18. March 2010 by PawBill.

I believe many TV viewers think it is cute the way many “supposedly” entertainment situation comedy programs use disrespectful attitudes and language as put downs to authority figures, i.e., parents, teachers, police, religious leaders and etc., but I do not think it is humorous because of the negative impact disrespect promotes.  What about you?

Showing respect to those you come in contact with is fast becoming a thing of the past.  As common human courtesies disappear, society should not be surprised at the ever-increasing levels of violence being acted out in all walks of life.  Consider the following narrative as an example: 

                           Incident at the Local Donut Shop*

I was not there the day of the “incident” when a five-dollar bet turned into a disagreement that escalated to a confrontation with verbal threats.  While the bet itself was insignificant and no physical harm occurred, the resulting outbursts of emotions still simmer and any non-involved patrons that morning may now have second thoughts about ever returning.

So what happened?  The daily morning Donut Shop coffee group had settled into their “space” when a discussion about who had won or lost a bet that had been made a day or so earlier resurfaced.  There was apparently some ambiguity or word phrasing of the bet now being called into question by the apparent “bet loser,” as identified by the majority of the group, and what the correct answer should be.  The “bet loser” thought that both answers were correct and thus the bet was a tie and no money should change hands.

Emotions were beginning to surface, as to who the winner of the bet should be, when an “innocent” participant calmly sided with the “bet winner” as view by the group and told the “bet loser” that he had legitimately lost the bet and that he should pay up. Suddenly, the “bet loser’s” girlfriend, who up until this time had remained silent, challenged the “innocent.”  A barrage of words spewed out regarding past put-downs made by the “innocent” to her boyfriend followed by the statement,  “I will go and get my gun and shoot you.”   

With that statement some participants involved in the episode left and those remaining consulted with the management of the establishment regarding the perceived threat that was made.  However, no police incident report was filed and all group members have now returned to their usual seating positions.

The irony of this situation is that the “innocent” was mistakenly identified by the girlfriend as the person who had previously been making derogatory statements to her boyfriend.   In other words, if violence had occurred the “innocent” and possibly others may have been wrongfully injured or killed.

When God was feared and His commandments were taught and displayed, courtesy and politeness were considered honorable virtues practiced by most.  “Yes sir,” “no sir,” “yes ma’am,” “no ma’am” as responses of acknowledgment to their elders by children were not uncommonly heard.  Today it’s more of a “yep” or “nope” response if there is one given at all.

Do you long for the days when you could enjoy: a cup of coffee at the local donut shop without having to listen to loud, boisterous, mean spirited, argumentative patrons; a movie or theatrical performance without cell phones, talking and misbehaving children, teenagers and adults; an enjoyable ball game without drunkenness, lewd language and behavior; a night out without some confrontational dunce causing a scene because he or she can not get their way; the simplicity of life without jihadists, rapists, child molesters and other perverted individuals whose only desire is to hurt others in the gratification of their wants.  The list could go on, and I am sure you could add your own pet peeves.

Well, you are not going to get your wish!  We only have the following behaviors to look forward to because of “Godlessness in the Last Days” as foretold by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV): “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

The behaviors listed above fit the current generation of Americans like a glove.  As the “love of many grows cold” do not despair. There is hope and that hope can be found in the person of Jesus Christ.  He stands ready to receive you.  Will you accept Him today, before it is too late?

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*Note: The “Incident at the Local Donut Shop” narrative is a fictionalized account of a hearsay incident that bears no resemblance to any actual incident or the identity of any person, place or group. It is only used as an example of what can happen with the disappearance of common courtesies and to point out how quickly a relatively insignificant set of circumstances might escalate into violence. 

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11. March 2010 by PawBill.

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has had its share of problems over the past several months or so. To a great extent, TMC’s integrity and reputation have been both questioned and maligned by the usual herd of “let me in on the action” ambulance chasing lawyers, news reporting buffoons, political pundits and all those freeloaders looking for a free ride.  This Blog is by no means, however, an effort to belittle any legitimate claims being brought against TMC for reported fatalities resulting from faulty engineering practices or cover-ups.  However, lets examine all the facts before we rush to administer “justice.”  You know a company has reached a low point when its executives are called before Congress to testify.  Talk about “the pot calling the kettle black.”

Recently I experienced a sudden perceived acceleration in my General Motors, Chevrolet Silverado truck.  It was truly a terrifying event, and I can certainly relate to the drivers of the suspected Toyota vehicles that have experienced sudden acceleration. In fact, Toyota executives may want to investigate my experience, as it may be relevant to their investigative analysis of reported runaways.

Several months ago my wife and I were returning from Bellaire Beach, Florida.  We go there occasionally to visit my wife’s mother.  On our return trip we were traveling on I-75 north, and we were nearing the Atlanta I-285 connector.  It had been a pleasant trip, and we had made numerous stops.  Our last stop had been in Macon, Georgia at the Bass Pro Shop.  My wife had earlier asked to stop at the Liz Claiborne store in South Georgia, which automatically gave me a “husband bargaining opportunity” to stop at a place of my choosing.  I usually opt for a State Maintained Rest Stop, as my bladder does not seem to hold as much as it use to.  Anyway, I apparently was having a good bladder day so I chose someplace different.

The Bass Pro Shop was well stocked with ammunition, but not owning a gun I chose not to make a purchase even though lead might be better than gold for future bartering given our current political and future economic situation. But, that’s another story. 

As we approached the outskirts of Atlanta, we began to experience a slow but steady rain.  It was now after sunset, and I was looking forward to being at home snuggling with my wife in a warm and cozy bed. I have these fantasies often now that I am older and can only day dream.  When I relate them to my wife she usually remarks, “Man, you are just having another nightmare.” But, like I wrote earlier, that’s another story.  For now I was happy nearing Atlanta where there would be more lighting on the highway.

It seems no one drives the speed limit in Atlanta, and I did not think too much about my speeding as I had just been trying to stay with the traffic flow. As I glanced down at my speedometer, I noticed that my speed had increased to eighty miles per hour. It was a little unsettling, but driving too slow can be as dangerous to your health as driving too fast on Atlanta roads.

With the rain and darkness I did not want to drive faster than the posted speed limit so I looked for a chance to move over to a slower lane of traffic.  My kids and wife have often made fun of my driving as it related to my insistence in obeying traffic signs and rules.  My son would often say, “Dad, even old ladies are passing you.  Drive a little faster.”  My reply would always be, “Son, I am driving the speed limit, and I do not like breaking the law.”  (He was not sixteen at the time, and I always tried to set a good example.)

The next time I looked down at my speedometer I was going nearly ninety miles an hour.  I remarked to my wife that people were driving way too fast for road conditions.  I let off some on my accelerator pedal and tried to settle in to the current traffics pace while at the same time beginning to have some apprehensions as to the current speeds and road conditions.

My next glance at my speedometer was frightening. I was doing well over ninety-five miles per hour.  But, cars were still passing me.  I remarked to my wife that I was going to pull over to the side of the road as soon as I could get over another lane, as I did not feel that I would be able to continue to drive at the speed we were traveling, especially with other car still passing us. I have never experienced a panic attack but the sensation of speed was over whelming. 

My wife is a mono-vision contact wearer, and I new she would not be comfortable driving in ninety plus miles per hour traffic. Now fully awake from her nap, my wife slapped me a couple of times across the head.  Lately she seems to enjoy doing that, but again, that is another story. You have seen the scene in the movies where the woman is hysterical and the man has to slap her to get her attention; this was just the opposite. Well, she didn’t actually slap me, but I was nearing a point that it might have helped. She calmly said  “Maybe there is something wrong with the speedometer (‘you old fool,’ I am sure she thought), and maybe you just think you are going over ninety-five miles per hour.”

She was right, my mental facilities realigned, and I realized that my tachometer was not in sync with my speedometer.  In trying to slow down by taking my foot off the accelerator, my truck actually was slowing which resulted in more cars passing me because I was no longer driving at a reasonable speed for traffic conditions.  Combine that with the speedometer actually being wrong, and you have the perfect storm sensation of something really “being wrong.”  My almost panic attack at the sensation I was experiencing was at the moment unrealistically frightening.  I can relate to what a driver of a Toyota might have experienced as their automobile truly was accelerating to a dangerous speed. 

As my wife and I had a good laugh at our situation I remembered there being a recall notice by General Motors regarding a potential instrument panel problem.   Once we were back at home I found my letter explaining the details of the recall. A class action suit had resulted in General Motors agreeing to extend the warranty on my vehicle to cover a potential instrument panel failure. The next day when I drove my truck the speedometer was functioning normally, and it has not failed since.  I have not returned the vehicle to have the instrument panel inspected, but I still have another couple of years left on the warranty, and I will eventually get around to it.

Life has its moments.  Thankfully for my wife and I this was not a “Toyota moment.”  When I recall other lethal accident incidences of various manufactures and their recall responses, I have to wonder about the “human” response to unexpected problems or perceived problems, and manufactures “cost analysis” solutions and public statements.

Our nation is in one of those moments now.  There are so many lies being told by our political representatives.  How can our President potentially sign legislation that was crafted from payoffs and back room deals that reward individual representatives and their political constituency with no regards for the future of our children and country. This cannot be real!  Not in America!

It is time for America’s politicians and its people to stop the foolishness.  I am tired of all the lies and misrepresentations of factual events by our elected officials and news reporting organizations.  America, we are riding in a runaway “Toyota” and unless we are able to safely stop our “vehicle,” our country will be permanently damaged beyond repair.  Who will we blame?  In truth, we will only have ourselves!

Until we can determine if we are in a perceived or an actual runaway “vehicle,” lets stop and consider the future of our Republic.  President Obama, you were elected to represent America in a new direction of transparency and honesty.  So far you appear to have failed on your promises, but there is still a chance for you to redeem yourself.

Are you prepared to represent all of America, or will you only represent those who are unwilling to accept responsibility for their own lives and who are willing to become totally dependent upon government for their “loaf of bread.”  Through our governmental programs teaching and supporting an “ineffectual and dangerous plantation mentality” we have promoted the dummying down of America,” and the promotion of a “you owe me society” with unconstitutional “rights” being expected and demanded by many of its citizenry. There is no reason for it to be this way.  Education and families must be rebuilt, and not by using the old political ways.

We are at a turning point.  Taking from those who have, to give to those who do not have, is not the American way and will ultimately lead to a third world impoverished land with its people living in hopelessness and despair. Communism, Socialism, and Fascism are not the answer; they have never worked and they will never work in an America where most of the people cherish freedom.  You can fancy up the “isms” and call them Progressivism, but you will still end up with a people dominated by a ruling class.

People of America, write your representatives and become vocal advocates of our Republic—the way it was originally designed, not a redesign by persons with agendas of destruction.

There is still hope for America and it is found in the words spoken by God to King Solomon found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which reads, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 

Will you turn from your ways and seek God, or will you choose to stay on the plantation?  I pray that you will find the light and escape from the darkness before it is too late.‘’ 

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