Destorying American Economy

San Fransisco raises minimum wag to $10.24 an hour.  Please answer this question: A kid flips burgers for $7.25 an hour for a period of time and then has his pay raised to $10.25 an hour but the quality of his work does not improve.  If the quality of his work stays the same but he is paid more money for it, does that stand to reason the money he is paid is worth less? 





Here is my theory.  Keep in mind that I am not an economist and I do not fully understand all of the causes of inflation:

MINIMUM WAGE RAISES DESTROYS THE VALUE OF THE DOLLAR AND A LESSER DOLLAR CREATES INFLATION.  THIS WILL HURT JOBS AS EMPLOYERS WILL RISK USING LESS EMPLOYEES TO SAVE MONEY.

This, along with the Obamacare manditory insurance, is causing employers to struggle to keep employees.  Why?  Because a great number of employers are "small businesses" who cannot afford to pay a double digit minimum wage and pay for insurance programs.  Nor can they afford the fine the government will charge them if they do not offer their employees insurance.  In order to stay in business they are going to chance working harder with less employees so they save money, or rather break even. 

There are so many things ruining this country.  I won't get into all of them, but minimum wage is one thing.  I agree with the need for a minimum wage but NOT for the wraise of minimum wage. 

AMericans are not going to work for less than what they think their work is worth, we know that.  They will go on strike, the unions will go crazy.  So, the argument that employers would take advantage of employees by refusing to pay a god wage is worthless, to a certain degree, especially if there is a union.  We can have a consistant minimum wage to keep companies from using employees for cheap labor, but don't raise it...unless inflation caused by sources OTHER than the raise of minimum wage requires it.

I don't go around looking for sorces of inflation so I don't know them all.  However, the only one I know I have noticed is minimum wage increase. 

A few years ago the minimum wage where I live was raised.  That summer I noticed prices everywhere raise significantly.  The public transportation prices more than DOUBLED (which I will let slide considering fuel prices), the bread I buy increased a few cents, the cereal I bought increased by 11 cents, and one day when I went to the movie theater , WHERE THEY PAY MINIMUM WAGE, I noticed a 50 CENT increase in ticket prices.  I asked about it and the employee selling the ticket said, with what seemed like contempt, "Good old minimum wage."

So, it seemed the most significant raise in prices were at the companies that paid most of their employees minimum wage.  This seems to back up my theory that employers will raise prices to compensate for the raises.  I am not a CEO, but I bet that the corporate employees and the employers themselves do not see any changes to their incomes when minimum wage is raised. 

The CEO's, Presidents, CFO's, etc of these companies simply raise prices to compensate so their profits are not affected.  It is the little guy like you and me who are hurt by raise in minimum wage.  We have to pay more for goods and services whenever it happens, but the big guys who control the prices simply raise them so they don't have to lose out on money.

Anyway.  here are some links on some of my points:

http://dontletmestopyou.blogspot.com/2007/02/minimum-wage-and-inflation.html

http://www.oregonlive.com/hovde/index.ssf/2009/06/oregons_minimum_wage_law_adds.html

 http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1749

 http://www.house.gov/jec/cost-gov/regs/minimum/50years.htm

Our Safety In Peril

Our military has been sold out by our government.  When Regan was President of the United States he spent big on our military and since then our might has been seen and felt around the world.  Some have been thankful for our support and some have hated us for it.  Regardless of how you feel, this country has made the world a safer place to live.

Without any doubt, the defense funds over the last 30 years have been huge.  One website, seen here in parenthesis ( http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending#USMilitarySpending ), claims that our country has spent 43% of all the money spent on military by all the countries in the world.  From my research I have conducted over the months this seems about spot on.  And rightfully so.  Is there anyone else out there trying to keep as many people as safe as possible?

While the United States has spent what seems to be an atrocious amount on defense none of us have suffered at home for it.  If any spending has hurt us domestically its the poorly handled issue of the housing market and the bailouts of "too big to fail" businesses.  NOT the defense budget.  So why are we cutting from the defense budget at least HALF of the $1,200,000,000,000.00 (thats 600 BILLION DOLLARS) the automatic sequestering caused by the EPIC FAIL of the "sub-par" committee assigned to find the same amount of money in cuts?  Why does this sequestration not involve cuts to spending on dead ends like Solyndra, orFannie and Freddie?  And if President Obama is a true patriot why does he vow to veto any acts of Congress to stop the automatic cuts to our military ( http://www.military.com/news/article/2011/obama-promises-veto-to-maintain-dod-cuts-pressure.html )?

I don't think I'm a conspiracy theorist.  I think I am reasonable, at least most of the time.  However, it seems as though there is a grand scheme to dismantle the United States as a "world superpower".

While we have spent more money on our defense then most countries combined, earlier this year Russia announced that it was spending $600 BILLION to "revamp" its military, the same amount of money we are cutting over the next ten years (at LEAST the same amount).  Here are some links proving this: http://rt.com/news/military-budget-russia-2020/      http://www.defence.pk/forums/military-forum/73510-russia-modernize-army-600-billion-till-2020-a.html      http://www.military.com/news/article/russia-to-purchase-600-planes-100-ships.html. )

Earlier, this summer, a "Super Committee" made of 6 Republican congressman and 6 Democrat congressman, is formed to solve 1.2 trillion dollars in spending cuts.  Should they fail, 1.2 trillion will be automatically cut from government spending, of which, as I have already established, half is cuts in defense.  Everyone, even Bill O'reilly, trusted the "Super Committee" would accomplish this.  No one ever seem concerned.  But, as midnight of November 23rd loomed, the Committee's deadline, people began showing concern.  And then the bell tolled.  The Committee announced there EPIC FAILURE.

While I had not begun to pay attention towards the "Super Committee" til the last week or so one thing stuck out in my mind, "How many congressman and women are there?"  That question should be in everyone's mind.  Why?  Because there are 435 (plus another 100 in senate).  That's right, 435.  SO, WHY WERE ONLY 12 APPOINTED TO SOLVE 1.2 TRILLION IN CUTS???????????  It seems to me that the more thinkers you have the better ideas would evolve.

I won't get involved in the particulars as to why they couldn't reach a deal, but the other thing poking my minds eye with a hot needle is the fact that the Republicans are so bent on refusing a raise in taxes they were willing to jeopardize our defense!

To continue with my conspiracy theory; after Russia's massive military budget increase and the "Super Committee's" failure, resulting in what former Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, says could be "catestrophic" defense cuts, the very same week Russia finds the gull to threaten the Unites States Missile Defense program in Europe with actual military ATTACKS.  They might as well declare war if they kill US service men.

With the rise of the new body wash, Arab Spring, the developments mentioned above (Russian military spending, U.S. military amputation of funds, Russian threats, etc), Iran very possibly and probably building nuclear weapons, and more nations turning against our most reliable ally, Israel (I don't care what you think, Israel IS our most reliable and, if you read the Bible, our most important ally) it DOES NOT seem the right time to cut spending AT ALL!.

Adding to all of this, our government can't even honor our servicemen with a descent life.

I fully support drawing out of Afghanistan and Iraq.  However, if we are going to withdraw then lets do it right.  Instead, the government is practically throwing people out on the streets after bringing them home or cancelling deployment orders.  As this link shows ( http://news.yahoo.com/war-drawdowns-wreak-havoc-guard-soldiers-lives-082140985.html ) many of our National Guardsmen and Reservists are SOL.

Those who have cancelled plans to enroll in another semester at college because they had orders for deployment and then were told their orders were cancelled or changed to a stateside location are now with at least one wasted semester.  The soldiers who left their jobs because they were going to Iraq or Afghanistan and now are staying home after months of training are now without jobs, that is if their employers don't take them back.  Soldiers who ended lease agreements with landlords are homeless now...and so on.  

This is a disgrace.  There is no class in our government.  HONOR OUR MILITARY SERVICEMEN WASHINGTON!!!!  They were obviously willing to lay there lives down for this country and whatever cause our government sent them overseas for, whether the individual believed in that cause or not, and now the government is discarding them.

Celebrities, social views, and remembering to LOVE

I find myself attached to certain characters in television shows.  When I become interested in a show I take time to watch it.  If I find that the show connects with me on a level of my interests, then I invest in the characters.  When I invest in the characters, caring about what happens to them in the story, I also find myself feeling highly of the actor playing that character.  When I feel highly of the actor I tend to follow them on Twitter, follow them in the world of television and movies, and favor them over other celebrities.  They actually gain an emotional place in my heart.  I begin to pray for them and care about them in real life.  Even if I do not know someone I can feel compassion for them and feel the need to pray for that person.

As you can see, a simple television show can result in the intercession of a complete stranger.  I develop a bias for these actors even when I do not know what kind of personal life they lead.  When I find them speaking things in favor of blatant sin and social liberalism it saddens me, and more so than I feel it should, being that they are a stranger.  However, in looking at the issue deeper, I find that the affect on me caused by their beliefs, which go against all I believe, don't stop at the actual person/actor, but in fact, reflects back to their character and when I return to that tv show or movie I find myself disconnected with character...it is more difficult to enjoy the show. 

An example of what I mean is this:  I am a Stargate fan.  At first I wasn't, but I like scifi, so I gave Stargate SG1 a whirl.  Then, just as described above, began an attachment process...one that eventually led to my research of the actors playing the characters I grew fond of.

Richard Dean Anderson (some know him as MacGyver...don't know if I spelled that right) played Lieutenant General Jack O'neal.  The show started out with Anderson's character, Oneal, as a Colonel.  As all TEN seasons (thats right I watched all ten...in two months...not including watching all of the seasons of Stargate Atlantis) progressed, those of us who enjoyed Stargate SG1 witnessed our beloved Colonel O'neal promoted to Brigadier General, then to Major General, and then later on to Lieutenant General.  We saw our little Jack grow up and in doing so became attached to Anderson's character.

General O'neal was a grouchy, comical, morally conservative man.  A man who brought balance to the mild liberalism brought to the table by Michael Shanks' character, Doctor Jackson.  When someone was threatening the life of an SG1 personnel, Doctor Jackson would want to assess the situation with an open mind, but our beloved General O'neal expressed his understanding of the importance of human life over anything else and was willing to end the conflict and save life, by force if need be.  And during the times when he didn't have to be so abrupt and serious, the General would bring us comedy in a way so unique it still hasn't been duplicated....and in reality, this was all done by the talent of Richard Dean Anderson.

After allowing General O'neal to grow on me, I wanted to see the man behind the Stargate character succeed in real life.  I wanted him to be a child of God, one who loves God....I actually cared about a complete stranger.  So, I researched Richard Dean Anderson.

I found out what he was about, what he believed in, what active roles in real life (activism, religion, politics) he was involved in.  I found him on Twitter and began to follow him.  Shortly after following Anderson on Twitter he made a liberal comment, to which I thought the words, "To each his own."  But, later a comment in support of New York passing the law allowing same sex marriage, and yesterday, two different slams on Congress Majority Leader John Boehner, who is a conservative Republican.  It was obvious to me that Anderson was a typical liberal celebrity.  I feared that he may be one of those actors who has let the security of money get in the way of what is really important, but I don't know him.  He may truly have deep hearted beliefs in his statements.

It pains me, in my heart, to find that someone I wanted to be as they had portrayed for more than ten years in three different television series and two movies (dvd/tv movies) was totally different.  A mildly conservative caring and funny role model in front of the camera and behind it, in the real world, a seemingly misguided, outspoken liberal person, in favor of sinful social laws, a controlling government, and probably not a Christian.  (A fact I want to commend Anderson for is his support of the protection of nature and wildlife.  I am a huge nature lover and I believe we have the responsibility to treat that which God has blessed us with care and accountability.  So for that I say well done Mr. Anderson.)

Many ceebrities are liberal people.  They don't seem to be in reality.  They speak out against conservative ideas and support causes in a way that screams ignorance.  Are they just blissfully ignorant because they can afford to be or do they honestly believe the garbage that the leftist politics they follow feed them?

One example is tax hikes on the rich.  These liberal celebrities are rich themselves, but most are not employers of the middle class.  It stands to reason that being rich without having to pay for anyone but yourself and maybe your family affords someone the ignorance to support paying more taxes then their fair share, which they are already doing.  But for those "rich" who own businesses and have to worry about others, its not as easy.  Celebrities who say, "I admit, I am rich, but I support raising taxes on the top 2% because I am there with them, and I can tell you that it won't hurt us top two per-centers."  Well, I ask them this:  "Are you aware that the small business owner is considered a top per-center because his BUSINESS makes enough to be in that category?  Did you know that this same small business owner, who's company may make a million a year, only takes home about 50,000 dollars for himself?  Are you a small business owner, do you have to worry about the income needs of others, or the costs of supplies?"  This is one example, I will not get into others.

As I was waking up this morning, I realized something.  If I do not have love when I voice my opinion or try to have others view things as I do, even if it is not to turn them, but only to open them up to the whole spectrum of life, then I have become a noise making machine.  All anyone hears when someone without love rants is rantings.  So, I must remember to have LOVE.  Remember to love one another and preach, profess your beliefs, and debate in LOVE.  If you do not, it will be a difficult, long winded debate and in the end you will walk away with frustration, never have been convincing or touching the heart of anyone.

I don't believe I chose my conservatism, meaning, that I cannot find when I made the choice to be a conservative.  It just happened that way.  I use to be a liberal, or a mild liberal.  I use to think abortion was acceptable because its the woman's body, the government should give me more!!!!...you get the picture.  As I grew older and more mature and began to get serious about life.  My views and what my heart felt changed...or perhaps what was already in my heart was revealed, once the layers of misguided social views had crumbled off.  I can no longer to afford not being serious in life and to just act on what feels good.

With all this liberal vs conservative talk I feel I am losing focus of what is the real importance in life.  Actually, in the last five paragraphs the most important thing has not even been in my head.  It doesn't matter if I am liberal, a hippie, a Democrat, a Republican, or a conservative if I don't have God.  Believe whatever politics ore social view you want...but at least love God.  In the end that is ALL that matters....this is a fact.  

One final thought.  I asked myself, "Why did you write this post for your blog?  Out of anger and resentment for those who have strange beliefs, because you are angry that celebrities let the security they feel allow themselves to be motivated by superficial reasons?"  I realized the answer:  I do feel anger towards people who let financial security guide them in morality, I do feel anger towards the idea that people are letting themselves be ignorant to the entire truth...but most importantly the reason I write things like this is because I CARE ABOUT PEOPLE!  I am truly distraught within my heart when I know people are doing and believing things that, in my center, I know are wrong.  But more importantly, I fear for them and mourn when I am certain God is not a part of their lives....it makes me very sad.

While I have been a noisy symbol in my past blogs due to a lack of love, I will remember not to be in the future...or it will be a waste of my time.  I pray for you who have read this....BE BLESSED!

What do you think of Harry Potter?

Recently, on Facebook, I discussed with my favorite author, a Christian fantasy novelist, the pros and cons of Harry Potter.  He had posted something written by a Christian that was in favor of the books.  I immediately responded with a hostile tone with my belief that Harry Potter is evil and blatant witchcraft.

Over the course of a night there were about 30 comments, back and forth, to and from.  Many people participated, I was the only person against Harry Potter.  As far as I could tell, most of the people in the conversation were Christians.

They argued that Harry Potter is just a fantasy tale, the witchcraft described in the books is not the same witchcraft in the Bible, Rowlling's is a Christian herself, there are themes that teach Biblical principles to children in the books, etc.  Tried as I might I could not bring myself to the side of seeing Harry Potter as benign or good.  Perhaps, I was halted from doing so by my bias against the books.

My argument was that whether or not the witchcraft in the Harry Potter books was the same witchcraft in the Bible, children would not know the difference if they were not properly told.  I argued that God can use anything, but just because a Godly or Biblical principle is portrayed in the books, the books teach how to love, forgive, or lay down your life for someone, it doesn't justify the use of witchcraft.

One person said that it could be argued that things in Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and even his own books could be evil if Harry Potter was evil.  I acknowledged there are things in stories I enjoy which contain things I don't agree with, things I label as evil.  An example is the mind melding in Star Trek.  In some of the stories and movies I enjoy there are mythological gods with powers.  I know that there is only one God.  My faith is not challenged by any of the things I enjoy and I know the truth, so I don't feel I am in danger. 

However, I am willing to admit this: I have no certainty that some of the things I enjoy are harmless.  In some cases I am exposed to hours of different religions and therefore it could be harmful, for all I know.  Because my faith does not waiver and I do not feel challenged I don't think I am in danger, but I am willingly to accept God's correction.  That is what I ask of Harry Potter fans.  If you feel those books are okay, then at least be willing to question it, admit that you don't have absolute certainty, and be willing for God's correction.

(7/21/2011)  I have decided to add more to this blog.  Here is an example I can use from my own life to help make my case.

I enjoy Avatar, an anime tv series that was aired on Nikelodeon.  The show is about a world consisting of four major nations, each nation dedicated to one of the four elements of nature.  About 1 in 4 people from each nation are known as benders and have the ability to bend one of the elements to their whim using a series of martial arts techniques.  The Avatar (a young boy named Aang) is a messiah like figure who has the ability to bend all four of the elements, each one he must learn.  The Avatar is a reincarnated being able to speak to his past lives for help when he needs too.  He is considered the bridge between our would and the spirit world.

This show is loaded with Eastern religion, reincarnation, multiple paths to enlightenment, etc.  All of it points to the betterment of oneself.  There are many lessons that teach self sacrifice, the giving of one's life for another, praying and finding peace for your enemies, choosing the path of meekness and peace, and there can be parallels drawn between Avatar and Jesus.  It can be argued that Avatar is the representation of Christ, each one of the abilities to bend an element is a gift from God and whether we choose to use it out of love or evil is a lesson that can be interrpreted throughout this series.

However, anything can be used by God to reach someone.  But, I am certain Avatar was not purposed by its creators as that.  We can find a good teaching in a lot of things, especially when we want to and in many cases it IS their to be found.  But, I am not going to justify the use of false religions and gods as a means of teaching something good just because it DOES teach something good.  The false religions is bad and that is that.  Just as there are things about other stories I enjoy that are wrong, there is no justifying the use of those things.  Let us admit when we are wrong and when we are right.

Some scriptures to consider:

Deuteronomy 18:10-14
"¹⁰ There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, ¹¹ or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. ¹² For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you. ¹³ You shall be ^[a]blameless before the LORD your God. ¹⁴ For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so".

Leviticus 19:31

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

 ³¹ ‘Do not turn to ^[a]mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God."

Ephesians 5:11
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

Transformers 3: Reveiw and Conservative Themes

Today I went to see Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon.  By now there have been many reviews written about this movie.  Some in favor of, some opposed to, and some neutral.  Most are better than this one will be, but I had to do this for my own therapy.

I had discussed it (the movie) earlier with my cousin and we both agreed on the idea of not going to see it because of all the advertising in the movie.  Actually, my cousin was who told me of all the advertising and this reinforced my lack of interest.  I had originally planned to avoid it because of how sexually perverted and "off topic" the second movie was.

I will say this:  Transformers 3 disappointed me, bored me, and....surprised me.

I won't do a chronological play by play of this movie.  Instead, I will focus on issues and things that "made" the movie, to me.

It started out with the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon and how that was a cover up for the real mission which was to recon a crashed alien vessel.  Their was a computer generated JFK (badly generated, I might add), old news reels, vintage footage of the lift off and splash down, etc.  After about 20 minutes of space race reminiscing we open up to 2011, with a butt shot of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in what looked like a bikini under a short...short...short dress.  That's' Bay for you...no respect for the young ladies.

As far as sexual stuff in the movie this third installment was much more toned down than the second movie and about on par with the first.  Sam Whitwicky's (Shai Lebouf) mother is, once again, a perverted loud mouth who has to make her opinion known.  She is not in the movie much, so she is forgotten soon after her parts.

The movie is filled with technological advancements and the latest real world computers and vehicles.  In fact, what my cousin said about the advertising in this movie was spot on.  This movie was almost a two and a half hour long commercial for cool cars, Chevy, and Lenovo.  Multiple times throughout the movie the camera pans in on the back of computers with the name LENOVO stretched across the screen in the foreground...out of focus just enough, but still OBVIOUSLY a badly placed advertisement enticing us to go out and by a new Lenovo computer after the movie is over.  The same thing happens with the Chevy, GMC, and Mercedes emblems numerous times.  But, that shouldn't be a surprise because the Transformers take on the disguises of modern day vehicles to fit in.  After all, Bumble Bee, one of the main Autobots, is a Chevy Camero.  This whole franchise has been one big hot spot for Chevy from the beginning for this reason.  However, what did surprise me was Waste Management.

While tearing through the very heart of downtown Chicago we get multiple up close shots of Waste Management's dumpsters and garbage trucks.  A few of them are trampled during the war between the Autobots, our military, and Decepticons.

With all the advertisement it was hard to stay focused.  I admit, I was on the lookout for "secret commercials" after the discussion with my cousin, but the amount of commercialization in this movie was noticeable anyway.  It made it hard to take the movie seriously and I felt much more disconnected from the characters than in the first Transformers movie.

Oh and I did mention Chicago.....there is no way I can go without writing about that.  So often we see cities get destroyed and rampaged by war, aliens, terrorists, robots, superheros and villains, etc.  It is no big deal and adds for realism.  Most of us are not from those cities so we often don't even think about it.  However, I am from the Chicago-land area and I know the city well.  So, this time around all of the urban devastation hit home.  I have been around and in so many of the buildings that were turned to rubble and it was so surreal.  What must it have been like for the people who who actually live in these buildings while they were watching this movie?  Must have been strange.  My uncle has actually installed cabinets in an apartment in one of the two buildings of Marina City, the two twin towers on the Chicago River.

I did very much appreciate HOW the city of Chicago was shot.  Movies like to generalize and show us well known landmarks...like the Statue of Liberty...or Chicago's Navy Pier...but this movie showed us streets and angles of the city you would only recognize if you had been there before.  I appreciate that level of a personal experience it gave the audience with Chicago.  While it did not subject us to one devastated landmark after another...like Independence Day or any other cliche 90's scifi flick, it did bring in the Wrigley Building, Hotel 71, 35 East Whacker Dr, Trump Tower and Willis Tower (Sear Tower).

Being from Chicago and as an admirer of its architecture I certainly did not mind this.  Another reason this was acceptable was the sky diving and wing suit action...which was actually REAL footage of stunt men jumping with the suites.  They actually jumped off of these buildings in real life for the sky diving scenes.  A link at the bottom of this blog will show you what the scene looked like in real life before special effects.  Any other well known places were purely background, save for one:  Lincoln Memorial.  Megatron actually blasts Abraham Lincoln off of his thrown and takes a seat.

The robot action was alright.  We had our usual Autobots, with one or two new bots added somewhere between the second movie and this one, and a whole army of Decepticons.  It was difficult to see what was happening in some of the fights as twisting turning metal flied across the screen...but it wasn't overwhelming.  The robots bled too, something I didn't notice in the first two movies.  It added to the fight scenes.

One thing I thought was goofy was how scratched up the Transformers were in their humanoid form and when they would transform into their car form their paint was flawless and they were beautiful machines.  They'd transform again into their humanoid form and all the sudden their paint was scratched again...even before any fights.  It was like when a cartoon character gets blown up and in the next scene he is fine...and in the same clothes he was blown up in...but that is okay...it added to detail and made them look more hardcore while they were on two legs and when they were rolling down the highway they glistened.

(SPOILER ALERT)  One of the Autobots, Sentinel Prime, who was salvaged from the crashed Autobot spaceship on the dark side of the moon (hence the title) and who turned out to be a traitor , was voiced by Leonard Nemoy!  I thought that was cool.  Nemoy did a swell job and his voice fits well for a wise old Autobot/Decepticon wanna be.  Something I thought was clever is how they slipped in a "word cameo" (a new term I just came up with to describe a famous line from one movie showing up in another) where Nemoy's character says, "The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few."  This was a line Nemoy's Star Trek character, Spock, used in Star Trek II:  The Wrath of Khan.  So, I enjoyed that and wondered how many other people caught it.

Another important thing, which as a conservative, was a pleasant surprise, was a couple of what seemed to be pro-Republican/conservative themes  Sam Whitwicky is looking for a job and in one interview he explains he was given a medal from the President.  The interviewer asked if it was "Obama".  When Sam said yes the interviewer explained that most of the people there were Republicans.  Later, Bill O'reilly made a cameo appearance in a manner that only made him look good.

The last thing I noticed at the end.  While a wounded but proud Optimus Prime was giving a speech about defending the Earth we see shots of Bumble Bee stoically standing in front of a war tattered American flag flapping gracefully in the wind.  It made for a patriotic end and an end to the movie which gained my respect.

Now on a deeper note, I do think there is a message in this movie.  As one review I read clearly points out, the Presidential Administration is clearly established as the Obama Administration in this movie.  During the movie the government quickly dispels the Autobots after threats by the Deceptions and quickly hands America over to the enemy.  Megatron, one of the main villains, destroys the Lincoln statue at the Lincoln memorial and sets his-self in Lincolns throne, as if to make a declaration that he has prevailed.  But, in the end, the good guys win and the American flag flaps proud in the wind behind our heroes, while Optimus' speech speaks about days when our allies turn against us and wars will come....but with an overtone of hope and victory in the end.  America is in a hard time.  Our government continues to fail us and many of us feel like we have been betrayed.  We seem to be losing any hope of recovery in this country and we need a hero to help us out of this mess.  I am glad to know someone with the power to bring issues to light in front of millions of Americans is working in Hollywood, even if I do disagree with some of  his movie making.

Don't forget to watch the wingsuite special below:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=transformers+3+wingsuit

Biblical Cliches?

Earlier this week, I was speaking to my uncle about certain cliche's that sound Biblical while, in reality, they are far from it.  One of these cliches, which gets on my nerves, is, "God helps those who help themselves".  I actually have heard this saying on television and form those I know personally.  What is equally frustrating is these people believe they are quoting true doctrine.  Another cliche my uncle and I discussed was, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness."  My uncle brought up a good point about this.  He rhetorically asked, "Its good, but what does it mean?" (paraphrasing)

Well, Let us examine these two cliches:

First up..."God helps those who help themselves".

This quote is NOT in the Bible and NOT entirely Biblical.  It is supposedly from Aesop's Fable "Hercules and the Wagoner", has been coined by Benjamin Franklin in 1757s "Pour Richard's Almanac", and used in Algernon Sidney's work (I am not delving into who this person is...he is from the 17th century though...now look it up yourself).  This cliche has been widely used.  It wreaks of selfishness.  It is clear that God helps the helpless.  In fact, we were all helpless to sin and could not possibly measure up...Romans 5:6 says, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."  There is nothing we could have done to atone for our sins without the help of Jesus' sacrifice......help from God.  Furthermore, we are told to WAIT upon the Lord:  "Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.", Psalms 25:5

Psalms 25:21 “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.”

Psalms 27:14 “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD”

Psalms 4:5 “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.”Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” 
  
Isaiah 25:4 "For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat..." 

In these verses it is clear that this cliche is nothing more than...a cliche.  As I stated above, this cliche is "not entirely biblical", however, it does make sense in one respect.  If a person asks for God's help for something and has the ability and common sense to start on his/her own, then it is safe to say that God has blessed you with the ability to do what you need...or at least to start it....and God may just meet you there when you can go no further on your own.  In this way, the cliche, "God helps those who help themselves" can be accurate....but don't get carried away with it...sometimes God wants you to pray things through before you act.

As for the other saying, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness"?  Well, in the Bible, specifically the Old Testament, it can be seen how many extinsive steps the Jewish people took, at the command of God, to stay clean.  I will not delve too deep into any examples of the Jewish cleanliness, but its there.  So, in this way it can be considered a metaphorically accurate cliche. 

I have read that this cliche originated in Babylonian and Hebrew tracks, then later by Sir Francis Bacon, and then coined in its current wordage by John Wessley.  However, we are no longer under the Law of the Old Testament if we have accepted the sacrifce and grace of Jesus.  Jesus died and rose again for our sins as a way of atoning for our sins because God knew we could never live up to the Law.  By His sacrifce, Jesus fulfilled the Law on our behalf. 

Romans 10:4 states, "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes..."  Romans 2:12 says, "All who sin apart from the law will perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law."  Also, some say we are not suppose to eat certian foods and animals because they are not clean.  While it is true some things can make us dirty inside and cause our bodies to rebel the Bible says in Mark 7:19-22, "Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.  And then he added, 'It is what comes from inside that defiles you.  For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.' "  This shows us that if we live under grace and the acceptance that Jesus is our atonement then we are no longer under the Law, which further stands to reason that even if we are covered in tar, we can still be "next" to God.
 
One final cliche I want to write about was brought to my attention by my wife...who says this saying was actually in a question on a job application she once filled out; "Money is the root of all evil."  Serisously?  Money?  I don't think so.  1 Timothy 6:10 says, "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows."  Wait, what was that again?  The LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil....the LOVE of money.  Not money itself.  Money is a tool and it can be used for good things.  However, greed or the LOVE of money is bad.

My purpose to this post is to expose the misinformed and misguided chiles people use everyday to try and sound profound.  Before you decide to use a cliche that may sound legitemate do some research about the meaning and origin behind it...and most importantly, find out what God and the Bible have to say about the principles of your cliche. 

Here is a website that has some more "doctrine":  http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/sayings.cfm

Television These Days

I am increasingly disturbed by the shows that are on television these days.  I am very disappointed with the cancellation of The Event and No Ordinary Family.  These are not the only shows, which I enjoy, that are close to or have been cancelled this year.  V, The Event, Chuck, Fringe, No Ordinary Family, The Cape, all cancelled or in danger of cancellation in a short time.  Out of those five, only two have been renewed for another season and while that seems promising the sobering fact the negates any promise is that both of them (Fringe and Chuck) have been moved to Friday...where they will slowly lose ratings because people, even myself, go out on Fridays.  All of these shows exercise the imagination and as I heard my favorite author say about something else, "gives the mind something to consider."

In the stead of these intellectual shows are "reality" shows and music based shows such as The Voice, Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice, American Idol, The bachelor or Baccalaureate  etc.  These shows are somewhat okay, but how many singing programs and "reality" shows can we possibly have?

Reality shows, seriously?  I guess they'd be more accurate and I could relate to them more if reality was SCRIPTED and EDITED!!!  And there is those bachelor shows....they team up a man or woman with 20 or more people of the opposite sex in hopes that they will choose a spouse at the end of the season.  That's good old wholesome television right there, folks!  That's a GREAT way to find love...by spreading myself thin over 25 women, making out with at least one of them every night, alternating from girl to girl, while learning the most surface and superficial garbage about this total stranger...but who cares right...I mean, she is hot!....Oh wait...there is that LARGE sum of money at the end of the show, if I choose a mate....ha, what a bunch of crap!  How much do you want to bet  in each of their hearts, minds, and perhaps discussed behind the scenes among themselves, is the option to marry in order to win the money and then divorce and split it between them.  Yeah, that could be the real motive behind these contenders.

Then there is the mildly "intellectual" crime dramas, CSI and Law and Order and all those other murder shows.  Let us be serious about these shows.  We all should know that it takes longer than a week to solve a murder.  But not in these fantasy worlds the producers come up with.  I know what you are thinking now...or will later, upon reading this...."But those scifi shows YOU like ARE fantasy....that's why you like them right?"  Well, those science fiction shows I like ARE fantasy....BUT, in those shows the situation changes every episode and, more often than not, each episode is a continuation of the encompassing plot of the entire series.

However, these crime dramas have a very vague encompassing plot and are, more than less, centered around individual episodic plots, in which, every single week someone is murdered, and that gets really old.  How many murders can happen under the noses of one pare of detectives in a single year?  It gets old.  CSI stands for Crime Scene Investigator, which suggests that these people could investigate MANY crime scenes...but instead it is always a murder scene.  It seems that the producers and writers of these television dramas are stuck in the same "easily entertained American rut " the writers and producers of the reality and music tv show are stuck in.  Oh well, I am only one voice. 

People, we need better television.  I totally accept that not everyone wants a science fiction  or fantasy show for entertainment....but at least lets have some more variety.  All we have is "reality", music, or murder shows to choose from.  Those producers and writers who dare bring their own imaginations into view and risk the scoffing of the critics and Nielson Box are adventurous, but often undermined by the poor ratings systems in this country. As stated above, the entertainment moguls seem to think America is stupid and easily entertained....but then again maybe America is stupid and easily entertained.  I mean, isn't what the TV people keep on television what the American people show the most interest in?  Isn't that how ratings work?