Growing
evidence suggests that all is not what it appears to be around us. I'm not
talking about kozmik events. I am talking about right down here in our
mundane mediocre little lives. Every day and all around us ... like a
cheese sandwich.
The normalcy bias, or normality bias, is a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster and its possible effects
In thinking of recent events, and
discussions with friends, I think there are a few hurdles that normalcy
bias has built that are nothing more than sand castles.
First
rule of conspiracy denial:
"A
lot of people would have to know; it's impossible!"
Response: So what? Lots of people knew
about Pearl Harbor, they even came out and have been published. Nobody
cares/believes/is told the truth despite the well-known information regarding
the advanced warning we got. Time has a way with these things.
Lots of people know
about what happened to the USS Liberty. Have the stories of the actual sailors
and naval command personnel ever really been told? Only to people who care to
do research; the general public is simply never shown. So the truth can hide in
plain sight despite all the testimony.
Lots of people knew what was going down on
9-11: namely 20 or so hijackers and their support, which is likely 2x to 10x the
number of actors. So the idea that deep support, i.e. lots of help, is a reason
to discount some theories doesn't hold water. In the case of 9-11, the very act
as officially documented itself constituted a massive conspiracy. The official
explanation is just as wild as any so-called conspiracy.
In the case of the Lusitania, only one
person really needed to know, the spy who phoned that one in, and the dozens of
others until a lucky U-boat sealed the deal. If any upper management was
involved, did they need to know what was going on? No, just that an operative
needed to provide info on ships carrying munitions. Segmentation can also make
"wide knowledge" unnecessary, and thereby an invalid candidate for
denial.
The explanation for most of these
things is, yes, we really are that dumb. It's the most likely answer to all of
them. Doesn't mean that a plan was not hatched and carried out. Doesn't mean an
official story was sold, probably to save face in most cases, but those are
conspiracies all on their own. Maybe if the people in power could admit a huge
screw-up, then a cover up wouldn't be necessary. So to circle back to the top, is
a conspiracy theory just another form of normalcy bias?
Would one rather
believe that evil is responsible instead of incompetence as a way of preserving
their own shallow existence?
One cannot win if pure evil is in charge.
Forever tilting at windmills fills the heart with purpose!
Next chapter: "Nobody would ever do that to their
own people" fallacy exposed...
As
promised here I have more about M1 Garands. I recently picked one up and
finally have it fixed up the way I want it. It was made in 1943 and went
through WWII, Europe or Pacific I don’t know. It was lend-leased to the Danish
military some years ago. The CMP brought
many back when the Danes turned them in and I bought mine through them. It is
in good shape mechanically, a new barrel, and the Danish replaced any worn
parts with milspec parts supplied by Beretta. Oh, yes, Beretta is the oldest
firearms maker in the world and they make many fine weapons besides the anemic
M9 service pistol. So I have an arsenal rebuilt rifle that is in excellent
condition.
The
wood stock was another story. After so many years and certainly seeing some
hard combat the stock was pretty rough. The Danes replaced the walnut butt
stock with one of birch. It fit good but birch is not a pretty wood. So I
replaced the upper and lower hand guards and found a decent butt stock. All the
wood was stripped and several coats of boiled linseed oil were applied.
(That was the way the military did their stocks, with the linseed oil). I put it all together last week and took it to the range. She shoots sweet.
There is a certain mystique to an M1. General Patton said of it: “The M1 is the greatest battle implement ever devised”. It is the weapon primarily associated with WWII and the winning thereof. In the Korean conflict the M1 was the only weapon reliable under such extreme cold conditions. Honor guards still use them for parades and drill teams. You have seen my other rifles and while they are fine weapons, shoot good, function well, so forth, they do not come close to being warm, they do not have any persona.
My M1 may not be the rifle I go to if the SHTF but it is the favorite of all my weapons. It is the one I connect with. She is the one closest to my heart.
I don't have anything to say about anything. I am in quiet mode lately, standing at the back of the room, kind of in the shadows, watching. Just watching. My thoughts are not blue-sky-apple-pie. I probably ought to just be quiet.
Uh, yeah, so?
I have posted some articles that are spiritual, mostly uplifting - but I am thinking about the End Times more and more. Go and contemplate the four horsemen.
I suppose I should follow my own advice. It is free, and worth every penny.
I offer up more tunes, none of which you want to be humming on your way in to work.
What goes around comes around. You reap what you sew as it says in the Good book.
Freemasons can be found in government, the military, science, and architecture.
The Mount Rushmore National
Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore
(Lakota Sioux name: Six Grandfathers) near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United
States. Sculpted by Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum,
Mount Rushmore features 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of four United
States presidents: George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826),
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865).The entire memorial
covers 1,278.45 acres (5.17 km2) and is 5,725 feet
(1,745 m) above sea leve
Mount
Rushmore has Masonic connections. Two of the presidents on Mount Rushmore are
Masons, Washington and Roosevelt.
Gutzon Borglum, who was the sculptor of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial,
and his son Lincoln Borglum were Freemasons. Following the death of his father,
Lincoln Borglum was assigned the task of completing the Mount Rushmore
Memorial.
Gutzon Borglum was raised in Howard Lodge #35 in New York City and served as
its Master in 1910-1911. Lincoln Borglum was raised in Battle River Lodge #92
Hermosa, South Dakota"
Situated at the entrance of New York Harbor stands one of the most important symbols of American liberty... The Statue of Liberty.
It was a gift from the
French people to the United States as a token of mutual friendship. Its
designer, a Freemason, was Brother Frederic A. Bartholdi (1834-1904) who
conceived its design while on a visit to America. As his ship sailed into
New York, Bartholdi had a vision of a woman standing on a pedestal, holding a
torch and welcoming immigrants to a new life in a free land. Along with
Brother Bartholdi, Brother Gustave Eiffel was also responsible for the
statue. Brother Eiffel designed and built the frame work which holds the
copper sheeting in place.
Frederic Bartholdi was one of the early members of Lodge Alsace-Lorraine, Paris
(Oct. 14, 1875) which was composed of prominent intellectuals, writers and
government representatives.
Life is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel. I am a thinker, so I laugh. If you can't laugh at other people, who can you laugh at? Sometimes I laugh at myself.
The situation is worse now than when I originally posted this article.
If you view this particular post and jump to "aha, racist" then you would be missing the point, in major denial, don't waste my time. Go occupy something. We need to stand up against things that are wrong. Too much tolerance and anarchy will reign.
I got this over the electron waves, (there are some links at the bottom of the article) some gal reporter who will not make it very far until she learns to do the mainstream dance looked into the question:
What if 20 Million Illegal Aliens Vacated America ? I, Tina Griego, journalist for the Denver Rocky Mountain News wrote a column titled, "Mexican Visitor's Lament". I interviewed Mexican journalist Evangelina Hernandez while visiting Denver last week. Hernandez said, "illegal aliens pay rent, buy groceries, buy clothes. What Happens to your country's economy if 20 million people go away?" Hmmm, I thought, what would happen? So I did my due diligence, buried my nose as a reporter into the FACTS I found below. It's a good question it deserves an honest answer. Over 80% of Americans demand secured borders and illegal immigration stopped. But what would happen if all 20 million or more vacated America ? The answers I found may surprise you! In California , if 3.5 million illegal aliens moved back to Mexico,it would leave an extra $10.2 billion to spend on overloaded school systems, bankrupt hospitals and overrun prisons. It would leave highways cleaner, safer and less congested. Everyone could understand one another as English became the dominant language again. In Colorado , 500,000 illegal migrants, plus their 300,000 kids and grandchilds would move back 'home', mostly to Mexico . That would save Colorado an estimated $2 billion (other experts say $7 billion) annually in taxes that pay for schooling, medical, social-services and incarceration costs. It means 12,000 gang members would vanish out of Denver alone. Colorado would save more than $20 million in prison costs, and the terror that those 7,300 alien criminals set upon local citizens. Denver Officer Don Young and hundreds of Colorado victims would not have suffered death, accidents, rapes and other crimes by illegals. Denver Public Schools would not suffer a 67% dropout/flunk rate because of thousands of illegal alien students speaking 41 different languages. At least 200,000 vehicles would vanish from our grid locked cities in Colorado . Denver 's 4% unemployment rate would vanish as our working poor would gain jobs at a living wage. In Florida , 1.5 million illegals would return the SunshineState back to America , the rule of law, and English. In Chicago, Illinois , 2.1 million illegals would free up hospitals, schools, prisons and highways for a safer, cleaner and more crime-free experience. If 20 million illegal aliens returned 'home', the U.S. Economy would return to the rule of law. Employers would hire legal American citizens at a living wage. Everyone would pay their fair share of taxes because they wouldn't be working off the books. That would result in an additional $401 Billion in IRS income taxes collected annually, and an equal amount for local, state and city coffers. No more push '1' for Spanish or '2' for English. No more confusion in American schools that now must contend with over 100 languages that degrade the educational system for American kids. Our overcrowded schools would lose more than two million illegal alien kids at a cost of billions in ESL and free breakfasts and lunches. We would lose 500,000 illegal criminal alien inmates at a cost of more than $1.6 billion annually. That includes 15,000 MS-13 gang members who distribute $130 billion in drugs annually would vacate our country. In cities like L.A. , 20,000 members of the ' Losing more than 20 million people would clear up our crowded highways and gridlock. Cleaner air and less drinking and driving American deaths by illegal aliens! America 's economy is drained. Taxpayers are harmed. Employers get rich. Over $80 billion annually wouldn't return to the aliens'home countries by cash transfers. Illegal migrants earned half that money untaxed, which further drains America 's economy which currently suffers an $14 trillion debt !! At least 400,000 anchor babies would not be born in our country, costing us $109 billion per year per cycle.At least 86 hospitals in California , Georgia and Florida would still be operating instead of being bankrupt out of existence because illegals pay nothing via the EMTOLA Act.
18th Street
Gang' would vanish from our nation. No more Mexican forgery gangs for ID theft from Americans! No more foreign rapists and child molesters!
Americans wouldn't suffer thousands of TB and hepatitis cases rampant in our country-brought in by illegals unscreened at our borders. Our cities would see 20 million less people driving, polluting and grid locking our cities. It would also put the 'progressives' on the horns of a dilemma; illegal aliens and their families cause 11% of our greenhouse gases. Over one million of Mexico's poorest citizens now live inside and along our border from Brownsville, Texas to San Diego, California in what the New York Times called, 'colonias' or new neighborhoods. Trouble is, those living areas resemble Bombay and Calcutta where grinding poverty, filth, diseases, drugs, crimes, no sanitation and worse. They live without sewage, clean water, streets, roads, electricity, or any kind of sanitation. The New York Times reported them to be America's new ' Third World ' inside our own country. Within 20 years, at their current growth rate, they expect 20 million residents of those colonias. (I've seen them personally in Texas and Arizona ; it's sickening beyond anything you can imagine.) By enforcing our laws, we could repatriate them back to Mexico . We should invite 20 million aliens to go home, fix their own countries and/or make a better life in Mexico . We already invite a million people into our country legally more than all other countries combined annually. We cannot and must not allow anarchy at our borders, more anarchy within our borders and growing lawlessness at every level in our nation.
It's time to stand up for our country, our culture, our civilization and our way of life.
Interesting Statistics ! Here are 14 reasons illegal aliens should vacate America, and I hope they are forwarded over and over again until they are read so many times that the reader gets sick of reading them:
$14 billion to $22 billion dollars are spent each year on welfare to illegal aliens. (that's Billion with a 'B')http://tinyurl.com/zob77.html
The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US . http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html
During the year 2005, there were 8 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our southernborder with as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from other terrorist countries. Over 10,000 of those were middle-easternterrorists. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroin, crack, Guns, and marijuana crossed into the U.S.from the southern border. http://tinyurl.com/t9sht
The National Policy Institute, estimates that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion, or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period and nbsp; http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/publications.php?b=deportation
In 2006, illegal aliens sent home $65 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin, to their families and friends.http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm
The dark side of illegal immigration: Nearly one million sex crimes are committed by illegal immigrants in the United States !http://www.drdsk.com/articleshtml Total cost a whopping $538.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!
Most of us folks ask nice, offer options. A few, well ...
That's what they say, football is a game of inches. Hard to believe when you watch all that energy, slam, bam, and the runs and passes. But it comes down to inches, doesn't it? Kinda like life. The big plays and the long passes, even the punts are all swell but they don't happen every play. I live my life in smaller increments. Day by day, the little things.
I am glad the season is starting! Watching football is more entertaining and more meaningful than watching the pols and their dog and pony show. And remember this: at the football games they sing the Star-Spangled Banner. So there.
The Brocker was born and raised in Denver and she has encouraged me to root for the Broncos. I hail from Chicago but I don't like the Bears; I went with Green Bay. Well, as long as Bret was with 'em.
Lately I have taken an interest in the Broncos; I am giving them a closer look. Paying strict attention to the inches y'unnerstand.
I am a Christian that lives in this world. That means that I work, go about the community, have friends, crash my car, buy a TV, all the normal everyday things that all people do.It also means that I live my life as the Bible tells me to do. I don't shave my head or hand out flowers in the airport and I don't engage in sinful activities. My life has a set of morals and beliefs that guide me such the Ten Commandments.
What I have as a Christian is a logical idea of what this world is all about and faith and hope for good things to come. Before I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior I was alone and walked in darkness for a number of years and I was afraid, lonely, hollow inside. While I would urge you, gentle readers, to do the same (oh, yes, it requires certain specific acts, not just "Oh well I'll try and live a better life") I know that some folks are skeptical, agnostic, and un-believing as atheists but we all need something, some Higher Power, some spiritual dimension to fill us and support us. Look around, check it out. Every major religion and most minor ones share some core values and morals.
OK, soap box aside, I present to you the common beliefs of Christians as we head into dark areas.
Rapture is a term in
Christian eschatology which refers to the "being caught up" discussed
in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who
are alive and remain" will be "caught up in the clouds" to meet "the
Lord in the air".
The term "Rapture" is used in at
least two senses. In the pre-tribulation view, a group of people will be left
behind on earth after another group literally leaves "to meet the Lord in
the air." This is now the most common use of the term, especially among
fundamentalist Christians and in the United States. The other, older use of the
term "Rapture" is simply as a synonym for the final resurrection
generally, without a belief that a group of people is left behind on earth for
an extended Tribulation period after the events of 1 Thessalonians 4:17. This
distinction is important as some types of Christianity never refer to "the
Rapture" in religious education, but might use the older and more general
sense of the word "rapture" in referring to what happens during the
final resurrection.
End time
(also called end times, end of time) is a time period described
in the eschatologies of the dominant world religions, both Abrahamic and
non-Abrahamic. Christianity traditionally depicts the end time as a period of
tribulation that precedes the second coming of Christ, who will face the emergence
of the Antichrist and usher in the Kingdom of God.
The Bible has a lot to say about the end times. Nearly every book
of the Bible contains prophecy regarding the end times. Taking all of these
prophecies and organizing them can be difficult. Following is a very brief
summary of what the Bible declares will happen in the end times.
Christ will remove all born-again believers from the earth in an event known as
the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54). At the judgment seat of
Christ, these believers will be rewarded for good works and faithful service
during their time on earth or will lose rewards, but not eternal life, for lack
of service and obedience (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
The Antichrist (the beast) will come into power and will sign a covenant with
Israel for seven years (Daniel 9:27). This seven-year period
of time is known as the “tribulation.” During the tribulation, there will be
terrible wars, famines, plagues, and natural disasters. God will be pouring out
His wrath against sin, evil, and wickedness. The tribulation will include the
appearance of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and the seven seal, trumpet,
and bowl judgments.
About halfway through the seven years, the Antichrist will break the peace
covenant with Israel and make war against it. The Antichrist will commit “the
abomination of desolation” and set up an image of himself to be worshipped in
the Jerusalem temple (Daniel
9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10), which will have been
rebuilt. The second half of the tribulation is known as “the great tribulation”
(Revelation 7:14) and “the time of Jacob’s
trouble” (Jeremiah
30:7).
At the end of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist will launch a final
attack on Jerusalem, culminating in the battle of Armageddon. Jesus Christ will
return, destroy the Antichrist and his armies, and cast them into the lake of
fire (Revelation
19:11-21). Christ
will then bind Satan in the Abyss for 1000 years and He will rule His earthly
kingdom for this thousand-year period (Revelation 20:1-6).
At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released, defeated again, and
then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10) for eternity. Christ then
judges all unbelievers (Revelation 20:10-15) at the great white throne
judgment, casting them all into the lake of fire. Christ will then usher in a
new heaven and new earth and the New Jerusalem—the eternal dwelling place of
believers. There will be no more sin, sorrow, or death (Revelation 21–22).
"... Given power over the earth to kill by famine, plague, and sword."
Hmm, sounds like that is happening already.
Pale or Green Horse
When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come and see!" I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.— Revelation 6:7-8
The fourth and final horseman is named Death. Of all the riders, he is the only one to whom the text itself explicitly gives a name. Unlike the other three, he is not described carrying a weapon/object; instead he is followed by Hades. However, illustrations commonly depict him carrying a scythe (like the Grim Reaper), sword, or other implement.
The color of Death's horse is written as khlōros (χλωρός) in the original Koine Greek, which can mean either green/greenish-yellow or pale/pallid. The color is often translated as "pale", though "ashen", "pale green" and "yellowish green” are other possible interpretations (the Greek word is the root of "chlorophyll" and "chlorine"). Based on uses of the word in ancient Greek medical literature, several scholars suggest that the color reflects the sickly pallor of a corpse. In some modern artistic depictions, the horse is given a distinct green color.
The verse beginning "they were given power over a fourth of the earth" is generally taken as referring to Death and Hades, although some commentators see it as applying to all four horsemen.
I have conquered booze and drugs - the industrial grade, not just dream weed - but nicotine is the strongest addiction that I have experienced. I struggle with it still. Put 'em down and walk away, but somehow drawn in again. It only takes one puff.
The drug can be lethal. Extract the nicotine from one cigarette and inject it intravenously and death will occur. It is still socially acceptable despite the Big Brother regulations. Look outside office buildings and see the smokers huddled and puffing furtively, like we used to do in high school, sneak out behind the gym and pass a couple Pall Malls around.
Was until recently, maybe still is used as currency in jails. It is heavily taxed, one of the "sin taxes" levied on the poor. Folks with wretched existences, few pleasures beyond some plonk and a pack of butts.
Medically harmful, no doubt about it. I used to work in industries back in the day, they flung asbestos and solvents and other skull & crossbones materials around like popcorn and that stuff was lethal too. Nobody knew nor cared.
Keep in mind that the tobacco industry is still powerful. Most people don't know is that each time they buy Post Grape Nuts, they're supporting Philip Morris, one of the largest tobacco companies in the country. Cigarette companies aren't stupid. As America learns to kick the habit, they've moved to diversify. Food and alcohol aside, Saks Fifth Avenue, Marshall Field's, Ivey's, Peoples Drug stores, Swingline staplers, Jergens lotion, Loews hotels and theaters, Regal china, Bulova watches, and Yardley cosmetics are just a few of the products or businesses affiliated with the cigarette sellers. The spate of mergers has turned the large tobacco companies into corporate octopuses. Philip Morris spent over $1.3 billion on advertising in 1986, more than any other company except Procter & Gamble. RJR (R J Reynolds) Nabisco is the fourth biggest spender (Sears is third), with an ad budget just under $1 billion. With that stupendous size comes undeniable power. It's advertising that supports most magazines, newspapers, television and radio. A magazine that depends on cigarette--or food--ads is going to think twice before running a story on the evils of smoking. Advertising fees buy journalistic complacency.
