IS IT REALLY A MYSTERY?

     

     There is death and mayhem being perpetrated all over our beloved Nation. Some people have responded with shock. Some have responded with anger! Others have responded with opinions why the killings happened.

     Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 our society has terminated the life of millions of babies, many in the third trimester of development. At the time of this horrible U.S. Supreme Court decision, people were ridiculed for asserting that this decision would lead to the devaluing of human life.

     In May of 2013, Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia doctor, was convicted of three counts of 1st degree murder for severing the spinal column of babies who survived his abortion procedure and were born alive. He was also convicted of manslaughter in the death of Karnamagar Mongar who was given a lethal dose of demerol. Gosnell was also convicted of 21 felony counts of performing late term abortions and 211 counts of violating the 24-hour Informed Consent Law.

     Most recently we have all been shocked by the revelation that Planned Parenthood clinics were selling body parts from aborted babies. There have been a number of candid videos where Planned Parenthood officials cavalierly described the process of how body parts are harvested and sold.

     On July 20, 2012, James E. Holmes walked into a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and opened fire. He killed twelve people and wounded seventy others. On August 7, 2015, James was sentenced to serve twelve life terms for 1st degree murder, one for each person that he killed. He was further sentenced to 3, 318 years for attempted first degree murder for each of the people he wounded. 

     On August 28, 2015, Harris County Sheriff Deputy Darren Goforth was refueling his patrol car at a Houston, TX, gas station. As he was doing so, someone approached him from behind and shot him dead. A 30 year old black man, Shannon Miles has been arrested for the shooting and charged with Capital Murder.

     Is it really a mystery why there is so much senseless killing. The cause of these deaths is "Evil" pure and simple! The people who cause theses deaths are "Evil" pure and simple. ALL LIVES REALLY DO MATTER, BLACK LIVES, WHITE LIVES, PRE-BORN LIVES, ELDERLY LIVES, POLICE LIVES  AND YES, EVEN CRIMINAL LIVES MATTER! Unfortunately society has been devaluing human life to the point where this fact is no longer self evident! Many take this devaluation if life to heart and commit these horrible acts. May God forgive us and may we begin anew to value life for the God given unique preciousness that it possesses! 

   

A FOOD SHOPPING HODGEPODGE !

     This is the last Wednesday Hodgepodge of August 2015. Can you believe it? Well, just look at the first question...that should settle the matter for you. Join in on the fun. You meet the nicest people at the Hodgepodge Cafe every week! Today I did the food shopping for SWMBO and I! Wow! Either I need to do food shopping more frequently before we run out of everything or WE need to cut back on our food intake or I need to eat something before we go food shopping!

1. It's hard to believe, but next week's Hodgepodge will find us in the month of September. What's one thing you want, need, or hope to do still before summer officially ends?

     Enjoy some nice, steaming hot corn on the cob. Maybe go to the beach for some fried dough too.

2. When were you last at 'your wit's end'?

     A few seconds after reading this question. I apparently used up all my wits on the previous two questions.

3. Describe a time you were figuratively thrown into 'the deep end'?

     When I was a young patrolman, I was assigned as the department "Police Prosecutor." In NH police officers often are tasked with presenting traffic violations and criminal cases in the District Court. I was sent to a two week training course after which "SPLASH!" I'm in the deep end and over my head!

4. Does the end always, ever, or never justify the means? Explain.

     I suppose that it depends on the context. On rare occasions the ends do justify the means. Mostly, however, people use this old saw to justify what they know to be wrongful conduct.

5. What makes your hair stand on end?

     Heights! Looking at high definition pictures taken from great heights makes my hair stand on end, much less actually being at those great heights. Ironically I love to fly! Go figure!

6. I read an article on the website Eat This! Health, that listed 11 foods we can eat to help end bad moods. Basically it's a feed your brain so you're less anxious, grouchy and lethargic. The foods are-mussels, swiss chard, blue potatoes, grass fed beef, dark chocolate, greek yogurt, asparagus, honey, cherry tomatoes, eggs, and coconut. Which of those do you think would most help end your own bad mood? Which do you fear, if forced to eat, would put you into a bad mood?

     Mussels, Swiss Chard and Dark Chocolate would put me into a bad mood.

7. What project around your home, office, or life in general feels like there is 'no end in sight'?

     Yard Work! There is always more grass to mow, weeds to whack, tree's to trim or cut down, leaves to rake, snow to shovel...it never freakin' ends! UGH!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

     Don Orsillo has been the voice of my beloved Red Sox since 2001. Today it was reported that at the end of the season he will no longer be broadcasting Red Sox televised games. Normally when a team is playing badly, they fire the manager. The Red Sox have been playing so badly that they fired the announcer! Wow!

HEAT WAVE HODGEPODGE!

     We have been having a Heat Wave in the Granite State. SWMBO loves it...I have the opposite view. The new fur baby is settling in nicely. August is a little jealous at all the attention the new dog gets that he used to get. 
     As always, thanks to our Hodgepodge Mistress Joyce for another set of questions. If you don't Hodgepodge you're missing out on a lot of fun.

1. Way back when (the Hodgepodge bicentennial to be precise) several of you submitted questions as part of a giveaway I was hosting. I went back to that list for inspiration today and found a question  submitted by Marla, who blogs over at Marla's Musings. Thanks Marla! 

She asks-At what age did you feel like a 'grown-up'? What keeps you young now?   

     The day I became a man was the day that I finally beat my Dad at a game of Chess. I think I was about 24 years old. He was a master at giving me a false sense of security by complementing my chess moves as we played. Inevitably his complements led to me being Checkmated.
     My beloved SWMBO keeps me young. I love watching her interact with our granddaughters. I love the fact that we are more in love now than when we were newlyweds. That keeps me young now!

2. When did you last buy a vehicle? Was this by design or because you had no other option? Was the car/truck purchased for your own personal use or was it bought for someone else to drive? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being delightful and 1 being 'pass the Excedrin') how would you rate the experience?

      It's been years since we bought a new (used) car. It was out of necessity and it was purchased for our personal use. On a scale of 1 - 10 the experience was about a "4."

3. Corn bread, corn chips, corn pudding, corn on the cob, cornflakes, corn chowder-your favorite of the corn-y foods listed? What needs to be served alongside your selection?

     My favorite is corn on the cob. I like a nice juicy cheeseburger or a barbecued steak served along side my corn.

4. What's something in your life that regularly requires you to 'put your thinking cap on'?

     Completing the weekly Hodgepodge questions.  Preparing a Bible sermon or a Bible class also requires a lot of thought.

5. Share a favorite movie set in a school or classroom, or whose theme relates to school days in some way.

     "Mr Holland's Opus" is one of my favorites. 

6. Reading, writing, and 'rithmatic' are commonly referred to as the three R's. What are the three R's in your life right now?

     Reading, 'riting & rheumatism! If I awoke and did not hurt anywhere I'd think I was dead.

7. What's something you've learned or tried recently you can say was as 'easy as ABC'?

     I recently added an external hard drive to back up our computer files. That was fairly simple.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

     I don't believe in UFO's and by UFO's I mean extraterrestrial life. If you consider that most reported extraterrestrial contact have not been with the best and brightest that our species has to offer. If there is extraterrestrial intelligence and they are able to travel across galaxies doesn't it make sense that they would have contacted someone who had a better than average chance to understand their attempts at communication?
     I must state, by way of full disclosure, that neither NASA nor MENSA has my telephone ringing off the hook seeking my input on anything. If there is extraterrestrial life, I would not be among the best and brightest referenced above.
     I also do not believe in ghosts and by ghosts I mean disembodied spirits. There is a vast amount of phenomena that occur for which explanations are lacking. These phenomena are often attributed to ghosts. I believe that there is another explanation even if I am unable to come up with it. 
    Do you have any thoughts of your own?

A THANK GOD IT'S RAINING HODGEPODGE!

     As I write this it is cool and rainy in the Granite State. It is a nice break from the heat and humidity and we need the water. Welcome back Joyce from your travels and thank you for another Wednesday Hodgepodge! I hope you enjoy this week's edition!

1. When was the last time you relocated? Did you move yourself or leave it to the professionals? Are you happy staying put or is there a move in your future? Best thing about moving to a new city or town? Least favorite and/or hardest thing about moving house?

     The last time we relocated was 15 or 16 years ago when the Manchester Airport bought our house for their expansion program. We moved some ourselves but left the lion's share to the professionals. We plan on staying for a while. We are relatively happy here. The best thing about moving to a new city or town is all the new stuff. Making new friends, meeting new neighbors, starting a new job, new smells, new stores, etc. The hardest thing is leaving family, friends and a comfortable routine.

2. When were you last 'moved to tears'? Explain.

     I plead the fifth on this one.

3. Do you have rules about eating in the car...any forbidden foods? What's the last thing you consumed in your car? Your go-to car snack when traveling long distance?

     We don't have any rules about eating in the car and so there are no forbidden foods. The last thing I consumed in the car was a breakfast sandwich and a medium regular iced coffee. My go to snack when traveling are gum drops, spice drops preferably.

4. Share a favorite song relating to cars and/or driving.

     Any of the Beach Boys type songs..."Little GTO"... "Deuce Coupe"..."My 409," etc.

5. What's your most frequently visited drive-thru...Starbucks? the bank? the pharmacy? some other window?

     That's easy...Dunkin Donuts!

6. "He who hesitates is lost"...would you agree? When it comes to making decisions do you generally act quickly or do you more often than not fall into the 'lost' category?

     Whether this is true depends upon the circumstances. The other side of the He Who Waits is Lost coin is "Haste makes waste." When it comes to making a decision I fall somewhere in between.

 

7. When was the last time you got lost? Was it stressful or an unexpected happy adventure?

     I seldom get lost. I have an innate sense of when I am going astray. I'm somewhat akin to a human GPS. I have a great sense of direction. So when I do inadvertently deviate from my planned route it's more often a happy adventure.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

     Do you own a Bible? How many do you own? The Bible continues to be the bestselling book of all time. Most homes in America have more than one Bible. Apparently Bibles are like potato chips, you can't have just one.

     Have you ever read the Bible from Genesis through Revelation? Sadly most people have not read the Bible cover to cover. Sadly too, is that most people who own a Bible don't read it regularly. There are many people around the world who either don't have access to a Bible or having access, read it at their peril. If they get caught they are either imprisoned or killed. 

     So my random thought this week I encourage anyone who has a Bible to begin reading it. Reading the Bible is like eating an elephant, you do it one bite at a time over time. There are many reading plans online. Chose one that fits your schedule and begin reading your Bible today. YOU WILL BE BLESSED!