Seems fair to me….. I have a job.  I work, they pay me.  I pay my taxes & the government  Distributes my taxes as it sees fit.  In order to get that paycheck, in my case,  I am required to pass a random urine test  (with which I have no problem).  What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes  To people who don't have to pass a urine test.  So, here is my question:  Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check  Because I have to pass one to earn it for them?  Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet.  I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their BUTT ----doing drugs while I work.  Can you imagine how much money each state would save  If people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?  I guess we could call the program "URINE OR YOU'RE OUT"!  Pass this along if you agree or simply delete if you don't.  Hope you all will pass it along, though.  Something has to change in this country - AND SOON!  P.S. Just a thought, all politicians should have to pass a urine test too!

The Marine's Father 

        A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. "Your son is here," she said to the old man.  She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.
        Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent.  He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
        The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed.  All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength.  Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
        He refused.  Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
        Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words.  The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
        Along towards dawn, the old man died.  The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse.  While she did what she had to do, he waited.
        Finally, she returned.  She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
        "Who was that man?" he asked.
        The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
        "No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
        "Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
        "I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here.  When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."

        The next time someone needs you just be there.  Stay.

        We are not human beings going through a temporary spiritual experience.
        We are spiritual beings going through a temporary human experience.
~Author Unknown~

(Author unknown, to me anyway. But this is one of those articles that I wish I had written. I don’t remember who sent it to me, but thanks to someone we got the blessing of reading about this miracle that happened right here in our own neck of the woods. God is everywhere: did you ever doubt it?)

Smell the rain

A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. She was still groggy from surgery. Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news.

That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency Caesarean to deliver the couple's new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing. At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound and nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature.

Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs.

"I don't think she's going to make it," he said, as kindly as he could. "There's only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a  very cruel one".

Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived.

She would never walk, she would never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.

"No! No!" was all Diana could say. She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four. Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away.

But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana.

Because Dana's underdeveloped nervous system was essentially  'raw,' the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love. All they could do, as Dana struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl. 

As the weeks went by, she gained an ounce of weight here and an ounce of strength there. At last, when Dana turned two months old, her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the very first time. And two months later, though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.

Today, five years later, Dana is a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life. She shows no signs whatsoever of any mental or physical impairment. Simply, she is everything a little girl can be and more. But that happy ending is far from the end of her story.

One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local park where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing. As always, Dana was chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, "Do you smell that?"

Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain."  Dana closed her eyes and again asked, "Do you smell that?"

Once again, her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to get wet. It smells like rain."

Still caught in the moment, Dana shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced, "No, it smells like Him. It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest."

Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Dana happily hopped down to play with the other children. Before the rains came, her daughter's words confirmed what Diana and all the members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along.  During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it is His loving scent that she remembers  so well.  

 "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me."  (Phil. 4:13) 

Subject: GOD BLESS TEXAS

Have you ever looked at a map of the world? Look at Texas with me just for a second. That picture, with the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast , and the

 Red River and the Rio Grande is as much a part of you as anything ever will be. As soon as anyone anywhere in the world looks at it, they know what

 it is. It's Texas . Pick any kid off the street in Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in the dirt, and he'll know what it is. What happens if I show you

 a picture of any other state? You might get it maybe after a second or two, but who else would? And even if you do, does it ever stir any feelings in you?

In every man, woman and child on this planet, there is a person who wishes just once he could be a real live Texan and get up on a horse or ride off in

 a pickup. There is a little bit of Texas in everyone.

Texas is the Alamo . Texas is 183 men standing in a church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting for freedom, who had the chance to walk out

 and save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and die for the cause of freedom.

We send our kids to schools named William B. Travis and James Bowie and Davy Crockett, and do you know why? Because those men saw a line

 in the sand and they decided to cross it and be heroes.

John Wayne paid to do the movie The Alamo himself. That is the Spirit of Texas.

Texas is Sam Houston capturing Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana at San Jacinto .
Texas has huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett and Sam Houston National Forests .
Texas is breathtaking mountains in the Big Bend .
Texas is the unparalleled beauty of bluebonnet fields in the Texas Hill Country.

Texas is floating the rivers of the Hill Country on a hot summer day.

Texas is the beautiful, warm beaches of the Gulf Coast of South Texas.

Texas is beaches you can drive on and have many memorable bonfires with close friends.

Texas is that warm feeling you get when someone asks where you're from.

Texas is the shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas.
Texas is world record bass from places like Lake Fork .

Texas is Mexican foods like nowhere else, not even Mexico .

Texas is chicken fried steak and world famous Bar-B-Q.

Texas is the Fort Worth Stockyards, Bass Hall, the Mort Myerson in Dallas , The Ballpark in Arlington , the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington ,

the American Airlines Center in Dallas , and the Astrodome (the Reliant Stadium now) in Houston .

Texas is larger-than-life legends like:   Michael DeBakey, Nick Trippodo, Ann Richards, Denton Cooley, Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly, Gene Autry, Audie Murphy,

Tommy Lee Jones, Waylon Jennings, Farrah Fawcett, Janis Joplin, Sandra Bullock, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Landry, Eva Longoria Parker, Darrell Royal,

ZZ Top, Roger Staubach Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell, Nolan Ryan, Sam Rayburn, Howard Hughes, George H. W. Bush, Lyndon B.Johnson,

George W . Bush, and let's not forget GEORGE STRAIT , the Big Bopper, Tex Ritter, George Jones, Clay Walker, John Crosby, Mark Chestnut,

and Tracy Byrd to name ONLY a few.

Texas has great companies like Dell Computer, Texas Instruments, EDS and Compaq, Whataburger, Southwest Airlines, Bell Helicopter, and LOCKHEED MARTIN AEROSPACE, Home of the F-16Jet Fighter and the JSF Fighter,Valero.

Texas is NASA.

Texas is huge herds of cattle, beautiful horses and miles of crops.

Texas is home to the world famous King Ranch.

Texas is home to the most amazing sunsets of gold over an empty field.

Texas is skies blackened with doves and fields full of deer.
Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down to watch the local high school football game on Friday nights and for the Cowboys on Monday

Night Football at the new Cowboy Stadium, and for the Night In Old San Antonio River Parade in San Antonio .

To drive across Texas is to drive 1/3 the way across the United States .

Texas has ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies, and modern cities.

If it isn't already in Texas , we probably don't need it. No one does anything bigger or better than it's done in Texas .

By federal law, Texas is the only state in the U.S. That can fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. Flag. Think about that for a second. You fly

the Stars and Stripes at 20 feet in Maryland , California ,
or Maine , and your state flag, whatever it is, goes at 17 feet. You fly the Stars and Stripes in
front of Klein Oak High or anyplace else at 20 feet, the Lone Star flies at the same height - 20
feet. You know why? Because its the only state that was a Republic before it became a state.

Also, being a Texan is as high as being an American down here. Our capitol is the only one in the
country that is taller than the capitol building in Washington , DC .  And we can divide our state into
five states at any time if we wanted to!  We can become a republic again at any time the voters of
Texas choose, and we included these things as part of the deal when we came on.

That's the best part, right there. Texas even has its own power grid!! And don't even lie to yourself.  Did I mention the LIVE music capitol of

the world?  If you are a REAL TEXAN, you won't even need to be told to pass this on.GOD BLESS TEXAS

Nazi extermination of thousands of disabled children featured in new Berlin museum exhibit

BY MATTHEW CULLINAN HOFFMAN

• Fri Jan 27, 2012 10:55 EST
• Comments (2)
• Tags: Abortion, Euthanasia, Nazi

•  

BERLIN, January 27, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Berlin’s “Topography of Terror,” museum, which features exhibits on the murderous crimes of German police forces during the Nazi era, has begun a temporary display on the thousands of children euthanized during the same period as “life unworthy of life.”

The exhibition, entitled “In memory of the children. Pediatricians and crimes against children in the Nazi period,” displays photos and documents related to various Nazi projects concerning the murder and torture of children, such as Action T4 and Lebensborn.

While Action T4 focused on exterminating children who were physically or mentally handicapped, Lebensborn was a eugenic breeding program using unwed mothers, in which children with features not regarded as sufficiently “Aryan” were disposed of like so much waste.

“Through 1945, over 10,000 [children] fell victim to the various programs which were designed to exterminate ‘life unworthy of living,’” the museum states. “More than 5,000 children and teenagers were tortured and murdered in the Nazi ‘children’s departments’ alone, institutions which were specially created for the purpose of extermination.”

Although many children were simply gassed or starved to death, some were spared an immediate exit from life - to serve as subjects of medical experiments, which included the removal of their organs.

“Children also fell victim to the ‘T4’ gas chamber program and to the ‘starvation diet’ which they received in the homes and institutions; they were abused for the purpose of experimentation and their organs where used after their death for research purposes,” according to the museum.

In addition to Action T4 project, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 10,000 children and teenagers, the Lebensborn project killed an estimated 5,000 more.

“This exposition speaks of the most defenseless of that society,” Berlin’s Charité medical school’s historian told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. “Visitors must be prepared to confront very difficult facts.”

Stephanie Gray of the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform and the Genocide Awareness Project noted the troubling parallels between the Nazi euthanasia program for children and the ongoing murder of millions of children today in the wombs of their mothers – often for eugenic reasons similar to those that motivated the Nazi holocaust.

“The notion of ‘life unworthy of life’ is eerily familiar to today’s slogan, ‘quality of life,’” Stephanie Gray told LifeSiteNews. “The philosophy which guided the Nazis is a philosophy which guides many today - that the value of one’s life is to be determined by one’s features or abilities.  It is this frightening mentality which leads to human rights violations.”

Click “like” if you want to end abortion! 

Currently in the West, a large percentage of children diagnosed in the womb with a disability will ultimately be killed through abortion. Even children diagnosed with Down syndrome, a condition with which a person can live happily for many years, are killed at an astonishing rate of over 90% when the condition is diagnosed in utero. Such eugenic abortions often occur later in pregnancy, when the baby is fully formed, and according to many experts can already experience pain.

In at least one country – the Netherlands – eugenics has already extended beyond abortion, with the legalization of infant euthanasia under the so-called Groningen Protocol.  Under the protocol babies can be killed after birth if they suffer, or are likely to suffer, from “progressive paralysis, complete lifelong dependency, and permanent inability to communicate in any way.”

In one article in the prestigious Hastings Report in 2008, two Dutch bioethicists argued that in such cases, “the baby is judged to be better off dead than forced to endure the only kind of life it can ever have.”

“The Nazis treated children as objects to be used and disposed of,” Gray said. “How is that different from today’s society which treats pre-born children as objects to be used (such as for stem cells) and disposed of (through abortion)?”

Gray also observed that, while a museum display on the Nazi atrocities against children does not elicit protest, photos of the unborn victims of abortion often do.

“Isn’t it interesting that people will pay money to go to a museum to see disturbing images of the mistreatment of children, yet many criticize the display of abortion images.  Perhaps it’s because it’s easier to face historic injustices which we didn’t commit; it’s much more difficult to face present-day injustices which we do permit,” she said.

The Genocide Awareness Project sets up displays of large images of unborn children killed by abortion, juxtaposed with images victims of the Nazi holocaust and racially-motivated lynchings, to raise awareness about the true nature of abortion.

‘To Hell with you!’ That’s what Obama just told Catholics, says bishop

BY KATHLEEN GILBERT

• Fri Jan 27, 2012 18:37 EST
• Comments (4)
• Tags: Abortion, Birth Control Mandate, David Zubik

•  

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, January 27, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Saying it’s “really hard to believe that it happened,” the bishop of Pittsburgh has taken aim at the Obama administration’s birth control mandate.

“It comes like a slap in the face. The Obama administration has just told the Catholics of the United States, ‘To Hell with you!’” wrote Bishop David Zubik in a hard-hitting column appearing on the diocese’s website. “There is no other way to put it.”

Bishop David Zubik

Catholic bishops have been up in arms ever since the administration indicated it would force virtually all employers to cover all birth control, including drugs that can cause early abortions, like Plan B and ella. Last week, Catholic Church leaders were aghast to hear that, upon further consideration, the administration had refused to back down, instead simply giving outraged faith-based groups another year to comply with the mandate.

Click “like” if you want to end abortion! 

Zubik said the unilateral mandate “undermines the democratic process itself” and represents an unprecedented attack on conscience rights.

“This is government by fiat that attacks the rights of everyone – not only Catholics; not only people of all religion,” he said. “At no other time in memory or history has there been such a governmental intrusion on freedom not only with regard to religion, but even across-the-board with all citizens.

“It forces every employer to subsidize an ideology or pay a penalty while searching for alternatives to health care coverage. It undermines the whole concept and hope for health care reform by inextricably linking it to the zealotry of pro-abortion bureaucrats.”

The bishop lamented that the many voices of Catholics protesting the mandate when it first was announced this summer had fallen on deaf ears, and urged even more persistent protest be directed at the president, Secretary Sebelius, and those in Congress.

“Could Catholics be insulted any more, suggesting that we have no concern for women’s health issues?” he wrote. The Catholic Church and the Catholic people have erected health care facilities that are recognized worldwide for their compassionate care for everyone regardless of their creed, their economic circumstances and, most certainly, their gender. In so many parts of the globe – the United States included – the Church is health care.” 

“We’ll give you a year, they are saying, and then you have to knuckle under.”

Read Zubik’s full column here.

Even Cuban dogs live behind bars.




I am working on a column about bullying, yeah, another column about bullying.
My editorial team couldn't work out all the fine details for this week's Courier, but it should be ready for next week.

A watch-dog Organization - Advocating for Bullied Children & Reporting on State Anti Bullying Laws

The Bullies Rule 
The School Yard

Send in your nomination for a school that is unworthy, thus worthy of being recognized because they ignore bullies, bullying and the bullied.

In 100 words or less tell us why your school should be awarded for "The Bullies Rule the School Award."

Email your entry to Brenda@jaredstory.com

Home    bullycide.blogspot.com

What you can do to stop bullying

Bullying is a serious problem with long-lasting effects that can be the root cause of criminal behavior, academic failure, and lack of self-esteem later in life.

By GreatSchools Staff

When a California teacher caught a class bully in the act of punching another student, she immediately sent the bully to the principal's office. The bully's punishment was a one-day suspension which he spent sitting in the school office, where other students could see him. The student learned his lesson and never bullied again, and the bully's victim learned that his school was a safe place where bullying and violence would not be tolerated.

The best way to combat bullying, says the mother whose child was the victim of this bully, is having a school community where the message is clear: Bullying simply is not tolerated.

Teachers, students and administrators are all very aware of the policy. If an incident occurs, the teachers respond immediately. The students know that the behavior is unacceptable, that there are trusted adults they can confide in and that there will be consequences.

Debra Chasnoff, a San Francisco-based filmmaker who has produced a video for schools in which bullies and the bullied tell their stories, advocates a kinder, gentler approach. "Just focusing on tough discipline isn't enough. Schools should place a priority on building community. Teachers who can get kids to know and trust each other, to empathize with each other, will have fewer problems in the classroom and on the playground. You are less likely to turn on someone you know as a fellow human being."

What are the signs that my child is being bullied?

Look for:

• Torn clothing
• A loss of appetite
• Lack of desire to go to school
• Mood changes

What are the signs that my child is a bully?

Look for:

• Impulsive behavior
• A desire to always be in control
• Showing little or no empathy for others

What are the long-term effects of bullying?

Melissa Smith, a California mother, recounts what can happen when bullying is not stopped. Her son was the victim of a gang of five elementary school bullies who continually verbally abused him. For four months her son tried to ignore them and always walked away. Finally, the gang left him alone. But her son continues to suffer from a lack of self-esteem, has had trouble making friends, and years after the bullying incident, is now in counseling.

Bullying, commonly thought to be a problem for boys, is just as prevalent among girls. It often takes the form of intentional verbal abuse or malicious gossip by several girls ganging up on one girl. Jessica, an overweight sixth grader in Canada, recounts the torment of being continually teased by three girls she previously considered her best friends: "How many times do you feel so bad that you want to change schools, leave all the actual friends that you do have or just lock yourself in a room forever?" she asks as she recounts her story of being bullied.

Characteristics of bullies

• Tend to have problems at home
• May be the victim of aggressive behavior or abuse at home
• Receive inconsistent discipline and/or poor supervision at home
• Tend to be aggressive, self-confident and lacking in empathy

Characteristics of victims

• Tend to be quiet, passive children who don't have many friends
• Tend to be smaller in size and/or physically weaker than the bully

The problem of bullying is widespread and is often cited as a contributing factor in the recent cases of school shootings. According to the National Resource Center for Safe Schools in Portland, Oregon, 30% of American children are regularly involved in bullying, either as bullies or victims, and approximately 15% are "severely traumatized or distressed" as a result of encounters with bullies. Researchers agree that children who bully in childhood are more likely to become violent adults and engage in criminal behavior; victims of bullies often suffer from anxiety, low self-esteem and depression as they grow into adulthood.

When is it teasing and when is it bullying?

One of the common myths about bullying is that it is just a normal part of childhood. Everyone gets teased now and then without a great deal of harm, but bullying, characterized by repeated, intentionally hurtful acts, can have long-term consequences for the bully and the victim. These acts can be physical, verbal, emotional or sexual, and there is generally an imbalance of power between the bully and the victim.

Statistics on bullying

According to Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2007, a report issued by the Justice Department and the Department of Education, in 2005:

• 28% of students, 12- to 18-years-old, reported that they had been bullied sometime in the prior six months.
• 11% reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them.
• 9% were bullied by being pushed, tripped or spit upon.

Other studies indicate that:

• 60% of students identified as bullies in grades 6 to 9 had at least one criminal conviction by age 24.
• Bullies are at even greater risk of suicide than their targets.
• About two-thirds of students involved in school shootings say they had felt persecuted, bullied or threatened by others.
• School-based intervention programs can reduce bullying by 30% to 50%.

What can I do about bullying?

The most important thing you can do is listen to your child. Ask about how things are going at school. Ask if your child has had any experience with bullies or has seen other children experience bullying. Often children are too embarrassed or scared to bring up the topic on their own. You can bring it up by discussing sympathy and respect for others, asking such questions as "Why do you think she said those hurtful things?" or "How do you think it feels to be bullied?"

You'll want to have a discussion about how to handle bullying situations and warn your child never to resort to violence, even as a reaction to a bully. Stan Davis, a Maine school guidance counselor and trainer in bullying prevention, advises encouraging the majority of students who are not victims or bullies to stand up to bullies, to ask adults for help and to reach out as friends to isolated students.

You may be tempted to intervene by confronting the bully and his parent yourself, but most experts advise against doing so. If you confront the bully, you will only verify for him that your child is a weakling. Many bullies come from homes lacking in parental involvement, so confronting the parent might not prove productive. Besides, it will probably be difficult for you to talk to the bully's parent in a calm and rational manner and that might only exacerbate the problem.

Your instincts may tell you to let the child learn to handle the situation himself, but in actuality he may need an adult (either a teacher or a parent) to intervene when bullying takes place because of the imbalance of power. Alert your child's teacher or principal when bullying occurs and work with your school to make sure the atmosphere is safe and that there is effective monitoring. Ask to be notified should your child be involved in a bullying incident. To really know what goes on at school and to help create a positive atmosphere, volunteer to be a playground supervisor or a classroom assistant.

Four myths about bullying

• Victims are responsible for bringing bullying on themselves.
• Bullying is just a normal part of childhood.
• Bullies will stop if you just ignore them.
• Victims need to learn to stand up for themselves.

What should my child's school be doing to address bullying?

Look for a positive, supportive atmosphere where students know that bullying will not be tolerated, where students know they can go to adults for help, and where there are clear consequences for bullying. An ongoing commitment to promoting this kind of school environment is key. An effective technique used in many schools is to have each class develop its own code of conduct.

Here's the code of conduct that one class wrote:

• We don't want any hitting, punching or kicking.
• We don't want any name-calling or put-downs.
• We include everyone when we do group activities.
• We help others when they are bullied.

Teachers and staff should be on the alert and should intervene when they see bullying occur. They should be aware that bullies often try to operate in places that are not in direct public view, such as school bathrooms or locker rooms. Some schools hold assemblies to present the topic of bullying, but these one-shot efforts have not been proven to be as effective as a consistent, ongoing school-wide effort to combat bullying.