Outreach?? NOT

 You know what I think?  I think the term 'outreach' is overused and very misused.  It's a feel good term that groups, and individuals, use to push a 'cause' and raise money.    If someone or a group is involved in outreach and they don't reach out.......  WTH?  Maybe they should stop telling folks they are there to help, support and assist folks.  Most of the time, it's not really true.  It's just a fundraising term that folks fall for.

Before you give a dime, make sure you really understand just how much they really help the community and ALL of that community.  

OK I'm done.  I'm just sick of the overuse of outreach when the groups don't reach past their own front door.  

Yeah, FODAC, I'm talkin' about you.

Step Up

 If you continue to refuse to take the first step, folks will stop offering a hand.  Being a professional victim is NOT a career choice, no matter what the left wing lunatics tells you.

Underprivileged? Note to Parents

 Stop telling children they are underprivileged.  Why?  Eventually they will believe they are lesser than.  What happens?  You end up with an unproductive adult who does nothing but wave the victim card.  

Teach kids that they are not 'under' anything or anyone.  Teach them to work for what they want and they will achieve.

Stop The Coddling

 People need to stop embracing and encouraging mental illness.  Mental illness needs to be treated, NOT empowered.  God, people suck!!!!!

Franklin on Free Speech

Benjamin Franklin's Early Advocacy for Free Speech: Insights from the Silence Dogood Letters

Introduction

Benjamin Franklin is well-known for his contributions to the founding of the United States and his numerous inventions. However, his early writings also reveal his appreciation for the importance of free speech and thought in a free society. In 1722, using the pseudonym Mrs. Silence Dogood, Franklin wrote a series of letters to his brother James’ newspaper The New-England Courant. In one of these letters, he eloquently argued for the significance of free speech and thought, stating that "without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech, which is the right of every man."

The Silence Dogood Letters

The Silence Dogood Letters were a series of 14 essays written by Benjamin Franklin and published in The New-England Courant between April and October 1722. The letters were written under the pseudonym Mrs. Silence Dogood, a middle-aged widow with strong opinions on various social and political issues of the time.

The Significance of Free Speech

In the third letter, Franklin, as Mrs. Silence Dogood, emphasizes the importance of free speech and thought in a democratic society. She argues that "without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech, which is the right of every man."

Franklin's words highlight his belief that free speech is essential for the pursuit of wisdom and the preservation of public liberty. He suggests that individuals must be able to express their thoughts and ideas openly and without fear of retribution in order to foster a society where wisdom can flourish and public decisions can be made with the benefit of diverse perspectives.

Sources

You will have to agree to the license on the site and search by name. to find the Dogood Letters.  A direct link does not work as the site is a 'framed' site.  So, start here https://franklinpapers.org/ to begin your search for the Dogood Letters.

Conclusion

Benjamin Franklin's early writings, even under a pseudonym, reveal his deep understanding of the importance of free speech and thought in a democratic society. His words from the Silence Dogood Letters continue to resonate today, reminding us of the essential role of free expression in fostering wisdom and preserving public liberty. By revisiting these early writings, we can gain a better understanding of Franklin's principles and values, which have significantly influenced the development of American democracy.

Just One Thing

Sitting on the pity pot is really stupid. I see it over and over. Then when you offer solutions they don't want them. Excuses are made and they continue to sit on the pot. Whatever misery they think they are in, they are only making it worse. I will not offer solutions or options any more. Folks on the pity pot don't really want to get off. Sad.

Deaf by Choice

 This is so true.  Folks refuse to hear, let alone listen.  But, when you stay within yourself  and your echo chamber, you can't see the big picture.

Zechariah 7:11-12 (NIV): "But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry."

As I have said, people suck!

Trying

 You know, even though folks in 3D aren't in my life and there's no one I can really depend on, I manage.  But, one day I won't be able to.

For now, it's just me and folks I meet in Zoom groups.  But, they are all over the country and are just folks.  Not anyone I can really grab on to when I'm ready to fall.

It's scares me.  I don't know what I will do.  For now I just keep trying to move on.

Goodbye Mary

 Pretty soon, Mary's existence in my neighborhood, will be wiped away.  She's been in heaven for 2 years and today is the day her son is clearing out the house and removing all of her belongings.

She was the first friend I made in this neighborhood.  That was 21 years ago.  She was a good friend and we looked out for each other.  Once she started her journey to God, it was never the same.  She wasn't here.  She was already reaching for God's hand.

There is no other neighbor like her.  The good ones are gone or passed.  What's replaced them are selfish, inconsiderate NIMBYs.  Not nice, at all.

Watching Mary's life be reduced to a junk truck and a moving truck is sad.  But I am grateful that I was able to get a few things that will always remind me of her.

God bless you Mary.  We'll meet again.  But, I sure miss you.

People Suck

 Title says it all.  People suck, and young people are just stupid.  Young people will wake up.  But, the rest of the folks will just suck until they die. 

Hot

 It's hot as panther piss.  That's really all I have to say, for today.  It's just too hot.  Well, I say that every Summer.  I really don't do heat very well and the older I get the more it bothers me.

So, I'm already cut off from everyone, so staying inside is no big deal.  As long as I reach out, I might get a response.  But, if I don't constantly reach out, no one reaches back.  Folks have no initiative.  Don't wait for anyone to reach out first.  You have to do it and once you start you'll be the only one doing it.  

All that to say that it's hot and people suck. 

Shifting

 I'm scared.  I have been, for awhile.  But, I pushed it all in the drawer called Denial.  But, my eye sight is getting weird and my muscles are not acting as they should.  The end of this month, I will be tested to see if I have ALS.  I Am Afraid.

A Lost Generation

 I just heard to most inane thing from this generation of 20 somethings.

First off, let's set the stage.  The woman is a recent college grad, mid 20s and employed.  She has a man friend, who I assume the same age group, who is in seminary to become a Priest.  OK, so far so good.

Now comes the weirdness

He asked her to watch the movie Song of the South.  OK, still good.  This is a movie from 1946 and taken from Uncle Remus' stories.  Keep the context and time in history in mind.  That's how things should be judged.  NOT by today's standards.  

Anyway, moving on.  This is what she told me about the movie watching experience.  In her own words.

"Just last night he made me watch "Song of the South" and messaged him throughout the movie so he knew where I was and then he wanted my opinion if the movie was racist or not. Granted I haven't seen that movie in years so I didn't remember most of it, but I thought it was harmless, it is still Disney after all."

A couple of things.  You watch a movie and text each other???? What The Hell is that?  Next is the assumption that Disney is harmless?????  That tells you just how much 'woke' crap is perfectly OK.I don't get it and I don't want to.  I watch a movie without texting to prove I watched it.  That's nuts.  She should have said that.  He, who will be a priest, is learning that you can 'force' folks to do your will. And it's not too hard.  I don't get it. 

You know, we've had our Greatest Generation.  Now, I think we have the most Lost Generation.  

Nope, Not Doin' It

 Sorry, I changed my mind.  I will not be rehashing my life without freedom. But, I will say this.  I found out that jails and prisons are filled with black folks, 'who didn't do it', and run by black folks, who don't care.  Most all of these black folks hate white folks and the fight to survive is real.  Black people bitch about jails and such.  But, they're running them.  So, shut up.  

These people are who they are and that will never change.  There is difference and NOT in a good way.  Don't like it?  Deal with it.  I saw it and experienced it.  You cannot change my mind.  I believe my eyes and they showed me the truth.  

Pass

 Taking a pass for today.  Too much pain and I'm having some chest issues.  It's hard to breathe today.  So, I have to focus on forcing myself to get things done.  Then pray this passes.  If not, I pray I just pass.  

Guns Drawn

 Let's get started.  When you are barely middle class and you work for very wealthy and influential people, you pay a heavy price for any misstep you make.  That's fact.  Remember, it's not a race thing.  It is and always has been a CLASS thing.

Fast forward to a few states away.  I was at home and I heard noises outside.  I had just come back from being on the run for several months.  Anyway, I went outside to check and found a rifle shoved in my face.  The FBI had arrived.  There was an officer at each corner of the house.  Needless to say, I was thrown in the car, with a co defendant, and hauled to the local jail.  That was the end of my freedom for 7 years.  

Understand I stole from a wealthy employer.  No one was physically hurt.  No property was damaged.  It was a simple, white collar crime.  But, when the upper class feel violated they will take it out on you to the ultimate maximum that they can.

I was now facing Federal and State charges and these wealthy folks were demanding max sentencing.  Oh and let me mention I had no prior record for anything outside of the law.  But, I touched their stuff so if they could have given me the death sentence they would have.    Remember it's CLASS, not race.

I'll stop here and pick up with my first encounter with jail.

Unspoken

 Someone told me I should start putting out some blurbs about all of the unspoken experiences that I've had in my life.  You know, the stuff that only 1 or 2 folks know about.  

What have I got to lose?  Might be a good thing to show folks that horrific life events don't have to destroy you and they do not make you a  victim.  Most important, you don't blame someone else or some other group for your own idiot actions.

Buckle up, and I'll gather my thoughts and my next post will kick things off.

Speaks to my Soul

 This man has been my music love, for decades.  No one, can speak to me the way that he does.

Bone Tired

 All I can say is I feel like I'm fading.  Each day seems to be harder and harder.  I'm up for a few hours to do just a few things and then the tiredness washes over me.  I keep going, but the tiredness is forever in the forefront of my mind.  

It's beginning to get to me.  I sleep about 10 hours a night.  I do my exercises and the things I should do.  But, my body is wearing out and I feel like I'm fading in to the background.

This makes me wonder what it will feel like to die alone and at home.  Guess I'll find out.

Ignatius J. Reilly

 

Mothers and Brothers

 I was just thinking, last night, about Mom.  She's gone and that's fine.  But, my brothers believe she was a Saint.  One brother said it, as much.  But, for me, she was cruel, emotionally abusive, scary and a dream crusher.  

I don't need to dredge up all the details.  They'll come in time.  But this memory came up after watching a story about child trafficking being done by Iranians  What a flash back.  Twice, in my life, I was almost trafficked.  I saved myself.  First, I was 13 and at the public pool.  I was approached by two guys who said they were Persian.  AKA Iranian.  They were probably in their 30s. They tried to kiss me and hold me tight.  Fortunately, I was wet from the pool, so got out of their grip and ran for my life.  I left the pool and hid in a near by stand of bushes.  It was a thick hedge.  I just stayed there until Mom was supposed to pick me up. 

She finally showed up.  I told her what happened. I was shaking and all she could say was 'Oh be nice.'  That's it.  Hand to God that's what she  said to her daughter. I know she didn't want me, but hell why would someone not give a damn about a child being abducted for trafficking?  But, that's who she was.  She didn't want me, but she didn't allow another family to adopt me and love me.  

It just gets better.  Similar thing happened when I was 15. This was at the beach. Again, I saved myself.  This time I tried to tell her what happened.  Guess what she said?  Yeah, 'Be Nice.'  

She was  a real piece of work.  Fast forward a bit and she found it in herself to have her first grandchild murdered.

But, my brothers think she's a Saint.  Families can really, really suck.

Favorite Time

My favorite time if day is when it's over. When I close up the house and day is done.  I celebrate the end of another day.

What? Pool Party or Commitment to God?

 I saw this in a church's weekly email.  I was taken aback.  Maybe it's me.  But, a baptism is a serious ceremony to commit a life to God.  This sounds like a pool party, to me.  I guess that's what you do when you want more money and are trying very hard to become a mega-church.  You know the kind. The ones that turn in to a cult and accept all things and all behavior.  Why?  Money.  But, I digress.

Here's the snip from the email.  I just think this is not honoring our God and our serious life commitment to him.

". . .A few members have shown interest in a Baptism or reaffirming their faith with a re-Baptism.  The tentative date is set for June 29.  This will take place at the XXXX's backyard pool, followed by a low-key cookout. Watch for more details to come."

Reality

 I try to ignore the obvious, when it comes to me.  But, sometimes you just can't.  Especially when you are alone and have no support.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were suddenly forced in to a wheelchair.  You have no family that will take you on, or really assist.  You have no community that will offer any substantial help.  You can't afford to pay for assistance.  You have no transportation.  What would you do?  How would you manage? That's what I am facing.

I ignore the signs.  I pray God will take them away or take me away.  I know it's coming and I'm scared to death.  I think I will end up just languishing until I die.  

Elderly folks are not valued and, pretty much, considered yesterday's trash.  There is a segment of younger folks that cheer when old people die.  It's sick and they will reap what they sow.

To be old, alone and virtually ignored is a horrible reality.  It's mine. I write to say it out loud.  I don't expect change.  If I did, I would be disappointed.  So, I expect nothing and pray to God to keep me going or take me home.

Frightening

The scariest thing, for me, is to think that I could be on this planet for another 20 years. May God intervene. I cannot imagine being around in this body, in this world, for that much longer. It's horrifying to me. 

I'm alone now. Imagine when I'm 90 and really need help. God,  please don't let this happen 🙏 😢 

Day In and Day Out

 It's sad to admit, but each day I get up and do well for about 6 hours.  After that, I just want the day to end.  I start counting the hours until I can officially call it a day.  After chores and coffee, there's nothing else to consider, so the day is over.

Just an observation and a truthful assessment of the end times of my life.

What's The Point

Every day I clean and tend things and make sure outside is picked up.  Everything looks as in order as I can get it.  I wash clothes.  I make the bed.  I do the dishes.  Then I make coffee.

The day goes on and the only thing that was worth anything was the cup of coffee.  The TV drones on, in the background.  Why? Just to hear another human voice.  The TV talks me to sleep each night.

Why do I keep up with things.  It's not like I'm expecting a drop-in visitor, or even a phone call.  At this point, a regular email from some folks would be nice.  But, I digress. 

I remember trying to get a few friends, who agreed, to mail traditional letters and cards to each other.  Well, that lasted  about a month.  I don't even hear from these folks any more.  So, I just packed it in.

I often wonder why I try and why I keep on.  This morning, my answer is 'I don't know.'  I wonder if I should keep on.  My answer is another 'I don't know.'  I'm just tired.  I put on a 'face' and show kindness if I can.  Since I have nothing to offer but kindness, folks move on.  

I say all of this, just to ask -- What's the point?  It takes a lot for me to care because my heart is almost 100% scar tissue.  Not physically. Just the result of a life time of having my heart cut to shreds.  I still try.  Only to ask  'What's the point?'

So, seriously, what is the point? I am in my 70th year and I am no longer of any value to anyone or society.  Should I go?  I don't want to linger around this sick and twisted world, much longer.  :D  God willing!

This Might Be The Year

Slip sliding away. Counting down and fading out! A good thing.

God vs Church

 It's Sunday and I find myself having a hard time walking away from Church.  But, I'm tired of being considered 'lesser than' or not part of the 'in crowd.'  So, I must walk away.

I can do this, it's hard.  But, I can. Why?  Because as I walk away from Church, I am walking with God.  Leaving Church to walk with God.  I think that's the best way and the only way to really be 'one' with God.

Message for The Church

 

Holidays and Navel Gazers

 Holidays are so hard on me.  Being alone is one thing, but holidays rub your face in it. Folks don't have time for anyone but their immediate concerns and themselves.  Mostly themselves.  I find folks are incredibly selfish in this day and age.

The start of this long weekend is sad for me.  I just get up, pee, eat and clean up.  I tend inside and out and often wonder why.  I guess I do it because that's what I'm supposed to do.  After that, then what?  More alone time. No mail, no meals on wheels delivery, no book club.  Just marking time until folks come back to their normal routine.

I never expect average folks to  be concerned with folks who are so alone.  But, church folks that believe in the Christian way of life, I expect more.  They promise more.  But, that's it.  Empty promises.

I've lost my umpteenth attempt at finding a church family.  This recent one really had promise.  Then I heard the sermon about being alone and how we cannot be alone and we have to get out and those folks who are just 'navel gazers' are wrong.  It went on and I was never so insulted.  Folks who are alone, generally didn't plan it that way.  Let's just say, too many Christians are phony baloney for me.  I love God and he and I will just have to go it alone, together.  :D

So, if you know someone who is alone, don't assume they are OK and could get out if they really wanted to.  But folks, like this church, don't think beyond their noses and their own concerns.  One day, they will have to live their faith.  Then we'll see just how far that faith goes.

SIGH

I'm worried. I'm getting overwhelmed. Given all that's going on, it feels like I'm cornered, with no escape. I am worried.

70

I've said for years that I would live to be 70. Well, this is my 70th year.  Do you believe in self fulfilling prophecies. Guess we'll find out.

Observations

 Watched a young newscaster talk about the dairy industry supporting the Indy 500 victory tradition of drinking a glass of milk.  She then said that would include oat milk and almond mild.  Uh NO.  The Dairy industry supports dairy products and oat milk and almond milk are NOT NOT NOT milk.

Next up.  Hochul referred to folks who didn't agree with her as clowns.  Seriously, has she looked in the mirror??????

Selfish Society

 Have you ever met someone you thought was a good person.  Extend a hand and they reach back.  But, suddenly they disappear or they just show who they really are.  I'm tired of reaching out.  Most times, it ends terribly.  In today's world it's all about me, me, me.  Selfish and self serving is where we are.  Honestly, I think folks want to be paid for their friendship.  Seems that way to me.  If all you can offer is friendship, that's not good enough.  Very, very sad.

 So, with that said, just don't reach out.  Keep your peace and savor it.  It's better that way.  A' holes are everywhere, and they will suck the life out of you if you let them.

Religion vs Faith

I wonder, in today's world, would Jesus be 'religious'. Religious in today's terms with church politics and embracing of some perverse things.

I think Jesus would turn over the tables just as he did with the tax collectors.  Man made rules and doctrines that are coming down from church leadership, are just that -- man made.  NOT made of God.  I will speak a lot about faith and religion.  There's a HUGE difference.

Here's a good sum of why I think Jesus would turn his back on today's religious institutions.

-----------------------------

Jesus' teachings in the New Testament often focused on principles of love, compassion, forgiveness, and faith rather than specific church rules or organizational structures. While Jesus emphasized the importance of living a righteous and ethical life, he also challenged traditional religious practices and legalistic interpretations of the law.

In the Gospels, Jesus criticized religious leaders of his time for prioritizing rules and rituals over the deeper matters of the heart and spirit. He emphasized the spirit of the law over the letter of the law, calling for a genuine relationship with God based on love and humility.

While Jesus did establish principles for living a life in accordance with God's will, such as the Golden Rule (treat others as you would like to be treated) and the commandment to love God and love your neighbor as yourself, he did not explicitly lay out a detailed set of church rules or organizational guidelines.

Instead, Jesus' teachings centered on the kingdom of God, the importance of faith, repentance, and forgiveness, and the transformative power of love. His message was one of spiritual renewal, reconciliation, and redemption rather than a strict adherence to rules and regulations.

Therefore, while Jesus' teachings provide a moral and ethical framework for believers, his focus was more on the heart and spirit of the individual rather than on establishing specific church rules or structures.