There are poems, songs, and stories telling us, but have you ever stopped to think about what real love is? We are told that love is in the air. We know that air is everywhere around us, therefore love must be everywhere. Although air in and of itself has nothing to do with love, I concede that love IS everywhere because God is Love, the Bible tells me so.
1 John 4:7: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”
Without God there can be no love only lust of the flesh, of money, riches, fame and/or fortune. We throw that word love around (lose and free) until it has lost its value or original meaning.
John 3:16 KJV “For Godsolovedtheworld, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Everyone is worried about the obligations of life – obey the law, submit to authority, follow the rules, pay your taxes, honor the office even if you don’t respect the morals or ethics of the one who holds the office, they can become bitter, irritable, confrontational, and argumentative. The bible tells us that by loving our fellow man, we have fulfilled the law, as God requires and without bitterness. – extracted from “Our Debt to our Fellowman” www.ptl.org
Take a look at how Webster’s 1913 Dictionary defines Love:
Galatians NIV 5:22-23 22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
It’s good to know that in a world of every changing values, where right is deemed wrong and wrong is right, people are told what to think, how to think and what the world defines love to be, that God is in control. Nothing takes God by surprise. – RTM
There is evil all around us in this big wide world we live in and I’m puzzled and a bit perplexed by the apathy and inaction of those with the power to make things right. I understand that in the world of politics everyone feels they alone are right and everyone who disagrees is wrong.
We all can’t be wrong can we?
Think about how many billions of people are alive on this planet and each one has a definite opinion about everything, even if some claim to have no opinion.
That in itself is an opinion.
What is it going to take for someone to stand by his convictions and call evil what it is? Or is it easier to fall back in order to be politically correct when faced with the truth?
There is but one truth and that is what God said.
I don’t claim to be perfect, nor do I have all the answers. In fact I don’t have any answers but to delve into the Bible which is Word of God. When you boil it down to the very basics we are told that God created everything by speaking it into existence. Our words are very important. Words tend to build up or tear down. Words come from our deepest thoughts and tell more about us than what we convey verbally. Might doesn’t make it right. Neither does logic that is based simply by the thoughts of man.
The craziness of what’s going on around us demands to be stopped before humanity self-destructs and that is precisely where my RTM blogs come in. When I see or hear about an injustice or blatant lie being perpetuated as truth I must weigh it against what God says to determine its truthfulness.
It’s not enough to say that politicians like lawyers lie when they speak because it is the nature of man at some point to lie, from those little white lies to colossal blunders. We tend to justify is as necessary to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
So when you read my RTM blogs, consider the source, evaluate the content and make your own decision as to whether my writings make sense, are grounded in fact or are just the musings of a cranky old man. My intent is not to elicit a response or see how many “likes” I can get, it’s not important how many “reads” are gathered or who they are from. My blogs are to open up the thought process as I bring certain things to light. If what I write makes you take a second look or think, then I’ve made my point.
For myself I may comment when something really strikes a chord with my spirit, but normally I take in information and store it so that I may go back later and process that information. Rarely will I sit down and write out a lengthy response unless I feel it necessary to clarify a grave injustice or blatant lie. But then those responses quite often trigger another RTM blog. Don’t be surprised by what you read, I’m just one man doing something (good I hope). – RTM
First we were told the atmosphere was in danger of imploding by the solar outburst from the deep inner sanctums of the sun. Next came climate change is going to cause the end of the world as we know it, unless we get on board and fully buy into the full spectrum of banning cow farts, eating non-caged eggs, plant based meats and synthetic foods, while going totally E because it’s good for the planet as we drive alone in electric vehicles while wearing masks to prevent the spread of the dangerous Chinese Virus.
Doesn’t all the “going green” hype seem a bit odd? There are various political barkers, hawkers and sellers of wares not fit for human consumption or use and that’s why I’ve stayed away from the media promotions which intend to sway us into believing that back in the good old days of Barney Rubble and Fred Flintstone man had all of his needs met using a rock, spear and a cave with its very own fire pit.
I say you can’t un-ring the bell or put spilled milk back in the cup and contrary to television advertising you can’t make a tornado ravaged house look like it never even happened – not really.
Change is the only constant in life and the quicker we adapt the less chance we won’t be left in the dark.
Stopping and/or banning the production and development of petroleum if left unchecked will lead to serious consequences. It makes about as much sense as aborting babies in the womb. Almost everything we have and use is a product of petroleum. Rubber, plastics, vinyl, electronics, appliances, clothing, food and health care products and supplements are all produced from petroleum. Computers, cell phones, boots and shoes, pampers and depends, plus a whole lot more all come from petroleum, even those plastic single use bags that are no longer fashionable here in Colorado – unless you pay 10 cents apiece for them.
For every restriction the general public is hurt right in the pocketbook (eBank Accounts) and we are redirected to an alternative which keeps us dependent on and putting money into the coffers of unseen entities which end up making the rich even richer.
Politicians are not the answer. When you hear “it’s for your own good” you can rest assured that it’s not. When a representative of government says “I’m here to help” or “I feel your pain”, they are not and they do not. When you continue electing sub-marginal candidates into political office, do not expect anything but sub-marginal results.
Isn’t doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results the very definition of insanity? Those who do really are dumber than a box of rocks. – RTM
I’m an advocate for every Veteran to tell their story before it’s too late. How often have you exchanged “war stories” with other Veterans and while remembering shared experiences it triggers yet another memory or experience?
Quite often when we don’t take the time to write them down we soon forget. If we wrote down each memory or story we could fill volumes of books. There are a number of places online where you can submit your verbally recorded and/or written accounts of your military service experiences.
A great place to start is a website called Together We Served (www.togetherweserved.com) that is setup by branch of service. If you have your military DD214s (discharge certificates), awards, certificates and military orders, photos and/or videos you have a basis for compiling your military service where former teammates or others who were there are able to locate you.
One vital part of the TWS profile are these questions about your military service:
To the best of your knowledge, what influenced his/her decision to join the military?
To the best of your knowledge, please describe the direction or path he/she took in his/her military service. What was his/her reason for leaving?
If he/she participated in any military operations, including combat, humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, to the best of your knowledge, please describe those you feel were the most significant to him/her and, if life-changing, in what way.
Did they encounter any situation during their military service where they believed there was a possibility he/she might not survive. To the best of your knowledge, describe what happened and what was the outcome.
Of all their duty stations or assignments, are you aware of any he/she had fondest memories of and why? Which was their least favorite?
From their entire military service, describe any personal memories, you may be aware of, which impacted him/her the most.
What professional achievements do you believe he/she was most proud of from his/her military service?
Of all the medals, awards, formal presentations and qualification badges he/she received, which were the most meaningful to him/her and why?
If known, please list any individual(s) from his/her time in the military who stood out as having the most positive impact on them and why?
If known, please recount the names of friends he/she served with, at which location and what was remembered most about them. Indicate those he/she remained in touch with.
Are you aware of any particular incident from his/her service, which may or may not have been funny at the time, but still made them laugh later on?
If he/she survived military service, what profession(s) did he/she follow after discharge?
If known, what military associations was he or she a member of, if any? Are you aware of any specific benefits they derived from their memberships?
If he/she survived military service, in what ways do you believe his/her serving in the military influenced the way they approached their personal life, family life and career?
If they were here today, what advice do you think he or she would give to those who followed in their footsteps and recently entered military service?
How effective has this been in helping you record your remembered person’s military service? Do you have any additional comments or suggestions you would like to make?
Let me challenge you to sit down and list chronologically your/remembered person’s military service beginning with basic training, advanced individual training, service schools, duty assignments, sections, units, locations, and dates. Let this be a foundation to be able to add memories and build upon.
It matters not that he/she was drafted, volunteered, served and/or retired, every detail is important and worth remembering their legacy of service to our nation.
Joseph J. Wilson, Jr.
Sergeant First Class, 88M40
US Army – September 1967 – December 1990 (Retired)
(Internet mem – not associated with the contents of this article.)
1-8-2023
Innocent Until Proven Guilty
The presumption of innocence is a legal principle that every person accused of any crime is considered innocent until proven guilty. Under the presumption of innocence, the legal burden of proof is thus on the prosecution, which must present compelling evidence to the trier of fact (a judge or a jury).If the prosecution does not prove the charges true, then the person is acquitted of the charges. – Wikipedia
The accused is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law based solely on the evidence presented and argued by both the defense and the state’s attorney, before a jury of one’s peers. When the accused has not been Mirandized the case is usually thrown out. When evidence is obtained illegally it’s said to be tainted as fruit of the poisonous tree and it too is thrown out.
What baffles me even today is how the laws of the United States are tossed aside or ignored by the law makers of our great nation while other laws are selectively enforced only when it’s convenient. To put it another way, there is a saying, when the shoe is put on the other foot things are different. Maybe that is only true in politics?
An investigation should be a fact gathering process, not subject to public play-by-play “episodes” such as we see in the Congressional Theatreatrics of the past 6 years unless the accused is named Trump then it becomes all bets are off and anything goes.
Take January 6th, 2021 during the final phase of the election process was underway on Capitol Hill the efforts of a group of people began to disrupt the process and make it look as if President Trump had riled up his MAGA base to execute a pre-planned attack on Congress and you had to be there or watching it on live television to know what really happened. Even then as things were being shook up and panic mode set in full chaos ensued as the full body of Congress was swiftly moved to a place of safety.
From that moment members of Congress assumed (you know how that works, right) that President Trump was guilty and should assume (that word again) full responsibility for his actions of inciting an insurrection against the “Temple of Democracy” (as Nancy Pelosi put it) as she ordered chain link fencing to be installed around the Capitol Building and handpicked National Guardsmen (non-Trumpers) manning the access points and patrolling the “perimeter”.
And now that the ball was rolling Congress commissioned the J6 Committee and hand selected House members, even appointing Republican Representative Liz Chaney of Wyoming as Chairwoman. On the surface we saw the activation of law enforcement identifying, hunting down and apprehending MAGA folks who were at the J6 DC rally, as well as those identified as having gone to or inside the Capitol. The mandate of the J6 Committee was to prove the guilt of Trump and his followers of the charge of insurrection (Insurrection is when the leader of a nation is overthrown).
It is impossible to look at the 4 years of the Trump administration without seeing the continual battle by sitting members of Congress who publically and verbally opposed, disrespected and sought Trump to step down by accusations, Impeachments, intimidation and threats against the First Family and members of the Trump administration. Trump was heavily criticized for crusading to secure our nation’s border and his efforts to combat the Chinese Virus. During the final days of Trump’s presidency House Speaker Pelosi even contacted Trump’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs with instructions about preventing Trump access to the “nuclear football”, citing he was unfit as Commander in Chief.
For the past 2 years we have seen the constant J6 Committee hearings on CSPAN and national news and social media outlets drilling into the public consciousness the evils of Trump culminating on January 6th. It’s clear that the court of public opinion has been gas lit, tainted (if you will) by the congressional poisonous tree. – RTM
If it’s a song, “She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain when she comes….”
If it’s a Hollywood movie like Unstoppable with Denzel, there will be lots of cameras, bystanders and in the end everything will turn out alright in the end.
But if it’s a democratically controlled nation, its full speed ahead and let nature takes its course.
Here we are on the last day of 2022, congress and the president are doing all they can to stoke the firebox and throttle up the train of the American economy while invoking some of the most ridiculous and dangerous “rules” and “decrees” that hurt the very heart of our nation.
In the past 23 months we’ve embraced the green new deal, global warming and going totally “evGreen” to the brink of unsustainability, while opening the floodgates of the Mexican border inviting a “ya’ll come in” attitude of ignorant bliss.
The “White Hacienda” is collaborating with Mexican cartels to bring your tired, your hungry and yes your human trafficked bodies without documentation, vaccinations or background checks – to the border and we’ll pack them up and transport them to points unknown inside the country and everybody wins, right?
That’s what happens when a career legislator enters the oval office without a clue. In fact looking historically inside the Biden family household, it reveals a receipt for disaster based on fear, intimidation, insider deals and backdoor kickbacks leading to corruption and overstepping the offices for which good old Joe has held and now holds, like a railroad engineer asleep at the throttle.
Yes JB ended America’s War in Afghanistan but at the expense of many American and Afghanistan lives and to the embarrassment of America’s major allies. It’s a repeat of what happened in the American War in Vietnam so many years ago.
I don’t know about you, but I feel this train ride is more like a roller coaster ride where we inch up the hill side only to barrel down the downhill side with no brakes and careless abandon., as the engineer eagerly toots the whistle “Toot, Toot” and shouts “Woooeeee” and “C’mon on man”.
So let me welcome in the New Year by saying this would never have been allowed to happen under a DJT presidency with a supportive and constitutionally focused congress. – RTM
How do you catch wild pigs? Experts say in places where pigs run wild one simply puts food (slop) in the middle of a field. Wild pigs will become attracted to the smell and come to investigate. Soon they will eat and return to this spot when they smell more food. Put up a fence on three sides of where the food is being dropped, leaving one side with an open gate. The wild pigs will naturally shy away from the strange fence, but curiosity will get the best of them as they sense the familiar smell of food and belly up to the bar (so to speak). A person hiding nearby with a rope tied to the gate can easily pull the gate shut, trapping the pigs inside. Putting down more food and soon the pigs are contently eating again.
When it comes to politics people are no different than wild pigs. Leak some tidbit of tabloid style information to gage and control the responses. Suppress differing viewpoints or opinions while flooding the media and social media with controlled disinformation. Repeat the process as often as necessary and many will have bought the entire bill of goods while you slam the door shut. Those who dissent or don’t buy into the lie become targets in their own right according to the teachings of Saul Alinsky.
The J6 Hearings are in my opinion much ado about nothing. Oh don’t get me wrong there was an assault launched inside the Capital Building on January 6th 2021, but it was a small “task force” (to use a military term) carefully planned to coincide with the MAGA rally planned and announced by President Trump during the presentation of the Electoral College votes to the joint session of Congress.
The J6 Task Force were insurgents entering the “Temple of Democracy” causing mayhem and disrupting the final phase of the election process while casting the blame on President Trump and the MAGA followers who were let inside by Capital Police officers.
The only casualty of J6 was the execution of retired USAF veteran Ashli Babbitt by a Capital Police officer. What happened next was a massive manhunt to apprehend and arrest virtually everyone identifiable as being in Washington DC on January 6th and holding them indefinitely and without charge or access to legal representation. (That is like after a bank robbery police track down everyone inside the bank during the robbery and charge them with participating in the robbery.) There should have been a thorough investigation and identification of the actual participants who caused the mayhem and vandalism and they should have been detained and charged with destruction of government property and/or assaulting law enforcement officers (if applicable), everyone else should never have been detained or arrested at all.
As I said earlier the J6 Hearings have been nothing more than public theatrics detracting from what I call “The Assault on the Presidency of Donald J. Trump” that began on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2017, the day it was declared in the newspaper “The Impeachment of Donald J. Trump Begins Today”.
You might remember it as the day the “Pink Hat Ladies” flooded the Mall in DC calling for resistance to Donald Trump’s presidency. It is the same Mall that MAGA gathered on J6, 2021.
For the entire four years of Trump’s presidency we had nonstop resistance by sitting members of Congress, the main stream media and social media censorship, interrupted by Russian Collusion, migrant convoys, building the wall, the Chinese Virus and two impeachments of President Trump and so much more – all designed to polarize Americans into two very public camps – Trump or Anti-Trump.
This polarization of America shows we truly are a Nation in Crisis. – RTM
I re-read the story of the pastor of a church in a small town who preached a sermon on “God Will Provide a Way” and all you need is faith. It’s about the levee breaking, flooding the town and washing everything away. Prior to the levee breaking there were warning signs and several opportunities for the pastor to escape which he declined while waiting for God to make a way and he drowned.
I’m reminded of the men of the bible whom God picked at specific times in history for His purposes to save mankind from themselves. In almost every case they were ordinary men (neighbor next door types) who were available and obedient to the call of God. They were not saints but worldly men and women that were called by God and their names were recorded in the bible as either an encouragement or a warning for us.
There are many like “the coat of many colors” Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers and used by God to save God’s chosen people during years of famine. Moses, born during troubling times, raised under the protection of the royal family and rose up to lead God’s people through the sea on dry ground. Noah, an old man building a boat in a place where there was no water. Ridiculed by everyone, yet Noah remained focused and obedient to the point of opening the door to the animals God brought forth and with only his immediate family in the Ark before God sealed the door and flooded the earth. Abraham, an old man with his elderly, barren wife Sarah and God promised to make him the father of many nations. Abraham had the faith to believe God.
Do you think that in our lifetime God could do or has done great things according to His purpose with men who are willing to step up when called?
Or do we hem haw and complain because it doesn’t fit our idea of how God works? Did God not create everything out of nothing by the power of His word?
The greatest man came to us as God in the flesh, a baby named Jesus, born in a manger to the virgin girl named Mary. Jesus was raised by his earthly father Joseph, according to Jewish tradition. Jesus taught in the synagogue as a child, lived a sinless life and laid down his life on the cross as a ransom for the sin of mankind. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Salvation comes only through His blood on the cross, to all who believe and accept this precious gift with the faith of a tiny mustard seed.
In a sinful fallen world God has not only provided a way of escape but a means of enduring in a world turned upside down. God has promised never to abandon us when times become hard. In fact it is during those difficult times God is closer than a brother, right beside us often carrying us when we feel we just can’t go on. No matter how far away from God you have become, he is always just one prayer away.
I pray that your Christmas begin with Jesus.
“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.” – RTM
If life should is a marathon and politics ought to be run like a 40 kilometer foot race, then we must not forget what should be the main principle in basic accounting – “The one with the pencil wins” – Joe Wilson, Sr.
It is my contention that Congress has a moral responsibility to self-police elected officials who set their sights on the Oval Office by making a resolution, rule or amendment in both the House and the Senate that when declaring a run for President, there should also be a declaration to resign from elected office. It’s what I call an “All or Nothing” approach to campaigning with lose or win they go big or go home.
When Donald Trump ran he ultimately had to renounce his ownership and control over his corporation while no elected officials in Congress lost a thing to run for the presidency? Would that not be the sporting thing to do?
I continue to hear names, like this governor or that governor should run for the presidency in 2024. What we tend to forget is that there are 50 governors serving the people of their states and although they may be qualified, undoubtedly some do not have what it takes and should never attain the presidency. Look around and we see what happens when those who armchair quarterback the decision of a sitting president, but once they are catapulted into the White House, they fail miserably.
Remember when that non-starter (Trump) entered the presidential race back in 2015? Yeah there were a lot of naysayers poking fun at him because he wasn’t a “politician” in the normal sense of the word. He had no foreign policy experience, knew nothing of shaping the economy of our nation but surprised everyone by getting his party’s nomination and being elected by the people in 2016 in part because of their distrust of politicians in general.
The political whiplash began immediately on inauguration day 2017. Doing what they do best, career politicians cheat, lie or steal (whatever as necessary) to prevent the elected president to govern or guide the Executive Branch of government.
What they didn’t expect was that in spite of all the interference, Trump continued moving ahead with his campaign promises of draining the swamp and building the wall. His interaction with world leaders was met with jeers and taunts of being in the other guy’s pocket. What came across internationally was how childish and petty these “elected officials” were in the overall scheme of things.
The implied scandals of “Russian Collusion”; “The Dossier” followed by the Mueller Investigation; Impeachments I & II were all distractions meant not only to foil but to topple the presidency – I call that the real insurrection leading up to a mostly peaceful, yet failed coup that invoked or instigated the events of January 6th, 2020 while placing full blame on President Trump and his followers.
I don’t care if you like or dislike my comments and it is irrelevant whether you agree or disagree with me. What is relevant is the fact that the House’s J6 Committee investigation was simply another impeachment hearing, with all the pomp and circumstance without a formal Impeachment Vote count.
What is most relevant is what happened beginning November 5th, the irregularities of ballot stuffing, electronically vote switching and impeding the constitutional process of contesting the election results by the incumbent, among other things.
What we have in the aftermath is an economy in shambles, a breached border situation where upwards of 500,000 unvetted and undocumented illegal aliens are being brought into our country as a means of overwhelming our government’s ability to control immigration, disease, drugs or human trafficking.
Our military is being reduced to unacceptable troop strengths and those who remain in uniform are dealing with the “awoke” mentality of leaders who just don’t get it. None of this has been lost on our adversaries, who are standing back to see how long it will take for our nation to sustain or defend itself and its citizens. Whoever said “Evil triumphs because good men do nothing” must have been talking us, but evil fighting evil is still evil and will not stand. The evil we see rising up against our nation and its people can only be stopped by the hand of Almighty God.
When incompetence at the top trickles down into government agencies and offices, it is not only the people who suffer – “freedom” and “liberty-for-all” suffer as well.
It has been said that Trump cannot win.
Was that a statement of fact, a perception or a question?
It seems to me that is what they said the first time.
Out of 43,000,000,000 patriotic American voters is there nobody up to the challenge of joining Trump or running against him with the goal of making America better than ever before? – RTM
In today’s world of information vs misinformation we are led to believe that politicians have a very different oath of office than that of ordinary US government elected or appointed employees. In fact that may be the problem when elected officials enter the stratosphere of the Capital Dome.
IS THERE A POLITICAL OATH OF OFFICE?
“I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Political Party of my Choosing against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me god of political correctness.”
5 U.S. Code § 3331 – Oath of office
An individual, except the President, elected or appointed to an office of honor or profit in the civil service or uniformed services, shall take the following oath:
“I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
President
Article II, Section 1, Clause 8:
Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:–I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
“The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” — U.S. Constitution, Article VI, clause 3
Military Oaths
The Oath of Office (for officers):
“I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the _____ (Military Branch) of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.”
The Oath of Enlistment (for enlisted):
“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
Due to the popularity of President Trump with military service members in 2021, when the 117th Congress began Democratic Party leadership feared the military had taken a totally different oath of allegiance:
“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
I have not found anyone who has served in uniform that did not take the oath to defend the Constitution as anything but serious. What is hard is obeying orders that are unlawful and/or based totally on the political views of someone in a position of authority or someone who has never worn a military uniform.
I take the oath to support and defend the US Constitution very seriously. I continue to place my life on the line every day to uphold the Constitution and the American way of life for my children and grandchildren. My allegiance is first and foremost to Almighty God. – RTM
The Real Truckmaster 