A Hope?

This is the last post for America is Lost.I believe if you look back to when this blog was started in October you will find many topics addressed that should provoke thought and concern. It is well worth taking the time to read and consider the facts presented in these 50+ entries. It is my hope that those who have read what I have to say will at least become more aware of what is going on around them.I am still dumfounded when I hear and read things said and written by people who I believe are more intelligent then myself. For instance,in the wake of the near disaster that almost occurred involving a muslim man who attempted to blow up a plane headed for Detroit, there has been resistance by the media and many politicians to accept two necessary courses of action. The first one seems simple enough,describe the man for what he is,a terrorist. Strangely,our president won't do so despite the overwhelming evidence that this man is one. Secondly,due to the consistant similarities among the people who have committed terrorist acts since 9-11,there has finally been a call for increased attention given to potential passengers who fit the profile of what a terrorist is,you know,those who are male,middle-eastern,african,etc.,you get what I mean. It only seems logical doesn't it? Yet,if you watch or read the news you have already witnessed the outcry of many in the media and in Washington against doing this. It sort of reminds me when after the Fort Hood murders, part of Time magazine's coverage of that event included an article about muslims in the U.S. fearing "retaliation". Retaliation? Was there any retaliation after 9-11? Has there ever been any? No! So why is Time magazine writing an article sympathetic to muslims after one of their brethren just committed a terrorist attack? Don't the apologists in the media and government realize that by their actions,or inaction, they are undermining their own safety and well being?
So, is there hope for this country? If there is it's up to the American people. It's up to the American people to rise up and have their voices heard.There has been a hint of this in the form of "tea parties" and the outcry against the immigration bill George Bush attempted to enact a few years back. But, there will have to be a whole lot more people becoming involved before the powers that be will take notice and respond. A WHOLE lot more!
I close with this: read and remember who the forefathers of this country were, read what they believed in and what they did in response to those beliefs.
Wake-up America,it's later than you think!

You Can Tell a Lot About a Nation By the Way....

Today is the second to last entry for this America is Lost blog. The last post tomorrow will pertain to what, if anything, can be done to prevent what appears to be this country's inevitable fall. As I wrote in an earlier entry last October,all empires come to an end.America is right in the range of time when the great civilizations of the past have ended.Again, as you may have read in previous posts, this country has the same things going on in its government, as well as its cultural and social systems that other empires had before they fell.
A quote attributed to Gandhi was, "You can tell much about a country by the way they treat their animals." A true statement indeed. One doesn't have to look very far to see the abominable conditions many animals are raised and kept in as they are prepared for our eventual consumption. You don't have to be a member of PETA to recognize that this is not right.However, I am not thinking of animals as it pertains to Gandhi's quote,I have in mind the treatment of the elderly in this country.I read an article recently that in Japan it is not uncommon for family members to fight over who will have the right to take care of their aged parents. I should clarify this by saying that the children want to have their parents looked after by them.In the Asian culture, with being "old" comes respect and a kind of reverence. This is a far cry from what exists in America where the "reverence" is for youth and what is perceived as beauty(six-pack abs and silicone breasts for starters).Too often,people in this country are quick to have their parents sent to an assisted living center or a nursing home as soon as the inevitable signs of aging and diminishing physical abilities begin to appear. Granted,there are times when the health condition of someone necessitates special medical care that can only be obtained from a medical facility but far too often our elderly end up in nursing or similar homes because their children simply don't want to be bothered. This is indicative of a mindset that is dangerously self-centered. Yet it is the norm in this country. Do Americans not realize that they too will eventually become old? The harsh reality is that the overwhelming majority of nursing "homes" are profit,not patient driven. As one who has worked in a nursing "home" the emphasis is on keeping staffing low thus insuring greater profits.This is the NORM for assisted living and nursing facilities. If you doubt what I say then take a visit to a nursing home,any nursing home, and you will see that what I say is true.So what is the real tragedy here? It's not so much with the corporations that run these facilities,they are expected to be looking for the profit first. It's with the people, who for the sake of convenience and not wanting to disrupt their "lifestyle", send their parents to these modern day gulags. Somehow our elderly deserve a better fate.

A Christmas Prayer and a Question

O God, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thy only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer,so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost,one God,world without end. Amen.
(from The Scottish Book of Common Prayer,1929)
Since judgement is an essential component of the Christian faith,there is one thing all who call themselves Christian should consider. Do you think Jesus will ask why you didn't do something when His name and faith were being disparaged and marginalized in the country you live?

Merry Christmas USA?

What follows is an excerpt from a column written by Patrick Buchanan in 2001,it is more relevant today than when it was originally written. I ask this,when in the history of our nation have the beliefs,or lack of beliefs of a minority of people, been allowed to overrule the beliefs of the majority of Americans? It's been allowed in recent times whenever it pertains to eliminating references to anything Christian.Where's the outrage and demonstrations from Christians? The incident that is referenced in the following Buchanan quote had to do with a Christmas tradition being removed from the public square, this never would have happened 45+ years ago.A nation that won't stand up for it's rights and beliefs is doomed.

"Indeed, the birth of Christ has inspired more great paintings, music and sculpture than any event in history. “Ultimately,” writes Piatak, “we should be free to celebrate Christmas publicly and joyously, because it is a great holiday, and because it is our holiday and one of the crowning glories of Western culture that gave birth to America and sustains us still.”

But why, then, are we not free to do so? Why may we not celebrate, as we did for 200 years, the birth of our Savior, the day God became man to open up for us the gates of heaven and bring mankind the hope of eternal salvation?

Answer: Because our Constitution has been hijacked by bigots in black robes, who perverted it to de-Christianize America. And we let them get away with it. Second, because Christians have become an intimidated lot, who will permit themselves to be pushed around and even permit their Savior to go uncelebrated for fear of being called insensitive. But if we do not proclaim the Son of God, will He proclaim us before the Father in heaven?

If Jesus was truly God, and the first Christmas was the day he was born of the Virgin Mary, and He came into the world for our salvation, what does it say about us that we would permit a handful of unhappy people to deny us the right to celebrate His birth in our public squares?

But, nevertheless, “God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing ye dismay,” not even the ACLU on this coming Christmas Day."

Something to Ponder

"It is easier to desire Truth than to rid one's self of error." (a quote by Mary Baker Eddy).
For Americans,the real challenge isn't in recognizing that something is wrong,it's in doing something about what they perceive to be wrong.

The Necessity of Living What You Believe

The best advertisement for validating what someone believes in or advocates can be found, not in how eloquently one expresses those beliefs,but in the way he lives his life and conducts himself. There is a tremendous responsibility in "walking the talk" of your beliefs and convictions. Sadly,too often people forget this.We most often see examples of this behaviour in people who describe themselves as men and women of faith. Although the following quote refers to the Christian faith,it can apply to other faiths and belief systems as well.
Nietzsche said: "Our statesmen---a body of men who are otherwise so unembarrassed,and such thorough anti-Christians in deed---still declare themselves Christians and still flock to communion."
We may be able to see the hypocrisy in others, but can we recognize it in ourselves?

Quote of the Day and an Announcement

For those who are new to this site,take a moment to go to the first two posts that began this blog back in October,they are entitled Are You a Frog? and Are You an Ostrich?

Abraham Lincoln said: "Our safety,our liberty,depends upon preserving the Constitution of the United States as our Fathers made it inviolate.The people of the United States are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts,not to overthrow the Constitution,but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."
Do you remember what this current president said earlier this year about our Constitution?