Tuesday Links With Russian Cavier

WANT TO POST SEVERAL ARTICLES I FIND INTERESTING TODAY:

First, I've never been a big fan of Marco Rubio. Think he's too young and not seasoned enough to be president. Yesterday, Michael Walsh writing at PJMedia wrote a take-down of Rubio with all the reasons conservative voters should be wary of him. Entitled Marco Rubio the GOP's Very Own Barack Obama, it's well, well worth a read or re-read.

Second,  I recently  linked on my sidebar to a Russian news site called RT.  Today, there's a featured news story of cops apprehending a Russian speeding hearse  illegally transporting and concealing a huge stash of black cavier (without the cold vodka).  Cavier-filled coffins?  Nice try, fellows, but no cigar.

Third,  here's a local Nashville story I find interesting and wickedly politically incorrect involving Tennessee State University, a predominantly black university, being criticized by a former black Metro Councilman undoubtedly speaking truth to power in the face of protest.  Good for Mr. Jerry  Maynard.

Fourth, Stuart Scheiderman @ Had Enough Therapy asks and correctly answers the question, What's Wrong With This Text?

Greater

HAVE I REALLY BEEN TOO BUSY TO BE ON THE COMPUTER FOR OVER A WEEK?? THIS WOULD BE UNHEARD OF 5 YEARS AGO. I have been keeping up on my phone a little bit, however. What an incredible, incredible week it's been! Now I'm trying to catch up with myself on many different levels, which may take a while. Thanks for coming by.

Also, we had an amazing day in Chancery Court this week.

WAITING IN THE RIGHT WAY...WAITING AS A WEAPON...

Sunday, Simplicity In Christ With Pastor Mike Atkins

RT OP/ED---AMERICA--BOMB WAITING TO EXPLODE
GOODWIN: AMERICA DUE FOR A REVOLUTION

BELOW IS ANOTHER WONDERFUL SERMON FROM PASTOR MIKE ATKINS. The enemy is always at work to corrupt our simplicity in Christ, attempting to make it complex and confusing.  Satan loves to whisper, God didn't really say that...if you do what I say, you will be like gods.....

Hiking Holston Mountain

EXCEPTIONAL AMERICANS @ DON SURBER--ELI WHITNEY

FALL IS IN THE AIR AND THE LITTLE VIEWS ON THE GROUND MAKE FOR JUST AS SPECTACULAR COLOR PICS AS THE BIG VIEWS.

I love to hike this mountain because of the 1,000-2,000' elevation gains in only a few miles of trail makes for a terrific workouts.  No better preparation for trial stuff than engaging high trails in the mountains.

Coming Soon to Nashville Courts--Erin Andrews In Circuit Court (Naked Peephole Video, Feb) and Webutante in Chancery Court (Oct, Nov) Against Abe's Garden

CNBC: ODOM'S $75,000 DRAMA

ERIN'S PEEPHOLE CASE AGAINST MARRIOTT SHOULD BE INTERESTING.  I'd be furious too.  Almost as furious as if someone seized your precious land and all semblance of privacy with it, making a peephole as big as the sky.

Next Tuesday morning in Chancery Court we get rolling again in the case against Abe's Garden at a  hearing.  Stay tuned. It will be interesting.

Both of these cases, ironically, started in 2008.

Sunday: Two Serious Misconceptions About Divine Wrath

I LOVE THIS POST @ CHALLIES BLOG ON DIVINE WRATH, WHAT IT IS AND ISN'T:

THERE MAY BE NO THEOLOGICAL TOPIC more controversial than divine wrath. While most of humanity is eager to acknowledge the existence of God, and while most love to acknowledge his traits of grace and mercy and kindness, very few want to acknowledge his wrath. Yet wrath is a consistent theme in the Bible and a defining characteristic of the God we meet in its pages. Divine wrath suffers when we fail to understand it aright. Here are two serious, common misconceptions.

The first misconception is that God’s wrath is cruel. Too many people associate God’s wrath with human anger which, indeed, is often arbitrary and mean. The truth is that God’s wrath is always the wrath of God as Judge. Thus, God’s wrath is always a measured, just, judicial wrath.

According to J.I. Packer, “the explicit presupposition of all that we find in the Bible … on the torments of those who experience the fullness of God’s wrath is that each receives precisely what he deserves. ‘The day of God’s wrath’, Paul tells us, is also the day ‘when his righteous judgment will be revealed.’ And in that day ‘God will give to each person according to what he has done’ (Romans 2:5ff).” Just as our justice systems dole out punishments fitting for particular crimes, Jesus himself taught that God’s retribution will be proportionate to the individual and his offense (see Luke 12:47ff) .

Of course that is precisely why God’s wrath is so fearsome. No one will suffer beyond what he deserves. But what he deserves is unspeakably terrible. “If it is asked: can disobedience to our Creator really deserve great and grievous punishment? anyone who has ever been convicted of sin knows beyond any shadow of doubt that the answer is yes, and knows too that those whose consciences have not yet been awaked to consider, as Anselm put it, ‘how weighty sin is’ are not yet qualified to give an opinion.” God will serve as Judge and will judge justly.

The second misconception is that God’s wrath is something God inflicts upon ignorant, innocent people. This misconception teaches that God inflicts hell upon people who would have chosen God if only they had the option or the appropriate understanding. But

God’s wrath in the Bible is something which people choose for themselves. Before hell is an experience inflicted by God, it is a state for which a person himself opts, by retreating from the light which God shines in his heart to lead him to himself. … The decisive act of judgment upon the lost is the judgment which they pass upon themselves, by rejecting the light that comes to them in and through Jesus Christ. In the last analysis, all that God does subsequently in judicial action towards the unbeliever, whether in this life or beyond it, is to show him, and lead him into, the full implications of the choice he has made.

Packer goes on to say, “Nobody stands under the wrath of God save those who have chosen to do so. The essence of God’s action in wrath is to give people what they choose in all its implications: nothing more, and equally nothing less. God’s readiness to respect human choice to this extent may appear disconcerting and even terrifying, but it is plain that his attitude here is supremely just, and poles apart from the wanton and irresponsible inflicting of pain which is what we mean by cruelty.” And then he provides this memorable line: “What God is hereby doing is no more than to ratify and confirm judgments which those whom he ‘visits’ have already passed on themselves by the course they have chosen to follow.”
God is not cruel in his wrath. He is not arbitrary. And his wrath will never extend to the ignorant or innocent. He will apportion his wrath with perfect fairness upon those who have chosen to face it.

Peggy Noonan Nails It In Latest Column: Shows of Strength From Trump and Putin

THIS IS A TERRIFIC PIECE BY NOONAN and well worth a read to the very end. Whatever you think of Trump and Putin,  both comport themselves as strong leaders.  And there's a definite attraction to that that can't be denied or taken away:

By Peggy Noonan Oct. 8,  THOUGHTS ON TWO STRONGMEN @ WSJ:

 Donald Trump has entered his second act. His polls, sometimes characterized as weakening, are in fact strong. As Bloomberg’s John Heilemann said on “Morning Joe,” if Jeb Bush had Mr. Trump’s numbers everyone would declare the race over.

This week Quinnipiac had Mr. Trump solidly leading his GOP rivals in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. A national poll from Reuters/Ipsos had Mr. Trump in the lead with 31%, followed by Ben Carson with 17%. Public Policy Polling had Mr. Trump holding steady nationwide since late August, coming in first at 27%. His support is ideologically broad—35% of tea-party voters and 29% of moderates, according to PPP.

He did better among younger voters and among men (31%) than women (23%). Clever people once said of George H.W. Bush that he reminded women of their first husbands. I never thought so, but Mr. Trump would remind some women of a blustery first husband, or a loudmouth uncle holding forth at Thanksgiving while hogging the sweet potatoes. He continues with high negatives. But for all the dopey, damaging dramas he’s gotten himself into the past few months he’s maintained his position.

Imagine if he’d been disciplined.

The first act was “I’m Here and I’m Yuge.” Now Act II: “I Mean It and I’m Staying.”

He has unveiled a tax plan and come forward as a family man with a seven-page spread in People. He’s emerged as a noninterventionist on the Mideast—“Russia wants to get rid of ISIS. We want to get rid of ISIS. . . . Let them get rid of ISIS. What the hell do we care?” He apparently has decided to stop certain media wars.

To me the virtue of his tax plan is that I can understand it. A friend said, “It’s a total rip-off of Jeb’s plan!” It probably is. But Trump explained Trump’s plan, so people paid attention, and Jeb explained Jeb’s, so they didn’t. Mr. Trump’s economic policies seem to come from indignation—the poor need a break, the rich have a racket. Jeb’s seem to come from a desire for good government. In the current climate indignation beats good government every time.

 More than any candidate Mr. Trump has to hold on to what he has and grow out—steadily—from there. Everyone has to do that, but he most of all because he has to prove every day that he’s not a passing aberration, a wigged-out expression of voter rage. Here is a mystery question. Mr. Trump has been the Republican front-runner for three months. The first voting, in Iowa, is in just more than three and a half months. If Mr. Trump does well in the early contests—if he retains his lead and it starts to look like he can really win the nomination—then at some point it will come down, sharply, to him versus the party establishment. And that establishment, such as it is, will presumably try to kill him. The question: What will that look like? We’ve never seen that before. What will it be to have a party establishment try to kill the guy who’s No. 1 in that party’s polls?

Maybe they think they’ll have golden oppo, but opposition research doesn’t really work on Mr. Trump, mostly because no one has illusions of probity about him. His supporters don’t think he’s a sweet, sinless businessman. They love it that he’s not. The wisdom now, and it’s not stupid, is that as time passes the field will narrow. More candidates will drop out, voters will begin to coalesce behind other front-runners, and suddenly one of them will be polling at 27% or 32%. Various powers will throw their weight behind front-runner No. 2 or 3 or 4. But this year has reminded us to expect the unexpected. Maybe not enough candidates will drop out to make a difference. Maybe the splintered field stays splintered. How then do you stop Mr. Trump? Maybe—again—only Trump stops Trump

The second strongman is Vladimir Putin of Russia, who made a striking impression in a revealing 100-minute interview with Charlie Rose. It took place last month in Mr. Putin’s residence near Moscow, and ran Sept. 27 on “60 Minutes” and in its entirety on Mr. Rose’s PBS show. I speak frequently to those who know or have met Mr. Putin, and the Rose interview captured the individual the most insightful of them have described.

Mr. Putin was confident in his command of information, clever, at times droll, sometimes insistent. He posited himself as a friend of world stability. Russia is in Syria to keep it from becoming what Libya is, a nation in which “all the state institutions are disintegrated.” The Syrian government of Bashar Assad has “the one legitimate conventional army,” and “I want you and your audience to finally realize that no one except for the Assad army is fighting ISIS and other terrorist groups now in Syria.” U.S. efforts have been wanting: “It has to be said frankly this is a very low level of effectiveness. I’m not trying to be sarcastic here. I’m not trying to call someone out or to point fingers.”

Mr. Rose asked if Mr. Putin saw ISIS as a unique terrorist organization. “Well yes, it’s turned into a unique organization because it has become global. Indeed they have the aim to build a caliphate from Portugal to Pakistan.” They are not the jayvee team.

Is he exploiting a vacuum in American leadership? No, said Mr. Putin, he’s trying to prevent a vacuum where the government of Syria should be. “As soon as government agencies are destroyed in a given state . . . that’s when a power vacuum occurs. And at that moment it will be instantly filled by terrorists.” Is Mr. Putin driven by a desire to have Russia play a bigger role in the world? “I’m proud of Russia, that’s true,” he said, but such pride is not an end in itself.

Then an oblique slap at the U.S.: “But we don’t have any obsession with being a superpower in the international arena. We’re involved in only one thing, defending our fundamental interest.” Mr. Rose, noting Mr. Putin had been in the KGB, said, “Someone in Russia told me there is no such thing as a former KGB man.” “You know, not a single stage of our lives passes without a trace,” said Mr. Putin. “All this knowledge we acquire, all the experience, will always remains with us and we carry it further and will use it somewhere. Well, in a sense they are right.”

Asked what he thinks of President Obama, he deflected—coolly. “I don’t think I’m entitled to give any views regarding the president of the United States. . . . Our relations are businesslike. I believe that’s quite sufficient to comply with our functions.”

 Do Mr. Obama’s foreign policy actions “reflect a weakness”? “I don’t think so at all,” said Mr. Putin. “I don’t think that’s the case and I don’t intend to get involved in a domestic American skirmish.”

One got the impression he wished it understood that he doesn’t outfox weaklings, he only beats champs. It was in its way Trumpesque.

On the Fringe of Trendy Nashville, Real Guys Gather for Informal Community On the Fringe of Town

ROGER SIMON @ PJMEDIA MEETS SENATOR TED CRUZ WITH HIS STAFF

THEY'RE THE GOOD GUYS AND KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT MOST EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON HERE. They bring their chairs in pick-up trucks to sit in front of Drew's Market and talk about everything.  They're all down-home conservatives too.

Though they asked me to join them in their make-shift circle of tall  tales, as usual,  I was trying to get back to White Bluff before the traffic on I-40 West got too bad.  Maybe some other day soon though.  Would have loved to have talked about what they think of The Donald, the Iran nuclear deal and gun control---Ha!  As if I didn't know.....

Satan's Subtle Art of Destruction--My Dear Wormwood

By Burk Parsons @ Desiring God
 

IN RECENT MONTHS,  I have found myself reflecting on twenty years of ministry in the church. 

The reflection has inspired me to ponder future years of ministry, if God should sustain me in it. The lessons he continues to teach me are, I believe, not only for pastors and those engaged in vocational ministry, but for all Christians. It is my hope to offer some of these lessons and cautions in a way that is similar to how C.S. Lewis offered his concerns in The Screwtape Letters.

Lewis wrote through the lens of the fictitious Uncle Screwtape, a senior demon who mentored his nephew, Wormwood, in order to tempt and destroy Wormwood’s Christian patient. While we can rest assured that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) — he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4) — we also know that our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). So, I offer the following thoughts to the end that you would not be outwitted by Satan, or be ignorant of his schemes, as you fix your eyes on Christ, the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:1).

My Dear Wormwood

First, encourage your patient to make a name for himself and build his own kingdom. Inspire him to believe his own press — fondle every good thing he hears about himself and his ministry, especially flattery. It shouldn’t be too hard, since we have almost won the battle on this front. It is almost universally accepted now that Christians, and especially pastors, should try to make a name for themselves, build their own kingdoms, and cultivate cult-like followings — always commending their own books and ministry activities, praising themselves, and getting others to do so as well. In sum, convince your patient that our Enemy didn’t really mean what it seems when he said, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1).

Second, seek to persuade your Christian patient that being cool, dressing cool, talking cool, and acting cool really matters. That just the right hair style and just the right look is what can make the difference in the church and ministry, and that being holy and modest is not cool. Acting, dressing, and speaking in a way that doesn’t bring extra attention to yourself is for ordinary people, for uncool people — in short, for losers.

Third, do everything in your power to keep your patient from regular communion with our Enemy, and convince him that being busy in life and ministry is an acceptable excuse not to spend regular time in prayer. If you can, get him to rationalize that because he offers short prayers to the Enemy throughout the day, he doesn’t need to have a dedicated and disciplined time of prayer. And if you can get him to the point where he tells people he prayed for them, without actually praying for them, even better.

Fourth, our Enemy calls himself the “chief shepherd,” and he has called our patient to be a shepherd — a pastor — but you must get this notion out of his head. The Enemy has called him to shepherding, and we must distract him from it. If possible, cause him to despise mundane work. Convince him that he only needs to be a “pulpiteer” or talking head — not a shepherd. Convince him that “preacher” is a legitimate office in the church, and that the daily hard work of pastoring is something from which he can graduate with just a little bit of ministry success. Get him to think that he can someday move beyond dealing with little things and little people in life and ministry.

Fifth, use every scheme available to you to help your patient rationalize the sins in his life that no one sees. Get him to think that keeping up appearances is what matters — not guarding his heart, not caring about what he does when he is alone, or not considering how he treats his wife. Convince him that his public Christianity, his public ministry, is really just a stage play. Convince him that he’s an actor and that he simply needs to act holy, humble, loving, and repentant. He needs to act like he really prays for people, act like he really cares about people’s problems, and act like he is passionate for the Enemy. If you can do all this, you have him right where you want. Get him to think he doesn’t have to examine his heart and that all he has to worry about is not getting caught in secret sin. After all, he’s one of the Enemy’s “special ones,” so he thinks, and too big and important to fall. Rationalization guarantees our long-term success in this regard.

Sixth, persuade him that the ordinary Christian life and the radical Christian life are mutually exclusive, and that he needs to choose a side. Convince him that ordinary is boring and that radical is excessive. Convince him that being ordinary is beneath him, and then convince him that being passionate is amateurish. Thus, leave him slightly bewildered and vacillating. In the end, convince him that he needs to act like and look like the world in order to fit in with the world and win the world. Obscure from him the truth that a radically ordinary life is a great threat to our purpose and mission.

Seventh, convince him that grace is for other people, but not for himself — that grace is for really bad people, but not for pastors. Make him pompous so that he not only thinks he has all the grace he needs from God, but also that he is above receiving grace from others — particularly those he serves. Persuade him to stop fighting for joy in his life, to stop praying for joy, and to think that God doesn’t care if he is joyful because, after all, life is hard and full of complexities and miseries. Be sure to help him realize that not to be joyful is actually a way to trick people into thinking that he is really quite holy and wise.

For G-Boy---Building the 787-9 Dreamliner

END FOR HILLARY? SECRET SERVICE SAY SHE'S A NIGHTMARE TO WORK WITH


A STUNNING TIME-LAPSE ESSAY.

Beware: Trump, Carson and Fiorina Do Not Have Adequate Conservative Credentials

CNBC:  STOCKS STILL IN THE BLACK

THIS IS A SALIENT REMINDER (@ PJMEDIA BY TYLER O"NEIL) TODAY of the real credentials of the current GOP front-runners and well worth a read.  I happen to agree with almost every word.  I'm still baffled by Donald Trump and completely turned off by Carly Fiorina.  She lost me completely when she told Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight show,  Sure!  A Muslim can be president!   Say what!? That was it for me and Carly.  As for Ben Carson,  he's a nice, soft-spoken guy with not a lick of political experience and the thought of him being president keeps me up more than anyone other candidate other than Hillary....(OK,  full disclosure NOTHING keeps me up at night as insomnia is not one of my issues.)

O'Neil writes:

2015 has become the “Year of the Outsider” in the GOP presidential race. First came the audacious and outspoken media mogul Donald Trump. Ben Carson, the subdued neurosurgeon who embodies the American Dream, followed suit. Now, former CEO and Senate candidate Carly Fiorina has galvanized the polls.hese candidates, without a lick of experience in elected office, have taken positions one, two and three in the polls — their support adds up to 52.1 percent in the Real Clear Politics polling data average.

At a time when the Republican-dominated House and Senate seem unable to stop an overreaching liberal president, conservatives have a right to be angry, and many of them are demanding change come from outside Washington, D.C. But these candidates don’t just lack political experience — they lack true conservative credentials.

Donald Trump, Crony Capitalist

The real estate magnate and media mogul has rightly drawn attention to the issue of illegal immigration, but when it comes to fiscal policy and the rule of law, he is no conservative. Donald Trump has built his fortune — the part he didn’t inherit from his father — by making deals with the government to kick out his competition.

“Trump became ‘partners’ with the City of New York to build a hotel in the 1970s — a deal that involved a 40-year property-tax abatement that saved him ‘tens of millions of dollars,’” explained National Review’s Robert VerBruggen. This “tax abatement” proves no different than a government subsidy, not unlike the millions of dollars the Obama administration gave to the failing solar company Solyndra.

In the 1990s, Trump petitioned the government of Connecticut to condemn five Bridgeport businesses so that he could use the land to build “a $350 million combined amusement park, shipping terminal and seaport village and office complex,” reported Mediaite’s Andrew Kirell. Would Trump no longer be considered a “winner” if it was well-known that Connecticut refused him on this?

Trump also lost out on using eminent domain to buy an Atlantic City woman out of her home to build a parking lot and waiting area for his hotel’s limousines. As Kirell noted, “the widow refused to sell her property, so Trump spent years under the guise of ‘eminent domain’ trying to get the government to pry the woman’s land for his private use.”

As Richard Anderson explained on Ricochet, the key element of Trump’s crony capitalism is regulation. “The more regulated a sector, the easier it becomes to run to Washington, or the state capitals, with requests for special waivers, preferences, and deferrals,” Anderson explained. As the government gets bigger and regulations become more complex, businesses are required to navigate the system, bribing their way to success in the market.

Needless to say, conservatives do not believe in allowing government — and by extension those who bribe government officials — this much control. They support private property rights and favor a more restrained use of political power. Even if Trump had not supported single payer healthcare in the past, or identified as a Democrat, or given to Hillary Clinton’s campaign and foundation, etc., he still should be an unacceptable choice to free market conservatives.

In the latest presidential debate, Trump was asked about his comment that when he gives money to elected officials,“they do whatever the hell you want them to do.” His response? “You’d better believe it.” Rampant corruption? Sign me up.

Ben Carson, Political Novice

Dr. Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon raised in the Detroit ghetto, has a truly inspiring story of achieving the American Dream. He speaks slowly, clearly and respectfully, with all the deference that Trump lacks. These are, alas, his only political virtues.

Carson speaks about his faith, the virtue of his mother and the errors of President Obama. Unfortunately, his talking points are very sparse on policy. The neurosurgeon seems to be running not so much on a political platform, but on his own personal appeal.

The Blaze’s Matt Walsh critiqued the hint of policy proposals Dr. Carson has put forth and found them wanting.

“I like that he’s pro-life, but he’s also been very confusing on the subject,” Walsh explained. Carson has often suggested that some women “avail themselves” of the abortion pill. “He’s also admitted that in his medical practice he did research on an aborted child and referred women to doctors who perform abortions.”

While Carson supports a flat tax, “he really won’t talk about entitlement spending at all.” Carson’s tax reform would bring in less money than the system needs. Walsh, like most conservatives, supports reform to shrink the size of government, but Carson has said nothing on the subject.

Foreign policy may be Carson’s most obvious weakness. When asked about the root cause of strife in the Middle East, he traced it back to “Jacob and Esau,” not Isaac and Ishmael — the two figures who generally represent Jews and Arabs — and not the establishment of the Jewish state. Carson also did not know that the Baltic states – Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia — are already part of NATO.

Walsh’s most serious critique of Carson, however, centered on his faith. Walsh recalled a quote Carson posted on Facebook around Easter: “Jesus was a man of values and principles, and he ended up being crucified for it. But, he rose again to advocate godly principles.”

“Jesus wasn’t a man who was crucified ‘for his principles’ and then came back to ‘advocate principles,’” Walsh explained. “He was and is the Son of the Living God who died on the cross and rose from the dead to bring salvation to mankind.”

For a candidate like Ben Carson, whose primary base of support is evangelical Christians, to screw up such an essential part of Christian doctrine is indeed astounding. But, as the New York Times’ Ross Douthat explains, evangelical voters have a weakness for the “low on specifics, high on godliness” pitch.

“The evangelical tendency has been to look for a kind of godly hero, a Christian leader who could win the White House and undo every culture-war defeat,” Douthat argues. Unfortunately, political and cultural changes do not usually come from one powerful individual, but “from networks, institutions, interest groups,” and require “strategy, alliance-building and steady pressure.”

Evangelicals should wake up and move on from Ben Carson. He cannot articulate the Christian faith, and there isn’t any evidence he would be an effective proponent of conservative policies.

Carly Fiorina, Failed CEO

In the 2010 California U.S. Senate Republican primary, a grassroots conservative upstart challenged a moderate establishment candidate. The grassroots conservative was Chuck DeVore and the establishment candidate was Carly Fiorina. John McCain and Lindsey Graham endorsed Fiorina, while Jim DeMint endorsed DeVore.

Fiorina outspent DeVore 3 to 1 in the primary, and then went on to lose badly to Senator Barbara Boxer in the general election. What caused this Republican to lose badly in a wave year for the GOP? Her business record at Hewlett-Packard (HP).

In September 2010, Carly Fiorina was running surprisingly close to Barbara Boxer, but then Boxer released an ad about Fiorina’s time at HP. Fiorina’s poll numbers plummeted and never fully recovered. As the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza said, “the ad functioned as a sort of knock-out punch for Boxer even in a year where Republicans claimed victories all across the country.”

“As the CEO of HP, Carly Fiorina laid off 30,000 workers,” the ad declares. Then it pans to footage of Fiorina, who says, “when you’re talking about massive layoffs, which we did…perhaps the work needs to be done somewhere else.” Then the ad explains where the jobs went: China.

“As Californians lost their jobs, Fiorina tripled her salary, bought a million dollar yacht, five corporate jets.” Then the damning tagline — Fiorina saying “I’m proud of what I’ve done at HP.”

Even worse, PolitiFact rated the claim “mostly true,” since Fiorina did lay off 30,000 workers.

The way Fiorina herself tells the story, she turned HP around and was fired because she challenged the status quo. In reality, she pushed a controversial merger with Compaq, got her way and hurt the company. When Fiorina took over, HP’s stock price was $55 a share; it dropped to a little less than $20 a share under her leadership.

There are good reasons why Fiorina shows up on lists of the worst CEOs in recent history. Notable lists come from Moneywatch, USA Today’s American Ouster and ABC News. CNBC ranked her the 19th worst CEO of all time.

In the words of Townhall’s John Hawkins, “if you think it wouldn’t be incredibly effective to point out that Fiorina fired 30,000 workers, tanked the price of the company’s stock, damaged Hewlett-Packard so badly that it has yet to recover and STILL walked away with 100 million dollars for being one of the worst CEOs of all time, you’re kidding yourself.”

Finally, Fiorina’s stances on certain positions reveal she is no conservative. As RedState reported in the 2010 race, she voiced qualified support for Obama’s stimulus, backed the Wall Street bailouts, did not reverse her previous support for an internet sales tax and did not retract her master’s thesis, which advocated greater federal control of local education. She also backed the California DREAM Act, which grants in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, and cap & trade.

“If you’re backing Carly Fiorina, you’re backing a 0-1, establishment moderate who was an epic failure at the one thing that is supposed to qualify her for the presidency,” Hawkins declared. She may have impressive foreign policy answers and a presidential demeanor, but she is no true conservative.

Conclusion

If you want to support a conservative change agent for 2016, you still have good options. Three senators, Ted Cruz (R, Texas), Rand Paul (R, Kentucky) and Marco Rubio (R, Florida), have solid conservative records and strong plans to restrain the size and scope of the federal government. Some governors, like Bobby Jindal (R, Louisiana), have reformed their tax codes and achieved real change. Please note that none of this should be taken as an endorsement.

Besides, is it logical to choose a candidate with zero experience in elected office, and make that person president of the United States?

As Real Clear Politics’ Carl M. Cannon wrote, “Would any of the three political novices allow, say, Chris Christie or Jeb Bush, perform brain surgery on them? The answer is: of course not. So why is politics the only profession in which it’s logical to start at the very top?”

“Would Ben Carson advise an aspiring physician to skip medical school because he doesn’t like the way the nation’s health care system is run?”

By all means, support a candidate who will challenge the status quo and bring conservative change to Washington — just make sure that person is a true conservative. Trump, Carson, and Fiorina aren’t.

Good piece.  Ted Cruz is still my man.  Marco Rubio is a far second.

Sunday--The Original Serenity Prayer

5 WICKED WOMEN OF THE BIBLE YOU MAY NOT KNOW

AFTER CHURCH TODAY, I LUNCHED WITH MY ADORABLE DAUGHTER. 

IT'S SEVERAL DAYS AHEAD OF HER BIRTHDAY. I always like to hear what the real---not just superficial---issues are in her life. Today I added, anything special you want for your birthday, Daughter-O-Mine?

She was very quick and forceful in asking for two things: One, a girly, fashion item, a request that's easy to find and fulfill.

But second and more importantly, she asked me to find and have printed and framed the original Serenity Prayer. She said, "Mom, it was once on your blog, and I went back to look for it but couldn't find it..." Will you please find it and frame it for me?"

This is the kind of request any mother loves, loves, loves to find and fulfill. It's a prayer we all need daily, hourly, and sometimes minute-by-minute.  Certainly, I do.  It's the stuff of  real life and maturity.  I believe one of the greatest breakthroughs in life is realizing we're sinners in need of a Savior, and that we can't make it on our own.  We need God.  We need Christ.  We need the Holy Spirit.

So here, without further ado, is the full Serenity Prayer for all to read, meditate on and be changed and matured by, one day at a time.  Happy Birthday, Dear Daughter:

The Serenity Prayer

The full text of the original "Serenity Prayer" written by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

GOD, grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,

Courage to change the
things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the
pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this
sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make
all things right if I
surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy
in this life, and supremely
happy with Him forever in
the next.

Amen

 Also,  I saw this on Tim Challies site and  think it goes well with the full Serenity Prayer:

Be Kind to Your Little Children

September 27, 2015

Be kind to Your little children, Lord.
Be a gentle teacher,
patient with our weakness and stupidity.
And give us the strength and discernment to do what You tell us,
and so grow in Your likeness.
May we all live in the peace that comes from You.
May we journey towards Your city,
sailing through the waters of sin untouched by the waves,
borne serenely along by the Holy Spirit.
Night and day may we give you praise and thanks,
because You have shown us that all things belong to You,
and all blessings are gifts from You.
To You,
the essence of wisdom,
the foundation of truth,
be glory for evermore.

(A prayer of Clement of Alexandria)

The Way of All Predators And Trespassers

DON SURBER:  EVEN THE MUPPETS CAN'T SURVIVE THE NEW CRAPPY CENTURY  

 
THIS MORNING I READ A BOOK REVIEW @ PJMEDIA on a newly-released book called  The Well-Armored Child, A Parent's Guide To Preventing Child Sexual Abuse by Joelle Casteix Page, an author with first-hand knowledge of child sexual abuse herself at the hands of an adult predator.  As a grandmother of two small children,  my eyes and ears perk up when I see an article like this.  I want to get the book to read, then send it on to their parents, my children.

It's a good review of abuse and how an abuser gets his or her foot in the door of a child's, pre-teen's or teenager's young heart and life and selfishly takes and trespasses on what doesn't belong to them. Some of the information isn't new, but overall the article and book is a good way to review the fundamentals of abuse.

Which got me to thinking:  the same principles of child sexual abuse apply to any and all other kinds of adult abuses.  When you get right down to it,  abuse is abuse is another name for trespass, be it sexual, or any kind of property.

In almost all cases of abuse and trespass, there is an unequal balance of power---as in adult-child---which precludes activity on an even playing field. Here are some of the most important things to remember about abuse and trespasses of all kinds, at all ages:

1. The abuser/trespasser befriends his perspective victim, gaining his trust, usually over time---months and often years---ahead of the abuse or trespass.

2.  The abuser/trespasser then leads and grooms the victim over time and misplaced trust to begin to want what the abuser wants.

3. The abuser/trespasser  claims the abuse/trespass is consensual and that both parties agree and want it. (As in, that eight-year-old boy wanted sex with that 30 year-old-pedophile and it was totally consensual....His mother and father totally approved his going with this predator to that game etc.)

4. In every way possible, the abuser/trespasser documents the victim's consent and approval of his disgusting behavior.

For predators and trespassers who successfully accomplish such 'foreplay', it's like taking candy from a baby.

If only all adults could and would remember these basic principles of being preyed upon,  life might begin to be easier, and lawyers wouldn't have nearly so much business.

Again, predators befriend, groom, get consensual approval for their horrific actions from their victims.  All abuse and trespass follows the same general patterns no matter what form it takes.

Carry on.

Down Memory Lane---Oprah Interviews Donald Trump 25 Years Ago

IT'S REALLY RATHER CHARMING. Trump has a bit softer edges and a little less bombastic ego. Still, once a Trump, always a Trump. Thanks CA for sending this.

Sunday, The Goal of the Gospel---Freedom In Christ

 

GALATIANS AND THE GOAL OF THE GOSPEL---By Bob Deffinbaugh  

A FEW YEARS AGO, I was asked to visit an elderly couple who desired to be baptized in the church where I served. I went to visit them to discuss this matter, as I always do, and as we also do as a church.

On the door was a sign printed in five languages. Although I did not understand the languages, I discerned that “Keep Out” was the essence of the message. After knocking I was cordially invited in and after some small talk, I pursued to the purpose of my visit. “Tell me why you want to be baptized,” I inquired. “Well,” the husband responded, “you see my wife and I are getting along in years. We have done nearly everything we can think of to make certain that we are going to heaven, but we have not yet been baptized. We thought that we would not leave any stone unturned, and so we would like your church to baptize us.”

Needless to say, after trying to make a clear presentation of the gospel, I had to inform this couple that I could not baptize them under such circumstances. To them, baptism was a minor inconvenience but well worth the effort if there was any chance that it would enhance their spiritual well-being.

The Galatian Christians looked at circumcision in a similar light. They viewed it as a ritualistic act, which although painful and inconvenient, was a small price to pay to be more spiritual. There are, of course, significant differences between the circumstances in the Galatian churches of Paul’s day and the situation of this couple. The Galatian saints were saved and wanted only to enhance their spiritual standing. The couple with whom I spoke were not saved, and were trying to earn salvation by the “work” of baptism. Furthermore, baptism is not associated with additional duties and obligations. This couple would be no better off, nor any worse off, for having been baptized.

READ THE REST

Ragweed---Bane of September Existence

EVERYWHERE YOU WALK, BREATHE AND HAVE YOUR BEING,  THERE IT IS. If you like to sneeze, then come on down. I have to say, however, my hay-fever is about 1,000% better than it was twenty years ago. I'll be out in it much of the weekend.

Let's Watch the Debate

TRUMP: ILLEGALS TREATED BETTER THAN VETERANS REAGAN LIBRARY REPORT #1: ROGER SIMON ON RAND PAUL MISSING TARGET ON 
SIMON REPORT #2--THE DOCTOR ANSWERS THE QUESTION
IRAN  
IF ALL GOES WELL,  I'LL MAKE A FEW COMMENTS ALONG THE WAY unless I'm struck dumb, left speechless and need time to recover.

So far,  Trump, Fiorino and Carson rule.  Ted Cruz shines on the catastrophic Iranian deal.  He's so right.

Rand Paul, Jeb Bush just ain't got enough appeal to get me to consider giving them my vote. Jeb's attempt to get Donald to apologize to his Hispanic wife is cringe-worthy. Trump's calling out Bush on his support for Common Core is a smart move.

Marco Rubio and Scott Walker are just so-so, though Rubio is getting better as the night grinds on.

I love Mike Huckabee being Mike Huckabee though he isn't a front-runner. Trump nails the reality that President Obama lacks courage....Cruz turns up the heat again on about the disastrous Iran agreement.

I love Mike Huckabee and his stand on judicial tyranny and religious accommodation!

Cruz calls a spade a spade on the criminal enterprise of Planned Parenthood. Chris Christie goes after Hillary Clinton and her giving Obama a pass.  I admit I like Christie but  not for president,

Carly is on a tear, kicking butt though she can ramp it up to sound harsh when she gets going.

Like hearing Huckabee talk about the Fair Tax on consumption rather than production. I like to hear Carson on the Flat tax and two minimum wages---interesting idea.

Marco Rubio gets better and better however,  this is not his election cycle.  He'll be back and dominate in a future year.

Getting sleepy---it's past my bedrime, so will wind it up for now.

Ladies, Look At This Face

CARLY FIORINA MAKES LEMONADE FROM THE LEMONS THE DONALD MOST UNGRACIOUSLY TOSSED HER. She does it with class, style and not a bit of sourness. Way to go, Carly!

Two Babies Talk Life After Delivery

THIS IS CLEVER AND POIGNANT, IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T READ IT:  H/T


IN A MOTHER'S WOMB were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?”  The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”

“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”

Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”

Sunday--Humility and Lowliness of Spirit

WHY CHRISTIANITY IS SURGING IN HEART OF ISLAM
THREE WAYS WE FIGHT FOR OUR FAMILIES

HUMILITY AND LOWLINESS OF SPIRIT QUALIFY us for friendly communion and intercourse with God in Christ.  Pride makes God our enemy (1 Peter 5:5).  Our happiness here and hereafter depends on our friendly intercourse with heaven. If we have not that, nothing can make up our loss (Psalm 30:5).  If we have that, nothing can make us miserable (Rom. 8:31), 'If God be for us, who can be against us?'  Now, who are they whom God is for, but the humble and lowly?' They who being in Christ are so made like him. He blesses them, and declares them the heirs of the crown of glory:  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven' (Matt. 5:3)  He will look to them, be their condition ever so low, while he overlooks others (Isa. 57:15).  He will have respect to them, however they be despised: 'Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect to the lowly; but the proud he knowth afar off' (Ps. 138:6).  He will dwell with them, however poorly they dwell (Isa. 57:15). He will certainly exalt them in due time, however low they lie now (Isa 40:4).

Now, is it not better to be qualified for communion with God, than to have him engaged against us, at any rate?

Humility is a duty pleasing to God, pride a sin pleasing to the devil (Isa. 57:15; 1 Tim. 3:6).  God requires us to be humble, especially under affliction, 'and be clothed with humility' (1 Pet. 5:5, 6).  That is our becoming garment.  The humble Publican was accepted, the proud Pharisee rejected. We may say of the generation of the proud, as 'Wrath is come upon them to the uttermost' (1 Thess. 2:16).  They please neither God nor man, but only themselves and Satan, whom they resemble in it.  Now duty is better than sin at any rate.

They whose spirits are brought down to their afflicted lot, have much quiet and repose of mind, while the proud, that must have their lot brought  up to their mind, have much disquiet, trouble and vexation..

The spirit brought down to the lot makes and maintains this inward tranquillity.  Our whole trouble in our lot in the world rises from the disagreement of our mind therewith; let the mind be brought to the lot, and the whole tumult is instantly hushed;  let it be kept in the disposition, and the man shall stand at ease in his affliction, like a rock unmoved with waters beating on it (Col. 3:15). 'And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called'.

---Thomas Boston, The Crook in the Lot, Living With that Thorn in Your Side, 1737

Saying Adios Amigo to Bob Dornan A Jackson Hole Original and Real Western Man

 

(PLEASE NOTE, A PIECE OF MY KEYBOARD WENT OUT LAST WEEKEND, MAKING IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO POST. The part has been ordered and should be in and fixed by next week. Till then,  posting will be light. Thanks for coming by.)

 I WAS CRAZY ABOUT BOB DORNAN OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS I KNEW HIM IN JACKSON HOLE, AND HE WAS FOND OF ME TOO. Every person who knew him had tales to tell. This summer when I was out in Moose having lunch at Dornan's, I learned Bob was gravely ill with only hours to weeks to live. I moped around for days afterwards. Bob died last week after a very full life and very happy marriage, and I want to post what came out today in the Jackson Hole News and Guide: 

  By Johanna Love

One day several decades ago Sen. Alan Simpson came upon his childhood pal Bob Dornan outside of Dornan’s Wine Shoppe in Moose. Dornan was stomping on cardboard boxes, flattening them to recycle. Dumbfounded at the sight, Simpson said, “What the hell are you doing?”

 As always, Dornan didn’t mince words. “He said, ‘You just help me, you big bastard,’” Simpson recalled. “‘You got a size 16, just get in here and help.’”

 Recycling was important to Dornan, working in the shadow of the Tetons at Dornan’s, his family’s cluster of businesses in Moose: a restaurant, grocery, gift shop, sports shop, bar, wine shop and outfitting operation.

On Sept. 2 Dornan, the public face of Dornan’s, died at home. He was 86. His friends remember him as smart, genuine and funny, with a wealth of knowledge about many subjects, especially wine.

He was “interested and interesting,” friend and former bar manager Amy Brennan McCarthy said. “You could sit over lunch and talk about geology, about the economy,” McCarthy said. “Of course you could talk about the wine.

He was an absolute gem of a human being with an open heart and an open mind.” Simpson, famous for his own gift of gab, said Dornan was a born conversationalist, which came in handy for the millions of people who flowed through Dornan’s. “He had a way of communicating with people,” Simpson said, “from the janitor to the popes and the potentates. He had a heart as big as his body.”

When Mary Howley Ryan began working for Dornan in the Spur Bar in 1992, she was surprised by his willingness to chat. She was impressed that he didn’t talk down to a young 20-something woman, that he cared about what she had to say and engaged her in discussions. “You didn’t just work for Bob,” she said, “he kind of adopted you. It was like a family.”

 Educated as an engineer, Dornan was a lifelong learner. He first picked up the wine bug in the 1960s, touring California vineyards with his father, Jack. For the past 30 years Dornan’s Wine Shoppe manager Dennis Johnson was an attentive pupil, soaking up Dornan’s wisdom as they tasted various varietals. “He taught me almost everything I know about wine,” Johnson said. “He just believed in a good glass of wine every day, or a good bottle.” A favorite grape was Zinfandel. “He said if he could only drink one wine for the rest of his life, it would be zinfandel,” Johnson said.

Read the whole piece.

Let it suffice to say,  I and hundreds of others will greatly miss  this rough yet good-hearted man. But no one will miss Bob like Dennis Johnson, my friend and fellow fly fisher who managed Dornan's Wine Shoppe for Bob decades.

Adios amigo.

CANCELED: Nashville Mayoral Candidate Megan Barry Is Sponsoring A Planned Parenthood Fundraiser October 1 in West Nashville

PBS OMBUDSMAN:  GWEN IFIL'S SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS TO PBS CREDIBILITY, BUT REALLY, DOES ANYONE STILL WATCH THE NEWS HOUR ANYMORE?

5 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE PLANNED PARENTHOOD VIDEOS

(ABOVE, MEGAN BARRY AT LEAST FOUR YEARS AGO)

IT'S HARD TO FATHOM HOW OR WHY ANY SERIOUS CANDIDATE FOR POLITICAL OFFICE at this point in time, would help sponsor a Planned Parenthood fund raising event after the released videos and  undercover expose of the organization's depraved murdering and selling of fetal body parts often of full-term children in the womb.

But Nashville ultra-liberal mayoral candidate Megan Barry, along with her husband Bruce of the TN ACLU, is doing just that.  On October 1, less than a month after the election on September 10, she's co-sponsoring a big event at the GJCC---the Jewish Community Center in West Nashville---to help raise money for Planned Parenthood.

I cannot help but think this is going to hurt her chances for being elected mayor, unless Nashville is even bluer and more uber-liberal now than I think.  God help us if she's elected. The event at the JCC is entitled AMUSE BOUCHE....amusing indeed. But, HEY!, with a little wine,  it'll all go down with tidbits of gaiety as patrons chit-chat about hacked body parts and stem cells sauvignon..

Dawn of a New Day

     

EARLY MORNING UNDER THE DAM OF THE SOHO which is habitat for the smartest fish in the world. It takes patience, perseverance, and focus to catch these fish at this time of year after all the pressure they've been under. You also have to use the smallest of flies (16-22) with the tiniest of tippet (6x-7x) in the slickest tail water fishery in America. A major challenge all aroun and always humbling. .Fortunately, some of my favorite former  fishing guides and colleagues in Jackson Hole fixed me up with a pair of boots that help wading here on the SOHO be much safer... felt soles with steel studs. DUCKS ON THE WATER....

Our Gordian Knots Need Jesus The Great

BY JON BLOOM AT DESIRING GOD

PHRYGIA WAS AN ANCIENT kingdom in what is now central Turkey. According to legend, once upon a time Phrygia was without a king. One day, a pagan oracle declared that the next man to drive an ox-cart into Phrygia’s capital city, Telmissus, would be the new king. That man was a farmer named Gordias.

Gordias’s son, Midas (who later became the king with the golden touch), decided to honor his newly exalted father by dedicating the ox-cart to the Phrygian god, Sabazios, and he tied it to a pole using a knot so complex that it was considered impossible to untie — the Gordian Knot. Another oracle pronounced that the one who would solve the riddle of the knot would rule Asia.

Centuries went by and the ox-cart remained securely tied to the pole. Then Alexander the Great came, conquered, and happened upon the knot. Being the decisive warrior-leader he was, he dispensed with the inscrutable knot by slicing through it with his sword. And he went on to conquer Asia.

The Gordian Knot has become a parabolic symbol of intractable complex problems and Alexander’s sword (c. 333 BC) has been a parabolic symbol for decisive, out-of-the box leadership solutions.

Our Gordian Knots

In the kingdom of our souls, we each have our Gordian Knots, don’t we? Some of them are impenetrable intellectual quandaries over God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, the nature of suffering, the origin of evil, God’s eternality, the Trinity, and so on. We press on these and discover our limits and hopefully learn to exult with Paul in saying,

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (Romans 11:33)

The more painful knots are the complex spiritual, emotional, and psychological entanglements of indwelling sin or the temperamental weakness, disability, circumstantial adversity, and traumatic past experiences. Combined together, these often shape how we think and what we do in ways that confound us.

We try to untangle them. We try to figure them out. But the more we work at them, the more complex we find the knots to be. Counseling and certain kinds of therapies can certainly help us the same way teachers, discussions, and books can help with intellectual struggles.
Counseling will only help us to a point. Therapy doesn’t possess the power to cure us. We discover our limits. And we cry out with Paul,

“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). Who can untie these sin-permeated, hopelessly intertwined knots of pain?

None of us can. The most gifted human pastor, counselor, or psychological expert is unable to fully untie the knots that entangle us. Nor can any of us make a sword ourselves that will cut through them.

Our Conqueror Has the Sword

The answer to our cry is the same answer Paul declares in the next verse:

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25)

There is one who can solve the riddle of our Gordian Knots. He is the conqueror. “He is called . . . The Word of God” and “from his mouth comes a sharp sword” (Revelation 19:13, 15). And with that sword, all that is sinful in us and all that is part of the futility of this age (Romans 8:20) will be cut away.

On Cavalry, Jesus the Great dealt the decisive blow upon every sinful knot of every saint who would ever belong to him. In this age, every promise of God is yes in Christ and has power to cut through our knots with truths and set us free, if we will believe them (2 Corinthians 1:20, John 8:32). And in the age to come, every Eden-induced Gordian Knot will have been destroyed.

Loose the Sword on Your Knots

Some knots you will never be able to untie on your own. But there is one who can undo them. Jesus, the Creator of our bodies and psyche, the Maker of our souls, the One who really knows how we’re wired and what we need, essentially counsels one primary thing for our troubled hearts: “Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). Jesus wants us to look to him, listen to him, and trust in him.

The key to dealing with our Gordian Knots is not ultimately introspection and analysis. Effective counseling and therapies will aim to help us see more clearly what lies are interfering with our believing in Jesus so we can counter them. But the key to freedom, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) that will cut through the knots of lies, is believing Jesus’s words (John 8:32, John 15:7).

The words of Christ are living and active and the sharpest sword (Hebrews 4:12) and in him every promise of God is yes for us. He alone will set us free (John 8:32).

Fox For Nashville's Latest '8 Years, Megan' Ad

I VOTED TODAY FOR DAVID FOX.

He will make a much better mayor than Megan Barry ever can.

Megan voted to raise the property tax rate on homeowners 13%, costing taxpayers over a hundred million dollars....She voted to massively increase government spending---by $398 million---but failed to spend it wisely....Funds that pay for pension and health care benefits owed to Metro employees are $3.1 billion in the red. That's not good for retirees, and it's not good for taxpayers who are on the hook for it...Megan Barry won't be good for Nashville. BTW, great ad above David!

Friday: Is Stock Market Turbulance Over Or Just Beginning?

MEGYN KELLY, FIRST CASUALTY OF TRUMP'S 'ASSYMETRIC' WAR ON FOX NEWS?

(ABOVE, THE FED MEETING---SCHEDULE---COMES TO SMOKY JACKSON HOLE---PHOTO JHNEWS)

WHILE I DON'T PRETEND TO BE THE ULTRA-SMART MONEY, I've thought since the great market rout of 2007-2009, and subsequent housing crash that followed, we've been living in an artificially propped up economy for the last few years that would eventually crash to epic levels of pain and suffering. Markets have been manipulated for years.

Are we now at the bottom? Or are global markets just rehearsing for greater drops ahead? Only time will tell, but our federal debt and spending is becoming unsustainable, the Federal Reserve is out of the quick fixes of lowering interest rates any further---how much lower can you go from ZERO, ZIRP?---the Chinese economy is coming back to Planet Earth after years of flying high and finally consumer debt is at all time highs.

We've been living the euphoric high-life that we thought would never end. My own opinion is that the financial crisis----and a totally new chapter in global markets---is just getting started. The good times may not be completely over, but they are slowly grinding to a halt. In other words, caution is advised on all fronts, including paying down debt and tightening our belts. I would also SELL the bounces right now, rather than BUY them. Major volatility is not our friend.

Prudence is the order of the day and  should always be. Sure, we may have some more bounces, especially if the FED gives the markets what it wants---assurance that interest rate hikes are not imminent.  But overall, FED valium won't be the last word or any kind of saving grace.

Here is a fascinating article at ZeroHedge today on what China's U.S. Treasury liquidation means to our economy.   It's well-worth a read to contemplate what a $1 trillion QE in reverse might mean to us in the months ahead.

Later Today: Why I Endorse David Fox For Mayor and What I've Learned From Being A Successful Mediator

       
BUSY, BUSY DAY TODAY  but I intend to get back later to talk more about why I support David Fox for mayor and will vote for him in early polling next week.

I also want to talk about what I have learned about mediation from decades of being a court mediator ahead of the mediation I will participate in Wednesday with Mike Shmerling and Abe's Garden. From much experience,  I know what  makes for success and what dooms a process even before it begins.   One thing is for sure:  I don't fall for stunts and heavy-handed tactics before a good faith mediation begins. No one should.  But that doesn't mean some people won't try.

In my years of being a mediator with a very good track record,  I've seen truly amazing things be resolved in the most creative ways. I've witnessed much healing take place even after years of conflict.  I've seen people walk away saying it was almost miraculous what took place during mediation. On the other hand, some things---especially when a participant takes a winner-take-all, terrorist attitude---simply can't be successfully mediated or mediated at all. Some people go into mediation thinking it's a mini trial. It's not.  Mediation is about finding win-win solutions and trying to help the other person achieve what they most care about.

Again,  mediation, to be successful, is  a win-win game.  There are those people who can't get their minds around that concept.

It's an entirely different process.  Mediation works in  90% of the cases I've mediated, but you've got to put your guns down and leave them at the door.

Guess we'll see what happens Wednesday.  ******* UPDATE: Our mediation failed to reach a win-win agreement, so we'll be heading to trial in late November.

Sunday Thought

PASTOR JOHN PIPER: REFLECTIONS ON A PLANNED PARENTHOOD PROTEST

IS THIS TRUE FOR YOU? It certainly is for me.

Once a man or woman really understands the nature of sin---a self-inspired narrative in which we write the script of our lives and leave the Almighty God out---and begin to repent, it gets easier to see more and more of the unredeemed aspects of our lives.

 FROM CHALLIES

No Commentary Needed, As DOW Torpedos Down 530 Points

A BOUNCE WILL COME, BUT IT COULD BE ONLY A  QUICKIE.

Carrington Speaks On Behalf of Husband David Fox's Run for Nashville Mayor

SURE, SHE'S BIASED. FOR GOOD REASONS. Carrington is smart, capable and accomplished in her own right, and she knows a good man when she sees him. She knows a good candidate when she sees one.

David Fox will do a great job for Nashville in prosperous times as well as downturns in the economy. He knows that prosperity isn't just about spending more, more, more, full steam ahead. Prosperity is a way of life that takes into account the various global economic cycles that inevitably come or will come. It means living within one's means and growing too.

Lefty Megan Barry naively thinks that David's is a mindset of austerity, but she's just plain wrong. It's a mindset of wisdom and sustained prosperity in good times and bad. Hers will bring train wrecks down the road. Megan will run city government with extremely partisan and special interest cronies and insiders from the left and the far left.