seriouslyscorpio

thoughts of the moment and of my life

Category Archives: ethics/morals/equality/fairness


by

DON AND CHRIS…..FRESHENING UP THE REPUBLICAN PARTY


Been waiting to see the comments begin after Don and Chris came into the running for the next Republican President.   Have long enjoyed their banter, full of truths that no one will come near to discuss.  Their desire is strong, their character more open and upstanding than those so quickly to either attack or walk away from their statements.  I am not so dim that I do not see they are in need of speech writers who are cut from the same cloth.  Not everyone in this fair democracy has the ability to give thrilling speeches full of a meat and potatoes agenda that Don and Chris speak about.  Most of those vying for the possibility of being president tell stories of past presidents, and their failures, of poorly fought battles in years past, and then go on to say how well they will handle the same.

Don and Chris speak of what exactly is failing in these United States.  We all know the borders are open.  We all know that  people flow freely. We also know that within a few days or months, a new plan for a safer place to live, can be in place. If you know it and I know it, and there are laws in place to address it….you get my picture.

Americans are just tired…..and the reason they are tired, is that they are smart.  They listen, they learn, they discuss, and they know what is going on.  It is refreshing to hear Don and Chris acknowledge what we know….as a problem.  And, even more importantly, they want to do something about it!  They even have plans!! They even tell you exactly what some of them are and how easy they are to implement!

Shame on NBC and Univision, etc. for being so chicken as to not stand up for what is true….even tho it is not popular.  Truth is sometimes not popular and these two men don’t really care.  Tell your shareholders you really don’t like the plight of illegals inside the United States and that the country’s hands are tied by the current administration.  Where is your character…..your backbone…..Where are your true colors?  It is time you changed your minds….and stood for the people you represent and present to…..those Spanish speaking people who come to hear they are indeed welcome, and are well thought of……when they work under the rules and freedom afforded them by these United States.  It can’t be one way for some and another for others…..and that is exactly what is going on.

Be brave Don and Chris……we are counting on you……(but look in to the speech writers)


by

MY AMERICA…


Today we are experiencing what it is to be an American and enjoy the wonderful fruits of freedom. Don’t ever believe EVERYTHING you see on TV….

We see an Obamacare advisor being scrutinized under oath…not under the fear of being jailed or murdered. That is the way freedom works.

We see children and small adults damaging storefronts in Berkeley…not because of the lack of freedom but because OF freedom.

We see the same in New York City and in Ferguson, Mo…..and although we may not agree….it is because OF freedom that we do see it.

We see police departments acting with restraint 99% of the time, and we see the ugly 1%, not because of the lack of freedom, but because OF freedom.

When I say to not believe everything you see on TV…it means ‘sensation’ sells…..Those who only see the United States on overseas television or on laptops, u-tube, or phones…..see only what is going on in a few square miles of this country.

When in doubt, ask those who have been robbed, carjacked, or beat up and how their police force (99% of the time) have provided care, understanding, hours of work, and successful jail terms, for those having been violated.

When in doubt, ask those who escaped Southeast Asia during the Vietnam, Iraq, those who escaped ISIS’ grip, as well as those from Central America why they chose to leave there and come here… It wasn’t because of the freedom they left….it was because of the freedom they were willing to die for, that they came.

My America is not perfect, but it is the best for me. The US Armed Forces watch over my country, the town government I live under give me electricity, and gas, and schools, and good roads. My state cares for my towns and county, my food, my drinking water, and the police system,( local, state, and federal), show me gratitude, fairness, and keep me safe.

In response to what my government, my state, and my town offer me, it is my responsibility to be a good citizen of same. Just because I may be allowed to act stupid, say stupid, or live stupid, doesn’t men I should be stupid.


by

A STUDY IN HOW ….’HOW NOT TO MOVE FORWARD’


Have been paying attention to the demonstrators in cities lately….those walking with signs and screaming and wearing masks…..When stopped by network news and asked why they were there and what they were demonstrating for, the answers came 5’5″ tall children……They liked to yell into the camera mostly with answers like….’we are tired of this’……’we want to be heard’…..’they can’t ignore us now’……’we’ve had enough’…..’no more killing of innocent people’, etc, etc.

This will be short……..not one person has a plan…not even a bad plan. No one pulls out a type written list of how they think their town, or county, or state should go about making a change. Phones are not ringing at city hall…asking to have special meetings with the police, mayor, or the city council. No groups are meeting regularly to review the outcome of past court cases involving racial overtones.

There are not groups contacting lawyers and putting together enough money for retainers, to look into past wrongdoings.

There are very few who say that some people of color and some Caucasians actually did break the law, by not following the law, being on drugs, drunk, or stealing…..that crime does actually occur by locals who want to do the crime.

Someone in those groups need a 5 minute plan….a week plan, a something plan on how to make a difference…….or……maybe….. that’s not what they really what they want to do after all.


by

FERGUSON, MO. AND OTHERS….. (TOWNS & PEOPLE)


Ferguson is just one of the towns in this United States that needs to feel better about itself.
Towns grow and stop and some even fail. Years change the people, the jobs, the drive, I’m sorry to say. They breathe with history but become sickly when families, factories, schools, volunteer groups, health care, and dreams wane.

However, that seems to be the least of problems for some towns….because when anger, miss-trust, and the ‘you owe me because I can’t have what others have’ belief becomes an everyday occurrence, it is a sentence of eternal strife…never growing, never going away, just stagnant.

The life of any village is its people, and their striving to achieve. They are proud, they are caring, they are determined, and they respect their history. How many towns do you drive through that are 500, 1000, 4000, 9000 people….and have been for 150 years!!! They did not come to this moment without working, believing, creating, bonding, and achieving in a united way.

Attend city council meetings all over and you will see people….working, planning, and looking forward to successfully helping each of residents. Of course you will hear different opinions of how to complete these goals….but, in the end, (most of the time) all will benefit.

Go look in the mirror……it starts with you, then you and someone else, and someone else and so on.
It starts with realizing basics….abiding by the law, respecting family and neighbors, realizing that you must do your part, that your parents, family, town, and state, no longer want carry you!

Did those people burning Ferguson care about Ferguson? Don’t think so…..How many had finished high school….and if unable, how many had gone to vocational training, or joined the service of the USA. How many had seen to it that their folks were okay that day, that there was food on the table for their kids. How many had sought jobs, any job. How many had seen to it that their birth control was taken care of, or that of their sons and daughters that chose to be ‘free’ with sex.

When looking for work, how many sought assistance in knowing how to look, how to speak, how to respect the job offered, regardless of how menial. And how many took the job, because it was a start, to a better place in life, regardless of how difficult the climb.

If you did, I and many others salute you….If you did not….begin today to better your life….In doing so you will better your family, your reputation, and your self-esteem. Will it be easy? Hell, I say Hell no! Will you enter into a new phase and be proud to look in the mirror. Hell, I say Hell YES!!

It is time….right now…Do not disrespect what others have died for…..you have this wonderful opportunity to carry on the living history of your life and your surroundings.


by

FERGUSON AND ME…..IN THE 50’S AND 60’S


If I lived in Ferguson, Mo…..was any age, including over 18 and lived at home or close by, there would have not been a chance in hell I would have been allowed to participate in that brawl. I don’t care if they were 100% right, I would have been at home! My parents would have announced to anyone under their roof that they were to stay at home, stay out of the mess, ‘downtown’ and if they didn’t,mmmmm…mm…mmmmm, if ya know what I mean. Let it be known that my parents never beat me….and were never abusive. However, there were times when the fly swatter was not used for flies.

I was taught that being in a mob….defacing anything, (and that included soaping windows at Halloween), yelling at people, using bad words, and in general, embarrassing the family, was totally out of the question.

I was never told, but ‘asked’ when I would be home when I went out….I said a certain time and I was home by then. If something occurred (legally), I called….they respected me and I them. Didn’t have to, but I did.

Don’t tell me my parents didn’t have control….regardless of my age. At first it was the law, then control, and then it became respect. Respect for my family, my neighborhood, and my town. My friends and I say, of course there was a certain amount of fear….there has to be. Fear came in to play when I was little and continued til it became respect and the ‘right thing to do’. That doesn’t mean fear of pain…it means fear of being a fool, and making your family look foolish.

If I would have done the least of what those kids did….I would have been down there first apologizing, then with my broom picking up the mess, then with my money replacing all that was damaged, then with my body working there to pay anything else off, and then, under my mother’s guidance, putting an article in the paper saying how sorry I was to have hurt the people and businesses in the town I lived in.

Parents of those in Ferguson, Oakland, or anywhere else destroying becomes the way to ‘fix’ unrest….get out the broom. If you don’t want a 100% white police force, work in your city to get a majority black police force. If you think there is no work…finish school and be marketable. Showing yourself like last night will certainly not get you hired where a good reputation counts. Wear clothes that make you ‘classy’ instead of ‘assy’. No one should be without wonderful clothes….there are racks full in great thrift shops. Oh yes we do….buy stuff there for us and our kids.

Work in your church….for nothing….get out the broom again, keep the grass mowed, help those who have less, have more.

Notice I haven’t said anything about staying out…drink’in, drugs, etc. Give me a break, if you are doing what you should be, you won’t have time.

My mother-in-law said ‘Nothing good ever happens after the sun goes down’……amen


by

Jonathan Gruber….what do we do with him?


Jonathan Gruber…..what do we do with him….what do we do with his statements? Sorry to say, we listen and listen closely. Correct what should be corrected….pay attention to how the system has worked in the past and see that it changes. People like Mr. Gruber are not new to the scene. However, people who come clean are—-no matter what the venue.

I’m sorry to say it is my opinion that ‘yes’ some people are stupid. Stupid hurts just like breaking the law of morals and ethics hurt.

Mr. Gruber should be asked how all of this came to be….then heads should roll….and new ‘Mr. Grubers’ should come to fix it. When I mean ‘new Mr. Grubers’ I mean those men and women who are smart, able in their profession, with honorable thrown in. His actions should be examined and he should be forthwith when it comes to solutions to those actions. Don’t toss him…..bring him around to the side of what is in the best interest of all US citizens. If he (or anyone else) comes to the conclusion they cannot be part of that solution, it is then time to move them out.

Voters need to pay attention, starting today, of what their vote does. Behind the scenes employees should be culled if they are doing wrong…..Look at VA….it will take years to clean up that mess….unless laws are changed to let superiors release, fire, or layoff those do a bad job….

A lot of officials start out in our local city and county….and some rise higher than their level of responsibility. Just because the name is familiar in your county, state, or government does not mean they will work on your behalf. Start to read, listen, notice the small print, watch how they voted and what intelligent, stupid, or responsible statements they make in front of the camera, to get the next vote.

Sorry voters, it is our stupid, uneducated, or just plain lazy way of watching over our democracy.
Begin today to be accountable….and to hold those you vote for, accountable.


by

EBOLA…….ARE WE STILL IN THE DARK AGES?


There was an age, it seemed, when discovery was slowing…Reptiles had lost control of the earth, weather had calmed, and man had begun to focus on being, instead of surviving. Sure, there were still wars and strife, those being in control wanting to keep it, and those ‘outed’, wanting it back.

Most of the ordinary had come to terms with enjoying childhood and adulthood. It was a good time because people were finally getting a grasp, however, small on what our existence could really be like. We could have it good…..and for those who had never reached that height, it was marvelous. Good was wonderful. Dark times were a thing of the past.

Parents watched over their siblings….Adults watched over their neighborhoods….governments watched over their countries. Discovery was taking an upward and exciting turn, as science looked to conquering the deadliest and even the most ugly of chronic diseases. Sure, it cost money….discovery and safety always do. Companies grew, ideas were born, and it was still good, or better than ever before.

Travel left two feet and rose to thirty-thousand. Fast super-trains whooshed across country and countryside as the world grew smaller and more responsive to faraway lands only seen in books a few decades ago. Commerce grew among countries almost as fast as between local cities.
Oil was sought after, diamonds were a premium, and the stock markets rose and fell in milliseconds.

Still, no one realized the importance of the worrisome word they left behind in their daily chatter…..surviving. Business continued its reign in the world market as did the pleasure of cruising ships and luxurious air travel. What once was a ‘memorable moment’ became an everyday and very boring occurrence as we entertained ourselves across the seas, never wondering or even realizing who had sat or slept in our spot only a few hours ago.

Sure there were ‘clues’, but c’mon, we had made it, the dark ravages of centuries before us were far in the past. Products made us comfortable. Aids was now chronic and not deadly. And drugs, there was something for everyone and everything…almost.

And then, oh so quietly, ebola woke up, in the middle of lonely outposts of wavering civilizations….Only the bravest, the most devoted visited there, in those tiny villages of raw sewage and painful living. And so it grew, one by one, until some one noticed. It was so far away we thought, them—us. Someone will get a handle on this and we’ll all be fine. But it seems no one has….what is 250 or 2500 with a 50% death rate. The other diseases always faded away.

But now it is here….among us, the ordinary, not the survivors. And we are worried. Who did I shake hands with, who sneezed on me, who sat in my seat with a sweaty and perhaps feverish body… Who?

And here is the hard part….still no one worries……Companies need a better bottom line; parents need to visit kids in Europe or Africa or the US, product needs to be shipped so bills can be paid. Commerce has to go on, period.

How dark will this age be…..will drugs control disease, will planes stop traffic from affected areas so containment can be established; will people concede travel plans should be denied. Will pleasure cruises refuse passengers who have been in or near affected areas for at least 6 months? Will countries close their borders to stop death? And if so……when

Sur3e there


by

NFL……can’t govern jack….and for sure, doesn’t worry about jill!


just can’t pass this one up……how sad it is that an organization of the NFL’s so-called caliber cannot count on it’s own morals and ethics enough to respect women…and to prove (not improve) its position.. has to employ/acknowledge the very center of conflict….in order to “relieve” its own stupidity to the public…….CHOSEN LADIES…..go to women’s shelters every day before negotiating….Remember the eyes of the children who live in fear….and the ‘lost’ future of the women who seek asylum there…


by

I CORINTHIANS……BE COMPELLED!


Each time I read more of this letter, I see the writer, sometimes, just beside himself…..Exasperated, even exhausted! One can see him pacing in the after glow of the sunset, knowing he would have to continue on thru the night.

He further reminds his newbies, he is not asking for the moon. He doesn’t need a big paycheck, not a palace for the duration of the stay, and certainly not taking from those who are disadvantaged, to pay the bill.

The key word here in these pages is ‘compelled’. He is compelled to speak of Christianity. He can’t leave the subject alone. He needs to shout about his Christ, and your Christ. How exciting is that! How many times have you been COMPELLED in your Christian belief? I know I should be more like Paul, so motivated, even at times obsessive in my description of what is Christ all about, and what he means in my life, but I’m chicken. I am not an outgoing ‘evangelizer’, sounding off on busy corners or handling out pamphlets door to door……SOMETIMES I WISH I COULD BE!! I’ve come to understand there are lots of ways to teach and learn about Christ, just like there are lots of ways of healing. Some are loud and even shocking in certain circles, and some are as quiet and calming as the dove cooing before a rain. I understand now we all have healing qualities within….we just have to figure out what they are…ahh, to be compelled in the name of Jesus!!

Chapter 10 looks further into learning and teaching…I like the way Paul talks of drinking of the cup of blessing and having a portion of the loaf of bread….In doing this we take in the very life of Christ and become united. Introducing his thoughts, his teachings, and his promise of eternal life, leaves us enriched.

Paul says there are all kinds of food..real and religious. Be choosy….. eat and share the best from your table and from the table of others. There are many ‘foods’ that should not be eaten, as they have been contaminated by bad teaching. Choose only the best for your body, your life, and your continued service in Christ’s name. Be compelled!!


by

CORINTHIANS 1….IT’S A LONG LETTER


I know, it’s been awhile…..but I’ve had company for the past two weeks…and time was spent being a tourist. But on to Corinth.

Chapter 7 gets in to the discussion of marriage…I could go on and use my own words, however, I have a Bible Handbook from the 50’s that belonged to my parents….Think I’ll quote their remarks as it is much better than mine.

” Evidently they had written asking if it is legitimate for Christians to marry. Strange, they were puffed up over the case of incest, 5:2, and yet had scruples about lawful marriage. Paul advises marriage, except for those who have the ‘gift’ of sexual control. Paul himself was not married,8. Some think that he may have been a widower and lost is wife while yet young: for two reasons: one, he was a member of the Sanhedrin, Acts 26:10, ‘vote’, for which it is said marriage was a necessary prerequisite; the other, this chapter seems to have been written by one who knew something of the intimacies of married life.”

I think the chapter discusses morals and ethics….during this period in Corinth. I also am smart enough to know there have been modifications thru the years concerning marriage, divorce, and everything in between. Having been divorced once myself, it was not the easiest thing for me to do almost 40 years ago…it was the hardest thing for me to do. I wish I could agree with marriages being made in heaven, but I think marriages are made by people.
That’s another discussion for another day.

Paul said to be smart enough to stay married if you were, and stay single if you want to be single……and it’s okay of you change your mind about being single.

I love the discussion of consuming the meat offered up to idols….Paul says we all have eaten ‘idol meat’ at sometimes in our lives and it wasn’t the meat that made us bad. Move on in your beliefs and realize it is not the meat at all, for everything is provided by God. Be knowledgable in helping people thru the walk of realizing Christianity. Help the new believer…..

Chapter 9 talks a little about pay…..as in who does, who doesn’t, when, and why. I know this is a wide area that can be discussed forever, but my feelings are Paul says he took on the charge from Christ because he wanted to, knowing that it would not be a paying experience, and that he probably wouldn’t get rich monetarily off it. And for him, just like similar groups today, it is perfectly fine. By the same token he goes on to say he expects help…as in a place to stay, to sleep, to be safe, to eat, and to preach.

What is his point….help him out, help out the leaders of the new church, but don’t deprive your new followers to fill your pocket.

Just keep your eyes on what is right, why you have become a servant of Christ, and how you must respond to non-religious and religious in a like manner.

thanks for reading and thinking…..always ready for a response.