Do we need any more proof that there is a war on religion taking place in this country right now? Watch the following video and tell me that this wasn't intentional.
Here is NBC's response:
We live in a country that was founded with a firm reliance in divine providence. It is that firm reliance that set a foundation for our country to grow into the great country that it is and if we don't correct our course it will become a "was".
Here is an example of our own elected officials intentionally omitting God.
As a side note, did you know the one nation under God portion of the pledge allegiance is actually meant to be read as one thought like the following:
One nation under God
as opposed to
One nation, under God
Over time we have divided the one nation and the under God but in reality they are supposed to flow as one continous statement. How do we expect this country to continue to be great without a focus on God as the cornerstone? You don't have to be a believer yourself but the respect and influence has to remain.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Agenda 21 - Coming to a city near you??
Do the words "Sustainable Development" ring a bell or mean anything to you? Whether they do or not here is a video you should really watch. This video was created back in 2009 and I can't believe today is the first time that I have heard of "Agenda 21".
Today Glenn Beck did a piece on Agenda 21 and it is the usual suspects behind it. The first 15-20 mins of the following video provide more details about who is behind it:
Is this a legit concern? It sure is looking like it. We all need to keep a close eye on our communities for the buzz words "Sustainable Development". I know I will be keeping a close eye on my local and state officials.
If you would like more content for your reading pleasure, below is the actual document from the UN:
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/
I'm convinced these threats are real and I don't know how long we can all assume that we can sit back and wait to see what happens.
Today Glenn Beck did a piece on Agenda 21 and it is the usual suspects behind it. The first 15-20 mins of the following video provide more details about who is behind it:
Is this a legit concern? It sure is looking like it. We all need to keep a close eye on our communities for the buzz words "Sustainable Development". I know I will be keeping a close eye on my local and state officials.
If you would like more content for your reading pleasure, below is the actual document from the UN:
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/
I'm convinced these threats are real and I don't know how long we can all assume that we can sit back and wait to see what happens.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Rick Santorum
Another candidate for the 2012 Elections that I think I will be able to support. Again it is still based primarily on a video and the little bit I have heard about him but I think he is promising. His values and beliefs seem to match mine. Take a look at his video and join me in learning more about him if he catches your attention.
http://www.ricksantorum.com/
http://www.ricksantorum.com/
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Congrats to Govenor Walker!
According to www.ChiefExecutive.net Wisconsin had the largest increase in the "Best/Worst States for Business" rankings from 2010 to 2011:
Since Scott Walker took office, Wisconsin has moved from the 41st ranked state to the 24th! Keep up the good work Gov Walker. Once again proving that solid conservative principles work. You can read the full article and see the complete charts below:
http://chiefexecutive.net/best-worst-states-for-business
Since Scott Walker took office, Wisconsin has moved from the 41st ranked state to the 24th! Keep up the good work Gov Walker. Once again proving that solid conservative principles work. You can read the full article and see the complete charts below:
http://chiefexecutive.net/best-worst-states-for-business
Monday, May 2, 2011
Osama Bin Laden and Evil
First I want to take a minute to think about and celebrate the fact that Osama Bin Laden, a person more evil than most of us can even fathom, is dead. I think it is perfectly acceptable to rejoice in the fact that he can never hurt another human being! For those who were directly affected by OBL (all of us in some way) I think the picture below says it all.
What is your motivation for celebration? Is it revenge? Is it justice? Is it closure? For me it is closure and the idea that he personally cannot continue to hurt or threaten others...
Now I want to take a step back and take an introspective look at things. Sure for a moment we can, and should, rejoice but does this have a lasting effect on the world? One instance of evil was forcefully removed but evil is a fact of life and will always exist on this planet... we all need to take a look internally and realize that as sinners we are evil in our own ways. Whether it be stealing, cheating or lying we have all sinned and affected someone else in a harmful or destructive way. Are you as an individual evil? I know I am.... Below is one definition that might help if you struggle to answer that question:
Today rejoyce and celebrate, tomorrow join me in focusing inward and begin to really make lasting improvements in this world by focusing on ourselves. There will always be one more Osama Bin Laden out there and while we can hope that removing them will bring lasting change, the kind of change we desire can only be found by fixing ourselves.
These thoughts were inspired by our sermon at Appleton Alliance Church this last Sunday (May 1st, 2011) and you can listen to that here if you are interested: http://www.appletonalliance.org/podcast. As of when I wrote this the sermon was not available but will be shortly.
What is your motivation for celebration? Is it revenge? Is it justice? Is it closure? For me it is closure and the idea that he personally cannot continue to hurt or threaten others...
Now I want to take a step back and take an introspective look at things. Sure for a moment we can, and should, rejoice but does this have a lasting effect on the world? One instance of evil was forcefully removed but evil is a fact of life and will always exist on this planet... we all need to take a look internally and realize that as sinners we are evil in our own ways. Whether it be stealing, cheating or lying we have all sinned and affected someone else in a harmful or destructive way. Are you as an individual evil? I know I am.... Below is one definition that might help if you struggle to answer that question:
Evil is defined as something that is immoral, causes pain or harm, is offensive, or threatening.I know I have caused others pain or harm and been offensive on many occasions... I think we all need to take a look at ourselves and minimize the evil within ourselves first. While today it feels like a major victory we can each make a far larger impact by focusing on our own actions than by removing an individual from the world.
Today rejoyce and celebrate, tomorrow join me in focusing inward and begin to really make lasting improvements in this world by focusing on ourselves. There will always be one more Osama Bin Laden out there and while we can hope that removing them will bring lasting change, the kind of change we desire can only be found by fixing ourselves.
These thoughts were inspired by our sermon at Appleton Alliance Church this last Sunday (May 1st, 2011) and you can listen to that here if you are interested: http://www.appletonalliance.org/podcast. As of when I wrote this the sermon was not available but will be shortly.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Updated: Glenn Beck Leaving Show at Fox News
See bottom for update...
The big news for those who follow politics at all is that Glenn Beck is leaving his regular 5pm EST show on Fox News. With that comes all sorts of speculation about WHY. Most say that he has been forced out because he is so radical and that his ratings were dropping and losing sponsors but we have to remember the source. You can watch this video to get a glimpse of those against him.
For those of you who believe stations like MSNBC, CNN, etc... are non-partisan then you are living in a dreamland and you might as well stop reading because you are never going to believe
the rest anyway (I am not saying that Fox News is not at all partisan because it is). For those of you who are willing to listen to both sides and look into facts rather than simply take the view of one side, below is Glenn's announcement regarding his departure.
Will we ever know the truth regarding this departure? I don't believe we will. I suppose we just have to wait and see how it unfolds. What we can do though is look at the facts. I will try to take them in order and provide evidence to back it although I'm by no means a journalist and don't have time to get piece of evidence after piece of evidence.
Glenn's on camera antics
The report indicates that "he barked, he cried, he ranted". This is true, all true and we could post video after video of him doing this. What is wrong with that? Looking at Glenn's company Mercury Arts, the company's slogan is "the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment". You may not enjoy that kind of entertainment but apparently many do. On top of that if you were to take the full context of what he was saying they are simply dramatizations for the point he was making.
There is more to it then just randomly barking... He is responding and playing off of Obama's comments and the facts that he goes off on are all things that can be backed up as well.
Well you may not agree with his opposing views, and you may not be amused when he tries to entertain, but many can say the same thing about Chris Matthews, Rachel Madow, Ed Schultz, John Stewart or Stephen Colbert. Do you think you could create the same ridiculous clip real of them if you took a scalpel to it?
Falling Ratings / Fleeing Advertisers
Just taking a quick look at the falling ratings issue... Falling or rising is pretty irrelevant in my book because TV ratings are cyclical. I don't know when they are highest and I also don't know when they are lowest. What I can easily do though is look at a given day (Thursday, March 31st in this case) and compare Glenn's ratings to others in the time slot:
Glenn Beck Show (Fox News) - 3,577,000
Situation Room (CNN) - 1,021,000
Hardball with C. Matthews (MSNBC) - 919,000
Fast Money (CNBC) - 355,000
Showbiz Tonight (HLN) - 281,000
He has ratings that are 38% more than the competition COMBINED. Ok, so the next argument would be "Sure that's true but everyone knows Fox News has the most viewers and what is important is how you do relative to the other shows on the station".
The O'Reilly Factor (8pm EST) - 5,477,000
Hannity (9pm EST) - 3,728,000
Glenn Beck Show (5pm EST) - 3,577,000
Special Report w/Bret Baier (6pm EST) - 3,511,000
Fox Report w/S. Smith (7pm EST) - 3,160,000
On the Record w/Greta (10pm EST) - 2,894,000
The O'Reilly Factor (11pm EST) - 2,796,000
He is the 3rd highest ratings on Fox News. Maybe the next question would be "Well maybe the 5pm EST slot has really high ratings overall across the networks".
8pm EST - 8,882,000
9pm EST - 7,546,000
10pm EST - 6,637,000
6pm EST - 6,342,000
5pm EST - 6,153,000
7pm EST - 6,081,000
11pm EST - 5,351,000
So in summary, Glenn has by far the top rated 5pm EST show, has the 3rd highest rated show on the highest rated network, and is in the 3rd worst slot. This decision to separate is clearly not about ratings. What more could Fox be looking for if that was the case? Click here for the study
Well maybe its advertising. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to pull together much evidence on this simply because they don't have to release any of that information. I can however tell you that his company made $32 million dollars last year and you can't exactly do that without advertising. Read more here
Conspiracy Theories
This is the real meat of it and where, if you made it this far, you will likely just say "oh Jay's just a crazy conspiracy theorist too". Many people would argue that this could have caused Fox News to want to get rid of Glenn. I would beg to differ but can understand where they are coming from. You see the things that he outlines are not fun prospects and are kind of a downer. I do believe many of them, as outlandish as they seem, because all of the facts line up. Did you ever notice that no one questions his facts? The argument is "oh he's just crazy!" Wow, that is a good one!
So, while I would love to be able to prove these out in this blog I can't because I do have a job and school work to do... When I have heard these theories I have done basic fact checking and it's amazing what it uncovers. It's amazing how you can connect the dots just like he does (well his research team does). Instead of doing that, here is just one for you to play with and try to prove wrong:
I think it's funny that since the airing of this George Soros has significantly reduced his share of Petrobra. Hmmm... Might be something to look into because Obama is still giving $2 Billion to Brazil. I'm sure there is more to this than what meets the eye but that is a whole other subject. Sorry for thinking out loud!
Conclusion
Was this Fox News firing Glenn? Was it Glenn leaving Fox? We will never know for sure. I do however find it interesting that Fox is continuing a relationship with Glenn but not on a nightly basis but rather simply for specials. It is my personal feeling that Glenn has something bigger planned and has chosen to leave the nightly show arena and pick up a larger, more significant role. Time will tell but for the reasons above I do not agree with the final quote of the clip "It sounds like Ailes is mostly just happy that Beck is gone". If they didn't like what he was doing they would have simply ended the relationship altogether.
Updated April 13, 2011
Does this sound like a guy who was run out of Fox? This is clearer a case of someone who is moving on to a new post by choice.
The big news for those who follow politics at all is that Glenn Beck is leaving his regular 5pm EST show on Fox News. With that comes all sorts of speculation about WHY. Most say that he has been forced out because he is so radical and that his ratings were dropping and losing sponsors but we have to remember the source. You can watch this video to get a glimpse of those against him.
For those of you who believe stations like MSNBC, CNN, etc... are non-partisan then you are living in a dreamland and you might as well stop reading because you are never going to believe
the rest anyway (I am not saying that Fox News is not at all partisan because it is). For those of you who are willing to listen to both sides and look into facts rather than simply take the view of one side, below is Glenn's announcement regarding his departure.
Will we ever know the truth regarding this departure? I don't believe we will. I suppose we just have to wait and see how it unfolds. What we can do though is look at the facts. I will try to take them in order and provide evidence to back it although I'm by no means a journalist and don't have time to get piece of evidence after piece of evidence.
Glenn's on camera antics
The report indicates that "he barked, he cried, he ranted". This is true, all true and we could post video after video of him doing this. What is wrong with that? Looking at Glenn's company Mercury Arts, the company's slogan is "the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment". You may not enjoy that kind of entertainment but apparently many do. On top of that if you were to take the full context of what he was saying they are simply dramatizations for the point he was making.
There is more to it then just randomly barking... He is responding and playing off of Obama's comments and the facts that he goes off on are all things that can be backed up as well.
Well you may not agree with his opposing views, and you may not be amused when he tries to entertain, but many can say the same thing about Chris Matthews, Rachel Madow, Ed Schultz, John Stewart or Stephen Colbert. Do you think you could create the same ridiculous clip real of them if you took a scalpel to it?
Falling Ratings / Fleeing Advertisers
Just taking a quick look at the falling ratings issue... Falling or rising is pretty irrelevant in my book because TV ratings are cyclical. I don't know when they are highest and I also don't know when they are lowest. What I can easily do though is look at a given day (Thursday, March 31st in this case) and compare Glenn's ratings to others in the time slot:
Glenn Beck Show (Fox News) - 3,577,000
Situation Room (CNN) - 1,021,000
Hardball with C. Matthews (MSNBC) - 919,000
Fast Money (CNBC) - 355,000
Showbiz Tonight (HLN) - 281,000
He has ratings that are 38% more than the competition COMBINED. Ok, so the next argument would be "Sure that's true but everyone knows Fox News has the most viewers and what is important is how you do relative to the other shows on the station".
The O'Reilly Factor (8pm EST) - 5,477,000
Hannity (9pm EST) - 3,728,000
Glenn Beck Show (5pm EST) - 3,577,000
Special Report w/Bret Baier (6pm EST) - 3,511,000
Fox Report w/S. Smith (7pm EST) - 3,160,000
On the Record w/Greta (10pm EST) - 2,894,000
The O'Reilly Factor (11pm EST) - 2,796,000
He is the 3rd highest ratings on Fox News. Maybe the next question would be "Well maybe the 5pm EST slot has really high ratings overall across the networks".
8pm EST - 8,882,000
9pm EST - 7,546,000
10pm EST - 6,637,000
6pm EST - 6,342,000
5pm EST - 6,153,000
7pm EST - 6,081,000
11pm EST - 5,351,000
So in summary, Glenn has by far the top rated 5pm EST show, has the 3rd highest rated show on the highest rated network, and is in the 3rd worst slot. This decision to separate is clearly not about ratings. What more could Fox be looking for if that was the case? Click here for the study
Well maybe its advertising. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to pull together much evidence on this simply because they don't have to release any of that information. I can however tell you that his company made $32 million dollars last year and you can't exactly do that without advertising. Read more here
Conspiracy Theories
This is the real meat of it and where, if you made it this far, you will likely just say "oh Jay's just a crazy conspiracy theorist too". Many people would argue that this could have caused Fox News to want to get rid of Glenn. I would beg to differ but can understand where they are coming from. You see the things that he outlines are not fun prospects and are kind of a downer. I do believe many of them, as outlandish as they seem, because all of the facts line up. Did you ever notice that no one questions his facts? The argument is "oh he's just crazy!" Wow, that is a good one!
So, while I would love to be able to prove these out in this blog I can't because I do have a job and school work to do... When I have heard these theories I have done basic fact checking and it's amazing what it uncovers. It's amazing how you can connect the dots just like he does (well his research team does). Instead of doing that, here is just one for you to play with and try to prove wrong:
I think it's funny that since the airing of this George Soros has significantly reduced his share of Petrobra. Hmmm... Might be something to look into because Obama is still giving $2 Billion to Brazil. I'm sure there is more to this than what meets the eye but that is a whole other subject. Sorry for thinking out loud!
Conclusion
Was this Fox News firing Glenn? Was it Glenn leaving Fox? We will never know for sure. I do however find it interesting that Fox is continuing a relationship with Glenn but not on a nightly basis but rather simply for specials. It is my personal feeling that Glenn has something bigger planned and has chosen to leave the nightly show arena and pick up a larger, more significant role. Time will tell but for the reasons above I do not agree with the final quote of the clip "It sounds like Ailes is mostly just happy that Beck is gone". If they didn't like what he was doing they would have simply ended the relationship altogether.
Updated April 13, 2011
Does this sound like a guy who was run out of Fox? This is clearer a case of someone who is moving on to a new post by choice.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Path to Prosperity
For the first time since I have really started to pay close attention to what is going on in the government I am hopeful. The Fiscal Year 2012 Budget that they laid out and named "The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America's Promise" really resonates with me. You can watch the video below were Paul Ryan lays it out.
Just a couple of the points from their key facts and summary sheet that really hit home for me are the following (their points in bold, my comments below):
Eliminates hundreds of duplicative programs, reflects the ban on earmarks, and curbs corporate welfare bringing non-security discretionary spending to below 2008 levels.
I feel so strongly about earmarks and have for a long time. Why do we have to bribe politicians with earmarks for their districts when we are paying them to represent us on these bills? Do they really need a library named after them? What a waste... I would rather see a bill not get past than have to throw millions, or even billions, at a politician to get their vote.
What about "corporate welfare"? The reason this country is so prosperous is because of the free market system. What are we bailing them out for? Let them fail! If there truly is a market for what they do, some great start-up company will quickly take their place and learn from the mistakes and we'll be better as a country for it.
Puts the budget on the path to balance and pays off the debt.
Finally a PLAN to actually pay off the debt. Yes it is bold, yes it will be hard, yes we will all be affected by it but it has to happen. The only thing I worry about here is the timeline. It still gives too much time to stray away from the goal. There is no question it will take time though and it can't be done overnight so we just have to hope they/we stay focused.
Calls for a simpler, less burdensome tax code for households and small businesses. Lowers tax rates for individuals, businesses and families. Sets top rates for individuals and businesses at 25 percent. Improves incentives for growth, savings, and investment.
There is currently an ever growing number of companies that are moving their headquarters, and employees, offshore to avoid the burdensome US taxes. Let's give these companies a reason to move back. I'm not sure that 25% is low enough but it may start to show a serious attempt to improve.
Did you find yourself pulling your hair out doing taxes? I know I did! What does it have to be so complex? Only those who truly know it in and out know how to get around it. That hurts the average person. I believe a simplified tax code would go a long ways in gaining back the confidence of the Americans.
Creates nearly 1 million new private-sector jobs next year and results in 2.5 million additional private sector jobs in the last year of the decade.
The only way to create self-sustaining jobs is through the private sector. By reducing taxes on these companies and showing a path back to prosperity companies will again feel comfortable and confident to expand in the US.
There are so many more good facts and objectives in this plan that you should at least read the summary sheet. I have also attached a link to the whole plan and the plan's page for your reading enjoyment.
Click here for the Key Facts and Summary
Just a couple of the points from their key facts and summary sheet that really hit home for me are the following (their points in bold, my comments below):
Eliminates hundreds of duplicative programs, reflects the ban on earmarks, and curbs corporate welfare bringing non-security discretionary spending to below 2008 levels.
I feel so strongly about earmarks and have for a long time. Why do we have to bribe politicians with earmarks for their districts when we are paying them to represent us on these bills? Do they really need a library named after them? What a waste... I would rather see a bill not get past than have to throw millions, or even billions, at a politician to get their vote.
What about "corporate welfare"? The reason this country is so prosperous is because of the free market system. What are we bailing them out for? Let them fail! If there truly is a market for what they do, some great start-up company will quickly take their place and learn from the mistakes and we'll be better as a country for it.
Puts the budget on the path to balance and pays off the debt.
Finally a PLAN to actually pay off the debt. Yes it is bold, yes it will be hard, yes we will all be affected by it but it has to happen. The only thing I worry about here is the timeline. It still gives too much time to stray away from the goal. There is no question it will take time though and it can't be done overnight so we just have to hope they/we stay focused.
Calls for a simpler, less burdensome tax code for households and small businesses. Lowers tax rates for individuals, businesses and families. Sets top rates for individuals and businesses at 25 percent. Improves incentives for growth, savings, and investment.
There is currently an ever growing number of companies that are moving their headquarters, and employees, offshore to avoid the burdensome US taxes. Let's give these companies a reason to move back. I'm not sure that 25% is low enough but it may start to show a serious attempt to improve.
Did you find yourself pulling your hair out doing taxes? I know I did! What does it have to be so complex? Only those who truly know it in and out know how to get around it. That hurts the average person. I believe a simplified tax code would go a long ways in gaining back the confidence of the Americans.
Creates nearly 1 million new private-sector jobs next year and results in 2.5 million additional private sector jobs in the last year of the decade.
The only way to create self-sustaining jobs is through the private sector. By reducing taxes on these companies and showing a path back to prosperity companies will again feel comfortable and confident to expand in the US.
There are so many more good facts and objectives in this plan that you should at least read the summary sheet. I have also attached a link to the whole plan and the plan's page for your reading enjoyment.
Click here for the Key Facts and Summary
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