Talladega Finish

Have you seen the finish of the 2009 Aaron's 499 at Talladega? Brad Kezelowski wins his first race, and while getting from 8th to 1st in 2 laps was a great thing, his drafting partner, Carl Edwards, takes a wild ride. You can check it out in my favorites on my YouTube page.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Sarge4

While there, check out the Mr. Jefferson video by the Mike Church Show band.

Also, if you have never seen The Wizard of Oz set to the music of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, check out the link to meowcat89 in my subscriptions if you are curious about it.

Another One To Demonize

This gal gets it. She understands that it is WE the people that make this country work. The government can get out of the way and let us build the economy, or it can over-regulate and tax us out of existence as a free country.

Go to my favorites on my YouTube page and watch the Katrina Pierson video. When you're done, watch Mr. Jefferson.

Sarge4's Channel

Our Bassackwards World

When a family budget crashes, is the logical thing to do to tighten the belt or break out the credit and add to the debt load? We would say to pull in the reigns while government chooses to print another trillion or four. When a pregnant woman is killed and the child dies, it is a double homicide. We do however allow thousands of babies per day to be killed by abortion procedures. There is the cry for independence from foreign oil, yet we are told not to drill and use our own vast reserves. We now complain about the plastic bags after the tree huggers brought it on themselves by saying to stop cutting down trees for paper. One of the latest contradiction involves animal fat and embryonic stem cells.

The debate has gone on for awhile about stem cell research, specifically, embryonic vs. adult cells. One of the arguments had been that more abortions and creation of embryos would be encouraged to provide material for the research. There are those who argue for the research on embryonic stem cells and those that say it is unnecessary or that it is not right to use the embryos in such a way.

A story I heard yesterday involved biofuel and the use of animal parts and fat in its production. The story told of manufacturers now using whatever organs or fat that is left over at a butcher shop as components in producing the alternative fuel. What then got my interest was that a group was complaining that it would lead to the breeding of animals for the express purpose of creating the biofuel. The proverbial slippery slope that, in this case, would be equated to cruelty to animals.

The slippery slope argument has been used for as long as I can remember. I remember in the late 70's when in the Democratic Party, the ethics of abortion was still debated. At the local caucas the argument would be made that abortion would lead to abortions for convenience and eventually allow euthanasia. Here we are with the morning after abortion pill and doctor assisted suicide, not to mention the eventual health care rationing that will come with the nationalized health care. Now it is being used for the debate about killing an animal specifically to serve another purpose, fuel. We already breed and kill animals to serve a specific purpose; to eat. I don't agree with breeding animals for dog or cock fighting, but for eating I give my full support. As for fuel, I guess the debate will continue.

While the two subjects, stem cells and biofuel, are not directly related, I found it interesting that the arguments were similar. I also began to wonder who was on each side of the argument and how they may be contradicting themselves. I suspect there will be no shortage of contradictions in future days in this politally charged day in which we live.

Green? hahahahahaha

As President Obama declares that we need to inflate our tires and conserve energy, he flies to Iowa to pimp windmills at the cost of 9,000 gallons of fuel. Mark Knoller reports that Air Force One used 8,950 gallons and Marine One consumed another 166 gallons of fuel. Add to that the motorcade fuel, not to mention the newly designated deadly pollutant carbon dioxide. So I guess this would be another do as I say, not as I do moment. As he continues to campaign rather than lead, he "he urged Americans to support his plan for promoting expanded use of alternative and renewable fuels."

Andrew P. Morriss wrote an article about the illusion of "green jobs" in an article for the Baltimore Sun. He wrote, "Unfortunately, claims about the wonders of green jobs are all too often constructed on myths about economics, forecasting and technology." He goes on to state, "Spending billions would certainly produce green jobs, but it would also eliminate jobs in areas that lose government favor. Green-jobs advocates rarely count the job losses their programs will cause. For example, shifting electricity production from coal to wind means that many coal miners, truck drivers, utility workers and other employees will lose their jobs as energy prices soar. And because wind and solar power are much more costly than our current sources of energy, people will lose their jobs elsewhere as higher energy prices slow the economy. To make a fair calculation of the impact on employment, we have to consider job losses as well as gains."

Alternate energy sources are cost prohibitive at the present time, but the government has a plan to deal with the problem of this little obstacle. They are going to make wind and solar energy just as affordable as coal fired and nuclear energy. Will they be lowering the price of the alternative fuel? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. They will regulate and tax the existing energy sources until they are as expensive as the alternative sources. And the proponents of the plan expect us to believe that this is not a problem either because corporations and individuals will break even or even save money because although the energy prices are higher, things will be much more efficient and thus less energy will be consumed. A lot of assumptions are made in their efforts to pull the wool over our eyes. When the carbon tax failed to go through initially, the EPA took the next step to regulation by making carbon dioxide a pollutant. House leader Nancy Pelosi says that the carbon tax issue is sure to be raised again. The carbon tax will affect everyone with increased cost of living. So much for taxes not going up for 95% of people. It may not be a direct tax, but corporations don't pay taxes, they pass them along to consumers. So when manufacturers, transporters and retailers all add their portion of the carbon tax to the goods we buy, prices will be sure to rise. Couple the price increases with the inflation that is sure to come from the printing of trillions of dollars that will be added to the money supply and the result is much lower purchasing power for the much more limited cash we will be able to earn.

Just remember that everytime the government gets involved in business, the result is less than desirable. Government does not produce anything, it simply takes the fruit of our labors to continue its power grab and industry control.

By the way, have you ever read the 10 step plan for cleaning up a broken compact fluorescent light? Evidently, going green includes replacing the safe incandescent bulb with the dangers of mercury poisening. Do the disposal costs really offset the enrgy savings? With over 50 manufacturers in China, how much energy is consumed by shipping the bulbs to the U.S. to help us reduce our carbon foot print?

I'm all for conserving energy and doing the right thing for the environment, but some of this stuff is such crap that it is sickening to see people sucked into it because they believe the government is always right and knows better than we do. That would be the same people who think that the government is supposed to take care of our every need from the cradle to the grave. That would be the same people who need to learn to take the responsibility for themselves instead of waiting for others to contribute to the system for them. It may be too late for them to wake up and see what is coming.

The Violence - The Destruction

Have you read about the violence and destruction that transpired on April 15 and the stories of the follow-up arrests and charges? Did you catch the video of the hooded vandals who broke windows and burned cars? Did you see the cops in riot gear teargassing the protesters? How about the protesters pushing back and throwing objects at the police? Oh, wait, I may be thinking of the protesters at the Republican National Convention.

Yeah, that's right. On April 15, 2009, over 540,000 people gathered at over 850 locations, PEACEFULLY. "'The top 40 events represent about 257,000 attendees and our last 20 reports average about 1,000 per event. It's highly possible that the total attendance number is between 800,000 and 1 million,' Simon noted." By all reports that I have seen and heard, the crowds which ranged from 18 citizens in Kodiak, Alaska, to 16,000 individuals in San Antonio, Texas, gathered and dispersed peacefully. I have heard of a few kooks in the crowds, but not of any violent incidents. The main stream media pretty much ignored the events other than to mock them. Reporters and show hosts (some thinking themselves to be legitimate, unbiased reporters) classified the events as extreme right wing staged events that were sponsored by the Republican Party and Fox News.

Fox News gave legitimacy to the events by covering them and discussing the thoughts that the participants actually expressed. Their live coverage can be contrasted by the likes of CNN reporter Susan Roesgen who seems to be confrontational rather than a presenter of the facts. She first states that it is organized by three different conservative groups. They were actually organized at the grass root level, some actually by self professed Democrats. She also didn't realize that taxation was only one of the issues. Unbridled spending and unresponsive politicians also contribute to the government doing whatever they like, regardless of the Constitutionality of their actions. She gets argumentative with a participant suggesting that a $400 "tax credit" should appease the people that are looking at the long range effects. Then to argue that the State of Lincoln was getting 50 billion dollars in stimulus should be a positive thing, when in reality it is money coming from the very taxpayers it is supposed to help after the beauracracy takes a cut out of it. Most of the spending should be done by the states and municipalities if they desire to raise taxes and do the projects rather than the federal government collecting from the states to shuffle it around. It is sadly amusing that she turned the report into giving the perception that the rally was a violent, aggressive gathering that was not fit for family viewing. Yet, families were gladly participating in this civil, civic activity. Anti-government and anti-CNN? I must be missing something. Only anarchists want no government. Conservatives want limited government that allows the citizenry to pursue life, liberty and happiness. And what of the libertarians, democrats and others in existence? Remaining true to the enumerated powers in the Constitution would put it all to rest. The studio host equally hypes it as absurd with her comments. There was an agenda to put down these rallies as anything but a meaningful message to politicians by regular citizens.

The point is that the rallies were organized locally by regular citizens who desired to get involved in legal, proper and civil demonstrations. There was no violence, no anarchy, and no destruction. There was Fox News coverage because they realized the growth of the grass roots event. They covered it leading up to the event and they did live broadcasting from them. Isn't that what news agencies should do, report?

It's EASTER!

As a young lad, I always liked Christmas the best. Well, who wouldn't, what with the presents and all. Now that I'm a tad older lad, I enjoy Easter. The Resurrection story and the joy of salvation far outweigh the Christmas story and the presents. I concede that Easter doesn't happen without Christmas, but Easter is the reason for the Christmas season. Unfortunately that message gets lost a little more every year as commercialization takes over.

I thought of an Easter greeting to post, but I figure the message I delivered this morning at the assisted living home is the way to go. Take a few minutes to meditate on the Easter message and enjoy the weekend with family and friends if possible. This and other sermon notes and studies can be found at Life_According_To_Sarge Forum Index.

Be That Guy
Comfort of Homes
April 11, 2009

Luke 23:39-43, “One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, ‘Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!’ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’ And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’”

We often read quickly through passages like this one and miss the great sermon it preaches to us. We often fail to meditate on the Word and thereby miss out on all that it has to offer us in our pursuit to understand God. These verses are packed with God’s glory, mercy, and love. They teach us of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the mystery of the act of salvation. We often focus on Christ on the cross, which is a good thing, while we miss the point of those who were crucified next to Him. In our day we focus on Christ being crucified as if it was an act that was unique to Him. Unfortunately, the truth is that crucifixion was common at that time as a cruel punishment by the Romans and a deterrent to those who sought to challenge their rule. We can equate it to the intimidation of beheading that we see all too often today. The practice of crucifixion was abandoned by Constantine around 400 AD. I’ve seen it written that historians estimate 10,000 to 100,000 people (likely much closer to the higher number) were crucified by the Romans. The significance of Christ being crucified was that it fulfilled prophecy and that He suffered greatly to pay the penalty for our sins. He paid an extreme price to redeem our souls by enduring the wrath of God in our stead.

The two men who were crucified along side our Lord participated in the mocking and scoffing of the onlookers. We read in Matthew chapter 27, verses 38-44, “At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, ‘He saved others; He cannot save Himself He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, “I am the Son of God.”’ The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.”

This is again confirmed in the Gospel According to Mark 15:32, “‘Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!’ Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.”

This declaration of their guilt shows the truth of Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. They were both guilty of sinning against God, as well as their crimes against society, and justice demanded their death. While society succeeded in exacting payment for both men through the cross, mercy came to one of the men when Jesus Christ paid the eternal debt for the salvation of his soul. Let us not lose track that we are all sinners before a Holy God and that without Christ, our only choice is to pay for that sin in the lake of fire that was prepared for Satan and the rebellious angels that followed him.

At some point in the time on the cross, one man, by the grace of God, had his eyes opened to the reality of Jesus on the cross next to him. His heart was changed by the work of the Holy Spirit. He declared his belief saying, “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he declared his faith saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” This while suffering along side Jesus on a cross the same as Christ. Have we stopped to think of the two men suffering along side our Savior? They were suffering the same physical torment. While one man remained stiff necked and hard of heart, the other responded to the leading of the Holy Spirit and saw Christ for who He was. Which man do we emulate as we live our lives in relative comfort and ease?

The signs of genuine salvation are seen in the man who rebukes the other. First, he realizes the truth about Jesus, that He is the Savior sent by God. Second, he realized his own guilt and had a repentant heart, confessing his sinfulness. Third, he cried out to Jesus who alone has the power to save. Fourth, he acknowledges it publicly with faith, unashamed. His declaration is the purpose of baptism. Baptism signifies our death with Christ on the cross and our resurrection with Him to new life. That man actually died with Christ on the cross that day and entered paradise with Jesus on the same day. Have others seen those signs in our lives? Are we bold to declare Jesus Christ as Savior? Do we have a repentant and contrite heart? Do we realize that only He can save us from the wrath of God? Have we cried out to God for mercy and forgiveness?

On April 7, 1889, C. H. Spurgeon preached a sermon titled The Believing Thief. Here is an excerpt from that sermon. “The malefactor who believed upon the cross was a convict, who had lain in the condemned cell, and was then undergoing execution for his crimes. A convicted felon was the person with whom our Lord last consorted upon earth. What a lover of the souls of guilty men is he! What a stoop he makes to the very lowest of mankind! To this most unworthy of men the Lord of glory, ere he quitted life, spoke with matchless grace. He spoke to him such wondrous words as never can be excelled if you search the Scriptures through: "To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." I do not suppose that anywhere in this Tabernacle there will be found a man who has been convicted before the law, or who is even chargeable with a crime against common honesty; but if there should be such a person among my hearers, I would invite him to find pardon and change of heart through our Lord Jesus Christ. You may come to him, whoever you may be; for this man did. Here is a specimen of one who had gone to the extreme of guilt, and who acknowledged that he had done so; he made no excuse, and sought no cloak for his sin; he was in the hands of justice, confronted with the death-doom, and yet he believed in Jesus, and breathed a humble prayer to him, and he was saved upon the spot. As is the sample, such is the bulk. Jesus saves others of like kind. Let me, therefore, put it very plainly here, that none may mistake me. None of you are excluded from the infinite mercy of Christ, however great your iniquity: if you believe in Jesus, he will save you.”

In this story of guilt and punishment, Spurgeon shared the hope and forgiveness that is available to each one of us. It is God’s desire that every person, every living soul, would partake in the sacrifice of Christ and come to Him for the salvation of the soul and the gift of eternal life in the love of God, our creator. It is sad to acknowledge that some will not do so. I pray that of those who do not accept such a loving gift, none fail to do so because I have failed to share the good news of the gospel, the saving grace made available to every person through Jesus Christ.

We like to quote John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” We must also consider that whoever does not believe in Him shall perish, shall have eternal damnation. Such is the other criminal, the other man, who hangs on the cross next to the Savior, scoffing to the bitter end. John goes on to write in verses 26-36, speaking of John the Baptist, “And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.’ John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.’”

So which criminal are you, for most certainly we each are one or the other. There are no other choices than to believe or believe not. To put off the choice is actually choosing to not believe and therefor to not receive eternal life, thereby receiving eternal damnation. As we see by the unrepentant criminal, salvation is not guaranteed later in life. That is why scripture warns us, “He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.’” (Hebrews 4:7)

J.C. Ryle, sometime before 1900, preached in his sermon Christ and the Two Thieves, “The second lesson you are meant to learn from this passage is this, -if some are saved in the very hour of death, others are not. This is a truth that never ought to he passed over, and I dare not leave it unnoticed. It is a truth that stands out plainly in the sad end of the other malefactor, and is only too often forgotten. What became of the other thief who was crucified? Why did he not turn from his sin, and call upon the Lord? Why did he remain hardened and impenitent? Why was he not saved? It is useless to try to answer such questions. Let us be content to take the fact as we find it, and see what it is meant to teach us. We have no right whatever to say this thief was a worse man than his companion. There is nothing to prove it. Both plainly were wicked men. Both were receiving the due reward of their deeds. Both hung by the side of our Lord Jesus Christ. Both heard Him pray for His murderers. Both saw Him suffer patiently. But while one repented, the other remained hardened. While one began to pray, the other went on railing. While one was converted in his last hours, the other died a bad man as he had lived. While one was taken to paradise, the other went to his own place, the place of the devil and his angels. Now these things are written for our warning. There is warning, as well as comfort in these verses, and that very solemn warning too. They tell me loudly, that though some may repent and be converted on their deathbeds, it does not at all follow that all will. A deathbed is not always a saving time. They tell me loudly that two men may have the same opportunities of getting good for their souls, -may be placed in the same position, see the same things, and hear the same things; and yet only one shall take advantage of them, repent, believe, and be saved. They tell me, above all, that repentance and faith are the gifts of God, and are not in a man’s own power; and that if any one flatters himself he can repent at his own time, choose his own season, seek the Lord when he pleases, and, like the penitent thief, be saved at the very last, -he may find at length he is greatly deceived.”

As Ryle explained, the unrepentant thief suffers for all eternity separated from God. Don’t be that guy. The repentant thief is in paradise with our Lord Jesus Christ. Be that guy. If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are my brother or sister. During this Easter season we can rejoice in the work of our Lord on the cross that provides such a great gift of redemption and salvation. We join together with thanksgiving and adoration to the One who loved us so much that He was willing to endure such great suffering on our behalf. We rejoice and sing praise to Christ in the glory and power of His resurrection and in ours to come when we will dwell with Him forever in the glorified bodies He has prepared for us. For all eternity we will sing His praises with thankful hearts as we dwell in His presence. Praise be to God.

Take the Civics Quiz

Civics Quiz

Are you more knowledgeable than the average citizen? The average score for all 2,508 Americans taking the following test was 49%; college educators scored 55%. Can you do better? Questions were drawn from past ISI surveys, as well as other nationally recognized exams.

My Results

You answered 28 out of 33 correctly — 84.85 %

Average score for this quiz during April: 74.5%
Average score: 74.5%

Are You Smarter Than a Politician? Of the 2,508 People surveyed, 164 say they have held an elected government office at least once in their life. Their average score on the civic literacy test is 44%, compared to 49% for those who have not held an elected office. Officeholders are less likely than other respondents to correctly answer 29 of the 33 test questions. This table shows the “knowledge gap” for each question: the difference between the percentage of common citizens who answered correctly and the percentage of officeholders who answered correctly.

Mr. Jefferson

If you are tired of the uncontrolled spending and shredding of the Constitution, this video is for you. A tribute to the founders set to Simon & Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson.

Mr. Jefferson

Soylent Corporation

Last night I watched the 1973 movie, Soylent Green. It is a futuristic movie set in New York City in the year 2022. The population in the city is 40,000,000 and living in despair, that is, except for politicians and corporate execs. Charlton Heston plays an overworked cop in the 14th precinct.

This movie, while cheesy and poorly acted, has a number of interesting points. The most obvious of these is the class warfare. Their is a very distinct elite and the poor. Their is no middle class what-so-ever. Those who do work, like Heston, are overworked and underpaid. This is contrasted to the lavish life style of the Soylent directors and the Governor.

Water and processed foods are rationed and the masses stand in lines all day in the hope of getting something before supplies run out. Riot control then steps in as the hungry turn ugly. Intimidation is heavy as the threat of "the scoops are coming" is shouted over the bull horn as the cops try to get the people to disperse.

Soylent Corporation, we are told, controls half of the world food supply. There was Soylent Red, then Soylent Yellow, and now the new high energy product, Soylent Green. The people are told that it is made from plankton from the oceans. Real food is virtually non-existent to the masses. Our hero discovers its true source while investigating the murder of a Soylent director. He is then marked for murder before the secret is revealed to the people.

Other interesting points include:
Global warming; the problems are implied to be a result of it from high temperatures to unfarmable land to the dying oceans.
Assisted Suicide; actual depiction of a "ceremony" which facilitates the peaceful "going home".
Monetary Credits; cash is scarce while welfare reigns in food credits.
Corruption; payoffs abound as the position and power take advantage of whoever may be downstream.
Control; when one lady exits a shop complaining about the small amount she received after standing in line all day, 2 cops drag her away. When a riot erupts, the scoops come. Large front end loader type buckets scoop up people, lifting them over the cab like a garbage truck, pouring them into a dump box to be hauled away.
No Manufacturing; nothing is being produced.

Although things are not exactly as the movie portrayed, it is eerie to see how close the concepts are to our government control, class warfare society today.