Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Give back to the Veterans.

Jeremiah 9:23 "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches."

I have made all these sins/ mistakes in my life-- and was 'corrected' by the Lord, in the Winter of 1994-95and learned this hard lesson. At that time I only had two friends: God, and the VA. God was patient with me and merciful. The VA had to be cornered, taken to task and squeezed. Below is a good read just about this time of the year -- "Thanksgiving." Remember the Vet !! Most people in the U.S don't have enough below their belt to join, take the discipline, and fight for our Freedom.



Los Angeles Times November 25, 2008 Pg. 21

Give Back To Vets Who Have Given Their All
By Mike Mullen

The Joint Chiefs chairman urges Americans to show gratitude to those who
have sacrificed so much.

During a recent visit to the veterans hospital in Los Angeles, I ran
across a young man fresh out of the Army. He had fought in Afghanistan
and was recovering from some of his wounds. He was also homeless and,
quite frankly, a little frustrated by what he saw as cumbersome and
inefficient layers of bureaucracy between the departments of Defense and
Veterans Affairs.

It had taken weeks to finish his separation paperwork, months to get his
disability rating (which determines his compensation), and it will
likely take years before he can be completely self-sufficient. Simple
things like holding down a job and owning a home seem anything but
simple to him right now.

"I gave my country 100%," he said. "All I ask for is 100% in return."

Maybe I'm biased, but that doesn't seem like too much to ask.

It's not too much to ask that we bind the wounds of war. And we are.
More than 35,000 troops have been injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom and
Operation Enduring Freedom, many of whom might have died had it not been
for the excellent medical care they received at field and military and
veterans hospitals all over the world.

But I worry a lot about the wounds we don't see, the ones we don't yet
fully understand. Recent studies suggest that nearly 20% of Iraq and
Afghanistan veterans have incurred traumatic brain injury, and a like
number suffer from post-traumatic stress. Many have both. And it doesn't
help that there is still a stigma attached to mental health problems.

We have to move past that. We have to change our culture. Leaders at all
levels need to step forward and seek for themselves and their people the
counseling they all deserve.

Asking for help is not asking for too much.

It's also not too much to ask that we look after the families of the
fallen. Not everyone makes it home from war. For each of the more than
4,800 servicemen and women who have been killed since 9/11, there are
mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives and children who
suffer unspeakable loss. These families, too, have sacrificed so much --
everything really -- and we can't forget our obligation to stand by them
for the rest of their lives.

The rest of their lives. That's a long time. But that's the debt we
incur -- to help our veterans and their families move on with the rest
of their lives.

The truth is that they want the same things every other American wants.
They want to own their own homes, find good jobs, send their children to
good schools.

During that same trip to Los Angeles, I spent some time at a facility
called New Directions. The staff there offers a wide variety of services
for homeless veterans, including job training and placement, parenting
and money management classes, legal and financial assistance, counseling
and remedial education.

Residents leave the program with a job, housing, a savings account,
computer skills, renewed self-confidence and the support of mentors and
peers.

The need is real. California has the largest population of homeless
veterans in the nation, nearly 50,000 -- about 13,000 are in Los
Angeles. And some experts believe we are producing homeless vets faster
than we ever have. Programs like those at New Directions are a good
start for these men and women, as are the Labor Department's "Hire Vets
First," the VA's "Stand Down" counseling and assistance events, and
numerous other grass-roots efforts. But so much more needs to be done.

As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving -- with hundreds of thousands
of troops still deployed around the world and many others preparing to
leave the service -- we need to remember that important point.

We live in a country that doesn't force our young men and women to pick
up arms and go fight. We don't have to. They do it willingly, even
eagerly. Not because they enjoy danger or killing or sacrifice, but
rather in spite of those things. They serve and they work so hard so
that someday -- maybe -- our children and grandchildren might not have
to.

All they want in return is our gratitude, 100% of it. It's not too much
to ask.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.


|Mykind of dog!

Be sure to read a pet's 10 commandments at the bottom....

My kind of dog!

The K9 above is Brutus, a military K9 at McChord. He's huge - part Boxer and part British Bull Mastiff and tops the scales at 200 lbs. His handler took the picture. Brutus is running toward me because he knows I have some Milk Bone treats, so he's slobbering away! I had to duck around a tree just before he got to me in case he couldn't stop, but he did. Brutus won the Congressional Medal of Honor last year from his tour in Iraq . His handler and four other soldiers were taken hostage by insurgents. Brutus and his handler communicate by sign language and he gave Brutus the signal that meant 'go away but come back and find me'. The Iraqis paid no attention to Brutus. He came back later and quietly tore the throat out of one guard at one door and another guard at another door. He then jumped against one of the doors repeatedly (the guys were being held in an old warehouse) until it opened. He went in and untied his handler and they all escaped. He's the first K9 to receive this honor. If he knows you're ok, he's a big old lug and wants to sit in your lap. Enjoys the company of cats.

K-9 Congressional Medal of Honor Winner

Thought you'd find this interesting. Talk about animal intelligence and bonding with humans!


Remember that they can't do a lot of things for themselves and that they depend on you to make their life a quality life!

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS.........

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.
9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.
10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

~Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them.
Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's critters.
~Now please pass this on to other pet owners. We do not have to wait for Heaven, to be surrounded by hope, love, and joyfulness. It is here on earth and has four legs!


Economic Crises and the Bible.

Even the 'worldly' unbelieving heads of State and Gov't people say that this economic crises stems from gross, big time GREED ~! But of course there is that double standard. If a small taxpayer like me would commit such greedy crimes of driving huge companies and Corps into the ground and defrauding all the stock holders of their life savings/ investments -- I would surely go to prison for ever!!

This article is really HEAVY, TRUTHFUL and Scary !! Please force yourself to read it and share. You will be as wise as a tree-ful of Owls... and probably much safer!


November 26, 2008

Economic Crises and the Bible

Martin G. Selbrede / The Covenant News:
The Bible ties a nation's monetary policy to the concept of justice. To God, the two are inseparable. You see how just a society is by examining the foundational nature of its money. People were forbidden to possess false weights on their person or in their home. Every measure of value (particularly monetary value) was to be just and perfect. They were either a delight or an abomination to God (Prov. 11:1, Prov. 16:11). We live in an age where “the law is slacked” (Hab. 1:4). Posted by Editor at November 26, 2008 06:16 AM