We Will Be Changed In A Moment, In The Twinkling Of An Eye

I Corinthians 15:52, as recorded in the King James Version of the Holy Bible, tells us that a day will come when we "will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye!" This verse goes on to say that a loud blast of the trumpet will sound and the dead will rise to be made perfect in the sight of God.


I have to say that I was reminded of this verse last week when tragedy overtook the parade of wounded veterans who were being honored by the City of Midland and as well as various civic organizations. By now most of you have heard on the local, and yes, the national news about the terrible accident in which a train struck and destroyed one of the trailers on which some veterans and their loved ones were riding. Four service men, who had narrowly escaped death on some foreign battlefield, were killed in the accident. Many others were injured. Indeed the local hospital was taxed to the limit in caring for the survivors.

The tragedy struck so suddenly, with only a loud trumpet blast from the approaching locomotive. Five or less seconds later four men were changed "in a moment." The accident was over in the "twinkling of an eye." These four soldiers were suddenly transformed and met God in whatever form humans assume to meet the Creator. At least one of these brave soldiers died in the act of saving another person's life when he pushed his wife to safety a split second before his own death. His poor wife made her way to his crumpled body seconds later, but he was gone.

I know that the writer of I Corinthians believed that he and his generation would see a day when a "great trumpet blast" would issue from heaven, and that at that time the graves would be opened and those who were "asleep in Christ" would arise, then they would all meet Christ in the air (See I Thessalonians 4:15). I am certainly not a biblical expert, but I did not read in the Bible anywhere that such an event did occur. I know that, in apparent fulfillment of some of the Revelation prophecy, there was a time when the Roman soldiers slaughtered so many Jews that the streets of Jerusalem ran knee deep in blood. Since that time, many Christians have been martyred, and many other Christians have died of in more ordinary ways right up to the present day.

So today I have to wonder to myself if this "loud and terrible trumpet blast" may be heard only by those who are called to their Maker at a given time. Or was this tragedy in Midland one of those occasions where "some were taken" while other were "left behind?" For certainly not all of those who heard the fateful trumpet blasts were "taken." But one thing is certain, not one person knew that morning that four people would be dead before the parade had gone its full route. Not one person who lined the street that afternoon had any idea of the terrible tragedy that would unfold just minutes later. The step from from joyous celebration to insurmountable tears was separated by only a trumpet blast and a sudden impact.

The accident in Midland was so very tragic. Now survivors are picking up their lives and carrying on. Across the nation, our fellow Americans are doing the same in the aftermath of that storm called Sandy. The truth is that whether we are picking up our lives from some tragedy, or we are living the good life with no cares in the world, there is waiting a "loud and terrible trumpet blast" for each one of us. Will that blast be heard by many, or only by one? The lesson to be learned from tragedies such as the Midland Parade accident, or Hurricane Sandy, is that we need to be prepared for the day, the hour, the minute when that trumpet blast will sound. That means living a full life, letting all our loved ones know that they ARE, and (yes I will say it) making sure our "lives" are "in order." Peace with the Good Shepherd may be one of those things lacking in your life. Peace with the Good Shepherd is so valuable in our lives that we should not wait until we are in trouble to get it. We all know tragedy can strike any time, but the accident last week serves to remind us just how quickly it can happen, and then all second chances are gone.

Jurasic Park's Dr. Ian Malcom, or Should We!

John Hammond: I don't think you're giving us our due credit. Our scientists have done things which nobody's ever done before...
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.

 This is one of my favorite quotes from any movie.  I like Jurassic Park a lot, but I think the above exchange between Mr. Hammond and Dr. Malcolm was not only extremely appropo for that movie, but was profound in its application to our current situation.  By our current situation, I mean the state of science, and the state of espionage, in which we find ourselves today.  For instance, consider state of the art electronics.  Spy cameras are smaller and ever more powerful.  Tiny cameras are now mounted on small, insect-size robots known as nanobots.  A modern robot could now actually be the proverbial "fly on the wall" in your bedroom or your office, listening to your words and recording your actions, and transmitting this information to a dizzying number of state, federal, and even international law enforcement agencies, government agencies, and outright spy agencies.  Oh yes, private corporations can, and probably do, take advantage of the same technology.  And as each new discovery and application of such technology compounds the available and potential missions of such things, I have to wonder, were they so preoccupied with whether or not they COULD that they didn't stop to think if they SHOULD?!

On the other side of state of the arts electronics is the growing, expanding, ever-improving field of unmanned aerial drones, as well as similar land- and sea-going machines.  Drones, whether the size of a small kite, or as large as fighter jets, have become an invaluable weapon system in many modern militaries around the world.  I would like to stress that the United States does not have the monopoly on drone technology.  Last year, for instance, a small drone operated by the Mexican police crashed into a home in El Paso, Texas.  Our United States Congress has authorized, I should say DEMANDED, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to make plans to allow for the licensing of over 30,000 drones in the next couple of years.  These drones will be of all sizes, and will be operated both by our federal government and by private companies as well.  Given that our air traffic controllers can hardly keep up with the regular air traffic now, I am terrified as to what will happen when our skies begin to fill with these drones.  And once again I had to wonder, were scientists so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn't stop to think whether they should.

The truth is that many government projects, including those that involve gaining the ability to spy on Americans, intercept electronic communications, establish endless camera networks that are equipped with facial recognition technology, and to use all this technology to control us, would not be possible without the cooperation of scientists who are willing to invent these things apparently with no thought given to what is the ultimate purpose for and use of this technology.  I see all this technology and I have to wonder, WHAT were they THINKING?!!  Surely these scientists and technologists must realize that they themselves will be the targets of this technology sooner or later.  But again, they were so preoccupied with whether they could do it that they did not stop to think whether they should. 

At this point in America, it may well be too late to stem the tide of government control through emerging technology.  I hope not.  I also hope that our wiser scientists will someday apply the Jeff Goldblum question to decide whether the benefits of new technology outweigh the loss of personal freedom and liberty.  There are so many good things that technology can do, but it seems that many times useful technology is mostly applied to the science of spying on and of controlling people.  Drones, in their most modern form, have removed the "pilot" from the scene of the air strike.  Now the operator of the drone sits thousands of miles away from the attack, sometimes whole continents away.  The United States, through our lately re-elected President, now has the world in its sights.  Cars, buildings, or even individuals the world over can now be targeted and destroyed by drones so that no human flyer is ever at risk.  Again, we CAN do it.  SHOULD we do it?  

To make these matters really serious, it appears that no one person or agency can control the proliferation of this technology, nor, apparently, would anyone (with power) want to.  I had hoped that a new President would bring a new philosophy into the White House; a belief that this nation is a nation of law, that no one, including the President, is above the law.  Now that Mr. Obama has been given another term, I hold on the the faint hope that he will reverse his decision to allow United States drones to fly freely over other nations and rain down death on innocent persons, along with the terrorists that are the targets of these drone raids.  It appears that the power the advances in technology brings trumps the idea of NOT using some technology just because we can.  I hope I am wrong...I hope that our leaders, our scientists, and our technologists will take the time to think, to ask themselves this question: Are we preoccupied with whether we could, that we don't stop to think whether we SHOULD?

  

  

Christmas Is Already Here

Isn't it great that Christmas has already arrived?  I mean, just look at W#&Mart and other chain stores, and even a few unchained stores, too.  What I mean is, most of us still had stomach aches from consuming too many Halloween treats when these leading stores ushered in Christmas.  Thanksgiving is just an after-thought to the holiday season.  Wait a minute.  Actually Thanksgiving is a "before-thought" to that most hallowed of days...Black Friday!

Black Friday, that day when millions of otherwise normal and intelligent Americans suddenly go berserk, waiting in lines for hours just to buy video games and computers, or even the latest telephone!  It is so interesting that this, the biggest day of "Christmas Shopping," was named for one of the most terrible days in Wall Street history.  But what is even more interesting to me is that so many retailers cannot even wait for Black Friday anymore.  Christmas decorations and gifts go on "special" before the last Halloween costumes have been sold.

So corporate America forces us once again to ignore Thanksgiving Day by smothering us with Christmas even before November is old.  Yes, the stores are full of the trappings of the upcoming Holiday Season.  But I hope you will join me in slowing down just a bit, in remembering that between Halloween and Christmas, there comes another day, another holiday, one that is unique and significant to America.  I hope we all can put all the gift-buying and gift-giving hype aside, just long enough to enjoy all the things we have to be thankful for. 

I sometimes resent the way that stores try to nudge, no, shove us headlong, from holiday to holiday.  What is the harm in letting the seasons pass their natural course?  Let me answer my own question.  The first answer is that that the faster each holiday occurs, the faster we part with our cash.  The second answer is that the sooner that Christmas "starts," and the longer that Christmas "lasts," the MORE you and I will spend.  There is the bottom line: Increased corporate greed means that the big companies want you and me to spend more money; therefore, Christmas "season" has grown longer and longer every year, until now it starts while ghosts and goblins still fill the air.  I hope this trend stops someday.  If it does not, you can bet we won't be able to by flags and ribbons for the Fourth of July anymore.  Santa and his elves will be taking up all the shelf room.  I want to eat my turkey before roasting chestnuts over the open fire.  By the way...only 40 more SHOPPING DAYS till Christmas!

Football Saturday ...On Tuesday

Due to my so-busy schedule I have not only missed a lot of football games, but I have missed a lot of sleep as well.  But this past Saturday I was able to watch the LSU - Mississippi State footbal game before retiring Saturday night.  The Tigers were able to keep Mississippi State in its place, even if the game was not as pretty for the Tigers as usual.  Whatever, I was happy to see the Tigers win again.  The cool thing about watching college football these days is that usually while the game is in progress, a "ticker tape" runs at the edge of the football field.  This ticker constantly provides updates on the various games being played around the nation each Saturday.  It was this ticker that first alerted me to the epic game being played in Tuscaloosa. I have to say that I thought I had read the score backwards.  But it was true...the Aggies were 20 points ahead of the Crimson Tide and it was still only the first quarter.  Was an upset in the making?

Epic game or not, I stayed with the Tigers as they pulled further and further ahead of Mississippi State.  Even without the Honey Badger, the Tigers are an exciting team to watch.  The Badger will be missed, but the Tigers will GEAUX on!  On the other hand, the Red Raiders were giving all their fans a heart attack! In a double overtime thriller the Red Raiders overcame the Jayhawks 41 to 34.  I wished I could have seen it, but that other game was on and I was glued to it!  Unfortunately the Hurricanes lost another one.  This is not their year, but I love to watch them play no matter what.  In other bad news, for me, both Grambling and Marshall lost their respective games as well.

I know all these games were on Saturday, but that very day I slept only four of twenty-four hours, then worked another twelve.  In those conditions I had to let the blog go for a little while.  Also, I was still in a ranting mood about the Barack elections, so I did not permit myself to blog for at least the first twenty four hours after the election returns came in.  But Obamanitemare or not, I still managed to watch the LSU game, AND enjoy it, before hitting LaLa Land for a couple of hours before returning to work later Saturday night and into Sunday.

So it is now Tuesday night, and I finally have time to slow down and savor the victories, and sympathize with the less fortunate.  The LSU game was great, but it was the game I missed, A&M versus the Crimson Tide of Alabama that was the truly great game of the week.  The Aggies, newest team of the SEC, apparently feeling like they have something to prove, have been PROVING that something since the season started.  After losing the season opener to the Florida Gators, the Aggies went on a five gate winning streak - beating SMU, South Carolina, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Louisiana Tech in the process.  The winning streak was broken by LSU, in a close game.  LSU was then destroyed by the Crimson Tide, never crossing the goal line in this upset.  How great the Aggies must feel in upsetting the Crimson Tide, the team that hammered the Tigers earlier in the season.

But alas, I missed the Aggies' game.  LSU was in the process of defeating Mississippi and my eyes were in the process of closing.  I gave in to the necessity to sleep before going back to work for another twelve hours.  My work schedule has been the bane of my football season, allowing me to watch only three full football games the entire season.  In just a couple of weeks the playoffs will be upon us.  I hope the overtime crunch is over and I am back to being free to watch the college games over the next couple of weekends.  In the meantime, congratulations to the Aggies and Johnny Football...oh yeah, and Geaux Tigers!  Guns Up, Raiders!

 

So Confused!!

Yes, I am so confused with the results of the 2012 Presidential Election.  So many people talked about wanting change, and not the kind of change we have seen under Mr. Obama.  So many people talked about their weariness at the deadlock between the White House and Congress. So many people complained about so many things.  But the results of the election, if anything, indicate that people voted for the status quo, that is the SAME PRESIDENT and the SAME CONGRESS.  For any real change to occur, something had to give, but it did not. 

Logically speaking, the incumbent in almost any political office has the edge during elections.  From county sheriffs serving five, ten, or more terms in office to senators dying before they retire, election after election shows that the man (or woman) IN OFFICE tends to stay in office, barring some truly outrageous misdeed or some particularly unpalatable misjudgment.  Those of us who are "older" remember the day President Richard Nixon spoke to the nation on television with those now famous words, "I am NOT a CROOK!"  Only days later he resigned rather than face impeachment and almost certain removal from office. After President Ford's "caretaker" administration, a man named Jimmy Carter was swept into office on a wave of popularity not quite as great as that of Obama, but still a wave.  President Carter, however, was disgraced by his handling of the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979.  As a result, Ronald Reagan easily won the 1980 election.  Carter served only one term.

In the Congressional elections, many officeholders were re-elected as well, again proving that the incumbent is usually the winner.  Unfortunately, since we kept the same president and virtually the same Congress, there is little doubt that we are in for another four years of political deadlock at the national level. 

I am confused, though, as to WHY we kept our current leader, President Obama.  I get that many Democrats would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate, no matter WHO that person was, simply because the person was a Democrat.  Voters in that category comprise a large segment of Obama's support.  Another large block of Obama's support comes from Hispanic voters, who tend to vote for the Democratic candidate.  Union members, young professionals, and liberals also tend to vote for the Democrat.  What I am confused about is that so many people who fall into the above voting categories are also good, decent, law-abiding Americans who believe in the Constitution and the American way of life.  I am absolutely BEWILDERED that these people, as intelligent as anyone, I am sure, were willing to re-elect Barack Hussein Obama!  I did not particularly like any of the Democratic candidates, but almost any of them were more palatable than President Obama.

President Obama is the most UNPATRIOTIC person ever to hold that office.  Although the media went out of its way not to portray this, President Obama was photographed on several occasions with his back turned to the flag as the Star Spangled Banner was played.  Neither does Mr. Obama pledge his allegiance to this nation, to the people who elected him, now twice.  In other words Mr. Obama has no respect for the very people who placed him in the highest office in the land!

President Obama has no respect for our Constitution, the law of the land.  He has instructed the Justice Department to enforce laws differently, depending on who violates the law, and on whom is the victim.  He has sanctioned the continued tyrannical authority of the Office of Homeland Security, particularly the Transportation Security Administration.  Recently he sanctioned and supported the Attorney General in the failed Operation Fast and Furious, the "sting" operation that resulted in the deaths of at least two federal agents and an unknown number of Mexican police officers.  President Obama continues to authorize, and indeed, to direct the use of aerial drones to kill US citizens who are not charged with any crime.  This is the ultimate trampling of our Constitution.  Yet the majority of American voters WANTED this man to serve ANOTHER term as our President!

President Obama has no respect for the American taxpayer.  His administration oversaw the most massive misuse of tax dollars ever, in the bailout of the American banking industry.  Bank administrators and CEOs kept their jobs after running their respective banks into the ground.  Many of these same people received huge "bonuses" when they were forced to leave the banks.  The housing industry collapsed along with the banks, forcing many Americans out of their new homes.  President Obama further wasted tax dollars by funding questionable "green businesses" which then "failed."  Once again, the executives of these businesses made out like bandits with their huge bonuses, but the tax dollars were lost forever.  Again, THIS MAN is the one SO MANY AMERICANS RE-ELECTED?!

President Obama did not keep his promises regarding the "wars" going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Obama the Candidate decried "Bush's War" and railed on about the lost lives of our young soldiers, not to mention the millions of dollars these wars cost the American people every day!  Shortly after assuming the presidency, Mr. Obama informed us that he had reconsidered these matters and that the "War On Terror" must continue, apparently for at least the duration of his first term in office.  Four years later we are still fighting in those two nations and no end is in sight.  Not only that, but no tangible gains have been made in the "War On Terror."  Yet here it is, 2012, Saddam is dead, Osama is dead, but the war goes on.  But we must really WANT President Obama to serve another term, BECAUSE HE IS OUR PRESIDENT AGAIN!

Speaking of soldiers, lest we forget, Mr. Obama himself led a great crusade...a crusade to deny our soldiers fighting overseas the RIGHT TO VOTE!  But Mr. Obama was re-elected.

Like I said, the re-election of President Barack Hussein Obama is nothing less than confusing to me.  While I am as tired as anyone of the stalemate between the President and Congress, I had strong hope that we would have a new President, one that could work with the present Congress.  But more important, I had extremely high hopes most Americans would have by now realized that our President was so wasteful with our tax dollars, so disdainful of the American people, and most of all, so UNPATRIOTIC towards this nation, that they would not even THINK of putting him back in that most powerful office.  I was so wrong, and now I am so CONFUSED.  I am still stunned that so many supposedly reasonable and supposedly informed Americans chose to reward this tax-squandering, constitution-bashing, murderer with a second term as President of this great (but confusing) nation of ours!