Give me a break!

Ariana Iacono has a nose ring. The school she attends forbids nose rings in its dress code. Ariana refuses to remove the ring, and she has been suspended. So she's contacted the ACLU. She's just exercising her religious freedom, they say. You see, she's a member of the Church of Body Modification.

I can pretty well predict how this will turn out. She'll be allowed to go to school with the nose ring so she can practice her religion. But the little boy in Plano still won't be allowed to practice his religion by handing out candy canes at Christmas. I just wonder what they'll do when they get a student who's a member of the Church of the Birthday Suit.

"Student with nose ring believes suspension violates religious freedom." The Dallas Morning News; September 17, 2010; p. 8A.

How did he get in there?

Last month, yet another child, left unattended in a day care van, died in the Texas heat. The child was not discovered until the van was taken to pick up children at school in the afternoon, and a 3-year-old discovered his body.

According to the newspaper, when the van returned to the day care center from its morning rounds, the driver and the monitor "failed to see the boy in the back of the van."

Well, excuse me, but I want to know why they had to "see" him. I am assuming the two-year-old didn't come catch the bus by himself and strap himself into his safety seat. They had to know he was there. What happened to counting noses? "Let's see, I picked up 14 children, and 13 got off the van. I'm missing one." What about during the day at the center? Did no one say, "Wonder where Little Johnny is today"?

It is inexcusable that this child died. If you're being paid to take care of children, that's what you should be doing. I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if driver or monitor or both weren't texting or involved in a phone conversation when they left that poor child to die in an oven.

"Boy left hours in van dies." The Dallas Morning News; September 17, 2010; p. 1A.

Again I say -- HYPOCRITES!

Obama picked a new czar that he knows he couldn't get through a confirmation process, so he's calling her an interim and appointed her while Congress was not in session. Elizabeth Warren will oversee the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.

According to Jim Kahnhenn of the Associated Press, Obama "praised her highly." "Never again will folks be confused or misled by pages of barely understandable fine print that you find in agreements for credit cards or mortgages or student loans," Obama said.

Gosh, wonder why he didn't include Obamacare and the federal tax code in that list?

HYPOCRITES!

"Advocate to shape new agency." The Dallas Morning News; September 18, 2010; p. 6A.

Arrrrrrgh!

Here's one that will singe your backside. Illegal immigrants are going door-to-door in Seattle and other Washington cities to encourage legal immigrants to vote. They say their campaign is about "empowering immigrants who may not feel as if they can contribute to a campaign because they can't vote."

Maria Gianna is one of the illegals knocking on doors. She said, "In order for there to be a change to our broken immigration system, I believe one has to fight." "Our" broken system? Nothing in this country is hers! However, her illegal presence here and bold declaration of her status shows that our system is, indeed, broken. I hope she knocks on my door. I'll serve her some nachos and guacamole while she waits for the immigration authorities I've just called.

"Illegal immigrants join voter push." The Dallas Morning News; October 23, 2010; p. 5A.

Obama's Racism

What if a Republican had said, "We don't mind Obama coming along, but he has to sit in the back"? Do you think all the talking heads on MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and CBS would be screaming racism? Do you think it would show up on the front page of the newspapers?

Well, day before yesterday, Obama said, ". . .We don’t mind the Republicans joining us. They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back.” Yet it's not on the front pages, and no one is calling for his resignation or impeachment. Oh, but I forgot -- only whites can be racist.

http://www.stoptheaclu.com/2010/10/26/obama-republicans-sit-in-the-back/

Where is the reverence for Cowboy Stadium?

John Sewell of Ft. Worth is upset with country singer Tim McGraw. Since his letter to the editor was short, I'll just print the whole thing here:

"Tim McGraw is a popular entertainer, but he shows up at the finest stadium in America and shares the stage with the most elegant piano champion in the world . . .and he wears his yard work rags? Disgraceful. Somebody get him a decent manager."

I couldn't help but think of the people in our church who wear flip-flops, ripped jeans, shorts, and skimpy tops that look much more appropriate for the beach. Yet no one seems to think that's irreverent in a house of God. But show up on the sacred ground of the football stadium dressed inappropriately, and you'll certainly get a dressing down!

"Concert casual at the stadium." The Dallas Morning News; September 16, 2010; p. 12a.

Who is really the bully?

Sarah Scott of Richardson laments that Dr. Robert Jeffress, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, has become such a bully. She's upset over his assertion that Islam is a violent, dangerous religion. No one has yet proven anything he's said to be wrong, but he has been branded a liar, a hate-monger, and now a bully for his stand for the truth.

Sarah says Dr. Jeffress made "threatening statements based on emotion that incite fear and hate." No, Sarah, his statements were based on historical fact.

"How did this man become a bully?" she opines. Well, Sarah, I haven't seen Robert Jeffress so much as threaten violence, much less actually perpetrate it. That doesn't sound like a bully to me. I do know of some bullies, though. Several of them hijacked four airliners and killed 3000 people. One shot dozens of people at Ft. Hood. One tried to blow up a plane with explosives hidden in his underwear. One tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square. One tried to blow up a car at Fountain Place in Dallas. You might be interested to know that they were all muslims.

Thank God for Robert Jeffress!

". . . or are leaders bullies?" The Dallas Morning News; September 15, 2010; p. 16A.

But how does he feel now?

When the tornado hit Dallas a few weeks ago month, Carlos Mata was just arriving at work at Mockingbird Adult Video. Mata said, "The tornado was coming at us. I thought it was going to entomb us it was so strong. I thought of God. I was in such a hurry, though, but I started to pray."

Wonder if Carlos still works at the adult video store? Kind of reminds me of the old movie with Steve Martin. I can't remember all the details, but I think he had decided to commit suicide and had swum out into the ocean. Once out in the deep, he changed his mind. As he started swimming back, he made God all sorts of promises if He would just help him get back to shore. As he got closer and closer to land, however, those promises began to lose their fervor, and he began to back off them. By the time he waded up to the beach, they were all forgotten.

I'll just bet if you wander into that store, you'll find Carlos there.

"Video store worker: It 'was coming at us.'" The Dallas Morning News; September 9, 2010; p. 15A.

It's not spending!

I resent the way Democrats look at tax cuts. They call it "spending." It's NOT spending when you allow a citizen to keep his own money.

Obama wants to let the Bush tax cuts for those making over $200,000 expire. He says we "can't afford to spend $700 billion to keep lower tax rates in place for the nation's highest earners."

That's like me telling Mr. Essie May that I'm going to start taking $300 a month out of his paycheck for my mad money instead of the $150 he's been giving me because I just can't afford to keep spending that extra $150 a month on him. Now doesn't that sound ridiculous? But that's exactly what Obama is saying.

Basic accounting, Barack -- revenue is money you take in; expense is money you spend! They're on different sides of the books! And if you'll stop spending money like it's going out of style, you won't have to worry about the revenue side.

And a side note here: That tax cut for the "wealthy" he keeps talking about also affects small businesses. And when their taxes take that major jump, it will be reflected in what you pay for their goods and services and in an even bigger rise in unemployment. Don't be caught up in Obama's class warfare rhetoric. As I've said before, I never once was offered a job by a poor man.

"Obama: U.S. can't afford tax cut for wealthy." The Dallas Morning News; September 9, 2010; p. 1A.

I told you so.

It seems as if everyday we're hearing more stories of people who are already being affected by Obamacare. I've not heard one good story yet.

Take for example Al Alcantara. Al is 63 years old and has type II diabetes. He had a medical policy with National Health Insurance Company that covered his diabetic supplies. He recently received a letter informing him that his policy would not be renewed as the company could no longer offer individual accident and health insurance because of its inability to meet Obamacare regulations.

So now Al has to get into the state insurance pool for some of those "affordable" health care premiums Obama promised -- premiums that are much higher than they had with the policy that Obama assured them they would be able to keep. Those premiums now will cost him $1025 a month for a $2500 deductible or $662 a month for a $7000 deductible. How many retirees do you know who can "afford" that?

Call your senators and congressmen -- REPEAL!

"Feeling the squeeze of the health care law." The Dallas Morning News; September 8, 2010; p. 1D.

That Pesky 1st Amendment!

The Obama administration would be doing fine if they could just get rid of that pesky 1st Amendment. Not that they're not trying. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a letter to an association of insurers which said that the administration would not stand idly by as insurers blamed their premium hikes on Obamacare.

So when the clients say, "Why did my premiums go up so drastically," the insurance company doesn't have that 1st Amendment protection when it tells the truth. We are surely living in a dictatorship!

Funny from a local church newsletter: The church will have a special speaker this Sunday to teach them about "muslimism." I think he has his work cut out for him!

"Insurers criticized for tactics." The Dallas Morning News; September 11, 2010; p. 1D.

What kind of idiot is this?

James Barber of Dallas says that even though we disagree with radical Jihadism, and they are our enemies on the battlefield, we should not hate and despise them. Rather we should love and forgive them. Then he tries to draw a completely oranges and apples comparison to the Good Samaritan. Uh, James -- the Good Samaritan helped the Jew. Don't think that quite describes Osama Bin Laden. Quite the contrary, they're still trying to blow all us infidels to kingdom come along with the 3000 they killed on September 11. You go ahead and love them. I'll keep recognizing them for the sworn enemies to America they are.

Paris News funny for the day from the "Lost and Found" ads: "Found in southeast Paris, Irish Settler. Call 903-785-1521." Wonder if he came from Dublin?

"Remember the Good Samaritan." The Dallas Morning News; September 13, 2010; p. 3P.

How desperate are they?

The Dallas Morning News recently did another one of its sob stories on the homeless. It was about Nick Griffith and his wife, Lacy Lennon, and their two children. They recently took what little money they had and bought bus tickets from Florida to Rhode Island because they thought there would be more social services there. Those shelters in Florida had separate facilities for men and women. How dare they ask a charity family to sleep in separate quarters?

Nick lost his job last January. The couple had some savings, but they "squandered it figuring he would quickly find another job." Well, duh! If you're out of work, the first thing you want to do is go blow all your savings! Then they bummed off his mother for a couple of months until she said, "Enough." If your own mother throws you out, I have to assume it's because you're not trying very hard.

Anyway, upon arriving in Rhode Island, they decided to get away from the homeless shelter for awhile, so they got their state-issued welfare debit card and took the bus to the mall. There, they ate lunch at the food court and browsed for clothes and just strolled. Gosh, wonder if Nick or Lacy applied for jobs at any of those places they ate at and browsed in? No mention that they did.

There is one question that was never answered in the article, and it's probably because they didn't want to. One of the reasons the family went to Rhode Island was because an Applebee's there had promised Nick a job. But there is no indication that he ever went to work there. Instead, he spends his days browsing the mall on the taxpayer's dime.

"Homeless family makes long trek to find aid." The Dallas Morning News; September 12, 2010; p. 5A.

Eddie Bernice. Liar? Stupid? Both?

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson says she did not ". . .have an ethical alarm go off," when she awarded $31,000 in scholarships to her grandsons, great-nephews, children of her chief aide, and the daughter of a man who oversees contracts for her DFW Airport businesses. Now tell me, don't you think anybody with half an ounce of sense would think to himself, "Hmm . . . this might not be quite kosher," if he had control of charitable funds and was directing them to his grandchildren and business associates?

So is Eddie Bernice really that stupid? Or is she lying? Or does she think we're that stupid?

And here's the convenient thing -- Eddie Bernice says her grandchildren didn't sign the affidavits attesting they were not related to anyone on the Foundation Board and they met residency requirements. Well, if they did, they are mysteriously missing from her office. So if the forms can't be found, guess that means they can't be prosecuted for perjury.

"Johnson: 'I never heard the rules' on scholarships." The Dallas Morning News; September 3, 2010; p. 1A.

Obama's New Rug

Did you hear about Obama's new rug for the oval office? There's no telling what we paid for the thing. Its border is highlighted by quotes from famous men. But they goofed on the quote attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. It's actually a quote from Theodore Parker. It's one of those quotes with lots of lofty sounding words but no real substance -- "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Guess it really doesn't matter -- MLK probably used it in one of his plagiarized theses or dissertations. I'm just wondering how much it will cost us to fix it. Of course, Obama doesn't mind living a lie, so maybe that's an expense we taxpayers won't have to bear.

"There's a problem underfoot." The Dallas Morning News; September 5, 2010; p. 6A.

Essie's Heroes

Dr. Robert Jeffress, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, is one of my heroes. He has the courage of his convictions. He's recently taken a lot of heat for calling Islam what it is -- an evil religion. Steve Blow of The Dallas Morning News doesn't like that. He says Dr. Jeffress has gone too far -- that he is uninformed, un-Christian, and un-American.

First of all, I daresay that Dr. Jeffress, given his background, knows far more about Islam than Steve Blow does. Second, since when is it un-Christian to speak the truth? John the Baptist, Paul the Apostle, and even Jesus, offended quite a few people in their day, but it was because they spoke the plain unvarnished truth. And third, isn't Steve Blow skating on thin First Amendment ice when he questions Dr. Jeffress's right to speak his beliefs? Freedom of speech and religion are the very foundations of what it means to be American.

Blow couldn't refute what Dr. Jeffress said. He made a big deal of Jeffress saying that when Christians committed atrocities in the Crusades, it was contrary to the New Testament, but when muslims commit atrocities, it's in accordance with the teachings of the koran. That's quite true -- the koran says that the infidel is to be destroyed.

Then he also takes Dr. Jeffress to task for saying that Islam oppresses women and is a violent religion. I suppose Blow hasn't seen all those women running around in burqas, hasn't heard about how they stone adulteresses (but rarely adulterers as they don't consider that men commit that sin), and has forgotten about the 3000 people killed on 9/11.

Blow brought in an SMU professor of theology who said that Jeffress lied about Mohammed condoning pedophilia. But he couldn't deny that he married a nine-year-old girl. Doesn't sound to me like Jeffress lied. The professor says that Jeffress lied about everything. There's some lying going on, but it's not Robert Jeffress who's doing it.

"Dallas pastor's words on Islam go much too far." The Dallas Morning News; September 5, 2010; p. 1B.

Your Tax Dollars at Work

There are about 145,000 U.S. service personnel who are due back pay because they were required to extend their service after 9/11. Last October, Congress approved "stop-loss" pay for them in the amount of $500 for each month of involuntary service.

Those personnel are required to submit an application to receive the money, but only about a third of those eligible have done so. So the government is sending letters and mounting a publicity campaign to the remaining two-thirds.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but if the government knows where they are (and it's a good bet it does), and the government has all the military records so it knows how much it owes to each person, why doesn't it just send the check? Why send out letters and ask them to send in for an application? Oh -- I know -- I bet it's part of that government paperwork reduction act!

"Troops leaving back pay on the table." The Dallas Morning News; September 7, 2010; p. 4A.

Liberal Hypocrites

You know how liberals like to portray conservatives -- rich, greedy, hardhearted, snobby, uncaring about the poor?

Well, the liberals are a tad upset in Arizona. It seems there are several homeless people on the state-wide ballot for November. The liberals don't think they have a right to be there. You see, a Republican recruited them. They claim he did so just to split the Democratic vote. While their allegations may be true, maybe they're not. At least one of the candidates says he's quite serious.

The Democratic Party has filed a complaint to have these people removed from the ballot. Are they saying that these people are unworthy just because they are poor? Are they saying they are better than the homeless just because they have a house to live in? What happened to the old, "They're just like you and me," mantra?

Looks to me like those rich, greedy, hardhearted, snobby, uncaring Democrats just want to keep all the power for themselves. HYPOCRITES!

"Candidate who?" The Dallas Morning News; September 7, 2010; p. 2A.

How did they get away with this?

Did you hear about the Nettleton, Mississippi, School District? The District has had a policy for 30 years regarding student elections.

Only white kids may run for some class offices one year, and only black kids may run the next. What brought the policy to an end was when a biracial student was told she could not run for class president because it was the year for a black student. The policy excluded biracial and hispanic students, because a student had to be either black or white to run.

Isn't it ironic that what was pc 30 years ago is racist today?

"School eliminates race policy in student elections." The Dallas Morning News; August 28, 2010; p. 6A.

Don't drink water, you don't play.

There was a recent article in the newspaper about Muslims who play high school football. Everyone knows how dangerous the August workouts are in Texas -- especially so this year if you remember what August was like with its weeks of 100+ temperatures.

Muslim players who fast for Ramadan are allowed to work out in these conditions without taking their water breaks. They say they suffer burning rib cages, light-headedness, and labored breathing. And the coaches admit that their performances are affected. Coach Brian Basil of Irving MacArthur High School says he makes sure the trainers keep close watch. Yeah -- they'll be right there when those boys go into cardiac arrest. How stupid can someone be?

If I were the coach, I'd say, "It's like this, boys. I respect your devotion to your religion and if you want to quit hydrating, that's fine by me. But you won't be playing football while you do."

Here's one that takes the cake -- the Ramadan fast lasts from sunrise to sunset, so one high school in Michigan has practice at 11 p.m. during the fast. All the Christian and Jewish boys have to stay up all hours just to accommodate the Muslims.

Speaking of not drinking water during workouts, one of the boys said, "It's something you can be proud of what you did." I don't know why Muslims fast, but in Christianity, the purpose of fasting is NOT to make one proud of oneself. It's to contemplate one's unworthiness before God and to draw closer to Him in prayer. Sounds like these guys are missing the boat entirely.

"The Fast and the Faithful." The Dallas Morning News; August 27, 2010; p. 1A.

"You can keep your current coverage," Obama said.

Remember when Obama was pushing Obamacare, and he said that the opposition was putting lies out there. "You won't have to switch your coverage," he said. "If you're happy with what you have, you can keep it."

From the August 26, 2010, issue of The Dallas Morning News: "More than 3 million seniors may have to switch their Medicare prescription plans next year, even if they're perfectly happy with them, because of an attempt by the government to simplify their lives. . .While seniors would not lose Medicare coverage, they could see changes in their premiums and co-payments."

Do you think those "changes" they "could see" will be decreases? If you do, you're probably one of the poor fools who bought into Obamacare in the first place.

Of course, then we have McDonald's and teachers unions who simply can't afford to abide by the rules of Obamacare. McDonald's offers mini-med plans to its employees, but Obamacare outlaws those plans. So they've asked for waivers. And they've been given them. But what about the companies that don't get waivers? And we were told the government wouldn't be deciding who got care and who didn't!

"Drug plans to decrease." The Dallas Morning News; August 26, 2010; p. 2D.

Sell the laptop!

Mauri Long has a complaint. The Texas welfare office isn't answering her calls fast enough. She says she's desperate for food stamps and cash assistance for her three children.

I might have felt sorry for her if it hadn't been for the photo included with the full page spread about the antiquated phone system at the welfare office. Long's sitting at her kitchen table in front of a very expensive looking laptop -- big wide screen and large integrated keyboard. She has her cellphone in her hand. Her daughter evidently has a broken arm -- her cast is signed by "Dad."

Now, if Mauri can afford that big laptop and internet service, if Mauri can afford cellphones and cellphone service, and if her kids have a dad who should be supporting them, why does she need assistance? Sell the laptop, drop the cellphone, and get the deadbeat dad to pay! It's not the taxpayer's responsibility to give you food stamps and cash assistance!

"Phone troubles hang up welfare requests." The Dallas Morning News; August 31, 2010; p. 1A.

Multiple personality disorder?

From The Paris News classified ad section of August 25, 2010:

"I, Ronald Culpepper & Ella Culpepper will not be responsible for any debt other than our own as of 6/1/10."

Think we should introduce him to Eve White and Sybil?

Whatever happened to "It's the right thing to do"?

I recently read an article that left me quite depressed. It was about people who have taken out large home equity loans for vacations and other non-essentials. Now that real estate prices have fallen, they find themselves owing more than the house is worth. Rather than saying, "This bank lent me $200,000, and I must pay it back," they are looking at the banks as the villains who expect them to pay $200,000 for a home worth $130,000.

What's really sad is that there are so many of these bad loans out there that most of the banks will make no attempt to get their money back, thus the taxpayers are essentially bailing out people who now own boats, new cars, jewelry and other luxury items. Lenders wrote off as uncollectible $11.1 billion in these home equity loans in 2009. When the banks do settle, it's most likely for ten cents on the dollar. Christopher Combs is a real estate lawyer in Phoenix. He said, "People got 90 cents for free. It rewards immorality, to some extent." The only thing I disagree with Christopher on is the "to some extent" part. It rewards immorality. Period.

So what do the low-life cheats who are reaping these rewards have to say? Shawn Schlegel is in default on a $94,873 loan. He said, "I am not going to be a slave to the bank." But, Shawn, you signed the mortgage! You told the bank you would pay the money! Others said that the banks were indiscriminate in making loans. But the banks didn't force them to take out loans. I have never yet been into my bank when they stuck a gun into my ribs and said, "You must sign this loan and be our slave."

Marc McCain is a Phoenix lawyer who has been retained by 300 new clients in the past year. Fewer than 5 percent of them said they would continue paying their home equity loans no matter what. Darin Bolton defaulted on loans in Chicago because "we felt we were just tossing our money into a hole." No, Darin, it wasn't your money. It was the bank's money.

McCain said, "It's come to the point where morality is no longer an issue." What a sad, sad commentary!

"Home equity loans go unpaid." The Dallas Morning News; August 25, 2010; p. 17A.

Did you know?

Mayor Tom Leppert of Dallas heads up a back to school fair every year for underprivileged children. The fair provides them with backpacks and school supplies. I, myself, have more than once contributed to a "pack the backpack" charity to help provide school supplies for poor children. But no more!

Did you know that the State of Texas provides a $30 back to school stipend for each child in a family receiving welfare? I realize that with today's prices and extravagant school supply lists, that most likely covers only about half their supplies, but shouldn't the parents of these children be expected to kick in something, too? These people are cleaning up -- I've seen them make the rounds of King's Daughters, Salvation Army, and other charities, but I didn't know they were getting an extra check from the state as well. And I know some teachers spend their own money to keep extra supplies in their classrooms. Then there was the elementary class where the children were told to bring two boxes of Kleenex. When the mother who told me about this sent just one box, the teacher said something. The mother said, "When little Judy runs out, I'll send another box." The teacher then explained that the second box was for children who didn't bring their own. I very much admired this mother for standing her ground and refusing to send another box.

The bottom line is this -- just how much of that $30 in state money per child do you think actually gets spent for the benefit of the child?

"Proposed cuts tough on the poor." The Dallas Morning News; August 25, 2010; p. 4A.

Now do you get it, Gloria?

Gloria Arellano left her 2-year-old son in the car on a 110 degree day while she took care of some business. Fortunately, a security guard saw the child and got him out of the car before he suffered permanent injury or death. He and his siblings are now under CPS protection with an unnamed family.

Gloria says she doesn't see what the big deal is. "I left a window cracked and food in there." I suggest that for Gloria's enlightenment, we put her in a car, crack a window, and let her sit locked in it on a 110 degree day. Bet she'll think it's a big deal then.

Honestly, some people are just too stupid to exist!

"Police: Mom who left tot didn't get 'big deal.'" The Dallas Morning News; August 25, 2010; p. 1B.

Sure, you can have your job back!

You have to wonder sometimes what people do with the brains God gave them. If it weren't such a tragedy (nine people were killed) the thought processes of this man would make for great comedy.

Rolando Mendoza was fired from the Manila police force in 2008. He wanted his job back. "I know," he thought. "I'll hijack a bus full of tourists and hold them hostage until they let me be a policeman again." I guess we'll never know why he thought that would work, because he was one of the ones who ended up dead. Unfortunately, he took a bunch of innocent people with him.

That's some pretty expensive swimming!

Remember when Essie posted about the protest at Dallas City Hall concerning closing some of the municipal swimming pools (August 25, 2010 -- "Did they take the day off?")?

Well, here's an update for you. The city released some statistics regarding the expense to run those pools. Over the last three summers, each visit to Exline pool in South Dallas cost the taxpayers $136. Each visit to Glandale pool in East Oak Cliff cost the taxpayers $80. The overall average cost for the city's 21 pools was $31.

That's some pretty expensive swimming, and I don't know anyone with half a brain who would advocate continuing to pour money into those holes.

"Pools cost taxpayers up to $136 per visitor." The Dallas Morning News; August 22, 2010; p. 1B.

We don't care if an enemy combatant is in the White House.

LaJuan Marke of Palestine, Texas, says that when most Americans don't care what religion a president or a building is, he will know his country "has grown up."

Really, LaJuan? You don't care if your President is a radical Jihadist? You don't care if a Wiccan temple goes up next door to your house? Gosh, I don't believe you really live in Palestine. I think you're a resident of lalaland.

"When we will have come of age." The Dallas Morning News; August 23, 2010; p. 12A.

So how much money is too much?

Morris D. Fried of Richardson says that the only way to prevent mothers from killing their children is to provide a strong safety net. He says that might even mean a "restriction on the freedom of a very few to accumulate personal wealth a thousandfold beyond any conceivable human need."

First, Mr. Fried, mothers killing their children has nothing to do with how much money they're getting from the paychecks of others. It has to do with irresponsible behaviour and a lack of natural affection (as predicted by the Biblical end-time prophesies). Second, just who is going to determine who makes too much money? If you make more than I do, I say you make too much, so let the taxing begin over there on Northview Drive in Richardson.

"Our duty to the community." The Dallas Morning News; August 23, 2010; p. 12A.

Essie picks some nits.

I guess I'm nitpicking here, but I saw this in the newspaper the other day and the contradiction really struck me.

The Reverend Ritch Johnson preaches at a cowboy church. He invites everyone to come. He says, "It's led by the purpose of a nonjudgmental gospel . . ." Then he says in his next sentence, "But with that tactic, we're seeing a lot of lives changed."

Why would you want to change someone's life if you don't see anything wrong with the way they're living now? The gospel I grew up with, the one in the Bible, has "repentance" as one of the main tenets. How can you be non-judgmental about repentance? If I tell you I see nothing wrong with your life because I'm not going to judge, how can I then tell you that God said you need to repent? Haven't I judged if I do so?

And that's what's wrong with the world now -- we have to be "tolerant" and "non-judgmental" when God said, "All have sinned." We have to say, "You're fine just like you are," when God said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all perish." We have to say, "One religion is as good as another as long as you're sincere," when Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me."

And that's the Rev. Essie's sermon for today.

"Heavenly home on the range?" The Dallas Morning News; August 21, 2010; p. 7B.