Misplaced Compassion, or Wells Without Water?

The feature of Christianity that is supposedly most attractive to people is the unfettered compassion that followers of Jesus are reputed to exhibit. For the person who claims to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, however, an important question that frequently rises is the question of God’s will for his or her life.

For some the search after knowledge of that will takes arcane twists and turns, almost on the level of fortune-telling or divination. It is not unusual to hear of people opening a Bible and attempting to do whatever first comes to sight, or the “Gideon thing”, i.e., “putting out a fleece” (without doing a thorough reading which would show that Gideon pleaded with God not to be angry with him for doing so).

Just a bit more research would reveal that God’s will for His people is really no great mystery. In Hebrews we read that it was His will that we be sanctified through the offering of Christ, in Romans we read that His will is that we be transformed by the renewing of our minds in order to serve others (a living sacrifice!), and in First Thessalonians we read that it is His will that we be sanctified, maintaining proper living in the face of temptation. Peter even goes so far as to say that His will might call for our suffering as a result of sanctified living.

Unfettered compassion has the appearance of performance of the will of God, even in the need to defy authority to carry it out. Many of the “peace movement” groups actively protest or violate Governmental restrictions on their desires to offer such compassion, citing Peter’s response to the Sanhedrin that “We ought to obey God rather than men.” It is always dangerous to quote Scripture out of context.

The following clips were carried on Friday March 6, 2015 by a number of news organizations and were eventually picked up by Fox News and other major conservative outlets:

“Max Villatoro, 41, was arrested by immigration officials when he left his house for work Tuesday after more than 16 years of legal complications and two denied appeals to stop his removal from the country, culminating in his now imminent deportation. But Villatoro's wife, Gloria Villatoro, 33, and others in the Iowa City community say the man has turned his life around since his initial charge in 1998, and they're fighting to keep him here.

Max Villatoro is a pastor at First Mennonite Church who has lived in Iowa since he left his northern Honduran town in 1995 and arrived in the U.S. without legal permission. Deportation would separate him from his wife, a native of Mexico who was brought here when she was 8, and his four children, ages 7 through 15 and all U.S. citizens.

In 1998, Villatoro was convicted of drunken driving. And in 1999, he pleaded guilty to record tampering for purchasing a Social Security number that he used to obtain a driver's license. His plea resulted in an order of supervision for the duration of a 180-day suspended jail term, but the convictions stayed with him until his recent arrest.

Gloria Villatoro said her husband's past doesn't reflect who he is. And Margaret Richer-Smith, a fellow pastor at the Iowa City church, described him as a 'person of great integrity and wisdom.'”

The story was even carried in the Daily Kos, and without doubt it will end up as one of those viral emails that circulates the Web forever. Before getting into too much of a lather over the story, however, it might be good to examine not only this family’s particular situation, but also the general conduct of what is popularly seen as evangelical Christianity. Let’s dissect the story as it appears in the news, and then look for the implications as regard’s the will of God. The facts:

- Max Villatoro is a Honduran citizen who has lived in the United States illegally for 20 years
- he has been convicted of identity theft, having used someone else’s Social security number
- since his conviction in 1999, he has apparently continued to work and perhaps drive, without legal documentation
- also since his conviction in 1999, he has married a foreign national and fathered 4 children (birthright citizens)
- he now professes to be a Christian pastor with the responsibility to teach others Godly behavior
- he is described by his co-pastor as “a person of great integrity and wisdom”

Assuming all of the above is true, I feel quite queasy. The same Peter who stated that “We ought to obey God rather than men” also stated “Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your behavior seemly among the Gentiles; that, wherein they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evil-doers and for praise to them that do well. For so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”

If all of the Villatoro story is true as reported, we have a person who has openly defied authority. Reading carefully we can wonder at the pain suffered by some unfortunate citizen who was left with the complications from Villatoro’s use of his stolen Social Security ID, as well as being curious about whether the pregnancy of his teenage wife was an attempt to produce an “anchor baby”. He not only calls himself a follower of Jesus but is being held up as a good example of such. We also appear to have a great cloud of people with an opinion that his behavior is acceptable. There is something absurd going on here.

The March 25, 2015 edition of Mennonite World Review carried the news that Villatoro had indeed been deported to Honduras on March 20. The article contains this statement,

“‘This is utterly unfathomable,’ wrote executive conference minister David Boshart of Mennonite Church USA’s Central Plains Mennonite Conference in a statement the same day.”

Unfathomable? Jesus taught that “. . .whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.” If we are to understand that His will is inseparable from His character, we see a God who is not only merciful, but also scrupulously just. As Lord Jonathan Sachs has observed, it is not logically possible to have mercy unless first there is justice. While Sachs does not follow through with the resultant, that it was the Father’s justice that required our punishment for sin, and His acceptance of the sacrifice of His Son that made mercy for us possible, he has nailed the problem squarely. God is holy and just. He has established principalities and powers as an exercise of His will in order to maintain justice among men. For that reason Peter urges obedience to those authorities except where it contradicts the command of God.

There is no command from God to violate laws which we disagree with simply because they cause us discomfort.

What, then, should take priority? Our desire to feel like we are heroic martyrs of mercy, or our desire to uphold the justice of God, Who says, “You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the Lord your God.” and “You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: you shall not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.”? Should we be partial toward the foreign law-breaker, allowing things that we would not tolerate in a fellow citizen or even a foreigner who was respectful of our laws? How does that uphold God’s justice, and if it does not, how can it be said that encouraging a person to continue in sin (for “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft”) is a mercy?

Christianity that “does its own thing” is not following the teaching of Jesus. To the contrary, the Church in America is missing out on one of the greatest evangelistic opportunities that has appeared since the Great Awakening. There are hordes of people who have entered this country illegally who are prime candidates for the Gospel. The Gospel, however, (as presented by Jesus Himself) begins with “Repent!” —- which requires the illumination of sin and the turning away from such.

Unfortunately, Americhristianity sees success in spiritual things the same way it sees success in business — the bigger the better; quantity trumps quality. Americhristianity fears to label specific behaviors as sin, lest some potential convert be offended. We, however, need not fear to preach that sin in every form, including breaking the law, (yes, you speeders and stop sign runners, that includes you) needs to be repented from. Then, when the Spirit of God converts those whom He draws and convicts, they become the seed of renewed missionary activity.

If that leads the illegal immigrant back to the place from which he came, perhaps it is the hand of God which drew him here in the first place, fleeing the corruption due to sin in his own land, for the purpose of returning him to be a blessing in the midst of a crooked and corrupt land. To be sure, such a theme will be unpopular, because it flies in the face of “cheap grace” and pop gospel. Nevertheless, it is the way the Church has grown through the centuries. America may be ripe for judgment, but even in her last days the true followers of Jesus in this land can carry out the will of their Father.

So Peter states, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.”

Row Where You Are Supposed To Go

Mark 6:45-56

Jesus had blessed the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, with which the Disciples had fed the 5,000 men (plus women and children). They had then gathered up 12 baskets full of the fragments, one basket for each of them. According to John, at this point the crowd was ready to capture Jesus and forcefully make him their king. They had clearly realized that Jesus was the source of the food.

Jesus instructed the Disciples to get into the boat and cross the lake to Bethsaida, which is on the northeast corner of the lake. This put His physical location possibly somewhere on the west shore, in a hilly location; John hints that it is close to Tiberias. Then he went up into the “mountain” to pray, and the sun set on the Disciples rowing out into the lake.

The crowd may have lain down where it was, confident that they had Jesus trapped, but in the middle of the night He ceased his prayer and looked out onto the lake, where he saw the Disciples about 3-4 miles away. They were not making much progress toward Bethsaida — not quite halfway there, since the wind was blowing directly against them. It seems there were waves and wind, but no clouds or rain. A clear but windy night. Jesus walked out onto the lake toward them.

If the boat was built like a modern rowboat, the rowers would be facing the rear. Thus they might have seen Jesus coming toward them from a good way off. John mentions something interesting : they seem to have changed course, and were suddenly pulling toward Capernaum, on the northwest end of the lake! That they were afraid of what they thought was a ghost is in the text. Did they decide out of fear to disobey Jesus and head for safety? Mark says that Jesus was about to walk past them. He was headed for Bethsaida, where He had told them to go. If we disobey, will He continue to operate without us?

They seem to have been panic-stricken, but the immediate cause of their panic is not entirely clear. It may have been the idea of a spirit there on the lake with them. That seems to be the reassurance He is extending when He identifies Himself. Matthew says that at this point Peter challenged Jesus to prove who He is by asking Peter to come to Him, which He did, and Peter, dear boisterous Peter, jumped out of the boat. Matthew does not say how many steps Peter took before he realized he was in over his head. What we do know is that he was going down, and he cried out “LORD, save me”, just as so many other people do when they find themselves in trouble.

Based on the wording of the text in Matthew, it is quite possible that Peter did not really believe that it was Jesus until Jesus grabbed him and asked him why he had doubted. Then John says the Disciples eagerly accepted Him into the boat, and the wind stopped blowing as soon as He stepped in.

They were amazed for two reasons : [1] it had actually been Jesus walking on the water, and [2] the wind had stopped as soon as they were on the same course that Jesus was taking. Remember, they had been instructed to go to Bethsaida. Verse 52 says that their hearts were hardened to the point that they did not consider that the same obedience that had been so important in feeding the 5,000 was necessary even for a simple task like taking a boat ride to the other side of the lake. Despite the headwind, Jesus had ordered them to a specific task, which they had failed to complete because of their unbelief. The miracle of the loaves was important because they had followed instructions. By now, having been Disciples and having seen people healed, raised from the dead, and demons cast out, it would be anticipated that they would obey One Whom they would acknowledge, “Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.”

As soon as the wind stopped, they found themselves ashore at Gennesaret, which was not their original destination. But Gennesaret is about 2 miles southwest of Capernaum, 4 miles directly north of Tiberias. That is where the mob found him the next day.

Verse 36 is sometimes cited as a “formula” for healing, since it seems to have a counterpart in apostolic ministry in Acts 19:12. The woman in Mark 5:28 seems to have started something which followed Jesus about in His ministry. She may have been operating in faith, considering Jesus to be her High Priest, since the bells of the hem of the High Priest’s robe were there to preserve life (Exodus 28:31-35). Unfortunately, we have no description of Jesus’ robe except at the crucifixion, where it was described as “without seam, woven from the top throughout.” (John 19:23). Too bad we have no idea what color it was, or how its hem was decorated. Sometimes we think that because something “works”, it is the right thing to do, as the crowds did. Nevertheless, while God may honor “magic” or “superstitious” beliefs in order to eventually draw some to salvation, our calling is to faith without sight, that we might please Him.

Obedience is crucial. The wind may be blowing us backwards as we strive to obey, but His word remains, “Be of good cheer, it is I. Be not afraid.”

Slavery In the United States

One of the more interesting concepts which I have recently entertained is that of modern-day slavery in the United States. According to folklore, the Civil War and the Reconstruction Congress brought to an end the practice of human slavery. Not only did Lincoln issue his Emancipation Proclamation, but also, after his death, an Amendment, the Thirteenth Amendment, was added to the Constitution which states,

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

A very nice piece of work, that one. The only people who were to be legally enslaved were those who had been convicted of a crime. It seems reasonable on the face, but much hinges on the definition of a crime. Turn-about may have seemed fair play, in an age when participation by people of certain States in the War Between the States was a crime. Logically, then, once a person commits a crime, he is liable to be enslaved.

However, the politicians had grander plans in mind, and they then cooked up the Fourteenth Amendment. It begins,

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. “

Without doubt, those who voted to adopt that Amendment considered its language quite salutary. Bobby Burns, however, would have shaken his head sadly, thinking of mice and men, and the citizens thus made never dreamed that they had been Grubered, long before they ever heard of Gruber^[1].

Consider the concept of fiefdom, and the Divine Right of Kings. (Yes, that ancient doctrine which fanned the flames of the American Revolution, growing from the arrogance of King James to the haughty disregard for the rights of Englishmen by the German Georges!) In days of old, when knights were bold (supposedly) and serfs sought protection from various and sundry bandits, it was the practice to bind oneself to a local poobah for protection. He would provide the bodyguards, and the serf would serve him for life. Not only that, the serf would serve the descendants of the noble (weren’t they, though!) and the serfs descendants also would be bound by the oath of fealty. Eureka — citizenship!

Of course, it did not start in the Middle Ages. The system was at work from the dawn of history. All it took was one person with bigger muscles than his fellows, and the stage was set. In fact, I posit that slave-making is an older profession than prostitution. (Short course. Prostitution makes no sense in any society where women are chattel and can be had for the taking. Prostitution grew out of religious fertility rites; a man went to the temple of the fertility god or goddess, paid for the privilege of the rite, and that was that. Wherever the fertility rites were practiced, it made more sense to go to the temple than to engage a sole proprietor. Better benefits since the thinking was that society would be enriched by better crops, etc. More bang for the buck, so to say. Union rules, and all that. But I digress. My point is that slave-making is the oldest profession.)

Over time, the relationship formalized. Nation-states and kingdoms made extensive use of the principle of fealty. If you were born in a kingdom, you were a citizen (subject) belonging to that king. To leave the kingdom was an act of treason. You didn’t go visit faraway places without both an invitation (a visa) or permission from your liege (a passport?). Think Iron Curtain, with no West to run to. Even the English yeoman was a slave; those who attempted to leave the island without the king’s permission were imprisoned, and possibly tortured and executed, if they were caught. Merchant seamen voyaged under royal charters. It helps to explain why exploration of new lands was mainly left to barbarians like the Viking (fealty only to the boat captain). It also helps to explain why it was that the New World was seen as a good dumping ground for criminals and other societal rejects (like religious dissidents).

With that as a background, I come to the early 20th Century. In 1903, a young man of 21 years, my grandfather, left the province of Vojvodina in Austria-Hungary after apprenticing in Budapest as a tailor. He was fortunate in that he was able to afford an exit visa. He landed at Ellis Island with $2 in his pocket. As soon as he could (1908), he filed a Declaration of Intention to become a citizen of the United States. In that declaration he states that he renounces forever “all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, and particularly to Francis Joseph, Apostolic King of Hungary, of which I am now a subject”. He had been born a liege subject of the Hapsburg family. He was still their slave. What is striking to me is that the Declaration which he signed, he signed as his own Declaration of Independence. Or so he may have thought.

Consider this. Every person born in the United States, whether to a citizen or non-citizen, becomes on birth subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. It does not require any effort; in fact, in order to become free from that jurisdiction, a person must file a renunciation of citizenship. Then, if the person has any possessions whatsoever (or even if he has no possessions whatsoever!), he must file with the IRS to see if he has to pay the exit tax. That’s right. The Expatriation Tax.

On the IRS website, we read, “The expatriation tax provisions under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) sections 877 and 877A apply to US citizens who have renounced their citizenship and long-term residents (as defined in IRC 877(e)) who have ended their US resident status for federal tax purposes.” Also, “The Internal Revenue Service reminds practitioners that anyone who has expatriated or terminated his U.S. residency status must file Form 8854, Initial and Annual Expatriation Information Statement, and its Instructions. Form 8854 must also be filed to comply with the annual information reporting requirements of IRC 6039G, if the person is subject to the alternative expatriation tax under IRC 877 or IRC 877A. A $10,000 penalty may be imposed for failure to file Form 8854 when required.” $10,000 for failure to file, whether liable for tax or not!

Just a few days ago, I read the interesting information that Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, England, had settled with the IRS over his inheritance taxes. Yes, it seems that Boris was born in the Land of the Free and never renounced his citizenship. Ergo, even though a citizen of Great Britain and Mayor of London, he had failed to file his annual tax returns.

So now you know. If you were born in the United States, Uncle Sam owns you. If you leave without filing the required tax form, you have committed a crime. Under tax treaties around the world, his long skinny arm can reach out to grab you by the neck anywhere you try to flee. Birthright citizenship is a scam. You are his slave. Welcome to Gruber’s world.

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[1]n.b. For those yet unenlightened, MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, frequently referred to as one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act (aka “ObamaCare”) who stated that the health care tax created by the act would be collected through the insurance companies and passed on to the people in higher insurance premiums because "the American people are too stupid to understand the difference”.

Immigration Reform - Thorns and Roses

For all the people who like to quote “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”,

don’t forget that when it was written, the major East Coast door for immigration was Ellis Island. My grandfather and grandmother landed there, after being judged suitable for admission in a consulate overseas, and were allowed to actually come ashore after passing an immigration physical there. The wretched refuse was a select wretched refuse.

It has been 131 years since that poem was written, and much has changed in the world. The United States of 1883 had no social welfare programs, no significant unemployment problem, and vastly fewer rules as to how a newcomer could begin building a new life.

Both my mother and mother-in-law were immigrants from Canada. Despite the similarity between the two countries, both my father and my father-in-law were required to post bonds to bring their brides to this land; they had to guarantee that their wives would not become burdens to our society.

My father-in-law and mother-in-law sponsored many immigrants after the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, paying the bonds required and guaranteeing that the refugees would be found jobs and be taken care of privately (not at taxpayer expense!) until they were on their feet.

The laws that applied then have been liberalized to a great extent, yet in spite of that, the nation is awash in immigrants who have thumbed their noses at the rule of law and simply moved in. The demagogues have demanded that taxpayers care for them and give them “rights” and privileges that many native-born citizens cannot avail themselves of. Meanwhile, there have been those honest and conscientious seekers of America who have attempted to follow the rules and have been stymied by bureaucratic red tape and understaffing of the offices which should be processing their paperwork.

We are long overdue for a revamping of our immigration process. Consider three current categories of newcomers.

First, the native-born children of immigrants, whether by legal or illegal entry. These are possessors of birthright citizenship, and should not be denied any of the rights and privileges of a native-born citizen. Call them “Dreamers” if you wish, but citizens they are. Being citizens, they should behave like citizens, and uphold our laws. Shame on any citizen who ignores the law.

Secondly, the immigrant who wishes to follow the rules and become a law-abiding citizen. A new category should be devised for these folks, perhaps on the lines of the old “Landed Immigrant” status which was granted to newcomers to Canada. These people would apply for admission in a consulate in their native land, with either a U.S. citizen sponsor willing to provide a job and support (or alternatively, with sufficient self-funding to accomplish the same). Upon completion of a five-year residency, demonstration of ability to communicate adequately in English, successful passage of the citizenship test, and affirmation of allegiance to the Constitution, the “Landed Immigrant” would become a new citizen with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of a native-born citizen, saving serving as President of the United States.

The third category, the immigrants who have flooded the country illegally, should be allowed to come out from the shadows under strictly specified conditions. Those who would be willing to register and submit to a physical and criminal background check would be granted a “Visitor’s Card”, which would permit them to work and conduct business in the same way as a citizen. However, they would be strictly prohibited from becoming citizens unless they returned to their native land and made application like any other “Landed Immigrant”. This would apply to the relatives of all native-born citizens equally; if they wish to become citizens, they must follow the legal procedure.

Provision of the “Visitor’s Card” would not be “amnesty”. It would be a means of bringing the underground immigration movement out of the shadows. Holders of the “Visitor’s Card” would not be eligible for social assistance programs of any type, since that card would confer no privileges beyond being able to legally be present in the country for work, study, or vacation.

Since the “Visitor’s Card” would empower the immigrant to find employment, those who would employ anyone who was not either a citizen or a possessor of the proper documentation would be subject to stiff penalties, beginning with fines, for employing an undocumented worker. This would apply to domestic workers as well as commercial workers. An undocumented visitor who was found to be employed would be subject to immediate deportation. It would be the employer’s responsibility to verify employment eligibility, and a “whistleblower” program to help enforce that would not be unreasonable, possibly funded out of the fines. Legally eligible workers would pay taxes, including social security, medicare, and medicaid, and would be eligible for benefits under those programs. They would also be required to meet the same responsibilities for obtaining healthcare insurance as any other taxpayer.

The United States has made enormous strides in the past half-century in equalizing opportunity for her residents. The key to maintaining the stability of that system is still the concept of “equal justice under the law”. We can still make the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” a part of our society, but their only guarantee that the freedom will last is if we hold fast to the laws of our land. Bring the people who have broken the law out from the shadows, give them an opportunity to live in freedom, but do not under any circumstances treat any people differently because of their skin color, religion, or national origin, or simply because we lack the will to preserve our American uniqueness as the “golden door”.

Beezy Summer

This year I started my pepper and tomato seeds around the second week of March, using old broasted chicken containers (the ones with the clear plastic lids) as mini-greenhouses for sprouting. Within 2 weeks the seedlings were big enough to pot, and this year I used clear plastic 9 ounce cups as pots instead of the little paper cups. Three 1/8 inch holes were drilled in the bottom of each. The resulting plants were the healthiest seedlings I have ever raised.

Spring was late in coming -- too much cold weather due to global warming -- and it was late May before I could set any plants out safely. Meanwhile, I was shown some interesting things that are being done with container gardening, so I decide to experiment with that a bit. I turned some old mayonnaise jars into mini-containters:

Those seemed a bit small for normal sized plants, so I recycled some Folgers coffee cans.

Each can was supplied with a 2 inch high ring of 4 inch perforated drainpipe. The ring would serve as a stand-off to produce a water storage chamber.

That made a base for the next component, a spare coffee can lid cut to fit just inside the can, and also supplied with a roughly 3 inch hole for a 9 ounce plastic drink cup (perforated with many 1/8 inch holes to allow water to get in), and a hole for the 1/2 inch filler pipe. This lid formed the bottom of the dirt container.

Here it is with the cup installed ...

... and here with the filler pipe.

Then it is topped with another lid. A 3/16 inch hole was drilled just below the lower lid (dirt base) as an overflow hole. I did not make it any bigger, because I did not want mosquitoes getting inside to breed.

Some say that once I get started, I don't have the good sense to know when to quit ...

So here it is, July, and the container seems to suit the cayenne peppers just fine.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, trouble is brewing, and I don't mean the coffee cans. The evening of May 28, HP called and said that Roger Webel was looking for me -- he had a swarm hanging in his apple tree. The next morning, before the sun got above the trees, with the temperature in the 50's and the grass wet with dew, I took my stepladder, a cardboard box with a lid, and a spray bottle with sugar water to Roger's house. I spritzed the swarm with the sugar water, put the box underneath, gave the branch a couple of hard shakes, and almost every one of the bees fell into the box. I put the lid on it, stuck it in the trunk of my car, and drove home. The box of bees was then dumped into an empty 8-frame super and covered. Two days later, they were working themselves to death.

However, it has been about 6 weeks since they moved in. Usually, a healthy hive, following the black locust and basswood bloom, will have bees overflowing the front entry. These have not been that prolific. And then, the other day, I noticed this :

Not so happy when the bees run around on the ground with frizzy wings.

So, Saturday I opened up the hive. The queen is laying well, and there is plenty of capped brood. I inserted some Apistan strips; if the mites aren't brought under control, the hive will die. By the end of August, hopefully, there will be plenty of healthy bees. I'll just have to feed them as much as I can to prep them for winter.

2013 Redux

When the Cipkar clan gathered in July 2011, the remainder of the first generation posed for what was to be their last group photo. From left, Aunt Mary (Cipkar) Miklovic, Aunt Betty behind Uncle Sam, Uncle George behind Mom, Aunt Katie and Uncle Mike Pohanka.

Aunt Sue Hlavac had been lowered into the Iler Cemetery the September before.

Grandma had rested at Colchester for over half a century, next to Uncle George's dad and Grandpa. Uncle George died just 2 days short of 62 years after his own father.

We had visited my cousin Cathy in the hospital at Windsor on the way to the reunion; she would go to Colchester in time for Christmas.

Aunt Mary (Miklovic) Cipkar was confined to the nursing home until next May.

In December of 2012, a year and 2 days after his oldest daughter, Uncle Sam would join Cathy at Colchester.

Then it would be Aunt Mary's turn in May,

Uncle George's turn in December, at Kingsville,

where he joined Aunt Helen

and Tommy

and Andy. Hard to believe I haven't seen those little guys in half a century.

Finally, Uncle Mike also in December.

So of the original batch only Mom and Aunt Katie are left.

And 2014 will mark Dad's 100th birthday.

I feel old.

Turning In The Keys

One of the sadder effects of the Bush/Obama Depression has been the phenomenon of numerous families losing their homes to foreclosure. The direct causes for the losses have been varied. Some have lost employment and have had to choose between eating and meeting their mortgage payments. Some have been transferred to a different location in order to keep their jobs, and not being able to pay for both the home in the old location and that in the new, have abandoned the old. Some have realized that the home they purchased at a high price has devalued and that they are paying on a mortgage loan which, in terms of the value ratio that once was and the one that now is, has an exorbitant and punitive effective interest rate.

The reasons are numerous. Walking away from a house and its attached debt, however, is a poor solution, and should be avoided at all costs. Granted, there are financial advisors who would argue differently, but the picture should be examined not just as an economic one but also as a moral, ethical, and spiritual one.

It is possibly true that the most egregious sin (if you don't like that word, I would advise that you stop reading now) in America is covetousness. That is an old-fashioned word that loosely translates into English Vulgate as "greed". It is the driving factor in the American economy. It is the desire to have what someone else has. Prohibited by the 10th Commandment, it is there stated as wanting one's neighbor's specific belongings.

That is a narrow reading of the Law. The underlying principle has to do with the fact that God is the giver of all good gifts. America in general rejects that concept. In the modern American economy, it is believed that those who work hard and smart get rich, and those who are lazy or weak remain poor. A man's wealth is evidence of his brains and brawn, a major factor in his self-steem and pride. Thus "keeping up with the Joneses" or better yet a little ahead of them, has become the American dream and greased the path to further sin. It matters not how often he goes to church; a little leaven does a great puffy amount of damage, and few are immune to the lure and ravages of such sin.

A consequence of this rampant covetousness is the willingness to sell one's self into slavery. There is a certain segment of our society that believes it has a corner on the discussion of slavery. Because their long-dead ancestors were abused by people also long-dead, they carry a grudge against anyone who does not belong to their culture group, all the while tolerating (and even encouraging) a form of slavery more insidious and debilitating. They have no monopoly on being slaves. The great majority of the American populace has joined them.

The concept of credit in a capitalistic culture has a number of nuances. At it's core, credit is used to facilitate trade. Trader A has a stock of widgets which he is offering at a set price, but will sell them in bulk with a discount if he can liquidate his stock. Trader B needs the widgets, but has left his gold at home. Trader A agrees to sell all his widgets right now, with Trader B promising to send the gold as soon as he gets home. He signs a note to that effect. On his way out of the market, Trader A spots a fat sheep for sale by Trader C. He has no money, but his family is hungry. He trades the note from Trader B to Trader C for the sheep. As long as Trader B keeps his promise to pay, everyone is happy. This is the essence of a banking economy.

There is no condemnation of such an economy in the Scripture. There are warnings, though. The borrower is the slave of the lender (Prov. 22:7). Failure to pay what is owed is considered to be fraud (Lev. 19:13, Rom. 13:7). Further, failure to keep a promise is a sin (Num. 30:2, Matt. 5:33) and the warning is given that promises should always be conditional (Matt.5:34-37, Jas. 5:12, Jas. 4:13-17).

In our society we rarely consider these things, carelessly agreeing to Terms and Conditions, whether in a software download or a loan, often without reading thoroughly what it is we are agreeing to. Thus, in my career, I have come across people like the lady who was having her house appraised for a HELOC, not even knowing that her fully paid-for home would become the collateral (the loan officer, she said, had told he it was a good idea to take out the loan). Or like the man who became angry when told that his home would be compared to homes that had recently sold. He saw no sense in that, because as he put it, he was not selling his home; he was blithely unaware that he would be signing a mortgage deed selling his home to the bank until the loan was paid.

In the past 6-7 years there have been hundreds of thousands of home foreclosures across the land. In some places, like California, if a debtor returns the collateral (hands the keys back to the bank), the debt is extinguished. In most other places, though, returning the keys, or worse yet just walking away from the property, creates headaches and potential headaches to follow a person for years and perhaps the rest of his or her life.

Ownership of real property is a privilege that is taken for granted in the United States. There are few other places in the world where it is so easy to become a land-owner with the rights and privileges available here. With those rights and privileges, though, come obligations. When a deed for title is recorded, the owner of the property becomes responsible for its upkeep, for paying the taxes, and for protecting visitors. When a loan against a property is made, the mortgage deed will spell out the need for the debtor to continue to do those things, or it will provide a means for the lender to do so.

Simply walking away from a home or other real estate because the burden of payment has become oppressive or the shine has worn off the ownership is a very bad idea. First and foremost is the aspect of sin. To promise to pay, and to renege on that promise, is sin. It matters not that one has lost the ability to pay, or that the interest rate suddenly appears usurious, or that the grass is simply greener elsewhere. To break a promise is sin.

There are other consequences that are generally not considered. The bank holding the mortgage will not usually allow the property to deteriorate, and for this reason most high LTV mortgages have escrow accounts to pay the taxes and insurance. If the debtor defaults on his payment, the bank simply continues to protect the property, and adds the cost to the loan. The debtor goes deeper into debt. If the bank does not have such an account, the debtor incurs even greater risk. If the insurance lapses and the house burns, the total cost of the damage becomes the debtor's. If someone trespasses on the property, is injured, and sues, the debtor becomes fully liable for the lawsuit. If the utilities are turned off and the pipes freeze, ultimately the cost of any repairs will accrue to the debtor. If the house is vacant and vandals enter it, damaging it or dealing or manufacturing drugs, the clean-up costs accrue to the debtor. Walking away and leaving the home empty is a recipe for disaster.

Ultimately, after default, the bank generally forecloses. That is not, however, always the case. If damage to the home is great, and taxes have accrued to a considerable extent, the bank may allow the home to be sold at tax sale. The title will transfer, but the debt will not go away. If the bank does foreclose, the house may be sold by the bank at a substantial loss. The proceeds of the sale may not be sufficient to cover the debt plus the legal costs to the bank; the debtor most likely did not read the mortgage papers carefully and may not realize that the debt has not gone away.

I have heard of advice given that there is nothing to worry about in such cases. A prevailing feeling seems to be that the bank will not do much beyond sending threatening notices. This has often been the case until recently. Lately there has been an uptick in suits to recover damages from defaulted borrowers, and suits to recover damages from appraisers who fraudulently inflated values on appraisals so that the loans could be made. There is no statute of limitations for fraud; some of those appraisals were done 6-8 years ago and are just now going to trial. A sleeping dog may look like it is just lying there, but beware that it is not plotting revenge.

My advice to any homeowner who is no longer able to pay on the mortgage is to stay put. Keep the home in good repair. Keep it insured, with the utilities on. If, ultimately, the bank evicts the homeowner in the foreclosure process, the eviction will come after the filing of the foreclosure deed and the bank will have to take the responsibility for upkeep. In some cases, it may even be possible to work out a rental agreement until the bank is able to sell the home. All these things will work to minimize the size of the balance remaining on the debt.

Meanwhile, if the problem is due to not having enough income to cover the mortgage, it will be worthwhile to seek legal counsel regarding filing bankruptcy. I do not recommend bankruptcy unless it is absolutely necessary. It is too often seen as a means of escaping debt. Never forget that even if a bankruptcy proceeding is successful, and protection from creditors is afforded, the debts are not erased. If someone has promised to pay, he is morally obligated to pay -- it is sin to not pay, even if the court states that only a percentage is required to be paid back. Never confuse what is legal with what is right.

Bankruptcy carries a stigma, and it is true that for a number of years it may affect a person's ability to purchase things on credit, or even to rent a home. Eventually, however, the bankruptcy is cleared off the credit records, and life can return to normal. The debtor is required to pay the amounts judged by the courts, and can also arrange to pay the debt in full as opportunity arises. It is not a good thing to endure, but the debtor is protected so he can do what is right in the course of time.

But what if the debtor decides to not seek bankruptcy? What if the debtor allows the lender to proceed with a suit for judgment? Some people say this is not likely to happen. I say, it is more likely than not to happen. In such a case, without the protection of a bankruptcy judgment, the lender is free to garnish the wages of the debtor until the debt is paid. There may never be enough money left in such cases for the debtor to start over and get back on his feet. The judgment may follow him all his life; it will also touch the lives of any people who might enter into contracts or relationships with him. Deficiency judgments are meant to be punitive. Avoid them if at all possible.

Ersatz Theologies, etc.

Eschatology is a consuming passion in certain evangelical Christian circles, with all manner of positions on what will happen in the future. It is almost as though the core belief in those groups is that the Bible is a day planner for future events.

My recent readings in Daniel (part of the annual romp through the whole Bible), the Apocalypse (currently in the Sunday Bible study series), and Mark ( I definitely plan to finish the sermon series in that Gospel, if I live long enough) have brought together some interesting observations.

Just so that no one is horribly shocked by what I write later, I will shock them now and get it over with. Bek will not be happy, but we have had this talk before -- here it comes. I do not believe that Jesus is going to descend from the sky and take away His church so they do not have to go through "The Great Tribulation". That's right. I'm not a Seventh Day Adventist, I don't follow Millerite or Darbyite theology, and I firmly state that a Scofield Bible is not a King James version (King James would have had Scofield executed for inserting all those comments). My theology is somewhere post-Reformation, pre- Second Great Awakening, non-Arminian, very literal in translation from the Koine, and as Hebraic as the Septuagint will permit. In short, I am a non-dispensational Calvinistic Anabaptist, however one may think that to be an impossibility.

Now, as to the 19th and 20th chapters of the Apocalypse, the scene is set at a point in the history of the world where the iniquities of "Babylon" have reached a crescendo and she has been destroyed. While the events of chapters 10-14 and 15-18 may be sequential they appear to be somewhat parallel and perhaps describe the same events but from different perspectives. The whole point of prophecy is not to function as a means whereby people can plan for the next event in sequence, but as a confirmation that God is the one who declares things before they occur -- He has planned the whole show, has absolute control over the actions of the players, and has provided the prophecy so that His people, after the fact, can point to it and say, "See, God said it would happen that way!".

Anyway, in chapter 19 John sees the sky open up and Jesus appears as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, arriving to (1) consummate His marriage to the Church and (2) begin his thousand year rule over the Earth as King of Israel, with Satan bound in a long orbit to the regions beyond the solar system and back (OK -- that last part is my take on it, but I have no better frame of reference for a bottomless pit). This event is the Rapture. I do not believe the Scripture teaches multiple Second Comings of Christ.

Chapter 20 gives a short summary of the Millennium -- the Church reigns with Christ (her bridegroom) over His kingdom, centered in Israel, with reinstatement of the Temple worship in a golden age with all the rest of the Earth subject to Israel (see Ezekiel and Zechariah for more definitive statements). The cataclysmic event of chapter 19 is then referred to by John as The First Resurrection. Here is where it gets a bit dicey. If we correlate this to Paul's statements in his letters to the Thessalonian church, it is the dead in Christ, along with those who remain alive at that point, who are caught up with Him in The First Resurrection. That is, all those believers who have died from the time Jesus rose, along with any who might be yet surviving The Great Tribulation.

That presents several problems in modern American evangelical theology (the pre-Tribulation Rapture appears to have been invented by J. N. Darby around 1828 and was popularized by Scofield ), since there are even songs about meeting Old Testament saints in the air. Paul doesn't say that. He says, "in Christ", and while those saints may have anticipated Messiah, they were not "in Christ". This may even be referenced by the statement of the angel to Daniel, “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”

In chapter 20, at the end of the thousand years, Satan shows up again, is unbound, and instigates rebellion against Messiah. The armies of the entire world surround Messiah's capital, and God sends a fireball which slags the entire earth -- no survivors among the people who are not part of the First Resurrection. The stage is set for judgment before the Great White Throne, the books, including the Book of Life, are opened, and anyone not found in the Book of Life is tossed into the Lake of Fire.

It is at this point, the Second Resurrection, I think that the Old Testament saints, "all Israel" (Romans 11), and even Millennial proselytes, are raised to eternal life in imperishable bodies. Thus Daniel has his hope consummated "at the end of the days". This solves a thorny eschatological problem.

To many evangelicals, only the First Resurrection is a resurrection to life. In pre-Trib theology, the difficulty then becomes, "What about the people who become believers and are killed for their faith during the Great Tribulation? (Apoc. 7:14)?", and, "What about people who are killed for not worshipping the Beast (Apoc. 13:15)?" These are particularly troubling for two reasons. (1) Pre-Tribbers believe that the Holy Spirit is removed from the earth, with the Church, at the Rapture. This produces a doctrinal conundrum, since Jesus said that no one could come to Him unless the Father drew him, and that the rebirth is a work, not of men, but of the Holy Spirit. How could those people be saved without being born again? (2) Since, in their theology, only the First Resurrection is a resurrection to life, and the post-Trib "born again without the Spirit" believers missed that one, they have had to invent a corollary -- the Continuous Resurrection, which lasts for the 7 years until the tribulation ends. In the Continuous Resurrection, if a "born again without the Spirit" believer dies, he immediately rises to new life. Neither of these concepts has any serious Scriptural foundation, a consequence of Darby's invention.

The Scripture simply states that those not found written in the Book of Life suffer the second Death. It does not say the Second Resurrection is only a resurrection to damnation. It does not say that a person resurrected in the Second Resurrection could not be found in the Book of Life. Getting rid of those misconceptions does away with a number of eschatological problems.

Now what about Mark? In all the Gospel accounts of Jesus speaking about the latter days, he warns his disciples that many would come saying, "εγώ είμι" -- the same thing which He had told the Pharisees and for which they wanted to stone Him. His warning was not intended to let them do future planning, but to alert them to the idea that when He would return, it would be unmistakable, impossible to ignore, and totally unexpected. They were not to fall for any imposters. Paul's letters also bear that out; he further states that for the believers, the day would NOT come as a thief. Sometimes sticking to the actual wording of the Scripture does not make for good sales of popular books and movies.

So now I am fully out of my cave. God is still in charge, and I will stick with sola scriptura, leaving the fables to others.

...Ή ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΙΑ...ΤΩ ΘΕΩ ΗΜΩΝ...ΑΜΗΝ.

The above partial quote from Rev. 7:12 seems particularly appropriate today -- it is the essence of what we celebrate, thanksgiving to the God of us all. Reflecting on the entire verse, and thinking of the confluence of Hannukah with Thanksgiving this year, caused me to go down some different paths. The Feast of Dedication (John 10:22) celebrates the miracle of the oil that did not run out after the Temple had been cleansed and worship restored. According to the Law, the Temple menorah, which stood in front of the veil concealing the Ark of the Covenant, was to be kept lit at all times (Ex. 27: 20-21 & Lev. 24: 1-4). The tradition tells that when Judah Maccabee cleansed the Temple, only enough pure oil was found to keep the light burning one day, but miraculously it continued to burn for 8 days, until a new supply of ritually pure oil could be prepared. Judah then declared an annual 8 day feast to celebrate the miracle, to begin on the evening of the 25th day of Kislev.

That is the explanation of the 9-branched menorah; one light for each of the miracle nights, plus the shamash light for ordinary lighting. However, the temple menorah was not 9-branched. The instructions given Moses in Exodus 25: 31-40 call for a 7-branched menorah, "And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount."

What was it that Moses saw? It was the pattern or shadow of the eternal things just as John saw them in the Apocalypse. Why 7 branches, and why a light fixture?

We read that Moses begged the Eternal, "I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory." And He (God) said, "I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the Name of the LORD before thee, and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." (Ex. 33: 18-19). "And the LORD passed by him, and proclaimed, '[1]The LORD, The LORD God, [2] merciful and gracious, [3] long-suffering, [4] and abundant in goodness and truth, [5] keeping mercy for thousands, [6] forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, [7] and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." (Ex. 34: 6-7). [Numbers are my notes.]

Zechariah speaks of this menorah, in chapter 4, and the LORD gives a message to Zerubbabel, saying, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, sayeth the LORD of hosts." The seven, he says, are the "eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth." John sees the vision of Jesus, Who tells him "the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven ekklesiai."

The Dispensationalists are fond of assigning "church ages" to the seven churches, but could it be that there is a link here to the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 4: 5)? Perhaps a study of the characteristics of those churches compared to the proclamation of the LORD on Sinai would be fruitful.

Then too, in Rev. 7: 12 we have the adoration of GOD, again, a seven-fold praise (eulogia, doxa, sophia, eucharistia, timé, dunamis, ischus): might not the view here of the pneuma be more closely associated with the ancient Greek concept of the vital characteristics of life (rather than the person of the Holy Spirit)? I was particularly struck by the first -- blessing (eulogia; L. benedictus), and the traditional Hebrew beginning of prayer, "Blessed art Thou...". This seven-fold praise seems to be in direct parallel with the elements of the Lord's prayer.

The New Testament writings tell us that as those who have been born from above, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul, that wily Pharisee, wrote that our thoughts should center on things that are honest, just, pure, lovely, reputable, excellent, praiseworthy (Phillipians 4 :8) -- seven characteristics that should give light to the world. Perhaps we are called to celebrate the Feast of Dedication with a true 7-branched menorah.

Lesson from a Little Star

Half-way around the world, a child of mine found a little one who was helpless, disfigured, and abandoned unwanted. There are many such little ones. In a sense, they are all worthy of equal consideration, since there are teeming thousands of equally useless throwaways; that is to say, no consideration at all from the perspective of one who has his own family to bless.

Yet my child had compassion on the little one, and took it to her heart. To my surprise, I found myself drawn to this foundling. It was not that I was required to love the little one, nor was there any prospect of personal gain to be found in such a response on my part. It was a response to my love for my own child. Inherent in the love of a father is an automatic response that he love also whomsoever his child loves.

In this I was brought to the remembrance of the words of Jesus to His disciples immediately before He was taken from them:

Jn 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my Name, he may give it you.

Jn 16:23 And in that day shall ye ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you. [24] Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my Name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. [25] These things have I spoken unto you in parables; but the time will come, when I shall no more speak to you in parables, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. [26] At that day shall ye ask in my Name, and I say not unto you, that I will pray unto the Father for you; [27] For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

Jn 17:20 I pray not for these alone, but for them also which shall believe in me, through their word, [21] That they all may be one, as thou, O Father, art in me, and I in thee, even that they may be also one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

It might be asked what the idea of requesting anything in the name of Jesus would have to do with this, unless the understanding is present that it is not the ability to obtain something in His name that He was presenting, but the concept that the Father would love the Believers in Jesus simply on the basis of Jesus' love for them. "For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God."

I find no clearer explanation of the Grace of God than that.

BAN THE PRIUS!!IT"S A SAFETY HAZARD!

Just watched a news clip where a guy explained why Prius drivers seem to annoy other drivers.

It seems that the Prius driver has a dashboard display that tells him how much energy he is using, which motor (gas or electric) happens to be in use at the moment, and his rate of charge for his battery as he is coasting. This takes quite a bit of concentration in order to maximize fuel efficiency, and while this is going on, the driver has his eyes off the road.

So I have a message for all the legislators who want to ban the use of cell phones, etc. in cars because they cause drivers to be distracted. Here is a better idea. Ban the Prius. I never liked that car anyway.

Striking back at The Empire

One of the unique aspects of America has been her historic position, based in the Torah, of "Equal justice under the law." (viz. Ex. 23:2-3,6; Lev. 19:15, 24:22; Dt, 16:18-20). There are those of us who have bound ourselves to uphold our Constitution, defending it against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Here is an example of some folks taking that seriously, and making a stand against some domestic enemies of the Constitution :

The Police Loophole

I wonder if the makers of defensive tools, like body armor, will have similar dedication to the rule of law.

Ah, Grandkiddies...

Ah, Grandkiddies... they are a blessing from the LORD.

As we spent some time hanging out with Jim & Stella last night, Beloved Rib helped Amelia and Samantha with their "artwork". She approximated my self-portrait, but with green marker. Samantha eagerly came to show it to me.

Me : "You colored my hair green!"

Samantha : "Grandpa, you don't have hair."

Can't swat them for being truthful, can I?

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Downloaded a copy of Dr. Benjamin Carson's speech at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday 2/7/13. Proverbs 11:9, 11:12, 11:25, & II Chronicles 7:14

and just watched it again. Wow.

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Went out to the greenhouse just after noon. Outside temperature about 28° but inside the thermometer was at 65°. Onion seedlings (now nearly pencil-thick) are green, and so are a few scattered lettuce plants. The 30 gallon black garbage can inside the greenhouse, full of water, has just a thin layer of ice on top; the one outside the greenhouse door contained a solid 30-gallon block of ice. Time to start planning the plantings.

The Tuesday night classes at Norton are all Γρίκ to me; but it is starting to make sense.

See ya narrow.

Neandering through History...

I think I know this guy. Where are his glasses? Who gave them the right to use a family picture?

Serbian Lily-Nuts (бели лук)

I do go out of my way to avoid being politically correct, do I not?

One of my long-planned projects has been to clean and pickle some garlic cloves. Mixy likes to dig them out of the bottles of pickled peppers and dill pickles; we sometimes have a difference of opinion over who gets the last one in the bottle. Therefore it simply made sense to pickle some cesnak and forget the peppers and cucumbers for the moment.

This required that I peel the cloves first, and it took about 45 minutes per cup to get the three cups of Serbian lily-nuts I needed.

I also had to get some bottles of a proper size collected. Since I don't throw away very much stuff (pack rats prevent litter!) I had some 8 ounce jars from various items -- jelly, fancy roasted peppers, etc. -- on the shelf in the basement. They just needed some cleaning and boiling.

Then I had to scale down the recipe for the pickle. Obviously, I was not going to need 5 quarts of pickle. The following was the starter:

Just to make it easier, I decided to use the dill pickle variant, which calls for a 1:3 vinegar:water ratio. That meant that for 2 cups of pickle, I would need 1-1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of vinegar, and converting cups to teaspoons (48 tsp:1 cup) 5 tsp salt and 2-1/2 tsp sugar. I mixed that together in a saucepan and brought it to a boil.

Meanwhile, the bottles and their lids were hauled out of the boiling water, drained, and a nice sprig of dill was put in each. Dill? Yup, frozen from last summer.

Then the bottles were filled with the lovely cloves and the hot pickle was poured over them, filling the bottles to the bottom of the threads.

The lids were screwed on loosely and the bottles put back in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Then I let them go for another 3 minutes, just because.

Removed from the boiling water bath, the lids were given a final tightening and they were allowed to cool until the lids clicked down.

Of course, this stuff now has to age a bit. For that reason, I hid them from Mixy. Ha. Ha. Ha. When I think they have aged long enough, I will take them out of hiding.

Of course, I have more garlic in the garage that I can peel and can. I should probably do that, since I had quite a bit of it dry up on me last winter because it didn't get used. This is a good way to turn it into snack food. I also thought about sprinkling some hot red pepper in each jar but today was Be Kind to Mixy Day. Maybe next time.

I'm also going to have to investigate getting a beer bottle capper. Granny often told how, after moving to Canada and setting up housekeeping during the Depression, she and her sisters would scavenge beer bottles from the dump for canning tomato juice (Mason jars were nearly luxury items then). It would be fun to can garlic and chili peppers and salsa and home-made ketchup in beer bottles.

Just another project to have on the back burner for when I have nothing else to do...

Yo-Yo With Short String

Some time ago I posted about the need to moderate comments. Here is a prime example of what has to be filtered out. It was submitted to my post on the Speedex S-19 (which, by the way, I still intend to restore):

"Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in reality used to be a leisure account it. Glance complicated to far delivered agreeable from you! However, how could we keep in touch? Look into my weblog :: Forex Trading Demo"(I removed the link)

I suspect someone composed that and then ran it through a web-based (maybe Google?) translator. It was definitely not from a native English speaker. It is the second such attempt to attach a comment to that post.

Oh, well; I cast thee into the Bottomless Bit Bucket, O vile spammy entrapper.

Who's Peeking?

Just fooling around with the Google-y tools for bloggers and looked at the Stats page :

That is a screenshot of where the viewers are from. Hong Kong I can understand. Iran and the UAE? Wonder what it was that I said that aroused their interest. Is Paranoia an island in the South Pacific? Inconceivable! (and I'm not Sicilian).

Getting Spliced

One more task has been completed in the planned movement of the basement wall. The Cat 5 cables that were located in the ceiling box have all been relocated to the side wall and tested. This would have been a good idea even if the wall were not to be moved, since the cables from the router to the ceiling box occasionally lost contact from the movement of the floor joists, especially when the dining room had a big gathering in it. Becoming motivated to move the cables, though, was a major task.

The problem was that two of the cables would need to be completelyy re-run, and five would need to be spliced and extended to the new location. Mickey Axlebender was of the opinion that I should just install male and female connectors and extend them that way, but I was not confident that would work long-term, especially since the plan is to drywall the ceiling.

I decided to splice the cables with solder joints. Drawing inspiration from some web pages showing how the specified twists could be maintained, I began the splicing. The first cable took nearly two hours; I was deliberately going slowly to make certain my work would not create problems.

Each twisted pair was cut and spiced in a stagger pattern, the wire ends twisted and soldered, then clipped short and bent parallel with the cable.

When they were all soldered, the twist pattern for each twisted pair was maintained fairly close to the specs. Perfection was more than I could hope for, but in testing each cable as it was completed, the throughput actually seemed faster than before the splice. That may be imagination, but I think that plugging the cables in horizontally may maintain contact pressure better than plugging vertically and letting the wires hang. In other words, it seems to be working better, but I don't think my solder job had anything to do with that.

The last step was to replace the cable jacket. The jacket that had been stripped off was trimmed to length, split down the side, replaced around the wires, and secured with electrician's tape.

Another job finished that hurt more to think about starting than actually doing.

"We must change."

"We must change."

Those were the words of President Obama at Newtown (CT) High School on 12/16/2012. Mr. President, you are right. This nation has become a cesspool of iniquity, and as First Citizen, you must be the first to change. It is as you said,

"No single law -- no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society.

But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this. If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson, and Aurora, and Oak Creek, and Newtown, and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that -- then surely we have an obligation to try. "

The Bible is clear on this; all have sinned and failed to measure up to God's standards. National repentance is in order, beginning at the office of the President.

God demands that nations practice justice. His summary of the sole requirement He lays on mankind is threefold:

1. do justly,
2. love mercy,
3. walk humbly with God.

America, beginning at the office of the Presidency, has refused those requirements. If you want meaningful change, Mr. President, you must lead the way in repenting of both your personal sin and the Nation's.

Do justly. Cease the murder of the innocent unborn. Cease the execution of citizens without bringing them to trial. Cease taking from one group to give to another. Cease showing favoritism based on skin color or belief or political advantage. Equality was a shining attribute of America in days past; let us return to treating everyone equally.

Love mercy. Cease the jailing of citizens, and the confiscation of their property simply because they have been too weak to conform to laws which have been enacted to protect them from themselves. Cease the spending beyond the ability to fund it, which causes future generations to inherit debts which will leave them enslaved. Cease the persecution of individuals who run afoul of laws designed to force social change, and instead use your own example and the soapbox afforded by your position to preach the benefits of caring for our neighbors.

Walk humbly with God. America has done great things with her wealth that was provided by God. This land was blessed with abundant natural resources, beneficial climates for varied crops and enterprises, and a foundation in a belief that God provides all things necessary for prosperity. America has grown arrogant and proud because no other nation on earth has been able to compete against her militarily or economically for almost a century. Pride goes before a fall. God has provided undeserved forgiveness through His grace. He would have us forgive those who have harmed or attempted to harm us, and not try to exact revenge.

You claim to be a Christian, Mr. President? The words of Jesus should affect your behavior. Never forget that He said that if we do not forgive others, we will not be forgiven. Never be so proud to forget that vengeance does not belong to the office of the President of the United States, but to God. Never forget that Jesus does not force people into His Kingdom, but rather invites them. Never forget the most basic message Jesus had to preach -- "Repent".

"These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change." Indeed.

to "...communicate forget not..."

There has been many an evening when I have left work a bit late in order to finish off email correspondence with clients and/or contractors. I long ago realized that even a short break in communication can cause serious problems when a correspondent lacks the information to proceed in the right direction. Thus the saga of my past weekend.

It began simply enough on Wednesday, with a routine annual physical. My doctor noted some things on an ECG that he had not seen before, and asked me to wear a Holter monitor for 24 hours to record my heart rhythm during my normal daily activities. This I did, returning the monitor to the hospital about noon on Friday.

The day finished, I headed home, ate supper, and got ready to continue preparing the car for a quick trip north on Saturday. About 7:00 PM, I received a phone call from my doctor's partner in practice -- my doctor was apparently very much off-call that evening -- telling me that I needed to go directly to the emergency room at AGMC. I asked him why, since I was feeling quite well. He told me that the doctor who had read the Holter monitor was extremely concerned that my heart could stop and I could die at any moment.

Those who know me well know that I have maintained that very thing for quite some time. The human heart stops after every beat, and by the grace of God, it then takes another squeeze. That stop is the only rest it gets in a person's entire life. I find that miraculous, others find it terrifying.

During the phone call I was asked several times if I was having any symptoms, such as shortness of breath or chest pains. I replied that I was not. Apparently that was not believable, since the doctor who read the monitor was a highly regarded expert with much experience. That doctor did examine me 40 and 35 years ago, respectively, long prior to the valve replacement, and he had no knowledge of the subsequent treatment history. At the end of the call, I was informed that the Emergency Room at AGMC had been notified to expect me.

I was less than favorably impressed. I was feeling fine. Telling my Beloved Rib the essence of the call, I jumped in my car and drove off to the auto parts store to pick up some pieces I had ordered the day before. Jesse and I had plans to finish the wheel alignment job on the Sable, and I was set to take Grannie to visit Uncle Sam the next day.

As I was signing for the order, I received a call from Joonyah who asked how I was feeling and informed me that he was on his way over to take me to the ER. Then, as I was driving home, I got a call from Jesse, who asked me where I was. I told him that at that moment I was on the overpass at I-76. He asked what I was doing there; I sensed a bit of alarm in his voice and my perverted sense of humor almost drove me to say, "Getting ready to jump" but the more responsible part of me told him I was heading for home with the parts. He then said he would be at the house shortly.

I arrived home, and was finally persuaded that to ease everyone's mind, I should go to the ER. We went. They were expecting me. I asked if my doctor was aware I was there. They didn't know, but the verdict of the ER cardiologist (who had never seen me before) was that I was in a life-threatening situation. They booked me, gave me a gown, started an IV, and took me to my cell. They asked me about my symptoms, and seemed very unhappy when I said I didn't have any. Obviously, I was not being truthful; if the doctors said I should have symptoms, who was I to disagree?

Oh, and by the way, they had run my health insurance card, and the carrier said that I was not covered; that coverage had lapsed that very day. Now just the day before, at the office, we had been discussing health care premiums and the fact that my Medicare coverage was to become active Saturday, and I was told that the Medicare supplemental PPO coverage would not become active until January 1 and my premiums had already been paid through December 31 under the current plan. No matter; the insurance carrier said my status was inactive.

I was hooked to a monitor and put to bed. At least my Beloved Rib did not forsake me. She slept beside me on the hospital bed all night. In the morning, one of my cardiologist's partners came in to see me, looked at the record from the monitor, listened to my heart, and asked about my symptoms. No chest pain, no shortness of breath? Hmm. He had not been able to find my records in their files, but said that it was possible he had mis-spelled my name. Meanwhile, he did not think that the slow heart rate was very serious, but I had taken my meds just before the Friday night call, and they could account for the the slowness. Because he did not have my records, and was not MY cardiologist, he could not recommend my discharge.

Another doctor stopped by -- the partner of the doctor who had admitted me -- and asked why I was there. At that point, I told him I didn't know. He asked about my symptoms, and again, I got the feeling he did not believe that I was not in distress. He was in the room a total of less than 5 minutes, and said that he would have to wait until my cardiologist recommended my release.

Saturday was spent reading. Joonyah and crew showed up, wanting to know what was going to happen. I had no idea. So we wandered to the nurses' station and asked when my doctor would arrive. I was told that he normally did not make rounds at AGMC. I asked if my cardiologist would be coming in. Again, a negative; he did not make rounds on weekends, and when he did come in, it would only be in the nature of a consultation, since the ER cardiologist had the responsibility of finally signing off on my release, and the GP I had been assigned in the ER would have the responsibility of actually signing the release.

At about this point, I was beginning to have symptoms -- of great irritation. My Rib called my doctor's office, then dialed the emergency number from the recording she got, and explained that we needed to talk to my doctor. Shortly thereafter, his partner called my cell phone and, out of breath and sounding a little unhappy that we had disturbed his Saturday activities, said that indeed my doctor had been informed that I was in the hospital. I was resigned to my imprisonment.

Now up to this point I had been alone in my room. I was comfortable, and Friday night I had slept with just the bedsheet covering my feet. Late Saturday afternoon, the adjoining bed was given to a fellow who was recovering from complete cardiac arrest. His grandson, who had been a lifeguard and had providentially been present at the time, had started CPR immediately. A pacemaker was now installed, and he had been brought up from ICU. Wrapped in blankets, and clutching a pillow to his chest (his ribs had been cracked during CPR), he immediately complained that the room was too warm. His nurse complied, turning the thermostat down from 70° to 65°, and unleashing a cold draft from the ceiling vents. (Beloved Rib would later sneak over, while he was sleeping, and turn it back up to 68°.) Needless to say, I made use of both the sheet and the blanket the next two nights.

Sunday morning, my cardiologist's partner dropped in again, having looked at my file in their office, and basically opined that, in my case, someone might have over-reacted. He felt that my stay was probably a waste of time, seeing that I had a history of a slow heart rate, and I was scheduled for an appointment in their office in a few weeks anyway. Nevertheless, he was not MY cardiologist, and without a recommendation from MY cardiologist, who would not be in until Monday, the ER cardiologist would not sign off on my release. He did authorize putting me back on my blocker, but at a reduced dose.

My assigned GP again dropped by for an obligatory 3 or 4 minute chat, and again seemed very doubtful that I was not feeling any symptoms of distress, especially since my blocker had been withheld on Saturday and my heart rate and blood pressure were now quite high. I was pleasantly surprised by a visit from Art and Sarah Kaufman, who had been visiting one of his cousins in a room a few doors down from mine. I had not seen Art since he found Jesse his house, and we had a brief but very good chat. Mike and Suzi brought Grannie to visit, and Suzi left her tablet with me so I could go on-line (the hospital has an open wireless network for patient/visitor use).

My Beloved Rib had spent two nights sleeping beside me on a hospital bed. I sent her home Sunday night so she could get a better rest in a warm room. At 3:30 in the morning, the nurses came in to change my IV. I said it could wait, I was going home in a few hours. They said no, that it had to be replaced anyway, and they got it done, barely, on their second try. Ouch.

Monday morning was foggy, but I was eager to escape. My cardiologist showed up at about 8:30, said we would take up the discussion at my scheduled appointment, and wrote out the recommendation for my release. I joyfully called for my Beloved Rib to come get me. The hours dragged by. About 2:30, the assigned GP having failed to show up, we mentioned the fact to my nurse. She began calling around the hospital to find out what was delaying my release.

My assigned GP had gone home for the day, early, and had left a list of patients to be seen with another doctor, who eventually showed up in my room about 3:00 and said that he had not been informed that I was to go home, or he would have been in to see me in the morning. Nevertheless, he was empowered to sign my release, which he did, and by 3:30 I was on my way out the door.

A comedy of errors? Perhaps, but I keep reminding myself that God has a purpose in all things. I met some new people, I saw an old friend, I was kept from traveling. Having an abnormal patient in their care may have been a good training exercise for the nurses. Plus, I have had a lesson reinforced : the passage from Hebrews 13:16 (KJV) now has a special meaning for me.