Technical Room: Closed for the Day

OK, this is the last post for today.  I have enjoyed doing all the Facebook and Charles W. Moore blog posts.  Hopefully, some find it informative and entertaining.  For me it is a catharsis.  Cheers

Americans PTSD

From 2012 Timeline I recently revisited but I still think it is appropriate:

Jim Quote”””””””””””””””””””””””

The economy, and the need for jobs, has been on everyone’s minds since 2007. Since nay-sayers of both parties are pointing fingers and throwing accusations once again about who caused this latest recession, let me illustrate (thanks in part to Wikipedia) what was to become a key reason for the economic collapse that hit all of us:
In November of 1999, Congress repealed the Glass-Stegall Act (GSA) of 1934, with the establishment of what would become the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which eliminated the GSA restrictions against affiliations between commercial and investment banks. Furthermore, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, also known as the Financial Services Act, allowed banking institutions to provide a broader range of services, including underwriting and other dealing activities. Congress moved the GLB bill to a joint conference committee to work out the differences between the Senate and House versions. Democrats agreed to support the bill after Rep…ublicans agreed to strengthen provisions of the anti-redlining Community Reinvestment Act and address certain privacy concerns; the conference committee then finished its work by the beginning of November. On November 4, the final bill resolving the differences was passed by the Senate 90-8, and by the House 362-57. The legislation was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on November 12, 1999.
I wish to point out that Congress – BOTH Republicans & Democrats – with the blessing of then-President Clinton –did not solve a problem that had been festering for three decades. GREED. Greed by major banks and financial institutions to make more money. In fact, this GLB bill encouraged them to play the rules fast & loose, and, as a result, when banks failed, there was NO money in reserve. WE had to bail them out. WE are the government, and Congress acts on our behalf — leastwise, they are supposed to do so.
I ask you to think seriously about who you will be selecting to represent you and me. Don’t look at red or blue — don’t look at R or D –look at the man or woman, and judge whether he can do the job he (or she) was sent to do. Please – turn the sound bites off — and THINK.

So there you go.  did anyone listen?  Did the public respond – yep, they sure did and that is what mad people do – blindly lash out at whatever pain they think they have.  What I really think is that the American people have PTSD.

Matthew 5:9

Matt 5:9 – Blessed are the peacemakers for they should be called children of God

Barnes – Those who strive to prevent contention, strife, and war; who use their influence to reconcile opposing parties, and to prevent lawsuits and hostilities in families and neighborhoods.

1 Cor 14:33 – For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace

Want to be a Peacemaker?

Being a Peacemaker requires a few things

1. AVOID CARELESS CONFRONTATION – Some people just love to make trouble
   • we have to learn not to speak unless necessary – EVEN WHEN WE ARE RIGHT – not every thing deserves rebuttal or correction
     • if we want to be happy we have to learn to master our mouths…
     • we have to learn to be thoughtful – what is important?  what is WORTH my emotion, my words, my actions
   • refuse to live in the echo chamber of outrage – that might mean staying OFF Facebook completely lol
   • We have to learn to be the bigger person!  Just because we have been offended does not mean we need to rise to action.
   • The person we are to make peace with might just be a person who wishes to attack us – to make peace we must choose not to fight back.
     • Luke 6:27-28 27“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunicb either. 30Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.
   • This is what flows out of a deep rock bottom level of spiritual poverty – we deserve nothing SO WE DEMAND NOTHING
     • It is impossible to argue with someone who only wants what is best for you!
2. Embrace Loving confrontation
   • Confrontation is necessary for a peacemaker – you cannot make peace by ignoring the truth.
   • HOWEVER if we confront in an inappropriate way we will NOT be peacemakers either
   • BEFORE YOU SPEAK ask yourself –
     • Is what I am about to say motivated by my love for this person?
     • Is what I am about to say worded in the kindest way?
     • Am I being mindful of my tone, body posture, facial expression?
     • Is what I am about to say a necessary and helpful statement?
     • God gave us two ears and one mouth to teach us to listen twice as much as we talk.
   • Sometimes Peacemaking requires that WE bear the cost of the crimes of others
3. We live this way because Jesus lives this way FOR US
   • Give to those that do not deserve it
   • Pay for the offenses that have been done against us
   • Jesus made the greatest peace by taking in all our violence and giving us love.

The prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy,

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

All Quoted from Fremont Community Church website

Now here is another to question: Why are we not more compassionate? Pizzled? 

I am a soldier

Here is a link to the Lt Dan Band who performs via the USO and other support venues. I was particularly moved this morning to promote selfless contributions by this nations artistic performers.  Thank you.

A book and where I live

I posted this to Facebook and asked if anyone had read it.  There were no responses, even though it was a best seller, so I guess here in extreme NE Indiana no one has read it.  Even my literate friends who moved out of the area long ago appear not to have read it and this seems strange to me.  Well, anyway, I just bought it as a Nook Book for a $1.99 (plus tax).

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Annie Barrows, Mary Ann Shaffer

While making the commentary above, I had to bite my tongue and stifle back a negative comment (and make it a run-on sentence) about Steuben County being the home of “minimum wage jobs”.  I think of it as Appalachia where have people have the attitude of white slaves resigned to a life of servitude.  This is an area of extreme conservatism in attitude perpetuated by lack of education and enlightenment. Politically, they always vote Republican and reflect upper 10% propaganda and listen for FOX.

This pretty much reflects where I live and where I stay because, if you stay out of Politics, is a pretty safe and stable area with lots of tradition and freedom to roam the waterways and rivers without seeing many people but seeing lots of nature.  You can still be deafened by the sound of birds tweeting in the Spring and up to Summers end.  The deer ram by the multiple tens of thousands, turkeys have made a surprising come back and there are lots of Geese and Sandhill Cranes are plentiful.

So it is not all bad for us educated types who are of moderate and conciliatory persuasion – my church would call me a peacemaker of  Matthew 5:9 character.  I have been wounded by many arrows over the years and recently too with my Facebook comments trying to make people understand the fragile nature of our great Republic and being responsible. So here I am in my twilight years burdened with many regrets but buoyed by my successes and optimistically look forward to my remaining few years. Hopefully, there will be Moore later 🙂