home of a fellow church member and try to have a good time. She did not really want to attend because the hostess was a snob who more than once had looked down her nose at the fact that Alice was a single parent and not from the founding families of Tuscaloosa, but having already RSVP'd , she couldn't think of a believable excuse to stay home. The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old south and to Alice's horror, the cake in question was presented for dessert! Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake! She started out of her chair to tell the hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor's wife said, "what a beautiful cake!" Alice , still stunned, sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say, "Thank you, I baked it myself." Alice smiled and thought to herself,"God is good.?

What does a military mom look like? What makes her special and fair? It’s the way she looks at the grand old flag or the soldier in uniform over there. It’s the tear in the eye during evening news when tales of more casualties arise. It’s the American Flag pin on her coat and her armed services flag that flies It’s the prayer she says many times a day-prayers said out of a mother’s love. It’s the peace she has within her heart When God reaches down from above. It’s the hugs she gives to other moms, wives, husbands, and children too. Military families are bonded in fear-Fear of duties their soldier will do. Pride and fear go hand in hand For every military mother’s heart. Honor is felt in their children’s role However, fear is felt when they depart. Strength is gained with others round Who share freedom’s duty call. Some return, but some may not And she prays for those who fall. She knows it could be her child as well Who faces Freedom’s final task. Each day she prays out loud, “Lord, watch over them,” she asks. It’s the boxes she gathers to send away To support the troops overseas. Hugs and love are in each one And she prays for each one of these. She may send Jesus in a box A message of hope in time of war. For God gives strength, honor and courage His peace, and love plus more. She feels it is her duty now To offer Hope to a hurting soul. Battle weary, they need her care and encouragement is her goal. A military mother has special grace And a sense of patriotic love. You can see it in all she does As she relies on God above. If you, too, are a military mom Then Let character be your guide Dignity and honor, pride and strength- It’s not a time for faith to hide. Display your trust in God alone for He is the one in command! Rest assured He knows your need He holds your child in His hand.c

No nursing home for us. We are checking into the Holiday Inn! With the average cost for a nursing home care costing $188.00 per day, there is a better way when we get old and feeble. We have already checked on reservations at the Holiday Inn. For a combined long term stay discount and senior discount, it's $49.23 per night. That leaves $138.77 for: Breakfast, lunch and dinner in any restaurant we want, or room service, laundry, gratuities and special TV movies. Plus, they provide a spa, swimming pool, a workout room, a lounge and washer/dryer, etc Most have free toothpaste and razors, and all have free shampoo and soap. $5 in tips a day will have the entire staff scrambling to help you. They treat you like a customer, not a patient. There is a city bus stop out front, and seniors ride free. The handicap bus will also pick you up (if you fake a decent limp). To meet other nice people, call a church bus on Sundays. For a change of scenery, take the airport shuttle bus and eat at one of the nice restaurants there. While you're at the airport, fly somewhere. Otherwise, the cash keeps building up. It takes months to get into decent nursing homes. Holiday Inn will take your reservation today. And you are not stuck in one place forever, you can move from Inn to Inn, or even from city to city. Want to see Hawaii? They have a Holiday Inn there too. TV broken? Light bulbs need changing? Need a mattress replaced? No problem. They fix everything, and apologize for the inconvenience. The Inn has a night security person and daily room service. The maid checks to see if you are ok. If not, they will call the undertaker or an ambulance. If you fall and break a hip, Medicare will pay for the hip, and Holiday Inn will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life. And no worries about visits from family. They will always be glad to find you, and probably check in for a few days mini-vacation. The grand kids can use the pool. What more can you ask for? So, when we reach that golden age, we'll face it with a grin. Just forward all our mail to: Holiday Inn

MEXICO IS ANGRY! This is very interesting and if Arizona can do it, why can't the rest of America ? Three cheers for Arizona The shoe is on the other foot and the Mexicans from the State of Sonora, Mexico do not like it. Can you believe the nerve of these people? It's almost funny. The State of Sonora is angry at the influx of Mexicans into Mexico .. Nine state legislators from the Mexican State of Sonora traveled to Tucson to complain about Arizona 's new employer crackdown on illegals from Mexico . It seems that many Mexican illegals are returning to their hometowns and the officials in the Sonora state government are ticked off. A delegation of nine state legislators from Sonora was in Tucson on Tuesday to state that Arizona 's new Employer Sanctions Law will have a devastating effect on the Mexican state. At a news conference, the legislators said that Sonora, Arizona's southern neighbor, - made up of mostly small towns, - cannot handle the demand for housing, jobs and schools that it will face as Mexican workers return to their hometowns from the USA without jobs or money. The Arizona law, which took effect Jan. 1, punishes Arizona employers who knowingly hire individuals without valid legal documents to work in the United States .. Penalties include suspension of, or loss of, their business license. The Mexican legislators are angry because their own citizens are returning to their hometowns, placing a burden on THEIR state government. 'How can Arizona pass a law like this?' asked Mexican Rep Leticia Amparano-Gamez, who represents Nogales . 'There is not one person living in Sonora who does not have a friend or relative working in Arizona ,' she said, speaking in Spanish. 'Mexico is not prepared for this, for the tremendous problems it will face as more and more Mexicans working in Arizona and who were sending money to their families return to their home-towns in Sonora without jobs,' she said. 'We are one family, socially and economically,' she said of the people of Sonora and Arizona .

Food for thought: Let's put the seniors in jail, and the criminals in a nursing home. This way the seniors would have access to showers, hobbies, and walks, they'd receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment , wheel chairs etc. and they'd receive money instead of paying it out. They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly ,if they fell, or needed assistance. Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them. A guard would check on them every 20 minutes, and bring their meals and snacks to their cell. They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose. They would have access to a library, weight room,spiritual counselling, pool, and education. Simple clothing , shoes, slippers, P.J.'s and legal aid would be free, on request. Private, secure rooms for all, with an exercise outdoor yard ,with gardens. Each senior could have a P.C. a T.V. radio, and daily phone calls. There would be a board of directors , to hear complaints, and the guards would have a code of conduct, that would be strictly adhered to. The "criminals" would get cold food, be left all alone, and unsupervised. lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week. Live in a tiny room , and pay $5000.00 per month and have no hope of ever getting out. And Justice for all.

My wife is an alien, not the illegal type. One that has payed the money and followed all the rules and has one more big payment and pass a test to finally be called an American. After you hear her story though one might ask what the? My wife was born in Germany the product of an American GI and his German Fraulein. He was gone before she was born. Her Mom found another GI and married. My wife's Step Dad never adopted her but he never denied her. At the age of eight she came to this country and was just another little girl. She lived around the country and lived with Step Dad going off to Veitnam and all the trials and tribulations of a military kid. Well she married at seventeen to a soldier. And she took on the role of a soldier's wife. When she got back to Germany she had an advantage over others being able to benefit from being German married to a soldier. All she needed then was an Alien Card or "Green Card". Her first marriage came to and end at Ft Benning. There we met and married. Again she was American yet she wasn't. She was German. I always joked with her daughters that their Mom was an alien. Unfortunely our marriage only lasted eleven years and ended in Germany during the first Gulf War. This time though my then ex stayed in Germany. Her life was then taken over by her role and job as midwife to American soldiers...The wall of our basement is covered by collages of "her kids". Her youngest daughter had also joined the Air Force which made me happy since all of the Dads in her were Army. Someone got smart. She got stationed in Germany and all seemed well. Then a trip to Iraq for her daughter and handling soldier's kids as they also went to Afghanastan and Iraq the world had changed. Well my Wife's daughter got out of the Air Force and returned to the States my wife sat and asked what the hell am I doing here? Her Mom in the States, her two daughter and grand kids in the states. My wife wanted to come home. This was long after 9 11 and her green card was taken from her because of that event. And all her work with the American Military and her ties to the States, Mom, Kids, and Grandkids meant nothing. Thats when I asked her if she wanted to get married. We had stayed friends after all these years. So we married and started the paper work. Its been a three year process with ICE. And its cost over three thousand dollars and we are faced with the last challenge of the test and being granted citizenship. Moby after watching a husband go off to war for America, taking care of American kids while their parents go off to war and living through her own Daughter go off to war she gets a bit mad when she hears about the president's aunt and all the other BS about immigration. Moby my wife has never taken welfare and she's paid her taxes. She laughed and she's cried with this country.....Moby she understands what a mess we are right now...She understands what America is and what it means. I only wish and pray that my fellow countrymen were as American as my "German" wife. yeah baby

mr moby,i have been listening to you for years and most of the time we are on the same page,but wednesday you said something that we dont agree on.and i dont agree with willie nelson and his opinion with marijuana, you see.if you had a child that has a drug addiction you and willie both would probably think differently.i tell you now marijuana is a gateway drug. it is not just a wild weed you smoke and have fun with.to a lot of young people they try it and fall in love with it.and usually try other drugs and become addicted.and they end up breaking the law to feed there need for drugs.and end up in prison.as is the case with my son, and as a lot of the other inmates there.he is 600 miles from home,round trip. on mothers day me and his mom ,still my wife of 27 years went to see him.and the subject of drugs came up. he said dad i havent done any drugs in 2 years surely when i get out i won't .i said son we can just hope and pray you don't.so go ahead and legalize marijuana sure,then we will go ahead and legalize cocaine,heroin , crack,lsd,pills,and that should give us alot of revenue for the drug of choice meth.and that should finish off what few morals this country has left.and give it the final push down the sewer drain.so legalize marijuana.. i dont think so ,not even with my last dying breath.there is one thing we can agree on it would help the economy.if you are in the business of building prisons or the funeral business.well you know the ole saying opinions are like butts every one has one and this is mine.p.s if you air this,please out of respect and dignity for my wife and son don't use my name. sincerly D.A.M.A.D.don't think there is a differance.

MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN: He writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.) "Are they military?" I asked. 'Yes', she said. 'Is there an escort?' I asked. 'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'. 'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck? You can board him early," I said. A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us. 'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia '. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat. We pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board'. She told me the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. They were upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub and the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia. The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was the hardest thing for the family to bear. He’d asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him on our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I heard the desperation in the flight attendants voice. 'I'm on it', I said. I contacted my flight dispatcher, and explained the situation I had on board, and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me. Two hours went by. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher: 'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this, and I had to check on a few things. Upon arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft to escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with another van for the family. They’ll be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, they’ll be escorted to the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family.' I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. She was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.' After landing, when we entered the ramp area and checked in with the controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us. 'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told, but I realized that once we turned off the seat belt sign, everyone would stand at once and delay the family from getting off. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate for an announcement to the passengers. He did, and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.' I pushed the public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who gave out country his life. He is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.' We came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying. They said after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft. When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger started to clap his hands. Soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA.

Yesterday’s Soap Box drew a couple of comments, and I’ve chosen to use them for this mornings Soap Box contribution, with no additional comments from me: Clearly you all don't know what you're talking about.. It just so happens I am Mexican-American. It just so happens I pay taxes! It just so happens I work! I'm not breaking any law by being here.. in the U.S., Toyman. I guess no American breaks the law?? Yeah... If you ask me, Americans are the lazy ones! They have no work ethic. They want a job behind a desk and want their money handed to them. They take advantage of welfare, food stamps, and anything else that’s FREE. After all thats what the U.S is about right?? Freedom?? And all this time I thought it meant something else.. Sure immigrants were sent back so there would be more job oppertunities, but for some reason American can't find AMERICANS to do those jobs! Cause they want easy money! So legally or illegally Mexicans come back to the U.S. Think America would be better off without Mexicans?? Who the hell would do the dirty work for you all?! Clearly no one would.. that’s why three different presidents failed.. THREE times! You need Mexicans even if you won't admit it.. So I only have two words for you... YOU'RE WELCOME!!! Moby, I absolutely loved this morning's soap box. When I look back to when I was a little girl, everything was...simple, life, love and of course work. Now, it's almost impossible for me to work, so I work with my great and mighty mom. I have three children and am terrified of whats to come for them; are THEY going to end up the minority? The job I have now is two hours from work and I miss everything; getting the kids on the bus, doing homework and playtime (which is left to the babysitter) : ( I drive a total of four hours a day when I could be working local but instead "THEY" have taken over. Not to mention after all the gas I have to put in my car and oil not only am I losing money but I can pay MAYBE one bill a week with the gracious help of my husband. But not only do I pay taxes but I pay for illegal immigrants to eat sleep and work, its just not fair but thank God for moby you have gotten me through those 2 hours in the morning. and I cant wait to head what you have to say tomorrow have a blessed day and remember one day we will come back to the same old country we had wheneverything was simple................................... MAYBE----a good fan of yours, Megan Roberts

What did Presidents Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower have in common? I didn't know of this until it was pointed out to me. Back during The Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover ordered the deportation of ALL illegal aliens in order to make jobs available to American citizens that desperately needed work.. Harry Truman deported over two million Illegal's after WWII to create jobs for returning veterans. And then again in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower deported 13 million Mexican Nationals! The program was called (I honestly cant even air the name of the federal operation, but it will be in the text version on my web site)('Operation Wetback'). (I recall very well, being suspended for a week for saying this during the 90’s, but you can go to my web site and read it. Then research it for yourself.) It was done so WWII and Korean Veterans would have a better chance at jobs. It took 2 Years, but they deported them! Now....if they could deport the illegal's back then - they could sure do it today. lf you have doubts about the veracity of this information, enter (I honestly cant even air the name of the federal operation, but it will be in the text version on my web site)(Operation Wetback) into your favorite search engine and confirm it for yourself. Reminder: Don't forget to pay your taxes... All these Illegal Aliens are depending on you!

Dear Moby, I try to catch your Small Town Soap Box whenever I can, though sometimes I miss it when I get busy at work. Though the years you have inspired me to write my own little rant about a sore subject for me. I'm a 23 year old white male. I work hard to support the ones I love. I pay bills like every other hard working American, and I’m very proud of the things I have worked for and the work that I do. There are so many out there who work hard everyday, only to support the ones who are perfectly able to work, but are simply to lazy to get off their fat butts and look for a job. Instead they rely on the government to pay the way, getting food stamps low income housing and MEDICAID. I'm 23 years old and a hard working cancer patient who may very soon need a bone marrow transplant, but because I am not "legally disabled" I don't qualify for assistance. It sickens me to think that I work hard, and that my hard earned dollars go into a Medicaid fund for all these healthy individuals, illegal aliens, and teenagers who can't seem to keep it in their pants, just because they're all to sorry to get out in the world and at least look. Sure people are going to say, "there's no jobs out there", but that's complete BULL. McDonalds is always hiring someone to flip burgers or run the drive through. Because of these people, I can't have a procedure that I need to live. The sad part is, I'm not the only one, there is a boy not much younger than me, with the same problem, but he needs his operation now. I can only pray that God looks after him and helps him through this hard time. Thank you very much for allowing me to vent a little. -- Sincerely, Bradley Hewell Commerce, Ga.

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You’ll like it even if you don’t and you may even decide you need one! Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named Lucky. Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing. Mary or Jim would go to Lucky’s toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky’s other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box. It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her that she was going to die of this disease…in fact: she was just sure it was fatal. She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her…what would happen to Lucky? Although the 3-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary’s dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won’t understand that I didn’t want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death. The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable. Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn’t even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap… Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn’t come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed. When Mary woke for a second she couldn’t understand what was wrong. She couldn’t move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panuc soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally, blanketed, with every treasure that Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love. Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It’s been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky, he still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure. Remember …live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget…the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. Sometimes, they aren’t even people. They’re just the ones that care for us. Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing .. and the traditional caps, they looked almost .. as grown up as they felt. Dad swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears. This class would NOT pray during the commencements----not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it. The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families. The speeches were nice, but they were routine.....until the final speech received a standing ovation. A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then, it happened. All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED ! The student on stage.. simply looked at the audience and said, ' GOD BLESS YOU And he walked off stage... The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God’s Divine blessing on their future with or without the court ' s approval.

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would be twins!' He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, 'I don't get it!' 'You can't be a positive person all of the time.. How do you do it?' He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or...you can chooseto be in a bad mood I choose to be in a good mood.' Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or...I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life. 'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested. 'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life.' I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?' I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. 'The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,' he replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live.' 'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked. He continued, '....the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action.' 'What did you do?' I asked. 'Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said John. 'She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.' He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because but also because of his amazing attitude....I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:34.

1. There will be no special bilingual programs in the schools. 2. All ballots will be in this nation's language. 3. All government business will be conducted in our language. 4. Non-residents will NOT have the right to vote no matter how long they are here. 5. Non-citizens will NEVER be able to hold political office. 6 Foreigners will not be a burden to the taxpayers. No welfare, no food stamps, no health care, or other government assistance programs. Any burden will be deported. 7. Foreigners can invest in this country, but it must be an amount at least equal to 40,000 times the daily minimum wage. 8. If foreigners come here and buy land... options will be restricted. Certain parcels including waterfront property are reserved for citizens naturally born into this country. 9.. Foreigners may have no protests; no demonstrations, no waving of a foreign flag, no political organizing, no bad-mouthing our president or his policies. These will lead to deportation. 10. If you do come to this country illegally, you will be actively hunted &, when caught, sent to jail until your deportation can be arranged. All assets will be taken from you. Harsh, you say? The above laws are current immigration laws of MEXICO Makes Arizona stand seem very logical, doesn’t it?

Moby, I’m a college student at Gwinnett Technical College. We’ve been talking on a wide range of subjects, one of the subjects was if the United States was under attack or invaded by outsiders who would be willing to fight. Only me and two other men raised our hands because we feel that as Americans it is our duty to stand up for our freedoms. This made me question is patriotism really dead, looking at the events that are happening on Capital Hill it sure looks that way. When we allow our President to apologize for our military action, then we telling our veterans that what they did was not needed? I think our forefathers are turning over in their graves because they fought hard to create this Free Land we call America. I do not think their blood shed was in vain. England was imposing taxes beyond belief and they did so without proper representation much like OBAMA is trying for. I’ve been watching the series “America the Story of Us” on the History Channel, it makes you realize just how much the early settlers fought for our freedoms. The Declaration of Independence could not exist if men were not willing to fight to protect it. I wanna say thanks to all those who have fought to spread the independence in Iraq and those who fight to protect us here at home. Patriotism will not die in my heart, for I know the sacrifices those who serve in the military face and I stand behind them 100%. If a draft came up and was needed I’d do my patriotic duty for you but I know many of you wouldn’t make a stand. The colors of the American flag have a lot of meaning. Red, the blood of shed for freedom, Blue, the loyalty the men had for their love of country, White the pure hearted man that wants a free nation. America the beautiful, full of all races and walks of life, but a nation where all men are created equal and have freedom in the pursuit of happiness. Remember America, this is our land and we need to protect her and guide her with the light from heaven above. God Bless America. Michael Bibikan Michael, Don’t let anyone shout you down, make you question your dedication, and commitment, or dampen your fire. There may indeed come a day young, Americans are called on to stand at the gate, and risk all they’ll ever be to protect this land that, like me, you obviously love. God bless you, Michael, and all the American you that feels the patriotic you feel. Never doubt yourself for a moment. You’re right in your conviction, and I applaud you, and those that feel as you do. Yes, God Bless America, and strengthen those that will not idly stand on the sidelines and watch it implode. I’m proud to share my country with you, son. Thank you for writing a Small Town Soap Box. MOBY

PORT WENTWORTH, Ga. To pray or not to pray. That's the dilemma that has senior citizens upset in the small Georgia town of Port Wentworth near Savannah. The organization that provides meals at a senior citizens center has told the elderly citizens who visit the center it would violate federal rules for them to pray out loud before meals. Instead they have been asked to observe a moment of silence. And with that, the accelerating downfall of the United States continues. To quote Christ from the cross on Calvary, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” I remember when I was a child, Sunday dinner around the table at my Papaw & Nannie’s house. My Papaw bowing his saintly head, and asking the Lord’s blessing on the meal and the coming week. What a precious memory that is for me. Now, each night around our supper table, Grace Marie has us all make our prayer hands, and lower our heads as she so sweetly says, “Thank you for the world so sweet, thank you for the food we eat, thank you for the birds that sing. Thank you God for everything. Amen” And the table responds with an Amen of our own. God knows, we’re trying to raise that little girl in a right and righteous manner. We’re trying to instill in her precious life the three cornerstones that I’ve said so many times have slowly, but with specific intent crumbled beneath our feet. “Fear of God, Love of Country, and Respect for Authority.” Our foundation is being taken by those sitting in the very seats of power that were occupied by elected American leaders for two and a quarter centuries prior to this most horrible of all administrations. You don’t agree? Well, consider that a rest home, providing final comfort for some of our elderly, feels they must not allow prayers to be spoken aloud for fear of losing federal funding for the meals meant to nourish the aging bodies & souls of the very people that brought us into this world as (thanks be to God) American children in the first place. We must find the courage to face our government that’s allegedly “of the people”, and say, my grandpa has always asked for God’s blessings for his meals, and he has the Constitutional right in the very face of government tyranny to continue to do so. These old Americans and those like them have lived good patriotic lives, and have paid a price for their descendents to enjoy a life of freedom from government oppression. Now the country they fought for and many of their friends died for will not be allowed, at least in my lifetime, to take away anyone’s right to pray, whenever & wherever they choose to. I challenge this current, socialist leaning administration. Does the Emperor, and his un-American minions have the courage to hold a national referendum that simply asks, “Should we not allow God to be consulted, and asked for guidance and protection from evil and temptation as we attempt to right this sinking ship of state, and calm the stormy waters we’ve been lead blindly into”? Then have the sense of obligation to follow the will of Americans with the results of that referendum in the national record. You old folks continue to pray as you see fit before your government sponsored meals. Those meals are not charity. They’re not a gift. They are precious little payment for a job well done, and a life well lived. With this attitude from the vigilant patriots among us, I don’t think the Emperor can ignore the magnitude of the revolt that will be generated if the government we’ve all supported with our tax dollars ceases to subsidize those meals simply because someone asked the good Lord’s blessings. We spent billions to rebuild Haiti, and decided to not fly Old Glory there. Foreign Aid goes unimpeded to nations that hate us and feel for America nothing but contempt. We’ll, keep feeding these old folks remembering that the November election is coming as certainly as the eventual rapture of us all. The next American Revolution will be fought at the ballot box. Grandpa, you have yourself an extra dessert if you’d like to. We got your back.

Here is the link for this morning's Small Town Soapbox from Linda Ellis. www.abouquetformother.com

One day I had lunch with some friends. Jim, a short, balding golfer type about 80 years old, came along with them---all in all, a pleasant bunch. When the menus were presented, we ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups, except for Jim who said, "Ice Cream, please. Two scoops, chocolate. I wasn't sure my ears heard right, and the others were aghast. "Along with heated apple pie," Jim added, completely unabashed. We tried to act quite nonchalant, as if people did this all the time. But when our orders were brought out, I didn't enjoy mine. I couldn't take my eyes off Jim as his pie a-la-mode went down. The other guys couldn't believe it. They ate their lunches silently and grinned. The next time I went out to eat, I called and invited Jim. I lunched on white meat tuna. He ordered a parfait. I smiled. He asked if he amused me I answered, "Yes, you do, but also you confuse me. How come you order rich desserts, while I feel I must be sensible? He laughed and said "I'm tasting all that is possible. I try to eat the food I need, and do the things I should. But life's so short, my friend, I hate missing out on something good. This year I realized how old I was. I haven't been this old before. So, before I die, I've got to try those things that for years I had ignored. I haven't smelled all the flowers yet. There are too many trout streams I haven’t fished. There's more fudge sundaes to wolf down and kites to be flown overhead. There are too many golf courses I haven’t played. I've not laughed at all the jokes. I've missed a lot of sporting events and potato chips and cokes. I want to wade again in water and feel ocean spray on my face. I want to sit in a country church once more and thank God for His grace. I want peanut butter every day spread on my morning toast. I want un-timed long distance calls to the folks I love the most. I haven't cried at all the movies yet, or walked in the morning rain. I need to feel wind on my face. I want to be in love again. So, if I choose to have dessert, instead of having dinner, then should I die before night fall, I'd say I died a winner, because I missed out on nothing. I filled my heart's desire. I had that final chocolate mousse before my life expired." With that, I called the waitress over.. "I've changed my mind," I said. "I want what he is having, only add some more whipped cream!"

Cinco de Mayo…What’s it about? Honestly, I know, but really, I don’t care. As the invasion from our southern border get more severe, I care even less. Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. Why should Americans care 148 years later? It’s irrelevant in these United States, and I don’t want to see not one Mexican flag flying where Old Glory should be, today or any other day. Maybe throw down a couple of tequila shots at lunch, and get back to work. Tomorrow’s another work day, and much is expected of our contributing population, I truly am not racist. I am simply an angry American, as we all should be. I do NOT feel poorly about Mexico, or honest Mexicans. I’ve enjoyed vacations there. I openly encourage and invite honest, self-sufficient Mexican citizens that choose to be citizens of these United States to patiently stand in line. If we move quickly, and patriotically enough, it might still be worth the wait. I am an anti-invasionist, and cousins, our country has certainly been invaded. With so many here illegally, it’s well past time to seal our border, and deal with the results of this unimpeded invasion internally. So many law abiding Americans, and for that matter, legal immigrants, have been victim of heinous acts from people that shouldn’t be in my country at all, this is as good a day as any to stand alone or stand with me, and be counted as a proud American. We should love and respect our neighbors, our moms and dads taught us that, and they were right. But we should be willing to sacrifice for the sovernity of our nation, and it’s legal, law-abiding citizens. I will always stand for the liberty and independence of America, and I oppose the transformation of this great land at the hands of those seeking to extend their political power by the benefit of those that shouldn’t even be here, let alone have a voice in the process. Now, with all that said, enjoy this Cinco de Mayo. Raise the shot glass with a little salt and lime. Tomorrow, be grateful to God for America on Seis de Mayo, and then for Siete de Mayo on Friday. Know that it would all be for nothing were it not for Cuatro de Julio, 1776.

A good friend on mine from the 70's has passed away. As good a lead guitarist as I've ever personally known, Barry Chance has moved on to the Hillbilly Band in Heaven. I got to know Barry as lead guitar player for "Barefoot Jerry" back in the 70's, at a much wilder time for both of us. You might think you never heard of Barefoot Jerry, but I bet you have heard these words. Charlie Daniels said, "& all the good people down in Tennessee, are diggin' Barefoot Jerry & the CDB" Doesn't that sound familiar? He went on to play with Jimmy Buffett, and the Coral Reefer Band. When I say he was good, I do mean it. I went to Nashville to MC the CD release party for our buddy Colt Ford. His people came to the hotel, and picked me up, and took us to the venue. Sitting there on Colt's bus, was my dear old friend, Barry Chance. Jason Chance, Barry's son, is now musical director for Colt Ford. Jason produced the top 10 Colt Ford "Chicken & Biscuits" CD, and is the same fireball on stage that his daddy was. Man, me & Barry were both so excited to see each other. I'm grateful I got to have that moment in time with my dear old friend. That was pretty much the center of my evening, till it was over. I helped celebrate Colt's release, and watched Barry watch his son. He was a very proud papa that night, with every reason to be, and I'd hooked back up with a dear friend of mine from over 30 years ago. Colt knew I'd be hit by the news, so he was kind enough to call the house yesterday, and tell me. I’ll for the remainder of my life remember, I was huggin' Barry goodbye, at the end of the night, I made him promise to come see me. I wanted him to come visit this studio, have a cup of coffee with us, and spend a few days with my family & me. I could tell by looking at him, he didn't seem to feel well. He'd been ill. He'd had a stroke I believe in 2002, but he was making his way back, slowly but surely. The very last thing I said to him before I went back to my hotel was, "Don't you die. Promise me you won't die, Barry Chance. You hear me, don’t you die for a while. I promise you the same. I want you to come and spend with me, Barry Chance. I want some quality time with my old friend again. So, promise me. OK?" He did make me that promise. It was 2 weeks ago today. We just don't know, do we? I'm so glad I got to see him again. I thank God for that magic night. God bless Barry Chance. There are some really excited pickers waitin' at the gate for him. I'll be along soon enough, Barry.

Moby, Listen to your radio on the way to work in the morning, and heard your show Friday April 30 with the man with the snakes. I wanted to say you are blessed to have the Ron who works with you there instead of this Ron (that’s me). Someone would have got hurt when you started bringing out the snakes. I don't like them, and when you brought out the snakes, I would have brought out the shotguns and pistols. Like, I said someone would have got hurt. I believe in shooting them all and let God sort it out. Yeah Baby, Ron Carter Oh what a girly boy you appear to be, brother. But, you are funny. That’s not a very manly, brave posture to have, Ron, let alone sensitive and nature friendly. You’re welcome to that opinion. This is still America after all. All but one of those beautiful creatures in our studio last Friday were absolutely harmless. The one that wasn’t was handled by a professional man that has loved and protected snakes all his life. Neither me, nor Jason Clark would ever put anyone in danger. The real danger in all this comes from people that feel, the only good snake is a dead snake. I guess that I’d like to ask a favor of you. If you see a snake on a property you don’t own, just walk away from it. I promise, it bears you no ill will and has no intention of causing harm to you. If it happens to be in your yard, just remember where it was, and go inside with the kids. Then call Jason Clark, or some other person like Jason to come remove the big bad snake from your yard. Folks like Jason, and others like him do this for a living. They do it not to protect the frightened people, but to protect the snakes. The real danger is to the snakes from those of us with larger brains, that I wish weren’t so close-minded about them. In most every case, it’s the snake that’s in the greatest danger. I’d bet you’re probably thinking, “You’re darn right they’re in danger if I see ‘em.” Well, before you take that kind of action, know this. There are some protected species of non-venomous snakes that aren’t only good for the eco-cycle, it’s also a serious crime to kill or harm them. So, for their safety, and for your checkbook, & freedom, check my website for contact information on Jason Clark, and for Southeast Reptile Rescue. I’m sure we’ll need to agree to disagree on this one, Ron. But you were nice enough to share your opinion with me, now I’ve shared mine with you. Between the two of us, we share today’s Small Town Soap box.

Marko Kloos, German Federal Defence Force, Retired. March 2007 Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it. In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some. When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender. There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a [armed] mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat--it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed. People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly. Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable. When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation... and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.

Dear Jane, I'm honored to know that a few right-minded patriots might have been smiling at what I had to say this morning. Together, shoulder to shoulder, we'll regain this "One Nation Under God.", but only if we haven't waited to long to recognize the peril, and the wolves that are already in the pasture. Fear of God, Love of Country, Respect for Authority. Such basic principles of this republic. Integrity, pride, honor, duty. We've allowed those concepts to crumble under the direction of misguided unpatriotic individuals that feel we shouldn't consider Americans superior to the citizens of any socialist Anti-American cesspool the greatest generation would have taken up arms against. How have we allowed "gray areas" to take us so far off course? Opinions are wonderful when we're talking about songs, movies, books, or our favorite colors, but opinion has no place in the just cause of American patriotism, and love for the nation that was the dream, the focused vision, and passion of our founders. There IS right, and there IS wrong. And we must be prepared to defend right from wrong when the defense of our United States calls us to do so. With that, I hear an echo from the graves of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, & so many others that gave everything to pave the path of liberty. These were great men, and there only a footnote in history class for our children in the 21st century. I try to imagine the majority of those we've elected & seated to lead us standing in the shadow of the greatest flag that has ever flown over any nation in the history of mankind, with their hands on their hearts, singing "God Bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her, through the night with a light from above." Our alleged leaders singing it, believing it, living it, is a glorious picture I can not call to mind. Shame on them, and shame on us for allowing these power mongers to remain in office. This November, I'll fight with my vote and my voice. It's the only real option we still have. Seal the borders, circle the wagons, gather the patriots, and encourage every red blooded American that still believes to be undeniably heard. "Profound wisdom"? Hardly. I'm a simple man that loves the country that was left to me, and refuse to allow a lesser nation to be passed to my children. This is still the United States of America. We are still the mightiest, most compassionate nation on the third stone from the sun. I'll not quietly see it vanish, and neither should anyone else. That is not my "opinion". It's a simple fact. Give my love to that museum, and the proud veterans they represent. MOBY

Moby - We are blessed in Weston, WV with the Mountaineer Military Museum. This museum is dedicated to the preservation of our military history and honors local veterans. Weston is a small town in central WV, located at mile marker 99 on Interstate 79. Last Friday night some unknown person or person(s) stole 6 flags that have been waving in front of the museum. There was Old Glory, one flag for each branch of the armed forces and a POW flag. This organization struggles to keep their doors open and pay their utility bills. They frequently run yard sales to generate funds. That such vandalism could occur, is tragic. Thought you might want to know. Jane Crider Thank you for sharing this Jane. I absolutely did want to know, and it makes me furious. I guess my question is this. What sort of waste of flesh would steal flags from a Military Museum? Would they behave in such a way at Arlington? How were these people raised? Did none of their dad’s serve this nation in uniform? Have they never heard America the Beautiful, and felt a chill? Sad thing is, Jane, if they get caught, they’ll probably get probation, instead of any real punishment for in effect spitting on the price paid for the freedom we all are so richly blessed to enjoy. They perhaps should be tried for treason. Certainly in a less free nation, that wouldn’t even be debated. It would just occur without any civil or legal process, but God bless America, that’s not how we do things. These thieves should be taught respect with a capital “R”, and be made to understand that many things are sacred in this nation, and many of those things are represented by a single flag waving in the breeze, and those things will be protected by folks dedicated to what’s simply but honorably represented by a colorful piece of cloth. If it was some teenaged punks, and they can be found, I think fit punishment would be for the court to publicly shame their daddies & order them to bust their butts. You pick, dad. Juvenile incarceration or severe corporal punishment. We’re all watching. And, no, junior. You don’t get to vote. You only get to shut your mouth. We’ve allowed nothing to be considered worth fighting for, let alone dying for, and these 6 stolen flags are a graphic example of a nation totally lacking true respect for authority, which is an important stone in the foundation of all we’re supposed to be about. To that museum, good luck raising the funds to replace those flags. To the veterans that salute those banners, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your service, and I’m truly sorry this has occurred on the very soil you fought to protect.

God bless the state of Arizona for having the courage to stand up, and demand that the laws of our nation be enforced, and passing a bill in their state that voices that demand in no uncertain terms. It isn’t a decision based on race. It’s a decision based on American patriotism & the laws of the land. Those that don’t see that, are a large part of the problem. It’s that simple. What happened in Arizona is a great thing, and opens up debate that has needed to be held for years. There are laws in place dealing with immigration, both legal and illegal, and if those laws are NOT enforced, they might as well not have been written. America has always been a land of immigrants. Unless we’re full-blooded American Indian, we are the children of immigrants. At one point there was a family, that you’re a descendant of, that made the very tough decision to leave the land of their birth and become Americans. They recognized this “sweet land of liberty” this “land of the free & home of the brave” as a place they chose to raise their children. They were brave enough to blaze a trail that their children and grandchildren would reap the harvest of through their sacrifice as Americans, not as foreign nationals demanding American rights, while maintaining their love of the land they’d chosen to abandon. They decided to leave the land of their birth so those that carried on their family name could have a brighter future in this land that promised so much to those willing to work, sacrifice, learn the language, and become contributing members of American society, and even defend her when duty and honor called. They decided to become Americans. They understood that America & Americans were the product of a dream that they wanted to be part of. We were the melting pot of humanity, and bound by our pride & love of country, became the shining beacon on the hill that Ronald Reagan proclaimed us to be not many years ago. We were the envy of the entire world. Do you think the first generation Italians had an easy time when they came through Ellis Island. How about the immigrant Germans? Can you imagine the fear & awe they felt when they first set foot in this land of bounty. They had sacrificed & immigrated. They’d arrived in the land of plenty in the light of day. They had their heads held high, and understood that their work had just begun. For them to become what they envisioned required hard work, focus, & devoted patriotism to these United States. This was a land that offered more to them and their descendants than they could have ever dreamed. This was America, there stood the Statue of Liberty, and they had taken that giant step toward becoming Americans. What a thing of beauty, and testament to the human spirit legal immigrants were, and still are. Welcome to your new home. We still to this day accept more legal immigrants than all other nations combined. God bless you all in your efforts to become a contributing part of our nation. Those standing in line, be patient. It’ll be worth the wait. Your grandchildren will thank you & honor you for this gift. Understand this though. The open border policy we’ve allowed to become a standard can not continue, or this land of our founder’s dreams will simply, and quietly, cease to exist. Our border exists for a reason, and it must be maintained at all costs. The security of our nation and the future of all patriotic American families is at risk. Bravo Arizona. Stand your ground, and don’t be swayed by those serving an agenda other than what’s best for our country. Patriots from sea to shining sea agree with you and applaud you.

Dear Moby, I am a disabled veteran of the Marine Corps and to be honest with you sometimes I regret it. Not in a bad way please don’t get me wrong cause I am very proud of who I am and what I have accomplished. It makes me sad that we used to be one of the most feared forces in the world and now we are becoming a joke! We used to fight for our freedom and rights but now I don’t know what the heck we are fighting for anymore. Wait I know it is for other countries freedom and rights! How can our government help other countries when they can’t even get it together on our own home soil. Sometimes it seems to me that our government wants us to be like all the other countries where the government runs everything. Whatever happened to that famous saying “WE THE PEOPLE”? Our founding four fathers are probably rolling over in their graves right now at how this country has went from where the people had a say in the government to where it is today. I remember when we said the pledge in school and prayed. Heck you can’t even pray in public or have you bible with you where ever you go with out getting fired, kicked out of school, or ridiculed in public. They have even taken the 10 most important laws ever out of our court rooms, so how can they expect to punish someone for a crime if they are throwing out our laws? I am terrified to see what the world becomes as my kids get older because the government is taking over our lives. That was the whole reason this country was founded to begin with was because the people was being told by the government what they can and can’t do. Finally they had enough and stood up for what they believed in and now some people are to scared to say anything. If we are not careful America we will end up just like Iraq. We need to stand up for what we believe and take back what is ours, OUR FREEDOM AND RIGHTS!!!! Semper Fi and God Bless the USA! David Pierce David, I can’t say thank you loudly enough for your service. Like you, I bow my head and weep for what appears to be the future of this greatest of all nations. Where have the leaders gone that understand?

According to a new study, people born between 1986 and 1992 are on track to become the most educated generation in history. The percentage of 18 to 24 year olds enrolled in or graduated from college; is the highest it’s been in our history. This administration wants everyone to graduate college. I guess that’s supposed to be good news, but that’s really not how I see it. I think this will create many more problems than it will solve. Certainly we benefit from many among us becoming the academics, but who’s gonna do the work? Who’s gonna work on the farms and assembly lines? Who’s gonna mine the coal, or drive the trucks? The blue collar worker has always been the real backbone of America. Regardless of what our Emperor says, not everybody SHOULD go to the 4 plus years of non-stop partying they convince themselves is college. As a matter of fact, I believe it’s better for the nation if some folks don’t attend college, or at the very least have a clear and personally beneficial picture in mind of why they would want to. Very few should, and only through the benefit of their individual advanced intellect, go directly from high school to college. There should be a mandatory 2 years commitment to America for each high school graduate. Not exclusively military service, but 2 years of selfless service to the nation that will be made stronger with young people coming on-line with a diminished sense of entitlement. There should be 2 years where kids are not just taught, but shown that the world doesn’t revolve around them. Obviously, during that compulsory service, many would find a calling that simply doesn’t require advanced education, and more power to ‘em. Trade schools might be where they need to go, or maybe those 2 years will expose them to a lighted path that requires no further formal education at all. After that 2 years, if college is still their desire, then so be it. Good luck!! Study hard!! This would be good for our country. This isn’t a new idea, there are other countries, powerful and successful nations where this is their enforced transition from the child to the adult. If this were the law of our land, our colleges would welcome a much more focused and less party-oriented student body, (dude) and America would put much better educated and motivated people in the national work force. At least that’s my opinion, and this morning’s Small Town Soap Box.

I grew up with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress Things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... While we have it... it's best we love it.... And care for it... And fix it when it's broken........ And heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage..... And old cars..... And children with bad report cards..... And dogs with bad hips....And aging parents..... And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special........ And so, we keep them close! Good friends are like stars..... You don't always see them, But you know they are always there. Keep them close!

Hi Moby, let me start by saying I listen to you every morning. I have an idea for your soap box. My husband and me are both blue collar workers, working 40 hrs a week at minimum wage. It takes both of our incomes just to pay our utilities. We don't drive fancy cars or even have Internet at home because we financially cannot afford it. We are close to the poverty level to be truthful about it. But we provide for our 3 children just the same. They may not get all they want, but we do our best. We can't afford health insurance for ourselves. Our children, thankfully, have a medical card threw the state of West Virginia. So for my husband and myself to get hurt or sick is something we try to avoid at all costs. Well a week ago today, my husband fell and broke his ankle. He has to have surgery to fix it. Well, where we don't have insurance you can imagine the stress we are under now. He can no longer work till his ankle is on the way to recovery, which the doctor told us would be at least a month. I've had to pick up a second job because we are losing his income. I'm never home anymore from pulling 75 hrs in a week. My house is starting to show the effects as well. Well my husband's orthopedic doctor will not do surgery without insurance. How is that helping the working man get back to work? What happened to this great land of ours? What happened to the "good ole days" of years past where the doctor would come to you? What is the working man to do? If you have any suggestions for us, I would appreciate it. I'm ready to cry from all the stress I'm under right now. I'm ready to just scream at the doctors, the president, and anyone else that should be helping but isn't. I'm at my wits end, I'm lost and don't know which way to turn. Thank you for taking the time to read this Moby. Just from your radio show every morning, I can tell you are a wonderful guy and your wife is a lucky woman to have you. There's not many of you left. Sincerely, Renee Eldridge I'm at a loss, Renee. I wish I knew a magic potion to help all of us, but I do not. I understand the storm clouds are all around you for now. We have some pretty serious issues on our end of things, too. These are dark days for certain. My belief is that if we simply don't surrender, if we keep putting one foot in front of the other, if we continue returning the love we get from those that love us, ultimately it will all work out, We are God's children, ad I think we're nearing a time that even if we can't make it on our own any longer, there's a greater plan than we realize, and the sunrise is just beyond the horizon. Go to your husband, and hold him. Tell him how much you love him. The two of you gather those three gifts from God, and know that we're all in the caring hand of the One that created us, and that surrender can never be an option. I can only offer my prayers, and words of support. You have both of those coming from my heart. God bless & yeah baby, MOBY

Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out-patients at the clinic. One summer evening as I was preparing supper, there was a knock at the door I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. “Why, he’s hardly taller than my eight-year-old,” I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling thing was his face, swelling, red and raw yet his voice was pleasant as he said, “Good evening. I’ve come to see if you’ve a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there’s no bus till morning.” He told me that he had been hunting for a room since noon but with no success; no on seemed to have a room. “I guess it’s my face I know it looks terrible, but my doctor said that with a few more treatments…” For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: “I could sleep in this rocking chairs on the porch, my bus leaves early in the morning.” I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch. I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked the old man if he would join us. “No thank you. I have plenty,” “ and he held up a brown paper bag. When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him a few minutes. It didn’t take long to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me that he fished for living to support his daughter, her five children and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury. He didn’t tell it by way of complaint: in fact, every other sentence was prefaced with thanks to God for giving him the strength to keep going. At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children’s room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded, and the little man was out on the porch. He refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking for a great favor, he said, “Could I please come back the next time I have a treatment I won’t put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a chair.” He paused a moment and then added, “Your children made me feel at home. Grown-ups are bothered by my face, but children don’t seem to mind. “ I told him he was welcome to come again. On his next trip he arrived a little after seven in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the largest oysters I had ever seen. He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they’d be nice and fresh. I knew his bus left at 4 a.m. and I wondered at what time he had to get up in order to do this for us. In the years he came to stay with us there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden. Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special deleivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young spinach or kale, every leaf carefully washed. Knowing that he must walk 3 miles to mail these and knowing how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious. When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door morning. “Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up such people.” Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice but oh! If only they could have known him, perhaps their illness would have been easier to bear. I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; for him we learned what it was to accept the ad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God. Recently I was visiting who has a green house. As she showed me her flowers, we came to the most beautiful one of all, a golden chrysanthemum, bursting with blooms. But to my great surprise, it was growing in an old dented, rusty bucket. I thought to myself, if this were I’d put it in the loveliest container I had!” My friend changed my mind. “I ran short of pots,” she explained , “and knowing how beautiful this one would be, I thought it wouldn’t mind starting out in this old pail. It’s just for a little while till I can put it out in the garden.” She must have wondered why I laughed so hard and so delightedly, but I was imagining just such a scene in heaven. There’s an especially beautiful one. God might have said when he came to the soul of the sweet old fisherman. He won’t mind starting in this small body. All this happened long ago—and now, in God’s garden, how tall this lovely soul must stand. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the lord looks at the heart.

If someone you know is bragging that they didn’t have to pay any taxes yesterday because they cheated on their returns, there’s something you can do. Rat out a tax evader and the IRS will pay you up to 15 percent of the recovered taxes. Well, here’s where I am on that. Where are you? If I knew a crime had been committed: a robbery, or an assault, or any act where there was a real victim, I’d alert the authorities, and assist those officers in any way I could in the completion their sworn duties. But who has not noticed, we’re all being robbed by a system of taxes that was designed to be temporary in nature, but has instead become more and more unfair, intrusive, and uncapitalistic. In their ivory towers, those that should have nothing but our best interest, and the best interest of our republic in mind, feather their own nests at the expense of us all. From my way of thinking, we’re all the victims of a crime. Endless and worsening crimes from an arrogant hierarchy that answers to no one, yet enjoys the fruits of their constituency’s labor. We’re having laws dictated by a nonrepresentative government, and rules handed down by czars and a government that doesn’t have to abide by those very same rules themselves. That just ain’t fair. It’s the very type actions from the halls that used to house real leaders, that fostered “the shot heard round the world” on April 19th 1775. To those duly elected & sent to represent us, November is coming, and we are a free people whose limits of tolerance you’re rapidly approaching. Know that prior to this free and liberty demanding population’s next trip to the polls, or you will certainly know it after those polls have closed, and the votes have been counted. Would I tell on a tax cheat in exchange for a bounty from this former government of, by, and for the people? I can’t imagine that I would. We certainly, more out of fear than anything else, pay like most everyone else. But to the rebel with the courage and resolve to say, “No More!!” I’d more likely provide comfort & shelter. That’s this morning’s Small Town Soap Box.

Dear Moby,
I attended the Tea Party rally today.
First, I would like to thank you for your commitment and your hard work in the effort.
But I want to ask you not to exclude non-Christians from prayers. You made a point that the tea party effort was not a matter of Democrat, Republican, Independent, but simply American.
So how could you then exclude non-Christians from the prayer? Is it supposed to be for any political stripe, but for Christians only? You twice mentioned our "Christian god."
I'm a Christian. But I don't believe in excluding a non-Christian from anything, whether it is a prayer, or feeling included in a rally such as this one.
This has made me rethink going to any more rallies put on by North Fulton.
But since the previous one I'd been to (with Herman Cain) was not like this, I plan to give them one more chance, in the hopes that something like this won't happen again.
I will write to them of my concern as well.
Please remember, there are people attending these things who are not Christian like us, and it is not in our best interests to exclude them or make them feel uncomfortable in any way.
It doesn't even make sense. I do appreciate your efforts more than I can say, but please accept my suggestion, and refrain from making non-Christians feel excluded from the prayer, or any aspect of the gathering.
It hurts us, and it is not in line with my core beliefs.
Sincerely, Jeanie Summers Roswell

Dear Jeanie,
In the spirit of sincere inclusion, I allow you the pulpit of this show to make your feelings known. The Christian God of our founders is the God through whose love and guidance this wonderful country of liberty and religious freedom was conceived. In my heart, I feel that if anyone felt excluded at our Tea Party, I am truly sorry. But at a devoutly patriotic event, at least one where I have duties as MC, I’ll never not acknowledge my God, and the God of the men that laid the very foundation of this nation. The Jewish lady that came forward to say a few words during the “We the People” segment didn’t seem to have any of the issues of exclusion you seem to be concerned and sensitive about. Jeanie, the majority of our population in America believes in the Judeo/Christian God. You say you do as well. No individual needs to feel shut out of a rally where the Christian holy deity is recognized, and whose blessings are requested for the day, and our combined future. Our children’s, children’s, children’s will judge us on how we behave during this crisis we face, and how we, as a nation, respond to our patriotic duty. Is this land of religious freedom, every individual has the right to believe as they will, but never lose sight of the fact; it was Christian men who made that right of free choice the law of the land. I sincerely thank you for expressing your opinion, and for creating an opportunity for me to express mine. God bless you, America, and every individual that worries as we all should for our future. Between the two of us, we created a Small Town Soap Box.

A central Florida urologist has posted a sign on his office door warning supporters of President Barrack Obama to find a different doctor. The notice on Dr. Jack Cassell’s Mount Dora practice says, “If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin now, not in four years.” Cassell told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday he wasn’t questioning patients or refusing care, because that would be un-ethical. “But if they read the signand turn the other way, so be it,” he said. Cassell, 56, also provides Republican reading material in the waiting room-probably not a risky move, given that Mount Dora’s 10,000 residents and the surrounding area lean heavily conservative. A spokeswoman from the Florida Department of Health, which licenses physicians and investigates complaints, said Friday there was no law prohibiting Cassell from advertising himself that way. “Because there is no statute, there would be no grounds for a complaint,” spokeswoman Eulinda Smith said. A University of Florida professor said Cassell is walking a thin line between free speech and professional obligation. William Allen said Cassell may be within his rights if he doesn’t quiz patients about their politics and hasn’t refused to see anyone.

I will be attending the local TEA Party rally on Wednesday. You may ask why I would do this. That is a fair question. My concern for this country centers on the United States Constitution and our federal government governing according to that document. There was a time in the past when we were required to take a social studies course that included the study of our constitution and how it worked. That study seems to have disappeared from our schools and has been gone for a very long time. The result is that the general public does not know what is in that important document. I would quote one of the Founding Fathers . . . "Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom." (John Adams) It’s the responsibility of each of us, to insure that our children and grandchildren know about that document, its contents and the importance to our way of life and our freedoms. We should not concede that responsibility to the school system or anyone else. My focus these days is on the 1st amendment (freedom of speech), the 2nd (right to keep and bear arms) here again a Founding Father quote . . . "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government" (Thomas Jefferson), and the 10th . . . powers not granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states by the constitution of the United States are reserved to the states or the people . . . "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”(Lord Acton British Historian). Those three amendments are being ignored or worse - run over by those in Washington. This country has a long and rich history of open, free and at times raucous debate to resolve our political differences and challenges. We also have a history of addressing our political differences at the polls by voting. These tea party groups are a prime example of a non violent gathering of every day citizens, speaking their minds and making their voices heard by our elected officials at all levels from local city government, to the house and senate in Washington, D.C. Your call to action is please join me, bring a neighbor and see how representative government works in a free and independent republic. Your obedient servant, Richard G. Freeman - Patriot

Submitted by: Kristina K. Lovvorn from a book called…book called "To a Child LOVE Is Spelled T-I-M-E It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to rediscover. Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness. Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son's childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did Elizabeth always save the children's old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head. Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short reading, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten. Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son's simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different? Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son's journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. Hunched over to keep from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den. Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son's was tattered and the name "Jimmy" had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn way with time and use. As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words: Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn't catch a thing. With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read: Went fishing with my dad. Best day of my life.

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door. Dear Dogs and Cats: The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest. The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run. I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm. For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required. The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough. Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door: TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS: (1) They live here. You don't. (2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture. (3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people. (4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly. Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they: (1) are easier to train, () normally come when called, () don't want to wear your clothes, (4) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children ...

And it came to pass that there was health-care reform, With apologies to the prophet Amos But the people did not understand the meaning of that reform; and their leaders ignored the doctors who cried out, ‘woe is all of us,’ being so much smarter than the doctors who work in health-care. But the people wanted something free, and their leaders did therefore give away the farm, so to speak. So, the people will suffer higher taxes, both they and their descendants for generation upon generation. The economy will sink like the great elephant in a huge vat of oil; and other countries will make collages of the dollar, for it will be held worthless, owing to the forces of inflation and stuff. The insurance companies the people hated, hated bitterly for their denials and cost, these will surely pass away since no one has to buy insurance until they get sick, and will not have put in money in the first place, forsooth. Then the great god government will swoop in and own it all! And a plague of fees and smaller taxes, like scurrying things on the ground, will descend upon the people, who will pay more taxes on insurance and soda, on movies and cars, on chocolate and ammunition, alcohol and guns and gasoline (all the good things). And the great beast VAT will devour all the rest of their money like warm oatmeal on a cold morning, will the VAT slurp up their dollars. Verily. But care there will be; and yet, mysteriously, not be. And we will wish to drive across the border for care like Canadians, but they will forsake us; and a drive across to Mexico will only lead to gunshot wounds and dysentery; verily. And the people will sit and wonder, ‘where is my money? Where is my job?’ And the leaders will say, ‘it was those conservatives who took it all away…but you have healthcare?’ But the people will ask, ‘why live longer if I can’t do anything, my money being used in collages and all?’ And their leaders will vanish on junkets and say, ‘What? I can’t hear you over the jet engine?’ And their leaders will have excellent health-care plans; for let it be known through all the land that leaders always deserve better stuff than the silly masses. Leaders and union members always get the best. And a famine of available doctors will descend, during which time getting an appointment will take longer than the Vice President making a cogent statement. The ER’s will overflow with the wretched refuse of health-care reform. The family doctors will dream of the days when they were paid with chickens or pies, and will (like everyone) receive small amounts of devalued dollars. Specialists will sleep in, and will stop doing extra procedures; bright students will become engineers, or community organizers. Doctors on salary will work with all the efficiency of the great, busy, industrious tree-sloth. Lawyers will flourish, however, and the land overflow with them; they will bring lawsuits against doctors with undiminished fury as states ‘explore options for tort reform,’ and legislators look on in pride and with satisfaction at protecting the freedom… of other lawyers. And on that great day when it all collapses like so many tongue depressors stacked up into the shape of Notre Dame cathedral, those who wanted it all will say, ‘who are you talking to? I was pressured! I was against it! It was those darn conservatives!’ And the New York Times will agree. Thus speaketh the prophet of health-care reform.

Foreign Aid is a great thing. It’s America being kind, and exhibiting that kindness through our national generosity. The total dollars we annually send to foreign nations in need is astronomical in proportions, yet we continue to send it without the first thought of repayment. We’ve sent hundreds of billions of dollars year after year to countries that feel a sense of entitlement to our American bounty & truly aren’t grateful for the gift. They simply expect it, and still hate us when they cash the check. Nonetheless, this is how we’ve behaved as global citizens since this nation won its independence over two and a quarter centuries ago. My issue is when we have Americans in need, such as with Hurricane Katrina, the recent floods in the north, or any number of our national disasters, our American government offers the victims “low-interest loans” as opposed to the “gifts” we give other nations. That seems less than I think we have every right to expect from our government. In the wake of a natural disaster in the boundaries of America, American dollars should be used without hesitation to make suffering American citizens whole. We are the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment - yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on all the TV networks, ships and planes lining up with food, water, tents, clothes, bedding, doctors and medical supplies, much of which goes unused, stolen or sold because of mismanagement. Haiti was a cesspool before the earthquake, now we seem to have the goal of making them better than they were before their disaster. Imagine if we gave ourselves the same support that we give other countries. I feel bad for Haiti, and for other countries that have suffered natural catastrophes, but I wonder, who cares about America. I swear that I do, and I assume you do as well, but by their very actions, and the offer of “lo-interest loans” as a remedy, how could we think that those self-serving duly elected officials in the halls of government in Washington, care as much about America as the voters that sent them there? Do they really believe they were sent from their states and their districts to represent the citizens that voted for them, or do they assume themselves to represent the citizens of the world? We can’t be a good global neighbor until we commit to caring for our own people. America First!! Then we’ll be more fit to care for others.

Is there a magic cutoff period when Offspring become accountable for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become detached spectators in The lives of their children and shrug, 'It's their life,' and feel nothing? When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor waiting for doctors to put a few Stitches in my daughter's head. I asked, 'When do you stop worrying?' The nurse said, “When they get out of the accident stage.' My Dad just smiled faintly and said nothing. When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked incessantly, disrupted the class, and was headed for a career making license plates. As if to read my mind, a teacher said, 'Don't worry, they all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them.' My dad just smiled faintly and said nothing. When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open. A friend said, 'they're trying to find themselves. Don't worry, in a few years, you can stop worrying. They'll be adults.' My dad just smiled faintly and said nothing. By the time I was 50, I was sick & tired of being vulnerable. I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle. There was nothing I could do about it. My Dad just smiled faintly and said nothing. I continued to anguish over their failures, be tormented by their frustrations and absorbed in their disappointments. My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life. I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my dad's warm smile and his occasional, 'You look pale. Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home. Are You depressed about something?' Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry? Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown? Is concern a curse or is it a virtue that elevates us to the highest form of life? One of my children became quite irritable recently, saying to me, 'Where were you? I've been calling for 3 days, and no one answered I was worried.' I smiled a warm smile. The torch has been passed.

My old friend Charley Smith sent this to me, see if you don’t think he’d be your friend too. He used to do promotions for the Atlanta Hawks, and let me come sing anthem for them many times. A NEW CUSS WORD . . . Years ago when I sometimes used unsavory language, I often used the expression "Bull S***." As I grew up a bit and discovered it was not necessary to use such crude language, that expression became "BS." What did I really mean when I used those expressions? I meant that something was ridiculous, or idiotic, or a half truth.....or, just plain stupid. It covered any number of negative formats. The dictionary defines it as: nonsense, especially foolish, insolent talk... I have decided that I no longer will use either of those expressions in the future. When I have a need to express such feelings, I will use the word "Pelosi." Let me use it in a sentence. "That's just a bunch of Pelosi...” I encourage you to do the same. It is such a nasty sounding word, it really packs a punch! We are no longer being vulgar, and it clearly expresses our feelings. "When on a ranch, watch your step and don't step in Pelosi. It will get on the bottom of your boots and won't go away until next election." If enough of us use it, perhaps the word could be entered into the dictionary. What a fitting and descriptive legacy for the Speaker of the House!

My daughter came home from school one day, With a smirk upon her face. She decided she was smart enough, To put me in my place. 'Guess what I learned in Civics Two, that's taught by Mr. Wright? It's all about the laws today, The 'Children's Bill of Rights.' It says I need not clean my room, don't have to cut my hair No one can tell me what to think, Or speak, or what to wear. I have freedom from religion, And regardless what you say, I don't have to bow my head, And I sure don't have to pray. I can wear earrings if I want, And pierce my tongue & nose. I can read & watch just what I like, Get tattoos from head to toe. And if you ever spank me, I'll charge you with a crime. I'll back up all my charges, with the marks on my behind. Don't you ever touch me, My body's only for my use, Not for your hugs and kisses, that's just more child abuse. Don't preach about your morals, Like your Mama did to you. That's nothing more than mind control, And it's illegal, too! Mom, I have these children's rights, So you can't influence me, Or I'll call Children's Services Division, Better known as C.S.D.' Mom's Reply and Thoughts Of course, my first instinct was To toss her out the door. But the chance to teach her a lesson Made me think a little more. I mulled it over carefully, I couldn't let this go. A smile crept upon my face, she's messing with a pro. Next day I took her shopping At the local Goodwill Store. I told her, 'Pick out all you want, there's shirts & pants galore. I've called and checked with C.S.D.... Who said they didn't care If I bought you K-Mart shoes Instead of those Nike Airs. I've cancelled that appointment To take your driver's test... The C.S.D. Is unconcerned So I'll decide what's best.' I said 'No time to stop and eat, Or pick up stuff to munch. And tomorrow you can start to learn To make your own sack lunch. Just save the raging appetite, And wait till dinner time. We're having liver and onions, A favorite dish of mine.' She asked 'Can I please rent a movie, to watch on my VCR?' 'Sorry, but I sold your TV, for new tires on my car. I also rented out your room, You'll take the couch instead. The C .S.D. requires just a roof over your head. Your clothing won't be trendy now, I'll choose what we eat. That allowance that you used to get, Will buy me something neat. I'm selling off your jet ski, Dirt-bike & roller blades. Check out the 'Parents Bill of Rights', It's in effect today! Hey hot shot, are you crying, Why are you on your knees? Are you asking God to help you out,Instead of C.S.D....?'

The Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, Kansas is back in the news. And they’ve struck a blow against what as patriotic Americans, we hold sacred. Those literally insane individuals think it’s “God’s will” for them to protest, & hold signs saying things like “Thank God for Dead Soldiers, Thank God for IED’s, and Thank God for 911” at the funerals of our dead American heroes. And now, have you seen what’s happened this week? Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder God rest his soul, and comfort his family, contributed to our country the ultimate sacrifice, and these fanatics, as they’ve so frequently done, protested at his funeral. Matthew’s daddy, Albert Snyder, sued those protesters, and their alleged church, and in that action, he won a multimillion dollar judgement for privacy invasion, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy. This week, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals not only overturned that lower court judgement, they ordered that grieving father of one of our nation’s finest to pay these protesters nearly $1,700 in costs they absorbed defending the suit. What on Earth were those educated people of law thinking? Where does our Constitution not protect the dignity of a memorial service laying a fallen American military hero to rest? I’m not sure what’s gonna happen in all this. No doubt many good Americans will send the money so Albert won’t have to pay. No doubt the Westboro Church will use the money the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has given them from Lance Cpl Snyder’s father to fund more of their sick, un-American, totally misguided protests. It’s a brazen and totally unpatriotic slap in the face to not only the grieving Snyder family, but to every dedicated patriot that loves what the United States was founded on, and what is it was for many generations dedicated to defending. For the time being these Westboro lunatics will exercise their right of free speech to protest the actions of the very men & women pledged and dedicated to protect that right. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on this, but how can we expect any form of sanity to prevail in the insanity our nation seems to have quickly become? I won’t even hesitate a guess on what might ultimately happen in all this unpatriotic insanity. But I will ask a favor of another group of heroes that might be listening. I’ll be bold enough to ask a favor of some of the most dedicated, and right-mined patriots I’ve ever met, the family of bikers called The Patriot Guard. These focused, brave and right-minded souls that have many times gallantly stood between the protesters, and our grieving military families, blocking each’s view from the other. The work you folks do is so very much appreciated by patriots from coast to coast. As this all unfolds, and you’ll have to dig deeper than you ever have to do this, don’t hurt any of these people. Don’t make a martyr out of a lunatic. Restrain yourselves from doing what will seem like a good, right & forgivable thing to do. Don’t hurt any of them. Instead just pity them, and pray that soon, somehow, sanity returns to this great nation.

Sometimes life seems hard to bear, Full of sorrow, trouble and woe It's then I have to remember That it's in the valleys I grow. If I always stayed on the mountain top And never experienced pain, I would never appreciate God's love And would be living in vain. I have so much to learn And my growth is very slow, Sometimes I need the mountain tops, But it's in the valleys I grow. I do not always understand Why things happen as they do, But I am very sure of one thing. My Lord will see me through. My little valleys are nothing When I picture Christ on the cross He went through the valley of death; His victory was Satan's loss. Forgive me Lord, for complaining When I'm feeling so very low. Just give me a gentle reminder That it's in the valleys I grow. Continue to strengthen me, Lord And use my life each day To share your love with others And help them find their way. Thank you for valleys, Lord For this one thing I know The mountain tops are glorious But it's in the valleys I grow! Submitted by my dear friend, and radio cousin Mickey Eaton

I remember when I was just a boy; my mother would come into my room to put me to bed each night. She wood squat down on her knees with me on my knees beside her, place her hands together and say the simple prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Then she would put me into bed and “tuck me in,” kissing me on the forehead and wishing me sweet dreams. I remember the feeling of being truly loved at these times more than any that I can recall. I was in the 5th grade when they passed laws prohibiting prayer in school, but before that time I had grown accustomed to and rather enjoyed the daily devotional that was read and prayed over the loudspeaker at school each morning. After the prayer, we all stood beside our desks, placed our hands over our hearts, and pledged allegiance to the flag of our great nation. Thinking back, I missed these morning devotionals when they were gone, and it didn’t take long for the “moment of silence” that replaced our morning prayer to be eliminated as well. After moving on to middle school pledging allegiance evaporated as well, leaving us with an “empty space” in our hearts that nothing seemed to fill. After I had grown into a teenager I got out of the habit of kneeling beside my bed, but I still said my nightly prayers- no matter how selfish or maybe childish they were- they were still part of my nightly routine. I wandered away from God through my late teens and early twenties, as many of us did, only to return and find my Jesus waiting for his prodigal son to return. He forgave me for leaving, and has been feeding me from the fattened calf ever since. Through thick and thin, He has been there all the while, listening to me when I said my daily prayers. When I was raising my children, which are all grown now and having children of their own, I remember kneeling with them by their beds and saying the same old prayer. I am guilty of not always remembering to say grace before our family meals, but it filled my heart to hear one of my four say “daddy, aren’t we going to say the blessing.” I wonder how many parents take the time to kneel beside their little ones and teach them to pray before going to bed each night. It makes you wonder what this world that we live in will look like when this next generation reaches adulthood and doesn’t even know how to communicate with their maker. Are we being defeated as a nation from “the inside out” as Joseph Stalin once stated that we would, or are we willing to get on our knees and fight? You decide! Maybe we should kneel by our beds with our spouses before going to bed too. Who knows, it might just save a few marriages, and I’m absolutely sure that it would be a good example for our children. It surely couldn’t hurt anything.

To find today's soapbox, click this link right here. http://www.lindaellis.net/tomorrowsyesterday.htm

I am coming to you with a heavy heart, Moby. Yesterday morning (Thursday) --just about the time you were finishing your Small Town Soapbox, one of my students, Karl Anschutz, lost control of his car just a bit---overcorrected and steered into the oncoming lane of traffic. He was hit by a truck. He and his 13 year-old sister, Laura, were both killed instantly. Karl was 18, had recently earned his Eagle Scout Award and last week was accepted into Georgia Tech. He and his sister were both excellent students and wonderful people and we in the Conyers, Ga community are hurting. I cannot imagine the pain their parents are enduring. Please remember us in your prayers, Moby. Please remind every parent out there to cherish every minute they have with their precious children and the next time you sing a hymn on the radio Moby---could you dedicate it to Karl and Laura. Thanks pal. Huck YB Kids, a short phrase from your Uncle Moby. “In the blink of an eye.” That’s how quickly everything you’ve ever known for your entire life can change forever, with no turning back. God bless every soul affected by this fleeting instant in a normal Thursday morning. To the parents of these two kids. One minute at a time, one hour, and one day. You will survive. Lean solidly on each other, and know every person in the sound of my voice is praying that you can find peace…one day at a time.

Mr. Moby! I have been listening to you since I was a little bitty girl on my way to school! I remember one year you came to a Christmas parade, when I was about seven and you threw a piece of candy to me and it made my day. Hear me out with this email I am about to pour my heart out to you about something that is so important to me... I am now twenty one years old, and I am a college student well on my way to my teaching degree. I feel sick to my stomach because I don't know what I am going to do with my degree once I receive it. President Obama is working on passing a bill that will raise teacher "accountability" AKA more standardized testing. Standardized testing is killing the art of teaching. In the teaching field there is a term, "teaching to the test" this simply means that every lesson a teacher plans must be structured around requirements to get students to pass a standardized test. More standardized testing will only further limit my creativity in the classroom. Standardized testing is a trend that is completely politically motivated in order to ease the public's worried minds about their children's lack of education. I really believe politicians are clueless when it comes to education. I love children and I have wanted to be a teacher since I was five, but thirty thousand dollars a year is little compensation for all of the pressure that comes with the job. Test scores will always vary. Should I lose thousands of dollars a year because I teach a class full of students who chose not to come to school? Or should I lose money because I teach a class with students who have had failing test scores for years? A student's ability at the beginning of a school year and improvement by the end of the school year are not measured with test scores. I have always wanted to work with the youth, but I have bills to pay too, especially after 4-6 years of college. Raise furlough days, cut spending for education, and implement the merit pay system (pay based on test scores)...can you say teacher shortages?!!! Let us continue offering alternative licensing for teachers, let’s continue teaching to a test, let’s raise the number of standardized tests, let us have the audacity of measuring a child's intelligence yearly by a test score....and lets see how smart your children are when they get out of school. The future of education is looking grim. Eventually there will be no teachers left with any creativity or heart...instead children will just go to school and cram for the things on whatever upcoming test they will be taking their CRCT, Gateway, EOCT, graduation test...take your pick...there's only more to come. I have decided that if Obama goes through with his plan for education that I will not be a teacher, but go into the private sector doing something such as tutoring students outside of school, or opening my own childcare/preschool service. We need to start putting educators in control of education. Educators are the ones with heart. We go into this profession not because we will make lots of money, but because we love teaching the youth. All educators will have great appreciation for the things I have said. President Obama please have mercy on my future career as an educator. Standardized testing is killing the art of teaching, please don't further limit my creativity in the classroom...no more political "reforms" to education. Yeah baby! Love you Mr. Moby! thank you, Brittany Alicea

I had a conversation yesterday with my friend, Congressman Clay Cox. Clay’s bringing to the state house of Representatives a resolution that would create a ballot in the floor of the house to neuter the directives of Obama’s Czars. He feels and I agree, that those Czars do not have the authority to hand down laws & rules we are forced to abide by. Through the directives of regal Czars isn’t the route of free men, and we are free regardless the opinion of the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Go get ‘em Clay. Last week, a new friend of mine, Representative Michael Hardin made me aware that he’s bringing a bill (1389) to make in mandatory for welfare recipients to consistently pass a simple drug test before they can receive public assistance. Those two men inspired this Soap Box, and I’d ask for your ears as I share it. I’m a kind and charitable man, but I’ll not work endlessly to build a future for those I love, to have it distributed to those that are satisfied with life on the government teat that I’m forced to fatten with my tax dollars. We still do have some right-minded patriotic elected officials in office, and they need to know that their right-minded constituents stand shoulder to shoulder behind them, urging them on. There is a minority of strong, focused Americans in the halls of every state capitol, and in Washington, and they’re very aware of the undeniable fact they were elected to conduct the business of all citizens for the benefit of the republic, and for no other purpose. They accept the fact that reelection might or not be on the other side of their tireless efforts. This nation was built on the principle that we are all free citizens, and can prosper in America, and provide for our families through our individual hard work, determination, and focus. Our founders built a land of the free and home of the brave where the government would work for us, and very simply provide for the common defense of us all. They gave us the greatest gift in the history of man, except the gift we received from the very son of our Christian God. Those men, through their individual courage and personal commitment gave us undeniable liberty from excessive government intervention in our lives. They gave us the freedom to excel, and the opportunity to prosper from the sweat of our brows, and to pass on to our children the legacy of the benefits we earned, and in so doing, create the opportunity for those children to continue that growth, and pass it on to our grandchildren. Now it seems that many among us have come to the opinion that’s unfair, and that it’s the governments place to care for us, and be our nursemaids. It’s their position that our estate and children’s inheritance will be only what the government will allow us to keep. The liberal opinion seems to be those that have earned the American dream owe our bounty, and fruits of our labor to those less willing, although able, to work as hard as the best amongst us. This is not the foundation of our society, nor is it the vision of those that sought liberation from the tyranny of the royals a few centuries ago, in the grand scheme of humanity, a mere pittance of time. Now, today, we stand at a crossroad never before witnessed in American history. Will we choose the liberty of a free society or not? Will we allow the dreams of those that gave us this land to be washed up on the banks of government dependent Socialism? Speaking for myself, I believe this to be true. My individual liberty, and my freedom from the intervention of big government in my life, and the lives of my friends and family was bought and paid for by the blood of American patriots as our free republic was constructed, and I would sadly, but proudly give my life to protect the future of my daughter and my grandchildren, and in so doing would earn the approval of the men that brought us here. “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, almighty God. I know now what others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”-Patrick Henry, Speech to the Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775

By: Linda Ellis I am on my way to fifty; is is a fact, I do not hide. And what's happening to my appearance, I've been taking well in-stride. But recently I gazed into my mirror and upon closer inspection, I found there was a darkened circle on the face of my reflection! I've learned age spots are common; my luck the first one to appear... lies directly between the space above my left and my right ear! I do not celebrate Ash Wednesday... nor am I of Indian descent so what might this spot upon my forehead to others, represent? It won't be concealed with powder nor will I hide behind foundation I don't dispute it has validity; I just don't care for its location! Sometimes, I get the sense there's a third-eye staring back at me and if I turn to look from side to side, my forehead has it's own marquee! Watching my body's transformation, I know I'm powerless, year to year and I cannot help but wonder where my next age spot will appear?

Hello Mr. Moby, I have a special request for you because I know that you are a christian man by listening to your show. My husband and I are 5 1/2 weeks away from having our first child. A precious little boy! About a month ago I got a call from the doctors office that they had found something on his ultrasound. They then sent me to a specialist at UT and say he will be born with a cleft lip and palate. I know there are many many other things that are much worse but we hate the thought of him going through so many surgeries especially at such a young age and there is a chance that he would have to have a breathing tube placed in his throat. I only ask that you would pray for this little guy, his name is Sawyer Kline Singleton due on April 25! We know he will be a blessing to our life and many others no matter how God chooses to give him to us. However we also know that God has the power to heal him just by speaking the words! Also if you know any other praying people ask for them to pray as well. There is a prayer group set up or him on facebook. I will send you an invitation. Thanks Mr. Moby! P.S. Yeah Baby Ms Emily Singleton Emily, I'll be happy to, but you gotta promise to keep me (us...this radio family) in the loop. OK? God bless you, your husband, and of course God keep a watchful, loving, & protective eye on precious little Sawyer Kline Singleton whose growing in his mama's tummy as I write this. Sawyer will come into this very scary world in April, and the challenges he'll face, whatever they might be, will require the unwavering strength of the faithful & dedicated parents God chose to place him with. It will be exciting to see who & what Sawyer will be in 20 years. Let the journey begin. Yeah baby, MOBY

I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired. I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it. I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money. I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe , the freedom of the press of China , the crime and violence of Mexico , the tolerance for Christian people of Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela . I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to. I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U.S. Senators from Illinois. I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government. I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004. I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance. I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough. I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana. I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military.... Those are the citizens we need. I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear. I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet. I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor. Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing. I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems. Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter. Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.

Long have I known Phoebe Ann Mosey Known her since she was young A child of pure brilliance Yet she ran not her tongue At dawn we would leave our troubles behind Seeking peace in the forests of verde It was here that the beginnings we’d soon find A story of its time unheard Her mother was poor, her father deceased The family struggled to get by And after long years she was finally released From the wolves that enslaved she and I Rejoining her family and paying off their debt She continued her work near the farm By selling furs her future was set With the skill she had in her arm By applying her talent to competitive sport The best of the best soon saw That this Phoebe Ann Mosey, the one so short, Had left everyone in awe. I watched this child grow and grow In maturity, not in size, And when I looked at the girl I once knew I saw a woman in her eyes Soon we were part of a show Portraying the Old West Amazed, folks watched from every row As Phoebe and I gave our best Rising competitors soon fell away We were the best the world had seen And I must say the most memorable day Was when we performed for a queen Our life was vivid, an American dream Very close were she and I But the book of life, like a play, it seemed That it was written she was to die She received many injuries, and each took their toll She tried her best to fight back But every small thing soon caused her soul To give in to the final attack Reflecting on the past, I know this: That I was very lucky indeed And if she had been given one final wish I know it would have included me A memory for all now I am Of a woman and a legacy And this proudly say I can For I am the rifle of Annie Oakley

Respect the Office? Yes. Respect the Man in the Office? No, I am sorry to say. I have noted that many elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, called upon America to unite behind Obama. Well, I want to make it clear to all who will listen that I AM NOT uniting behind Obama! I will respect the Office which he holds, and I will acknowledge his abilities as an orator and wordsmith, BUT that is it. I have begun today to see what I can do to make sure that he is a one-term President ! Why am I doing this?It is because: I do not share Obama's vision or value system for America ; I do not share his Abortion beliefs; I do not share his radical Marxist's concept of re-distributing wealth; I do not share his view that America is Arrogant; I do not share his view that America is not a Christian Nation; I do not share his view that the military should be reduced by 25%; I do not share his view of amnesty and giving more to illegals than our American Citizens who need help; I do not share his views on homosexuality and his definition of marriage; I do not share his views that Radical Islam is our friend and Israel is our enemy who should give up any land; I do not share his spiritual beliefs (at least the ones he has made public I do not share his beliefs on how to re-work the healthcare system in America ; I do not share his Strategic views of the Middle East ; and I certainly do not share his plan to sit down with terrorist regimes such as Iran . Bottom line: my America is vastly different from Obama's, and I have a higher obligation to my Country and my GOD to do what is Right! For eight (8) years, the Liberals in our Society, led by numerous entertainers who would have no platform and no real credibility but for their celebrity status, have attacked President Bush, his family, and his spiritual beliefs! They have not moved toward the center in their beliefs and their philosophies, and they never came together nor compromised their personal beliefs for the betterment of our Country! They have portrayed my America as a land where everything is tolerated except being intolerant! They have been a vocal and irreverent minority for years! They have mocked and attacked the very core values so important to the founding and growth of our Country! They have made every effort to remove the name of GOD or Jesus Christ from our Society! They have challenged capital punishment, the right to bear firearms, and the most basic principles of our criminal code! They have attacked one of the most fundamental of all Freedoms, the right of free speech! Unite behind Obama? Never!!! I am sure many of you think that I am going overboard, but I refuse to retreat one more inch in favor of those whom I believe are the embodiment of Evil! PRESIDENT BUSH made many mistakes during his Presidency, and I am not sure how history will judge him. However, I believe that he weighed his decisions in light of the long established Judeo-Christian principles of our Founding Fathers!!! Majority rules in America, and I will honor the concept; however, I will fight with all of my power to be a voice in opposition to Obama and his "goals for America." "Error of Opinion may be tolerated where Reason is left free to combat it." - Thomas Jefferson GOD bless you and GOD bless our Country ! ! ! "If we ever forget that we're one nation under GOD, then we will be a nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan

sent in by radio cousin Sharon Highsmith from Commerce When you are tired and discouraged from fruitless efforts... God knows how hard you have tried. When you've cried so long and your heart is in anguish... God has counted your tears. If you feel that your life is on hold and time has passed you by... God is waiting with you. When you're lonely and your friends are too busy even for a phone call... God is by your side. When you think you've tried everything and don't know where to turn... God has a solution. When nothing makes sense and you are confused or frustrated.. . God has the answer. If suddenly your outlook is brighter and you find traces of hope... God has whispered to you. When things are going well and you have much to be thankful for... God has blessed you. When something joyful happens and you are filled with awe... God has smiled upon you. When you have a purpose to fulfill and a dream to follow... God has opened your eyes and called you by name. Remember that wherever you are or whatever you are facing... GOD KNOWS!!!

A is for apple, and B is for boat, That used to be right, but now it won't float! Age before beauty is what’s always said, But let's be a bit more realistic instead. Now The New Alphabet: A's for arthritis; B's the bad back, C's the chest pains, Perhaps car-d-iac? D is for dental decay and decline, E is for eyesight, can't read that top line! F is for fissures and fluid retention, G is for gas which I'd rather not mention. H .. High blood pressure--I'd rather it low; I .. For incisions with scars you can show. J is for joints, out of socket, won't mend, K is for knees that crack when they bend. L for libido, what happened to sex? M is for memory, I forget what comes next. N is neuralgia, in nerves way down low; O is for osteo, bones that don't grow! P for prescriptions, I have quite a few, Just give me a pill and I'll be good as new! Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu? R is for reflux, one meal turns to two. S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears, T is for Tinnitus; bells in my ears! U is for urinary; troubles with flow; V for vertigo, that's 'dizzy,' you know. W for worry, NOW what's going 'round? X is for X ray, and what might be found. Y for another year I'm left here behind, Z is for zest I still have-- in my mind. I've survived all the symptoms, my body's deployed, And I'm keeping twenty-six doctors fully employed!!! HAVE A GREAT DAY !

At my recent assault trial, I offered a plea of "Guilty with an explanation." The judge asked me what my explanation was, so I told my story. "Your Honor," I said, "I had a mammogram appointment, which I actually kept. I was met with 'Hi! I'm Belinda!' This perky clipboard carrier smiled from ear to ear, tilted her head to one side and crooned, 'All I need you to do is step into this room right here, strip to the waist, then slip on this gown. Everything clear?' I'm thinking, 'Belinda, try decaf. This ain't rocket science.' Belinda skipped away to prepare the chamber of horrors. With the right side finished, Belinda flipped me (literally) to the left and said, 'Hmmmm. Can you stand on your tippy toes and lean in a tad so we can get everything?' 'Fine', I answered. I was freezing, bruised, and out of air, so why not use the remaining circulation in my legs and neck and finish me off? My body was in a holding pattern that defied gravity (with my other breast wedged between those two 4 inch pieces of square glass) when we heard, then felt a zap! Complete darkness and the power went off! 'Oh, maintenance is working. Bet they hit a snag.' Belinda said, and headed for the door. 'Excuse me! You're not leaving me in this vise alone are you?' I shouted. Belinda kept going and said, 'Oh, you fussy puppy...the door's wide open so you'll have the emergency hall lights. I'll be right back..' Before I could shout 'NOOOO!' she disappeared. And that's exactly how Bubba and Earl, maintenance men Extraordinaire, found me ... Half-naked with part of me dangling from the Jaws of Life, and the other part smashed between glass! After exchanging a polite 'Hi, how's it going' type greeting, Bubba (or possibly Earl) asked, to my utter disbelief, if I knew the power was off. Trying to disguise my hysteria, I replied with as much calmness as possible 'Uh, yes, yes I did thanks.' 'You bet, take care' Bubba replied and waved good-bye as though I'd been standing in the line at the grocery store. Two hours later, Belinda breezes in wearing a sheepish grin. Making no attempt to suppress her amusement, she said, 'Oh I am sooo sorry!' The power came back on and I totally forgot about you! And silly me, I went to lunch. Are we upset?' And that, Your Honor, is exactly how her head ended up between the clamps..." The judge could hardly contain her laughter as she said 'Case Dismissed!'

I know that there are a lot of people that don't feel that Taylor Swift is necessarily deserving of her rapid stardom, or that she is not a vocalist or some people just don’t like her music…and I will be the first to say that is perfectly fine because that is why there are hundreds of artists, so you can chose who you like. I guess I am different. I find the good in all artists, all people for that matter, but as far as for Taylor Swift…In 2007, my son and I were honored to meet her. He calls her his “HOT CRACKERJ” Taylor and my son have had a very special bond from that moment. Taylor has one of the most passionate loving hearts in this entire world, God honestly shines through her and for a anyone, much less someone her age, that is saying a lot…Taylor, her parents, and everyone at her record label that has ever come in contact with him have always made him feel like a star..and why that means so much…on Christmas Eve 1999, my son was born with Down Syndrome and we were told that he would not live through the night…that makes you see life through different eyes! and she of all people treated him like somebody. If we knew half the love he knew…WOW what a world this would be! So the next time you want to think something bad about Taylor Swift, don’t think bad thoughts, just think about the smile that is on Holland’s face and the love that is in his heartJ WE LOVE YOU HOT CRACKERJ Dear Holland & Tara, First let me tell you both that I'm very familiar with the story of my trip to Holland, and want you to both know that I get it, and thank God that in his wisdom he put the two of you together. Thank you so much for showing me a side of Taylor Swift, I might have never otherwise known. I've always said her value system was beyond reproach, but this puts her in an angelic glow I've never known she deserves. Thank you for including me in this story, and since you gave it the subject you did, you can bet the story will make my show soon. God bless Holland, his mama, & God bless Holland's Hot Cracker, Taylor Swift. Yeah baby, MOBY

Hey Ya'll I hope everyone is doing good out their. I was out this weekend in Okeechobee, FL. Man we had more Fun than the Law would allow. It was Country Folks, Big Trucks and a bunch of Mudd. All that being said after the show a Guy came up to Me at the Merchandise Booth where I was Taking Pictures and Signing Autographs. He looked like a Regular Ol Country Boy like Me. It was still Loud and He was Trying to tell Me something. I got up where I could Hear what He was saying. What He said nearly tore Me up. He said Colt “I drove a ways to get to see You. I have Cancer and the Doctor says I got 2 months to Live. He said all I wanted to do was see You 1 time before I Died.” I had to catch My breath. I am looking Eye to Eye at a Man that is My age and looked in good health and He has a few months to Live. I shook His Hand with a firm grip and told Him I would be Thinking about Him and Praying for Him. I don't know that I will ever get over that. I can't Believe that seeing Me was that Important to Him. I tell You 1 thing for all You Artist that don't get out and Meet Your Fans and Shake their Hands and find out about their Lives, You ain't Worth a DAMN! I will Never take My Fans for Granted. I will always be Thankful and Grateful for all the Love and Support ya'll give Me. The stories I Hear about My Music and what it means to someone is what makes My World Go Round. I have been given Gifts from Fan's that I will Cherish My whole Life, but the Best stuff is not a Gift You hold but the Talks and the Hand Shakes and Hugs all the Kind Words. That is in My Mind and My Heart and will never be misplaced or Forgotten. To My new Friend I Met on Saturday Night. I Pray that Your last Day's are spent with Your Family and Friends and the Folks that Love You the Most. I want You know You Touched My Life and I am Damn Proud to have Met You and Shook Your hand. I will see You on the other side My Friend. Make sure You tell Your Family and Friends how much You Love them. We are not Promised Tomorrow make everyday count ya'll. Keep Praying for Our Country and all the Soldiers that are Fighting for Our Freedom. I Love Ya'll, Colt

I'm Not Saying I Believe In war; I'm Not Saying That I Don't. For Some Opinions, I Will Share Publicly And Some, I simply Won't Though I Will Say It Doesn't Matter, How Your Own Point Is Viewed, It Shouldn't Stop You From Expressing Your Everlasting Gratitude. To The Men And Women In Uniform Who Do What They Do For You Risking Life And Limb Each Day For Those They Never New. Politics Full Of Quandaries And Truths In Disguise; Be Ye Republican Or Democrat Please, Please Realize That While We Have Different Views Regarding Freedom's Crusade, We Can't Let The Debt We Owe Our Heroes. Thus Go Un-Repaid.

http://amothersdash.com/

Dear Moby: -- Hope you will welcome home my son SPC Chris Harrell, HHC 108th Calvary Calhoun, Ga. arrived Ft. Stewart 1 March 0430 from Afghanistan. Also send off my grandson PFC Taylor Dowdy 10th Mtn. Division, leaves for Afghanistan 3 March for his one year deployment. Sent in by 1SG Luke Harrell, Command Sgt. Major, 1stBn1stBde. Currently serving with the Georgia State Defense Force, Rome, Ga. -- Phone: 7062667821 Sincerely, Luke Harrell Rome, Ga 1SG Harrell, Enjoyed talking with you just now. I'll marry your email with this comment in the morning, and use them for the Small Town Soap Box at 0725 & 0935. “That, my friends, is 3 generations of the very finest America has to offer. God bless & protect them all. The souls of our founders are smiling and shouting from those heavenly shores at the fact such men still exist within the borders of these United States. And these same men stand prepared to die for God, family, & country. It’s an honor to be included in the celebration of your son's return, and a privilege to keep watch emotionally at your family's side until God brings your grandson safely home. May our young men and women, sworn to protect and defend all we hold dear, know that the worthwhile citizens they represent abroad, hold in our hearts a love and respect for them they may never fully understand. Please let them know we’ll enthusiastically & unceasingly support those that not only come back wounded, but especially those with wounds the eye can’t see. Help them feel the support they may not even know exists from border to border, and coast to coast. Know this, 1SG Harrell, America is a better and stronger country with the Harrell family in its numbers. May God richly bless each of you, your families that also serve by standing watch for your return, and all like-minded patriotic families, cut from the same cloth. The good guys will win, The righteous will prevail, and the turbulent waters we find ourselves in will calm because of the bravery of you, 1SG, the Harrells in general, and our United States military."

To all of you.... What I’ve Learned.. sent it by Glenna Reed I've learned ... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. I've learned .... That when you're in love, it shows. I've learned ... That just one person saying to me, “You've made my day!” makes my day. I've learned ... That being kind is more important than being right. I've learned ..... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way. I've learned ... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. I've learned ... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult. I've learned ... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. I've learned ... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.. I've learned .... That money doesn't buy class. I've learned .... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts. I've learned ... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am. I've learned.. That life is tough, but I'm tougher. I've learned ... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away. I've learned ... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

RETARDED GRANDPARENTS (this was actually reported by a teacher) After Christmas, a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday away from school. One child wrote the following: We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa. They used to live in a big brick house but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Batemans Bay where everyone lives in nice little houses, and so they don't have to mow the grass anymore! They ride around on their bicycles and scooters and wear name tags because they don't know who they are anymore. They go to a building called a wreck center, but they must have got it fixed because it is all okay now. They do exercises there, but they don't do them very well. There is a swimming pool too, but they all jump up and down in it with hats on. At their gate, there is a doll house with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape. Sometimes they sneak out, and go cruising in their golf carts! Nobody there cooks, they just eat out. And, they eat the same thing every night --- early birds. Some of the people can't get out past the man in the doll house. The ones who do get out, bring food back to the wrecked center for pot luck. My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too. When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house. Then I will let people out, so they can visit their grandchildren.

If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one. If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed. If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat. If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned. If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy. If a liberal, he wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good. If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life. If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect. If a person of color is conservative, they see themselves as independently successful. Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection. If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him. If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels. Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down. If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church. A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it's a foreign religion, of course!) If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it. A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his. If a conservative slips and falls in a store, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.. If a liberal slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he's in labor and then sues.

Mr. Moby, I want to say first of all that I'm a die hard American patriot and I've served with pride for the past 8 years in the Navy Reserves as a corpsman, the past three of those years has been with a USMC unit as their, "Doc". So with that said I want to confess something that I did a couple days ago, I'm doing this not because I got caught but to raise awareness to the fact that even us patriots can become complacent in our love for this great land and it's symbols of freedom. On Monday as I was heading to work listening to you on the radio I passed a little country church with a cemetery out to the side of it. On a utility pole @ the end of the driveway the church members had two American flags secured in brackets which had torn loose in the strong winds we had that morning. One of these flags had turned upside down and was starting to drag the ground. My first thought was to remove it from the bracket, properly wrap it around it's pole and find a place at the church to leave it so that someone would find it and even leave a note to let them know why it was taken down. Well needless to say I did none of these things. I was running a few minutes late for work and had a lot to do that day, so I drove on in hopes that someone would come along and take care of the flag. After I got to work, right on time, I had this nagging feeling that I should have been the one to stop. It was too late then I was at work and couldn't leave. Then I thought about a man named John Bradley, a Navy Corpsman like me attached to a Marine unit, who was in the battle for Iwo Jima in WWII. He was on Mt Suribachi when the U.S. flag was raised, as a matter of fact he's one of the men in the one of the most famous pictures of WWII, he was helping to raise that flag. I bet he'd have taken the time to take care of the flag that I and many others passed that morning. I can assure you that I'll never pass another," flag in need", without stopping to take care of that need. Whether it's in this great country or some other, I'll make sure that the,” Stars and Stripes" are treated and cared for properly. Not only the flag but all that she represents and I'll do my part to make sure that all, who want to live under her shadow and have the freedom to live their lives the way they choose, will be able to do so. May we always be,” One nation, under God. Mr. Moby thank you for all you've done and continue to do for those of us in uniform. You keep doing what you do, and me and those like me will make sure that you have the freedom to do it. YEAH BABY! Sincerely, RR P.S. If you should read this on the air I'd like to remain anonymous. Thanks.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

When I lay my head down every night, & go to sleep in peace,
I can stay there knowing all is well,
While you’re standing on your feet.

Keeping watch, protecting shore to shore,
In the air & oceans, too,
Defending freedom at all cost,
For the red, White and the Blue.

Thank you, oh thank you,
Men & women brave and strong.
To those who served so gallantly,
We sing this grateful song.

To the soldiers who have traveled on
To countries far & near.
In peace & war, you paid the price,
For the cause you hold so dear.

That we may wake each morning bright
And know that freedom rings,
Because of your great sacrifice,
Your country joins to sing.

Thank you oh thank you,
Men & women brave and strong.
To those who served so gallantly,
We sing this grateful song.
Thank you oh thank you,
Men and women brave and strong.
To those who served so gallantly,
We sing this grateful song.

Mr. Michael Souders, Tussing Elementary School music teacher, A song to honor soldiers and veterans performed by hos 3rd Grade class.

No one can make you serve customers well....that's because great service is a choice.
Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved
this point.
He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up,
the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey .
He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver..
While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission
statement.'
Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement:
To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and
cheapest way possible in a friendly environment....
This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!
As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of
coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf...' My friend said
jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I 'll take a Diet Coke.'
Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today..'
As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated
card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'
And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air
conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him.
Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that
time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell
him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with
his own thoughts... 'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'
Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's
only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent
most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do.
Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.
He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It.
Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day,
you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining!
Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an
eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really
talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers.. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were
unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'
'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.
'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my
income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it..
You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My
customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'
I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.
Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.
How about us? Smile, and the whole world smiles with you...The ball is in our hands!
A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up... let us do good to all people.
Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans...

Finally....A Sensible Gun Registration That Will Work
Vermont State Rep. Fred Maslack has read the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as well as Vermont 's own Constitution very carefully, and his strict interpretation of these documents is popping some eyeballs in New England and elsewhere. Maslack recently proposed a bill to register "non-gun-owners" and require them to pay a $500 fee to the state. Thus Vermont would become the first state to require a permit for the luxury of going about unarmed and assess a fee of $500 for the privilege of not owning a gun. Maslack read the "militia" phrase of the Second Amendment as not only affirming the right of the individual citizen to bear arms, but as a clear mandate to do so. He believes that universal gun ownership was advocated by the Framers of the Constitution as an antidote to a "monopoly of force" by the government as well as criminals Vermont 's constitution states explicitly that "the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and the State" and those persons who are "conscientiously scrupulous of bearing arms" shall be required to "pay such equivalent." Clearly, says Maslack, Vermonters have a constitutional obligation to arm themselves, so that they are capable of responding to "any situation that may arise." Under the bill, adults who choose not to own a firearm would be required to register with the state. "There is a legitimate government interest in knowing who is not prepared to defend the state should they be asked to do so," Maslack says Vermont already boasts a high rate of gun ownership along with the least restrictive laws of any state .. it's currently the only state that allows a citizen to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. This combination of plenty of guns and few laws regulating them has resulted in a crime rate that is the third lowest in the nation.
Rep. Maslack is no longer in Vermont’s state house. This was a bill he sponsored in 2000 that got no where, but it makes more sense to me than any proposal to require me to register my weapons.

A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq & Afghanistan . One of the courses he had a professor who was an avowed atheist & a member of the ACLU. One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, GOD if you are real then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 min.' The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by & the professor proclaimed, 'Here I am GOD, I'm still waiting.' It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor & cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold. The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked & stunned & sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, 'What in the world is the matter with you? 'Why did you do that?' The Marine calmly replied, 'GOD was too busy today protecting American soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff & act like an idiot. So, He sent me.' The classroom erupted in cheers! In God & the American soldier We Trust

Two teenagers asked their father if they could go the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the Internet, he denied their request. "Aw dad, why not?" they complained. "It's rated PG-13, and we're both older than thirteen!" Dad replied: "Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality as being normal and acceptable behavior. "But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That's what our friends who've seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It's based on a true story and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the movie review web sites say that!" "My answer is 'no,' and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion." The teenagers walked into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their Dad preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, "Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he's going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to that movie after all." The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies, which he offered to his kids. They each took one. Then their father said, "Before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so much. "The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening. "That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I've made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic. The best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar. Premium Vanilla and chocolate." The brownies looked mouthwatering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad's long speech. "But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you needn't worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think." "Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?" "Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't even taste it." "Come on, dad; just tell us what the ingredient is. "Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients." "Dad!" "Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is fresh organic....dog poop." Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror. "DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog poop! We can't eat these brownies!" "Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the other ingredients. You won't even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat!" "No, Dad....NEVER!" "And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie. You won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies?

Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many, or more important decisions regarding our nation's history as any of the other 42 Presidents preceding him. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House. The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire lives there. When he retired from office in 1952, his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.. After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There was no Secret Service following them. When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale." Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise." As president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food. Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale. (remember the Illinois Senate seat? ) Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference! I say dig him up and clone him!!

Heavenly Father, creator of unbelievable splendor of all the great outdoors, as well as the tiniest spark of emotion in our hearts, we ask your gracious blessings on our gathering here tonight. We ask that you recognize us as stewards of your abundant earthly gifts. Realize, Father, that we humbly acknowledge the awesome responsibility you present us to care for your world, making certain that our children & grandchildren will inherit that passed on to us by our fathers & grandfathers, and made better for our having passed through. As we gather tonight as brothers and sisters, and pledge the support and friendship of our fellow sportsmen, we ask that you allow our light to shine as an inviting beacon to all those of like-mind to come and enjoy the warmth of a campfire, the celebration of the harvest, and the raising of a glass. We’ll never forget that you’re at every campfire, and only through your holy blessings will our tireless efforts be rewarded. Be with each sportsman here this evening and go with each of us as we leave. Please, assist us in our efforts. Keep us safe, focus our aim, steady our hands, calm our nerves, and guide our shots. In your most holy name…Amen

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO TURN ON THE TV AND HEAR ANY U.S. PRESIDENT, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN GIVE THE FOLLOWING SPEECH?
My Fellow Americans: As you all know, the defeat of the Iraq regime has been completed.
Since congress does not want to spend any more money on this war.
This morning I gave the order for a complete removal of all American forces from Iraq & Afghanistan. This action will be complete within 30 days. It is now time to begin the reckoning.
Before me, I have two lists. One list contains the names of countries which have stood by our side during conflict. This list is short. The United Kingdom , Spain , Bulgaria , Australia , and Poland are listed there.
The other list contains every one not on the first list. Most of the world's nations are on that list. My press secretary will be distributing copies of both lists later this evening.
Let me start by saying that effective immediately, foreign aid to those nations on List 2 ceases immediately and indefinitely. The money saved during the first year alone will pretty much pay for the costs of this war THEN EVERY YEAR THERE AFTER IT'll GO TO OUR SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM SO IT WONT GO BROKE.
The American people are no longer going to pour money into third world Hell holes and watch those government leaders grow fat on corruption.
Need help with a famine ? Wrestling with an epidemic? Call France .
In the future, together with Congress, I will work to redirect this money toward solving the vexing social problems we still have at home. On that note, a word to terrorist organizations. Mess with us and we will hunt you down and eliminate you and all your friends from the face of the earth.
Thirsting for a gutsy country to terrorize? Try France or maybe China .
I am ordering the immediate severing of diplomatic relations with France , Germany, and Russia . Thanks for all your help, comrades.
I have instructed the Mayor of New York City to begin towing the many UN diplomatic vehicles located in Manhattan with more than two unpaid parking tickets to sites where those vehicles will be stripped, shredded and crushed. I don't care about whatever treaty pertains to this.. You creeps have tens of thousands of unpaid tickets. Pay those tickets tomorrow or watch your precious Benzes, Beamers and limos be turned over to some of the finest chop shops in the world. I love New York
A special note to our neighbors. Canada is on List 2. Since we are likely to be seeing a lot more of each other, you folks might want to try not tickin’ us off for a change..
Mexico is also on List 2. Its president and his entire corrupt government really need an attitude adjustment. I will have a couple extra thousand tanks and infantry divisions sitting around. Guess where I am going to put 'em? Yep, border security.
Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the NAFTA treaty - starting now.
We are tired of the one-way highway. Immediately, we'll be drilling for oil in Alaska- which will take care of this country's oil needs for decades to come. If you're an environmentalist who opposes this decision, I refer you to List 2 above: pick a country and move there.
It is time for America to focus on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of isolationism. I answer them by saying, 'darn tootin.'
Nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world is history. It is time to eliminate hunger in America It is time to eliminate homelessness in America. To the nations on List 1, a final thought. Thank you guys. We owe you and we won't forget..
To the nations on List 2, a final thought: You might want to learn to speak Arabic.
God bless America .. Thank you and good night. "

The story is told of a lady who was rather old-fashioned, always quite delicate and elegant, especially in her language. She and her husband were planning a week's vacation in Florida, so she wrote to a particular campground asking for a reservation.
She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped, but didn't quite know how to ask about the toilet facilities. She just couldn't bring herself to write the word "toilet" in her letter. After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old-fashioned term BATHROOM COMMODE. But when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being too forward. So she started all over again and rewrote the entire letter referring to the bathroom commode merely as the BC. "Does the campground have it's own BC?" is what she actually wrote. Well, the campground owner wasn't old-fashioned at all, and when he got the letter, he just couldn't figure out what the woman was talking about. That BC business really stumped him.
After worrying about it for awhile, he showed the letter to several campers, but they couldn't imagine what the lady meant either. So the campground owner, finally coming to the conclusion that the lady must be asking about he local Baptist Church, sat down and wrote the following reply Dear Madam:
I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take pleasure in informing you that a BC is located nine miles north of the campground and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit it is quite a distance away, if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along and make a day of it. They usually arrive early and stay late. It is such a beautiful facility and the acoustics are marvelous. Even the normal delivery sounds can be heard.
The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now a supper is planned to raise money to buy more seats.
I would like to say it pains me very much not to be able to go more regularly, but it surely is no lack of desire on my part. As we grow old, it seems to be more of an effort, particularly in cold weather.
If you do decide to come down to our campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go, sit with you, and introduce you to all the other folks. Remember, this is a friendly community. Sincerely,
Campground Owner

Six years ago, I wrote a book called "Uncle Sam's Plantation." I wrote the book to tell my own story of what I saw living inside the welfare state and my own transformation out of it. I said in that book that indeed there are two Americas. A poor America on socialism and a wealthy America on capitalism. I talked about government programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS), Emergency Assistance to Needy Families with Children (EANF), Section 8 Housing and Food Stamps. A vast sea of perhaps well-intentioned government programs, all initially set into motion in the 1960s, that were going to lift the nation's poor out of poverty. A benevolent Uncle Sam welcomed mostly poor black Americans onto the government plantation. Those who accepted the invitation switched mindsets from "How do I take care of myself?" to "What do I have to do to stay on the plantation?" Instead of solving economic problems, government welfare socialism created monstrous moral and spiritual problems -- the kind of problems that are inevitable when individuals turn responsibility for their lives over to others. The legacy of American socialism is our blighted inner cities, dysfunctional inner city schools and broken black families. Through God's grace, I found my way out. It was then that I understood what freedom meant and how great this country is. I had the privilege of working on welfare reform in 1996, passed by a Republican Congress and signed into law by a Democrat president. A few years after enactment, welfare roles were down 50 percent. I thought we were on the road to moving socialism out of our poor black communities and replacing it with wealth-producing American capitalism. But, incredibly, we are going in the opposite direction. Instead of poor America on socialism becoming more like rich American on capitalism, rich America on capitalism is becoming like poor America on socialism. Uncle Sam has welcomed our banks onto the plantation and they have said, "Thank you, Suh." Now, instead of thinking about what creative things need to be done to serve customers, they are thinking about what they have to tell Massah in order to get their cash. There is some kind of irony that this is all happening under our first black president on the 200th anniversary of the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. Worse, socialism seems to be the element of our new young president. And maybe even more troubling, our corporate executives seem happy to move onto the plantation. In an op-ed on the opinion page of the Washington Post, Mr. Obama is clear that the goal of his trillion dollar spending plan is much more than short-term economic stimulus. "This plan is more than a prescription for short-term spending -- it's a strategy for America's long-term growth and opportunity in areas such as renewable energy, health care and education." Perhaps more incredibly, Mr. Obama seems to think that government taking over an economy is a new idea. Or that massive growth in government can take place "with unprecedented transparency and accountability." Yes, sir, we heard it from Jimmy Carter when he created the Department of Energy, the Synfuels Corporation and the Department of Education. Or how about the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 -- The War on Poverty -- which, President Johnson said, "... does not merely expand old programs or improve what is already being done. It charts a new course. It strikes at the causes, not just the consequences of poverty." Trillions of dollars later, black poverty is the same. But black families are not, with triple the incidence of single-parent homes and out of wedlock births. It's not complicated. Americans can accept Barack Obama's invitation to move onto the plantation. Or they can choose personal responsibility and freedom. Does anyone really need to think about what the choice should be?

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of
the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital! ' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.”
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it
and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So...Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
Have a blessed, garbage-free day!

This is a unique Soap Box, because it’s a story of me not even trying to do what a listener, and radio cousin asked me to do, and that ain’t like me at all, but listen. Friday night, I MCed a Willie Nelson concert. This was the 3rd Willie show I’ve been on stage for in the last several weeks. In all those shows, I’ve been able to stand next to Willie, and smile for a quick picture one time. I was with him, maybe 5 seconds. Then at another show he walked by me as he was walking out on stage, and I said “Evenin’, Willie!” and he turned around, smiled and said “Hi”. Those two events are the grand total of my Willie exposure while MCing three separate shows. Last Thursday night, Willie was in the Carolina’s, and his tour ran afoul of the law (for marijuana…go figure), and he canceled that show. So, Friday, he wasn’t having squat to do with anybody. Everyone backstage knew that Willie was still in a bad mood. I was talkin’ with his son and opening act, Lukas before the show started. Very nice & talented kid. 21 years old, and so darned good on stage. He filled me in on the previous night’s happenings. It was very obvious, and for that matter understandable that Willie was in no mood for anything else other than show & go. Kevin Daniels and I took the stage, and made some announcements, and introed Lukas, Then back on stage between sets to get the crowd ready for Willie. Willie came on, Lukas stayed on stage and played the entire set with his dad, and it was over. Really good show. I think everybody got their money’s worth. All the players went directly to the busses, not to be seen again . I was there with Mary Beth & three other friends. We walked out the back door by the busses into the wind, cold, and rain. A lady there stopped me. She was holding a red bandana that she told me had been signed by Willie at a show in ’01. She wanted me to get Willie to sign it for her again that night. I told her that I had no way to get that done for her. She told me that she knew I did, and insisted that I get it done for her. I told her Willie wasn’t going to come out and do anything for anyone, and that I was sorry but “No” I couldn’t do it. Well, nothing was gonna make her happy other than I take that bandana, or I think better yet, take her and that bandana on the bus, and have Willie sign it for her. “Maam, I’m sorry, but I can’t make it happen.” “Yes, you can!” “No, I can not. I’m sorry.” “I know you can!!” It was cold, & windy, it was raining, temperatures were falling, a freeze was predicted, I was an hour from home, the folks I was with (including my wife) were standing by my vehicle in the rain, & I had the keys in my pocket. And this woman would not let me go. Finally I said, “Maam, I don’t care if you get that signed or not.” She looked stunned, and said, “You don’t care? You don’t CARE?’ “Maam, please!!” “I will quote you. You don’t care” “Maam, I’m sorry.” “I will quote you. You don’t care.” I turned and walked away. At that time, in that situation, I really couldn’t have cared less. I could still hear her raising the devil as I walked away and got my friends and family out of the terrible weather. So, in case that woman is going through this day quoting that rude Moby from Friday night after the Willie Nelson show, & and telling anyone that will listen how rude I was to not get her bandana autographed for her, at least you know the entire story. And in case that woman might be listening right now, maam, we went through the back door of the bus, and partied with Willie for hours. Really we didn’t, but that lady seemed to think that was what I was gonna do. I do hope you got home safely, maam.

A group of 40-year-old buddies discuss and discuss where they should meet for dinner. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at Gasthaus Gutenberger restaurant because the waitress's there have low cut blouses and nice breasts.
10 years later, at 50 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Gasthaus Gutenberger because the food there is very good and the wine selection is good also.
10 years later at 60 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Gasthaus Gutenberger because they can eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant is smoke free.
10 years later, at 70 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Gasthaus Gutenberger because the restaurant is wheel chair accessible and they even have an elevator.
10 years later, at 80 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Gasthaus Gutenberger because that would be a great idea since they'd never been there before.

I hate so badly I can relate to this. But it’s this morning’s Small Town Soap Box

Johnstown, PA: Local and state police scoured the hills outside rural PAN>Johnstown, Pennsylvania, after reports of three animal rights activists going missing after attempting to protest the wearing of leather at a large motorcycle gang rally this weekend. Two others, previously reported missing, were discovered by fast food workers "duct taped inside several fast food restaurant dumpsters," according to police officials.
"Something just went wrong," said a still visibly shaken organizer of the protest. "Something just went horribly, horribly, wrong." The organizer said a group of concerned animal rights activists, "growing tired of throwing fake blood and shouting profanities at older women wearing leather or fur coats," decided to protest the annual motorcycle club event "in a hope to show them our outrage at their wanton use of leather in their clothing and motor bike seats." "In fact," said the organizer. "Motorcycle gangs are one of the biggest abusers of wearing leather, and we decided it was high time that we let them know that we disagree with them using it... Ergo, they should stop."
According to witnesses, protesters arrived at the event in a vintage 1960's era Volkswagen van and began to pelt the gang members with balloons filled with red colored water, simulating blood, and shouting "you're murderers" to passers by. This, evidently, is when the brouhaha began.
"They duct taped me to a tree!"
"I.. I was trying to show my outrage at a man with a heavy leather jacket. and, he... he didn't even care. I called him a murderer, and all he said was, 'You can't prove that.'
Still others claimed they were forced to eat hamburgers and hot dogs under duress. Those who resisted were allegedly held down while several bikers "farted on their heads."
Police officials declined comments on any leads or arrests due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, however, organizers for the motorcycle club rally expressed "surprise" at the allegations.
"That's preposterous, " said on high ranking member of the biker organizing committee. "We were having a party, and these people showed up and were very rude to us. They threw things at us, called us names, and tried to ruin the entire event. So, what did we do? We invited them to the party! What could be more friendly than that? You know, just because we are all members of motorcycle clubs does not mean we do not care about inclusiveness."
When confronted with the allegations of force feeding the activists meat, leaving them incapacitated in fast food restaurant dumpsters,' the organizer declined to comment in detail.
"That's just our secret handshake," assured the organizer.

SC politician's welfare comments called `immoral' SEANNA ADCOX, Associated Press Writer (edited) COLUMBIA, S.C. – When things looked their darkest for Gov. Mark Sanford — when he was in danger of being impeached for running off to Argentina to see his mistress — his best insurance policy may well have been South Carolina's lieutenant governor, Andre Bauer. Lawmakers knew if they removed Sanford, they would end up with Bauer, a fiercely ambitious Republican with a reputation for reckless and immature behavior. Now Bauer has folks shaking their heads again, after he likened government assistance to the poor to feeding stray animals. At a town hall meeting Thursday, Bauer, who is running for governor in his own right now that Sanford is term-limited, said: "My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that." Democrats and others railed at him. "I am disgusted by these comments." said state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, a Democrat who is also running for governor. "His comments were immoral and out of line." South Carolina schools Superintendent Jim Rex, another Democratic candidate for governor, called Bauer's comments "reprehensible" and said he should apologize. Bauer said Monday that he regrets his choice of words but that government should expect welfare recipients to try to better themselves. He wants to require them to take drug tests and attend parent-teacher conferences if they have children in school. "Do I wish I'd used a different metaphor? Of course I do," the 40-year-old said. "I didn't intend to offend anyone." Bauer has long been a love-him-or-hate-him figure in South Carolina politics. A nonstop campaigner and self-described workaholic, he was the youngest elected lieutenant governor in the country when he first won the in 2002 at age 33. Bauer almost ascended to the top office last summer, after Sanford disappeared from the state for five days to be with his mistress. But the Legislature stopped short of impeachment. At least three other Republicans and five Democrats have said they are running for governor. Neal Thigpen, a political scientist at Francis Marion University, said Bauer tends to speak so fast and enthusiastically ("It's almost like a Gatling gun") that he sometimes "gets his mouth in place quicker than his head." But as for the June Republican primary, "don't count him out. The kid's got a fanatical following," Thigpen said. "They're going to forgive him almost anything and stick to him like glue." Winthrop University political scientist Scott Huffmon said Bauer's overall message about government dependency and personal responsibility will appeal to his evangelical Republican base.

$5.37, That's what the kid behind the counter at Taco Bueno said to me. I dug into my pocket and pulled out some lint and two dimes and something that used to be a Jolly Rancher. Having already handed the kid a five-spot, I started to head back out to the truck to grab some change when the kid with the Emo hairdo said the harshest thing anyone has ever said to me. He said, "It's OK. I'll just give you the senior citizen discount."
I turned to see who he was talking to and then heard the sound of change hitting the counter in front of me. "Only $4.68" he said cheerfully. I stood there stupefied. I am 48, not even 50 yet?" A mere child! Senior citizen?
I took my burrito and walked out to the truck wondering what was wrong with Emo. Was he blind? As I sat in the truck, my blood began to boil. Old? Me?
I'll show him, I thought. I opened the door and headed back inside. I strode to the counter, and there he was waiting with a smile.
Before I could say a word, he held up something and jingled it in front of me, like I could be that easily distracted! What am I now? A toddler?
"Dude! Can't get too far without your car keys, eh?" I stared with utter disdain at the keys. I began to rationalize in my mind. "Leaving keys behind hardly makes a man elderly! It could happen to anyone!"
I turned and headed back to the truck. I slipped the key into the ignition, but it wouldn't turn. What now? I checked my keys and tried another. Still nothing. That's when I noticed the purple beads hanging from my rearview mirror. I had no purple beads
hanging from my rearview mirror.
Then, a few other objects came into focus. The car seat in the back seat.Happy Meal toys spread all over the floorboard. A partially eaten doughnut on the dashboard.
Faster than you can say ginkgo biloba, I flew out of the alien vehicle. Moments later I was speeding out of the parking lot, relieved to finally be leaving this nightmarish stop in my life.
That is when I felt it, deep in the bowels of my stomach: hunger! My stomach growled and churned, and I reached to grab my burrito, only it was nowhere to be found.
I swung the truck around, gathered my courage, and strode back into the restaurant one final time. There Emo stood, draped in youth and black nail polish. All I could think was, "What is the world coming to?" All I could say was, "Did I leave my food and drink in here?"
At this point I was ready to ask a Boy Scout to help me back to my vehicle, and then go straight home and apply for Social Security benefits.
Emo had no clue. I walked back out to the truck, and suddenly a young lad came up and tugged on my jeans to get my attention. He was holding up a drink and a bag. His mother explained, "I think you left this in my truck by mistake." I took the food and drink from the little boy and sheepishly apologized.
She offered these kind words: "It's OK. My grandfather does stuff like this all the time."
All of this is to explain how I got a ticket doing 85 in a 40. Yes, I was racing some punk kid in a Toyota Prius.. And no, I told the officer, I'm not too old to be driving this fast.
As I walked in the front door, my wife met me halfway down the hall. I handed her a bag of cold food and a $300 speeding ticket. I promptly sat in my rocking chair and covered up my legs with a blanky.
The good news was I had successfully found my way home.

P.S. Save the earth.. It's the only planet with chocolate.

OK…let’s see if this makes any sense…a number of states in this land of ours have lowered their standards for students to qualify for graduation from high school. The folks running our schools have adopted the attitude that school is ‘just too hard’ on many students and if strengthened would result in the failure of many students to make the transition from high school to college. Say what? Listen to this quote by one of these school officials who is trying to defend their policy: “In 2008, state officials in Alabama , Arizona and Washington delayed the start of the exit exam requirement and lowered standards after seeing that many students, including a disproportionate number of minorities, would fail the tests. Many states have faced lawsuits over the proposed requirements amid accusations that the tests are unfair to students with disabilities, non-native speakers of English and students attending schools with fewer educational resources.” So, the new method of coping with a problem such as this is to lower the testing standards so as not to embarrass the poor student and perhaps cause a blow to his or her self esteem. To me that makes as much sense as it does to chop your hand off because you have a hangnail. You solved the problem but at what cost? If anyone thinks the schools in this country are equal and fair, they have another think coming. They aren’t. But we all know this and yet nothing gets done about it. Those who can afford to send their children to private schools are doing so at a steadily growing rate. Private schools currently educate 11% of all of our students from kindergarten through high school. This figure is expected to grow in spite of the fact that sending children to private schools is not only more expensive but still requires the property owner to pay school taxes for services not being utilized. In spite of billions of dollars being poured into the school systems around the country, test scores and educational levels are on the decline. In 2005 (last time I could find data) the United States ranked ninth in the world among industrialized nations with adults in the 25 to 34 year range who had high school diplomas. Twenty years earlier we were ranked as number one. Of course even if we consider the ownership of a diploma as a milestone for our young citizens, if there isn’t basic education behind it to support the diploma, what good is it for use in worldwide economic competition? It may be alright for us to wink, wink, nudge, nudge and allow little Johnnie to believe that 2+2=5, but the kids growing up in China and India know that the correct answer is 4. We may not wish embarrass the poor darlings because they haven’t mastered the basics by the time they get to the 12th grade, but are we really doing them a favor by tossing them out into the world where it will be almost impossible for them to obtain any real employment that doesn’t include the phrase… ‘would you like fries with that?’ It isn’t the fault of the child. Perhaps in some cases the student refuses or is unable to learn, but it is the failure of the school systems that are not doing their jobs by utilizing better resources for each student to ensure that they understand what is expected of them when they are passed along into the real world. In my mind this becomes an issue of national security, the education of our young Americans is what will keep this nation strong and competitive. Shouldn’t our tax dollars go towards better facilities and more qualified and yes, dedicated teachers than on wasteful programs to measure the sexual habits of the Titmouse or other nonsense programs?. We as a country spent almost a trillion dollars on education in 2009, twenty years earlier the cost was closer to 280 billion. So we have tripled the budget and amount spent over the past 20 years with the result that our educational levels have dropped. Throwing more money at a situation without having a clear definition of what the result should be is shear madness or runaway government.

Ronda Roaderick…..Proud Wife of Sgt. Frank Roaderick U.S. ARMY
the 1/108th is coming home in March, and I’m going to be there if my schedule allows.
She sent me today’s Small Town Soap Box

I never wore the uniform,
no medals on my chest.
The band it doesn't play for me,
I am not among the Best.
I do not march in cadence,
I do not rate salute,
I stand among the silent ranks,
our devotion absolute.

If you've not worn my shoes,
you do not know my story.
I live a life of sacrifice,
my reward a private glory.
I've wept many silent nights away,
and I've kept the home fires burning.
I've worried and I've waited,
as world events were churning.

I've moved more times than you could fathom,
left more people than you've known.
I've planted gardens round the world --
Very few that I've seen grown.
I've grieved with new-made widows,
and had my share of scares --
when a ship or plane or man was down,
and all I had were prayers.

I'm not asking for your sympathy,
(although appreciation can be nice)
I did it quite on purpose though --
I chose to sacrifice.
I'll tell you a secret now,
one you'd never guess.
About the one glory that is mine,
it's just enough, no more, no less.

When you and I stand together
as our national anthem plays,
I'll fill with reminiscences
of how I spent those days.
I'll know the pain and joys again,
I'll know that freedom isn't free,
I'll know I've helped to pay the price
and that the anthem plays for me.

God bless the dedicated spouses of the American military

American Idol Show Last night's auditions took place in Orlando. Theo Glinton the Road Warrior Drag Queen ... she/he sang "Heartbreaker" It’s not PC to say, clowns like that are funny, but they’re also freaky. It doesn’t BOTHER me any, and it shouldn’t. Some people are all into being freaky, and that’s their right. But they want to get all offended when you say they’re freaks….Oh well, it’s their right to feel that way, just as it’s my right to say how I feel about it. That stuff is freaky, and my children will be raised knowing that’s my opinion about it. If you’re offended by that, easy fix. Stop being freaky. You have the right to do it, granted, but that doesn’t lessen my rights to tell you, you’re a freak. My rights didn’t end because of your freaky liberation. And I don’t believe that God made any mistakes with Gender Assignment. It’s my right to believe that, too. Got it? Cut off ever which part of yourself you think was the mistake, but don’t blame our Christian God, and understand folks are gonna talk about you when you do it. I told one of those folks once that I didn’t at all mind tolerating those of that mindset, but they told me, they didn’t want tolerance, they wanted acceptance. I told them, no that tolerance could be legislated, & I as fine with that, and feel that they have every right to be here, and to dress & behave however they see fit. But acceptance was an attempt to control my thoughts, values, and emotions, and those things were parts of me that they had to learn to tolerate.
Now if these freaky folks can find it in themselves to tolerate me when I’m just exercising my rights, then we can get along just fine. I doubt I’ll have them over to the house for supper, and I doubt that I’ll be invited to theirs, but we can all live here with all our differences, and simply tolerate each other’s the right to live as we chose.

Think back to when you met that man/woman that you just knew would be the one.
Remember when you realized/admitted to yourself that you loved him/her.
Now remember how much you wanted to act like you were in a movie and yell to everyone in the football stadium 'I love (fill in the name)!'
You told family and friends how perfect he/she was; he/she was just what
you were looking for.
Well, I told THE LORD that I love Him today.
And He said to me, 'How much do you love me?
You haven't told anyone how good I've been to you.
You haven' t shared how perfect my love is.
You haven't spread the good news that I am always there to listen to your problems.
You haven't told your family how I helped you pay your bills when you didn't have a high paying job, or how I got you a better one.
You haven't shared with anyone how I took away that addiction that would have cost you not only your job, but also that man/woman that was just what you were looking for.
So how much do you really love me?'
So I said I would share with my friends and family (for starters) just how wonderful, perfect, understanding, patient, loving, unselfish, considerate and forgiving GOD really is.
He has blessed me with a family that loves me and friends that I can confide in.
But even more than that, He has saved me from destruction I couldn't even see coming..
He gave to me the peace of knowing Him and He has never broken a promise.
Truly, He is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
And I stand in my stadium today to tell all of you,

'I DO LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL OF MY HEART!'

As far as I Know this is the first time we’ve ever had a Soap Box that was written by a PHD.
Mr. Moby;
As an old educator and business man with many letters behind my name…I was always taught that having good manners is the proper way of showing others how much we care for them. Therefore; improper manners shows the lack of proper child rearing by parents, a great disdain for their fellow man and a lack of education on the person who does not recognize that we are all judged by others on how politely we conduct ourselves in public. I applaud your kindness and your concern to take the time to teach our younger generation the proper etiquette on addressing adults with the proper respect and décor that will always be demanded of them in public communication. It is known in psychology that there is a theory named the “The Looking Glass Self” … and it simply states … that we are as others perceive us to be … in short; we are judged by others by how we present ourselves to them. In Conclusion; good manners will give others the perception that we are polite, well educated and a good communicator. I hope that the illiterate plebeians that disagree with you are only showing their ignorance and their disdain for their fellow man which discounts them greatly in any civilized society.
Best regards,
John David Pickering Sr. PhD

You’ve heard me speak of Dry Creek bloodhounds, and the pup they wanted to give me that Mary Beth wouldn’t let me have.
Dry Creek Oscar, named after my papaw, will go to the Habersham Co Sherriff’s office on January 30th, and yes, Papaw would have loved that dog.
Last Friday before I left the studio I got this email from Tony & Deanna at Dry Creek.
This morning, as the sun chased the frost from the fields and roof tops, we here at Dry Creek Bloodhounds had a visitor from the highest. This sunny morning the precious lord from above cane to our kennel and took back to the heavens with him the most loving and special little puppy that we have ever had. Loving referred to as Runtus, this little girl born with a heart murmur was from the start of her life destine for a struggle. Her loving big heart out grew her god given little body. You would have never known it to see her, she was the prettiest, most outgoing and affectionate rascal out of the bunch. Never did you go to tend their needs that she wasn’t the first one there tail wagging and wanting nothing more than your unconditional love. For reasons not always accepted by us, the good lord in heaven took her home to be by the sides of all of those that have went before use. I am positive that right now papaw Oscar has a hound by his side looking down and saying that she is in good hands. I rest assured that he is sharing all of that puppy love with everyone else’s papaw’s and nana’s, mom’s and dad’s, and sons and daughters that share that glorious place that awaits us all.

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio
bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her
hands.
When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence
and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," she said in a clear voice strong.
"I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just
sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK," I explained to her."Have you ever looked at your hands," she asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?"
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned
them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never
really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was
making.
Grandma smiled and related this story: "Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though
wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my
life to reach out and grab and embrace life.
"They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler when I crashed upon the floor.
They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. "They have been dirty, scraped and raw , swollen and bent.
They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.
They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.
"They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer..
"These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach our and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ." I will never look at my hands the same again.
But I remember when God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home.
When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.
I too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

When I was a little boy, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned biscuits."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned.. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired.. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"
You know, life is full of imperfect things......and imperfect people I'm not the best housekeeper or cook. What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.
And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God.
Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

[T]here are some things that you just can't do without suffering-very literally and profoundly-casualties; and our job is one of them.
You can't race cars without crashes, you can't dig mines without cave-ins, and you sure as hell can't send Marines and soldiers out into the streets of a violent society without violent deaths.
Our fallen brothers knew that and did it anyway-as we all do or have done. ........ Their friends will tell you they did the job because they loved it, and any of us who can't say that should envy them for it. At least they died as rare and precious people: doing what they loved to do, and doing it for the noblest of reasons....Our Freedom..... That is something we can never explain to those that have never stared death in the face.
You see, you can't be a good Marine, soldier, cop or firefighter simply because you couldn't get another job. You can only be good because you want it. And there is an answer as to why they died, something I learned half a world away many years ago as a young Marine, preparing to face an enemy in combat for the first time. It was then that my sergeant explained that, like it or not, there are only three rules in war:

Rule Number One is "YOUNG MEN DIE"
Rule Number Two is "YOU CAN'T CHANGE RULE #1"
Rule Number Three is "SOMEBODY HAS TO WALK THE POINT"

You see, when soldiers advance, knowing the enemy is near, there is
always one man way out in front of everyone else. His duty is to look and listen and sense that first contact; to spot the enemy, pinpoint the ambush, fire that first shot, and as a consequence, take those first shots.
It offends the logical mind and denies the instinct for survival. It ages and saddens and wizens, and frequently kills those who take their turn "Walking the Point". But it must be done, or there would be no protection for the rest of the team, just more bloodshed, and more grief. For the "Point Man" is there to save lives, even if he gives his own in the process.
Society may not be a company of soldiers, but it certainly has (and needs) somebody "Walking the Point", just like Jesus did for us thousands of years ago. It may be that street cop, fire fighter, Marine or soldier.
If I could say something directly to the people in our society, it would be this. I know some of you will remember our fallen brothers, but that's not good enough. I want you to honor them for what they did for you- that which they needn't have done. I mean what they did for you day after day, in darkness and light, rain or shine, on holidays and on their loved ones' birthdays, without ever expecting even a "thank you" in return.

They volunteered to "Walk the Point".
Semper Fi' "Pappy" USMC

 Mr. Moby, I wanted to personally thank you for what you have done for service members. Over the past 3 months, I have turned allot of ears to you, seeing as how we can stream you live everyday! Could you please send out a Hello to everyone from us here at Camp Taji Iraq?! I would love to just be able for the people back home to hear a Thank you and Hello, a roll reversal, from the service people that I am deployed with. The support of the American people is what makes coming over here, even that much more special. Again, Thank you for all that you have done, do and will continue to do in the future!!! Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason Turner and All of the Navy personnel with Boots on ground in Iraq!
What a great start to the weekend for me, Jason. Thank you for that.
I can't tell you how much I'd like to be on AFN and be heard live by the dedicated personnel sworn to defend my country and constitution, and spread freedom globally.
I'm not at all a fan of the pseudo-concept of Global Warming, but the thought of globally spreading the warm glow of friendship & freedom to those that have never known it, I am a fan of.
The Moby Show on AFN won't work, because I'm too opinionated. I'm not a fan of much of anything coming out of DC these days, least of all Emperor Obama.
I just hope our fought and bled for republic can survive the remaining three years of the worst administration in American history.
With that opinion, AFN wouldn't welcome me, or my show. Screw 'em.
You guys can listen on the stream, and I'm happy with that.
As I've said many, many times before, "Those of us that haven't served America in uniform, owe a debt of gratitude that can never be fully paid to those that have served, are currently serving, or plan to serve America."
If you'd be so kind, do the "time math", and let me know a time window when not only will those back home hear the greeting I'll enthusiastically do, but you & your comrades will hear it, too.
Stay safe, my brother, and come home to those that love and respect you as soon as your honor and sense of duty will allow.
We're all praying for you in this Christian based nation of our founders.
Yeah baby,
MOBY

We have come to a point in this country where someone needs to stand up for what the overwhelming majority want. It seems that in public, everyone is so afraid that they won’t be "politically correct" that we basically tell God we don't want him or need him. But yet, every time you speak to just one or two people, they have the same values that we do. Well I'm NOT going to do it anymore. Someone might kill me for doing it but I will die for what I know to be true and right in the eyes of the Lord. When the leader of our nation allows a "Gay Transvestite" to be displayed on an ornament of the White House CHRISTmas tree!!!!!!!!!!!! I say NO MORE!!!! This has gone way too far. Maybe I need to be a politician and put my values to use. How can anyone, Especially the President, say that we are no longer a Christian nation and then defame our most sacred holiday in such a vile and disgusting way? I think he (the President) knows that America IS a Christian nation but that we are so vulnerable because of the lack of leadership that we are "ripe for the picking" I believe he is going to do everything that he can to overthrow and undermine any and all Christian beliefs that are left in this Nation. I truly believe that he wants to make America as weak as possible so that the people will allow a dictator to rule this country. Yes, I think Obama could be the Hitler of this Century. It only took Hitler 10 years to become a dictator and he started from a prison cell, not a seat in the Senate!! You say it can’t be done? If I told you 3 years ago we would have a president that would go to Europe and stand before the WHOLE WORLD and say that America was NOT a Christian nation, would you have believed me? This country is on the cusp of something so huge that no one could predict what could happen. Our country is at a fork in the road just like the song that Lance sang at the Living Christmas Tree a few days ago. "Down the one road is all this world can offer" "Down the other just a Man with nail scars in his hand" Only you and I can make the choice. I choose Jesus!

Yeah Baby!!!
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Larry J Peacock (USN Ret.)

I'm passing this on as I did not want to be the only old fart receiving it. Actually, it's not a bad thing to be called, as you will see. Old Farts are easy to spot at sporting events; during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Old Farts remove their caps and stand at attention and sing without embarrassment. They know the words and believe in them.
Old Farts remember World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Normandy and Hitler. They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean War, The Cold War, the Jet Age and the Moon Landing. They remember the 50 plus Peacekeeping Missions from 1945 to 2005, not to mention Vietnam .
If you bump into an Old Fart on the sidewalk he will apologize. If you pass an Old Fart on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady. Old Farts trust strangers and are courtly to women.
Old Farts hold the door for the next person and always, when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for protection.
Old Farts get embarrassed if someone curses in front of women and children and they don't like any filth or dirty language on TV or in movies.
Old Farts have moral courage and personal integrity. They seldom brag unless it's about their children or grandchildren.
It's the Old Farts who know our great country is protected, not by politicians, but by the young men and women in the military serving their country.
This country needs Old Farts with their work ethic, sense of responsibility, pride in their country and decent values.
We need them now more than ever. Thank God for Old Farts!
I was taught to respect my elders. It's just getting harder to find them.

My good friend Curtis Doyle sent: Gubmint & How Gubmint Works
Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job. Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.
Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports.
Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So They created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer, Then hired two people.
Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.
Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one Year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost."
So they laid off the night watchman.
NOW slowly, let it sink in. Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter.
Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.... during the Carter Administration?
Anybody? Anything? No? Didn't think so!
Bottom line. We've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency...the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember! Ready?? It was very simple...and at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate.The Department of Energy was instituted on 8-04-1977. TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL! Hey, pretty efficient, huh??? AND NOW IT'S 2010 -- 33 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES; AND LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE! THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD
AND SAY, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?" Ah, yes -- good ole bureaucracy. NOW, WE ARE GOING TO TURN THE BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE, & THE AUTO INDUSTRY OVER TO THE SAME GOVERNMENT?
HELLOOO! Anybody Home?

My good friend Curtis Doyle sent: Gubmint & How Gubmint Works
Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job. Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.
Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports.
Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So They created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer, Then hired two people.
Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.
Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one Year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost."
So they laid off the night watchman.
NOW slowly, let it sink in. Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter.
Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.... during the Carter Administration?
Anybody? Anything? No? Didn't think so!
Bottom line. We've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency...the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember! Ready?? It was very simple...and at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate.The Department of Energy was instituted on 8-04-1977. TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL! Hey, pretty efficient, huh??? AND NOW IT'S 2009 -- 32 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES; AND LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE! THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD
AND SAY, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?" Ah, yes -- good ole bureaucracy. NOW, WE ARE GOING TO TURN THE BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE, & THE AUTO INDUSTRY OVER TO THE SAME GOVERNMENT?
HELLOOO! Anybody Home?

Forever Young
By Linda Ellis, Copyright 2009

Though I’d planned to grow old beautifully
with grace, dignity and finesse,
as my brain remains suspended in time,
my body continues to progress!

I felt somewhat separated
and psychologically, detached
when I realized I’d surpassed the age
when my mind and body matched!

The years have continued to advance
with a slow, predictable rhythm
that apparently left my mind behind,
but took my body with ‘em!

As my heartless mirror reflects the years,
I’ve come to the realization…
that my attitude has opted
to join a younger generation!

Is this due to a lack of maturity?
Could I be completely wrong...
to think my body went and aged
without bringing me along?

It’s like my age and my maturity
have been running a race,
and if the latter could accelerate,
it would still be in last place.

Though they used to run together
and were the best of friends,
I guess in the middle of middle age,
is where this courtship ends.

I admit my youth has faded;
it just seems as though time TOOK IT,
but I do not intend to act my age...
just because I suddenly LOOK IT!!

Today's Small Town soapbox was a track from Moby's Done Gone Plumb Platnium CD which can be found at the Moby Store.

Dear Moby, Our local radio station just recently started carrying your program. I must admit at first I did not know what to think about it all, then as I listened for a while, I guess I got used to the show and have came to enjoy it. My question or comment is I listen to your stories but they all seem to be on the sad side of everything. Have you ever told just an out and out happy one, one that doen’t bring a tear to your eyes? Sincerely, C. Grider Poplar Bluff, fortydodger@yahoo,com
Well, welcome to our radio family Forty Dodger,
Oh yeah, I guess I could slip in a happy story from time to time. Thinking back on it, I'm pretty sure there was quite a bit of happy stuff this morning,
and I believe we've got some happy stuff lined up for tomorrow.
I do like pushing those emotional buttons though.
When a day passes without a tear forming in my eye, I just don't feel the day has been totally complete. I want to feel it all. Don't you?
I'd like to think that if you listened beginning to end (which granted most folks don't have time to do) that you'd find something that would touch just about every emotional button you carry around with you.
We cut up a lot, and laugh and act a fool.
We love each other and say so.
We get upset with each other and say so.
We know what we believe, and we say so.
Depending on the day, we've won and lost, and we share it, and enjoy having it shared with us.
I'm very proud of my stance for fear of God, love of country & family, & respect for authority. That's a battle we can not lose.
I'm a constitutional Christian conservative that thinks we've drifted far from what our founders had in mind when they formed and bequeathed us this wonderful republic.
I'm comfortable in the company of those I don't agree with, but I'll never change my way of thinking, or remain silent because mine isn't the most popular opinion..
I love to laugh and cry. I love to touch emotions of all types, and have my emotions touched.
I'm very happy that you've come to enjoy our show.
My hopes and prayers would be that as you grow more familiar with me and this show that's invaded your beautiful corner of the world, that you'll grow more and more comfortable with it, and that
we'll hear from you more and more.
I promise that you'll always be on friendly turf when you reach out & as you become proud to be a cousin in the Moby in the Morning radio family.
That said, if you want to call and fuss, then we'll fuss a little, too.
May God bless you & yours, and may He give you a very Merry Christmas,
Yeah baby, MOBY

Today's soapbox was a Track from Moby's Going For The Gold available at The Moby Store.

Moby, I just wanted to take a minute to let you know of something I saw that was so heartwarming to me that I knew I had to share it. I was at Walmart on Lexington Rd in Athens on Sunday afternoon and I saw a Marine standing just inside the store next to a Toys for Tots drop off. I watched as many people walked past him not even giving so much as a smile, then it happened, a little toddler walked over to him and waved and smiled and the Marine looked down at him, smiled, and reached his hand out to shake the toddler’s hand. It was very heartwarming. These men and women risk their lives to protect ours, the least we could do during this time of need is shake their hands and give them a simple, “Thank You!”
-Mandy Bouknight

Good afternoon Mandy,
I agree with you that expressing gratitude to those in military service is the very least we should do, but let me ask you this.
Did you also see anyone drop a toy in the Marine’s box? Did you donate a toy?
The “respect & gratitude” the deserve from us is to recognizeand appreciate their mission, and if able, assist in the completion of that mission.
Handshakes and children are certainly sweet, and a uniformed patriot from any branch of the United State Military will gladly shake any patriotic hand offered regardless of their age, and be genuinely grateful for the support.
But Mandy, it wasn’t his mission that day.
Toys For Tots donations are down 80% this year, and handshakes do not put presents under the trees of children who otherwise will have no toy under there.
Again, how many citizens did you witness assisting the young man in his mission?
Not very often is a Marine’s assignment something that civilians can help them in, but in this situation, the mission does not get accomplished without the help of the civilians that could have really helped that Marine that day.
The Parents of the child whose hand was shaken, did they contribute a toy? Shame on those that could & should have helped, but didn’t.
I’m sorry to not have taken this in the spirit you had in mind when you wrote it.
Believe me, I do see the “Norman Rockwell” moment this scene no doubt was.
It’s just that I’ve just stood by many of those boxes, and seen many of those marine hands shaken with no contribution to the cause they’re there for, and it makes me very sad.
May god bless you & your family, and grant you the merriest of Christmases. I wish you health, happiness, and prosperity in 2010.
MOBY

Sadie called the studio

And in a voice both soft and low

said, “You once painted the man I love

It was a long time ago.”



… said “I saw you in the paper

and I see you’re doing well”

Then she shared a story,

that only she could tell.



She said…

“He came and sat, as I think back

It was nineteen seventy three

We all laughed and talked, while you worked in chalk

I know he did it just for me.



You had me stand behind you

To make him turn his head

Cause each time you’d say “please look this way”

He was looking at me instead. “



Then her voice trembled just a bit

She almost whispered in the phone

That the man she loved now was gone

and she was all alone

But today she wanted to get in touch,

just to let me know….





How much she loved him, and how she held him in her heart

How that painting had kept him close to her, on the days they were apart

She told me it meant so much more than the sum of all it’s parts

Lines and shapes and colors….bits of lights and darks.





She said they made her give up nearly everything,

that she ever owned

To come and spend her final days

In this sad old nursing home



And then she told me one thing more,

and I nearly broke down and wept

She said that painting that I did for her,

was the only thing she kept.



Her life is much more simple now

But that’s okay she said

There’s just one painting on her wall

It hangs at the foot of her bed



CHORUS:

Because she loved him, and she held him in her heart

And that little painting, made them not seem so far apart

She can’t forget him, and there’s not a day goes by

That that painting didn’t bring a little joy into her life.





She said, “I’m not moving much these days,

but on those days I do

I swear I see his lovin’ eyes,

follow me around this room!



I always loved the way he smiled,

and you sure caught it right

He smiles at me each morning,

and the last thing every night.”







Now I’ve made bigger paintings, of people with more fame

They hang in public places, you may even know their names

And I”ve been paid and I’ve been thanked, but no one touched me more

Or put into perspective, just what we do this for.



No it may never hang, on any museum wall

It may never, ever be seen, by too many people at all

But if it only served to sooth, one sad and lonely heart

That would be, good enough for me, cause my painting, did it’s part.



I know I always did my very best, ….and I’m proud of them all

But nothing felt so good to me, as when…. Sadie made that call

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed this warning : "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it." The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray.. Be assured you are in my prayers." The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose." So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap . . . Alone.. . . That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- the sound Of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it. It was a venomous snake whose tail was caught in the trap. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. When she returned home she still had a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup. So the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient: But his wife's sickness continued. Friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. But, alas, the farmer's wife did not get well... She died. So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them for the funeral luncheon. And the mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and you think it doesn't concern you, remember ---When one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.
- REMEMBER -
EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY. OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.
I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would. I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.
I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen. It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him. When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.
On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.
If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.
I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend . I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with them.
May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.
These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.

Last Thursday Night Around Midnight, A Woman From Houston , Texas Was Arrested, Jailed, And Charged With Manslaughter
For Shooting A Man 6 Times In The Back As He Was Running Away With Her Purse.
The Following Monday Morning, The Woman Was Called In Front Of The Arraignment Judge, Sworn In, And Asked To Explain Her Actions.
The Woman Replied, "I Was Standing At The Corner Bus Stop
For About 15 Minutes, Waiting For The Bus To Take Me Home After Work. I Am A Waitress At A Local Cafe...
I Was There Alone, So I Had My Right Hand On My Pistol,
That Was In My Purse, That Was Hung Over My Left Shoulder.
All Of A Sudden I Was Being Spun Around Hard To My Left.
As I Caught My Balance, I Saw A Man Running Away From Me With My Purse.
I Looked Down At My Right Hand And I Saw That My Fingers Were Wrapped Tightly Around My Pistol.
The Next Thing I Remember Is Saying Out Loud, "No Way Punk! Your Not Stealing My Pay Check And Tips."
I Raised My Right Hand, Pointed My Pistol At The Man Running Away From Me With My Purse, And Squeezed The Trigger Of My Pistol 6 Times!
When Asked By The Arraignment Judge, "Why Did You Shoot The Man 6 Times?
The Woman Replied Under Oath, "Because, When I Pulled The Trigger The 7th Time, It Only Went Click."
The Woman Was Acquitted Of All Charges. And She Was Back At Work, At The Cafe, The Next Day!
Now that's Gun Control.... Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what's for dinner. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the vote."- Benjamin Franklin

Recently I overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.
Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.'
The daughter replied, 'Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.'
They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'
'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this forever good-bye?'
'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' he said.
'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'
He began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we wanted the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
He then began to cry and walked away.
Take Time to Live
To all my friends and loved ones, I wish you Enough!

A store that sells new husbands opened last week in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:
You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!
So, a woman goes to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1- These Men Have Jobs
She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:
Floor 2- These Men Have Jobs and Love Kids
“That’s nice,” she thinks, “but I want more.”
So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3: These Men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and Are Extremely Good Looking.
“Wow, “ She thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.
She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 4- These Men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework.
“Oh. Mercy me!” She exclaims, “I can hardly stand it!”
Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 5- These Men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking, Help With Housework. And Have A Strong Romantic Streak.
She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:
Floor 6- You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please… Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.
PLEASE NOTE:
To avoid gender bias charges, the store’s owner opened a New Wives store just across the street.
The first floor has wives that love sex.
The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.
The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth floors have never been visited.

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear..
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold..
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother...
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.."

" So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.."

I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night.
He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said.. 'Where are you?
Oh, I see. Under the bed...'
I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique
perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.
He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.
He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them... I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?
Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.
The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied.
He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05 , eager for a day of simple work.
He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.
And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad take Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside..
'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.
His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.
And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.
He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple.
He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats.
His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working.. When he unloads the dihwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job
until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.
He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.
Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances. Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God – to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems
like his closest companion.
In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.
It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.
It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.
Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence,
praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of
God.
And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed
that God lived under his bed.
Kevin won't be surprised at all!

Last week, I took my children to a restaurant.
My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.
As we bowed our heads he said, 'God is good, God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!'
Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, 'That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray.. Asking God for ice cream! Why, I never!' Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, 'Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?'
As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job, and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, 'I happen to know that God thought that was a
great prayer.'
'Really?' my son asked.
'Cross my heart,' the man replied.
Then, in a theatrical whisper, he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), 'Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes.'
Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment, and then did something I will remember the rest of my life.
He picked up his sundae and, without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, 'Here, this is for
you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good
already.'
The End
I love this story!
I hope God sends you some Ice Cream today!

Hi Moby, Been Listening to you since early 90's !! My story is about a friend in Buckhead. His name is Sam. Sam has bird feeders in his yard and had hard time keeping squirrels out. So one morning he got out his 410 ga. shotgun and killed 2 of the pesky squirrels. They hadn't had time to get cold and the police showed up! Arrested him took him downtown and booked him put him in a holding cell with the other "criminals". Sam didn't make eye contac with nobody cuz he was scared!!! Finally a big guy said "hey boy what you in here for? Sam TRIED to put on his meanest base voice "tenor" at best and he said double murder. They were in awe at this little fellow.
"Well who you killed"?
Sam paused and finally looked up and said 2 squirrels!!!
The "criminals" horsed laughed him. There is more but no body can tell it the way Sam can. Anyhow you could have been like my friend Sam had you shot the deer in your back yard..
Love your morning show and if we don't meet this side of the pearly gates, when we get to the other side, after priorities, I'll look you up and I know we can share deer stories.

Yea Baby
Frank

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season.
I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santa's and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see one. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here ya go:
Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.
Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.
Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up... It will be nice hearing from you again.
Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.
Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive them.
Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one.
Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but they’ll not have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.
Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.
Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. I LOVE YOU, JESUS

One Sunday morning an old biker entered a church just before services were to begin.
Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were very worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn out old leather jacket and an equally worn out bible.
The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old biker had ever seen.
The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and accessories. As the biker took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.
The preacher gave a long sermon about Hellfire and brimstone and a stern lecture on how much money the church needed to do God's work. As the old biker was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the biker to do him a favor. "Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what He thinks would be appropriate attire for worship."
The old biker assured the preacher he would.
The next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and leather jacket.
Once again he was completely shunned and ignored.
The preacher approached the man and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back t o our church."
"I did," replied the old biker. "
"If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper attire should be for worshiping in here?" asked the preacher.
"Well, sir, God told me that He didn't have a clue what I should wear. He says He's never been here before.

I Just Want To Thank You Lord Dear Lord, I look at all the earthly wonders that I see, And know the greatest wonder is that You have chosen me, And loved me with a love so strong, mere words cannot express The depth of Your great majesty, and awesome holiness. The beauties of this earth are many flowers, and grass, and trees; And looking at their matchless splendor brings me to my knees, In gratitude and thankfulness for blessings that are mine, And for the table You’ve prepared for me to come and dine. You've given me a home on earth where I stay warm and dry, But tell me You’re preparing me a mansion in the sky. And when I stop to wash the sweat from toil throughout the day, I praise You for the precious blood that washed my sins away. And even when the storm clouds threaten to destroy my peace, I know that You can calm the waves, and make the billows cease. So I just want to thank you, Lord, for all that You have done, But most of all, I thank You for salvation through Your Son.

WW II Battleship sailor tells Obama to shape up or ship out!
This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now.
He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.
Dear President Obama,
My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.
I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.
One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.
So here goes.
I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.
I can't figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:
" We're no longer a Christian nation " America is arrogant" - (Your wife even announced to the world, "America is mean-spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)
I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a
dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.
After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals."
Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another
man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.
I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected. Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.
Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue. You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of
murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.
And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts, who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.
One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General
asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.
You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.
You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.
And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.
Sincerely, Harold B. Estes
When a 95 year old hero of the "the Greatest Generation" stands up and speaks out like this, I think we
owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as we can. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

I Just Want To Thank You Lord Dear Lord, I look at all the earthly wonders that I see, And know the greatest wonder is that You have chosen me, And loved me with a love so strong, mere words cannot express The depth of Your great majesty, and awesome holiness. The beauties of this earth are many flowers, and grass, and trees; And looking at their matchless splendor brings me to my knees, In gratitude and thankfulness for blessings that are mine, And for the table You’ve prepared for me to come and dine. You've given me a home on earth where I stay warm and dry, But tell me You’re preparing me a mansion in the sky. And when I stop to wash the sweat from toil throughout the day, I praise You for the precious blood that washed my sins away. And even when the storm clouds threaten to destroy my peace, I know that You can calm the waves, and make the billows cease. So I just want to thank you, Lord, for all that You have done, But most of all, I thank You for salvation through Your Son.

"During my last night's shift in the ER, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient with a shiny new gold tooth, multiple elaborate tattoos, a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and a new cellular telephone equipped with her favorite R&B tune for a ringtone.

Glancing over the chart, one could not help noticing her payer status: Medicaid.
She smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and, somehow, still has money to buy beer.

And our president expects me to pay for this woman's health care?

Our nation's health care crisis is not a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. It is a crisis of culture - a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. A culture that thinks "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me".

Life is really not that hard. Most of us reap what we sow.

STARNER JONES,MD

My take on all this is as follows.

Given her lifestyle, she won’t have a normal life-span to be a drain on the system. So, if she’s happy with the choices she’s made, so be it.

But check her family background, and see if she’s a multigenerational system dependent.
If she is, put her on strict “get your life together” probation. Require her to pass drug, alcohol and tobacco tests. If she breaks that probation, tie her tubes, and don’t allow her to reproduce.

As it is with the rest of us that enjoy the liberty won for us in these United States, she’s free to make her own choices.

But if those choices lead to another welfare generation in the wake of her that will also be dependent for their meals and care, we as a nation need to intervene. We need to break this chain of dependence we’ve allowed society to enable over the past several generations.

We must embrace and care for the impoverished. God love the poor among us. But if it’s self-imposed, and has been in previous generations of a drunken, drug influenced family history, we as a free nation must intervene to elevate us all.

A radicalized Muslim US Army officer shouting "Allahu Akbar!" committed the worst act of terror on American soil since 9/11. And no one wants to call it an act of terror or associate it with Islam.
What cowards we are.

Political correctness killed those patriotic Americans at Ft. Hood as surely as the Islamist gunman did. And the media treat it like a case of non-denominational shoplifting.

This was a terrorist act. When an extremist plans and executes a murderous plot against our unarmed soldiers to protest our efforts to counter Islamist fanatics, it’s an act of terror. Period!!

When the terrorist posts anti-American hate-speech on the Web; apparently praises suicide bombers and uses his own name; loudly criticizes US policies; argues (as a psychiatrist, no less) with his military patients over the worth of their sacrifices; refuses, in the name of Islam, to be photographed with female colleagues; lists his nationality as "Palestinian" in a Muslim spouse-matching program, and parades around central Texas in a fundamentalist playsuit — well, it only seems fair to call this terrorist an "Islamist terrorist."

But the president won’t. Despite his promise to get to all the facts. Because there’s no such thing as "Islamist terrorism" in ObamaWorld.

And the Army won’t. Because its senior leaders are so sick with political correctness that pandering to America-haters is safer than calling terrorism "terrorism."

And the media won’t. Because they have more interest in the shooter than in our troops — despite their crocodile tears.

Maj. Nadal Malik Hasan planned this terrorist attack and executed it in cold blood. The resulting massacre was the first tragedy. The second was that he wasn’t killed on the spot.

Hasan survived. Now the rest of us will have to foot his massive medical bills.

Activist lawyers will get involved, claiming "harassment" drove him temporarily insane. There’ll be no end of trial delays. At best, taxpayer dollars will fund his prison lifestyle for decades to come, since our politically correct Army leadership wouldn’t dare pursue or carry out the death penalty.

Maj. Hasan will be a hero to Islamist terrorists abroad and their sympathizers here. While US Muslim organizations decry his acts publicly, Hasan will be praised privately. And he’ll have the last laugh.
But Hasan isn’t the sole guilty party. The US Army’s unforgivable political correctness is also to blame for the casualties at Ft. Hood.

Given the myriad warning signs, it’s appalling that no action was taken against a man apparently known to praise suicide bombers and openly damn US policy.

But no officer in his chain of command, either at Walter Reed Army Medical Center or at Ft. Hood, had the guts to take meaningful action against a dysfunctional soldier and an incompetent doctor.
Had Hasan been a Lutheran or a Methodist, he would’ve been gone. But officers fear charges of discrimination when faced with misconduct among protected minorities.

Now 12 soldiers and a security guard lie dead. 31 soldiers were wounded, 28 of them seriously. If heads don’t roll in this maggot’s chain of command, the Army will have shamed itself beyond moral redemption.

There’s another important issue, too. How could the Army allow an obviously incompetent and dysfunctional psychiatrist to treat our troubled soldiers returning from war? An Islamist whacko is counseled for arguing with veterans who’ve been assigned to his care? And he’s not removed from duty? What planet does the Army live on?

For the first time since I joined the Army in 1976, I’m ashamed of its dereliction of duty. The chain of command protected a budding terrorist who was waving one red flag after another, because it was safer for careers than doing something about him.

We’ve already heard from the terrorist’s family that "he’s a good American." In their world, maybe he is.
But when do we, the American public, knock off the PC nonsense?

A disgruntled Muslim soldier murdered his officers way back in 2003, in Kuwait, on the eve of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Recently? An American mullah shoots it out with the feds in Detroit. A Muslim fanatic attacks an Arkansas recruiting station. A Muslim media owner, after playing the peace card, beheads his wife. A Muslim father runs over his daughter because she’s becoming too Westernized.

Muslim terrorist wannabes are busted again and again. And we’re assured that "Islam’s a religion of peace."

I guarantee you that the Obama administration’s non-response to the Ft. Hood attack will mock the memory of our dead.

I, against my will, have to listen to your station at least 2 to 4 times a week. I hate today's "country" music; it is just stupid. With that said, I don't think you realize (or you don't care) how many people you offend by bragging about shooting down a defenseless animal. Then you brag about putting it's head on your wall, like it makes you some kind of big man.
You might be a true patriot if the deer was armed with a 12 or 16 ga shotgun and able to return fire. What you do IS NOT a sport, it is killing animals for NO good reason. Before you think I am some left liberal loon, I am not. I am a conservative and have been all my life. I was also raised on a farm so I am not a no nothing city girl. I guess if you just have to gun down innocent animals, then have the decency to discontinue bragging about it and just keep it to yourself. Some of US forced listeners find it repugnant.
Pam

Pam, you're not gonna be very happy with my response to your email, but you're already mad at me, and think me repugnant. So, what have I got to lose?
The really wonderful thing that remains true about our country, darlin', is our ability to hold different opinions, and still accurately consider ourselves patriotic Americans.
What ever you do, honey, never visit the Trophy page of mobyinthemorning.com There's a whole slew of what you'd call repugnant people there. Personally, I call them good ol' boys & girls that, like me, enjoy watching the world come alive at the beginning of the day, and return to rest at sunset, with hope that an animal we want to harvest has the misfortune to come within range.
When I see a White Tail with a weapon of any sort, sugar, and can document it, that'll be the day I'll retire. I'd sell that story to an outdoor magazine.
There'd be some big money there for sure. I'm fairly certain the deer would be a hardened criminal, because where would he get the money to buy a gun?
We could only assume he stole that gun he possessed, and take appropriate action, as we would with any fleeing felon. I can show you the receipt for my guns. When Bambi can do that, I'll let him &His grandpa walk away undeterred. But a good number of his close relatives would still be toast.
Pam, unless you're a Vegan or devout vegetarian, you have to know that in the pen on that farm where you were raised, all the little piggies or moo cows died.
In the woods, hunters see many more deer than they ever take a shot at. That's simply management of the herd.
And Pam, the deer (or whatever game is being pursued) don't die for nothing. There's more venison in my freezer than there ever is beef. We eat it several times a week, and most of it came from white tail deer whose heads weren't put on my wall. That space is reserved for trophies. I know you wouldn't come, but I'd like to invite you for Venison Cube Steak, or my Venison meatloaf, or any of the wide variety of dishes that without the Great American White Tail deer, we'd have to slaughter cattle for.
Pam, whether you agree or not, hunting is a wise, skilled, & traditional effort of the very people that won folks like you & me our right to disagree.
You hope I don't get a wallhanger this season, and I'll hope I do.
In all odds, given my history, at the end of the season, you'll have the last laugh.
But you can bet I'll be back in the woods next season, and I'll still be sharing hunting stories with the radio family. Yep, I'm hopelessly and unrepentantly repugnant.
The trophy buck in my front yard Sunday afternoon, is still in the neighborhood, and I hope he doesn't make a victim of someone you & I love on the highway.
That's where most of them are killed, you know. Ohh, those shameless, and repugnant drivers.
You still mad? I thought so.
Yeah baby, MOBY

Who have we put in office that will carry that banner forward?
But I will, with forethought, leave out the word "peacefully".
While I agree that the 2010 election cycle might be our "last chance to save her". The thought of armed revolution is nation-ending mistake I choose not to threaten to participate in at this time.
Honestly, if ever on my lifetime.
It gives the good guys the appearance of the "Radical Right".
My mouth to God's ears, we saw the pendulum begin to swing back in the elections across our nation 2 weeks ago.
Citizens at the ballot box, and patriots gathering in unbelievable masses is the only answer.
Armed revolution should never & can never be viewed as the solution to our current crisis.
The will of the people, the focus and determination of right-minded leaders, and the grace and blessings of the God of our founders, who has blessed us since our conception, is the only way to turn all this around, and rescue our ship of state from the precipice we all seem to agree we're headed towards at break-neck speed..
We've grown to where we are as a united nation because the system works. We've certainly made mistakes, and turned wrong corners as a nation. Granted our current situation is one of the biggest "wrong turns" in our history as a capitalist republic, but to talk of more than allowing the cycle to come back around to the constitutional vision of those that constructed this nation is not a wagon I choose to to board.
Our task, as devoted and dedicated patriots, as thinkers in the mindset of those that have come before us, is to solve our crisis in the way they would request & require of us.
The blood for our freedom has already been shed. The sweat of our brow, and the focused determination of our spirit is now what's required.
A suggestion that the resolution might need be by other than peaceful means is based solely in anger, and not logic or patriotism. When we stop talking, thinking & negotiating, we've ALL lost.
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln

Last Saturday I attended the Georgia Sweet Potato Festival held in Ocilla.
I got there in time to get a good seat to see the parade.
I met my daughter and her family there and we made it a "family" event.
The streets were lined on both sides with moms and dads, and especially children waiting with their Halloween bags to collect the candy thrown by the parade participants.
Everyone was sitting in the hot sun and enjoying the motorcycles, tractors, old cars, etc. when I heard the sound of a band approaching.
As I looked south, I realized that the Marine Band from Albany, Georgia was marching toward me and I felt the tears fill my eyes as I rose to pay my respects to the men and women of our armed forces which were represented by these musicians. Before I could put my hands together to applaud, I realized that I was not the only one standing.
My daughter and her family stood; the people in front of me stood; and as I looked back along the parade route, I saw that almost everyone was standing and clapping their hands as the Marine band marched in front of them.
The applause was so loud that it almost drowned out the band itself. As the band passed by, the clapping around me died down but I could hear it taken up again by the patriots further along the street as the band came toward and passed them. It was a wonderful feeling and one I shall not forget.
We in "small town" America haven't forgotten what our military has done for us and is doing at this very moment.
I bowed my head and prayed in thanksgiving for their sacrifices and for protection for those in harm's way.
God Bless America!

Alice Harris
Alapaha, GA

John was a salesman's delight when it came to any kind of gimmicks. His wife Marsha had given up trying to get him to change. One day John came home with ]a robot that John claimed was actually a lie detector.
It was about 5:30 that afternoon when Tommy, their 12 year old, returned home from school, over 2 hours late.
John asked "Where have you been? Why are you over 2 hours late getting home?" "Several of us went to the library to work on an extra credit project,"
The robot walked around the table and slapped Tommy, knocking him completely out of his chair.
"Son," said John , "this robot is a lie detector, now tell us where you really were after school."
"We went to Bobby's house and watched a movie." said Tommy.
Mama asked "What did you watch?"
"The Ten Commandments,"
The robot went around to Tommy and once again slapped him, knocking him off his chair. With his lip quivering, Tommy got up, sat down and said, "I am sorry I lied. We really watched a tape called Sex Queen."
"I am ashamed of you son," said John . "When I was your age, I never lied to my parents."
The robot walked around and knocked John him out of his chair.
Marsha was almost in tears and said, "Boy, did you ever ask for that one! You can't be too mad with Tommy. After all, he is your son!"
The robot walked around to Marsha and knocked her out of her chair.

Dear Mr. Moby
I am a Desert Shield/ Desert Storm veteran from Rome and I came across this a few days ago. I first saw this on a dorm wall while in basic training and I think it would be a very appropriate soap box for Veterans Day.
I watched the flag pass by one day, it fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it, and then he stood "at ease"
I looked at him in uniform, so young, so tall, so proud
With hair cut square and eyes alert, He'd stand out in any crowd.
I wondered how many men like him, had fallen through the years
How many died on foreign soil, How many mother's tears
How many pilots planes shot down, How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers graves, No FREEDOM ISN'T FREE.
I heard the sound of "TAPS" one night, when everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play, and felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times, that "TAPS" had meant "AMEN"
When a flag had covered the coffin, of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children, The mothers and the wives
of fathers sons and husbands, with interrupted lives.
With thoughts of many unmarked graves at the bottom of the sea.
And the unknown's tomb at Arlington, I know FREEDOM ISN'T FREE.
Thank You Mr. Moby for your never ending support of America's Veterans
John Hamilton---Rome… (Amen, soldier….never ending.)

Check this out. I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China. The next day I was in Ace
Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA. Start looking.
In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that 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. (Can be true for any store.) 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!
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, so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time!
Stop buying from overseas companies!
Let's get with the program . . . . Help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.
(We should have awakened a decade ago . . . . . ..)

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school..
His name was Kyle.
It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?
He must really be a nerd.'
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him..
They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.
His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him..
He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.
As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.'? ?
They really should get lives.
' He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!'
There was a big smile on his face.
It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived...
As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him
before. He said he had gone to private school before now.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before..
We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.
He turned out to be a pretty cool kid..
I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends
He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books
again.
I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!
' He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends..
When we were seniors we began to think about college..
Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke.
I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never
be a problem.
He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football
scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech.
So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!'
He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and
smiled, and said ' Thanks,'
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began
'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends...
I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.'
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told
the first day we met. He’d planned to kill himself over the weekend.
He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.
'Thankfully, I was saved.
My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable..'
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.
Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions..
With one small gesture you can change a person's life.
For better or for worse.
'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'

Remember the offer of a Bloodhound puppy Tony & Deanna made me from Dry Creek Bloodhounds? Well, at Moby Manor, mama put her foot down, and made me stop and think about how busy we are at home for the time being, & what could I say? She really was right. She’s the smart one. I’ll freely admit that. I’d already named it. He was gonna be OSCAR. Named after my papaw. I called Tony and told him while he was at work at the Budweiser plant. When he got in from work, he sent me this email I want to share.

Moby,
It was great to finally talk to you this afternoon. I could detect the true disappointment in the fact you had wanted to name your hound after your grand pappy and the genuine gratitude you expressed for the offer.
So here is what we want to do here at Dry Creek Bloodhounds!
If between all of us, we can find a search and rescue (SARS) organization or a law enforcement agency that has a qualified trainer and handler we will donate a male bloodhound in your name. He will be named “Dry Creek Oscar”, in the memory of your grand pappy.
Hopefully he will never have the duties, but it would be great to know that if when we (You and Me) are older, ole Oscar may be able to track us down when we wonder away from the security of our nursing home, or God forbid if a young child (like Gracie) is lost he saves the day.
I hope you will consider this modified offer and I am sure with your connections we can find an organization that will train and utilize “Oscar” to the best of his abilities.
Let us know, and we will (with help from Gracie and yourself) pick a puppy when they come that you feel best fits your grand pappy's memory.
Tony & DeAnna

Brother Tony & Sister Deanna,
You’ve almost made a grown clown cry.
You bet it's OK.
Dry Creek Oscar will be a fine specimen of a very noble breed, and if called upon will step up to the duties required to save the day, or save a life.
This is such a beautiful idea, it’s almost poetry.
Papaw is looking down from Heaven, & I Can feel the warmth of his smile.
He would have loved that dog, too.

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to us lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, that was fine but after they would put on their lipstick they would press their lips against the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the maintenance man would remove them, and the next day the girls would put them back. Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night. (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses)
To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers… and then there are educators.

Hi Moby, as the mother of an 18-year-old son who is currently deployed in support of operation Iraqi Freedom, I know first hand how hard it is on the mothers and the other family members of a deployed military service member. The emotions you deal with on a daily basis and the constant overwhelming fear for the safety and well being of your child, while on the outside, you struggle to appear normal, on the inside you feel everything but normal. Being a soldier’s mom for me is many things. It’s a privilege, a sense of pride and honor. It’s my heart taking the chance to be crushed. It’s my fears that sometimes bring me to my knees. It’s the unknown that haunts me in my sleep.
It’s my soul that is saddened every time I hear of casualties. It’s the air I can’t sometimes breath, hoping it’s not me whose door the dress greens come knocking on. It’s the heartache for other mothers who have lost their children. It’s also my road back to my faith… Allen was born 8 days after the end of the Gulf War. Never in my wildest dreams did I dream that 18 years later, my son would head off to fight in a war. Nothing ever really prepares you for the rollercoaster ride of being a soldiers mom.
The morning he left, as I picked up his backpack to help him pack those last minute things, I had a flashback to the time I was packing his stuff in his backpack for his first day of school and how protective my daughter was of him and how bad my youngest son wanted to go with him.
On May 5th he was deployed to Iraq, and it has been a long 6 weeks that we didn’t hear anything at all from him. Every possible scenario has run through my mind… In April, my family and I were fortunate enough to go out to spend time with him before he deployed. I didn’t know if there would be a badge of bravery for me this time around when it was time to say our goodbyes, and there wasn’t, for any of us, the tears came, unhidden, no brave fronts. It’s hard hugging your child goodbye before they are sent off to war, not knowing if there will be anymore daily phone calls text messages or emails, not knowing if you will ever get to hug them again or even see your child alive again. More often, at the times you feel like you are going crazy. It’s a sick feeling when a strange vehicle pulls up in the driveway, praying that it’s not the Army coming to deliver unspeakable news. It’s the tears you shed in the grocery store buying his favorite snacks to send in a care package, the strange looks you get at the post office shipping that care package with tears rolling down your cheeks and kissing the package before you turn it over to be shipped, another military mom can easily be picked out in these situations, she’s the only one in the crowd that looks at you with an understanding smile, because she knows… It’s counting down the days until he is safely back on U.S. soil again, giving yourself pep talks just talking yourself into getting through another day, most of all, it’s the sleepless nights, and constantly wondering if he’s ok…

Victoria, Texas is a town about 80 miles west of Houston. Local Hispanic leasers there, in opposition to pending immigration legislation, boycotted all Caucasian owned businesses last month as a demonstration to their economic impact on the community. The boycott was declared a success by the Hispanic community, noting revenue in Caucasian owned business was down by 19 percent. Business owners declared the boycott a success as well , pointing out that shoplifting was reduced by 77 percent, money orders sent out of the country were down by 97 percent, and the cost of daily clean-up and trash collection was down by 84 percent. Shoppers reported they could actually hear English being spoken throughout the community for the first time in recent memory, and customers paid for purchases with real money, not government debit cards or food stamps!

Dear Moby,
Several years ago, I adopted an African-American girl after fostering her from the age of 6 mos-she just turned 14 - she and Gracie share a birthday. She is the second oldest of our 5 children and the oldest of the two girls. She, like our 6 year old daughter whose middle name is Grace, has many challenges in life. She had her picture taken with Santa Moby when she was a toddler.
I say this because after years of "wishing upon a star", Disney has finally created its first African-American princess - Princess Tiana. Her movie is due out Dec. 11. Now my 14 year old has a beautiful princess to admire just as my 6 year old has her Cinderella. No longer must my black child have only white folks to emulate, she now has a princess just like her.
I have never allowed the girls to have the Disney Princess stuff unless it was just Cinderella on it (for my white daughter) or just Belle (my black daughter's favorite until now) because I felt the message was that only white people, Indian people, and Asian people could be perfect like a princess. Now she can see that black women can be perfect too. One thing - we kind of forgot to tell her she was black (not to mention handicapped because she is handicapable) and our kids haven't noticed either. They are colorblind and love her for who she is, the way it should be. However, I have a responsibility to keep her heritage a part of her no matter how disabled or unaware of it she is.
This new princess has had a lack of publicity and I found out by accident the other day that merchandise was already out without mention of the movie.
With Disney meeting such a significant milestone in its history this surprises me - sort of. Next time Mary Beth gives the gossip, can you ask her to include this movie? My girls won't sit thru it - "too loud mommy", but I hope that your young princess gets to view this movie. As soon as it is available on DVD, I know a 14 year old who will be asking for it!
Sincerely, Kim Ferbrache'. ("Fur bra shay")

By Linda Ellis
Moby in the Morning Poet Laureate
The first year she was a pumpkin
and she donned a bright orange smock.
Her daddy took her trick-or-treating,
though she had not learned to walk.

The next year she was a bunny…
and on one leg, she would hop
while her left ear stood up straight
and the right would swing and flop.
Then a bride costume from Grandpa;
a long skirt and lacy blouse,
but she tripped over the train...
so daddy carried her to each house.
The fourth year brought us Lion King
and she roared both day and night.
She was either "Simba" or was "Nala."
(I never could get that right!)
The next Halloween as she got dressed,
she just kept on asking why - -
if she was indeed "Supergirl,"
why then…could she not fly?
Her sixth year, she was all in pink
protecting us all from danger,
as she kicked and "karate-chopped" the air
as "Kimberly…the Power Ranger."
When she was seven, she wore a yellow gown.
She was "Beauty," to say the least,
insisting that her little sister,
by default…was the "Beast."
In my heart I knew the time would come…
and this year our walk together ends.
She said, "it’s not cool for mom to go…
I want to walk with all my friends."
So, I’m figuring out what I will say;
rehearsing one excuse after another,
in case she notices the "ghost" behind her
walks a little bit like her mother!
And I still have Halloweens to come;
my other daughter’s only three.
What worries me is...when she grows up,
who will trick or treat with me?

Home Depot had every right to fire the young man for wearing a button that said "One Nation, Under God." I suppose that legally you may be correct, but just because something is legal that does not make it right. It is interesting, at least according to the story I read, that Home Depot did or said nothing about the button until he brought his Bible to work to read during his break time. Moby, there was a time in this country when "one nation, under God" was considered a virtue by most businesses and individuals, and carrying or displaying a Bible was not deemed offensive but a good thing. There was a time when wearing such a button was considered patriotic, not offensive; when reading a Bible was considered necessary for the development of good moral character. I cannot help but wonder if it was a Muslim carrying a Koran, or someone of any other faith, if that Muslim would have lost his job and livelihood. I cannot help but wonder if you realize what you are truly supporting and if many of us realize how far we have come and sadly, where we are heading. I think those demons you don't believe in are very pleased. Just a few thoughts. Sincerely, Joe Baker Gray, TN
" Home Depot had every right to fire the young man in West Palm Beach for wearing a button that said "One Nation, Under God." "
I followed that by saying the public had every right to know that Home Depot had behaved in such a fashion.
What a wonderful young man to stand his ground and stand by his faith. I admire & respect him for his convictions. There are several areas of the Bible that are spoken in parables, and not to be taken literally, but are lessons to be learned from.
That's what I believe.
There is certainly evil all around us, Reverend, and we must choose to turn away from it on a daily basis. So, creepy, crawly boogey men, and demons? Ironic this comes up at Halloween.
Is that evil a combination of a bunch of demons? Maybe so. Who knows.
Turning away and teaching our children to is very important, but tell them the boogey man is gonna get 'em is less important than telling about the glory that's waiting on them if they turn away from evil, listen for the trumpets, and keep their hearts, mind, and eyes on the prize for a life lived in love and kindness.
People have differing opinions of this certainly, and I don't want to debate it here.
But in America, Home Depot was within their rights as that young man's employer to make him remove that pin he was wearing for
whatever reason they chose.
It's a very risky position for them now that the public knows what they've chosen to do. I don't believe it'll be a good thing for Home Depot, but it IS their free choice to make.

Wayne Wallace
"Moby I'm a certified fire fighter, first responder, search and rescue specialist and also on the rescue team in my county. I have spent countless hours in classes in the past 6 years. I am a volunteer! I would love to hear a small town soap box about a volunteer fire fighter. If you look up volunteer fire fighters you will find that there are more, that volunteer than there are paid fire fighters in this country! We all do the same job some are paid, some not. you hear things about the paid guys and gals but not so much about someone that goes out and does the same thing for free!! (volunteer) We all have loved ones at home that fear we won’t make it back home when we are called to duty. PLEASE recognize us volunteers in a soap box soon. YEAH BABY! GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!" Wayne Wallace

Well, my friend Wayne, you’ve done my job for me, and I’m grateful to you for reminding me to honor in some small way those that, like every American hero, selflessly give of themselves for others.
This nation has taken some hard licks lately, Wayne, but you & those like you, are a big part of the backbone that made America great in the first place.
So, let me thank you for reminding me of what I might not have been doing. I’m sorry to have fallen short.
Like those who serve and protect as a chosen life’s work, you stand prepared to place your very life at risk for somebody you never met.
I hope you agree with the old adage “better late than never”, Wayne. “Thank you” for what you’ve done and for what you might be asked to do.
Tell the heroes at your side I said that, will ya, brother?

They are called the “Greatest Generation” –
a title worn with utmost pride.
For the good of all so we wouldn’t fall,
lives put on hold, goals set aside.

America was truly a united nation –
bound together with one accord.
Standing strong against all enemies,
and praying to Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Germany on one side–Japan on the other.
Hitler and Tojo imposing their will,
bent on total world domination
and willing to kill, kill, kill.

The call went out and response was great,
everyone found something they could do.
Kids collecting scrap metal, adults buying bonds,
to show our love for the Red, White and Blue.

Men and women stepped forth to serve,
as Soldiers, Sailors and Marines.
Their greatest asset – the love of country,
the best fighting force the world had seen.

Meanwhile, American women went to work,
fully committed, they did more than their part,
proving to all that they could do it,
building war machines of metal and a piece of their heart.

Sacrifice required of each man, woman and child,
was beginning to pay visible dividends.
D-Day began the last gasp for Germany,
and brought the war in Europe to an end.

Japan fought with utmost frenzy,
but their armor was showing a few cracks.
Then in August of ’45, “Fatman” and
“Little Boy” stopped them dead in their tracks.

The war over, we began to rebuild
and reclaim our disrupted lives.
The “Greatest Generation” had earned its name.
We who knew them were not surprised.

They handed us a world worth having,
but we’ve squandered our heritage it seems.
Ungrateful children that we are,
we’re destroying ourselves and burying their dreams.

"During my last night's shift in the ER, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient with a shiny new gold tooth, multiple elaborate tattoos, a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and a new cellular telephone equipped with her favorite R&B tune for a ringtone.
Glancing over the chart, one could not help noticing her payer status: Medicaid.
She smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and, somehow, still has money to buy beer.
And our president expects me to pay for this woman's health care?
Our nation's health care crisis is not a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. It is a crisis of culture - a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. A culture that thinks "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me".
Life is really not that hard. Most of us reap what we sow.
STARNER JONES,MD

My take on all this is as follows.
Given her lifestyle, she won’t have a normal life-span to be a drain on the system. So, if she’s happy with the choices she’s made, so be it.
But check her family background, and see if she’s a multigenerational system dependent.
If she is, put her on strict “get your life together” probation. Require her to pass drug, alcohol and tobacco tests. If she breaks that probation, tie her tubes, and don’t allow her to reproduce.
As it is with the rest of us that enjoy the liberty won for us in these United States, she’s free to make her own choices.
But if those choices lead to another welfare generation in the wake of her that will also be dependent for their meals and care, we as a nation need to intervene. We need to break this chain of dependence we’ve allowed society to enable over the past several generations.
We must embrace and care for the impoverished. God love the poor among us. But if it’s self-imposed, and has been in previous generations of a drunken, drug influenced family history, we as a free nation must intervene to elevate us all.

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark .
ONE: Don't miss the boat.
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
SIX: Build your future on high ground.
SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.
TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

When I was about thirteen or fourteen years old, there was a kid we called Little Bill who lived down the street. He was freckle faced and snaggle toothed. His ears were to big and stuck out so far that I always accused him of looking like a wing nut. I don’t remember ever seeing him when he didn’t have a snotty nose. Little Bill was the biggest pain in the butt that ever existed. He was about five years younger than the rest of us and he followed us around all the time. You couldn’t get away from him, and he wouldn’t shut up. He always wanted to know what we were doing and why. No matter what answer you gave him, he wanted more details. We did everything to get rid of him. Once I bet him he couldn’t climb to the top of this huge tree down in the woods even though I had seen him do it before. When he got to the top, we took off running and hid from him. He found us, of course, and apparently thought it was great sport. He walked up laughing, "Whutchalldoin?" We started groaning because he found us and we immediately began planning the next dirty trick to play on Little Bill. Big Bill, Little Bill’s Daddy, had to work a lot of hours to take care of his family of four so he didn’t have as much time to spend with Little Bill as Little Bill needed. I suppose that’s why Little bill followed me around all the time. I still remember his momma hollering out the back door into the woods, "Little Bill, get yourself home before you get hurt, you can’t do everything the big boys do!" As we got older and got driver’s licenses and cars and developed an interest in (ugh) girls, it became easier to get away from Little Bill. If we went anywhere that he could get to though, he would be there, asking questions, getting in the way and just being a general nuisance. About the time that I graduated from high school and went in the Marines, Little Bill showed up over at the house with this little girl he wanted me to meet. She was almost as homely as Little Bill. She had red hair and freckles and was as flat chested as an ironing board. Little Bill had a pair of black slacks that was too short for him a white dress shirt a tie and a pair of dress shoes that had to have belonged to his daddy. His hair was slicked down with some kind of grease. He looked like Alfalfa. He was going on a date and wanted all the big boys to know that he was still following along behind I guess. I went into the Marines, did four years, Vietnam, the whole bit. Got married, got a job, and settled down. Hadn’t seen or heard from Little Bill in years. Then one day I got a call from a friend. "Didja hear about Little Bill? He asked. "No, what’s he done now?" My friend went on to relate the story of how Little Bill, who had followed me everywhere else, joined the Marines the day after he got out of high school, just like I did and had been sent to Vietnam. He was killed near the airbase at Danang. It don’t matter what little Bill’s real name was. It’s one of almost 58,000 engraved on a black granite wall in Washington D.C. he could have been any one of them. Sometimes at night I can hear the echoes of his mama’s voice calling out to him, "little Bill, get yourself home before you get hurt, you can’t do everything the big boy’s do!" I wish he had listened. Enjoy the freedom that he and thousands like him have won for us all. And when you have a quiet moment, you might want to say "Thanks" to little Bill.

John was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,' and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs.
He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced.
This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and attached them to his roosters.
Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing.
Now, he could sit on the porch And fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells.
John's favorite rooster, old Perky, was a very fine specimen, but this morning he noticed old Perky's bell hadn't rung at all! When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets, hearing the roosters coming, could run for cover.
To John's amazement, old Perky had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring.
He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one. John was so proud of old Perky, he entered him in the Renfrew County Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges..
The result was the judges not only awarded old Perky the No Bell Prize but they also awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.
Clearly old Perky was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

Vote carefully next year, because you don’t always hear the bell.

1. Wake Up !! Decide to have a good day.
"This is the day the Lord hath made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up !! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.
A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7

3.. Shut Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, So He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.
"He who guards his l ips guards his soul." Proverbs 13:3

4. Stand Up!! . . For what you believe in.. Stand for something or you will fall for anything. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, We will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good...."
Galatians 6:9-10

5. Look Up !! . . To the Lord.
"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me".
Philippians 4:13

6. Reach Up !!. . For something higher. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not unto your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6

7. Lift Up !! . . Your Prayers. "Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING." Philippians 4:6

A POSITIVE THOUGHT If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring, and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen.
He could live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart. What about the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem; Not to mention that Friday at Calvary.
Face it, He's crazy about you.

The Commanding Officer of a regiment in the U.S. Marine Corps was about to start the morning briefing to his staff, battalion and company commanders. While waiting for the coffee machine to finish its brewing, the colonel decided to pose a question to all assembled.
He explained that his wife had been a bit frisky the night before and he failed to get his usual amount of sound sleep. He posed the question of just how much of making whoopee was “work” and how much was “pleasure?”
The regimental executive officer chimed in with 75-25% in favor of work.
A captain said it was 50-50%
The colonel’s aide responded with 25-75% in favor of pleasure depending on his state of inebriation at the time.
There being no consensus, the colonel turned to the private who was in charge of making the coffee. What was HIS opinion?
Without hesitation, the young PFC responded, “Sir, it has to be 100% pleasure.”
The Colonel was surprised and, as you might guess, asked why?
“Well, sir, if there was any work involved the officers would have me doing it for them.”
The room fell silent.
God Bless the United States Marine Corps.

Mr. Moby,
I am a 28 year old Sergeant First Class (been one for two years). I remember listening to you when I was a kid in Atlanta. I use to sneak my am/fm player on the bus just to listen to your show on the way to school. I remember a story you told on Memorial Day about a kid that followed the person they looked up to, to Vietnam. That story made a huge impact on me. I joined the Army to be an infantryman in August 1999.
I was in the Army for eight months and my team leader recommended that I would be moved out of the platoon and put into the recon platoon as a sniper. So I am an Infantryman by job but Sniper by trade. Life was fine and dandy as a sniper all of the way until February 7, 2007. On that day, I was training up to go back to Iraq (I have been several times and to other various locations) when there was an accident. I was in a training accident that ended up being a closer to my career. I immediately realized that I could not feel or move my legs. I was life flighted to Memorial Hospital in Savannah, where the doctors eventually told me and my family that I would not walk again.
I looked up at the doctors and told them that they were wrong and that I was just too stubborn to sit around. They just shrugged me off. I looked at my beautiful wife who was pregnant with our fourth child and told her I would walk again. After two months in the hospital, I was walking again with some help. I was able to stay home with my wife and kids while my platoon was in Iraq. While at home, I lost three soldiers, one of them was the medic that treated me for electrocution burns in 2005 when I tried to save a boy's life in Iraq, which is a totally different story. I had to escort my "Doc's" remains home which was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.
Whenever someone tells me that they thank me for what I have done. My only response is, "It's an honor to serve my country." Most people just look at me, but to do what I have done and many others is an honor but not an honor without courage. Because it is courage that helps us go back out and away from our families to some distant land.
Mr. Moby, I want to thank you for that story that you told during my childhood because that helped me carry over the “leave no man behind” mentality I had. And I would like to thank you for your support of our troops. Sincerely SFC Brian Watson

SFC Watson, I would like to thank you on behalf of my grateful family.
May God protect and heal you, and may God bless your patriotic family.
MOBY

The 2009 Congressional Medal of Honor Society's annual convention's theme was "Commit to Courage". It was held in Chicago on September 15 through the 19th. The following is an excerpt from one of the speeches.

"What defines courage?

That's a good question. Last Saturday, I had to think about that when my 8-year-old son was playing in his minor league Little League game and was hit (really hard) by the pitcher at his last at-bat. On Sunday, we went to practice after church and he asked me about bravery. He was now, understandably, a bit afraid of getting hit by a baseball. I told him that he couldn't be brave unless he already had fear. And that everyone who is brave has fear. He asked me if I had ever been afraid of jumping out of airplanes in the Airborne. I told him "every time." He asked me if I thought if he asked "god for help being brave would that help?" And I asked him if he thought that god would simply give him bravery or would god give him the opportunity to be brave?

He already knew the answer. He had to commit to being courageous.

There are many definitions of courage. We are told that courage is a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear. Or courage is the strength to face danger or take on challenges.

Recipients of the Medal of Honor will tell you while they understand courage, they felt intense fear. And it is the ability to overcome fear in any situation that leads one to strength and understanding. And with strength and understanding, comes courage.

With courage, comes sacrifice.

The recipients wear their medal for everyone who has ever worn the uniform, perhaps more so for the men who were with them the day, THAT day...and always for the ones who did not come home.

And these men, who demonstrated great courage and sacrifice in the face of danger, have stories that are lessons for the kind of courage needed to survive the challenges of everyday life (even Little League). The recipients of the Medal of Honor ask us all to take the initiative, to respond to challenges and act responsibly (even courageously) when the opportunity presents itself in our daily lives.

That's committing to courage.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."
I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…
And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!
What a gift it is to me, if I’ve ever made you smile.

Mr. Moby, I just want you to know that I listen to your show every morning going to work and I always have to wait a few extra minutes in the parking lot to hear the Small Town Soapbox. I have a college degree and I am a certified teacher working as a substitute teacher trying to find a job in our failing economy! I love God, I love my beautiful wife and daughter, and I love America! I fear for my daughter because I know she will grow up in a world that seems to be a moral vacuum! I know we must change America in order to inspire hard work, economic growth, and a sense of morals. It seems, however, that our government has it completely backwards! You work hard and therefore pay higher taxes, or you can be lazy and the government will take care of you with the money those hard working people make! In the past year, I have been let go twice, but from an early age my mother instilled in me that I could do anything I wanted if I worked hard (by the way, she raised my brother and I on an $8/hour salary, if anybody needed financial help, it was her, but she never asked for anything). Well, although these hard times have hit me and my family, I have managed to always find a new job and haven't gone without a paycheck for more than two weeks. God is watching over me and my family, but I know that to succeed I have to work hard. For all those out there who sit around waiting for their government check every month, it angers me to know that the money they get was earned by me and hard working citizens! I am not writing this to gloat about myself of my family, I am extremely blessed with what I do have, I just want to ask you to remind people that our government will keep doing what they've been doing and getting what they've been getting, unless the people intervene. I am a supporter of the Fairtax, which I believe can turn this economy around, not more federal spending! Please urge people to educate themselves on this and other issues and write their Congressman or Senator to let them know they support them if they truly want to see a change! Obama promised change and hope. Well, change is definitely happening, for the worse, and hope for America seems to be declining. So if this was his idea of hope and change, then yes he is doing an excellent job! Mr. Moby I am attaching a letter I am sending to my Congressman. I thank you for your willingness to publicly stand for issues, morality, and your faith in Christ. God bless you and your family! Yeah baby!
Jared

Another year has passed ;
And we're all a little older.
Last summer felt hotter
And winter seems much colder.

I rack my brain for happy thoughts,
To put down on my pad,
But lots of things, That come to mind
Just make me kind of sad.

There was a time not long ago
When life was quite a blast.
Now I fully understand
About 'Living in the Past'.

We used to go to friends homes,
Baseball games and lunches.

Now we go to therapy, to hospitals, And after-funeral brunches..
We used to go out dining,
And couldn't get our fill.
Now we ask for doggie bags,
Come home and take a pill.

We used to travel often
To places near and far.
Now we get backaches
From riding in the car.

We used to go out shopping
For new clothing at the Mall
But, now we never bother...
All the sizes are too small.

That, my friend is how life is,
And now my tale is told.
So, enjoy each day and live it up...
Before you're too darn old!!





You pass this way only once so enjoy it while you can; Live A Lot, Laugh A Lot and Love A Lot!

Hey guys,
Just wanted to let you know that in this world - one listener doesn't make much of a dent in your demographics, but consider this listener and advertiser on his way out
For two days in a row, I had my truck's radio tuned to Moby and two days in a row left the station (as in turn the radio into another station) in a bad mood over the political crap he was spewing. I am sure this radio station has the demographic thing down to a science, so this is just for your info if you care...
To put down the President of the USA for trying to bring the Olympics to an American city is just something I don't want to hear with my music in the morning. Makes me wonder if Moby complained about the shorts the First Lady wore ( -I bet he did) Neither do I want to hear how separation of church and government is "un American" and people who make the hard calls on this are cowards....
Country music takes a step backwards everytime Moby opens his mouth about politics. There are people who do this for a living, in proper shows and I would never put Moby in that category. He is just comes across lame, "laffable"[sic], mean spirited, and ignorant.
I would advise you that Moby can generate good feelings when he stays on the "fat weather man" side of life: See Willard Scott, Al Roker, etc...Let him do feel good stories, about old people, kids surviving cancer, whatever. But don't let this guy (p@#$) throw away his final days of a career with more smooth medulla right wing crap. He is hurting his brand and yours.
Just for the file, I am a 50 year old white male. I have wore work boots everyday for the last 35 years, I have employed an average of 35 people for the last twenty. I have driven more old pick up trucks, had more more tractors, drank more whiskey, gone to more Georgia games, been to jail for fighting more than your average listener and definitely more than Moby. So my buzz cut does not cover up my redneck and my redneck does not suck all my brains out of my head....
I have spent more money with your company over the years than I care to think about. So please, could yall stick to music and human interest and have Moby cut the whiney, actually unpatriotic, embarassing to real-blue-collar-people political low-road (bulls#%@.)
Thanks, Phil

Good morning Phil,
Thank you for writing to share your thoughts.
I love my country too much to not speak out about the demise of what so many paid such a high price for.
The "brand" that's being hurt is the brand that for over two centuries we've called liberty & independence.
We're rapidly seeing a swing toward a much larger federal government with unfettered intrusion in every area of our lives.
America as we've always known her is being shown the door.
We have much, much larger wolves invading the flock from the forest, and our elected leader wastes his time and our money spending a hundred million dollars in a failed attempt to get the Olympics to his home town.
I don't feel that's an issue that should be on the plate of the leader of the free world.
I've tried to imagine Barack & Michelle standing arm in arm, looking with love at old glory, singing God bless America, and I can't draw that picture to mind.
I try to think about a prayer before high school foot ball games being unpatriotic, or see it as the Christian intrusion of church into the affairs of state, and that's simply not how it seems to me.
Our life in America always worked best when the pendulum swings freely, and it's not swinging at all.
It's slammed to the left, and without relief in the 2010 election cycle (which I hope & pray we see) I sincerely fear for the future of the greatest nation in the history of the world.
So, while it doesn't please me at all to lose a listener because we view our current state of affairs from different perspectives, doing Willard Scott "feel-good" stories makes me a sheep in an arena where a sheepdog is needed.
Certainly, we're free to not agree for now.
I'm thinking freedom of thought, and freedom of differing opinions won't be tolerated much longer.
But do not for a moment think me unpatriotic for my devoutly patriotic beliefs. How un-American can you get?
If you reconsider, and continue to listen, you'll always be welcome in the daily gathering of our morning radio family.
MOBY

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom.
One heart can know what's true.
One life can make the difference,
You see it's up to You!

Dear Moby,
Not only do we have a war over seas, seems we have one right here in my back yard! On 9-11 2 local football teams met to compete but before the game they had a student led prayer for the victims of 9-11 and a player for one of the teams who died suddenly on the Field in there season opener earlier that month. Moby, somebody got there undergarments in a bunch and wrote the ACLU and complained because they "had" to listen to a prayer, they plan on showing what they stand for tonight
Pray for students at Gate City as they make a stand for Christ at their homecoming football game tonight. They will pray and wear shirts standing up for Christ! Search Gate City, Prayer and you'll find a face book page dedicated to the cause.
Also, several hundred others plan on wearing black T-shirts that sport the school’s initials and a cross with the phrase “I still pray...” written on the front and “in Jesus’ name” on the back, Seems if the prayer had ended in any other way but in Jesus name they wouldn't have had such a problem with it!!!! I guess its about time to kick white house thief's out when we get a chance and take back the country. Sorry if this was long just had to vent a bit YEAH BABY
George Pierce Kingsport TN
I Googled it, and found the following: Rebecca K. Glenberg, legal director for the Virginia ACLU. “We heard from someone who attends these football games ... that the game last Friday was opened with a prayer and that they had seen this happen last season as well. The Supreme Court has made it quite clear that public high school football games cannot be opened with an official prayer.” That holds true even if the opening prayer is done by students, she said.
Well, let’s put it to a vote. I say Rebecca Glenberg, the ACLU, and in this instance the Supreme Court can kiss us all where the sun don’t shine.
This is the nation that was built strictly on Christian principles. The founding fathers would be ashamed of this sort of denial of how we got where we are. They’d see where we’re headed, and tell us we got it coming.
They’d collectively shed many tears that we’ve cowered & given away, without resistance, what they gave their lives and fortunes to leave for us all.
Can we with any degree of pride pass on to our children the ethics, standards, values, and morals the ACLU would have us think adequate?
I’m very sorry to be in a position where I feel I must say this, but for the first time in my life, I’m deeply ashamed of my country.
Lake City students, I have more love and respect for any of you young patriots, than I do for the entire spineless United States Supreme Court.

dear mister moby, my soldier son recently wrote a poem i thought you might enjoy...
my husband and i have 2 sons currently serving. 1 in the air force and 1 in the army.
We thank you very much for all you do for AMERICA AND ITS SOLDIERS.
GARY AND PATTY WELLS

If I ever go to war...

If I ever go to war Mom, Please don't be afraid.
There are some things I must do, To keep promises that I made.
I'm sure there’ll be some heartache, And I know that you'll cry tears,
But your son is a Soldier, Mom, & there’s nothing you should fear.
If I ever go to war Dad, I know that you'll be strong.
But you won't have to worry, Cause you taught me right from wrong.
You kept me firmly on the ground, yet taught me how to fly.
Your son is a Soldier Dad, I love you Hooah? Even if I die.
If I ever go to war Bro, There are some things I want to say.
You've always had my back, and I know it's my time to repay.
You'll always be my daybreak, through all of life's dark clouds,
Your brother is a Soldier, Bro, I promise I'll make you proud.
If I ever go to war my Friends, We'll never be apart,
Though we may not meet again, I'll hold you in my heart.
Remember all the times we had, Don't let your memories cease,
Your friend’s a Soldier now, Dear Friend, And I'll die to bring you peace.
And when I go to heaven, And see that pearly gate,
I'll gladly decline entrance, Then stand my post and wait.
I'm sorry Sir I can't come in, I'm sort of in a bind,
You see I'm still a Soldier Sir, So I can't leave them behind.

tell me what you think.

Love ya
Ryan

 

I don't think I've ever seen the differences between liberals and conservatives explained any better.... If a conservative doesn't like guns, they don’t buy one. If a liberal doesn't like guns, then no one should have one.
If a conservative is a vegetarian, they don’t eat meat. If a liberal is, they want to ban all meat products for everyone.
If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy. A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.
If a conservative is homosexual, they quietly enjoy their life. If a liberal is homosexual, they loudly demand legislated respect.
If a black man or Hispanic is conservative, they see themselves as independently successful. Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.
If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.
If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels. Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.
If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church. A liberal wants all churches to be silenced.
If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it. A liberal demands that his neighbors pay for his.
If a conservative unrepentantly becomes pregnant and does not want the child, she arranges to have the child put up for adoption. A liberal seeks an abortion clinic to kill the baby.

'Geezers' are easy to spot: At sporting events, during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Old Geezers remove their caps and stand at attention and sing without embarrassment. They know the words and believe in them. ?
Old Geezers remember the Depression, World War II, Pearl Harbor , Guadalcanal , Normandy and Hitler. They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean War 1950-55, The Cold War, the 50 plus Peacekeeping Missions from 1945 to 2005, the Jet Age and the Moon Landing, not to mention Vietnam ..
If you bump into an Old Geezer on the sidewalk he will apologize. If you meet an Old Geezer on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady. Old Geezers trust strangers and are courtly to women.. Old Geezers hold the door for the next person and always, when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for protection. Old Geezers get embarrassed if someone curses in front of women and children. Old Geezers have moral courage. They seldom brag unless it's about their grandchildren.
It's the Old Geezers who know our great country is protected, not by politicians, but by the young men and women in the military serving their country.
This country needs Old Geezers with their decent values.
We need them now, more than ever.
Thank God for Old Geezers!

I made a big mistake on Facebook.
I got a Facebook message from a lady that had been very successful on Ultra 90, and I wanted to have a word with her, and maybe make an Ultra 90 commercial out of her story. So, in thinking I was just responding to that one lady, I asked for her phone number. Apparently, if you don’t do that just right, your request can go out to the entire planet.
===========================================================

I got one phone number from an old friend/HS football hero/Univ of Tenn Football Hero/Blue Angel pilot that’s in Japan now.
===========================================================

Then Mary Beth wanted to know why all these women were either asking why I wanted their number, or sending their number to me.
Sharon Johnson- Parham:
"Wonders whom you want to have a word with when My mom use to say that it meant I must've been into some trouble."
Lorraine Lassiter: "Moby you are a married man, I'm not giving you my nuimber. Your wife would kick my butt! And my husband would kick yours!"
=================================================================

Tiffany Ponder Brown: "This is crazy!! Anyone that would even thing about giving their number to anyone is stupid. Love ya Moby but you could be a Killer!" ===========================================================
Then, my nephew in Phoenix chimed in: "Hey Tiffany Ponder Brown...My Uncle Moby is the most level headed, giving, most loving, family oriented - wouldn't hurt a fly person you could ever get to know. He wouldn't hurt anyone and I'd bet every penny I'd make for the rest of my life on that. YEA BABY !!!!! JAMES ( TIGER )"
Linda Yawn Foskey: "Who Me??"
===========================================================

Cindi Tribur Brown "Ok Moby...I'll bite. What's the word? I like that word. Here's my number 404-XXX-XXXX. Since I've met you in person at the Cumming Coountry Fair and, I figure you aren't some maniac. But I figure you did this just to see how many would send you their number. lol.
=================================================================

Tammy Howell "Hi Moby not sure who you were talking to but I would love to get a call from you.. 757-XXX-XXXX.. Yeah Baby :)"
Rochelle sent you a message.
"Ok, so is FB how you typically troll for women's phone numbers?"
"706-XXX-XXXX my name is Paul"
Diane Burkhalter Conway: "I give up...who do you want to talk to?"
===========================================================

Then Linda Yawn Foskey broke the code: "He means JODIE PINION BARNES you goof balls. Go to his Wall page and you can see."

So, to those that kindly, and without suspicion sent their phone number, Thank you, but I probably won’t be calling today.
To those that were just confused by me asking, I’m sorry.
To those that thought I might be a stalker, or an axe murderer, you never know.
To those husbands that thought I might be hittin’ on their wives, As long as you make that woman know you love her, and make her feel like a queen, that could never be a factor, now could it.
So, trust me when I tell you, this wasn’t what I’d planned for today, but I felt like it just made sense to make it today’s Small Town Soap Box.

Hi Moby, I have a comment about yesterdays soap box about God's treasures behind bars. First of all, I am a loyal listener to your show. My radio is always on in the morning at home, my commute to work and in my office at work. You are such an inspiration to me and you make my day. I am not going to stop listening to you just because you read yesterday’s (Tuesday’s) soap box, but please listen to my story, as a victim of a crime. I am a 31 year old mother of 3. From the age of 6-12 I was sexually abused by a family member. Threatened to keep quiet, I was tormented with this pain everyday of my life for these 6 years.

Finally, this creature was caught, only to find out he was doing the same thing to 2 other of my cousins. Thankfully, he is now spending the next 25 years of his life in prison. Do I think he is a treasure of God?? HELL no!! Everyone in prison has either pleaded guilty to a crime they have committed or there has been enough evidence to convict them. I have lived with years of therapy, and constant terror over my life and my children that this will not happen again. Can people change? I'm sure they can, but just because you change that doesn't mean you still don't get the urges to do your bad habits.
People in prison are there for a reason and I don't think they should get second chances. I guess that’s why I'm not God. I just want to be a voice for not only myself but for everyone else who has been the victim of a crime, that maybe can't speak. People that murder, rape, or commit these types of crimes especially to helpless children should, in my opinion, ROT in prison, and they should not be given a second chance in life.

I'm sure you will probably disagree with some if not all of this letter, but I felt I needed to get this off of my chest. Thank you for listening. --

Sincerely,
MEGAN A.

I absolutely understand why you would feel the way you do.
There are many, I'd even say most, prisoners locked away exactly where they should be. Out of sight & out of mind.
Shame of it is, it's so hard to execute so many that richly deserve the supreme punishment society can deliver to them.
I do believe in rehabilitation, forgiveness, and 2nd chances, but some crimes, like what you were made victim of, are to heinous to ever expect to be forgiven for.
God bless you, and give you (and all victims of crime) peace and comfort.
My prayer is that God save, rehabilitate and salvage those that are salvageable, and rid of us those that are not.
Our tax dollars buy the food going down their heartless throats.
MOBY

Yesterday my husband Bob came home from work early. Our yard backs up to a small creek, and since torrential rains have dumped a foot of water in our neighborhood in the past few days, he wanted to get home to check on things. He noticed that water was puddling in the front yard of two of our neighbors, and went to check on them after he'd found nothing amiss at our home. One set of neighbors wasn't home, but the other neighbor was, and he was getting a little bit of water under a sliding glass door. The two men came back to our house to get the big shop vac and by the time they got back, the little trickle of water had become a stream. Bob went to another neighbor's house to borrow another shop vac and in the space of about three or four minutes returned to find that the water had risen to knee-high and our neighbor was trapped inside.

With both of them working on it, they finally got a door open. As the water rose rapidly, Larry and Bob dashed up the driveway to higher ground. If things floated close enough, they would snag what they could: a pair of golf sandals, a plastic case containing barbecue tools, a partial case of bottled water. Other things floated out of reach: the extra leaf from the kitchen table, a separated pair of golf shoes, a cushion off of a chair. The water looked like Yoo Hoo and churned around and through both houses, carrying with it whatever it could.

In our neighborhood, it didn't sweep away any people. In other areas around Atlanta, it did. This morning's news reports that six are dead and many more are missing.
Larry has a lot of friends, and many, like Bob, showed up to see what could be done. One donned some improvised waders made of two plastic garbage bags and a pair of LL Bean muck boots and waded back into his house to get his medications, which had been left behind in his haste to escape the rapidly rising water. One gave him a place to stay for as long as he needs it, another offered his car, since Larry's was in the shop and the rental car was submerged in the garage. A case of Miller Lite was found floating, and that was snagged for Larry, too - his beverage of choice was rescued, at least, which made him laugh out loud when he saw it. To be able to laugh at a time like this is so valuable, so whether the beer is drunk or not, it's rescue served a noble cause.

In the midst of this, the other pair of neighbors returned home and were shocked to see that the tidy house they left yesterday morning was filled with two and a half feet of. The friends and neighbors again started helping: the improvised waders were transferred to the wife and guys started going in to help the couple see what they could salvage, as well as get their needed items out of the house.
Community means a lot on a good day. On a really bad day, you discover what your community - your friends and neighbors - are made of. From what I witnessed yesterday afternoon, Bob and I are blessed with very caring friends. I wish the same for you, and hope your friendships aren't tested in such a drastic way.

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark .
ONE: Don't miss the boat.
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
SIX: Build your future on high ground.
SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.
TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

 Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark .
ONE: Don't miss the boat.
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
SIX: Build your future on high ground.
SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.
TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Dear Moby, I just want to share a little story with you. I made a mistake in my life and ended up in prison. Well, eventually I was able to go to work on a road crew outside the prison and every morning I made my boss and crew listen to your show and I want to thank you for all your kind Christian comments and soap boxes with out those sometimes I would have been lost, & without God I would have been lost. So, thank you.
People don’t know or understand how some prisoners or criminals do change their lives, and society don't always give them a 2nd chance. I am having a hard time finding work now. I just thank God that he works in there as well as out here. Thank you Moby for being a blessing to me and for sharing Christ’s love on the radio like you do.

"Treasures in Prison Cells"

It was late and I was tired, wanting to go to sleep, but God wanted to talk. It was about midnight, but it dawned on me
that God does not sleep. His question made me restless, "where on earth does man keep his most priceless treasures and valuables?"
I said, "Lord, usually treasures like gold, silver, diamonds, and precious jewels are kept locked up somewhere out of sight, usually with guards to keep them under lock and key.
"God spoke," Like these some of my most valuables treasures here on earth are also locked up." I saw Jesus standing in front of thousands of prisons. The Lord said, "These souls have the greatest potential to be used and to bring forth glory to my name. Tell my People that I am going forth this hour to the prisons to activate the gifts and callings that lie dormant in these lives. Tell my people that great treasures are behind these walls, in forgotten vessels. THEY MUST BE RESTORED!!!

I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS AND CAN USE IT. LIKE I SAID THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE IN PRISON THEY JUST MADE A MISTAKE AND SOCIETY NEEDS TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE WHEN THEY GET OUT.

JOSHUA A SHINGLETON

When is the spending going to stop? I recently found out about another incentive program that our president has introduced. I'm sure he had good intentions but I would like to share my 2 cents about this free spending of our money. The incentive that I'm referring to is the reimbursement plan for science teachers who have student loans. Mr Obama is paying back loans up to 17,500.00. Nothing against the teachers receiving this money, but if we have that extra money laying around perhaps it should go towards someone a little more needy. How about the farmers who are losing money every year. Especially the dairy farmers who are selling milk at lower prices than recorded in the 70's. I recently spoke with a local dairy farmer who barely made enough money to replant his corn. At this rate, our farms will no longer be in existence. Don't forget where our food comes from. The largest problem I have about repaying student loans, is the lack of monitoring where this money from the loans was spent. College students can qualify for student loans even when not being used for their education. Some students use these to go on spring break. I cannot see using American tax dollars to reimburse these trips. I for one made it through college while working two jobs to pay for my education, no loans. I am proud to say that I have worked for everything I have. As American citizens, I feel it is our responsibility to say stop the spending. This all falls back to "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what can you do for your country"

Ray Freeman Buckhannon
Upshur High School Agriculture Teacher/ FFA Advisor


Thank you, Ray. I hope you don't mind if this becomes one of my Soap Boxes. Good guys, support good guys. I support you, sir. Yeah baby, MOBY

I wouldn't mind at all if you use this as one of your Soap Boxes. Again, I'm not saying that our president is bad himself, just not agreeing with his policies at this moment.

Thanks for listening to my thoughts,
Yeah Baby. Ray Freeman

Dear Mr. Moby I am a 14 years old and I listen to your show everyday, when I am getting ready for school. I am a patriot just like you and I thank you for saluting our troops. Since I started listening to you, I have really started to appreciate the men and women in uniform. I have a cousin who is in the marines and I admire him for what he does. We don’t realize what our troops do for us when all we can do is fuss over what we want. I think it’s about time America stood up and think about what our troops do for us. Before I started listening to you I really didn’t think about our troops. Yet I as I grow, I learn to appreciate them more and more. I thank all American soldiers for what they do and maybe one day I will pick the uniform and do my duty too. Mr. Moby, thank you for everything. God Bless America --

Sincerely,
Allen Tanner
East Dublin
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Dear Allen, Just when I reach a point where I’m ready to shrug my shoulders, throw up my hands, and say I give up, along comes a proud and fine young patriot like you that speaks with the common patriotic sense of someone many years your senior.
Your email makes me realize that the duty of those that think like me is to hold on for reinforcements. They’re coming. They’re right-minded and they’re focused. They are the youth of this great nation depending on us to fight for the eternal flame of liberty that should be blazing in every American heart. Allen, they are you.
Tell your parents for me that your Uncle Moby thinks they’re doing a great job, but it’s you that will be handed the torch very soon, and it’s us that will watch in awe as you set the country on fire with liberty, independence, passion, and patriotism.
The aging and tired can not give up in the face of adversity, because the new generation deserves better, and are depending on us to stay the course.
My prayer is that there are multitudes of Allen Tanners prepared to stand strong when it comes their turn in the trenches to defend the sacred honor of being an American. I apologize to you, son, for ever thinking surrender could be an option. Thank you for the wake-up call. The old quote says, “Child becomes father to the man.”
God bless you and your family, fellow patriot. MOBY

This is a controversial Soap Box, but it comes from my patriotic heart. You wanted “Change”? You got it. How about this fact?
The national flag of Red China is going to fly across the street from the White House on 9/20. This is to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. The devil with ‘em. Can we ever forget Tiananmen Square, and that one brave soul in front of the Chinese tanks? The media will cover that in droves. Google it, it’s really happening in Washington D.C. You gotta admit, that’s change alright.
"On September 25th there will be a national prayer gathering of Muslims on the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building. They’re expecting at least 50,000. They will gather to pray from 4:00 AM until 7:00 PM. That’s change as well, is it not?
Both of these gatherings will garner more network news coverage than the 2 million patriotic Americans pledging their allegiance to our country got last week end. That gathering was overshadowed by Kanye West showing his butt on the MTV awards.
Here’s some change. Let’s gather Christians on either of these same national sites, and have the world’s largest old time prayer meetin’, and dinner on the grounds. Let’s have a national revival that would attract more people than the Muslims or the Chinese combined. Do you think the national media would even acknowledge the gathering of countless God-fearing, Flag waving, country loving American patriots? Certainly not!! My money says, we couldn’t even get the permit for such a gathering.
How unhip, how redneck. How insensitive. How…American!!
The news media has shown by their inattention last weekend, anything that promotes America or traditional American values doesn’t make good copy, and doesn’t warrant coverage. How can they ignore 2 million of us gathered in Washington to scream at the top of their lungs for our country back?
If you’re not frightened, you should be.
Maybe it’s just me.

Hello Sir, I was listening this morning. You were on the phone with either your little girl . The conversation was so honest and sincere when she answered your questions and said " I love you Daddy." Mr. Moby, I have listened to your stories, poems and writings from your heart. You are a true American and I feel that your heart is always there in your hand. I just wanted you to know that you can make blue skies out of storms and bring tears to those of us that love America. Sincerely, John Pewters aka yoyo That was my little Gracie.
I'm happy that our conversation touched you, YoYo.
Yeah baby, MOBY

My Precious Little Girl

Little Gracie you're the sunshine
the blue skies and the breeze,
You're my view of all tomorrow
you put my heart at ease.

When you say, I love you daddy
you give that morning start,
Little Gracie how I love you
you're always in my heart.


You make the birds sing pretty songs
you help with my endeavor,
Little Gracie how I love you
though you won't be young, forever.

God has given more to me
than a diamond or a pearl,
He's given Little Gracie
my precious Little Girl.

John Pewters aka yoyo

Dear Moby,
I wanted to say that after many years as a morning listener , I will no longer tune in on my morning commute to my elementary school where I have worked as a teacher for 20 years. You have made a dreadful mistake in assuming that your listeners fit into a nice neat package of predictible beliefs and attributes. Not all your listeners are white, middle class and have a NASCAR mentality- some just enjoy a laugh and some good country music.
Your comments concerning President Obama were unpatriotic and unpardonable. I teach children who have found hope and a reason to feel a part of the American dream due to this man. They are talking about going to college and having a career and yes, even being president.
Having a husband with three heart conditions and a daughter with a rare blood disorder, I know the terror of the pre- existing condition in regards to health insurance. Our savings has been depleted paying what my state insurance will not, and we live from day to day. Yes, my husband and I work- we both work two jobs to keep our heads above water. I still find a way to buy for my students at Christmas who would have nothing were it not for help from caring people. I trace shoes on paper and head to the store to buy for those who wear shoes we can no longer tape together.
I do this because Jesus said to do it. The majority of his teachings were instructing us to help those less fortunate and do our part. It is our moral responsibility. Try teaching children who are hungry, sick and dirty, needing antibiotics and a good meal - needing to be home in the arms of their mother who can't dare miss a day of work and have no health insurance- these are your listeners, Moby- these ARE your listeners. They are the poor who need a little help to have a fighting chance.
Calm down, your money is not going to be taken. You will be fine. You will simply not get the big breaks you did during the Bush years. The breaks will go to teachers and fire fighters and people like me, who just get by.
I think the phrase "you lie" applies best to President Bush, when he told us we were in immediate danger of the weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq. As we know, they didn't exist- and thousands of innocent people are dead.
So you see, your listeners are not all LIKE you- they just ENJOY you. The humor, the music, the wacky wake up song--- untill you crossed the line.
Take care, Karen



Dear Karen,
I've read your email. I do understand that you've chosen to leave my audience because of our philosophical differences on the current state of affairs in our nation.
Like you, Karen, I practice charity because Jesus would want me to and because I feel it's the right thing for me to do. It's my choice as a Christian and as a decent human being to conduct myself with love and a sense of charity.
Jesus wanted us to be charitable of our own individual free will. Those he opposed wanted to tax the subjects, to take earnings from the citizens and distribute what was rightfully property of those citizens in whichever way they deemed right with no voice of the citizenry involved in the decision. That's not charity. That's not Christianity. That's Socialism.
We're being told the government will force us to be charitable and enforce it by law. That's not independence. That's not liberty. That in no way reflects the goal of our founders.
Charity is not the role of government. Charity is the benefit of love, human kindness & Christian giving.
Socialism is in no way the goal of our founders. However, it does appear to be the goal of our current leaders.
Regarding Bush. We'll never know the horrors we've been spared since 9/11/2001 because of our dedicated, patriotic forces working beyond the glare of publicity,
and far away from the spotlight.
Our future depends on the governments ability to depend on a motivated and patriotic population, not on a population depending on care and benevolence from the government.
The role of government should be to remain out of our lives & wallets whenever possible.
As a Multiple Sclerosis patient, Karen, I certainly understand "pre-existing condition." You don't have a corner on that concern.
Certainly the insurance industry, and health care professionals need to operate for the general welfare of us all. But a government mandated restructuring of the entire health system is absolute lunacy. That's throwing the baby out with the bath water.
That is not the basis of freedom and independence. Is it safe to assume you don't teach history?
All our president, or our would be Emperor and his monarchy, has taught our children is that you don't have to have leadership qualities to be elected a leader. You've only got to be an eloquent speaker with a good PR department.
Karen, that's simply not true.
We disagree, and at least for now, as Americans, we have that right.
I truly hate to see you go from our radio family, Karen. I would hope you reconsider that choice.
I hate it even more for you, to be blinded by a government that, if left unchecked and unchallenged, will be our provider, our babysitter, and as such be our keepers, and rulers.
I'm terrified for our children's future, and I'll not change my opinion simply because it differs from yours.
You take care, and God bless you through all the challenges you good people are having to withstand.
MOBY

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away.
I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress; lawn mower in his hand, and dish-towel in hers. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away ... never to return. So .... While we have it .... it's best we love it ... And care for it .... And fix it when it's broken ... And heal it when it's sick.

This is true: For marriage .... Old cars ... Children with bad report cards ... Dogs and cats with bad hips ... Aging parents ... And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it .... because we are worth it!
Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special ... so, we keep them close!

You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.
I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'
I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.
I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'
I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.
I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.
I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan .
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.
Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.
I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do.. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would you have
reached for Me?
Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you . But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'
I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.
God

When I was a little boy, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad.. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did
was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember
watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned biscuits."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides – a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"
You know, life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook. What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.
And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God.
Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker! We could extend this to any relationship in fact - as understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in
your own."

"$5.37." That's what the kid behind the counter at Taco Bueno said
to me. I dug into my pocket and pulled out some lint and two dimes and something that used to be a Jolly Rancher.
Having already handed the kid a five-spot, I started to head back out to the truck to grab some change when the kid with the Emo hairdo said the harshest thing anyone has ever said to me. He said, "It's OK. I'll just give you the senior citizen discount."
I turned to see who he was talking to and then heard the sound of
change hitting the counter in front of me. "Only $4.68," he said
cheerfully. I stood there stupefied. I am 48, not even 50, yet a mere child! Senior citizen?
I took my burrito and walked out to the truck wondering what was
wrong with Emo. Was he blind? As I sat in the truck, my blood began to boil. Old? Me?
I'll show him, I thought. I opened the door and headed back inside.
I strode to the counter, and there he was waiting with a mile. Before I could say a word, he held up something and jingled it in front of me, like I could be that easily distracted! What am I now? A toddler?
"Dude! Can't get too far without your car keys, eh?"
I stared with utter disdain at the keys. I began to rationalize in my
mind. 'Leaving keys behind hardly makes a man elderly! It could
happen to anyone'!
I turned and headed back to the truck. I slipped the key into the
ignition, but it wouldn't turn. What now? I checked my keys and
tried another. Still nothing. That's when I noticed the purple beads
hanging from my rearview mirror. I had no purple beads hanging
from my rearview mirror.
Then, a few other objects came into focus. The car seat in the back seat. Happy Meal toys spread all over the floorboard. A partially eaten doughnut on the dashboard.
Faster than you can say 'ginkgo biloba,' I flew out of the alien vehicle. Moments later I was speeding out of the parking lot, relieved to finally be leaving this nightmarish stop in my life.
That is when I felt it, deep in the bowels of my stomach: hunger!
My stomach growled and churned, and I reached to grab my burrito, only it was nowhere to be found.
I swung the truck around, gathered my courage, and strode back
into the restaurant one final time. There Emo stood, draped in youth
and black nail polish. All I could think was, 'What is the world coming to'? All I could say was, "Did I leave my food and drink in here?"
At this point I was ready to ask a Boy Scout to help me back to my
vehicle, and then go straight home and apply for Social Security
benefits.
Emo had no clue. I walked back out to the truck, and suddenly a
young lad came up and tugged on my jeans to get my attention. He was holding up a drink and a bag. His mother explained, "I think you left this in my truck by mistake." I took the food and drink from the little boy and sheepishly apologized.
She offered these kind words: "It's OK. My grandfather does stuff
like this all the time."
All of this is to explain how I got a ticket doing 85 in a 40 zone. Yes, I was racing some punk kid in a Toyota Prius. And no, I told the officer, I'm not too old to be driving this fast.
As I walked in the front door, my wife met me halfway down the hall.
I handed her a bag of cold food and a $300 speeding ticket. I promptly sat in my rocking chair and covered up my legs with a blanket.
The good news was I had successfully found my way home.

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.
"Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."
"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."
The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"
"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.
The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.
Slowly another little ball of fur appeared this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up...
"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."
With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers.
In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.
Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.” The farmer reached down and picked up the little pup.
Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.
"How much?" asked the little boy. "No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love.”
The world is full of people who just need someone who understands.

The words have true meaning...not funny but ohhh so true.
Lynn Shelnutt

Beauty tips for all of us: “For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others..."

Audrey Hepburn

A child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible.
Through the eyes of a child: The Children's Bible in a Nutshell
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.
Then God made the world..
He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.....Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.
Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.
One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.
After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.
Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.
God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor’s stuff.
Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.
One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.
After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.
After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore.
There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.
After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.')
During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had twelve opossums.
The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.
Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on a Mount.
But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.
Anyway, Jesus died for our sins, and then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

Here are a few that I believe all Americans want.

• Limit Congress from serving more than two terms. That is all that presidents are allowed.
• Stop Congress from voting for their own raises. How did that ever get started?
• Stop paying for lawmakers' high-priced insurance premiums. After all, they are only part-time employees. They might pass some law changes on the insurance companies, if they had to find one.
• Stop paying lawmakers their full salary after serving just one term, or at retirement. We need to get rid of that pension plan; they've let other companies get rid of theirs. You were lucky to get 40 to 50 percent of your salary after working somewhere for 35 years, but they get 100 percent.
• Make Congress pay into the Social Security system. They make laws for it. If they spent some of their own money, they might be interested in making it solvent.
• Stop handing out aid to illegal aliens. If we did, then Medicaid and the food stamp program would have enough money to aid the aged and the poor.
• Secure our borders.
• Stop allowing babies born to illegal aliens in the United States automatic U.S. citizenship.
• Stop the abuse of our benevolent welfare system. We feed children free meals three times a day until they are 17. Churches give away good, clean clothes. Companies buy and donate school supplies. Emergency rooms provide health care at taxpayer expense and the food stamp program is buying food at home. What are parents doing for their children?
• Have a computer program that cross checks Social Security numbers with fingerprints to stop fraud on many fronts. Use it on voter registration, too.
• Stop bailing out mortgage companies and banks that give loans to people who cannot afford them.
• Stop companies from paying CEOs and other executives outrageous salaries and bonuses while doing away with workers' pensions.
• Stop all unnecessary spending so we will have the money for our nation's security, and to help needy  and elderly Americans.
• Stop permitting anyone to have a photo with their face covered on driver's licenses. Whoever wins the presidency will not be able to make these changes. Only members of Congress can do this, as they are the lawmakers. I don't believe Congress is interested in changing anything, do you?

Moby

I listened to your radio show on the way to school in the mornings in Braxton. Now I’m just a small town guy and will be to the day I die. After school I enlisted in the army and was stationed at Schofield Barracks Hi About a year after being there I was deployed to Iraq where I currently am a couple months in to my deployment. I always liked your small town soap box and when I heard that people back home were protesting the war to some of my family I shuddered and one of my buddies here found this poem I'm hoping you would put on the radio for some of them to hear.
It sure would mean a lot to my mother. I know she loves your radio show as well. If it only changes one person’s point of view, it would make me feel better

THE POEM

FOR ALL THE FREE PEOPLE THAT STILL PROTEST, YOU’RE WELCOME, WE PROTECT YOU AND YOU ARE PROTECTED BY THE BEST.
YOUR VOICE IS STRONG AND LOUD, BUT WHO WILL FIGHT FOR YOU?
NO ONE STANDING IN YOUR CROWD.

WE ARE YOUR FATHERS, BROTHERS, AND SONS, WEARING THE BOOTS AND CARRYING THE GUNS.
WE ARE THE ONES THAT LEAVE ALL WE OWN,
TO MAKE SURE YOUR FUTURE IS CARVED IN STONE.

WE ARE THE ONES WHO FIGHT AND DIE.
WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE THE WORLD, WELL AT LEAST WE TRY, WE WALKED THE PATHS TO WHERE WE ARE AT AND WE WANT NO CHOICE OTHER THAN THAT

SO WHEN YOU RALLY YOUR GROUP TO COMPLAIN, TAKE A LOOK IN THE BACK OF YOUR BRAIN.
IN ORDER FOR THAT FLAG YOU LOVE TO FLY,
WARS MUST BE FOUGHT AND YOUNG MEN MUST DIE.

WE CAME HERE TO FIGHT FOR THE ONES WE HOLD DEAR, IF THAT’S NOT RESPECTED, WE WOULD RATHER STAY HERE.
SO PLEASE STOP YELLING AND PUT DOWN YOUR SIGNS, AND PRAY FOR THOSE BEHIND ENEMY LINES.

WHEN THE CONFLICT IS OVER AND ALL IS WELL, BE THANKFUL THAT WE CHOSE TO GO THROUGH HELL.


keep me in your thoughts and prayers
SPC Hacker Anthony
57th Military Police Company

My name is Steve and about 3 months ago I was flipping through the stations and for the first time I heard the name Moby. I started listening to you and my first thought after a few days was "How is this gentlemen coming across to his fans?" My first thought was that you were being real smart to them, but then after listening to you for about another month I said that this just must be your personality, because your fans love you. I've also noticed that the ones who do love you, really love you, and that the ones who don't, really don't. I think the one thing that kept me listening is your "Small Town Soapbox". …….
It’s one’s & nine’s, Steve, and that’s just the way it’s always been.
What you hear is me, and I do hope you’re touched by it in some way and entertained by it in others.
I’ll not waste even one day trying to do a show based on my opinion of what I think other folks would want my show to sound like. What you’ll consistently hear is simply a man attempting to be part of a radio family’s morning.
Some days it seems like some folks listen just to get mad. If that’s what makes them happy, then so be it.
If they could feel the love in my heart, the patriotism in my soul, of the compassion in my spirit, they might just find we have much more in common than they assume to be true.
God protect our soldiers, and give comfort to their families while they are away defending freedom, and protecting the Constitution given to us from the passions and commitment of our founding fathers.
God bless all those who’ve chosen a career with a badge and gun that protect us from the bad guys in our homes, and on our streets.
I try my best to live my life by the Golden Rule.
My prayer is that those that really don’t like me, might at least realize that part is true.
I teach my daughter that we are reflections of those around us, and that to receive kindness, we have to project kindness. To be loved, we must love.
I thank you for listening. I’m grateful for what ever brought you to us in the first place.
My prayer is you find a daily friend here in our radio family, and you’ll not only return most if not all days, but you’ll, from time to time, bring some one with you, understanding that they’ll not thank you, but sometimes they will.
I’ll never do this show in a way I feel will please everyone, but I promise to consistently do it with honesty, honor, integrity, Christianity, patriotism and sincerity.
If those that really don’t like me still listen from time to time just to get their dander up, then I’m OK with that.
Bless their hearts.
And that’s this morning’s Small Town Soap Box

I thought about it. I really did, but I don’t need to interview this fella, even though this might be an OK book he’s written. It’s made unnecessary by implementing some good ol’ common sense. What he would have brought to us really is good information for parents, so listen for just a minute. OK?
Title: Back to School – Back to Bed
According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 25% of students fall asleep in class, 22% fall asleep doing homework. What’s a parent do?
Parents should set a good example and enforce a consistent bedtime routine. Sleep expert, Pete Bils, can provide listeners with several simple tips parents can use to maintain a family bedtime routine.
What’s a parent do? Just BE a parent!!!
How about the old nursery rhyme:

There was an old woman
Who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children
She knew not what to do.
So she gave them some broth
Without any bread,
And whipped them all soundly,
And sent them to bed.

You don’t need to read this gentleman’s book, but it might take the place of a belt in certain situations. Try sayin’ something like this: I’m the boss in this home, & it’s bedtime. I don’t want any lip about it. Now good night. Period. Your option, is to play ball with me tonight, or play hurt tomorrow. Understand me?!?
Don’t try to be their “buddy” or their “best friend”, be an authority figure. Exercise the discipline a parent should consistently excerise, and mean it when you say it.
In the short term, they won’t like it very much at all. So what? They’ll absolutely respect you, and comply if you enforce your God-given authority. In the long term, they’ll benefit from having had a real parent in the old school definition of the word. That’s much more important than being their friend. Be fair & consistent with these miracles, but be their respected commander. You’re the boss!! BE the boss. They’ll never learn the most important lessons of life from their buddy. They’ll only learn them from their mama & daddy. Morals, ethics, principals, integrity are the important building blocks they’ll only get from a parent figure they respect and obey. Your job is to make them absorb those cornerstones of adulthood from you, their parent.
If you disagree, then you might want to go buy this guy’s book, because I’m pretty sure that it’s more touchy feely than what your mom and dad did to you.
That’s this morning’s Small Town Soap Box.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then to everyone's amazement he quieted down.
A few shovel loads later the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back the donkey was doing something amazing.
He would shake it off and take a step up.
As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.
Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Enough of that crap. The donkey later came back, and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him.
MORAL FROM TODAY"S LESSON:
When you do something wrong and try to cover your a... Butt, it will always come back to bite you.

After being interviewed by the school administation, the prospective teacher said: 'Let me see if I've got this right. 'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.

'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.
'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.

'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.

'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and reportcard.

'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bullentin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies for food stamps.

'You want me to do all this and then you tell me... I CAN'T PRAY?

Moby,
I listened to your small town soap box last week about Michael Vick, and I disagree with your reply. I know he paid the time given by law for this, but I have absolutely no respect for this man. I firmly believe that a person’s core personality does not change. You may control it and dress it up to be socially acceptable, but the part of you that can enjoy torturing or killing any living being for pleasure has to be pretty warped. I just don’t think you can change your soul and remove the part that enjoyed having such control and ability to cause pain. This wasn’t something Michael Vick did once or even twice in a fit of anger. This was something he obviously enjoyed to keep repeating it.
If it were people that he had treated the way he did those dogs, he would have received the death penalty or life in prison at the least. I know they were dogs and not human, but I can’t help but think of hearing how many serial killers practice on animals until they actually get brave enough to try it on a human. You can forgive him if you want, but how would you like to be somewhere alone with this man with no protection and make him really angry? Or maybe if he had some of his buddies around to impress that might enjoy the show?
I turned the station after I heard your response the other morning and don’t plan to listen in the future. Thank you for allowing me to express my opinion before I go.
Thank you,
Mary Ann Black

Dear Mary Ann,
I'm a bit taken aback by your decision to stop listening to me because of a different opinion.
I can't think you were a very dedicated "radio cousin" to begin with.
I'm not a Michael Vick fan, but I do have faith in our justice system, and I wouldn't align myself with those like yourself that would deny him a future in his line of work, because of his horrid mistake he was made to pay for.
Should you reconsider, and ultimately decide to return to our radio gathering, you'll be welcome here.
If you remain committed to your decision to depart our daily companionship, you'll leave with our best wishes, and our prayer that you find forgiveness in your heart for all that fall short of your lofty expectations. God bless you and yours. Yeah baby, MOBY

Dear Mr. Moby and Ron,
I hear friendly voices in the morning saying that Michael Vick has paid his dues. He should be allowed to go forward. Well according to the legal system, I guess that is true.
However, if I ever have an opportunity to see Michael Vick play, I will boo him until I can breathe no more.
Michael Vick didn't make a mistake. He didn't "make a bad choice.” Over a period of five years he forced dogs into deadly fights, and he personally killed, or conspired to kill, thirteen dogs. He didn't pick a quick, painless method of killing, but instead chose a variety of means that qualify as torture. Pit Bulls are powerful dogs. Imagine how hard you would have to work to kill a Pit Bull by forcibly drowning him.
What got Vick into the most trouble was his lying. Vick denied and denied. But prosecutors said Vick, after taking a polygraph test in October, admitted to a more active role. Vick said he carried a dog to a tree, tied a rope around its neck, and dropped the dog.
He abused dogs to make them vicious. He starved animals to make them meaner. He put them into a ring with another dog, and made them fight to the death. The dog fight was a match to the death that usually ended with one dog ripping out the throat, literally, of the other. Michael Vick was instrumental in facilitating, putting together, organizing and funding this cruel and inhumane warfare.
If they did not perform to his satisfaction he would kill them. He killed thirteen dogs by various methods including wetting one dog down and electrocuting her, hanging, drowning and shooting others and, in at least one case, by slamming a dog’s body to the ground.
Twice Vick put family pets into the fighting ring with pit bulls because he “thought it was funny to watch the pit bulls. . . injure or kill the other dogs.” Mr. Moby, do you have a pet dog in your house. Can you imagine the animal that looks to you for its life being mauled by a vicious Pit Bull? Michael Vick would have laughed as your dog was in absolute fear and pain as it was mauled and killed by a wild dog owned by a wild man.
After he was arrested, 47 dogs that were taken from his property.
He admitted to “making mistakes” and “immature acts.” But deliberately and repeatedly planning dog fights and repeated premeditated violent killings of dogs are not “mistakes.” They are not the acts of someone who’s merely immature. They are the acts of a sociopath and a predator.
Here’s a little picture. Hope it makes your day. (picture is not included here)
You may think he has paid for his mistakes, but I say never.
God bless America
Pray for our troops
Tim

Dear Tim,
I sincerely think you should "rethink your position."
Other than your lack of forgiveness, I don't dispute a word you've written.
What he did was indescribably atrocious.
He was suspected, investigated, arrested, tried, convicted, sentenced, incarcerated, and then released with the record and shame of a convicted felon.
That's precisely how it's supposed to work.
Many people have made terrible mistakes in their lives, and have been treated in this same way. As law abiding citizens, our obligation is to allow the perpetrator to move on.
When it's over, it's over.
While I don't advocate "getting over it", I do advocate rehabilitation..
I wish him luck.
MOBY

 

Moby,
I want to be honest with you. I have taken your station off of my preset channels since you started. I used to never miss a morning show. I am not entertained anymore. I am listening to the station after you show but not in the mornings. Let me tell you what turned me off and tuned me out. You are just like those right wing extremists who insist on insulting and undermining our government. I am all for opposition...heck that's what democracy is You are not doing our country any justice by constantly tearing down our leader. I didn't vote for Obama (though I did vote) but he has the job now.You are selling hate and malcontent to your listeners (few though they may be). That is not how I want to start my day and it certainly isn’t going to reunite the citizens of our great nation. If I ever do feel the need to listen to the aimless ramblings of an angry madman I will listen to Limbaugh. I believe that one day your station will find their senses and return to their roots. I'm sure this letter will never make the airwaves because if you can't make someone sound stupid you don't want them taking part in your show.

Dear XXXX,
Are you not at all worried about our future proceeding down the path we're currently on? How can you truly not be?
I'm grateful to you for taking the time to write, but we disagree on many things it would appear.
Take careful note however that I, unlike you, stopped well short of name-calling and insults.
I'm a terrified, patriotic, flag waving American that's worried about the future. It would seem that there are many such as yourself that do not share my concern. That doesn't lessen my concern. As a matter of fact, it compounds it.
I'm grateful to you for the hours you do chose to spend listening to this station. .
Perhaps in the not too distant future, we can find an area of common ground, and move forward from there. Nothing's impossible.
MOBY

Moby,
Don't get me wrong. I am concerned about our country and I am sure that our individual stances on the issues are not that far apart. I just don't want to hear "Right Wing Talk Radio" on my country station. It isn't the proper venue. If you would like to win me and my friends back I issue this challenge. Script a show which has no political rhetoric at all. Instead of a "Small town Soap Box" you could do a "Small Town Hero" spotlighting someone who has done something extraordinary and is likely not to be noticed (or something of that nature). Just do a show that is for everyone and not just for those who share your personal beliefs. If you do that (and tell me when it will be) I promise I will listen and I'm sure I will enjoy.

I really don't think I can do that, because I so strongly believe the below quote to be true:
"Patriotism means to stand by your country. It does not mean to stand by your President" Theodore Roosevelt
I honestly believe TR would say "bully" and encourage me to continue the "good fight."
Your challenge encourages me to stand down from a battle for our future. It's not in me to do that.
There are many times in everyday's shows when my content is not at all political in nature.
I'd like to think mine is not a "Right Wing Talk Radio" show, but a fairly well-rounded show espousing three basic elements of our nation. "Fear of God, Love of Country, & Respect for Authority." When I feel our nation, or any of those three cornerstones are threatened as it is during this "Tyranny of the Majority" we're currently enduring, it's not my nature to idly stand aside, and not frequently let my voice be heard in what I feel is an echo of the passion of our founding fathers.
I am grateful that I felt a bit more warmth in your 2nd email, but I'm thinking that's about to subside. I would hope that you could find some things to enjoy about my show, and let's talk about the areas where we disagree.
God bless & Yeah baby, MOBY

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out the window and asked the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?"
Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo. The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg , Germany . Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response. Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer, turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."
"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Bud.
He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on with amusement as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.
Then the Bud says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"
The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"
"You're a United States Congressman,.” says Bud.
"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"
"No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about how working people make a living - or about cows, for that matter. This is a herd of sheep. ...
Now give me back my dog.

In the year 2010, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in the United States, and said: "Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me. Build another Ark and save 2 of every living thing along with a few good humans." He gave Noah the blueprints, saying: "You have 6 months to build the Ark before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights."

Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard - but no Ark. "Noah!," He roared, "I'm about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?" "Forgive me, Lord," begged Noah, "but things have changed.

I needed a building permit. I've been arguing with the inspector about the need for a sprinkler system. My neighbors claim that I've violated the neighborhood zoning laws by building the Ark in my yard and exceeding the height limitations. We had to go to the Development Appeal Board for a decision.
Then the Department of Transportation demanded a bond be posted for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark's move to the sea. I told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it.
Getting the wood was another problem. There's a ban on cutting local trees in order to save the spotted owl. I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls - but no go!

When I started gathering the animals, an animal rights group sued me. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will. They argued the accommodations were too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in
a confined space.

Then the EPA ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.

I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many minorities I'm supposed to hire for my building crew.
Immigration and Naturalization are checking the green-card status of most of the people who want to work.

The trades unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I have to hire only Union workers with Ark-building experience.

To make matters worse, the IRS seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species.

So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this Ark."
Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky. Noah looked up in wonder and asked, "You mean you're not going to destroy the world?"  "No," said the Lord.
"The GOVERNMENT beat me to it."

It is difficult for me to admit that my liberal friends were right.

They told me if I voted for McCain, the nation's Hope would deteriorate, and sure enough there has been a 20 point drop in the Consumer Confidence Index since the election, reaching a lower point than any time during the Bush administration. They told me if I voted for McCain, the US would become more deeply embroiled in the Middle East, and sure enough, tens of thousands of additional troops are scheduled to be deployed into Afghanistan . They told me if I voted for McCain, that the economy would get worse, and sure enough unemployment is approaching 9.5% and the new stimulus packages recently sent the stock market lower than at any time since 9-11. They told me if I voted for McCain, we would see more "crooks" in high ranking positions in Federal government and sure enough, several recent cabinet nominees and Senate appointments revealed resumes of scandal, bribery and tax fraud. They told me if I voted for McCain, we would see more "Pork at the trough" in Federal government and sure enough, 17,500 "Pork Bills" showed up in Congress in just three weeks. They told me if I voted for McCain, we would see more deficit spending in D.C. and sure enough, Obama spent more in just 30 days than all other Presidents together in the history of the good 'ole USA. A 3.8 trillion dollar budget, with a 900 million dollar per day interest on this current debt. Well I ignored my liberal friends in November and voted for McCain.

… And they were right. I voted for John McCain, and all their predictions have come true.

Today’s Soap Box from Radio Cousin Ginger Crabb:

I just wanted to let you know how much the Small Town Soap Box meant to me on Aug, 12. It pricked my heart in compassion for those with disabilities and anger for those who are in charge of our nation. In response to those feelings, I wrote the following:
Today, our country stands with toes perched on the ledge of disaster. We are being fed information that rings much like those speeches of the early communists in 20th century Europe. I find that not only do I want to leave what was once the "Greatest Nation in the World" but I am ashamed to call her my own.
Someone should blindfold "Lady Liberty" so that she cannot see the atrocities perpetrated upon her people by their "elected" (whatever) officials. Someone should cover her ears so that she cannot hear the lies being dumped on her people like manure being spread on a field. The only fruit that this will bear is pain and heartache for hundreds of thousands, if not millions.
The American Patriots who live here, work here and try to maintain a pleasant experience here are only going to take so much. Wake up Washington DC!!!!!!!!!!! We are AMERICANS. Have you forgotten that??? We are the ones who fought the British........and won--against the odds!!!!! We are the ones who have the young men and women who are WILLING to fight and die for their country. Perhaps you should listen to the country song, "Have you forgotten" by Darryl Worley. Maybe you should hear "Red, White and Blue" by Toby Keith. His lyrics state, “we'll put a boot in your ass, because IT'S THE AMERICAN WAY!”
I am not the only GOD-FEARING-GUN-TOTING-AMERICAN-MADE-FLAG-WAVING-SINGER-OF-THE-STAR-SPANGLED-BANNER type person out here. We put all of you in there. We will NOT re-elect you either. We'll clean the whole house from top to bottom. My momma used to say, "When the trash stinks, TAKE IT OUT"!!!!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps we should send this to Nancy Pelosi, Arlan Specter and the Obamination!!

The reason why most members of congress who want the government to take over health care haven’t bothered to read the bills is that they know it doesn’t really matter. Their goal is to have the federal government control every aspect of health care in America. Once the government is given that extra-constitutional power, then they can do whatever they want. Troubling things that the bills include, and troubling things that aren’t even mentioned, are immaterial because with total control goes the ability to set the rules and change the rules at will.

Are death panels a concoction of those who are against government controlled health care, or are they a necessary result of the proposed legislation? One thing is for sure. They are scary, and they really should scare the hell out of you. If the government controls health care, then it must decide two basic things. What is health care, and who gets it. Bureaucrats will be hired in droves to staff panels who will decide these things. Your doctor won’t decide what’s best for you. In fact, the need for doctors will diminish because HCP’s, minimally qualified health care practitioners, will enter your symptoms on a government website and the diagnosis and treatment, if approved, will be printed out. The HCP will face heavy fines or loss of his license if he tries to deviate from the plan for your sake. Pharmacies will not be allowed to fill any HCP’s prescriptions for you without the government’s stamp of approval. Right now, in Britain, you’re not allowed to spend your own money to bypass the government health care bureaucracy. You have to leave the country to do that. If America becomes like Britain, where will you go?

Government resources are finite. Therefore, health care rationing will take place immediately if the government is allowed to take over. That is absolutely certain. Death panel bureaucrats will consult charts and graphs to ration your health care. They will follow guidelines developed by dispassionate statisticians. They will allocate resources to younger, potentially more productive people. Older people, or anyone with any kind of physical or mental limitation, will be denied resources. You see, there is no love in this system, and no regard for the intrinsic value of human life. There is only cost/benefit analysis. It will always be cheaper for you to die. That should be repeated. It will always be cheaper for you to die, no matter what your age. What is the cost of a pain pill and a “Have a nice death” pamphlet compared to treating you?

I have a wonderful daughter with Down Syndrome. She is able to work and take care of herself, but her main purpose in life seems to be to bring joy to everyone around her. She won’t fit into the new system. There will be government mandated tests during pregnancy and children like her will no longer be allowed to be born. Abortion will not only be funded by the government, it will be required. Death panels will be there at the beginning and the end of your life, and everywhere in between. They may not be mentioned in the bills before congress, but they are there if you read between the lines. Ultimately, death panels will deny care to anyone who opposes them. Never before in the history of this country have so many lives hung in the balance.

There are people out there who will send this subversive and soon to be illegal document to the White House so that the author can be properly dealt with, so this author has chosen to remain anonymous because the content of this document is self-evident. I hope you remember your world history well enough to now be reminded of other times and places where citizens have been asked by the government to report people who oppose their policies.

The murder of Carl Lackl in Baltimore has shocked the criminal justice system and renewed the debate over whether law enforcement should have the power to jam illegal cell phone transmissions. Carl Lackl was scheduled to be a witness in a murder trial in Maryland against Patrick Byers. Byers was being held in Maryland’s version of a Super Max prison yet was able to obtain an illegal cell phone. From his prison cell, Byers orchestrated the murder of Lackl. Even more shocking is that after this happened while Byers was awaiting trial for Lackl’s murder he obtained yet another illegal cell phone. As a result of this, prison officials and law enforcement across the nation have been pushing the FCC to allow them the authority to use cell phone jamming equipment in prisons. Believe it or not, there are those among us against the idea.
Gary and Margaret Shipley, Lackl’s parents have become advocates for the idea of cell phone jamming in prisons. They will be in Nashville August 11th at the American Corrections Association trade show with Howard Melamed, President and CEO of CellAntenna Corporation who is also advocating the need for cell phone jamming. Would you be interested in interviewing the Shipleys on this horrible tragedy and why they are advocating cell phone jamming for law enforcement? David E. Johnson
Not really. Because I can’t imagine any one of sound mind and body thinking it should be within a prisoner’s rights to have access to an unjammed cell phone, or any luxury item such as a cell phone for that matter.
Prison, by definition, is a separation from life as you’ve known it in the free world. In prison those behind bars are allowed only the freedom granted by those holding the key, and any other right they feel they deserve might just be the sense of entitlement that got them there to begin with. To disagree with that, is simple lunacy. But the good Lord knows it has appeared that the lunatics have been running the asylum for quite some time now.
If you’re listening to this broadcast in jail, you’re lucky to have a radio, and it makes no sense for you to have any access to any cell phone whatsoever.
If you don’t agree with that, I think you’re wrong, and part of a much larger problem.
We’ve lost sight of right & wrong, of good and evil, of dark & light, and of the rights of our citizens vs. the forfeiture of those rights.

One day, when a seamstress was sewing while sitting close to a river, her thimble fell into the river. When she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "My dear child, why are you crying?" The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and that she needed it to help her husband in making a living for their family.The Lord dipped His hand into the water and pulled up a golden thimble set with sapphires.
"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.The seamstress replied, "No."
The Lord again dipped into the river. He held out a golden thimble studded with rubies.
"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked. Again, the seamstress replied, "No."
The Lord reached down again and came up with a leather thimble.

"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked. The seamstress replied, "Yes." The Lord was pleased with the woman's honesty and gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home happy.
Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband along the riverbank, and her husband fell into the river and disappeared under the water. When she cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked her, "Why are you crying?'' "Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into the river!"
The Lord went down into the water and came up with George Clooney. "Is this your husband? The Lord asked.

"Yes," cried the seamstress.The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!" The seamstress replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said "no" to George Clooney, you would have come up with Brad Pitt.

Then if I said "no" to him, you would have come up with my husband. Had I then said "yes," you would have given me all three. Lord, I'm not in the best of health and would not be able to take care of all three husbands, so THAT'S why I said "yes" to George Clooney. And so the Lord let her keep him.
The moral of this story is:
Whenever a woman lies, it's for a good and honorable reason, and in the best interest of others. That's our story, and we're sticking to it. Signed, All Us Women

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

Laughter is like jogging on the inside. Exercise your 'innards' every day.

Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer.
Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos.. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.
When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.
Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers... He kneeled down and said 'hi.'
The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.
The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.
When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second... Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it..
After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.
As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek. We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.

This is a classic really, and I’m sure that in years past, it has been a Soap Box before, but I was sent it again, and it touched me once more.


The soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?

The soldier squared his shoulders and
Said, "No Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears,

I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here,
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord
It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God,

"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well,'
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell."

To all that serve

Moby,
Since I visited your studio a few months ago, I have become a fan of your morning show. I listen to you each morning on my way to work. I really enjoy your Small Town Soap Box stories...there are many times I shed a tear or two. This seems like an incredible story and I wanted to share it with you.
Thanks for being you! And for banking with Fidelity Bank! We love Mary Beth and Gracie too!
Patty Voelz Fidelity Bank
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by..
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love. Love, God

To Listen And Download Audio, Click Here

Dear moby,
I don't really know where to start. I have a nephew in iraq for his second time and my 20 yr old brother is leaving on saturday for ft.normany iraq. I support them 110%. Nathan is a member of the styker unit based in ft lewis washington. He has a mother, a 3 yr old son, & 2 sisters that are going insane missing him and wanting him home. but we know he has a job to do. I remember rocking him to sleep, feeding him dinner, and making sure he don't play in the road. there i was
protecting him. See, i was 14 when nathan was born so we looked after him while mom worked and took care of us all. we were used to protecting him well now it is 20 years later and he is the one now going to protect me.funny how things come back around. he listens to you via web cast every morning
after pt. could you please say a pray for him and play the colt ford song.... ride through the country? ..that sums him up he’s in a big city now but just a country boy at heart. and let him know we will be here praying for him and all the others over there to return home safe to us.
thank you mr. moby and for your support of our troops and remember the famlies who have loved ones over there it's just as hard on them..

Michelle Brock--Cleveland in honor of specialist Nathan Anderson Cleveland Ga

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work; they pay me. I pay my taxes, and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. So here is my question: Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their rump-doing drugs, while I work. Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? I guess we could title that program, 'Urine or You're Out'. Something has to change in this country - and soon!!!!

All the best!
An American Tax Payer

How does one say "Thank You" for such an incredible debt owed? I'm talking about the women that stand guard at home, support us, encourage us and reinforce that fighting spirit that sustains us. Our wives, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, volunteers and so many other wonderful and strong women that I can't even begin to name. Not just our team but each and every soldier, marine, sailor or airman that deploys to Afghanistan or Iraq, for that matter any conflict. A huge burden is being carried by those that fight but do not go to combat.
Thank you, for being the ones that deal with the mess once we leave. We're trained well to fight. But there is no Field Manual that describes how to explain to a young child that their father isn't going to be home for a long time or in the worst case may never come home. You do it with such grace and poise.
Thank you, for being patient and waiting. Enduring the pain of waiting to hear from us wondering if the worst has occurred when we're late calling or emailing and enduring our complete lack of understanding at your frustration and fear when we are late. "We came back late from patrol"; just doesn't validate that fear. Your patience is epic.
Thank you, for being the ones that hold us fast to reality and help put us back together when we return. You hold us tight and tell us things will be Ok when the rockets and gunfire have gone but the war has not left us. Your strength is what protects the warrior.
Thank you, for accomplishing all the things that we fail to acknowledge. Fixing broken sprinklers, taking kids to school, paying bills and the myriad of other things that are required to sustain life at home. You do so much and get so little from us many times.
Thank you for being the volunteer that says, "Welcome Home" in the middle of the night ensuring that no one comes home to silence and being there when we leave to say "Come Home Safe". You inspire us with your selfless service.
Finally, thank you for serving in a war you did not volunteer for and keeping us strong, sane and secure. We and the rest of the country owe you a huge debt that can never be repaid, the best we can hope for is to understand your journey, listen and learn from you.
From the bottom of our hearts, Team VAMPIRE and every other serving member says "THANK YOU"!
And to my wife and mother; I could not have done all of this without you. You are the truest warriors I know, pure of heart, strong in determination and unwavering in faith. I have a lot to learn from your examples!

Here is an example of why hiring illegal aliens is not economically productive for the State of California.... or for any other state, as far as that goes!

Joe Legal vs. Joe Illegal
You have 2 families... "Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal". Both families have 2 parents, 2 children and live in California.
"Joe Legal" works in construction, has a Social Security Number, and makes $25.00 per hour with payroll taxes deducted.
"Jose Illegal" also works in construction, has "NO" Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".
Joe Legal...$25.00 per hour x 40 hours $1000.00 per week makes $52,00020per year. Now take 30% away for state federal tax. Joe Legal now has $31,231.00.
Jose Illegal...$15.00 per hour x 40 hours $600.00 per week makes $31,200.00 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes. Jose Illegal now has $31,200.00
Joe Legal pays Medical and Dental Insurance with limited coverage ... $1000.00 per month... $12,000.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $19,231.00.
Jose Illegal has full Medical and Dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00
Joe Legal makes too much money so he is not eligible for Food Stamps or Welfare. Joe Legal pays for food... $1,000.00 per month... $12,000.00 per year.
Joe Legal now has $7,231.00
Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for Food Stamps and Welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays rent of $1,000.00 per month .. $12,000.00 per year. Joe Legal is now in the hole... minus (-) $4,769.00
Jose Illegal receives a $500 per month Federal rent subsidy. Jose Illegal pays rent of $500.00 per month... $6,000.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00
Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work.
Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.


Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school.
Joe Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get free government sponsored lunches.
Joe Legal's children go home after school.
Jose Illegal's children have an after school ESL program which, again, is provided free of charge.
Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same Police and Fire Services, but Joe Legal paid for them and Jose Illegal did not pay.

Don't vote for or support any politician that supports illegal aliens!
It's PAST time to take a stand for America and Americans!

When I was a wee ''tike'', my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then.
And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard
day at work.
On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned
biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that
biscuit and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that
evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned biscuits."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned.
He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"
You know, life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people.
What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults-and choosing to celebrate each other's differences- is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy,
growing, and lasting relationship.
And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God.
Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!
We could extend this to any relationship. In fact! Understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife, parent-child, siblings, or friendship!
"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket! Keep it in your own."

Once upon a time, I was invited to the Capital for a private dinner with the President. I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces memory chips for computers and portable electronics. There was some talk that my industry was being scrutinized by the administration, but I paid it no mind. I live in a free country. There's nothing that the government can do to me if I've broken no laws. My wealth was earned honestly, and an invitation to dinner with the President is an honor.
I checked my coat, was greeted by the Chief of Staff, and joined the President in a yellow dining room. We sat across from each other at a table draped in white linen. The Great Seal was embossed on the china. Uniformed staff served our dinner.
The meal was served, and I was startled when my waiter suddenly reached out, plucked a dinner roll off my plate, and began nibbling it as he walked back to the kitchen.
"Sorry about that," said the President. "Andrew is very hungry."
"I don't appreciate..." I began, but as I looked into the calm brown eyes across from me, I felt immediately guilty and petty. It was just a dinner roll. "Of course," I concluded, and reached for my glass. Before I could, however, another waiter reached forward, took the glass away and swallowed the wine in a single gulp.
"And his brother, Eric, is very thirsty." said the President.
I didn't say anything. The President is testing my compassion, I thought. I will play along. I don't want to seem unkind.
My plate was whisked away before I had tasted a bite.
"Eric's children are also quite hungry."
With a lurch, I crashed to the floor. My chair had been pulled out from under me. I stood, brushing myself off angrily, and watched as it was carried from the room.
"And their grandmother can't stand for long."
I excused myself, smiling outwardly, but inside feeling like a fool. Obviously I had been invited to the White House to be sport for some game. I reached for my coat, to find that it had been taken. I turned back to the President.
"Their grandfather doesn't like the cold."
I wanted to shout, "That was my coat!" But again, I looked at the placid smiling face of my host and decided I was being a poor sport. I spread my hands helplessly and chuckled.
Then I felt my hip pocket and realized my wallet was gone. I excused myself and walked to a phone on an elegant side table. I learned shortly that my credit cards had been maxed out, my bank accounts emptied, my retirement and equity portfolios had vanished, and my wife had been thrown out of our home. Apparently, the waiters and their families were moving in. The President hadn't moved or spoken as I learned all this, but finally I lowered the phone into its cradle and turned to face him.
"Andrew's whole family has made bad financial decisions. They haven't planned for retirement, and they need a house. They recently defaulted on a subprime mortgage. I told them they could have your home. They need it more than you do."
My hands were shaking. I felt faint. I stumbled back to the table and knelt on the floor. The President cheerfully cut his meat, ate his steak, and drank his wine. I lowered my eyes and stared at the small gray circles on the tablecloth that were water drops.
"By the way," He added, "I have just signed an Executive Order nationalizing your factories. I'm firing you as head of your business. I'll be operating the firm now for the benefit of all mankind. There's a whole bunch of Erics and Andrews out there and they can't come to you for jobs groveling like beggars."
I looked up. The President dropped his spoon into the empty ramekin which had been his crème Brule. He drained the last drops of his wine.
As the table was cleared, he lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. He stared at me. I clung to the edge of the table as if it were a ledge and I were a man hanging over an abyss. I thought of the years behind me, of the life I had lived. The life I had earned with a lifetime of work, risk and struggle. Why was I punished? How had I allowed it to be taken? What game had I played and lost? I looked across the table and noticed with some surprise that there was no game board between us.
What had I done wrong?
As if answering the unspoken thought, the President suddenly cocked his head, locked his empty eyes to mine, and bared a million teeth, chuckling wryly as he folded his hands said,
"You should have stopped me at the dinner roll.”

(I was made aware of Col Grossman by a Cop/Marine..a Sheepdog they call Pappy)

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me:
"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful.? For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf."
If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens?
What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed
Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.
But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed.
The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
A sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle.
That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference."
In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down
and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain
Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously.
God in Heaven, help the sheepdog protect the sheep, and keep your mighty watchful eye on the sheepdog.

From: Teresa Bodine
Your President
Dear Moby,
I have listened to you for many years. I’d like to voice my opinion on something.
I heard you talk yesterday about “our President”, not “your President.”
How is that any different from what the Dixie Chicks said? Yet , you slam them unmercifully. You claim to be a patriot and then you condemn the president of this country. I know what you will do with this comment. You will read it and slam it and call me ignorant and liberal and all those names you have for Democrats. I don’t mind. I won’t be listening. However, Democrat or Republican, Obama is our President, not “my President” or “your President”.
Teresa
Teresa D. Bodine----

No Teresa, you're wrong. I'll not slam you for your opinion. Our opinions, at least for now, are still within our rights to express.
When our Republic is totally bankrupt, and we've lost our country because of what's being forced down America's throat in this administration,
I'll simply take a bit of comfort knowing I wasn't one of the lemmings that followed the pipe playing Marxist into the sea.
Then again, it doesn't matter to you what I do or say, because you "won't be listening".
The public opinion of the Dixie Chicks is permanently sealed. I played no role in that.
All radio research tells us that playing the Dixie Chicks would be a very bad mistake. I have not & will not "slam them unmercifully". As a matter of fact, I still miss them. I loved their music.
However, I'll miss the America we've known much more. I'll miss Capitalism and personal freedom. I'll miss what for well over 200 years has been the dream of our God-fearing founding fathers.
It's a ship that is almost lost on an ever darkening horizon.
How can we have simply given our nation away? How can we have allowed it to be sold off in large portions to the highest bidder?
The enemy is not only AT the gate, the gate has been breached, and it's only a matter of time.
I look at my 6 year old daughter, and think of her grandchildren. I'm fairly certain they not only will not be raised in a free & focused society where inspired, dedicated individuals can excel. They'll be raised as part of a dependent, unarmed population where the government controls us all, and differing opinions will not be tolerated. I only hope they're taught about how great America used to be.
Teresa, I'll end this by simply saying, "My God, I hope I'm wrong."
MOBY

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said: THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?
A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern: Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious
humans). They have an active sex life, they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world. Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them not to mention how could they have sex? Therefore they do not have kids either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store? The choice is perfectly clear to me; I want to be a whale. P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver and have a soda with my friends. With time we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes throughout the rest of our bodies. So, we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, "Good gosh, look how smart I am."

We still live in the greatest country in the world. The United States is the great experiment in positive thinking; our entire system of government is based upon faith in the inherent goodness of the individual. It was a revolutionary idea more than 200 years ago when the Declaration of Independence was first signed. Borrowing from the greatest thinkers in history, our founding fathers established a form of government of the people that is today the model most imitated around the world. Economic and political conditions ebb and flow. But as long as we have a democratic society that celebrates the individual, we can achieve anything in life we desire. All you require to be successful in the United States is the desire to achieve success and the determination to stick with it until you reach your goals.

A young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.
Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.
The people stared - how can he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought? The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."
"Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in mine, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared. Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges -- giving love is taking a chance.
Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?"
The young man stood silently. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges. The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side.
How sad it must be to go through life with a whole untouched heart.

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?'

There are many things in this life that can be so humbling as to bring us to our knees in thanksgiving and praise. For instance: a sunrise or sunset so beautiful we are compelled to park our car and sit quietly, soaking up the moment God had made just for us. None but God can create such wonders as a perfect rose, an unblemished butterfly, a forest of maple trees whose leaves have turned a brilliant red and are caressed by the cool autumn breeze. Not a day goes by that you cannot find at least one of His special gifts, if you will but open your mind, your eyes and your heart to Him.
Since having triple by-pass surgery in November of 2000, walking at a mall has become routine, covering three to four miles a day, six days a week. For some people this might seem incredibly tedious and mindlessly boring, but the 70 minutes a day has provided not only the exercise needed, but also a time for prayer, meditation, window-shopping and people watching; plus all the creature necessities: climate control, restroom, coffee, pastries, etc.
On a recent morning, about half way through the walk, I noticed a middle aged lady walking in the opposite direction with three young men in tow. Each of the men appeared to be in their 20s, and obviously very mentally and physically challenged. As the four passed by, oblivious to the stares of other people in the mall, one of the men fixed his eyes on mine and I immediately felt a surge of compassion, which in turn triggered thoughts of parents who have commented about their “special” children returning their love in ways never imagined: pure, total, spontaneous. And this thought in turn called to mind an incident related to me sometime back.
The incident took place during the Special Olympics a few years ago, and for you who have not attended such an event, please know that winning a contest is every bit as important to a “special” individual as it is to every other athlete. The contestants in the foot race were all lined up ready to start. The starter pistol was raised; fired; and the boys and girls took off running for the finish line just as fast as their abilities would allow. The crowd began yelling, clapping and shouting their encouragement. A short distance from the starting line a boy stumbled and fell to the ground; flat on his face. He looked up and saw the others running toward the finish line, and watched as they got further away from him. Broken hearted he put his face down in the dirt and began to cry. One of the runners looked back over her shoulder and saw the boy on the ground. She slowed down; stopped; turned around and started walking back towards the sobbing boy. Another runner saw her; stopped; turned around and walked back towards the boy on the ground. One by one each of the other runners did the same until all of them had formed a circle around the fallen boy. Without a word being spoken all the runners reached down and picked up the boy. Some brushed the dirt off his knees, some wiped the tears from his face and some patted his shoulders to let him know they cared and that everything would be OK. Then, they all turned and, hand-in-hand, walked to the finish line - all crossing it at the same time. By now the crowd was on its feet: cheering, clapping, & yelling. They knew they had been privileged to witness the true meaning of “Special Olympics”.
This beautiful story demonstrates the kind of unbounded love God has for each of us,. I had stopped walking long enough to watch the three “special” young men and their caretaker angel disappear down the corridor, when I became aware of music playing throughout the mall. The music seemed familiar… and after finally recognizing it I could only look up and thank God for the morning, for the “special” people, for the music, and for that moment that has, and will continue to have, a very special place in my life. I then continued my walk, but with a much different spirit than when I began.
Oh, by the way, in case you may be wondering, the music that began playing at that precise moment was…’Chariots of Fire.’

Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch, is part drill Instructor, and
part stand up comic. Here are a few of his observations On tactics,
firearms, self defense and life as we know it in the civilized world.
"The two most important rules in a gunfight are: Always cheat And
always win."
"Don't forget, incoming fire has the right of way."
"Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get
Killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with
it, Cause it's going to be empty."
"If you're not shootin', you should be loadin'. If you're not Loadin,
you should be movin', if you're not movin', someone's gonna cut your
head off and put it on a stick."
"Do something. It may be wrong, but do something."
"Nothing adds a little class to a sniper course like a babe in a
Ghilliesuit."
"Shoot what's available, as long as it's available, until Something
else becomes available."
"Don't shoot fast, shoot good."
"You can say 'stop' or 'alto' or use any other word you think Will
work but I've found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head
is pretty much the universal language."
"You have the rest of your life to solve your problems. How long You
live depends on how well you do it."
"You cannot save the planet. but you may be able to save yourself and your family."
"Thunder Ranch will be here as long as you'll have us or until someone
makes us go away and either way it will be exciting."
More Excellent Gun Wisdom....... The purpose of fighting is to Win.
There is no possible victory in defense.
The sword is more Important than the shield, and skill is more important
than either.
The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.

It’s interesting to me to see the evolution of things in my lifetime. When I was growing up, there were three sources of broadcast news – CBS, NBC and ABC. They were characterized by their scrupulous reporting and impartiality. There was a time allotted for editorializing, but by and large the news was, as far as we knew, researched and accurate. Ted Turner changed things with CNN, the first 24-hour news channel. At the time I thought, how can you fill up 24 hours with news? At first, it was through repetition of the day’s top stories, but soon it became hour-long shows with different slants on the news. That splintered off into 24-hour channels about every topic you could think of, from movies to fishing to golf, etc. And the news channels themselves became more or less entertainment channels and in an effort to differentiate themselves, opinion channels. Our participation in the social aspect of the internet has introduced another change. Our opinions are the news. The facts of what has happened take only a fraction of the day to report. But our reaction to the event can provide a week’s worth of opinions, debate, and ranting. That’s where the money is. And by keeping themselves in the black this way, the news channels (in my opinion) are encouraging us to shout louder and be a part of an ever smaller community – those people who only share our opinions. So, at the same time that the internet has brought us together globally, it has also helped foster a splintering that is driven by our desire to be respected for our uniqueness.

There are taller buildings... but shorter tempers;
Wider freeways... but narrower viewpoints.
We spend more... but have less;
We buy more... but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses... and smaller families;
More conveniences... but less time.
We have more degrees... but less sense;
More knowledge... but less judgement;
More experts... but more problems;
More medicine... but less wellness.
We have multiplied our possessions... but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom... and hate too often.
We have learned how to make a living... but not a life.
We've added years to life... but not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back...
But we have difficulty crossing the street to meet the neighbors.
We've conquered outer space... but not our inner space.
We've cleaned the air... but polluted the soul.
We have split the atom... but not our prejudice.
We have higher incomes... but lower morals.
We've become long on quantity... but short on quality.
These are the times of tall men... and short character;
Of steep profits... and shallow relationships.
These are times of world peace... but domestic warfare.
These are days of more leisure... but less fun;
Of more kinds of food... but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes... but more divorce;
Of fancier houses... but broken homes.
We can choose to ignore these sad facts of life...
Or we can choose to make a difference.
Christ has no body on earth but ours,
He has no hands but our hands...
We have only one life, which soon will pass,
And those acts we perform for Christ are the only that will last!
We must sacrifice ourselves for souls!

Okay, I need to rant. I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day.
I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of my rant.
When a man dies whose contribution to the country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?
Am I missing something here? All of a sudden he's a freaking martyr because he entertained us?
What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America. Where is their moment of silence?
Where aren’t the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them?
Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance," and "thank
God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily ignore their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?"
I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too.
We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.
Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military; "So that others may live..." Only two people have ever effectively given their lives for you.
Jesus Christ and The American G.I.
One died for your sins, the other died to give you freedom.


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

I agree with everything you've written except this line. <Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance," and "thank God for IEDs?" >
MOST people do not feel that way. I'll use this as a Soap Box, but I will not include this line unchallenged.
Blame the modern day media, & ratings, & ad sales for the sensationalistic coverage of people with this, at the very least, unpopular viewpoint.
It gets down to how media executives with little if any true love of, and devotion to, our country can make a quick buck in the early stages of the 21st century.
Granted, there are a small percentage among us that might believe it's "good" when a soldier dies, but you know what,
that soldier died to protect every American's right to feel any way they choose. Those people are delusional idiots, and we must allow them the right to be wrong. That's called freedom. Freedom means the God given right to feel and believe any way you like. But we seem to forget that as Americans we have the right to let our opposition to lunacy be loudly known. Many do voice that opposition, but the clown draws a bigger crowd, so that's where the news crews are dispatched.
Our main problem is our apathy and distraction. Too many otherwise good Americans allow themselves a set of misplaced priorities. and neglect the need to stand shoulder to shoulder with our hands solemnly over our hearts giving thanks to almighty God, and pledging allegience to America, for our rights and our freedoms, while expressing unwavering gratitude for the soldiers standing quietly in the field between good and evil, between right and wrong, between day and night.
In my house, we are well aware of the faithful guard dogs that stand between the wolves and the flock.
MOBY

 Seen and heard worldwide from Los Angeles ... An estimated 20,000 people were in the Staples Center as Jackson's golden, flower-draped casket was brought to the venue in a motorcade under law enforcement escort.
OK!! That’s enough. Agree?!?
I don’t know a single American that doesn’t think this whole $2.5 million memorial was anything but a massive waste of valuable time and limited resources, not only for bankrupt California, but for America in general, and at a time when we’re at dire risk of losing most everything that has made America great for 233 years.
There’s no leader, and certainly no entertainer among us whose passing would change or threaten the course of peril we find ourselves in.
Yes, Michael Jackson’s dead. I’m not glad, but I’m absolutely ambivalent. And you know what, one day without exception; every set of ears within the sound of my voice will hear the trumpets of the angels. As difficult as it is to conceive, we are all going to die. Not one among us will escape the grave that lies before us. What our reward or punishment will be in eternity isn’t up to us, or anyone that attends our memorials. Now, regardless of Michael Jackson’s morality or lack of morality, regardless of his guilt or innocence of whether he spent a good portion of his adult life behaving inappropriately with children. All that is behind us now. Can we all please move on? The business of trying to save our nation and the future for generations to come is at risk, and we’ve wasted two weeks paying tribute to a guy that danced well.

Blessed be innocence, smiles from the heart,

Small dimpled fingers that take things apart,

Noses that wrinkle at spinach and such,

Eyes filled with wonder for they see so much.

Blessed be questions with no easy answers,

Bubble-bath swimmers and mud-puddle dancers,

Climbers and diggers and builders and bakers,

Dreamers and gigglers and up-at-dawn wakers.

Hearts that are gentle, wills that are strong,

Minds learning left from right and right from wrong

Blessed be hugs that wrap around your knees,

Sweet angel voices that sigh "Once more, Please?"

Blessed be, "Read me a story" and then,

Blessed be each whispered, "Bless me...Amen."

Blessed be sleepy eyes, each little yawn...

Blessed be childhood before it is gone.

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes.
I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprizing a basket of freshly picked green peas.
I paid for my potatoes, but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas.
I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.
'Hello Barry, how are you today?'
'H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good..'
'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?'
'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.'
'Good. Anything I can help you with?'
'No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas.'
'Would you like take some home?' asked Mr. Miller.
'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.'
'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'
'All I got's my prize marble here.'
'Is that right? Let me see it' said Miller.
'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'
'I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked.
'Not zackley but almost.'
'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble', Mr. Miller told the boy.
'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller.'
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.
With a smile said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever.
When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.'
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man.
A short time later I moved to Colorado , but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.
Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one.
Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died.
They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them.
Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.
Ahead of us in line were three young men.
One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts....all very professional looking.
They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket.
Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket.
Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket.
Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles...
With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.
'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded'20them.
Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size...they came to pay their debt.'
'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho '.
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
The Moral : We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath.

Just a reminder as to the real reason why we celebrate the 4th of July.
God bless America and our military men and women, as well as their families.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire.
The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill
were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free!

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in South Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore..

His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could. Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father.
It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs... That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.

The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, 'But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go.' You and I can identify with that little boy.
We have scars, too; no not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go.

In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you... The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy (Satan) is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go.

A very timely analysis since Obama met with the AMA !

BEST ANALYSIS I HAVE HEARD YET!!! But cleaned up a bit to keep worst case a PG rating.

The American Medical Association has weighed in on the new economic stimulus package.
The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the
Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.
The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the
Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.
The Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception.
Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.
Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!"
while the Pediatricians said, 'Oh, Grow up!'
The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the
Radiologists could see right through it.
Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.
The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow,
and the Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter."
The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward,
but the Urologists were “peed” off at the whole idea.
The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas,
and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.
In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to
the “donkey” holes in Washington.

Going through past columns recently, I noticed I've talked at least a couple of times about what constitutes country music. Here I go again. Just when did Def Leppard become a country act? Or T-Pain?

Both showed up on the recent CMT Awards show to honor country music videos. That's surprising in itself since lately CMT has more programs like "My Big Redneck Wedding," John Rich trying to make D-list "celebrities" into country performers and reruns of wife-swapping, out-of-control-youngster and house-rebuilding shows than country music.

Anyway, I'm really not a musical snob. I like all kinds of music, some just a little better than others. Sometimes it's interesting to hear different artists try something different, although I still seriously doubt Tony Bennett could ever really sing a country song. The irony is that George Strait could sing one of Tony's songs with no problem. Even Willie could do a Tin Pan Alley tune (remember his "Stardust" album).

But when it comes to country, it's hard to find honest-to-goodness country music these days. There's not a whole lot of singers doing songs like Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Conway Twitty, or Hank Williams these days. They sang real country music (although George Thorogood contends Hank Williams really had the first rock song with "Move It On Over").

Country music today is becoming dominated by performers who would have been pop acts not so long ago and by pop performers who haven't been doing so well in that genre. Darius Rucker, the former front man for Hootie and The Blowfish, is one example. He's gone country, and is doing well with it, and a couple of his earlier songs probably could pass as country-style now. I wish him good luck. He's said he'd like to do a duet with Charlie Pride, and I know that's a song I'll listen to.
Taylor Swift is one of the best young music performers today. She writes, she sings, she performs like it's going out of style. I like her, but she ain't country. Actually, Swift and many of her peers are almost interchangeable with their pop sounds. Again, I like some of them, but it just ain't country (nor is Def Leppard, whose lead singer sang with Swift at the awards show).

Some of the young "hat acts" with their brims pulled low, their scowls and growls and hot guitar licks aren't really country to me, either. I think they're wannabe rock stars who decided they couldn't get far in that field so they went country.

Actually, country seems to have become a homogenized catch-all genre these days, at least the nationally marketed country. You still can find independent artists who really do sing country music thanks to local VFW halls and the Internet.

Now, if some of them could just move their music careers up a notch or two, there'd be some more country in country music.

Sonny Garrett is editorial page editor of The Baxter Bulletin and a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

Emotions are sometimes strange, volatile, and unpredictable. They do not always respond to logic and reason. They do, however, respond to action. If you have occasional feelings of loneliness, discouragement, or discontentment, the best way to kill such negative emotions is to work them to death. Almost nothing is as bad as it first seems, and there’s nothing like a hard day’s work to put everything in proper perspective. When you begin to feel negative emotions, dwelling on your misfortunes only makes you feel worse. Do your best to put them out of your mind and think about more positive, constructive things. Physical labor can help. Choose a task that doesn’t require a great deal of concentration, and then focus on accomplishing the task at hand.

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Today, I will delete from my journal
two days: yesterday and tomorrow
Yesterday was to learn from
and tomorrow...well that will be
the consequence of what I can do today.
Today, I will face life
with the sure knowledge that this day
will never return.

Today, is the last opportunity
I have to live intensely,
as no one can assure me
that I will see tomorrow's sunrise.

Today, I will be brave enough
not to let any opportunity pass me by,
my only alternative is to succeed.
Today, I will invest my most valuable resource:
my time in the most transcendental work: my life...
Today, I will spend each minute
passionately, to make today a different
and unique day in my life.
Today, I will defy every obstacle that appears on my way,
trusting I will succeed.

Today, I will resist pessimism, and will conquer
the world with a smile and a positive attitude
of always expecting the best.

Today, I will make of every ordinary task
a sublime expression,

Today, I will have my feet on the ground
understanding reality and the stars' gaze,
and thus will invent my future.

Today, I will take the time to be happy
and will leave my footprints and my presence
in the hearts of others, not just in the sands of time.

Today, I invite you to begin a new season
where we can dream
that everything we undertake is possible
and we fulfill that dream,
with joy and dignity.

Today, why not perform a random act of kindness...?

And, if there are those that you love, tell them,
you don't know when it might be your last opportunity.
Tell them, as I have just done...today.
...Mark


Have a good day, my friend and a better tomorrow!

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In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte , North Carolina, invited their favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honor.
Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because of his struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said , 'We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you.' So he agreed.
After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said, 'I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets.
It wasn't there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn't find it. The conductor said, 'Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket.
Don't worry about it.'
Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.
The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know who you are. No problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one.'
Einstein looked at him and said, 'Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going.''
Having said that Billy Graham continued, 'See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My wife, my children , and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion.
You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this:
I not only know who I am .. I also know where I'm going.'

Hey Moby,

Hope you had a great weekend and an even better Father’s day. My name is Andrew and I'll be a senior at the University of Georgia next year. I have been a loyal listener of your morning show for the past couple of years, and this summer I have not missed a single morning, as I am in the car everyday while I drive to work.

I am sure you heard about the tragic loss of the Georgia Theatre over the weekend in Athens. As a community, we lost much more than just a music venue. The Theatre was the kind of town-defining place that was a big part of Athens for all of its residents, as well as the university students.
Some of my best nights of college have been at theatre. Over the past three years I can remember seeing Luke Bryan, Brantley Gilbert, Drive By Truckers, Carrie Underwood, Robert Earl Keen, Corey Smith, The Avett Brothers, Rhett Akins and Eric Church, which to this day remains my favorite concert I have ever seen.

I know you have a full schedule in the mornings with the pledge, wake up song, hymn, and small town soap box (all which I think are great), but I was wondering if during the beginning part of your show tomorrow you could take the time to play a song in remembrance of the theatre.
Any song of remembrance will do, just whatever song you think is appropriate Moby!
Keep up the great work. GO DAWGS AND YEAH BABY!

Andrew Maxey
---------------------------------------------
Loosing The Georgia Theatre is akin in tragic music horror as loosing Nashville’s Mother Church, the Ryman would be.

The Georgia Theatre, The Fillmore, Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, and a select few music venues will always be in the memory of musicians and fans that remember a certain, life-changing event that occurred there, and will forever be etched in their memory. Where were you when you heard Elvis had died, when the shuttle had exploded, when Kennedy had been shot?

What happened that you’ll never forget at the Georgia Theatre? There are many, many cousins in this radio family that now tearfully recall that event, and are in tears this morning that they can’t take their children someday, and explain what happened there that one night so long ago. To those in mourning for the Georgia Theatre, our hearts go out to you. The American music is grief-stricken for your loss.

Mr. Moby,
Just wanted to take a minute to thank you for having the “marbles” to say something about the CMT Awards and country music, in general, not really being country music at all. For the last 8yrs I’ve been a full time country musician. I’ve had the opportunity to play with several legends in our industry and I’m very proud of what I’ve done. However, the state of country music right now literally turns my stomach. I want to just stop playing all together, but I have to support my family. I was talking to a friend of mine (Dave Macaffee, the drummer for Toby Keith and he also played on Jamey Johnson’s last project) about this and he said “you know how to tell if you music sucks? You’ll hear it on the radio” and he’s right. It’s so sad to think that something that I’ve put so much effort into, has really been reduced to
“how do you look?”
“How old are you?”
“how do you wear your hair?”
“oh, you’ve got talent? That will help”

I’m so sick of it. Shoot me!
Love your show, God Bless America, God Bless Country Music,
Yeah Baby Jeff Brewer

Hey Jeff,
I hear you, brother, I do understand your frustration, and I don't totally disagree with you.
Having given your email some serious time, I wanna share with you what I'm thinking.
Consultants, and bean counters have really overshadowed & homogenized the entertainment part of the entertainment business.
Executives in suits that cost more than the combined value of my first three cars are deciding what's valid art and what is not, and which cubby hole is fits in.
We're told that money can't buy happiness, but all too often it's been proven that it can buy stardom.
Yeah, the award show last week was many things, but it sure the heck wasn't country. I haven't heard a soul say that it was.
Refer back to the executives I mentioned. Nobody asked the country audience what they wanted, it was researched, analyzed, and decided for us what country was for that three hours.
I'd be much more comfortable if those decisions were made by somebody that could at least tune a fiddle or a banjo.
I've said many times over the years that talent was a very small portion of commercial success, and many times wasn't even required. If that's not true, I challenge those executives to explain the success of quite a few recent sensations, some of which were on the CMT Awards.
As you and Dave would agree, it's most often how old you are, how hot you look and your fashion sense that can get you out of the honky tonks, and ultimately on the air.
However, as cute as the line is, I take exception to your "How can you tell if your music sucks? It's on the radio." analogy.
If that's absolutely true, than have your drummer friend tell it to his bosses Toby Keith & Jamey Johnson. I'm pretty sure there'll be a butt-whoopin' comin'.
If having your music included in a radio stations playlist of songs it plays, explain Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, & George Strait.
Those are some very established examples that disproves your "it sucks if it's on the radio" theory.
Also, I'd add to this that it certainly doesn't apply to Zac Brown, Josh Turner, Sugarland and so many others that have surfaced in the past few years.
I'll be the first to admit, there are some "hits" that make me scratch my head and ask how on earth?
But it's easy for musicians that haven't had that big break, or haven't adequately impressed the right gate keeper, to claim the entire industry unfair because they haven't made it to the big stage, the stadium audiences, and the brightest spotlights. In truth, there are very few crimes they wouldn't commit for their shot at a string of hits.
There are quite a few examples I've heard over the years that felt snubbed when the truth of the matter was they really just weren't good enough. A bitter truth, but a truth none the less.
In those cases, their close friends, their mamas, girlfriends, and groupies (everybody that can play three chords has groupies) have them totally convinced their lack of "a deal" and absence of fame and fortune is somebody else's fault.
To those superstar wannabes I say stop your whining, keep practicing, keep the fire burning, don't lose the passion, and accept the fact that most folks that want to be fighter pilots have to find happiness in the cockpit of a Cessna.
You don't get to go as fast, & you may get old before you get where you want to be, but you're still flyin'!!!
I need to thank you for inspiring a Small Town Soap Box.
Yeah baby,
MOBY

I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books in
six languages, and have studied history all my life. I think there is
something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is just a
banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis.. Yes, these exist
but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now
coming into a sharper focus.
Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it
because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people
react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something
happening within our country that has been evolving for about 10 - 15 years.
The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.
We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing
our economy. Why?
We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history,
and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why
we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think
critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are
not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?
We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to
write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream
Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana
republic. To what purpose?
Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free
fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of
collapse, Social Security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire
government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and
know precisely what I am talking about.) The list is staggering in its
length, breadth, and depth.
We are at war with an enemy we cannot name for fear of offending people of the same
religion who cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have
the opportunity to do so.
And now we have elected a man no one knows anything about, who has
never run so much as a Dairy Queen. All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip
by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him
speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force
stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course.
The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he
answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more
important.)
I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am
now. This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has
never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will
divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign
the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed
coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again.
I thought I would never be able to experience what the ordinary, moral
German felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the savior was a former
smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German
knew next to nothing.. What they did know was that he was associated with
groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they
disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory
and promises.. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he
was a great speaker. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even
newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would
bully them into submission.
And then he was duly elected to office, with a full-throttled economic
crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but surely he seized the
controls of government power, department by department, person by person,
bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name,
where they were taught what to think. How did he get the people on his
side? He did it promising jobs to the jobless, money to the moneyless, and
goodies for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating
the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages,
better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country,
across Europe , and across the world.
He did it with a compliant media - And he did this all in the name of justice and . . .. change. And the people surely got what they voted for. Read your history books. Many people objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and made fun of. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and
called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though .
Don't forget that Germany was the most educated, cultured country in
Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and
universities. And in less than six years - a shorter time span than just
two terms of the U. S. presidency - it was rounding up its own citizens,
killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and
neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course.
The road to Hell is paved with them

Moby,
Just wanted to let you know that I was listening to the show while getting ready for work and heard Jonah. He is so grown up. I remember when he was just a little guy. It broke my heart when you and Kelly broke up and you were so hurt. I remember how Jonah would spend time with both you and your ex and sometimes that was really hard on you. When you cried, I cried. After you left Kicks, I searched the internet for you to see if you had gone some where else and then found you here (I don’t count the time with the rock & roll channel). Now my mornings start out great because you are there to brighten my day.
I remember when Jonah had his first son, but did not realize he was 23 and now the father of another baby. I could hear the pride and joy in your voice this morning when you talked to him to find out about Caleb and how he is doing. I almost fell out when I heard he slept through the night last night. I never had that kind of luck and my baby is 8 years old now. I hope you get some pictures up soon on the internet.
Well I will let you go, I know you are busy daddy and grand dad. Have a great day and I will be listening tomorrow morning.
Cindy Trent Cumming, Ga
----------------------------------------------------
Well, thank the good Lord above I don't wear mascara, cause your email would have just ruined it.
To a lot of folks in radio, this radio family we have doesn't exist anywhere except in my mind.
Emails like yours prove them wrong, and confirms what I've always known. On this morning radio show, we really do care about each other,
and look forward to spending a few hours together early each day.
Thank you for stepping forward. Cindy.
Like Tristin, his big brother, Caleb is a beautiful baby boy. I look at him, and can't believe that's he's the second seed of my seed.
God is good, and time is short. I'm so grateful for the many blessings I've been allowed to enjoy on this Earth, and can't imagine the glorious magnitude of
what is to come on the other side.
Sure will be nice to see Mama & daddy again (Mama Moby, and Papa Moby).
Nannie & Papaw are there, too. I'd like to think they've seen their great-great grandsons.
I know we go as naked as we came, but I'd sure like to take some pictures.
By the way, between the two of us, we wrote a Small Town Soap Box.

- Dear Moby: -- I have to say I like you. I don't always agree with some of the things you say, but I like that you speak your mind. I think that is what is wrong with the world. People just say what they think people want to hear, and keep the rest to themselves. Yes I did vote for Obama. We need someone different in the office that is not afraid to "change" things. America is not the same and we do need help. Keep up the good work and keep reminding people why they are Americans. Thanks. Yeah baby -- Phone: Sincerely, heather Cox Rome, Ga

The great thing that still does exist in America is our right to disagree.
I do agree that change was needed, but not unplanned haphazard unrecoverable debt-incurring change. Not change that lets our security be compromised. Not change that gives control of everything we see, touch and think to the federal government.
Change was not needed that removes the incentive to exceed, and simply takes from the driven, passionate, and successful, which is another phrase that describes the evil rich to give to the lazy & unmotivated, which are those on welfare like dad, grand daddy, and their children and grand children have been and will be.
At some point there has to be a boot strap to grab, and pull for all they’re worth to assist themselves, and their families.
God bless the poor, and yes, we owe it to our morality and Christian teaching to assist them, but it is crazy to make that help, and those changes be government mandated.
Change was not needed that in ever increasing doses involves government in more and more of our personal lives.
The role of government is to be as little involved in the lives of citizens as possible.
If it's only about change for change sake, then you should be quite happy with your choice.
But if you feel America should remain a free-thinking independent republic, if that's what lights your candle of patriotic pride, at what point will you stand look at Washington and say, "Back off, Barrack." & “Put a sock in it, Pelosi.”?
All this said, Heather, I thank you for listening, for disagreeing without anger, and for being a cousin in the radio family.

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Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love
And would be living in vain.

I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.

I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.

My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan's loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it's in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.

Thank you for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it's in the valleys I grow!

I took offense to an email, and responded in the same tone as I was addressed.
The blue print is me, the black print is he. When I finished writing, I laughed But it's a Soap Box in the purest sense of the term.

Good day sir,
So, this is all because I compared a Chinese politicians toupee being ripped off his head to the George Bush shoe throwing incident? The fact I found humor in both offended you?
As we're knee deep in the 2nd "100 days", there's much about life in America to be horrified about. The lack of patriotism, absence of honor, dignity, sense of purpose, fear of God, love of country, and respect of authority. THESE are things that deeply offend me. Government control of more and more of things the private sector should have absolute dominion over, makes me madder at Washington than I've ever been. Compared to the real problems we all face, the show throwing thing pales by comparison.

Allow me to respond to you one segment at a time.

Maybe I am just a little overlly sensitive on the matter,
(having read this entire rant, I'd like to tell you, I deeply believe you are)
but I do not see the reporter throwing a shoe at President Bush as funny in any way, shape, or form! ( Bush chuckled about it himself. Lighten up. The waste of flesh that threw it was drug from the venue, arrested, and went to prison)
In the country the reporter is from that is considered one of the worst insults that can be made toward another person. (The devil with all of them. Throw the other one, and find out what a real insult feels like cowboy.)
It does not have the same meaning here, but the intent remains the same. (I don't really care. We're the United States, or at least we used to be.)
How is this any different from our president being threatened with another type of physical harm.
 (No different really. That guy would go to prison too.)
Would any other country in the world laugh at this if it had happened to their leader while visiting out country? (I don't concern myself with that.)
Many countries in the world would consider it an act of war even if it were a private citizen. (They're wrong. If they push it, we can certainly show them what an act of war really is.)
I consider it a personal attack on our country and the citizens of this country laugh about it. (Again, so did President Bush)
Would the news media consider it so funny if it had happened to their "messiah"? (You really need to refocus. There are much larger fish that need frying these days.)
Would you think it was so funny if it had not been put on the evening news and made fun of. (We'll never know, will we?)
I though you were patriotic enough to expect respect for the president no mater who it is. (Sir, don't you ever call my patriotism to question. THAT, I do not take lightly, and as opposed to flinging a wing tip, really is offensive.)
I do not care for President Obama in any way, (Well, we have that in common.)
but I would feel the same if he were attacked, (again, we agree there)
it is an attack on our country, our way of life, and the principles this country was founded on. (I've yet to hear a devoutly patriotic word leave his lips, and I can't imagine he and Michelle arm in arm facing Old Glory, and singing to the top of their lungs, God Bless America. Apologies for what America has been we've all heard. )
I will be the first to admit President Bush had some problems and made mistakes, (he did, but I could not have done better. How about you?)
but he deserves the respect of the citizens of the United States. (He kept us safe from 2001 till 2009 As citizens of the country, we'll never know the horror his administration protected us from.)
He was too busy having to defend everything he did to be an effective president and the very people that think this type thing is funny contributed to this. (Let me recommend a good therapist for you. Just what is your patriotic background?)

I promise to leave your name out of this, but I want you to know I AM grateful to you for writing tomorrow's Small Town Soap Box.
Invest in spell a check, brother and do it again sometime.
Thank you for that.
MOBY

Moby received the following email...

---------------------
I wanted to give ya'll some disturbing information on our wonderful president. I work with the Catch-A-Dream Foundation which provides hunting and fishing trips to children with life-threatening illnesses. It is a great program needless to say. This past weekend we had our annual banquet/fundraiser event in Starkville . As part of the program, we had scheduled Sgt. 1st Class Greg Stube, a highly decorated U.S. Army Green Beret and inspirational speaker who was severely injured while deployed overseas and didn't have much of a chance for survival. Greg is stationed at Ft. Bragg and received permission from his commanding officer to come speak at our function. Everything was on go until Obama made a policy that NO U.S. SERVICEMAN CAN SPEAK AT ANY FAITH-BASED PUBLIC EVENTS ANYMORE.
Needless to say, Greg had to cancel his speaking event with us. Didn't know if anyone else was aware of this new policy. Wonder what kind of news we all will receive next?
----------------------

After several phone calls and e-mails, turns out the story isn't true. Snopes.com has the story... read about it here.

Not too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner.

Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed the Tupperware container from the fridge, popped the seal, took a look and groaned. My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars.

Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty.

It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process!

I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced. Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.

So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess.

What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all. Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one after all. Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way he did. There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond.

Do I trust Him? Even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations? Even when he's dancing and stomping instead of sweeping and mopping:? Can I embrace what He's offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance he's dancin' with my needs in mind? I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust Him. Even when the chips are down.

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How's this for apocalyptic literature. This was written by a
pastor's wife in biblical prose as a commentary of current
events. It is Brilliant.

And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of  the land called America , having lost their morals, their initiative, and their will to defend their liberties, chose as their Supreme Leader that person known as "The One".He emerged from the vapors with a message that had no meaning; but He hypnotized the people telling them, "I am sent to save you. My lack of experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego, and my association with evil doers are of no consequence. For I shall save you with Hope and Change. Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the land that he who preceded me is evil, that he has defiled the nation, and that all he has built must be destroyed." And the people rejoiced, for even though they knew not what "The One" would do, he had promised that it was good; and they believed. And "The One" said "We live in the greatest country in the world. Help me change everything about it!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah! Change is good!" Then He said, "We are going to tax the rich fat-cats." And the people said "Sock it to them!" "And redistribute their wealth." And the people said, "Show us the money!" And then He said, "Redistribution of wealth is good for everybody" And Joe the plumber asked, "Are you kidding me? You're going to steal my money and give it to the deadbeats??" And "The One" ridiculed and taunted him, and Joe's personal records were hacked and publicized. One lone reporter asked, "Isn't that Marxist policy?"

And she was banished from the kingdom! Then a citizen asked, "With no foreign relations experience and having zero military experience or knowledge, how will you deal with radical terrorists?" And "The One" said, "Simple. I shall sit with them and talk with them and show them how nice we really are; and they will forget that they ever wanted to kill us all!" And the people said, "Hallelujah!! We are safe at last, and we can beat our weapons into free cars for the people!"Then "The One" said, "I shall give 95% of you lower taxes." And one, lone voice said, "But 40% of us don't pay ANY taxes." So "The One" said, "Then I shall give you some of the taxes the fat-cats pay!" And the people said, "Hallelujah!! Show us the money!"

Then "The One" said, "I shall tax your Capital Gains when you sell your homes!" And the people yawned and the slumping housing market collapsed. And He said, "I shall mandate employer- funded health care for EVERY worker and raise the minimum wage. And I shall give every person unlimited healthcare and medicine and transportation to the clinics." And the people said, "Give me some of that!" Then he said, "I shall penalize employers who ship jobs overseas." And the people said, "Where's my rebate check?" Then "The One" said, "I shall bankrupt the coal industry and
electricity rates will skyrocket!" And the people said, "Coal is dirty, coal is evil, no more coal! But we don't care for that part about higher electric rates." So "The One" said, "Not to worry. If your rebate isn't enough to cover your expenses, we shall bail you out. Just sign up with ACORN and your troubles are over!"

Then He said, "Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted. Let's grant them amnesty, Social Security, free education, free lunches, free medical care, bi-lingual signs and guaranteed housing..." And the people said, "Hallelujah!!" And they made him King! And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs and ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers.
Others simply gave up and went out of business and the economy sank like unto a rock dropped from a cliff. The banking industry was destroyed. Manufacturing slowed to a crawl. And more of the people were without a means of support.

Then "The One" said, "I am the "The One" - The Messiah - and I'm here to save you! We shall just print more money so everyone will have enough!" But our foreign trading partners said unto Him, "Wait a minute. Your dollar is not worth a pile of camel dung! You will have to pay more..." And the people said, "Wait a minute. That is unfair!!" And the world said, "Neither are these other idiotic programs you have embraced. Lo, you have become a Socialist state and a second-rate power. Now you shall play by our rules!"

And the people cried out, "Alas, alas!! What have we done?" But yea verily, it was too late. The people set upon "The One" and spat upon him and stoned him, and his name was dung. And the once mighty nation was no more; and the once proud people were without sustenance or shelter or hope. And the Change "The One" had given them was as like unto a poison that had destroyed them and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built. And the people beat their chests in despair and cried out in anguish, "Give us back our nation and our pride and our hope!!" But it was too late, and their homeland was no more.

You may think this is a fairy tale, but it's not. It's happening RIGHT NOW !!!

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The Last Crusade By Paul Williams Friday, June 5, 2009 - Canada Free Press

Speaking at the University of Cairo, President Barack Hussein Obama said that Americans are indebted to Islam for the great contributions Muslims have made to the history and development of the United States. “I know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story,” Mr. Obama told the throng of unenlightened Muslims. “The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. . . And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States.” Mr. Obama went on to say: “They [Muslims] have fought in our wars. They have served in our government. They have stood for civil rights. They have started businesses. They have taught at our universities. They’ve excelled in our sports arenas. They’ve won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building and lit the Olympic torch. And when the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same holy Koran that one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, kept in his personal library.” No one at the Egyptian University or the international media took issue with the President’s bizarre interpretation of American history, Let’s set the record straight once and for all. Sorry, Barack Hussein, but there were no Muslims among the passengers on the Mayflower or the settlers at Jamestown. Muslims were conspicuously absent from the ranks of George Washington’s Army of the Revolution and played no role in the creation of the American republic - - save for the fact that the new country’s first declaration of war was against the forces of Islam in the form of the Barbary pirates.1 Despite popular folklore, few Muslims numbered among the 12 million black Africans who were shipped to the New World from the 17th to 19th centuries. The Muslims, in fact, were not the slaves but the slave traders. In a Herculean effort to materialize at least one Muslim living in America before the Civil War, Muslims in America, an Islamic website, point to the name of Mahomet, the great grandson of the founder of the Mohegan tribe, on a gravestone in Norwich, Connecticut. The name of this Native American, they argue, resembles that of the prophet, and, therefore, he must have been a convert to Islam. Surprisingly, there is no record of any Islamic American among the enlisted and conscripted forces of World War I, let alone among the blue and grey armies of the Civil War. Oh, yes, Jefferson did possess a copy of the Koran which Keith Allison, our first Muslim Congressman, used to make his oath of office. But what was Jefferson opinion of Islam? Did he believe the Muslim religion represented a salubrious influence in world affairs? Far from it. In 1786 Thomas Jefferson, then US ambassador to France, and John Adams, then US Ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the Dey’s ambassador to Britain, in an attempt to negotiate a peace treaty with the Barbary Pirates based on Congress’ vote of funding. To the US Congress these two future Presidents later reported the reasons for the Muslims’ hostility towards America, a nation with which they had no previous contacts. “...that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise.” Thomas Jefferson had it right. Barak Hussein Obama the 44th President of this Christian based nation has it wrong.

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Seldom do two consecutive Soap Boxes reflect so near the same topic, I was not going to let this Army mom go unacknowledged:

DEAR MR MOBY,
I'M NOT USUALLY ONE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE CHOICES OTHERS MAKE...THIS IS A FREE COUNTRY AND ONE CAN DO AS HE WISHES...BUT AS THE MOTHER OF 3 OF THIS COUNTRIES FINEST SOLDIERS (PERSONAL OPINION) I FOUND THE ACTIONS OF THIS PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL EXTREMELY OFFENSIVE! I RECENTLY ATTENDED THE GRADUATION CELEBRATION OF MY 5TH GRADER FROM A (BARROW CO) PUBLIC SCHOOL...AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CEREMONY WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO STAND AND SAY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE (MIND YOU THAT WE ARE IN THE FAMILY LIFE CENTER OF A LOCAL CHURCH) THE COUPLE DIRECTLY BEHIND ME STOOD AND FACED THE FLAG BUT THE MAN DIDN’T PLACE HIS HAND OVER HIS HEART NOR DID HE RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE...I FELT AN INCREDIBLE SENSE OF RAGE AT HIS ACTIONS (OR LACK OF ACTIONS) HERE HE IS ATTENDING THE GRADUATION OF HIS CHILD FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT OUR GOVERNMENT HAS MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL CHILDREN REGARDLESS OF RACE OR RELIGION FREE OF CHARGE...AND HE CANT HONOR THE FLAG OF OUR COUNTRY? THE COUNTRY THAT GIVES HIM THE FREEDOM TO ATTEND THIS GRADUATION TO HONOR THE HARD WORK OF THESE CHILDREN...THE FUTURE OF AMERICA...AS HE STOOD THERE DRESSED IN TORN BLUE JEANS AND A ROCK BAND SHIRT WITH A SMUG LOOK ON HIS FACE. I THOUGHT OF MY 21 YR OLD SON WHO LEAVES FOR AFGHANISTAN NEXT MONTH AND MY 19 YR OLD DAUGHTER WHO GAVE UP COLLEGE TO FOLLOW IN HER BIG BROTHERS FOOTSTEPS AND MY 18 YEAR OLD SON WHO ALSO CHOSE TO DEFEND FREEDOM LIKE HIS OLDER SIBLINGS...THE MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY WHO COULD NOT ATTEND THEIR LITTLE BROTHERS GRADUATION BECAUSE THEY WERE RISKING THEMSELVES LIFE AND LIMB TO DEFEND THIS GREAT NATION SO THAT WE MAY CONTINUE TO GATHER IN SMALL TOWN CHURCHES AND HONOR THE HARD WORK OF OUR CHILDREN. I HOPE SOMEDAY THAT MAN REALIZES JUST HOW LUCKY WE ALL ARE TO LIVE FREE...TO HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHOICES...GOD BLESS OUR SOLDIERS...GOD BLESS AMERICA!
SINCERELY, LEAH DANIEL PROUD ARMY MOM!
(Leah, that wasn’t a man, that was an arrogant, & ignorant punk that deserves his butt kicked. He doesn’t understand our very basis of life in America. Fear of God, Love of Country, and respect for Authority. and you’ve inspired this morning’s Small Town Soap Box.)

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Dear Moby,
I listen to you every morning on my way to work. Your support of our military men and women deeply touches me. I have a 24 year old son-in-law in the Navy who just returned from Afghanistan on April 1. My daughter, who is not quite 23, also a Sailor, arrived in Iraq on April 2, and my son who just turned 19, a Marine, arrived in Okinowa on April 3. I am very proud of all 3 of them. To be so young and willing to gladly lay down their lives for our freedom is something that should make us as Americans all proud.

Since April 1, I have experienced 2 other groups of people that also should make us proud. When my son-in-law returned from Afghanistan, he could give me no flight information because of security reasons. All he could give me was a tentative date, and to tell me to check with the USO when I arrived at the airport. We found the USO office and explained our situation. This group of volunteers bent over backwards for us. They gave us breakfast and a comfortable place to sit while we waited for them to find our son-in-laws flight. There were probably 50 or more children in uniform there. I say children because the oldest one there looked to be no more than 25. They were alone, in a strange airport going to places where they would most probably see things none of us should have to see. These USO volunteers treated these kids like they were their own. As a military mom, it was very heart warming to know that when my own children were on their way to their deployments, there would be people just like these people, who would treat my children with the love and respect all of our service men and women deserve.

The other group came to my attention last night. They are the American Red Cross. I have heard about them my whole life, but other than participating in local blood drives, I really never gave them much thought. I have no way to contact my son or daughter right now because of where they are other than email, and there is no guarantee when they will get those. A very dear friend of our family has cancer. She is like a grandmother to my children. Last night we were told if we wanted to see her, we needed to get to the hospital right away. Knowing that my children obviously couldn't get there, we were told if they could get to a phone, to call the hospital and they would be allowed to talk with her. I tried email, but when I hadn't gotten a response in an hour, I had to try other avenues. I called recruiters, help lines, their friends that are in the service with no luck. Finally I called the Red Cross. After taking my children's information concerning their rank and where they were stationed, I was told someone would be back in touch with me. Within the hour, my son and daughter had both called home and called the hospital to talk to their Mimi. The Red Cross also called back twice to ensure I had heard from both of them. It is not possible for my daughter to come home yet because of where she is and what she is doing, but the Red Cross has helped to arrange an emergency leave for my son, and hopefully he will be home Saturday for a 10 day leave.

To all of the military families out there, these 2 organizations are wonderful support groups for our children and for us as well, and I believe they deserve a big yeah baby too.
God Bless all of our military personnel that give so much and ask so little in return. And God Bless the USO and American Red Cross for being there for our children when we can't be.

Elizabeth Atkins
Proud Military Mom

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 As I start to reach middle age, I sit and wonder, what happened to my America? When I was little everybody knew everybody, and everybody’s business, and if you were told to stop something you did stop because every body knew. What happened to my America?
There were no colors of skin, and everybody played outside with everybody. There were those who were good fighters those who got beat up, and those that neither had to fight or get beat up. What happened to my America?
We played outside from sun up to sun down, and never worried about who was riding down the street. A gang shooting would have been considered a water gun fight gone a-rye. What happened to my America?
Families were the source of love and authority. They consisted of a mother, father, grandparents, uncles and aunts in control of you, your sisters and brothers. If one told you something it was the same as if you were told by your parents. What happened to my America?
People were proud to an American, and we said the pledge loud and proud and dared anyone to stop us. We had prayer in schools every morning regardless of religious views. Children respected their elders and when asked to do something they did it for fear of what their parents might do not if but when they found out. What happened to my America?
 Today we have children raising children and grandparents trying to raise their children’s children. Children think they are entitled to everything without putting forth an effort, and parents who are best friends with their children instead of being parents. Nobody knows their neighbors much less will give them the time of day. Children are expected to be given everything just because they want it, and if not parents use inappropriate colorful language or the threat of suing to get what their children want. What happened to my America?
Let me tell you. We have gotten away from family values, such as a hard days work for a days pay. Elders are to be valued and not treated like dirt. Parents are parents first and friends later. Families shared values and talked around the dinner table. And last but not least, America was the home of the free because there are men, & women who are willing to give their lives so that those spoiled rotten self entitled children might have a chance at a better life. That’s what has happened to my America!
Yeah Baby!
Tammy White

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Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer.
Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos.. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.
When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.

Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.
Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers... He kneeled down and said 'hi.'
The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.

The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.

The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.
When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second... Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it..

After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'

The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.
As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek. We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices.

At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.

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(This is also published on "AP AMERICAN" Blog)

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!!!!!!

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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.

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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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

To listen and download audio, click here

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.

All Week, we will be airing The Best Of "The Small Town Soap Box". We invite you to browse past soapboxes and enjoy some of them again. New soapboxes will return next week!

Click Here to Find Audio From Older Best Of The Small Town Soap Boxes

Dear Moby,

I am in the 6th grade and was hoping maybe you would use this a small town soap box. Altough i can't say that i truly understand what is going on with the government right now, i think have the jist of it. What we need is someone who can stand up to the democrats and make them listen. Our government consists of teamwork and right now it sems like that doesn't exist. We need a hero. Someone who is willing to fight the whole way. We need someone who can make Mr.Obama listen.A hero. Not someone like Mr.Obama who says he will make a difference. A true hero. I hope that Mr.Obama and the people who voted for him realize that he hasn't follwed through with his promises yet. In fact i think that he as done the opposite! He has raised taxes so that we can help support people who are to lazy to work,he won't leave he economy alone, and he is talking with countries that we probably shouldn't be talking to. To me, Mr.Obama is nothing but the opposite of a hero. So if you think that you are a hero, you just might be one. You could be the one who will make people listen, and possibly, make a difference. I hope you like it and please!!!!!!! use it as a soap box. That is really all i want. Thank you,

Sincerely,
Cassie Bright
Alpharetta, Ga

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Moby,
Thank you for your respect of our veterans. My husband is a veteran of the war in Iraq and was injured. Due to his injuries, he was medically discharged. We are dealing with the VA right now. I want you to know that the care he gets at the VA is very good. IT may be slow, but it is good. I have sent something that I think you will like.

Thank you,
Amanda James

Peter Heck - Guest Columnist - 4/14/2009 7:50:00 AM
As I was sitting in church waiting for the start of the service, my grandpa came walking towards me pointing his finger. No matter how old I get, and no matter how long he's been out of the U.S. Navy, that's still an intimidating sight. As he approached me, his voice quivered as he said, "We saved that continent twice...how dare my president apologize for this country's arrogance."
My grandpa is right. Americans need not apologize to the world for their arrogance; rather, Americans should apologize to their forefathers for the arrogance of their president.
Barack Obama's first foreign trip as President of the United States has confirmed the naiveté so many of us feared during the election cycle. But worse than that, it has also demonstrated that our president suffers from either a complete misunderstanding of our heritage and history, or an utter contempt for it. Neither is excusable.
Garnering cheers from the French of all people, President Obama declared, "In America , there is a failure to appreciate Europe 's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive." Consider that Obama spoke these words just 500 miles from the beaches of Normandy , where the sand is still stained with 65-year-old blood of "arrogant Americans."
Indeed, columnist Mark Whittington observes, "One should remind Mr. Obama and the Europeans how America has 'shown arrogance' by saving Europe from itself innumerable times in the 20th Century. World War I, World War II, the Cold War, and the wars in the Balkans were largely resolved by American
blood, treasure, and leadership." But all that appears lost on the president's seemingly insatiable quest to mend fences he imagines have been tarnished by the bullish George W. Bush.
If Obama wishes to continue trampling the presidential tradition of showing class to former office holders and publicly trash Bush for his own personal gain, so be it. But all Americans should make clear that no man – even if he is the president – will tarnish the legacy of those Americans who have gone before us. Ours is not a history of arrogance. It is a history of courage, self-sacrifice, and honor.
When abusive monarchs repressed the masses, Americans resisted and overthrew them. When misguided policies led to the unjust oppression of fellow citizens, Americans rebelled and overturned them. When millions of impoverished and destitute wretches sought a new beginning, Americans threw open the door
and welcomed them. When imperial dictators were on the march, Americans surrendered their lives to stop them. When communist thugs threatened world peace, Americans bled to defeat them. When an entire continent was overwhelmed with famine and hunger, Americans gave of themselves to sustain it. When terrorist madmen killed the innocent and subjugated millions, Americans led the fight to topple them.
This is the legacy that generations of Americans have left. If President Obama seeks stronger relations with the world community, perhaps he should begin by reminding them of these very truths, rather than condemning his own countrymen on foreign shores.
This "obsessive need to put down his own country," has caused blogger James Lewis to call President Obama a "stunningly ignorant man" who has evidently never spoken to a concentration camp survivor, a Cuban refugee, a boat person from Vietnam, a Soviet dissident, or a survivor of Mao's purges.
Unfortunately, I can no longer bring myself to give Mr. Obama that benefit of the doubt. Not after looking at the pain in my grandpa's eyes...a man who still carries shrapnel in his body from his service to this country.
As a student and teacher of history, I recognize that America has made mistakes...plenty of them, in fact. But one of the great things about our people has been their courage and humility in admitting and correcting those mistakes. God willing, they will prove that willingness again in four years and correct the mistake that is the presidency of Barack Obama.

Hello Moby,

I live in Switzerland and i am a Swiss citizen
I listen everyday by internet here in Switzerland to moby in the morning
I travel almost every year to the USA, I arrived yesterday back here in Switzerland from my trip, and I am so glad that I can listen, that takes me my heartache, because I hate it to leave the USA.
I would like to say to you, be proud to be American, be proud to live in the South. America is the only country, which is absolutely free, but your freedom is in danger, Mr Obama is scary me, he is dangerous for America
Most people here in Europe like him, because he is a socialist.
What kind of strange world, Swiss government is talking and shaking hands with the president from Iran, this guy is a terrorist, Obama is talking and shaking hands with the terrorist from Venezuela
How can a government in the west talk with an enemy against USA and Israel? I hate my country and my government and many from the Swiss citizen.

My heart is beating in red, white and blue, I have the American flag in my living room, I drive a F 150 and a Mustang, I love American cars and trucks, they are then best looking and most reliable vehicles on the planet, I would die for the US

Please fight for your freedom, dont give it away.
Mr Obama Is wrong

Sincerely

Ruedi Schoch
Winterthur,
Switzerland

Dear Reverned Sharpton:

I have read about you with much interest since learning of the protest you plan to lead against me in Maricopa County in June as a way to force my resignation or removal from office.

Your public proclamation leads me to the conclusion: not only do you not understand Arizona; you also do not understand democracy. As the elected Sheriff who, so far has been elected to five consecutive four-year terms, I answer to the four million residents of Maricopa County. I do not answer to the whims of the media, or locally and nationally elected officials who want to open borders and who have their own agendas. Nor do I answer to a publicity hound outside interloper who has demonstrated no interest in looking for the truth before making loud uninformed noises.

While your public outcries are colorful, there are several instances where you have inserted yourself into other people's affairs without knowing any of the facts. Poor judgement has caused you plenty of trouble in the past and promises to do so again. Most earnest people want to learn from their mistakes. You seem to glory in repeating them.

I would like to help you avoid further embarrassment by assisting in your understanding of the illegal immigration problem here in my county. When and if you do make the trip here, I invite you to call me to talk about these false allegations.

We can discuss how my deputies are extensively trained by the federal government to properly combat illegal immigration and how the laws of this state allow this Sheriff's Office to question and investigate the immigration status of those people deputies detain in the course of our everyday law enforcement duties.

Don't make the same mistake made by the four Democratic Congressmen calling for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation of this office. They and other politicians relied solely on media reports and ainti-law enforcement handouts that are replete with inaccuracies. They have brainwashed a handful of local residents to believe these lies. Rest assured that the men and women of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office do not racially profile anyone.

However, we do enforce the state and federal illegal immigration laws. And we ill continue to do so as long asthese laws are on the books. You can parachute into town, stomp your feet up and down and more press conferences against me- that is a hallmark of democracy too- but you will not stop me, nor slow me down for one second, from doing what is right.

Before you bring your circus to town and take to our streets by marching against this Sheriff, let's get you fully informed for a change. Congressman John Conyers did not have the courtesy to respond to my invitation to visit with me personally. I hope you will consider my invitation. Surely, and man like yourself-a reverend- who famously preaches from the church pulpit understands the infinte wisdom of these words: You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. Let's talk about the truth, Reverend. I await your response.

Sincerly,
Joe Arpaio
Sheriff, Maricopa County

Having spoken to some SEAL pals and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I got the following:
1. BHO (Barack Hussein Obama) wouldn't authorize the SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against the OSC (on scene commander) recommendation.

2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE (Rules Of Engagement) that they couldn't do anything unless the hostage's life was in "imminent" danger

3. The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the enemy all sighted in, but could not fire due to the ROE restriction

4. When the navy RIB came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the enemy were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them all dialed in.

5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the Bainbridge CPN and SEAL teams. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead enemy

7. BHO immediately claims credit for his "daring and decisive" behavior. As usual with him, it's B.S.
Here’s the accurate account.
Philip's first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn't worked out well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country's Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors, and none was taken.

The guidance from Barack Obama had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage's life was in clear, extreme danger.

The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on by the Somali pirates and again no fire was returned and no pirates killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a mandate from the commander in chief's staff not to act until Obama, a man with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of decisiveness, decided that no outcome other than a peaceful solution would be acceptable.

After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the on scene commander decided he'd had enough. Having heard nothing from Washington since yet another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before, the Navy officer, unnamed in all media reports to date, decided the AK47 one captor had leveled at Philips' back was a threat to the hostage's life and ordered the SEAL team to take their shots.

Three rounds downrange later, all three became enemy KIA and Philips was safe.
Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put to rest questions of the inexperienced president's toughness and decisiveness.
Despite the Obama administration’s attempt to spin the success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort. What should have been a standoff lasting only as long as it took the USS Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location, became an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship.

Dear Moby:

While I was listening to your show this morning on my usual drive into work, I was sitting still at the traffic light during the time that the Small Town Soapbox was aired. I looked around at the many cars that were next to, in front of, and behind me. I began to wonder. Are these people Republicans or Democrats? I could not really tell. Sure one person did have an Obama bumper sticker on her car. I would assume that she as a Democrat. How would I really know? This could be her mother’s car or just a friend’s car that she was borrowing.

My conclusion was that these people were just “people”. Not with a label on them. They all were probably God fearing hard working Americans on their way to their job just as myself. Are they just as concerned about this nation’s economy as I? Do they work hard every day and take care of their homes and families as I do? Does it really matter what color what color their skin is or whether or not they are conservative or liberal. Not really in the whole scheme of things.

We as Americans need to band together to better this nation. Stop blaming one party or the other for things. Sure we need to fix some other problems that we have at hand, but attacking each other because of the opinion that they hold is not the way. It really made me sad. Then, I looked up directly above me and saw one of those changing billboards. The following appeared:

“if my people who are called by my Name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Then it occurred to me. We have been shown a way. Let’s get off our high horses and humble ourselves to lead our nation to the great nation that it is. God Bless America and the people we are. Yeah Baby Jennifer Sibley

Dear Jennifer,
I’ve frequently said that if everyone cared for the needy near them, there would be no needy among us. An individual’s ethic, drive, passion, and commitment to succeed create who we are. It’s our individual choice, and our right. It’s what freedom is.

We are responsible for ourselves and our family. Beyond that is charity, and we should give as we feel led to support with the fruits of our labor. Taking from those that understand that concept and behave accordingly, to give to those that do not, is not what brought us here.

God bless the Christian based, independent nation of free citizens that America has always been, and the devil with those that seem to not understand the ideal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and would change that America.

Yeah baby,
Moby

The newly elected, and duly inaugurated “leader of the free world”, the 44th President of the United States, has gone to Europe, and told the citizens of France, witnessed by all with the technology to hear it, that the nation he was elected to lead, the Commander in Chief of whose military he pledged to be, whose Constitution he pledged to protect and defend from all aggressors, foreign or domestic, and swore these words with the traditional “So Help Me God” believes our country, these United States of America to be arrogant.

To the citizens of France I ask do we appear arrogant when we visit the graves, on French soil, of the heroic American soldiers that came ashore & lost their lives as these United States delivered to you from unspeakable oppression on June 6th, 1944. Are we arrogant then, Mr President?
When our veterans from the liberation of Iraq, and the continuing war against terror come home to friends & families with wounds that will never heal, and we insist our tax dollars go to care for them tenderly, physically and emotionally as the heroes they are, is that arrogant or devoutly patriotic t0 those that have displayed devoted patriotism?

Our properly elected and duly inaugurated leader, the President of the United States, on the trip he recently returned from, bowed to Saudi King Abdulla. I believe that as Americans, we have earned a right to stand straight and tall, and bow to no one. Perhaps, it’s that opinion that makes me appear arrogant. I believe those like me in our Christian based nation believe there is a throne before which we’ll all ultimately bow, but on that throne will reside the King of all Creation, and not a mortal man. Does it make me appear arrogant to believe that is true?

I believe that free men and women have the right to retain the fruits of their labor, gathered by the sweat of their brow, and either save those fruits to be distributed where obligated, to enjoy the luxuries they desire, with the remaining profits willed to their heirs, or as our individual conscience dictates, donated to those that have not been so fortunate.

I believe the American Dream is NOT a right but an opportunity every American has been presented the freedom and independence to pursue by the blood and selfless sacrifice of those dedicated American patriots that came before us.

Does THAT make me appear arrogant?

I believe those that have contributed little or nothing to our American frontier, but have depended on welfare from my government to survive, whose parents and grandparents have depended on welfare, and whose children and grandchildren without some mass awakening and redirection will depend on welfare and government assistance for the very bread on their table, do not have a right to an equal share of American bounty. No moral American would see them starve, because we are a kind and loving, Christian based nation, but redistribution, and the government imposed portion that our President, our congress, and our senate being propose to be taken away from hard-working, visionary patriotic Americans, simply isn’t fair, and removes incentive from working Americans striving to better the future for themselves and their family.

Am I arrogant because I believe that?

I believe that charity is a moral obligation that can not be legislated and that my Christian soul will guide me & my family to give what we personally feel is a charitable and Christian portion of our personal, legally gathered holdings, because I believe we will some day we’ll be individually evaluated by the supreme & impartial judge of us all.

Certainly taxes to support the security, defense and infrastructure of these United States needs to be an obligation we all share because we love America, we love our families, and we insist on planning for the future of our children, and their children’s children, and leaving in our wake and America at least as strong and self-sufficient as the America we inherited. I believe that this has been, still is, and will die to insure it always remains the greatest of all nations on the face of the Earth.
Does that make me appear arrogant?

If does, then so be it, an arrogant American, I am and will always be.
God Bless us all.

To hear this and download the audio, click here.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).  His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but  overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, ' Who would like this $20 bill? ' Hands started going up. He said, ' I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this. He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, ' Who still wants it? Still the hands were up in the air. Well, he replied, ' What if I do this? 'And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it? '

Still the hands went into the air. My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20..

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE. You are special -Don ' t EVER forget it ' Count your blessings, not your problems. And remember: amateurs built the ark .professionals built the Titanic.

If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.

Citizens from Coast to Coast are organizing to protest being taxed without constitutional consideration or representation at TEA Party rallies on April 15. If you don’t have plans to attend one, hear me now. These TEA Parties are part of a national movement to protest our government’s outrageous spending of trillions of dollars which is creating a debt that neither we nor our great-grandchildren can pay.

We the people are united against European-style bigger government, private-industry takeovers and irresponsible spending. As friends, neighbors, and patriotic Americans, we unite in one voice in opposition to these attacks on our freedoms, our way of life and our Constitution. Citizens from all over the United States of America are already planning to attend a Tea Party Neighborhoods are organizing as groups. Families from our largest cities and our quietest villages are car-pooling to these Tea Parties, to shout at the top of our patriotic lungs that what’s rapidly happening in our country is NOT what the founders of our nation conceived for the generations in the wake of the price that’s been paid for the country we all love. Join your friends and neighbors, and rally to voice your opposition to out-of-control spending, the abandonment of our Constitution, and the remaking of our Republic. Take your signs! Take your American flags! Take to the streets. Let the passion in your hearts be clearly heard. We will not let America and our children’s future be ridden roughshod over by those that feel impenetrable in the ivory towers of Washington.

Let’s make our voices heard!

Submitted by Beth Brady:

America the beautiful, or so you used to be. Land of the Pilgrims’ pride; I’m glad they’ll never see. Babies piled in dumpsters, abortion on demand, Oh, sweet land of liberty; your house is on the sand. Our children wander aimlessly poisoned by cocaine; choosing to indulge their lusts, when God has said abstain. From sea to shining sea, our nation turns away From the teaching of God’s love and a need to always pray. We’ve kept God in our temples, how callous we have grown. When earth is but His footstool, and Heaven is His throne. We’ve voted in a government that’s rotting at the core, Appointing Godless Judges; who throw reason out the door. Too soft to place a killer in a well-deserved tomb, But brave enough to kill a baby before he leaves the womb. You think that God’s not angry, that our land’s a moral slum? How much longer will He wait before His judgment comes? How are we to face our God, from whom we cannot hide? What then is left for us to do, but stem this evil tide? If we who are His children, will humbly turn and pray; Seek His holy face and mend our evil way: Then God will hear from Heaven; and forgive us of our sins, He’ll heal our sickly land and those who live within. But, America the Beautiful, If you don’t - then you will see, A sad but Holy God withdraw His hand from Thee..

~~Judge Roy Moore~~

Moby talks to Officer Jamie Lawrence from Cobb County Police Department about the 3 officers killed in Pennsylvania.

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Dear Moby:

I have two sons currently serving in the US Military. 10 years and 12 years respectively. I'm so proud of them. I can't tell you how many times, friends have come up to me and said "You really need to tell your boys to get out of the Military". I guess people don't understand that, first of all - I lost control of their lives when they took their oaths to defend the constitution, and also, that because my sons are doing what they do - their sons and daughters have the right to do what they are doing. If everyone in the Military - cut & ran, well, I just wouldn't want to think about what our lives would be like.

Life as a military parent is hard enough without so called well-wishers injecting their opinions. My sons enjoy what they do, and have advanced quickly. When the time comes to re-enlist, they don't hesitate. They know they could be working in "the real world" and making double what they make in the military, but they know where their duty is.

When friends say "I'd just curl up and die if my child enlisted", I don't know what to say to them. Every night since my sons enlisted, when I go to bed - I curl up and pray, not only for my sons but all the sons and daughters, husbands and wives that proudly serve our country. Thank you for expressing your opinions. I listen to your show every morning on the way to work and agree with you completely. After all, hopefully we only have 3 1/2 more years and things will change. --

Sincerely,
Kathy Sears
Webster Springs, WV

Moby,
I have mailed you once or twice before about relatively mundane things, a hymn request or the like, nothing of importance.
Tonight something struck me and I felt compelled to share it with you:
I called my wife as I was driving home from my office this evening, the regular chat, what would you like for dinner, anything interesting happen with our son at school today and then I'll see you in 30 minutes while I watch the red lights snake up Hwy. 400.

I arrived safely in the house to the smell of southern fried pork chops, and a hug and kiss from my wife, son and daughter. My 5 year old son proudly says grace for us, making sure to remind our Heavenly Father to watch over sissy (who is still learning to walk), Uncle Earnest (who is battling prostate cancer), Ethan (his little buddy from Pre-K who is winning his battle with Leukemia) and "everybody else who is sick or sad".

We finish supper and my son asks me to feel his loose tooth (the one we have been playing with the last week) and my little baby son (who is now 5 and 1/2) says go ahead Dad, pull it out, I WON'T CRY. And when I pull it he doesn't (but I almost do)! We show Momma and carefully place the tooth (the third in the on going war of baby tooth attrition) in the tooth fairy bag for her anticipated late evening visit, we then engage in our usual after dinner activity: wrestling like a couple of wild hooligan's let loose after the world cup, effectively destroying Momma and Daddy room. This all of course after his bath is finished so that his hair is a mess and Momma is vexed with Daddy for getting him wound up before bed.

Then from the other room I hear my wife call to me to report the next great event of the evening: My Little Bit (my name for my 2 year old baby girl) has just done her business on the big girl potty for the first time. Cheers and applause echo throughout the bathroom and our family home as if the lottery has just been won!

As things started to settle down, I walked by my dogs water bowl and noticed it was almost empty, and as I turn to the sink to fill it, that is when it hit me: All those little things that fill my life, everyday, how very precious, how very blessed am I? I have never, ever, done one thing in my life to justify the incredible gifts God has granted me. And meanwhile, there are American Service Men and Women sitting in the mountains of Afghanistan, in the slums of Iraq, on a Destroyer in the Mediterranean, or a C130 in the clouds watching it all. They didn't get to make that call tonight driving home, they didn't get to hug and kiss there little boy after wrestling with him, they didn't have their precious Little Bit come calling DAAAAH when she was done with her bath and smelling like I imagine one of Gods own Angels would, wanting me to hug and love on her.

How Lucky Am I? Well I'll tell you. I am the luckiest man in the world, to have other men and women who would give up their life, so that I can enjoy mine. And somewhere there is a Daddy, who want's that son or daughter he once wrestled with, home again. Not to wrestle with, only to hug and tell them that he loves them. AND I WANT THAT TOO!

Right then and there I thanked God for this gift, those men and women. My prayer was a very simple one, as I am a very simple man: "God, please watch over them, all of them, and bring them home safe."

THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU FOR WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO! How can I ever repay you?
God Bless And Keep You Moby, Ron, Jill and all of the cousins.

Warm Regards,
Richard Von Scherr
Dawsonville, GA

March 10, 2009 British Editorial on Obama's Victory
The British have such a wonderful command of the English language. Whether you agree with this article or not, you have to agree that it is very cleverly written.

Obama's Victory--A British view
A victory for the hysterical Oprah Winfrey, the mad racist preacher Jeremiah Wright, the US mainstream media who abandoned any sense of objectivity long ago, Europeans who despise America largely because they depend on her, comics who claim to be dangerous and fearless but would not dare attack genuinely powerful special interest groups. A victory for Obama-worshippers everywhere. A victory for the cult of the cult. A man who has done little with his life but has written about his achievements as if he had found the cure for cancer in between winning a marathon and building a nuclear reactor with his teeth. Victory for style over substance, hyperbole over history, rabble-raising over reality.

A victory for Hollywood, the most dysfunctional community in the world. Victory for Streisand, Spielberg, Soros, Moore, and Sarandon. Victory for those who prefer welfare to will and interference to independence. For those who settle for group think and herd mentality rather than those who fight for individual initiative and the right to be out of step with meager political fashion.
Victory for a man who is no friend of freedom. He and his people have already stated that media has to be controlled so as to be balanced, without realizing the extraordinary irony within that statement. Like most liberal zealots, the Obama worshippers constantly speak of the Fox News Network and Rush Limbaugh, when the vast bulk of television stations and newspapers are drastically liberal and anti-conservative. Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer said that just as pornography should be censored, so should talk radio. In other words, one of the few free and open means of popular expression may well be cornered and beaten by bullies who even in triumph cannot tolerate any criticism and opposition..
A victory for those who believe the state is better qualified to raise children than the family, for those who prefer teachers' unions to teaching and for those who are naively convinced that if the West is sufficiently weak to wards its enemies, war and terror will dissolve as quickly as the tears on the face of a leftist celebrity.

A victory for social democracy even after most of Europe has come to the painful conclusion that social democracy leads to mediocrity, failure, unemployment, inflation, higher taxes and economic stagnation. A victory for intrusive lawyers, banal sentimentalists, social extremists and urban snobs.
Congratulations America! Your funeral will be sooner than you think!

Dear Moby: --

Moby,
I am so tired of hearing your dumb jokes about President Obama. Have you always been a jerk or did you just become one. Now I remember why I don't listen to country music anymore, you’re all just a bunch of single minded retards. You are judging Mr. Obama and not even giving him a chance. I think Mr. Obama should raise taxes on toilet paper so people like you, that are full of s--t, would pay more taxes.

Sincerely,

Kim West Dahlonega, GA


Thank you for the input, Kim. Also, thank you for signing your email. It's good to know who's on the other side of the patriotic pendulum that I think is taking us rapidly down a shadowy road to socialism. Believe it or not, I pray that the gentleman we've put in the White House isn't dragging my country down a path from which we'll not even recognize what America used to be. The "single-minded retards" that we call our Founding Fathers, the men that wrote the constitution we've lived under for over 2 centuries, are spinning in their collective graves. "America first" is, I assume, not a posture you subscribe to. Is it? To answer your question, I'm pretty sure you would have always considered me a jerk. I know what I believe to be true, and I'm thinking that if it's not in line with your thoughts, a jerk I must be.

So be it.

God bless and protect us all.

MOBY


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Since leaving the big city in favor of a slower Montana lifestyle, we have been overwhelmed by the great people we have made friends with and the terrific schools that our children are blessed to attend.

Unfortunately, my family is frequently ridiculed in public places by these same good people when my youngest son acts out. The most recent episode occurred at a wedding rehearsal last week. My six-year-old son didn't want to be there, so I took him outside the church where he began yelling, screaming and being disrespectful. He wiggled around on the ground and wouldn't listen to me.

One of the women bringing in flowers obviously couldn't stand to watch my child yell at me anymore and had to say something. Her remarks are something I hear all too often. She said, “I don't want to tell you how to raise your child, but I raised four boys and a good swat always made them respect me..”

My only comeback to people that pass judgment on my parenting skills is to let them in on my secret. My son Adam has Autism. It affects Adam's behavior, thought, perception and attention. He is not mentally retarded, and is actually quite intelligent. Adam has problems with social skills and communication. He can make lots of noise, be disruptive, sometimes has difficulties interacting with other people, and can display extreme distress or have temper tantrums for no reason. Autistic kids don't have control of their behavior most of the time and don't even know they are acting up. These actions are not a result of “bad parenting”, and there are ways to deal with these outbursts; however, punishment is not one of them because this behavior is mostly involuntary.

Many area residents continue to pass judgment on us when our son is out in public “acting up”. To be courteous, we often leave a movie theater 30 minutes into a show or leave restaurants halfway through a meal for the sake of the other patrons when my son becomes disruptive. Thank heaven the woman carrying the flowers at the wedding rehearsal didn't have to endure any of her kids having a debilitating disorder like autism. Had I given my son a swat as was suggested, it would have sent him into a tailspin and a huge tantrum would have ensued. Undoubtedly, it could have ruined the wedding rehearsal not only for my family, but also for the bride and groom.

Daily life with a special needs child presents many unique challenges that make life utterly different than you expect it to be. All I can ask of the casual observer is that before you pass judgment on me or my family please put yourself in our shoes. I'm sure in the coming years I will continue telling perfect strangers that my son is not a bad kid, he is autistic. The next time you see a child having a tantrum and a mom or dad is frazzled, stop and think about their situation, and that maybe they aren't bad parents, but struggling to stay calm in the storm around them.


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He was just a little boy,
On a week's first day.
Wandering home from Bible school,
And dawdling on the way.

He scuffed his shoes into the grass;
He even found a caterpillar.
He found a fluffy milkweed pod,
And blew out all the 'filler.'

A bird's nest in a tree overhead,
So wisely placed up so high.
Was just another wonder,
That caught his eager eye.

A neighbor watched his zig zag course,
And hailed him from the lawn;
Asked him where he'd been that day
And what was going on.

'I've been to Bible School ,'
He said and turned a piece of sod.
He picked up a wiggly worm replying,
'I've learned a lot about God.'

'M'm very fine way,' the neighbor said,
'for a boy to spend his time.'
'If you'll tell me where God is,
I'll give you a brand new dime.'

Quick as a flash the answer came!
Nor were his accents faint.
'I'll give you a dollar, Mister,
If you can tell me where God ain't.'


To Listen or Download Audio, Click Here

Know what? You're just like that other FAT MOUTH, Limbaugh. He has nothing to give but criticism and no alternatives. We've been waiting over 60 days for any alternative plans the Republican party has that can be implemented to change this economy. Nothing more than the same old tax cuts for the rich and big corporations and less government spending. Who & What do you think got us where we are now. The Republican party. If you have something different then tell us. If not, SHUT YOUR BIG FAT MOUTH!!!!!!!!! You’re not a politician. You’re just a hick DJ. Play your music and leave politics alone. You can't win.

Edgar Godfrey


Not tryin' to win, Edgar. Just giving my opinion as long as I still have the right to do so. I'm pretty sure it was Bill C. that started the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, "everybody has a right to a half million dollar house, whether you can afford it or not" mentality. We are of different minds regarding our future; time will tell who's right or wrong. I really pray that you're right. Otherwise America as we've known it is in troubled waters. I'll not "shut up" though, brother. This is how I've made a living for nearly 40 years, and you're absolutely entitled to your opinion of how I do what I do. I'll just thank you for listening, and go on abut my day.

Yeah baby,

MOBY

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Steelers to lose Super Bowl Trophies

Pittsburgh, PA.

The Super Bowl XLIII Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the only team to win six titles, will soon be losing half of those trophies. After a meeting between NFL Commissioner Rodger Gadel and President Barack Hussein Obama, Obama decided to redistribute half of their Steeler Super Bowl victories and trophies to less fortunate teams in the league. “We live everyday in the country that invented the Super Bowl.” said Obama “We are not about to lose this Great American tradition in the wake of these difficult times.” Obama’s plan calls for the Steelers, who are a successful NFL team, to give half of their Super Bowl trophies to teams that are not successful or have not been as successful as the Steelers.

“The Detroit Loins are just as much a part of the same fiber of the NFL as the Steelers and they should, no rather will, be entitled to a Super Bowl Trophy as well.” Obama explains in his plan that he has imposed on Godel and the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who by virtue of hard work, excellent team play, stellar draft choices, responsible investing of free agents, careful hiring of coaches and excellent community service and commitment to their fans, has prospered greatly during the past 30 years and have won six Super Bowl Trophies. But President Barack Hussein Obama’s plan calls for the Pittsburgh

Steelers to carry the larger burden of the NFL’s less successful teams.

Obama went on to further proclaim, “In these difficult times we are all in this to work together. We must reclaim the NFL Championship Dream for every team, for every city and for every fan.” “My plan will not affect 31 of the 32 teams in the league.” Obama assures. That’s over 95 percent of the teams in the NFL will

not have to worry about losing any Super Bowl Trophies. “The worst teams in the NFL and the teams that can’t seem to get a break and win a championship will no longer have to worry about going without a title.”Obama promises. “We are a country and league of hope. We all need to make a change. It does not matter the color of the teams uniforms, the personal decisions that the teams make or their performance but rather if they are a member of this great American league.”



The Super Bowl XLIII trophy will be redistributed to the 0-16 Detroit Lions. Through no fault of their own incompetence, the Lions could not manage a victory all season and this trophy will help ease the pain of their lack of performance and give them hope once again.


The redistribution of Super Bowl XL trophy will go directly to the Steeler’s division rival the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals who also have fallen on hard times have never won a Super Bowl. This victory will bring a smile to hundreds of Bengal fans all over the world as they can now celebrate. Finally, one of the Steeler’s two Super Bowl victories over the Dallas Cowboys will go back to

the Cowboys since the league needs to provide hope in the face of difficulty and provide hope in the face of uncertainty. This is a heavy burden for the Steelers but together we can all prosper. All hope is not lost for Pittsburgh fans, Barack Hussein Obama has another plan in place. Obama has meet with MLB and commissioner Bud Selig on a similar plan. The New York Yankees will

redistribute two of their world series trophies to the Pittsburgh Pirates as a supplement to their loosing 16 straight seasons and counting. This plan will help stimulate the Pirates and enable them to regain the American Dream. Barack Hussein Obama will be meeting with the NHL and Michael Phelps in the upcoming weeks as this issue is high on his agenda for “Hope and

Change.”