Go ahead, blog about your own 8 random facts. I dare you!

It will take some getting used to not looking at black, red and white but I think it is a healthy long over due change. And change is always good when it is your decision to do so, isn’t it?

Thank you ladies!

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don’t feel threatened. I don’t feel discriminated against. That’s what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, “Merry Christmas” to me. I don’t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn’t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it’s just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don’t like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don’t think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can’t find it in the Constitution and I don’t like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren’t allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that’s a sign that I’m getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it’s not funny, it’s intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her “How could God let something like this happen?” (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

In light of recent events…terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O’Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn’t want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock’s son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he’s talking about. And we said OK.

Now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with “WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.”

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send ‘jokes’ through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you’re not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us..

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it… no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don’t sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards.

Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein

He is all over the place these days promoting a song he wrote called “Car Wash for Peace”. It is a short 2.14 minute catchy song with kind of has a John Lennon feel to it and is available for download from iTunes for 99 cents. I am sure I will be singing it all day again today.

Fallon is donating his portion of the proceeds to a charity called Fisher House that supports military families “to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time — during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury”.

Here are the full lyrics:

Car Wash For Peace

I’m so sick of all the news on T.V.
All this fighting got me going crazy
And someone wrote on my car “Please clean me”
Now I know what I got to do.
Listen everybody I’m talking to you.

Let’s have a car wash for peace.
There’s trouble in the Middle East.
There will be no more wars,
Or dirty cars.
Car wash for peace.

Just remember -
We got to get together
In the parking lot across from Wall Mart Supercenter
Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, C’mon all you Hindu dudes!
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

Let’s have a car wash for peace.
There’s trouble in the Middle East.
Got to put down those guns,
Pick up a sponge.
Car wash for peace.

Let’s have a car wash for peace.
There’s trouble in the Middle East.
There will be no more wars,
Or dirty cars.
Car wash for peace.
There will be no more wars,
Or dirty cars.
Car wash for peace.

Now download the song so you can sing all day too!

***
Topic Links

* Fisher House
* Purchase Car Wash for Peace from iTunes:

We had a great time traveling to the in-laws this time. We took a different route and saw lots of neat things. I really liked London, especially Gibbons Park. We popped into the states for a few days to drive through Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Just along the lakes. The bridge in Mackinaw was cool and I picked up some awesome fudge at Jo-Anne’s in Mackinaw City.

Whenever I visit Thunder Bay I’m in awe of two things. The Sleeping Giant (TSG) and Mount McKay. I didn’t realize how much I missed seeing them until we drove into town. I basically grew up with Mt. McKay out my window. Jeff and I spent a lot of time picnicking and camping at TSG a.k.a. Sibley.

For many people they may seem like trifle landforms but we love them. We took a lot of pictures from different angles of the city while we were there. On the way out of town we even stopped at the Terry Fox Monument to say good-bye to TSG. Sad I know.

Pretty community. One of the things we noticed traveling in the states is they like to decorate their boulevards with flowers instead of grass. Everything looks so pretty.

I’m so tired. Tonight we have two double beds in the room. This coming week will be a sofabed in the in-laws basement. I am going to sleep like a kitten tonight.

There was nothing I could do but whack him with the van. Fortunately no one was hurt but it really puts a damper on the day and raises the stress levels. When it first happened I was pretty calm, cool and collected. Actually I said the f-word 10 times in a row then I was calm, cool and collected. After backing into the Taco Bell/KFC I asked him if he was ok, he asked me if I was ok. We were both ok.

He wasn’t too concerned about insurance and the police because he didn’t think the little dent in his car warranted it. I asked him if he looked at mine? He said no. I walked over to mine and Whoa! baby! A bit more damage than his. So I popped into the Taco Bell to call the police. Like I said I was calm, cool and collected. Until the manager handed me the phone. Waaaaaaa! So embarrassing. Luckily she had the number for the police station still in her head and dialed for me. She then handed me the phone so I could call Jeff. I was suddenly Ms. calm, cool and collected again. For 30 seconds at least when Jeff got on the phone. He was able to decipher through my blubbers what happened and where I was. He was on his way. What a sweetie.

Meanwhile, I went to find the gentleman who turned in front of me. He was sitting calmly inside the Taco Bell enjoying the view outside the window. I informed him the police were on their way. I went outside to wait for the police and Jeff. A man looking a lot like Kenny Rogers approached me saying he witnessed the accident and was just returning after dropping his son off at the dentist. He was nice enough to wait around to give his statement, collaborating mine… the guy turned in front of me. Ugh! I still can’t believe it. According to the witness, the man looked in the opposite direction of traffic and not toward the oncoming traffic. Sheesh.

Anyway, the officer came, introduced himself to everyone and started taking statements. Want to hear something weird? The guy who hit me had the same last name as me. Freaky! As we were waiting our turn the sky decided to literally open up and dump buckets on us. After we were thoroughly soaked we went into Taco Bell to finish up. The officer said he was charging the other guy for an illegal left turn and his insurance company would be paying for the damages.

It was so nice to have two people confirm that I was not at fault but even now I keep going over in my head what I could have done. Part of the learning process I guess.

All the endorphins have worn off and I’m sleepy and achy. The van is having a spa week and will hopefully come back good as new. Hmm. Maybe I should send myself on one too. Right, like that’s going to happen.

Jeff popped by the shop this morning to take some pictures of the work of art. To me they looked worse at the time it happened. Doesn’t that tilted wheel look wild? Oh, guess what the gentleman did after he gave his info to the officer. He went and stood in line for lunch… still not having looked at the damages to my van.