Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Picture of the Day

The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, and the President of India, Prathibha Devi Singh Patil inspecting Irish guards in Windsor, England. Ms. Patil is the first Indian woman elected to the ceremonial role as President of India. (Steve Parsons / Getty Images)

Important Poem From 20th Century History


First, they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out -- because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out -- because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out -- because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me.......and there was noone to speak out.


Popular poem about the inactivity of German intellectuals in the 193os

Monday, May 3, 2010

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Picture of the Day

A session of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev is marked by fist fights and a host of thrown eggs. Talk about consequences for an unpopular vote......wow.

Acceptance....

" The Power of Acceptance and our willingness to consciously activate it's power in every aspect of our lives is the often overlooked key to experiencing a quality of life that surpasses common human logic."

"Acceptance is the process of acknowledging certain aspects of life without attempting to change, fight against, or hide them. Most of our discomfort in life emerges out of our inability to accept things as they are. When we accept things as they are, the challenges of our lives tend to soften. We become more compassionate and understanding of ourselves, as well as others. It is here we begin to create the space for more love, peace and happiness to enter our lives."

Dr. Michal Irvin
Counseling Psychologist

Saturday, May 1, 2010

The Great Billy Graham....America's Pastor

Well, I was brought up to revere Billy Graham, and to this day, while priding myself as a person with an open and free mind, I am so very proud to say that I still enthusiastically revere everything about him.

Like me, Billy is a native North Carolinian and a moderate Baptist. Refusing to join Jerry Farwell's so called "moral majority," Billy said, "I'm for morality but morality goes far beyond sex and politics to human freedom and social justice. We in the clergy know so very little to speak with authority on the issues of the day. Evangelist can't be closely associated with any particular party or person. We have to stand in the middle to preach to all people, on the left and right." Newsweek said in a 2006 article, "For Graham, politics is secondary to the Gospel."

Billy has had a personal audience with, and has prayed with, Presidents of the United States since Harry Truman. That's 12 American Presidents. President Obama just visited with him for private prayer in Montreat, NC last month. Billy was named #7 on the Gallup Poll of the most admired people of the 20th Century. It is amazing that Billy has, considering the news environment in which we live, managed to steer clear of virtually any controversy. Billy has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. He has been named the "Greatest Living American" on several Gallup surveys.

Billy opposed segregation in the 1960s and refused to speak in segregated auditoriums. It was reported that he provided bail money to secure Martin Luther King's release from jail more than once in the '60s.

There will likely never be another Billy Graham. I once attended a funeral he did at First Baptist Church - Greensboro, and I felt like I'd been to a great religious revival. At age 93 now, in some ways it will be a sad day when Billy passes away. But without question, Billy will want us to celebrate his homecoming on that day, and to celebrate the hundreds of thousand of lives he touched and uplifted, and as us Baptist proudly say, and the souls he has saved. God Bless Billy Graham.

A Nice Collectible......and Rare

I enjoy collecting political buttons. I have buttons back to the McKinley-Bryan race in 1896.

The button above is one of my favorite newer era buttons. In the hobby, we refer to this type of button as a trigate-coattail button. It is a 3.5 inch Kerry for President, Illinois coattail piece. As you see, it has a young Barack Obama running for US Senate and a younger Jesse Jackson Jr. running for Congress, both riding the coattails of the top of the Democratic ticket.

It is a rare, attractive piece, with three, obviously high profile, Democrats on the button. It is also considered an "early Obama" button, making it a very nice collectible.

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