Bunny Cake Day 2014

These are pictures of Bunny Cake Day 2014 using a phone camera. My (supposedly) very good Canon had -0- pictures and I do not understand that. But, there are a lot of things about computers, cameras and other things that I do not understand.
The day had very good weather as I knew it would. The kids were great as I knew they would be. The adults enjoyed being together. Some of us tried to fly a special kite and it worked one time and then kept crashing. The wind was much too erratic for successful kiting. Later one youngster and Pop got a regular kite up and it flew. However, the wind kept gusting to 999 MPH and then quitting. We'll try again at another time.
Here are some pictures-------------

Two sisters with next year's cake makers & egg finders

Now here is the way it will go........(maybe)

The bosses and their tall helper

Getting there

Whadda you mean I can't eat the chocolate eggs?

We think it is ready, let's eat it!

Where do the red ones go?

TAADAA!

Hey! Look me over!

The 2014 Bunny Cake Crew

Getting ready for the hunt after the cake

Babies Are God's Way Of Saying That The World Should Go On

1.Babies Are God's Way Of Saying The World Should Go On
2. An Empty Place
3. Yes, Forwarding This Is Pretty O K

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Reader's Forum
I was correctly called out for a grammar mistake and I misspelled Senator Inhofe's name. This has been even more of an unusual week than last week so ...
Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom.
Oh, there is also a special announcement there .
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         Babies Are God's Way Of Saying That The World Should Go On
                                                                                                      
                                   

An old saying seems to sum up how several of us feel after Tuesday. For the two of the “old ones,” it goes back a couple of months previous to yesterday as a little boy joined our clan.  At this point I need to interrupt myself and add in a couple of things. I know that I never interrupt myself so please bear with me for a minute. 

I have always liked kids. Even as a young person, who was not the best example of a model for Sunday School behavior, I liked kids and tried to work with them. I am sure this was a major part of my (almost) obsessive desire to become a school band director. My school band director and my university band director guided me and down in my core person I wanted to pass this on. That and the fact that the world cannot exist without music and I wanted to be a part of that. 

There was very little thought of having kids of my own. To get to where I am now wasn’t even close to being a part of my conscious thought. People grew up (or appeared to) got married and had kids. That is the way the world turned, it just happened so get out of my way I have some kids to teach. The thought of someday being an old man and being the patriarch of a large clan was not a thought that had time to enter my poor little brain. I was too young to know that there could be a perfect little boy who was the cutest, smartest and brightest little person on the planet. Then a little girl and another little boy came along and they matched all that the first one possessed except the girl was just absolutely, amazingly beautiful. By this time we had moved to Wewoka, OK and my life was complete.

Except real life doesn’t turn out that way. After I almost grew up I gave a good friend some advice. The startling part is that I made up this “saying” out of my own head and it is not only true but universal. Not meaning to brag because sometimes even a rookie coming in off the bench can hit a home run and this is what happened to me. A musician friend was very worried about his daughter having her first baby. She was too young, too inexperienced, too... fill in the blanks as a very distressed father whose baby girl seems to have grown up despite what he thinks. Wellsir, using well crafted words, (I know, amazing wasn’t it) I told him that love doesn’t diminish when there is more than one, it progresses exponentially. I said he would have more than enough love to go around and probably a lot left over. 

Which brings us up to Tuesday, March 18. 2014. Annison Grace was born about 8:30 A.M. and she is my fourth great grandchild. FOUR! Father’s Day has just gotten a lot more special. To think that when my first child was born there could not be any more love proved how naive I was.  All you parents and grandparents and great-grandparents know what I mean. All you others who haven’t gotten there yet have OH so much to look forward to. 

When we have family gettogethers it is loud, noisy, and chaotic. There are kids everywhere and they are becoming fast friends. So far, they really like being together and no, they do not have a choice, they have orders, “You Vill Haff Fun!” and with that they play, run, talk and we eat a lot. Fortunately we have a super great place at Sandbur Acres to have these events. The next event is on Bunny Cake Day and as Sandbur is in the country, there are many places to hide eggs. Just this past weekend I found an egg from last year. 

Yessir, I know that my family is not unique as this sort of thing goes on all over the world. By writing about myself maybe I can shine a light for those who do this and those who would like to. In movies we see families that get together and they are usually Irish or Italian. Just in case Hollywood is reading, other people also have family events. Hollywood most often shows dysfunctional families as nearly the norm. Wellsir, families can also get together in love and have a happy time.

This whole effort today is dedicated to those who are great grandparents, grand parents, parents or those who want to be. There are very few things more thrilling than to hear the door open and a second later hear a little voice say, “Where’s Pop?”  Hurry Madden and Annie, Pop is waiting.

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2. An Empty Place
     A Child fills an empty place in your heart you never knew was empty.
  

Everyone knows that by far the happiest and universally enjoyable age of man is the first. What is there about babies which makes us hug and kiss and fondle them, so that even an enemy would give them help at that age?

Desiderius Erasmus

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/babies.html#xCzS6m61PdtzFUYw.99

   

Everyone knows that by far the happiest and universally enjoyable age of man is the first. What is there about babies which makes us hug and kiss and fondle them, so that even an enemy would give them help at that age?

Desiderius Erasmus

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/babies.html#xCzS6m61PdtzFUYw.99

Everyone knows that by far the happiest and universally enjoyable age of man is the first. What is there about babies which makes us hug and kiss and fondle them, so that even an enemy would give them help at that age?

Desiderius Erasmus

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/babies.html#xCzS6m61PdtzFUYw.99

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                                    READERS' FORUM
## There seems to be a great deal of interest in bees now and I hope this continues. Some readers agree with this.

        **Greetings Chelsea. Like most things, we humans tend to take the "humble bee" for granted. Surely the massive amount of chemicals poured into everything these days must eventually take its toll! Good on you for being a " Beek" and I hope that future bees thrive and continue to bring you fascination and enjoyment. Hobby or occupation, it doesn't matter, we need them on this planet. Not sure if I know anyone who doesn't like honey and aren't we lucky to enjoy this delicious, golden harvest these busy little bees make and store! I think it is wonderful that you and other like-minded Beeks gather to share knowledge and find ways to ensure the survival of the humble yet magnificent Bee. By the way, I love your cartoon/photo in the intro to your column, excellent!
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BUNNY CAKE DAY is April 12 this year. Better make your plans now.
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                                                                                                                                  POP and Madden

Mom and Anniston Grace

PRAY FOR UKRAINE

 

                                                                                                                                                                  1.Pray For Ukraine

2. In Love With
3. Comments?

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Reader's Forum
Check below for reader's comments and pics from Ukraine children in prison
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                             PRAY FOR UKRAINE

My heart is breaking and there is nothing I can do about it, nor can anyone else. The recent events in Ukraine have both Herself and me quite upset and sad. For those who do not know, we have been to Ukraine several times and have friends there. The last time we went was just a pure pleasure trip with no responsibilities and it was wonderful to see how the Ukrainians had progressed in terms of personal freedom and improved livelihood since our first visit in 1993. To think that another Russian madman was about to destroy all they have gained is too much to bear. We sent many items to orphanages and church groups from our churches until we moved up here and one person put a stop to it.

On one trip I met an older man who complimented my work and on what we were trying to accomplish. Somehow he had gotten to the USA before Stalin closed everything - or maybe he had slipped out and didn'’t want to say so. He told me stories that would make most Americans sick at heart. I had only heard a tiny bit of what the Ukrainians call “the artificial starvation” where Joseph Stalin caused a complete collapse of Ukrainian farming to satisfy his tortured mind and make them do the collective farming. The man sent me a great deal of material about this and it took more than one try to read all of it. 

I fell in love with Ukraine and Ukrainians on my first visit and deeper in love during the next seven visits. It was only when I was alone in the L’viv airport after a business trip did I meet someone who would talk about this horrible time. I had talked to one lady here who had distant family there she got to visit after the “wall” fell. She told one true story that was unbelievable.  The Great Depression in the USA was horribly bad for many people but here the people could move about and try to find something better. Our depression was caused by the greed and stupidity of the ruling political party. In Ukraine it was a deliberate act to rid the Russian leader of people who did not want to give up their farms and way of life. Please let me quote from the Human Rights Council as they can tell it less emotionally that I can.

"“The Soviet police confiscated the Ukrainian farmers of their homes, livestock, wheat crops, and valuable possessions. They imposed heavy grain taxes, deliberately leaving families to starve. Those who resisted giving up their homes and crops, were violently shot to death or deported to regions in Siberia. Some families and individuals chose to burn their homes to the ground and kill their livestock, instead of handing it over to Soviet authorities. Families, who tried to hide grain resources, in order to sustain a source of food, were killed. This campaign of terror was organized to instill fear within the people, and force them to relinquish all that they had. The ultimate goal was to have these people embrace Soviet-ism and abandon all nationalistic pride.

A system of internal passports prevented Ukrainians from leaving their towns and villages. Thus villagers were not able to cross the border and escape the torment by fleeing to other countries. When news of the Famine reached the Ukrainian Diaspora in the United States and Europe, food supplies were sent to Ukraine to assist the starving people. However all food shipments were denied at the border by Soviet authorities. Following the Soviet Union’s policy of denying any allegations having to do with the Famine, all outside assistance was refused. Even journalists were not allowed in Ukraine, because the Soviet government feared that the media would reveal the perpetrated crimes against the Ukrainian people. When an individual claimed that there was a famine in Ukraine they were considered to be spreading anti-Soviet propaganda. Even stating the words “famine” or “hunger” could cause someone to end up in jail.”"

The HRC estimates that 10 million people died during this. The Ukrainians set the figure at 40 to 50 million. Many of the people were sent to “camps” in Siberia and never returned. In fact, most did not. 

Ukrainians did not ask for this so they must suffer some more and we have to tip toe to keep the world from being consumed in nuclear fire. The Russians have thousands of nuclear-tipped rockets aimed at us and our allies. Pray for Ukraine.

Vladamir Putin is mad and, as are most egomaniacal dictators, he is very dangerous to the rest of the world. Those who want the president to go in with guns blazing are also unhinged. A dictator who invades a close ally and neighbor and also leads a people who march/demonstrate in the streets in favor of this, has to be treated very carefully. Ask any policeman what would happen if a nut held a gun to a hostage’'s head and the police rushed in with guns blazing. 

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2. In Love With
    "You have fallen in love with Ukraine...."
    Volunteers In Mission head officer to Chelsea Cook while planning a mission trip.

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3. Reader's Comments
    Questions? Ask them, Ill try to answer.
     Comments? State them, it is your turn to speak.
     Click here:  andfurthermore@cox.net and please put COMMENTS in the subject line

I am very interested in your thoughts and words about the Ukrainian situation. Anything you wish to say will be welcomed.
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4. Yes, you can
    Send this on to others and see what they think --
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5. unsubscribe
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                                    READERS' FORUM

Hey Chels,

I agree with you, I love my "hard-copy" of the Tulsa World and also Wewoka Times. A free press and investigative reporting are what keep this democracy in good working order (although I'm not sure just how "free" my press is anymore - way too few corporations seem to control our information). I was recently in a doctors waiting room, out of the seven of us seated there - I was the only person reading an actual newspaper, the other six - ranging in age from apx 8yrs to 50 - were head down in their phone, made my neck hurt!
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Newspapers! One of the greatest inventions by mankind! I enjoy the Sunday papers with their supplements, world news and entertainment. As for our local paper, some Thursdays are better than others. Either way, I would miss the freedom to access these strange folds of paper with the written words that draw me in. I too enjoy the rustle of the pages and the smell of print. Such a simple pleasure but one I would miss greatly if I could no longer buy these tactile carriers of information. I think technology is wonderful especially e-mails etc but I think it would be a form of torture without the humble Newspaper. Thank you once again Chelsea for sharing your thoughts and memories in your column. As always, thought provoking, to say the least. Crosswords have never been my strong point but I come from a family that is somewhat addicted to that particular skill set. Looking forward to your next column with interest. Bye for now, Wendy -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Can you tell I'm behind on my andfurthermores..... 
Congrats to Wewoka Troop 426, I know soooo many who benefited from the leadership of Charlie, Mutt and you Chelsea! We were so blessed to grow up 
when and where we did - so many adults who volunteered their time and efforts for us kids. We girls were fortunate as well, Campfire leaders like 
Jean, Molly, Jo, Edwardine, Mary, Polly and the list goes on, but I digress. Thank you for your time and effort, and to all those who passed their knowledge and caring down to all of us! 

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                    UKRAINIAN BOYS IN A BOYS' PRISON

If you wish to know this story, just ask and I'll tell you.

The shoes they are holding came from a drive from our Okmulgee church. Each boy received
a pair, the first new athletic shoes they had ever owned. The shoes they were wearing were
completely worn, torn and ragged. This was better than Christmas to them.

See Real Life Before You Rust

Roman aristocrat at Coliseum

Because of a recent Sunday School lesson I was thinking about aging and getting aged and, as odd as it seems to me, thinking about me getting old. I suppose, given the choices, I had rather get old than the alternative. I know I need to live for a longer time as I have two great-grand sons to see get raised correctly. It is very possible I shall have to give advice and you know I hardly ever do that. Oh, and there will probably be more babies as I have four more granddaughters and three grandsons who haven’t had any of their own babies yet. Yes, you are correct, I shall probably have to live to 101 just to see everybody gets off to the correct start. ...and furthermore, may I repeat, I hardly ever give advice but am always available when needed.

Most of you will remember that I have traveled on occasion and have met some wonderful people in other wonderful places. Whilst riding a city bus in L’viv, Ukraine I noticed the front-right side of the bus was empty. I asked our guide why she wouldn’t sit there as she was standing. The lettering on the wall of the bus said that those seats were served for “senior citizens” and one could be fined severely if a senior need that seat and you were in it.  Now that is what I call a civilized country. That’s not all.

In almost every place we visit out of the USA we notice we are almost catered to by others who see to it that we get on the bus, elevator or through a door or whatever. It seems to be part of other country’s DNA to assist the older members of the population and not run them over because they are slow and in the way. Other places/people do this aid without being condescending and that makes it nice. It is hard to get used to or accept when you are not always treated this way.

Part of our problem, I would have to think, is that the people of the USA are in a hurry. It seems that we rush through everything and that also means we rush through life. Yes, it starts very early. Our little kids are in a hurry to get to school, then they have eyes for little else but to get to drive, then to graduate high school and then get a “better” job or graduate college. Why the hurry? What about all the good things that could be happening while you were rushing through the healthiest part of your life.                                                                                                                 

Typical beach scene in Mexico

 

Not every kid in every country is like this. Many zillions of European, New Zealand and Aussie kids put on a back pack and go trekking across the world. They work at what they can, when they can and then travel on. There are youth hostels all over the world that cater to these backpackers and they are a delight to stay in. These kids meet other people, form temporary friendships, sometimes travel together and then move on. Some of them have already entered the world of work and they decided not to participate just yet. They exchange information that is valuable to fellow travelers and also exchange warnings.

Scene in Italy

 After doing a months long trip or more, they have a better idea of what the real world, the whole world is all about and they can better adjust to it. I would have to say that most foreign kids are not as xenophobic as many, if not most, American kids are. Think about kids from a small town and think how many of them have ever gone out to see the “real world” or real life. Young people from a small village in Germany may travel all across Europe without giving it a thought. It is hard to think of a youth from Smallville, USA who would travel backpack border to border by him/herself.

typical scene - Cuba

This is what I want my grand and great-grand kids to do. They should get out and see the world as it is, not just as the travel magazines and tour guides tell them it is. Get out and meet real people in real people circumstance. Meet people from small villages and not just city landmarks. Since I am going to have to live until I am 110 just to get them raised, I may even go with them. (Just to make sure they are all right, you understand.)

Cozemel

Blue Mnts, Australia

Travel Is More Than A Trip

                                    Travel Is More Than A Trip
In his book, “Quiet Mind,  One-Minute Retreats from a Busy World,” David Kundtz wonders “when traveling stopped being fun and became...what? Challenging!” Wellsir, to me traveling has always been fun AND challenging. Yessir, you who are ahead of me know that the greed of the airlines has made traveling harder as they are less focused on their customers needs as on their stock holders profits. No, no, do not get me wrong. I do believe that airlines should make a profit as they need to do so to get me from here to there. After saying that, however, I do not like being treated as if I were a steer loading into a cattle car. Actually, I think Darrell and Rupe treated their cattle with more care than some airlines treats their passengers.

Oh well, I suppose I could always hitch hike and take my chances on “Freddie” or “Chuckie” driving by. But no, I shall take the airlines and do my best to make the trip worthwhile. That is the key, I believe, to make something good of whatever happens. Recently a five member family needed to get back to the USA to start work again in two days after they arrived home. After being bumped, changed, ignored and several other completely asinine things that happened, they arrived at 2:00AM and went to work the next morning. Their 12 hour trip took 52 hours.

Now you are asking yourself two questions since I am not there to answer. (1) Was it worth it? and (2) Would they go to Europe again? The answer to both questions is an unqualified “YES.” Traveling away from home gives one the best way to appreciate home and his own country. Even if the airline people were horribly inefficient and uncoordinated, these people got to see sights only available in person at the site. These children now know that if there are problems they can be overcome.

You probably know from past records that I love to travel. Herself often says that we cannot go back to the same places as there are too many things and places to see to repeat. ...and yes, we have “sorta” violated that as we have been to Australia several times. Australia is large enough to see and do different things each time although visiting family was a priority.  Oh, to the uninitiated, we have been to all 50 US states and most of those we have visited several times so we have followed Will Rogers’ rule.

Americans are usually in too big of a hurry when traveling. We have not invented Star Trek’s “Beam me up, Scotty” yet so we have to travel at the speed of flight instead of the speed of light. To many American travelers I have seen and talked to, a two hour wait is the equivalent of being placed in a penitentiary cell. The fact that they will soon be traveling at close to 600 miles in only one hour and will get to their destination in the time it took their fathers to get to the next city. OK, I won’t even mention that they can go to Europe and visit several major capitals and be home in less time than it took their great-grandfathers to just get to Europe. I won’t even mention that.

Before leaving for any trip one should mentally prepare him/herself. When going to a foreign country one could learn a few phrases as most of those foreigners would appreciate you at least trying to speak their language. ...and furthermore, when a foreigner does not understand you it does not help him understand if you keep yelling a little louder each time. Bless their hearts. They have spent an entire lifetime speaking their native language and many Americans expect them to instantly be fluent in English. (Don’t tell anyone I said this but many rural Americans are not all that great at English).

Any trip is more enjoyable if one can learn to relax and expect the unexpected. Herself and I were going to Aussieland and had a dreaded five hour layover in Dallas. Wrong! We had a five hour layover in Tulsa and only arrived a few minutes before our once a day flight leaving Dallas. Yep, we were about to get nervous as time kept moving on but we didn’t. The delay was in Dallas but some people were harsh to the Tulsa workers. Hey, relax, dude, you are alive, well and, except for your overhanging belly, doing pretty well. Some people force themselves to not see past the moment. While we sat in Tulsa we thought about seeing Sydney again riding the train again and seeing actual live kangaroos eating on the lawn.

Travel maybe is a challenge and maybe is annoying at times but it is also one of life’s greatest pleasures. Get up, go somewhere and enjoy life. Vaya Con Dios.
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Blogspot has "improved" its blog server so now it has taken me almost all day and many attempts to get anything posted. I had one post completed earlier today and it disappeared before I got to review it. So I shall do a simple one and get started again after a year's absence from blogging. Read & I hope ENJOY!

1. Someone Call The Sheriff
2.  Well, DUHH!
3. Reader's Comments
4. Yes, you can
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Reader's Forum
Two interesting responses from last week
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As mankind progressed he found it necessary to set forth some rules to live by or there would be constant chaos. If one reads all the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, or reads even any ancient text not related to a specific religion, one would find a great deal of killing, bloodshed, barbarism and not very nice people. Recently I have read about ancient Ireland and the books brought history up to the modern era and murder, cheating and power makes right was the order of the day. Most countries follow a similar pattern, yes, including your own.
But as mankind did progress and get past the spear and sword defense, we began to try to sort out things before we killed someone. Now if that someone happened to be a king and your tribe disagreed with him, it was perfectly acceptable to get a huge gang and go about the countryside killing anyone you even thought might disagree with you. If they were ugly you could kill them just on general principles. No use having ugly people around to propagate ugly children. King, of course, set laws down for the people and this started other people to grumbling about the severity of the king’s justice.
Then someone in the western world invented writing and laws began to be made known to the masses rather than handed down by word of mouth (no pun intended). It didn’t matter to the Western world that the Eastern world had written things for centuries and had codified laws since before time began. The western kings had not let it happen so it didn’t count. And all this time you thought it was just our modern Congress-people who refused to believe that there was actually a civilization before they became elected.
But we here in the U S of A believe in laws and we believe in strict adherence to those laws. Yessir, especially here in Oklahoma. We believe in that people should put their faith in the laws of the land, just as Jesus said we should, and practice being faithful to those laws. However, some laws are just a little bit harder to follow than others. Some of those laws have been brought to my attention and as a public service I shall remind everybody, Okie or not, of these laws and will, of course, expect full compliance.
This first one will be easier to follow than some of them, Did you know that in the State of Oklahoma: “It is illegal for the owner of a bar to allow anyone inside to pretend to have sex with a buffalo.” For most people that particular law would be easy but, I suppose, it would depend on how long one had been in that bar. Also, just maybe what was being served to customers would enter in.
Now this one may be unconstitutional, I suppose it would depend on who is interpreting the US Constitution: “Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.”
 Now I fully agree with this one: “Oklahoma will not tolerate anyone taking a bite out of another’s hamburger.” Can you imagine the chaos and riots going on at Wendy’s or McDonalds if it wasn’t for that law. Two more very good and well crafted laws are in effect right now and should be brought to everyone’s attention. I fully agree with this one and shout AMEN! “It is against the law to read a comic book while operating a motor vehicle.” If you had had my mother you would know this law was not even needed: “It is illegal to wear your boots to bed.” Not wanting to commit suicide I never tried that.
Some of our cities and towns also have some relevant laws. For instance in Tulsa: “Elephants are not to be taken into the downtown area.” While in Wynona, OK, “Clothes may not be washed in bird baths and mules may not drink out of bird baths.” So you better take good care of your bird baths in Wynona.
I did a term as substitute principal in Schulter, OK. I am not sure I would have had the presence of mind to have called the sheriff if I had seen any of these lawbreakers. In Schulter: “Women may not gamble in the nude, in lingerie, or while wearing a towel.” Holy Cow! I wonder what the ante would be in that game. Maybe it is just as well I did not know.                                                        
Think for a minute where Oklahoma is geographically located in the continental U S. We are about 600 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and approximately 1500 miles from the Atlantic and/or the Pacific Ocean(s). There is a law in Oklahoma that says: “Whaling is illegal.” Dang, and I just bought a new harpoon.
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2. Well, DUHH!

Thus society is weakened every time a law is passed that large numbers of reasonable, responsible citizens think is stupid. Such laws invite good citizens to choose knowingly to break the law, confident that they are doing nothing morally wrong.
Charles Murray
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This just came in and seemed to fit.

Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
Church sign
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3. Reader's Comments
    Questions? Ask them, Ill try to answer.
     Comments? State them, it is your turn to speak.
     Click here:  andfurthermore@cox.net and please put COMMENTS in the subject line

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4. Yes, you can
   Tell others about this blog and let's get a conversation going. .
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                                    READERS' FORUM
## See, you need to read this column to keep up. But THANKX for writing and the kind words. This writer is speaking of the previous rant about how some cheat our children.

            **I'm sorry I missed that one but the readers forum did nicely. I concur Chelsea. Right on!!

##I have re-read last week's column twice and had it played back to listen to. I think I can figure out but am not exactly sure how what I said fits this response. Evidently I didn't say what I thought I wanted to say well enough to make clear. That may be why I have not gotten a book published.
        **

##I have re-read last week's column twice and had it played back to listen to. I think I can figure out but am not exactly sure how what I said fits this response. Evidently I didn't say what I thought I wanted to say well enough to make clear. That may be why I have not gotten a book published.
        **The rich get richer and the poor get poorer seems to me was an old song but now except for those on drugs and welfare?  Personally, I resent having to work to support those who don’t.  a young friend of ours makes 1,200$ / wk and pays $400 in taxes & other stuff. 

## This is an interesting take on last week's. I should point out the writer is older than me which makes him also a depression era kid. We disagree on the "systematically created" but, as always, he does a great job expressing himself. Maybe I should et him to help me get a book published.
         

     ** I was born and grew up in the bottom 80%, but was never taken in by the faulty idea that my role was to help make things nice and comfortable for the top 20% or 1%, or that I was a victim of a system that created victims..  By the time I was grown, my father, by dedication and persistence, had reached the door of the top 20.  With the same dedication and persistence, I took it from there to a bit of a higher level of the economic scale and my children and grand children have done (are doing) the same.

 

Accepting the idea that victims are systematically created is to accept the role of a victim, rather than taking on the responsibility for making your own way in the economic scale.  Education, dedication, persistence, and acceptance of the idea that we are each responsible for our own achievements, or lack of thereof, is what is needed.  Without them, people will find that they have unknowingly chosen to be victims who are dependent on the government and those higher in the economic scale.  A large part of those on welfare are there of their own choosing. 

 

I agree that there are situations where disabilities or a few other circumstances can cause people to experience impossible barriers, but those are of a great minority and were not the subject of your thesis.   Additionally, there will always be those who are born in a state of luxury, but they are so few that they will not be the cause of misery for the vast majority.

        ### Don't forget to check the blog as this will not be the only thing in it.  I have two new hives of bees and, so far, they are just as busy as... nevermind .. they are doing well. Maybe some fall honey ?? so check the other site also. {  http://wwwandfurthermoreblogspotcom.blogspot.com/  }

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