Now Is The Time To Destroy Those Remaining Muslim Terrorists Residing Within The Borders Of The United States Of America!

© The Fort Hood Muslim terrorist coward who shot over 100 bullets at unarmed American military personnel this week (murdering and wounding over 50 brave Americans) deserves to be burned together with his beloved Koran satanic hate book in a large fire pit.  The large fire pit designed to throw this Islamic terrorist coward freak into needs to be large and deep–deep enough to hold the many terrorists identified at the following Muslim terrorist website as well as the Fort Hood coward shooter:  http://www.revolutionmuslim.com/ 

Check out the Muslim website (and others), check your local homeland for security, and “remove” all Muslim terrorists who are a real threat to this country.

The time for action to destroy Muslim terrorists inside the borders of the United States of America is NOW!  If our military and law enforcement will not or cannot assist, it may be left up to us to protect our country by our own means.

Bob Grafe, Columnist

 

One Less Black Muslim Imam-Terrorist To Worry About–Thank You FBI!

Some stories just need repeating to remind everyone what we are really up against with Islamic radicals in America.  They need to leave … and take their friends with them. 

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

© Associated Press

DETROIT —  Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested several members of a radical Sunni Islam group in the U.S., killing one of its leaders at a shootout in a Michigan warehouse, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Agents were trying to arrest Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, at a Dearborn warehouse on charges that included conspiracy to sell stolen goods and illegal possession and sale of firearms. Authorities also conducted raids elsewhere to try to round up 10 followers named in a federal complaint.

Abdullah refused to surrender, fired a weapon and was killed by gunfire from agents, FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold said.

In the 43-paged complaint unsealed Wednesday, the FBI said Abdullah, also known as Christopher Thomas, was an imam, or prayer leader, of a radical group named Ummah whose primary mission is to establish an Islamic state within the United States.

No one was charged with terrorism. But Abdullah was “advocating and encouraging his followers to commit violent acts against the United States,” FBI agent Gary Leone said in an affidavit.

He told them it was their “duty to oppose the FBI and the government and it does not matter if they die,” Leone said.

Abdullah regularly preached anti-government rhetoric and was trained, along with his followers, in the use of firearms, martial arts and swords, the agent said.

Leone said members of the national group mostly are black and some converted to Islam while in prisons across the United States.

“Abdullah preaches that every Muslim should have a weapon, and should not be scared to use their weapon when needed,” Leone wrote.

Seven of the 10 people charged with Abdullah were in custody, including a state prison inmate, the U.S. attorney’s office said. Three were still at large. Another man not named in the complaint also was arrested.

The group believes that a separate Islamic state in the U.S. would be controlled by Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, who is serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Colorado for shooting two police officers in Georgia in 2000, Leone said. Al-Amin, a veteran of the black power movement, started the group after he converted to Islam in prison.

“They’re not taking their cues from overseas,” said Jimmy Jones, a professor of world religions at Manhattanville College and a longtime Muslim prison chaplain. “This group is very much American born and bred.”

The movement at one time was believed to include a couple of dozen mosques around the country. Ummah is now dwarfed in numbers and influence by other African-American Muslim groups, particularly the mainstream Sunnis who were led by Imam W.D. Mohammed, who recently died.

By evening, authorities still were working the scene near the Detroit-Dearborn border and the warehouse was surrounded by police tape.

The U.S. attorney’s office said an FBI dog was also killed during the shootout.

Abdullah’s mosque is in a brick duplex on a quiet, residential street in Detroit. A sign on the door in English and Arabic reads, in part, “There is no God but Allah.”

Several men congregated on the porch Wednesday night and subsequently attacked a photographer from The Detroit News who was taking pictures from across the street. Ricardo Thomas had his camera equipment smashed and had a bloody lip from the attack.

Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Dearborn, said the FBI had briefed him about Wednesday’s raids and told him they were the result of a two-year investigation.

“We know that this is not something to be projected as something against Muslims,” Hamad said.

The complaint shows the FBI built its case with the help of confidential sources close to Abdullah who recorded conversations.

A source said that Abdullah regularly beat children inside the mosque with sticks, including a boy who was “unable to walk for several days,” Leone said.

The source, according to the agent, regularly listened to a recording of a 2004 sermon in which Abdullah said, “Do not carry a pistol if you’re going to give it up to police. You give them a bullet!”

In January 2009, members were evicted from a former mosque for failing to pay property taxes. An FBI search turned up empty shell casings and large holes in the concrete wall of a “shooting range,” Leone said.

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the federal authorities’ description of Abdullah’s extremist links didn’t match what he knew of Abdullah.

“I knew him to be charitable,” Walid said. “He would open up the mosque to homeless people. He used to run a soup kitchen and feed indigent people. … I knew nothing of him that was related to any nefarious or criminal behavior.”

Abdullah had a wife and children, Walid said. A phone number for the family had been disconnected.

Illegal Aliens Must Leave The Country By Force If Necessary

By:  Bob Grafe, Columnist

©  Wake up America!  It’s time that we got rid of all illegal aliens—one way or another!  It is obvious now that our federal authorities will not enforce our existing immigration laws pertaining to illegal immigrants which will lead to the destruction of the United States as we know it unless we act soon!

  As you read this column, please remember that I am referring to “illegal aliens.”  I am not referring to all those great immigrants from around the world living in America who followed the laws of our nation in order to obtain or apply for “legal” citizenship.  We are blessed in this country by the great numbers and diversity of “law-abiding” immigrants.

   It makes no difference where the “illegals” are from.  All illegal aliens have to leave our country … now!  If they are forced to leave in a box—so be it!

   The time limit has long since passed by for all illegal aliens who are destroying this country to be removed from its boundaries.

   If you know of illegal aliens living nearby, let everyone else (including local and state law enforcement) know of their illegal status by use of signs, pamphlets, telephone calls to their employers, calls to their children’s schools, to immigration authorities, to the business owners they frequent, and to their other relatives if you can find out who they are.

   Let these illegals know that there are many people who are working together to force them to leave the country immediately.  This may have to be done one illegal alien at a time—one community at a time—but, it can be done!

   All that illegal aliens do for this country is to cause disruption, crime, racism, dumbing down of our schools, filth in our restrooms, obnoxious smells in our public places, unwanted trash and debris just thrown around our streets and neighborhoods, runaway dogs and other left-for-behind animals, higher costs for our welfare and criminal justice systems, over-crowding of our schools, gang infestation in our communities, promote non-English speaking beggars, nurture the imported baby-a-minute sex mentality, enjoy illegal drugs being sold and used with abandon, disrupt with loud and disgusting so-called music, agitate with an in-your-face approach to our legal citizens with their alien anti-American attitudes, wearing baggy pants, slut-clothing, ugly God-forbidden tattoos and piercings, and promoting their total disregard for our American culture and values.

   It doesn’t matter whether they are from the drug-infested slums of Mexico and South and Central America, the Godless communist-influenced country of China, the Satan-driven countries of the Muslim world, or from anywhere else for that matter.  They all must be forced out of our country immediately—yes, by force when necessary.

  This is a call to all thinking and caring fellow countrymen.  If you have contact with illegal aliens who are now living within our borders, it is time to take matters into our own hands and force them out by whatever means it takes.

   If they are your employees—fire them! 

   If they are your neighbors—make them feel very unwelcome.  Do whatever it takes to rid them from your neighborhoods.  Call on your fellow-citizen friends to assist in making these people want to run from your neighborhoods.

  If they are your customers—close the door to these illegals.  They are just as bad as shop-lifters and worse.  They should not be allowed in your stores or to do business with you in any manner.  Don’t sell them anything!

  If they do not speak English, throw them out unless they are accompanied by an English-speaking citizen who will vouch for them as being “legal” immigrants or immigrants in the process of becoming naturalized as a U.S. citizen.

  If they are members of your church, remind your congregants that your eternal laws demand that everyone follows the laws of the land.  Most churches recognize that it is a sin to lie.  Illegal aliens are living the lie!  Since these illegals are not following the laws of the U.S., you must throw them out.  Pay for their way out of the country and pray for them if you must—but get them out of our country.

  If you are an officer of the law, the court or the legislative system, you must see that you apply every ounce of pressure that you can find to arrest, prosecute and deport these thieves in our midst.

  There is no such thing as a good illegal alien.  At best, they are thieves.  At worst, they are dishonest thieves and more.

   Many of these lazy thieves from south of the border and elsewhere are taking the jobs that should go to America’s unemployed.  If you work with illegals, let them know through every means available that they are not wanted in this country.  Make life look much better to them back across the border or elsewhere.  Complain to your employer about them being illegal.  Turn your employer in to the federal immigration system and turn them in to the local media if they don’t get rid of the illegals.

   If you are a school teacher, administrator or school board member, you have a moral duty to YOUR country to immediately stop educating these unwanted children who clog up our educational system.  Get them out of your school in any way that you can.  Figure out a way to make them and their parents feel very uncomfortable around people who know that they are illegal.

   If you are a medical practitioner, do not waste our medical care facilities and supplies on undocumented burglars who have broken into our country and our medical-care system to steal from us.  Don’t let these pregnant whores from across the border slip into an American hospital in Texas just to have a baby who will (under current law) become an automatic citizen of this once-great nation.

  Send these citizenship thieves packing—pregnant or not.  Refuse long-term treatment if they cannot provide proof of legal U.S. citizenship.  Kick them out.  They are going to cause our medical care system to collapse—and it will be your gutless fault if it happens!

  Once these illegals are removed from the United States, legal citizens can reclaim all that is theirs left behind by the illegals.  Things like jobs, less wait and fees at the hospital’s emergency room, more space in the public school room, lower auto insurance rates because many of the illegal uninsured motorists will be gone, cleaner and safer communities, less confrontation when we want to observe our national holidays, fewer rewrites to our history books by illegal sympathizers, and less frustration in dealing with illegal aliens who do not speak our nation’s language—English!

   And, finally, when they are gone, we need to once and for all, secure all of our country’s boundaries—north, south, east and west.  We need to regain control of our Congress and our immigration rules—and we need to reclaim our United States of America! 

Published:  October 26, 2009

Holiday Madness Is Almost Here

© Published October 8, 2009 By:  Bob Grafe In case you haven’t bothered to do the math, there are only 79 more days until Christmas and only 50 more days until Thanksgiving. Sure, there are the usual planning panics about who is going to visit who — did the kids come here or did we go there last year? And, there is always the worry about this aunt or that grandfather or that allergy-prone 6-year-old who you recall have “special” dietary needs. If only you could remember what they were! For Thanksgiving there may be questions about who sits next to each other during the annual family feast around the extended table or tables. Certain relatives really should not be allowed in the same house together let alone in close proximity to each other where bodily harm is relatively easy to accomplish. And, on Christmas there is always the question of do we or do we not exchange gifts. Should we just do a big “family” exchange where everyone only spends a limited amount of money for a gift … and everyone knows that certain “someone” who is either the family cheapskate or the family spendthrift who always either forgets or knowingly ignores the agreed upon gift-exchange “rules.” Then there are those traditional family games to be planned. Maybe a flag football or softball game is scheduled. Some families are big into “board” games. For others, maybe a terrific football game on television is “game enough” after the nine-course turkey dinner is finished. But, during all the upcoming holiday events, one item is often overlooked by very well-meaning holiday get-together hosts. What to do with our elderly senior citizens to make the holiday experience pleasurable for them is often forgotten or puzzling during the planning process. Here are some suggestions that will help your aging guests to not only feel more a part of the family’s holiday fun, but will also help them with limited exercise and assist them with keeping their minds working well — well into their advanced senior years. Many seniors are not that familiar with the newer digital cameras. But, every family has someone (usually the “younger” generation) who knows the ins and outs of modern photography. That younger family member could let the senior “fiddle” with a digital camera to gain some familiarity. You may want to have previously taken some photos of the senior’s favorite items/places/persons and possibly show them as a slide show on a computer screen to let them see what can now be done in photography with little effort. Be sure to let the senior member of the family take some of the family’s holiday photos. While you have the senior present, it is always a good time to make some notes or recordings of the senior for family history purposes. You might ask them who was their best friend and why? What games did they like to play in their youth and older? What was the best birthday present they ever got? Did they ever have a nickname? This could be a very engaging and a priceless memory for the entire family. Some of our seniors had companion pets for many years and now miss them. It might be possible to “borrow” a gentle puppy or kitten for the day and allow the senior to enjoy the company of a pet while also enjoying a holiday visit. For more active seniors a favorite game is bingo. To make the game fun for the entire family, a visit to the local “dollar” store can provide a wide variety of inexpensive yet practical (or just fun) prizes. Another fun activity for seniors and others is to have every guest provide a baby picture of themselves. Mix up the photos on a table (face up) and have everyone write down on a separate piece of paper who they think the baby is. Read the answers aloud and enjoy the frequently funny responses to the wrong guesses. Often, these photos will remind the seniors of old times and they may enjoy telling a story of where they were living, and with whom, when the baby pictures were taken. They might be asked to then tell about what was going on in the world (historically) when they were born and during their childhood years. Even singing old-time songs — like In the Good Ol’ Summertime — will help seniors to be involved and to recall pleasant experiences. Early barbershop quartet songs and campfire songs also tend to keep the senior engaged and tend to help with memory functions as they participate and enjoy the singing together with other family members. The important thing to remember as we close in on the traditional holiday season and begin our “get-together” planning, is that our elderly seniors really do want to be part of the festivities — even if their participation is relatively limited.

We Cannot Rely On Things And Patterns We Have Relied Upon Economically, Politically, Socially To Remain As They Have Been

Moral Discipline

Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Talk presented during a church conference held on October 3, 2009 at Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard.

During World War II, President James E. Faust, then a young enlisted man in the United States Army, applied for officer candidate school. He appeared before a board of inquiry composed of what he described as “hard-bitten career soldier[s].” After a while their questions turned to matters of religion. The final questions were these:

“In times of war should not the moral code be relaxed? Does not the stress of battle justify men in doing things that they would not do when at home under normal situations?”

President Faust relates:

“I recognized that here was a chance perhaps to make some points and look broad-minded. I knew perfectly well that the men who were asking me this question did not live by the standards that I had been taught. The thought flashed through my mind that perhaps I could say that I had my own beliefs but did not wish to impose them on others. But there seemed to flash before my mind the faces of the many people to whom I had taught the law of chastity as a missionary. In the end I simply said, ‘I do not believe there is a double standard of morality.’

“I left the hearing resigned to the fact that [they] would not like the answers I had given . . . and would surely score me very low. A few days later when the scores were posted, to my astonishment I had passed. I was in the first group taken for officer’s candidate school! . . . 

“This was one of the critical crossroads of my life.”¹

President Faust recognized that we all possess the God-given gift of moral agency—the right to make choices and the obligation to account for those choices (see D&C 101:78). He also understood and demonstrated that, for positive outcomes, moral agency must be accompanied by moral discipline.

By “moral discipline,” I mean self-discipline based on moral standards. Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard. It rejects the self-absorbed life in favor of developing character worthy of respect and true greatness through Christlike service (see Mark 10:42–45). The root of the word discipline is shared by the word disciple, suggesting to the mind the fact that conformity to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ is the ideal discipline that, coupled with His grace, forms a virtuous and morally excellent person.

Jesus’s own moral discipline was rooted in His discipleship to the Father. To His disciples He explained, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). By this same pattern, our moral discipline is rooted in loyalty and devotion to the Father and the Son. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that provides the moral certainty upon which moral discipline rests.

The societies in which many of us live have for more than a generation failed to foster moral discipline. They have taught that truth is relative and that everyone decides for himself or herself what is right. Concepts such as sin and wrong have been condemned as “value judgments.” As the Lord describes it, “Every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god” (D&C 1:16).

As a consequence, self-discipline has eroded and societies are left to try to maintain order and civility by compulsion. The lack of internal control by individuals breeds external control by governments. One columnist observed that “gentlemanly behavior [for example, once] protected women from coarse behavior. Today, we expect sexual harassment laws to restrain coarse behavior. . . . 

“Policemen and laws can never replace customs, traditions and moral values as a means for regulating human behavior. At best, the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of defense for a civilized society. Our increased reliance on laws to regulate behavior is a measure of how uncivilized we’ve become.”²

In most of the world, we have been experiencing an extended and devastating economic recession. It was brought on by multiple causes, but one of the major causes was widespread dishonest and unethical conduct, particularly in the U.S. housing and financial markets. Reactions have focused on enacting more and stronger regulation. Perhaps that may dissuade some from unprincipled conduct, but others will simply get more creative in their circumvention.³ There could never be enough rules so finely crafted as to anticipate and cover every situation, and even if there were, enforcement would be impossibly expensive and burdensome. This approach leads to diminished freedom for everyone. In the memorable phrase of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, “We would not accept the yoke of Christ; so now we must tremble at the yoke of Caesar.”⁴

In the end, it is only an internal moral compass in each individual that can effectively deal with the root causes as well as the symptoms of societal decay. Societies will struggle in vain to establish the common good until sin is denounced as sin and moral discipline takes its place in the pantheon of civic virtues.⁵

Moral discipline is learned at home. While we cannot control what others may or may not do, the Latter-day Saints can certainly stand with those who demonstrate virtue in their own lives and inculcate virtue in the rising generation. Remember from Book of Mormon history the young men who were key to the Nephite victory in the long war of 66 to 60 B.C.—the sons of the people of Ammon. Their character and discipline were described in these words:

“They were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

“Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him” (Alma 53:20–21).

“Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them” (Alma 56:47).

“Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually” (Alma 57:27).

Here we find a standard for what should happen in our homes and in the Church. Our teaching should draw upon our own faith and focus first and foremost on instilling faith in God in the rising generation. We must declare the essential need to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before Him in soberness, or in other words, with reverence. Each must be persuaded that service and sacrifice for the well-being and happiness of others are far superior to making one’s own comfort and possessions the highest priority.

This requires more than an occasional reference to one or another gospel principle. There must be constant teaching, mostly by example. President Henry B. Eyring expressed the vision we strive to attain:

“The pure gospel of Jesus Christ must go down into the hearts of [our children] by the power of the Holy Ghost. It will not be enough for them to have had a spiritual witness of the truth and to want good things later. It will not be enough for them to hope for some future cleansing and strengthening. Our aim must be for them to become truly converted to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ while they are with us. . . . 

“Then they will have gained a strength from what they are, not only from what they know. They will become disciples of Christ.”⁶

I have heard a few parents state that they don’t want to impose the gospel on their children but want them to make up their own minds about what they will believe and follow. They think that in this way they are allowing children to exercise their agency. What they forget is that the intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth, of things as they really are (see D&C 93:24). Without that, young people can hardly be expected to understand and evaluate the alternatives that come before them. Parents should consider how the adversary approaches their children. He and his followers are not promoting objectivity but are vigorous, multimedia advocates of sin and selfishness.

Seeking to be neutral about the gospel is, in reality, to reject the existence of God and His authority. We must, rather, acknowledge Him and His omniscience if we want our children to see life’s choices clearly and be able to think for themselves. They should not have to learn by sad experience that “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10).

I can share with you a simple example from my own life of what parents can do. When I was about five or six years old, I lived across the street from a small grocery store. One day two other boys invited me to go with them to the store. As we stood coveting the candy for sale there, the older boy grabbed a candy bar and slipped it into his pocket. He urged the other boy and me to do the same, and after some hesitation we did. Then we quickly left the store and ran off in separate directions. I found a hiding place at home and tore off the candy wrapper. My mother discovered me with the chocolate evidence smeared on my face and escorted me back to the grocery store. As we crossed the street, I was sure I was facing life imprisonment. With sobs and tears, I apologized to the owner and paid him for the candy bar with a dime that my mother had loaned me (which I had to earn later). My mother’s love and discipline put an abrupt and early end to my life of crime.

All of us experience temptations. So did the Savior, but He “gave no heed unto them” (D&C 20:22). Similarly, we do not have to yield simply because a temptation surfaces. We may want to, but we don’t have to. An incredulous female friend asked a young adult woman, committed to living the law of chastity, how it was possible that she had never “slept with anybody.” “Don’t you want to?” the friend asked. The young woman thought: “The question intrigued me, because it was so utterly beside the point. . . . Mere wanting is hardly a proper guide for moral conduct.”⁷

In some cases, temptation may have the added force of potential or actual addiction. I am grateful that for an increasing number of people the Church can provide therapeutic help of various kinds to aid them in avoiding or coping with addictions. Even so, while therapy can support a person’s will, it cannot substitute for it. Always and ever, there must be an exercise of discipline—moral discipline founded on faith in God the Father and the Son and what They can achieve with us through the atoning grace of Jesus Christ. In Peter’s words, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” (2 Peter 2:9).

We cannot presume that the future will resemble the past—that things and patterns we have relied upon economically, politically, socially will remain as they have been. Perhaps our moral discipline, if we will cultivate it, will have an influence for good and inspire others to pursue the same course. We may thereby have an impact on future trends and events. At a minimum, moral discipline will be of immense help to us as we deal with whatever stresses and challenges may come in a disintegrating society.

We have heard thoughtful and inspired messages during this conference, and in a moment President Thomas S. Monson will provide concluding words of counsel. As we prayerfully consider what we have learned and relearned, I believe that the Spirit will shed further light on those things that have particular application for each of us individually. We will be fortified in the moral discipline needed to walk uprightly before the Lord and be at one with Him and the Father.

I stand with my brethren and with you, my brothers and sisters, as a witness that God is our Father and that His Son, Jesus, is our Redeemer. Their law is immutable, Their truth is everlasting, and Their love is infinite. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
NOTES
1. James E. Faust, Stories from My Life (2001), 2–3.
2. Walter Williams, “Laws Are a Poor Substitute for Common Decency, Moral Values,” Deseret News, Apr. 29, 2009, A15.
3. Speaking some years ago to members of the legal profession, President James E. Faust cautioned: “There is a great risk in justifying what we do individually and professionally on the basis of what is ‘legal’ rather than what is ‘right.’ In so doing, we put our very souls at risk. The philosophy that what is legal is also right will rob us of what is highest and best in our nature. What conduct is actually legal is, in many instances, way below the standards of a civilized society and light years below the teachings of the Christ. If you accept what is legal as your standard of personal or professional conduct, you will deny yourself of that which is truly noble in your personal dignity and worth” (“Be Healers,” Clark Memorandum, spring 2003, 3).
4. “Bishop Fulton John Sheen Makes a Wartime Plea,” in William Safire, sel., Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History, rev. ed. (1997), 478.
5. Editorial writers at the Wall Street Journal once observed:
“Sin isn’t something that many people, including most churches, have spent much time talking about or worrying about through the years of the [sexual] revolution. But we will say this for sin: it at least offered a frame of reference for personal behavior. When the frame was dismantled, guilt wasn’t the only thing that fell away; we also lost the guidewire of personal responsibility. . . . 
“The United States has a drug problem and a high-school-sex problem and a welfare problem and an AIDS problem and a rape problem. None of this will go away until more people in positions of responsibility are willing to come forward and explain, in frankly moral terms, that some of the things that people do nowadays are wrong” (“The Joy of What?” Wall Street Journal, Dec. 12, 1991, A14).
6. Henry B. Eyring, in Shaun D. Stahle, “Inspiring Students to Stand Strong amid Torrent of Temptation,” Church News, Aug. 18, 2001, 5.
7. Sarah E. Hinlicky, “Subversive Virginity,” First Things, Oct. 1998, 14.

Have Fun At Your Funeral

© There is an old saying that goes: “Don’t worry.  You won’t get out of this life alive.”

 It’s not the getting out “alive” part that worries me.  It’s the getting out, crossing to the “other” side, and then wondering “Now, what or who did I forget?” part that is disturbing.

 Since we never know for sure when it will be “our time” to make that last journey, a little pre-planning concerning our last days and funeral service is probably in order almost regardless of age.

 And, since many of this column’s readers are of senior citizen age (or nearing that age), it’s probably reasonable to approach the topic of funeral service planning from a senior citizen’s viewpoint.

 Well, at least from “this” senior’s perspective.

 Actually, I prefer to think of the sunset of one’s life as “the final scene in the final act” on the stage of life—not just focusing on the actual funeral service itself—but, rather on the entire event as your final “send-off party.”

 Why not?

 You really don’t want your friends and relatives (hopefully some at least are one-in-the-same) so sad at your departure from their midst that they can’t have a good time remembering and celebrating their experiences with you.

 Do you?

 Of course not.

 So, let the funeral service party planning begin.

 You may want to begin with designing and/or actually crafting your own coffin.  Perhaps rather than that drab bronze casket in the traditional shape, you might prefer a wooden bass-boat shaped casket with separate panels along its sides allowing for your favorite art, photographs or other memorabilia that expresses your inner-self—depictions of those things that were important to you.

 Think outside of the box. 

 The funeral celebration of your life can certainly be at a funeral chapel or church if that is what you really want.  On the other hand, there is nothing that would prevent you from having your life celebrated at the 19^th hole of your favorite golf course or on a cruise-ship touring the inside passage of Alaska.

 Whatever floats your boat—and is within your pre-planning budget.

 If you had a favorite restaurant, by all means consider picking up the tab (in advance) for some of your friends to enjoy a meal in your memory there.  Have some special gifts and personalized cards of friendship thanks for them at the meal as a surprise.

 Preparations like a special restaurant meal will require a responsible child or grandchild to “take care of everything” in your untimely absence.

 Write your own obituary well in advance.  And, be sure to write detailed letters of thanks and loving remembrances to those special people in your life for delivery at or before your final funeral service.

 Like with graduations and weddings you should consider providing beautiful written invitations to your funeral service.  Many of your business friends would consider inserting “discount coupons” for those who frequent their establishments shortly after, maybe a day or two, after the funeral service.  The coupon could even include your photo or a favorite saying of yours.    

 You might also consider having door prizes during your final service giving away some of your possessions to those in attendance.  You could include the drawing tickets along with the written invitations which might also improve the funeral service attendance.

 If you have special music that you prefer to hear, regardless of what style it is, maybe the vehicle procession to the final resting place should include a “music car” with roof-top speakers (New Orleans procession style) broadcasting your favorite music.

 Instead of the usual short obituary notice heard over the radio, you should consider pre-paying for radio spots to run periodically over the few months following your funeral—but especially on the anniversary of your death each year.  The pre-recorded “spots” could give bits of un-asked-for advice, remarks about how things are on the “other” side, and a brief comment or two about how you miss everyone.     

 Certainly, the final act of dying, that being the absence of life or, in other words, “death” doesn’t have to be a totally sad event.

 However, the late Jack Benny commented once about his immanent death and his huge amount of life insurance coverage with one company this way:  “When I go, they go!”

 Sad!

But, if you plan your funeral service with the enjoyment and fun of your family and friends in mind, perhaps your final comment will be:  “When I go, they come!”

By:  Bob Grafe

October 4, 2009

“I’m tired!” by: Robert A. Hall

The following is a borrowed “post” that deserves wider distribution. What Mr. Hall describes is of ponderous relevance. The sample scriptural references provided at the end allow the reader to consider God’s instructions with respect to one of Mr. Hall’s themes in his missive–the concept of becoming and/or remaining “idle” during our life upon the earth.

Robert Hall is a U.S. Marine veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.

I’ll be 63 soon. 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 around” 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 or stupid 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 Mansions 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. Won’t multiculturalism be beautiful?

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 believe “a man should be judged by the content of his character, not by the color of his skin.” 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 US 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.  I wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue.

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 for me.

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 as well.

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 near 63. Because, mostly, I’m not going to have to see the world these people are making. I’m just sorry for my grandchildren.

Note:
A little more about Robert Hall

Robert A. Hall joined the Marines in 1964, upon graduation from high school in Collingswood, NJ. In 1966, he volunteered for Vietnam, serving what he calls “an easy tour for a Marine” as a Radio Relay team chief. Following his discharge as a corporal in 1968, he attended Mount Wachusett Community College and the University of Massachusetts, graduating in June of 1972 with a degree in Political Science.

In November of that year, Hall was elected to the Massachusetts state senate, defeating a powerful Democrat by a nine-vote margin (out of over 60,000 votes cast) in a 4 to 1 Democratic district that had not been won by a Republican since 1938. Hall was 26 at the time. He was re-elected four times by large margins, and in 1976, was nominated by both the Republican and Democratic Parties, defeating a Democrat by running on stickers in the Democratic primary. He was the Republican Whip of the senate when he retired undefeated in 1982.

While in the senate, Hall rejoined the Marine Reserves, serving from 1977 until time conflicts with a new job forced him to leave the Corps in 1983 as a Staff Sergeant. He also earned a Masters Degree in History in 1980, taking night courses at Fitchburg State College. Since leaving politics, Hall has successfully managed non-profit associations for 23 years. A Certified Association Executive, he is currently Executive Director of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in Madison, WI (www.aacd.com), where he lives with his wife, Bonnie. Hall is a frequently-published freelance writer, with opinion columns, articles, short fiction and poetry appearing in over 50 national and local magazines and newspapers. His work is included in Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul; and in Before the Memories Fade, published by Author House.

Sample scriptural references to ponder pertaining to God’s feelings about those who willingly remain “idle” and take and take from those good people who work honestly in this life.

Though not included in the Hebrew Bible after the first century A.D., nor accepted by Protestants, the Book of Sirach has always been recognized by the Catholic Church as divinely inspired and canonical. The Foreword, though not inspired, is placed in the Bible because of its antiquity and importance

Book of Sirach, Chap. 15

One cannot justify unjust anger; anger plunges a man to his downfall.

A patient man need stand firm but for a time, and then contentment comes back to him.

For a while he holds back his words, then the lips of many herald his wisdom.

Among wisdom’s treasures is the paragon of prudence; but fear of the LORD is an abomination to the sinner.

If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments, and the LORD will bestow her upon you;

For fear of the LORD is wisdom and culture; loyal humility is his delight.

Book of Sirach, Chap. 20

A lie is a foul blot in a man, yet it is constantly on the lips of the unruly.

Better a thief than an inveterate liar, yet both will suffer disgrace;

A liar’s way leads to dishonor, his shame remains ever with him.

Holy Bible, St. Matthew, Chap. 20

“1″: For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

“2″: And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

“3″: And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

“4″: And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

“5″: Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

“6″: And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

“7″: They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

“8″: So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

“9″: And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

“10″: But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

“11″: And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house,

“12″: Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

“13″: But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

“14″: Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

“15″: Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

“16″: So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Proverbs, Chap. 19

Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

Proverbs, Chap. 20

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 42

42. Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.

Thessalonians, Chap 3

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

The First Book of Nephi, Chap. 12

And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations.

Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 56

Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!

Mr. Hall’s writings provide the reader with many other “theme” topics to ponder while searching out their eternal meanings found within the writings of holy scripture.

Observe Those Who Preach At The United Nations This Week

Published:  September 22, 2009

Bob Grafe, Columnist

© These are certainly interesting times in which we live.  Representatives from around the world will attempt to sell their philosophical godless wares as they speak to those gathered in New York this week.

The scriptures speak of the “naughty person, a wicked man” who “walketh with a forward mouth, who winketh with his (cunning) eyes,” and “who speaketh with his feet and who teacheth with his fingers.”

It might be quite revealing to observe those so-called world leaders who exemplify the descriptions contained within Proverbs, chapter 6 (see below).
 
Do you detect with anyone a “proud look, a lying tongue?”  Perhaps you might spot those with a “heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief?”

Listen for the “false witness that speaketh lies, and that soweth discord among brethren.”

If we determine that our own American representatives at the United Nations and elsewhere are examples of what God has condemned, do we not have a duty to remove those persons from their high offices of influence?  If their unwillingness to follow the teachings of God is clearly obvious, then why would we not put a stop to their continued blasphemy?

The United States of America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.  The United States of America is now and has always been a Christian nation where tolerance for the practice of non-Christian religions is provided as long as those who do not follow the teachings of Christ do not cross the line by forcing their ways on our established, ordained by God, American-Christian way of life and culture.

You are invited to please read the following excerpts from Proverbs, chapter 6 where we are warned with descriptions of characteristics of those anti-Christs who persistently deny the commandments of God—even those commandments of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

<strong>Proverbs, chapter 6</strong>

“12″: A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
“13″: He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
“14″: Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
“15″: Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
“16″: These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
“17″: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
“18″: An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
“19″: A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
“20″: My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
“21″: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
“22″: When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
“23″: For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

Is so-called “higher” education worth the price?

 

By: Bob Grafe, Columnist

Published September 17, 2009

For those senior citizens who lived through the “Great” Depression of the 1930s, the consensus of opinion is that it really was “not” so great — unless, perhaps, you were living on a productive farm in rural America.

Mrs. Rumbleheart, my 1950’s fifth-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, was one of those who survived the depression while somehow managing to complete her teacher’s college education at the same time. She would occasionally comment quietly something to the effect that “Maybe I should have stayed working on my father’s dairy farm.”

It would be interesting today, during our current difficult economic times, to hear what Mrs. Rumbleheart would counsel prospective young college students in the throes of evaluating their options of attending college or going directly into the workforce instead.

One rainy day, Mrs. Rumbleheart described how difficult it was for her to leave her parent’s farm to attend college — at great expense to her parents.

“My mother had always told me that I needed to go to college and my father always told me that it was a total waste of both time and money — especially during the Depression.” she told our class.

While in college during the 1930s, she estimated that the cost was about $2,300 per year for tuition, books, room and board — and even dances, she noted. That was for nine months of study. A tidy sum of money for that time.

During her summer break, Mrs. Rumbleheart would return to the farm to help her family. After graduation, as a beginning teacher, and being a female teacher (at the time, paid much less than her male colleagues), her annual income was about $2,000 per year.

Her father and others would remind Mrs. Rumbleheart frequently that it would take “forever” to recoup the out-of-pocket cost for college as well as her loss of income (had she chosen to join the workforce) during her four years of college — “shenanigans,” as her father would refer to them as.

Fast forward to today when senior citizens throughout the country are dealing with tough economic decisions as costs for “higher” education continue to skyrocket while senior citizens’ expendable income continues to dwindle.

Grandparents especially want to be of assistance to their grandchildren when and how they can. So, when it comes to helping out the grandchildren with “college” choices, what do you advise your grandchildren?

You probably neead to share both pros and cons with them. During the 2000 census, average lifetime earnings for high school graduates was $1.2 million compared to $2.1 million for those with a bachelor’s degree — double that for professional degrees.

But, that was in the year 2000. Will that stand the test of time during our current and future economic roller coaster ride?

And, can your grandchildren actually afford (even with your help) to attend college? Today’s “in-state” annual tuition at Texas A&M University in College Station is $8,336. A&M’s “out-of-state” annual tuition at College Station is $22,886.

If your grandchild prefers to attend Texas Lutheran University, a small liberal arts college, the current annual tuition and fees are about $22,000 per year. At Texas State University in San Marcos the “in-state” tuition and fees are $7,482 while the “out-of-state” cost is $15,792.

Perhaps your grandchild is Harvard, Princeton or Yale bound. There the annual tuition and fees “begin” at over $35,000.

None of those tuition and fees estimates includes the “extra” costs for room, board, books, transportation, etc.

Compare those costs with the cost of a four-week commercial truck driver’s school (or other schooling where skilled “trades” are taught) where the tuition and fees typically run less than $4,500 for the truck driving school — and way-above minimum wage paychecks begin almost immediately after completion of the course.

Mrs. Rumbleheart never talked about Mary R. Beard, co-author of “The Rise of American Civilization.” Perhaps she was not aware of the author. But, I’m sure that my former school teacher would be giving sage advise to those young potential college students of today based, at least in part, on what Beard wrote: “The most helpless people in the world are the formally educated and there is a great deal of evidence that college education is not only negative but is a liability in the business world.”

Individuals who made the conscious choice to proceed with their lives without the disruption and cost of a college education degree include Bill Gates, Harry S. Truman, Abraham Lincoln, Peter Jennings, Charlton Heston, Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Orville and Wilbur Wright, William Faulkner, Michael Moore, Lance Armstrong, Chuck Yeager, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Cronkite and countless others.

When it comes to providing both loving advice and costly financial assistance to grandchildren, senior citizens have some tough choices to make when the topic of a college education is discussed.

Regardless of whether the counsel is for or against attending a college or university, the end result will probably not guarantee either financial or other determining factors of the young person’s realization of “success” in life.

Most senior citizens have experienced the reality that “education” is where the individual finds it — not necessarily where the academic and governmental numbers crunchers suggest that it be found.

Mrs. Rumbleheart would have made a very well educated and successful truck driver.

Where have all the newspaper boys gone?

 

By Bob Grafe The Gazette-Enterprise

Published September 3, 2009