Mei Sermo is now available (online) at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and Booksunlimited.ie (Ireland)
The last 150 days of web logs are in the archive section under the headings: America the Beautiful, America the Great, Americana... the way it should be, Hope for America, and America... the land of plenty.
08/20/2008 7:00 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-ONE) If you are one of the truly weird and cold human beings who actually say they believe that animals do not have feelings, then what I am writing about is not a story for you. Instead, maybe you can go and enjoy yourself at one of the online sites that show, in great detail, horrific death and mutilations: have fun! But for the 99% of all normal people the story of Gana (the gorilla) is a good study in animals.
She, (Gana) is the mother of two young gorillas, and recently one of them died. For several days now she will not let go of her dead baby. She carries the dead male baby everywhere she goes. People who are familiar with gorillas say this is not uncommon.
Once she goes through her grieving process she will put the dead baby aside... she is just not ready to do that yet. It is more sad than funny, but people who want to continue abusing and hurting animals for their own selfish gain will say that you cannot ascribe human behavior to animals even when they react identically! Now, let me ask you a simple question. Why do you suppose they say such stupid things?
The answer is obvious, it is because if you do admit that animals have feelings, just like humans, then it is not so easy to kill, maim, or torture them. C'mon, admit the obvious. God put animals on Earth to be enjoyed by humans. He did not put them here for humans to hurt them for their own pleasure. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
She, (Gana) is the mother of two young gorillas, and recently one of them died. For several days now she will not let go of her dead baby. She carries the dead male baby everywhere she goes. People who are familiar with gorillas say this is not uncommon.
Once she goes through her grieving process she will put the dead baby aside... she is just not ready to do that yet. It is more sad than funny, but people who want to continue abusing and hurting animals for their own selfish gain will say that you cannot ascribe human behavior to animals even when they react identically! Now, let me ask you a simple question. Why do you suppose they say such stupid things?
The answer is obvious, it is because if you do admit that animals have feelings, just like humans, then it is not so easy to kill, maim, or torture them. C'mon, admit the obvious. God put animals on Earth to be enjoyed by humans. He did not put them here for humans to hurt them for their own pleasure. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/21/08 9:05 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-TWO) Hello - you all have me, Missy, as your host again this evening. As I was contemplating something profound to write about just now, I found my mind wandering from topic to topic, unable to focus my attention fully on any one idea - I blame this new lack of focus on the baby growing inside of me. I then began mentally listing all of the "problems" associated with pregnancy - at least with mine: the aforementioned loss of focus, the constant urge for potty breaks, the (hopefully temporary) memory loss, nausea, restless sleep, etc. Then there is the one that has been the hardest for me to deal with so far - the apparent emotional instability. Now, I have always considered myself to be a fairly practical, level headed person and not given to emotional outbursts. I even believed (pre-pregnancy of course) that women who were pregnant used their growing baby and the hormone fluctuations as a way of justifying the terrorization of their families. "Ha Ha Ha, I can do and speak as I please, other people's feelings be darned, I am dealing with hormones here by God and no one shall dare get in my way!!!" However, feeling much chagrined after several irrational, and yes emotional, outbursts directed at my husband recently, I began to believe that maybe there was something to this whole hormone thing. Possibly. Then it was confirmed for me about a week ago when something happened to me that I would normally be mortified to tell anyone outside of my immediate family. I only tell you now because I can do this in relative anonymity. Here it is: I was lying in bed with one of my cats, who has slept draped across my neck like a mink or huddled on the back of my knees for the past two years. Only in the last several weeks has she begun lying on my lower abdomen about where the baby is currently positioned. I firmly believe that most animals are more intuitive than most humans realize and that she must be aware of the tiny life inside of me. (Here's where it starts coming apart.) I then started wondering why, even if she did know that there was a baby beneath where she slept, why did she choose to sleep there? The thought process further, and quite rapidly, progressed to the (obvious) conclusion that she must lament the fact that she herself cannot bear her own babies (we had her spayed last year) and she desperately wants to be close to this process of a newly forming life. Apparently the full tragedy of the realization of what I had done to this poor animal, who had no say in the matter, hit me like a freight train and I began to sob. Not crying - sobbing. I carried on so hard and for so long that my eyes very nearly swelled shut and I ended up with a raging headache. I held this poor, suffering, and now increasingly impatient little beast in my arms for the duration of this event and kept telling her how sorry I was. It was such an intense sorrow, that I felt I might not ever be over it. It was truly as though a member of my immediate family had passed away. And as suddenly as it had started, it all came to an end. With this end, came the realization that I might be seriously coming unglued as the reaction to the thought of my cat not being able to conceive was certainly not rational. It was only after the headache began to subside and I could begin to open my eyes all of the way, that I conceded that perhaps I had been a tad hasty to condemn the extent of the havoc hormones are able to wreak on an otherwise seemingly sane woman. All of this was said only to say, if you happen to have a pregnant woman in your family or circle of friends - give her a wide berth. Kidding, perhaps instead you could lend a little understanding for what, I can now assure you, is much more baffling to her than it is to you. You can always email me "care of" clarkmatthews1@aol.com
08/22/08 9:35 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-THREE) Hi, it's Missy again. I won't take up much of your time this evening, I just wanted to let you all know that my dad will not be posting for the next several days. I will try to post every evening in his absence although I'm still not sure how long that will be. The last I heard, his computer was confiscated and his home was being searched for evidence of masterminding a spamming ring. I'll get back to you all on this. Although he no longer has computer access, and therefore will be unable to receive any email communications for awhile ....You can always email me "care of" clarkmatthews1@aol.com
08/23/08 11:18 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-FOUR) I'm relieved (I guess) to say that my dad was not, in fact, heading up an illegal spamming enterprise. Sadly, his computer was not confiscated neither was his home searched. Or rather, I suppose I should have said "fortunately" for all of those things, be that as it may, the more boring truth was that he and his computer fell victim to a virus that apparently sent out over 200,000 emails in less than two hours so his ISP locked him out. I believe he is having everything repaired this evening however, and he should be back on deck by Sunday night. It was my pleasure to keep you updated and Dad's blog ongoing for the past couple of nights and I bid you a fond farewell. You can always email me "care of" clarkmatthews1@aol.com
08/24/2008 7:20 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-FIVE) First, I would like to say that it is good to be back. I also want to thank Missy for more than capably filling in for my weblogs. As she already wrote, my computer developed a "bot-net" virus and it was being used by a spammer to send out mail by the hundreds of thousands. So, one of my sons-in-law (Bob) came over and scrubbed everything and got me reset.
Tonight, I just want to comment on any possible running mates for McCain. If he selects any person (like Colin Powell) who is not staunchly against killing un-birthed babies, I, along with millions of other true conservative Republican voters, will stay home that day and let either the liberal minded McCain or the ultra-liberal Obama get elected: to be honest, at that point it would not matter who is in office.
If your choice is between a Democrat baby killing ticket, or a Republican baby killing ticket, then for a person who is a follower of the teachings of Christ, then there is no choice at all. The only thing I can say for certain is that the blood of millions of un-birthed babies (who will die in the future if more baby killers are voted into office) will not be on my hands, because I would never vote to put such an evil son or daughter of Belial into office. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/25/2008 8:15 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-SIX) There is a circus that is opening tonight in Denver, it is slated to run for a few days. It will be the single largest gathering of clowns since Ringling Brothers held open auditions.
The jugglers will be Dean and Pelosi. They must take a totally fractured party and try to pass it off to a gullible American public as a unified group. Oh well, if it does not come off well maybe Dean can do one of his crazy screams and at least entertain all of the people who reside in state asylums.
The high-wire act, without a net, will be the featured performers of Bill and Hillary. They must precariously balance high above the people with enough fawning over the impotent Obama to appear genuine, but not enough to forever throw away any political future Hillary might still believe is "her destiny."
A clown, Michelle, will open this gathering and another clown, Obama, will close this event in a few days. For comedic relief, the Democrats even brought in one of the two biggest bumblers in the entire caucus of Democrats: Teddy Kennedy is slated to make an appearance. The other bumbler, Byrd, is far too old to leave the Senate. He usually sleeps in his chair, they just wake him whenever the camera is panning the room.
Perhaps this rumor was started by the Republicans, I can't say for sure. But I have heard that Judy Collins will be singing "Send in the Clowns" when Obama takes the stage on the final night of the Dems party. It also is probably only rumor that he will be in black-face attire... wait that's not a rumor, I temporarily forgot that he is a black man. But you can't blame me for forgetting: Obama often forgets which one he is supposed to be; black or white. I mean, ever since he left his church he has started acting so white that I know it must be confusing even to him.
If you listen to him speaking to a group of black people, he just can't wait for them to "ax" him "anuudder" question. Yet, when he is speaking to a predominantly white group, you will notice that all of his ghetto lingo is suddenly cleaned up.
Obama is a self-centered, overbearing, and a rather typical politician. Hopefully this clown show in Colorado will bring this to light for the average American voter. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/26/2008 6:40 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-SEVEN) I want to say something about the unconditional love of God: however, in order to do that I must give a little background; bear with me, please.
Nearly 20 years ago, after a bout with the flu, I lost my sense of smell: completely. It is not like someone who has a stuffy nose and they can not smell very well, I can smell absolutely nothing. Sometimes I miss it. Usually the absence is most notable to me whenever I awake from a dream, and in my dream I remember how something smelled. For a little while after that I miss not being able to smell.
I liked the smell of freshly mowed grass, the smell of a hard summer rain on hot pavement, suntan lotions, certain perfumes, Thanksgiving dinner, and etcetera: but to be fair, there are some smells that I am spared from, and that brings me to what I am going to write about.
At work today I was waiting on a guy and a girl in my department walked by me and caught my eye: she wrinkled her nose and made a face while shaking her head: she was letting me know the guy smelled bad. She does this often. Later she came up to me and whispered that it was a good thing I couldn't smell. That is story number one.
A few hours later I was waiting on a guy and after I helped him, he smiled and thanked me. He had a large set of extreme bubba teeth. His was not the kind you purchase from a novelty store. He had earned his from years of having a strong aversion to a toothbrush and toothpaste. That is story number two.
Later, a girl came up to us and began talking: physically she was somewhat attractive, however, as she talked, at times, her speech was profane. That is story number three. I began to think again, why does God love anyone? Then I thought of my little boy, Virgil.
If you saw him for the first time and you were unbiased in what you saw, you would probably have the following thoughts: He has a very large head and it makes his ears appear to be too small in relationship to his head. His nostrils are large, and one is noticeably lower on his face than the other one. His eyes are dark brown and very pretty, however, he weeps a lot and because of that he gets a lot of "sleepers" in his eyes and they have to be cleaned often. The shape of his lower jaw means that his teeth are crowded, and the bottom ones are very crooked. Also the shape of his jaw causes a lot of spittle to pool in his mouth and whenever he shakes his head... spit flies everywhere. Finally, his tail was cropped, and not well, so there is an exposed tip of pink flesh where no hair ever grows.
Yet, all of Virgil's "imperfections" is what makes him "perfect," and Virgil. And, the only way I could love him more is if I had a bigger heart. I wrote all of that to only say this: that must be how God looks at us; the same way I see Virgil. So, to profane girl, bubba, stink-man, and you and me, God loves us in spite of us.
I don't want to write that though without further explaining that the unconditional love God has for humanity is predicated upon what every person does with the person of Jesus the Christ: know and trust Him, and God will love you in spite of all of your imperfections. Without Him in your life, you will appear to God as bubba, stink-man, and profane girl appeared to me: unclean! (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/27/2008 7:50 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-EIGHT) Have you read of the "Ziggurat?" This is a conceptual eco-friendly "home" that is being proposed by a group from Dubai. Just for a moment I am going to put aside the fact that you would have to be a mind-numbed fool to ever be willing to live in such a place: I just want to use their own figures to put to rest a popular fable by tree-hugging liberals. The fable is that the Earth, with a paltry six-billion people on it is running out of room.
In the past I have written and shown that every human being could live in groups of four, which is the average family size, on a 1/4 acre of ground and the total human race on Earth could be contained in the state of Texas alone! Now I want to state that truth another way.
This "Ziggurat" would cover only 2.3 square kilometers and it could house 1.1 million people. I did some quick math and came up with the following fact. There are approximately 150 million square kilometers of dry land on planet Earth. If enough "Ziggurat's" were built to house every person alive today... the total dry land used to build these homes would be less than 1/10,000 of one-percent of available dry land on Earth!
Will people ever start challenging the Gore's of this world with their patently false and totally fabricated lies about God's green Earth. My motto, to all clear thinking people (as far as the Earth and its resources are concerned) is "Live like there is no tomorrow." I am saved by a God who had enough power and foresight to build a place to house His children until the end of time, and that... my non-thinking (and gullible) friends... is a set date that only He knows. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/28/2008 7:35 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-NINE) I just wanted to write a brief blog this morning on something unexpected, but a "happy" event, that can come into your life: and again proves how faithful God is. But, you have to be looking for these things to know that they are indeed gifts from God.
It seems that everyone is always looking for the big miracles to try and prove God: I think it is especially so today when everywhere we turn there is heartache and sorrow. Certainly we are in the end days where all about us is plague, famine, wars and rumors of wars, and etcetera. However, it is important to know that God is still faithful and still on His throne.
I am reminded of a story that Dr. Hyles told of sitting on the floor as a small boy and watching his mother do a cross-stitch (needlepoint) piece of art on a wooden hoop. He said that from the floor and looking up at all of the tangled threads and knots, he could see no beauty or design. However, what only looked like a tangled mess from his viewpoint, became a beautiful tapestry when it was done and he viewed it from his mother's vantage-point: high above.
Sometimes when we are down here and looking up, it seems that all of the threads that make up our lives are tangled and hopelessly knotted. Keep in mind though that God is seeing things from a higher vantage-point and He is able to take all of those strings which we have tangled and still make a finished work of art... but you have to be looking for the signs that He is still faithful and watching out for you and those you love.
The point I want to make today is that you can see God at work in the small things that happen to you also: it does not have to be a pillar of fire that you see in order to know that God is still in charge. Begin today noticing Him in even things that might seem to be mundane, or happenstance, recognize these events for what they actually are; little gifts from God.
Perhaps it is an unexpected kiss and hug from a grandchild, and a whispered, "I love you grandpa." (a gift from God) Maybe it is a letter from home, unexpected, but very welcome. (a gift from God) Maybe it is... (I left that last sentence unfinished, because it is up to you, the reader of this blog, to insert your own "gifts from God" which also happen to you on a daily basis.)
Read the story of Elijah on Mount Horeb: I Kings chapter 19. As you read it I want you to notice how the Lord manifested Himself to His prophet. It was not in the great wind, nor the mighty earthquake, neither was it in the fire... God revealed Himself in a still... small... voice. Begin today recognizing His goodness and faithfulness to you, and your loved ones, by listening to that, "still small voice." (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/29/2008 7:30 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY) Just a brief blog this morning to tell you that I am like millions of Americans who are heading out the door this morning for work: I can sum up our collective conditions in one word; tired!
I have poor sleeping habits anyway, but this week it is especially so. My wife is going to Pennsylvania this holiday weekend to be with some of her family. So, at 3:00 a.m. this morning I awoke, after laying down to sleep at midnight, and we drove to Lexington, Kentucky where we met one of her brothers and his wife. They will drive her to their family gathering and are planning to return late on Monday.
Also this morning about 4:00 a.m. (just a few minutes before we had to leave,) we found one of our outside dogs had escaped her enclosure and we had to put her back. She was a good girl though and she had dutifully hung around our yard until we found her. Virgil and Stella, two of our indoor dogs, rode along to Lexington with my wife and I this morning. They enjoyed the trip, mostly sleeping in the backseat.
At this present time we are down to a somewhat manageable number of pets: eight dogs and one cat. Well, I have to get ready for work, so I will finish today by saying, "I hope everyone reading this blog has a blessed day." (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/30/2008 7:05 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-ONE) This will be a follow-up blog about my dogs and me being on my own for a few days. For most of our married lives my wife and I have had an unspoken agreement: I will leave home and go to work every day and she will be at home and take care of the house.
At this time because all three of our daughters have been married for a long time, collectively 27 years, there has not been children at home all of the time. However, she still has a lot of animals to tend to and I have to say that she makes it look easy.
Not that many years ago we had as many as 33 dogs at the same time that she had to take care of, within the last few years though we are down to what we plan to keep and we are not planning on raising or selling any more animals, for us or anyone else.
Before I leave for work I tend to the four dogs that are indoors and then I go outside to feed and water the four that are in runs. I repeat this same scenario when I get in from work in the evening. Missy, my occasional partner in blogging, has been coming over during the day to let the indoor dogs out to make their toilet.
Last night when I got in I turned on the outside hose and stretched it out so it would reach the farthest pen (100 feet). Finally I had fed and watered all of them but "Joe," he is the biggest dog on our yard and only of only two "pit-bulls" that we have left. Deb had told me to be careful when I open the gate because he sometimes tries to rush past her, but she said, "And this is important, keep the hose in your hand and spray him and he will run into his house." Well, the hose was in my hand, but so was his food and the chain from his lock. As soon as the gate was about a foot open he hit the opening hard, and was past me in a heartbeat. I dropped everything and gave chase.
Joe is a monster pit and he goes about 100 pounds. With him on four good legs and me on two bad ones, it was hopeless. In mere seconds he had cleared our property and was out of sight running up the middle of the road. I bolted for the house and my car keys, all the time praying, "Lord, send him back."
Not only is Joe not a very bright dog (I have been around animals all of my life and I can tell the smart ones from the not so smart) he also looks like he could be mean. So, my two biggest fears was that he would either be hit somewhere on the highway or someone would be terrified seeing a very large and powerful "pit" running loose and they would simply shoot him.
I only made it out of my drive before I saw that the Lord had answered my prayers and Joe was running full tilt back toward me. I hopped out of my car and threw open the back door and Joe leaped inside. He found one of Virgil's stuffed animals in the back seat and he latched on. It took me awhile pulling and tugging on him, but I managed to haul him out of the car and carried him back to his pen. But, that wasn't the end of it.
With everything that had happened I forgot and left the hose on and it ran for the next 12 hours and partially flooded my basement. Now, my wife seems to do these same things every day without escaping animals or flooded basements, that's what I meant when I said, "... she makes it look easy." One final thing.
I also don't like packing my own lunch. One of the girls at work, who knows I am vegetarian and I never pack my own lunch, always asks me what I brought. I always give the same answer. "I don't know." It is because I never pack it. Today though was different. When she asked, I told her, "... Cheese sandwich with peanut butter crackers and bottled water." I knew beforehand because I had to pack it myself: and I have to tell you, "I didn't particularly like doing it. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/31/2008 7:40 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-TWO) I would just like to comment on Senator McCain's pick for "veep"... Sarah Palin. It was probably a very safe pick and one that will allow him to win the election. This pick will not hurt his conservative base and it will bring a lot of those women who felt snubbed by Obama, when he did not pick a woman as his running mate, to cast their vote for the Republican ticket. I know for a fact that there is a lot of hand-wringing among many Democrats today.
Mrs. Palin is strongly pro-life and committed to protect every American's right to own and bear firearms... good for her!
Although I don't think it is right for women to cast their vote for the next leader of this country based primarily upon the fact that a female will hold the second most powerful office in the world, neither is it right that 97% of all black people will vote for a man only because his skin is as black as theirs.
I have said before and I will write it again. There ought to be a test that is given and every person must be able to pass the test... before they are allowed to cast any vote! Much of this foolishness would stop, i.e., casting a vote only because someone shares the same skin color or same sex as the voter. Finally, if that were to happen, we would have elected leaders who actually share the same views as those people do who placed their votes and put them into office.
More than 70% of Americans who will vote in November have no idea how their candidate stands on issues which will affect their lives. I have proven this many times by trying simple tests with coworkers. Try this also and you will be amazed. First, find out who they are voting for. Then, ask them to name five things that they believe strongly about. Example: infanticide, border fence between America and Mexico, FISA Act, etcetera. Now ask them where the person they are planning to vote for is aligned on every issue that they just said is important to them.
You will find one of two things: they either do not know, or, the person they are planning to vote for is actually opposed to what they are looking for in a president. The reason for this is that most people are just "sheep" and they are led by what the liberal press reports about the most liberal candidate they are backing. C'mon, you cannot drive a car without passing a competency test, why should you be able to do something far more important than driving (voting) without having enough knowledge to vote properly. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/01/2008 12:01 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-THREE) There is certainly enough wrongdoing by certain people in both parties: Democrat and Republican. But I have to ask a question. If a person falls into temptation or sin; shouldn't they have enough character to resign from their duties?
I am talking particularly about the Democrat William Jefferson, a Congressman from New Orleans. He was found taking bribes in excess of a half million dollars. Yet, he continues serving in Congress and he is even running again for a new term., and all the while he has a court case pending. Now, if people are stupid enough to vote for him that only proves my point about yesterday's blog: however, doesn't this guy have any character at all? Of course I already know the answer to that... of course he doesn't. If he did he would have resigned two years ago when he was caught red-handed with $200,000 dollars in cash that the F.B.I. had "marked" and used in their sting operation.
Let me ask you, the reader of this blog, just two more questions. Doesn't certain offices that people hold represent something much higher than a single individual? And whenever a person is found to be derelict in their duties or responsibilities to that office, shouldn't they do the honorable thing and resign their position? At least for me the answer to both questions ought to receive an emphatic yes! (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/02/2008 12:03 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-FOUR) I have a question that ought to be pondered seriously by every person who owns a home and has to carry insurance coverage on it. "Why should I, living in the mid-west, have to pay extra premiums on my insurance in order to bail people out who keep building on the coasts?"
Think about it: I choose to live in an area that is not regularly ravaged by floods and tropical storms, so, why should I have to pay extra on my insurance to allow crazy people to keep rebuilding their homes in an area where they know for a fact that every few years they are going to be wiped out.
Therefore, I ask you, where is common sense as it relates to these people in Louisiana and the gulf-coast region. If some terrible storm happens one time to them, okay, everyone ought to chip in and bail them out; but, twice or more, sorry; I believe at that point they are on their own. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/03/2008 4:15 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-FIVE) I just wanted to comment on a tragically common story. In fact, it seems that you read this type of story being repeated every single day. And the question I want to ask is, "Why... ?"
Apparently (in London) a "struggling ex-millionaire" named Christopher Foster shot and killed his wife, daughter, and then himself. My full question would be, "Why is money so important to anyone that when they lose it they think the best way to go forward is to either kill themselves, someone they love... or both?" That is insane!
Please keep the following fact in mind... it's only money! It seems that a lot of people place great value on what is unimportant, i.e., money: and they devalue what is of utmost importance, which ought to be those people they love. At best money ought to be only a means to an end, it should never be an end in itself.
Of course you might think that is easy for me to say, because at this time in my life I am working on my third million. But, that is only because I fell so short on my first and second million that I gave up on those and started on my third. (LOL)
Seriously everyone, get a grip. Don't waste your life and time only pursuing what you can't take with you anyway. And for Heaven's sake, and I mean that literally, if you have suffered a financial setback, so what: don't sweat the small stuff. And it is small stuff, and most certainly don't take it out on those closest to you. So, if you need some money and you don't have any, or if you've had a lot and lost it, remember the following fact: there's plenty more out there. Governments all around the world print that stuff every single day. Just don't waste your time on Earth living like having money is the most important thing in life; it isn't... not by a long shot. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/04/2008 9:04 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-SIX) McCain's pick for veep might turn out to have been a stroke of genius on his part. Most of Hillary's supporters are looking for a chance to vote against Obama and now they have that opportunity. In addition, Obama and his group knows they must treat Sarah Palin with kid-gloves: else it will be believed by many that him not picking Clinton as his running mate will have only been because she was a woman.
And you have to know, that I am thoroughly enjoying the predicament that the ultra liberal Obama and his running mate find themselves in. As I wrote many months ago, I still believe that America has too much sanity to vote a baby-killing Marxist like Obama into office, and I stand by the margin I predicted for his loss: somewhere between eight and ten-percent when the votes are cast in November. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/05/2008 4:30 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-SEVEN) I have just finished reading (again) several different articles about the start up date, a week from today, of the world's largest atom smasher. Although most of the articles are interesting and a good read, in the end most of what is written and said is hogwash.
The world's leading scientists are all over the board on what could, might, perhaps, maybe, etc., etc., will happen when this machine starts working: end of time, beginning of new time, traveling backward into the past... (A personal note about that last one. If that happens I want to go back and take better care of my body. At my age now I am like the comedian who said that if he knew he was going to live as long as he did, then he would have taken better care of himself.)
Anyway, these scientists all have hundreds of different ideas about what will happen. I have mine also... nothing. Nothing will happen, at least nothing of any significance will happen... other than the usual. The usual of course is for all of these world renowned scientists to stand around and make excuses as to why none of their (either) grandiose or dire pronouncements came to pass. All of these men like Hawking have one thing in common: they are fabulous excuse makers, who are about as accurate at predicting future events as Jeane Dixon. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/24/2008 7:20 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-FIVE) First, I would like to say that it is good to be back. I also want to thank Missy for more than capably filling in for my weblogs. As she already wrote, my computer developed a "bot-net" virus and it was being used by a spammer to send out mail by the hundreds of thousands. So, one of my sons-in-law (Bob) came over and scrubbed everything and got me reset.
Tonight, I just want to comment on any possible running mates for McCain. If he selects any person (like Colin Powell) who is not staunchly against killing un-birthed babies, I, along with millions of other true conservative Republican voters, will stay home that day and let either the liberal minded McCain or the ultra-liberal Obama get elected: to be honest, at that point it would not matter who is in office.
If your choice is between a Democrat baby killing ticket, or a Republican baby killing ticket, then for a person who is a follower of the teachings of Christ, then there is no choice at all. The only thing I can say for certain is that the blood of millions of un-birthed babies (who will die in the future if more baby killers are voted into office) will not be on my hands, because I would never vote to put such an evil son or daughter of Belial into office. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/25/2008 8:15 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-SIX) There is a circus that is opening tonight in Denver, it is slated to run for a few days. It will be the single largest gathering of clowns since Ringling Brothers held open auditions.
The jugglers will be Dean and Pelosi. They must take a totally fractured party and try to pass it off to a gullible American public as a unified group. Oh well, if it does not come off well maybe Dean can do one of his crazy screams and at least entertain all of the people who reside in state asylums.
The high-wire act, without a net, will be the featured performers of Bill and Hillary. They must precariously balance high above the people with enough fawning over the impotent Obama to appear genuine, but not enough to forever throw away any political future Hillary might still believe is "her destiny."
A clown, Michelle, will open this gathering and another clown, Obama, will close this event in a few days. For comedic relief, the Democrats even brought in one of the two biggest bumblers in the entire caucus of Democrats: Teddy Kennedy is slated to make an appearance. The other bumbler, Byrd, is far too old to leave the Senate. He usually sleeps in his chair, they just wake him whenever the camera is panning the room.
Perhaps this rumor was started by the Republicans, I can't say for sure. But I have heard that Judy Collins will be singing "Send in the Clowns" when Obama takes the stage on the final night of the Dems party. It also is probably only rumor that he will be in black-face attire... wait that's not a rumor, I temporarily forgot that he is a black man. But you can't blame me for forgetting: Obama often forgets which one he is supposed to be; black or white. I mean, ever since he left his church he has started acting so white that I know it must be confusing even to him.
If you listen to him speaking to a group of black people, he just can't wait for them to "ax" him "anuudder" question. Yet, when he is speaking to a predominantly white group, you will notice that all of his ghetto lingo is suddenly cleaned up.
Obama is a self-centered, overbearing, and a rather typical politician. Hopefully this clown show in Colorado will bring this to light for the average American voter. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/26/2008 6:40 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-SEVEN) I want to say something about the unconditional love of God: however, in order to do that I must give a little background; bear with me, please.
Nearly 20 years ago, after a bout with the flu, I lost my sense of smell: completely. It is not like someone who has a stuffy nose and they can not smell very well, I can smell absolutely nothing. Sometimes I miss it. Usually the absence is most notable to me whenever I awake from a dream, and in my dream I remember how something smelled. For a little while after that I miss not being able to smell.
I liked the smell of freshly mowed grass, the smell of a hard summer rain on hot pavement, suntan lotions, certain perfumes, Thanksgiving dinner, and etcetera: but to be fair, there are some smells that I am spared from, and that brings me to what I am going to write about.
At work today I was waiting on a guy and a girl in my department walked by me and caught my eye: she wrinkled her nose and made a face while shaking her head: she was letting me know the guy smelled bad. She does this often. Later she came up to me and whispered that it was a good thing I couldn't smell. That is story number one.
A few hours later I was waiting on a guy and after I helped him, he smiled and thanked me. He had a large set of extreme bubba teeth. His was not the kind you purchase from a novelty store. He had earned his from years of having a strong aversion to a toothbrush and toothpaste. That is story number two.
Later, a girl came up to us and began talking: physically she was somewhat attractive, however, as she talked, at times, her speech was profane. That is story number three. I began to think again, why does God love anyone? Then I thought of my little boy, Virgil.
If you saw him for the first time and you were unbiased in what you saw, you would probably have the following thoughts: He has a very large head and it makes his ears appear to be too small in relationship to his head. His nostrils are large, and one is noticeably lower on his face than the other one. His eyes are dark brown and very pretty, however, he weeps a lot and because of that he gets a lot of "sleepers" in his eyes and they have to be cleaned often. The shape of his lower jaw means that his teeth are crowded, and the bottom ones are very crooked. Also the shape of his jaw causes a lot of spittle to pool in his mouth and whenever he shakes his head... spit flies everywhere. Finally, his tail was cropped, and not well, so there is an exposed tip of pink flesh where no hair ever grows.
Yet, all of Virgil's "imperfections" is what makes him "perfect," and Virgil. And, the only way I could love him more is if I had a bigger heart. I wrote all of that to only say this: that must be how God looks at us; the same way I see Virgil. So, to profane girl, bubba, stink-man, and you and me, God loves us in spite of us.
I don't want to write that though without further explaining that the unconditional love God has for humanity is predicated upon what every person does with the person of Jesus the Christ: know and trust Him, and God will love you in spite of all of your imperfections. Without Him in your life, you will appear to God as bubba, stink-man, and profane girl appeared to me: unclean! (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/27/2008 7:50 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-EIGHT) Have you read of the "Ziggurat?" This is a conceptual eco-friendly "home" that is being proposed by a group from Dubai. Just for a moment I am going to put aside the fact that you would have to be a mind-numbed fool to ever be willing to live in such a place: I just want to use their own figures to put to rest a popular fable by tree-hugging liberals. The fable is that the Earth, with a paltry six-billion people on it is running out of room.
In the past I have written and shown that every human being could live in groups of four, which is the average family size, on a 1/4 acre of ground and the total human race on Earth could be contained in the state of Texas alone! Now I want to state that truth another way.
This "Ziggurat" would cover only 2.3 square kilometers and it could house 1.1 million people. I did some quick math and came up with the following fact. There are approximately 150 million square kilometers of dry land on planet Earth. If enough "Ziggurat's" were built to house every person alive today... the total dry land used to build these homes would be less than 1/10,000 of one-percent of available dry land on Earth!
Will people ever start challenging the Gore's of this world with their patently false and totally fabricated lies about God's green Earth. My motto, to all clear thinking people (as far as the Earth and its resources are concerned) is "Live like there is no tomorrow." I am saved by a God who had enough power and foresight to build a place to house His children until the end of time, and that... my non-thinking (and gullible) friends... is a set date that only He knows. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/28/2008 7:35 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-NINE) I just wanted to write a brief blog this morning on something unexpected, but a "happy" event, that can come into your life: and again proves how faithful God is. But, you have to be looking for these things to know that they are indeed gifts from God.
It seems that everyone is always looking for the big miracles to try and prove God: I think it is especially so today when everywhere we turn there is heartache and sorrow. Certainly we are in the end days where all about us is plague, famine, wars and rumors of wars, and etcetera. However, it is important to know that God is still faithful and still on His throne.
I am reminded of a story that Dr. Hyles told of sitting on the floor as a small boy and watching his mother do a cross-stitch (needlepoint) piece of art on a wooden hoop. He said that from the floor and looking up at all of the tangled threads and knots, he could see no beauty or design. However, what only looked like a tangled mess from his viewpoint, became a beautiful tapestry when it was done and he viewed it from his mother's vantage-point: high above.
Sometimes when we are down here and looking up, it seems that all of the threads that make up our lives are tangled and hopelessly knotted. Keep in mind though that God is seeing things from a higher vantage-point and He is able to take all of those strings which we have tangled and still make a finished work of art... but you have to be looking for the signs that He is still faithful and watching out for you and those you love.
The point I want to make today is that you can see God at work in the small things that happen to you also: it does not have to be a pillar of fire that you see in order to know that God is still in charge. Begin today noticing Him in even things that might seem to be mundane, or happenstance, recognize these events for what they actually are; little gifts from God.
Perhaps it is an unexpected kiss and hug from a grandchild, and a whispered, "I love you grandpa." (a gift from God) Maybe it is a letter from home, unexpected, but very welcome. (a gift from God) Maybe it is... (I left that last sentence unfinished, because it is up to you, the reader of this blog, to insert your own "gifts from God" which also happen to you on a daily basis.)
Read the story of Elijah on Mount Horeb: I Kings chapter 19. As you read it I want you to notice how the Lord manifested Himself to His prophet. It was not in the great wind, nor the mighty earthquake, neither was it in the fire... God revealed Himself in a still... small... voice. Begin today recognizing His goodness and faithfulness to you, and your loved ones, by listening to that, "still small voice." (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/29/2008 7:30 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY) Just a brief blog this morning to tell you that I am like millions of Americans who are heading out the door this morning for work: I can sum up our collective conditions in one word; tired!
I have poor sleeping habits anyway, but this week it is especially so. My wife is going to Pennsylvania this holiday weekend to be with some of her family. So, at 3:00 a.m. this morning I awoke, after laying down to sleep at midnight, and we drove to Lexington, Kentucky where we met one of her brothers and his wife. They will drive her to their family gathering and are planning to return late on Monday.
Also this morning about 4:00 a.m. (just a few minutes before we had to leave,) we found one of our outside dogs had escaped her enclosure and we had to put her back. She was a good girl though and she had dutifully hung around our yard until we found her. Virgil and Stella, two of our indoor dogs, rode along to Lexington with my wife and I this morning. They enjoyed the trip, mostly sleeping in the backseat.
At this present time we are down to a somewhat manageable number of pets: eight dogs and one cat. Well, I have to get ready for work, so I will finish today by saying, "I hope everyone reading this blog has a blessed day." (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/30/2008 7:05 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-ONE) This will be a follow-up blog about my dogs and me being on my own for a few days. For most of our married lives my wife and I have had an unspoken agreement: I will leave home and go to work every day and she will be at home and take care of the house.
At this time because all three of our daughters have been married for a long time, collectively 27 years, there has not been children at home all of the time. However, she still has a lot of animals to tend to and I have to say that she makes it look easy.
Not that many years ago we had as many as 33 dogs at the same time that she had to take care of, within the last few years though we are down to what we plan to keep and we are not planning on raising or selling any more animals, for us or anyone else.
Before I leave for work I tend to the four dogs that are indoors and then I go outside to feed and water the four that are in runs. I repeat this same scenario when I get in from work in the evening. Missy, my occasional partner in blogging, has been coming over during the day to let the indoor dogs out to make their toilet.
Last night when I got in I turned on the outside hose and stretched it out so it would reach the farthest pen (100 feet). Finally I had fed and watered all of them but "Joe," he is the biggest dog on our yard and only of only two "pit-bulls" that we have left. Deb had told me to be careful when I open the gate because he sometimes tries to rush past her, but she said, "And this is important, keep the hose in your hand and spray him and he will run into his house." Well, the hose was in my hand, but so was his food and the chain from his lock. As soon as the gate was about a foot open he hit the opening hard, and was past me in a heartbeat. I dropped everything and gave chase.
Joe is a monster pit and he goes about 100 pounds. With him on four good legs and me on two bad ones, it was hopeless. In mere seconds he had cleared our property and was out of sight running up the middle of the road. I bolted for the house and my car keys, all the time praying, "Lord, send him back."
Not only is Joe not a very bright dog (I have been around animals all of my life and I can tell the smart ones from the not so smart) he also looks like he could be mean. So, my two biggest fears was that he would either be hit somewhere on the highway or someone would be terrified seeing a very large and powerful "pit" running loose and they would simply shoot him.
I only made it out of my drive before I saw that the Lord had answered my prayers and Joe was running full tilt back toward me. I hopped out of my car and threw open the back door and Joe leaped inside. He found one of Virgil's stuffed animals in the back seat and he latched on. It took me awhile pulling and tugging on him, but I managed to haul him out of the car and carried him back to his pen. But, that wasn't the end of it.
With everything that had happened I forgot and left the hose on and it ran for the next 12 hours and partially flooded my basement. Now, my wife seems to do these same things every day without escaping animals or flooded basements, that's what I meant when I said, "... she makes it look easy." One final thing.
I also don't like packing my own lunch. One of the girls at work, who knows I am vegetarian and I never pack my own lunch, always asks me what I brought. I always give the same answer. "I don't know." It is because I never pack it. Today though was different. When she asked, I told her, "... Cheese sandwich with peanut butter crackers and bottled water." I knew beforehand because I had to pack it myself: and I have to tell you, "I didn't particularly like doing it. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
08/31/2008 7:40 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-TWO) I would just like to comment on Senator McCain's pick for "veep"... Sarah Palin. It was probably a very safe pick and one that will allow him to win the election. This pick will not hurt his conservative base and it will bring a lot of those women who felt snubbed by Obama, when he did not pick a woman as his running mate, to cast their vote for the Republican ticket. I know for a fact that there is a lot of hand-wringing among many Democrats today.
Mrs. Palin is strongly pro-life and committed to protect every American's right to own and bear firearms... good for her!
Although I don't think it is right for women to cast their vote for the next leader of this country based primarily upon the fact that a female will hold the second most powerful office in the world, neither is it right that 97% of all black people will vote for a man only because his skin is as black as theirs.
I have said before and I will write it again. There ought to be a test that is given and every person must be able to pass the test... before they are allowed to cast any vote! Much of this foolishness would stop, i.e., casting a vote only because someone shares the same skin color or same sex as the voter. Finally, if that were to happen, we would have elected leaders who actually share the same views as those people do who placed their votes and put them into office.
More than 70% of Americans who will vote in November have no idea how their candidate stands on issues which will affect their lives. I have proven this many times by trying simple tests with coworkers. Try this also and you will be amazed. First, find out who they are voting for. Then, ask them to name five things that they believe strongly about. Example: infanticide, border fence between America and Mexico, FISA Act, etcetera. Now ask them where the person they are planning to vote for is aligned on every issue that they just said is important to them.
You will find one of two things: they either do not know, or, the person they are planning to vote for is actually opposed to what they are looking for in a president. The reason for this is that most people are just "sheep" and they are led by what the liberal press reports about the most liberal candidate they are backing. C'mon, you cannot drive a car without passing a competency test, why should you be able to do something far more important than driving (voting) without having enough knowledge to vote properly. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/01/2008 12:01 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-THREE) There is certainly enough wrongdoing by certain people in both parties: Democrat and Republican. But I have to ask a question. If a person falls into temptation or sin; shouldn't they have enough character to resign from their duties?
I am talking particularly about the Democrat William Jefferson, a Congressman from New Orleans. He was found taking bribes in excess of a half million dollars. Yet, he continues serving in Congress and he is even running again for a new term., and all the while he has a court case pending. Now, if people are stupid enough to vote for him that only proves my point about yesterday's blog: however, doesn't this guy have any character at all? Of course I already know the answer to that... of course he doesn't. If he did he would have resigned two years ago when he was caught red-handed with $200,000 dollars in cash that the F.B.I. had "marked" and used in their sting operation.
Let me ask you, the reader of this blog, just two more questions. Doesn't certain offices that people hold represent something much higher than a single individual? And whenever a person is found to be derelict in their duties or responsibilities to that office, shouldn't they do the honorable thing and resign their position? At least for me the answer to both questions ought to receive an emphatic yes! (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/02/2008 12:03 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-FOUR) I have a question that ought to be pondered seriously by every person who owns a home and has to carry insurance coverage on it. "Why should I, living in the mid-west, have to pay extra premiums on my insurance in order to bail people out who keep building on the coasts?"
Think about it: I choose to live in an area that is not regularly ravaged by floods and tropical storms, so, why should I have to pay extra on my insurance to allow crazy people to keep rebuilding their homes in an area where they know for a fact that every few years they are going to be wiped out.
Therefore, I ask you, where is common sense as it relates to these people in Louisiana and the gulf-coast region. If some terrible storm happens one time to them, okay, everyone ought to chip in and bail them out; but, twice or more, sorry; I believe at that point they are on their own. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/03/2008 4:15 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-FIVE) I just wanted to comment on a tragically common story. In fact, it seems that you read this type of story being repeated every single day. And the question I want to ask is, "Why... ?"
Apparently (in London) a "struggling ex-millionaire" named Christopher Foster shot and killed his wife, daughter, and then himself. My full question would be, "Why is money so important to anyone that when they lose it they think the best way to go forward is to either kill themselves, someone they love... or both?" That is insane!
Please keep the following fact in mind... it's only money! It seems that a lot of people place great value on what is unimportant, i.e., money: and they devalue what is of utmost importance, which ought to be those people they love. At best money ought to be only a means to an end, it should never be an end in itself.
Of course you might think that is easy for me to say, because at this time in my life I am working on my third million. But, that is only because I fell so short on my first and second million that I gave up on those and started on my third. (LOL)
Seriously everyone, get a grip. Don't waste your life and time only pursuing what you can't take with you anyway. And for Heaven's sake, and I mean that literally, if you have suffered a financial setback, so what: don't sweat the small stuff. And it is small stuff, and most certainly don't take it out on those closest to you. So, if you need some money and you don't have any, or if you've had a lot and lost it, remember the following fact: there's plenty more out there. Governments all around the world print that stuff every single day. Just don't waste your time on Earth living like having money is the most important thing in life; it isn't... not by a long shot. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/04/2008 9:04 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-SIX) McCain's pick for veep might turn out to have been a stroke of genius on his part. Most of Hillary's supporters are looking for a chance to vote against Obama and now they have that opportunity. In addition, Obama and his group knows they must treat Sarah Palin with kid-gloves: else it will be believed by many that him not picking Clinton as his running mate will have only been because she was a woman.
And you have to know, that I am thoroughly enjoying the predicament that the ultra liberal Obama and his running mate find themselves in. As I wrote many months ago, I still believe that America has too much sanity to vote a baby-killing Marxist like Obama into office, and I stand by the margin I predicted for his loss: somewhere between eight and ten-percent when the votes are cast in November. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/05/2008 4:30 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-SEVEN) I have just finished reading (again) several different articles about the start up date, a week from today, of the world's largest atom smasher. Although most of the articles are interesting and a good read, in the end most of what is written and said is hogwash.
The world's leading scientists are all over the board on what could, might, perhaps, maybe, etc., etc., will happen when this machine starts working: end of time, beginning of new time, traveling backward into the past... (A personal note about that last one. If that happens I want to go back and take better care of my body. At my age now I am like the comedian who said that if he knew he was going to live as long as he did, then he would have taken better care of himself.)
Anyway, these scientists all have hundreds of different ideas about what will happen. I have mine also... nothing. Nothing will happen, at least nothing of any significance will happen... other than the usual. The usual of course is for all of these world renowned scientists to stand around and make excuses as to why none of their (either) grandiose or dire pronouncements came to pass. All of these men like Hawking have one thing in common: they are fabulous excuse makers, who are about as accurate at predicting future events as Jeane Dixon. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/06/08 9:32 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-EIGHT) Tonight I just wanted to say that my dad (this is Missy) will not be able to make a post for today. I know he had to take one of my nieces to her first soccer game earlier today, along with two of my other nephews, and then he had to head off to his favorite place - work. I believe he will be back on tomorrow as usual. Have a goodnight. You can always email me "care of" clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/07/2008 7:40 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-NINE) I did have fun yesterday watching three of my grandchildren play soccer. Although the oldest girl, Rachel, was very reticent for her first game: I had to leave for work before her second game; I heard from her mom, Stephanie, that she played better in the next one. Both boys did well. For Aaron this is his second year and for Ethan it is his first year.
I also wanted to comment on the latest Gallup poll that is out. The Republican ticket is now leading the Democrats by three percentage points. Many Democrats are furious as to why this is happening. They loved it when the empty headed Obama was a media darling. Now it seems like Sarah Palin has become the hot ticket. Good for her!
All I can say is, "Way to go McCain and Palin." Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/08/2008 8:40 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY) Finally! O. J. Simpson will go to jail for a very long time: although it will not be for the fact that he is a double murderer. The jury in Vegas will find him guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery. The reason is that this time he will be tried before a jury of his peers: not a bunch of uneducated, star-struck, racists who set him free the first time.
Evidently the first jury pool was so stupid, as a collective group, that they could not understand that some of the blood found at the crime scene was either Simpson's, or it belonged to someone outside the human race. The odds were set at one, to so many billions that the whole human race was included. Oh well, I suppose that is what you get when his trial was moved from the area (Brentwood) where he lived and killed two people to the inner-city where Simpson never stepped foot.
Now I want to write about the main point to today's blog. O. J. was at that time, and is still today a "white wannabe:" all white friends, neighborhood, wife, clothes, foods, etcetera. It seems to me that it is very tragic when you are not happy and content to be in the skin that God gave you. If you were born Asian, White, Black, etcetera... I think you ought to be ecstatic that God, in His wisdom, wanted you to be born and live the way you are.
In my life I have known White people who act, walk, talk, listen to the same music and all of the things that Black inner-city kids do. I even had a relative who went through that in his life. What a shame. Then there are people like Simpson, Michael Jackson, and others who so hate how they look that they go to extreme skin-bleachings and radical surgeries to get rid of the traits that they were born with.
I am quite happy and content being a White man, and am quite proud of what White people have accomplished throughout history. My sincere hope for any and all who read this blog is that you are as happy and content with whatever ethnicity you are and are as proud of what all of your ancestors have accomplished as I am with mine. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/09/2008 5:30 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-ONE) Wow! This is one that is going to be hard to believe. MSNBC, the far-left "news show" is pulling two of its most liberal commentators (Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann) for election night coverage. And the reason... these men are way to vocal about their endorsement of the Democrats.
Surely this is a sign of end times (LOL) when NBC starts acting like Fox news and has decided to promote a fair and balanced approach to reporting the news. Actually what is hard to believe is that any real news show would have allowed these men to go on as long as they did. Newsmen are supposed to report the news, not shape opinion.
Maybe even the far-left news agencies are beginning to see the writing on the wall as far as how this election is beginning to shape up and they do not want to be seen as having openly promoted a losing candidate, Obama. Whatever the reason it is a welcome change. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/10/2008 10:07 p.m.
09/07/2008 7:40 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-NINE) I did have fun yesterday watching three of my grandchildren play soccer. Although the oldest girl, Rachel, was very reticent for her first game: I had to leave for work before her second game; I heard from her mom, Stephanie, that she played better in the next one. Both boys did well. For Aaron this is his second year and for Ethan it is his first year.
I also wanted to comment on the latest Gallup poll that is out. The Republican ticket is now leading the Democrats by three percentage points. Many Democrats are furious as to why this is happening. They loved it when the empty headed Obama was a media darling. Now it seems like Sarah Palin has become the hot ticket. Good for her!
All I can say is, "Way to go McCain and Palin." Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/08/2008 8:40 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY) Finally! O. J. Simpson will go to jail for a very long time: although it will not be for the fact that he is a double murderer. The jury in Vegas will find him guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery. The reason is that this time he will be tried before a jury of his peers: not a bunch of uneducated, star-struck, racists who set him free the first time.
Evidently the first jury pool was so stupid, as a collective group, that they could not understand that some of the blood found at the crime scene was either Simpson's, or it belonged to someone outside the human race. The odds were set at one, to so many billions that the whole human race was included. Oh well, I suppose that is what you get when his trial was moved from the area (Brentwood) where he lived and killed two people to the inner-city where Simpson never stepped foot.
Now I want to write about the main point to today's blog. O. J. was at that time, and is still today a "white wannabe:" all white friends, neighborhood, wife, clothes, foods, etcetera. It seems to me that it is very tragic when you are not happy and content to be in the skin that God gave you. If you were born Asian, White, Black, etcetera... I think you ought to be ecstatic that God, in His wisdom, wanted you to be born and live the way you are.
In my life I have known White people who act, walk, talk, listen to the same music and all of the things that Black inner-city kids do. I even had a relative who went through that in his life. What a shame. Then there are people like Simpson, Michael Jackson, and others who so hate how they look that they go to extreme skin-bleachings and radical surgeries to get rid of the traits that they were born with.
I am quite happy and content being a White man, and am quite proud of what White people have accomplished throughout history. My sincere hope for any and all who read this blog is that you are as happy and content with whatever ethnicity you are and are as proud of what all of your ancestors have accomplished as I am with mine. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/09/2008 5:30 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-ONE) Wow! This is one that is going to be hard to believe. MSNBC, the far-left "news show" is pulling two of its most liberal commentators (Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann) for election night coverage. And the reason... these men are way to vocal about their endorsement of the Democrats.
Surely this is a sign of end times (LOL) when NBC starts acting like Fox news and has decided to promote a fair and balanced approach to reporting the news. Actually what is hard to believe is that any real news show would have allowed these men to go on as long as they did. Newsmen are supposed to report the news, not shape opinion.
Maybe even the far-left news agencies are beginning to see the writing on the wall as far as how this election is beginning to shape up and they do not want to be seen as having openly promoted a losing candidate, Obama. Whatever the reason it is a welcome change. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/10/2008 10:07 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-TWO) I will pass on a little personal news, but first I want to ask why our World didn't get sucked into a big black hole today. After all, the largest atom-smasher ever built was fired up today just a few hundred feet below French ground and a lot of doomsayers said the World, or part of it, might get sucked into the black hole the atom-smasher would create. I have to admit that if only part of France disappeared that might not be too bad of a problem. I have a great idea. Maybe the black hole could take Hollywood, California as well as France. Oh well, maybe next time.
This morning I had an appointment with my specialist. I was believing that I might finally get some definitive news: however, that did not happen. Instead I was briefed on what they had planned for me a little more than four weeks from now. I have to say that it doesn't sound like a lot of fun, maybe though at that time I will know something definite.
Besides the obvious discomfort, there is also a little matter of not knowing exactly what is causing the problems that is also taxing. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/11/2008 3:45 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-THREE) Today is a very sad day in American history: seven years removed. It was a defining day and one where no true American should ever forget that we were attacked by 19 heathens from a strange land: mostly young men who held ridiculous beliefs about God. It is important to understand that even still today, seven years later, all of those men who carried out that attack are in Hell and will remain there until they must face God at the "White Throne Judgment." That fact might not be a lot of comfort to the grieving family members who lost loved one on that fateful day. However, it is still important to keep in mind that God still reigns and in the end He will bring judgment to all evil-doers and the ungodly.
There are certain moments in any country's history where a nation is defined. From the assassination of JFK to Ronald Regan commanding the Soviet leader to "tear down that wall," we have had many defining moments. Can't you recall exactly where and what you were doing during the times of our two shuttle disasters? Certain moments that define a nation happen quite by accident, such as what happened with our brave astronauts. But some moments that define can be brought by government run amok. Who can ever forget Waco? Dozens of innocent children burned to death because of the excesses of Clinton and Reno.
Everyone, and especially on this anniversary day, ought to pause and give thanks to God for our brave sons and daughters who have valiantly fought and killed our enemies abroad in order to keep our country safe these past seven years!
I have a confession to make. Even seven years later I am still somewhat conflicted about it. September 11, 2001 we were on our third day of vacation in Florida and our first morning at Disney when the planes were used as weapons against several thousand innocent men, women, and children.
To be honest there wasn't anything that I could do personally about the attack: except to pray that our Commander in Chief would act swiftly and honorably and send our armed forces after the bad guys; to his credit, this he did and did well. But, what I write next is the part where I am still conflicted.
We stayed in Florida and Disney and finished the balance of our 11 day vacation. To be fair, planes were grounded and trying to find a rental car that we could all drive home in was impossible to find. Still though, it was a vacation where every enjoyable moment was tainted by the knowledge of so many innocent families were hurting. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/12/2008 9:45 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-FOUR) As Ike begins to pound Galveston, I have only one observation to make. Every single person who chose to stay behind instead of evacuating has forfeited their right for any future attempt at a rescue! Now, to be fair, if I were in their same position I too would most probably take my chances at home. There is no way I would leave home and allow eight of my dogs to remain behind and face drowning. But, the difference between myself and hundreds you will most probably see being rescued over the next few days is that I would not ask for help and put other people's lives in danger by trying to rescue me. Not when I had plenty of warning and an opportunity to move to safety before the storm hit.
I think it just comes down to taking responsibility for your actions. However, that is just me and I will allow for the fact that it is possible I am wrong. I am not, but I just wanted to say that I know it is within the realm of possibility for me to be wrong. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/13/2008 7:45 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-FIVE) Sometimes whenever I see things that go on, I wonder about the humanity of people. For example: any person who is for the wanton killing of un-birthed babies, I wonder how hard their heart must be to not care that helpless children are being brutalized in the protective wombs of their mothers. And on this point I would like to add one more example of how cold, evil, and thoroughly despicable those people are who head up the Democrat party.
Until this year the Democrats have had a three word mantra describing their view on infanticide: the three words were; legal... safe... rare. To show you one more proof that the leaders of the far-left Democrats are in fact evil men and women, you have to look no farther than the official platform of the Democrats in Colorado in 2008. The leaders of this party decided to officially remove one word from their three-word slogan. Care to guess which of the three-words they chose? That's right... these evil sons and daughters of Belial decided to officially remove the word "rare" from the Democrat party platform. In other words, keep it legal and safe (for the mother only)... but no longer rare... These people believe it is fine to kill as many helpless infants as possible. And what amazes me is that there are still men and women who pretend to follow the teachings of Christ and would still cast a vote to help one of these people in the Democrat party... that is absurd!
Though infanticide is a terrible tragedy and shows the lack of compassion for the tiniest among us, tonight my blog is about something else entirely.
There is an "entertainer" named Amy Winehouse and from what I have read she is a heroin addict. That is probably why the far-left in Hollywood idolizes her.: the more deperate and depraved a person is the more they like them and heap awards upon them. But the point of this blog is that she is apparently close to death from her addiction, and certain people on blogs seem to be ecstatic about that. My question would be: "Why."
If there was a line being formed where opinions were given and the subject was people taking personal responsibility for their actions I would try to get in front and say that all people ought to do that. However, to be somehow happy that this tragic soul is at death's doorstep because of her drug abuse is ridiculous.
To be honest I know nothing more of this person than some light reading I have done about her. Yet, from what I read it seems like she is mostly hurting herself and not trying to injure other people around her. Because of that, I think she probably ought to be pitied more than hated. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/14/2008 12:30 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-SIX) Although I have never been a serious "news junkie" I probably am more involved than the average person. Because of that I would just like to make a rather obvious statement. "There is very little good news out there."
And it is more than just that bad news gets reported more than good news. It is also more than the world growing smaller because of news being reported around the globe so quickly. I believe the main reason for all of the tragedy is because we are in the last days and the devil is angry and causing as much havoc as God allows him to. Read carefully John's admonition to believers Revelation 12:12b: "... for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."
Here is a very brief sampling of a few of the top news stories this early morning... Plane crashes in Russia killing 88... Two trains collide in LA killing 25... Texas begins largest search and rescue after hurricane Ike... Missouri baby snatcher gets 30 years... etc. etc. etc.
If there is a moral to these stories, or a lesson to be learned from all that is happening (as the world and this age winds down) it is only this... and it is an old, old message: trust Christ and get saved before it is forever too late! (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
This morning I had an appointment with my specialist. I was believing that I might finally get some definitive news: however, that did not happen. Instead I was briefed on what they had planned for me a little more than four weeks from now. I have to say that it doesn't sound like a lot of fun, maybe though at that time I will know something definite.
Besides the obvious discomfort, there is also a little matter of not knowing exactly what is causing the problems that is also taxing. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/11/2008 3:45 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-THREE) Today is a very sad day in American history: seven years removed. It was a defining day and one where no true American should ever forget that we were attacked by 19 heathens from a strange land: mostly young men who held ridiculous beliefs about God. It is important to understand that even still today, seven years later, all of those men who carried out that attack are in Hell and will remain there until they must face God at the "White Throne Judgment." That fact might not be a lot of comfort to the grieving family members who lost loved one on that fateful day. However, it is still important to keep in mind that God still reigns and in the end He will bring judgment to all evil-doers and the ungodly.
There are certain moments in any country's history where a nation is defined. From the assassination of JFK to Ronald Regan commanding the Soviet leader to "tear down that wall," we have had many defining moments. Can't you recall exactly where and what you were doing during the times of our two shuttle disasters? Certain moments that define a nation happen quite by accident, such as what happened with our brave astronauts. But some moments that define can be brought by government run amok. Who can ever forget Waco? Dozens of innocent children burned to death because of the excesses of Clinton and Reno.
Everyone, and especially on this anniversary day, ought to pause and give thanks to God for our brave sons and daughters who have valiantly fought and killed our enemies abroad in order to keep our country safe these past seven years!
I have a confession to make. Even seven years later I am still somewhat conflicted about it. September 11, 2001 we were on our third day of vacation in Florida and our first morning at Disney when the planes were used as weapons against several thousand innocent men, women, and children.
To be honest there wasn't anything that I could do personally about the attack: except to pray that our Commander in Chief would act swiftly and honorably and send our armed forces after the bad guys; to his credit, this he did and did well. But, what I write next is the part where I am still conflicted.
We stayed in Florida and Disney and finished the balance of our 11 day vacation. To be fair, planes were grounded and trying to find a rental car that we could all drive home in was impossible to find. Still though, it was a vacation where every enjoyable moment was tainted by the knowledge of so many innocent families were hurting. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/12/2008 9:45 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-FOUR) As Ike begins to pound Galveston, I have only one observation to make. Every single person who chose to stay behind instead of evacuating has forfeited their right for any future attempt at a rescue! Now, to be fair, if I were in their same position I too would most probably take my chances at home. There is no way I would leave home and allow eight of my dogs to remain behind and face drowning. But, the difference between myself and hundreds you will most probably see being rescued over the next few days is that I would not ask for help and put other people's lives in danger by trying to rescue me. Not when I had plenty of warning and an opportunity to move to safety before the storm hit.
I think it just comes down to taking responsibility for your actions. However, that is just me and I will allow for the fact that it is possible I am wrong. I am not, but I just wanted to say that I know it is within the realm of possibility for me to be wrong. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/13/2008 7:45 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-FIVE) Sometimes whenever I see things that go on, I wonder about the humanity of people. For example: any person who is for the wanton killing of un-birthed babies, I wonder how hard their heart must be to not care that helpless children are being brutalized in the protective wombs of their mothers. And on this point I would like to add one more example of how cold, evil, and thoroughly despicable those people are who head up the Democrat party.
Until this year the Democrats have had a three word mantra describing their view on infanticide: the three words were; legal... safe... rare. To show you one more proof that the leaders of the far-left Democrats are in fact evil men and women, you have to look no farther than the official platform of the Democrats in Colorado in 2008. The leaders of this party decided to officially remove one word from their three-word slogan. Care to guess which of the three-words they chose? That's right... these evil sons and daughters of Belial decided to officially remove the word "rare" from the Democrat party platform. In other words, keep it legal and safe (for the mother only)... but no longer rare... These people believe it is fine to kill as many helpless infants as possible. And what amazes me is that there are still men and women who pretend to follow the teachings of Christ and would still cast a vote to help one of these people in the Democrat party... that is absurd!
Though infanticide is a terrible tragedy and shows the lack of compassion for the tiniest among us, tonight my blog is about something else entirely.
There is an "entertainer" named Amy Winehouse and from what I have read she is a heroin addict. That is probably why the far-left in Hollywood idolizes her.: the more deperate and depraved a person is the more they like them and heap awards upon them. But the point of this blog is that she is apparently close to death from her addiction, and certain people on blogs seem to be ecstatic about that. My question would be: "Why."
If there was a line being formed where opinions were given and the subject was people taking personal responsibility for their actions I would try to get in front and say that all people ought to do that. However, to be somehow happy that this tragic soul is at death's doorstep because of her drug abuse is ridiculous.
To be honest I know nothing more of this person than some light reading I have done about her. Yet, from what I read it seems like she is mostly hurting herself and not trying to injure other people around her. Because of that, I think she probably ought to be pitied more than hated. (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/14/2008 12:30 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-SIX) Although I have never been a serious "news junkie" I probably am more involved than the average person. Because of that I would just like to make a rather obvious statement. "There is very little good news out there."
And it is more than just that bad news gets reported more than good news. It is also more than the world growing smaller because of news being reported around the globe so quickly. I believe the main reason for all of the tragedy is because we are in the last days and the devil is angry and causing as much havoc as God allows him to. Read carefully John's admonition to believers Revelation 12:12b: "... for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."
Here is a very brief sampling of a few of the top news stories this early morning... Plane crashes in Russia killing 88... Two trains collide in LA killing 25... Texas begins largest search and rescue after hurricane Ike... Missouri baby snatcher gets 30 years... etc. etc. etc.
If there is a moral to these stories, or a lesson to be learned from all that is happening (as the world and this age winds down) it is only this... and it is an old, old message: trust Christ and get saved before it is forever too late! (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/15/2008 8:28 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-SEVEN) Hello people, it's me again (Missy). After yesterday's run in with high winds from Hurricane Ike, my dad's home along with 300,000 others in the area were left without power. Apparently some of the stronger gusts reached over 75 mph. My husband and I lucked out in that we not only still have our power, but the only real damage we sustained was half of a shingle is now missing from our roof along with a vine that grew on the side of our home.
I won't go into all of the damage that my dad's property is dealing with, as I'm sure he will update you as soon as he's back to blogging. There are several homes in our neighborhood that have trees that were down, some snapped in half, and lots of homes have severe damage to their roofs.
Anyway, I assume that my dad will be on here tomorrow evening, but if not, then I will attempt to have something better prepared for your reading entertainment. You can always email me "care of" clarkmatthews1@aol.com
09/16/2008 4:34 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-EIGHT) OK, it's me yet again. Apparently my dad's house now has power, but he is unable to access it due to some problem with the main power box (for lack of a technical term). As far as I'm aware, he has not been given a date for when they will be fixing the aforementioned power box soooooo, that leaves you guys with me. Doesn't seem fair does it? Per usual I'm not really prepared with anything of any substance, so I guess I'll tell you what he (my dad) told me.
This blog was originally supposed to run consecutively for one full year, but due to major power outages and other interruptions such as life, I believe his new plan is to end it at 180 entries. For all of you astute observers, that is in two more entries. I think after that point he's going to leave it open in case either he or even I (although doubtful in my case) are hit with some bit of information or an epiphany that we feel is worth repeating here. I may check back in with baby information now and then when I have exhausted the people I actually know with all of my blather. I am supposed to find out the gender of "Lenny" on the 9th of next month. Let's hope the little beastie cooperates with our intrusion. You can always email me "care of" clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/17/2008 4:00 p.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-NINE) First, I would like to thank Missy for more than capably filling in for me during the times I have been unable to blog anything. As she already mentioned, tomorrow will be my last blog in this series: I will stop with six-months of writing. I thank any and all who has read my blogs and I sincerely hope that you got something positive from them. I will now write just a little about some damage done to our house from the latest storm we have had.
I was at work Sunday morning as high winds rolled through our area and took the power out all over Louisville. I could not get through to home so I called one of my sons-in-law and asked how his 200 foot run of recently installed privacy fence had held up. It did fine but he said a lot of trees were down; since he lives in our same neighborhood I decided to leave work and go home. The ride home was amazing to see as there was so much damage that was apparent from the winds. As I pulled into my driveway my wife was on the porch with two of our dogs and she pointed to the side of our house. It was hard to miss the 60 foot tree that was sprawled across our roof.
$1,150.00 and two days later the tree is off our roof and a large blue tarp now covers some of the damaged area. Actually though, we are more fortunate than most in our area. Power is back on in our house and my wife just told me the news is reporting more than 140,000 people in Louisville are still without any power in their houses. And, the Ryder-Cup is slated to open Friday... Good Luck! (Robin L. Johnson)
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
09/18/2008 7:00 a.m.
(ONE-HUNDRED-EIGHTY) "All good things must come to an end" is "mostly" true and does not necessarily apply to my latest string of web logs. I have been online and writing blogs since Virgil was three and he will be eight on his next birthday. I write that to only say that I have been doing this for nearly five years and it has been a mixed bag. Just like the man said, "It's been real and it's been fun, but it hasn't always been real fun."
Hopefully at times, either I or people whom I love will be on an attached blog to keep those who read this updated on things that are happening which are important in our lives. Until then, I leave you with a Bible verse that I ended my devotions with this morning. It is not usually applied in the way I am going to give it to you this morning: however, I will do the Bible no harm in using the verse in this manner.
I am going to end this latest string of 180 days of consecutive blogs by giving you the only valid reason to be happy. Let me set the story up. Matthew chapter eight records how Christ has been performing many miracles attesting to the fact that He is God in the flesh. Chapter nine begins with the Lord healing a man who is sick of the palsy. Listen especially to the Lord's words. Matthew 9:2: "And behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee."
Do you think that sometimes we get happy for all the wrong reasons? Some miracle is performed in our lives and we get happy, but not for the real reason we ought to be happy! This man most probably leaped from his bed ecstatic for his bodily healing; yet, the Lord already told him the real reason he should be happy, i.e., of good cheer. Not because this temporary tabernacle, his body, was healed, but because his sins were forgiven! I leave that thought with you.
If you know Jesus the Christ as Lord and Saviour... be of good cheer... be happy, because your sins are forgiven! However, if you don't know Jesus as your God, it is not too late, trust Him now. If you do not know how to be born again by faith in Jesus, read and follow the instructions in the book of Romans chapter ten. Or, email me and I would be glad to help you in that regard.
Be happy... why? ... thy sins be forgiven thee. (Robin L. Johnson)
You (still) can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com.
posted by Robin Johnson @ 6:45 PM
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