Your vote counts!

If you didn't vote early or today, shame on you! Voting is a civic duty and privilege--a privilege a lot of folks in our day and age would like to have. Lots of our blood has been shed trying to make those dreams come true in our own country and others.

You shame your heritage when you don't vote.

Your vote counts!

Presidential Preference Voting Under Way

Georgia's Presidential Preference election is under way. You can vote at the Dacula Activity Center on Old Auburn Road. Please take the time to find a presidential candidate you can support and vote for. This election is that important.

SOPA, Protect-IP, Hispan TV, Cordoba Television and You

If you are reading this blog post, you are an agent of change. Right now Congress is discussing and debating two bills, SOPA and Protect-IP, that will limit what you may do in the emerging area of blogging and free speech.

Stop Online Piracy (SOPA) and Protect-IP are both initiatives of the entertainment industry--yes the same industry that sued to stop production of the first VCR machinces.

Essentially, the industry wants the power (of government) used to stop any infringements of copyrighted materials, even those inadvertently put up on the internet. They want the government to impose sentences of up to 5 years imprisonment and thousands of dollars in fines for example if you upload a picture of your dog, and in the background a copyright song is playing.

Wow!

These two bills are racing through Congress, and if enacted, will put a damper on free speech, the Constitution be damned.

Well what about Hispan TV and Cordoba Television. They are new television networks located in Spain with the sole goal of spreading Muslim teachings to the Americas, both North and South.

Both these networks are dedicated to the destruction of the United States and you and me, simply because first we are Americans and secondly some of us are Christians.

What is the Obama administration doing to counter this propaganda. Absolutely, nothing.

As an agent of change, I am encouraging you to use your current freedom to contact your Congressional delegates and demand that they vote down SOPA and Protect-IP. Remember you are fighting corporations who believe they have the right to tell you how you can use your free speech right. They are big contributors to Congress, so take a minute to find your Congressman and Senator and drop them a couple of dollars too. Is that too cynical? I think not when I look at our current crop of movie and entertainment stars. Why in the world do young folks even consider them role models. If you want a role model, look for the person who builds up and doesn't tear down. Look for a role model who respects people, not for one who destroys. Look for kindness not cruelty. Look to you own faith tradition rather than be swayed by some radical TV network.

Get out there and make a difference.

Tumult near Bethlehem

It might have been reported this way:

Jerusalem, December 24

This reporter has reliable information that a miraculous event took place near Bethlehem today. Numerous shepherds in the field with their sheep report brilliant lights in the night sky. Some shepherds report seeing angels and hearing them say that the "Christ is born today in Bethlehem."

King Herod's information officer reports that all is quiet in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

This reporter reminds the reader that the Prophet Micah wrote that the Shepherd would be born in Bethlehem. I am on my way to interview these shepherds. As news breaks, I'll keep you informed.

Crowds larger, night sky brighter

It could have been reported this way:

Bethlehem: December 19

The stir around the census continues to grow as more and more descendents of David arrive in Bethlehem for the census ordered by Emperor Augustus. Already crowded family homes strive to host more and more people each day.

Coupled with the large influx of visitors, the odd light in the night sky is disrupting the autumnal lambing season. David, an area shepherd, said, "the ewes get confused sometimes thinking it's time to graze because the night is so bright. Funny isn't it, these lambs will be used for Temple services, yet we who look after them have to be purified before we can join in the celebrations of the Feast of Tabernacles."

New light in the sky

Maybe it could have been reported this way:

Jerusalem: December 15
People in Jerusalem are all agog over the light display in the night sky. King Herod's spokesperson said that priest, scribes, and astrologers are studying the newly discovered light to find any facts about the new "star." The Scribes have been studying holy scripture and haven't found a description of this new star.

Governor Sulpicius Quirinius said, from somewhere in the field with the XXth Legion in Syria, "it appears to be a flux in the light from a previously dim star. It is of no concern to Rome."

Report from Bethlehem

Maybe it could have been this way...

Jerusalem: December 13
Small villages all across Judah are experiencing larger than normal visitors. This reporter is in Bethlehem, a small village about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. The reason for this is the imperial edict of a new census. Mathais, the person in charge, for the Roman government said, "the census will give the government a more accurate number of the people living in Judah and will be the basis of the amount of taxes due each year to Rome."

Tax collectors say that the census effort will continue through the rest of the month, and people are required to register in their tribal homeland/villages. For people who have moved from their tribal areas, it will mean, in many cases, long distance travel and trying to find lodging while completing the census procedure. Census travelers are urged to contact their relatives for living space while in Bethlehem.