Girls Playing Football with Boys?

Interesting. . . HLN had a story about a girl playing quarterback. This proves girls are not as athletic as boys. Can you imagine a boy playing on a girl's soccer team? The opponents would cry foul, that is what not fair. Why? Because boys are more athletic than girls even the lesbians.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN


Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 
"It is enough the people know there was an election. Those who cast the vote decide nothing, those who count the vote decide everything." 
 
---Joseph Stalin

In 1962 Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring concerning the environmental
impact of pesticide use. She was attacked by corporations such as Monsanto
and other chemical giants as well as the Department of Agriculture. It took
a while but in 1980 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
due to the accuracy of the book. The book corporations and the
Department of Agriculture had attacked. Not liking something does not
make it untrue.

In 1969 the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio caught fire when a
potent mix of oil and chemicals that had been discharged in the river
spontaneously and spectacularly burst into flame. It was not the first
time. I remember that. It was said you did not drown in the Cuyahoga
you decayed. In 1972 the United Nations held a conference in
Stockholm and a book entitled Limits of Growth was published. What the
book argued in 1972 is pretty much obvious to people today, 40 years
later. At the time it was published it was attacked, similar to Silent
Spring. In 2008 a paper was written "A Comparison of 'The Limits to
Growth' with Thirty Years of Reality and found that changes in
industrial production, food production, and pollution up to 2000
compared well with the book's business as usual scenario.

Point is the United Nations as well as the United States government
has been interested in the subjects included in UN Agenda 21 and no
one has complained. Some of our favorite presidents have been involved
as well as some of our not so favorite presidents. As I mentioned
Clinton felt so strongly for it he bypassed congress.

For years studies have projected economic and societal collapse around
the middle of the twenty-first century.

Obama has nothing to do the mess but as president he is in the
crosshairs. If Romney wins in November he will step into the
crosshairs. Ann Romney said he will not fail. The problem is it is not
up to him to fail or succeed it is up to congress. Those attacking
Agenda 21 may want to tread softly at least for a while lest they find
themselves in the same place those who attacked Silent Spring and
Limits of Growth found themselves, on the wrong side.



Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179 cell
Gatlinburg, TN


Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/
http://alumcave.blogspot.com/


"It is enough the people know there was an election. Those who cast the
vote decide nothing, those who count the vote decide everything."

---Joseph Stalin

Maybe the Church Needs a Tea-Party

 

 

 

Do you, as I do, wonder why we are just hearing about Agenda 21 and how Obama is turning the United States over to the United Nations? I suspect the Tea-Party.

The term Sustainable Development was first introduced to the world in the 1987 (25 years ago) and was first offered as official UN policy in 1992 (20 years ago) at the Earth Summit.

More than 178 nations adopted Agenda 21 as official policy at the Earth Summit. President George H.W. Bush signed the document for the United States. In signing, each nation pledge to adopt the goals of Agenda 21. In 1995 (17 years ago), President Bill Clinton, in compliance with Agenda 21, signed Executive Order #12858 to create the President's Council on Sustainable Development in order to "harmonize" US environmental policy with UN directives as outlined in Agenda 21. Clinton didn't even go through congress but no complaints? The Executive Order directed all agencies of the Federal Government to work with state and local community governments in a joint effort "reinvent" government using the guidelines outlined in Agenda 21. No reporting by the media and no complaining by Republicans? As a result, Sustainable Development is now emerging as government policy in every town, county and state in the nation. Clinton is more responsible than Obama.

Warnings concerning the fact that the path the world is on is not sustainable have been ignored since the 1950s. Unsustainable and across borders means a higher authority has to be involved to work out compromises. Our way of life is not sustainable. We cannot blame it on Obama. He did not cause the mess. Fair chance republicans and their unfettered support of corporations allowed those corporations to pollute and destroy the environment leaving the taxpayers to clean up their mess. Time to stop pointing fingers and work together and that will require compromises and that is something the Tea-Party cannot do. That makes them part of the problem.

People do not like being told what they are doing will lead to mutual destruction. Like the church. What the church is doing is not working, it is unsustainable. Things have to change. Church people don't like that. Maybe the church needs a Tea-Party movement.

 

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

"It is enough the people know there was an election. Those who cast the vote decide nothing, those who count the vote decide everything."  

 

---Joseph Stalin

UN Agenda 21 Alternatives?

You have mentioned having concerns with what is referred to as United Nations Agenda 21. I understand the Tea-Party also has problems with it. From what I have read I do not see reason to be concerned. I understand it makes points that people do not like but not liking them does not make them untrue. It appears more a statement of common values than an "agenda" at least in my use of the word and suggests some ideas for public policy to support those values. The wording has to be innocuous if you expect countries as diverse as the United States, Russia, Bolivia, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Laos, and let's not forget Cuba and Venezuela to get on board. No country likes it although enemies of the United States may.

 

The United States, will soon find ourselves exposed to a world we have never before experienced.

 

Recently I read that due to the drought and projected worldwide food shortages the United Nations has asked the United States to stop production of fuels based on corn. Imagine the United Nations telling the United States what to do. When you look at the carbon footprint of what it takes to produce ethanol it is not that different than its oil counterpart but friends of government are having a great pay day so stopping is out of the question. In the not so far future we will have to decide if we want water, food or fuel. We might be able to have two but not three.

 

Within the United States water is becoming scarce. Rivers are being siphoned off for irrigation i.e. water for Los Angeles or farms and ranches in states neighboring California? The Colorado River does not reach Mexico in the same volume it once did. Atlanta is under a perpetual water rationing. Remember when Georgia wanted to annex a part of Tennessee allegedly for the water it contained? If you want a sample of what we can expect from the world watch the states as we begin to fight for water. Idaho owns the top 34 feet of a water source in Wyoming. If that source drops below 34 feet is will be interesting. I can think of several things local militias could do to destroy water sources of its neighboring hindrances. 

 

From what I have read:

 

The population of the world has exceeded its ability to provide food, water, shelter for its people;

There are a fair number of failing states, meaning countries that cannot provide for their citizens some of which will soon be on world welfare or all of its citizens die or they can attack their neighbors. You choose;

Water tables are falling and farmers are losing water to cities. The Nile River will not flood as it has for centuries resulting in loss of food production in Egypt. Wait till Egypt goes after Ethiopia to stop them from taking water from the Nile;

Temperatures are rising; glaciers are shrinking; water levels are rising either cyclical or manmade it makes no difference.

Oil reserves are shrinking and in some places will run out this century; might be time to give Texas back to Mexico. While coal is abundant stabilizing climate will require phasing out its use. Kentucky and West Virginia will like that one;

Some countries have run out of usable farm land and are obtaining land in other countries to grow food for themselves. I believe the United States already bars the export of grain from such arrangements.

 

The berated point is problems of other countries will soon be our problems. On April 18, 2001, Arizona to Canada was blanketed with dust from a huge dust storm originating in China and Mongolia on April 5. 1,200 miles across when it left China the storm carried millions of tons of topsoil that will take centuries to replace. A year later on April 12, 2002, South Korea was covered by a huge dust storm from China that had the people in Seoul gasping for breath, airline flights were cancelled, and clinics were overrun with people with breathing problems and retail sales dropped. Either one of those could cause nations to go to war.

 

I do not trust the UN to save the world or the United States I do not trust the Tea-Party nor do I trust our government that cannot pass a budget.

 

Any suggestions? Suggestions have to be workable and acceptable to the majority of the citizens of the United States and their representatives and senators. I have none but make me dictator and stand back I will take care of it.

 

If you know any Tea-Party folks I would be interested in evaluating their suggestions.

The UN Agenda 21 or What?

 If you are one of the billion or so people at the top of the global economic then how good is this? We get a good meal whenever we want it. We have housing that prevents us from being exposed to the elements. We rarely experience violence in our day-to-day lives and if we do we get a response that pretty much reduces the threat to a manageable level. We generally get basic health care needs met, with even poor-quality care light-years ahead of what the average person received a few generations ago.

This quality of life is no longer just for those in Western countries, as it largely was a few decades ago. Today, millions of people in China, India, South America and other developing countries live this relatively luxurious life.

We, the lucky billion, spend most of our lives seeking ever greater and subtler refinements in what we perceive to be our quality of life: nicer clothes, better music, more comfortable furniture, more interesting holidays, more convenient technology, more unusual variations of food, a more secure retirement. It doesn't get much better than this.

Our grandparents would see us living like kings with every convenience dealt with, every basic human need met, and our arguments on what needs to improve going to ever-greater refinements to all of this. They would hear us complain about interest rates, not being able to afford a larger house or a renovation, and having a degree of uncertainty that we will be able to live this lifestyle when we stopped working. As near as one or two generations ago, no one stopped working unless they were dead, let alone spent their latter years in physical comfort with decent health care.

Left behind are many more billions, many of whom live in grinding, soul-destroying poverty.  While we strive for larger televisions, DVD screens in our cars, and the perfectly grilled tender steak, they die for a glass of clean water or a bowl of rice.

Our needs are met. We have the capacity not just to make our lives comfortable, but to explore space, to develop extraordinary scientific knowledge, to cure diseases, to invent amazing technologies that will help us and future generations live even better lives. We can connect to one another instantaneously and globally to share our hopes, our dreams and what we have for breakfast.

The path we are on is completely unsustainable. We have too many people, not enough clean water; we cannot grow enough food nor build the required shelter. On top of that we have environmental issues that exacerbate the lack of those necessities and the prevent the continuance of those necessities.

We can be against the United Nations Agenda 21 but what alternative does the world have than to cooperate. Those that have will either lose everything or they will give up some, maybe up to half of what they have.

When resources are limited freedom leads to destruction.

I hope the Tea-Party has practical workable alternatives. When they cannot work with Republicans or Democrats getting China, the United States, Somalia, Argentina, and Cambodia to work together will not be easy if possible at all.   The Tea-Party appears to think they know what needs to be done but they have no clue as to how to go about it.

We need alternatives to UN Agenda 21 but what are they?

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

"It is enough the people know there was an election. Those who cast the vote decide nothing, those who count the vote decide everything."  

 

---Joseph Stalin

Time for the commissioner to go.

Is the NFL Commissioner's job to ensure a quality product be delivered to the customers? He has failed. He should have had this referee snafu corrected months ago. Time for the commissioner to go.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

"It is enough the people know there was an election. Those who cast the vote decide nothing, those who count the vote decide everything."  

 

---Joseph Stalin

It was not always the way it is today

In the first stage of industrialism animals were used as machines as also were children. In the latter stages of industrialism poor children who escaped the factory took to the street where they formed "child societies" gangs of urchins who like feral cats invented a social order all their own.  Partly in fear of child societies middle class parents of the Gilded Age began treating their children like pets. Nurseries and playrooms became common and toy chests began to overflow.

 

In the early 1900s came the crib, which unlike the cradle, isolated infants in rooms of their own. Playthings served as antidotes for loneliness; substitutes for the free play of the "child society." Lonely little middle-class girls were encouraged to keep company of dolls, little boys had stuffed animals.  By 1906 zoos were selling souvenirs and thanks to Teddy Roosevelt, the teddy bear fad hit.

 

Stuffed animals and dolls were appealing to parents who were trying to facilitate new sleeping arrangements for babies to guard against unduly fervent emotional attachments to mothers. The decline in paid help for young children also opened the door to the use of toys as surrogate entertainment.

Freedom Brings Destruction

 

Freedom of individuals leads to destruction. Here is why: Picture a pasture---a commons---on which all herdsmen are free to graze their herds. Such an arrangement works reasonably satisfactorily for centuries because tribal wars, poaching, and disease keep the numbers of both man and beast well below the carrying capacity of the land. But during an era of peace and prosperity the herds multiply, the inherent logic of the commons generates tragedy. Each herdsman acting rationally in his own self-interest will add to his herd. He alone will profit from an additional animal, whereas the environmental impact will be shared by all. What's one more cow? Overgrazed, grass eventually gives way to dust. Each man is locked into a system that compels him to increase his herd without limit. In a world that is limited, freedom in a commons brings ruin too all.

 

There are resources we share with each other and with the world, air and water being examples and so the tragedy of the commons still obtains. It explains the depletion of fisheries and aquifers. It explains the pollution of skies and seas. Technology may delay the tragedy---by increasing crop yields or fuel efficiency---but so long as the human population continues to grow it cannot in the long run avert it.  Which do we want more environmental health or economic growth. Long term we cannot have both. In a world that is limited, freedom in a commons brings ruin too all.

Coach K

Of course coaches do not get medals. What moron thought they did? If Coach K thinks he had anything to do with the gold medal his ego is getting out of hand.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

  "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face"  

 

---Mike Tyson

A story about IBM chairman John Aker.

 

The story is he went into his bank dressed in blue jeans to finalize a business transaction. The teller told him the officer he needed was not in and Aker would have to come back the next day. John told him that was fine and asked the teller to validate his parking ticket. The teller told him she could not validate the ticket because he had not completed a financial transaction. He asked for an exception since he had come to the bank intending to do business but was not able due to the appropriate officer not being in. The teller refused and said that was the bank's policy.   So Aker decided to make a business transaction. He closed his account which had one-and-a-half million dollars in it. That qualified for a business transaction and the teller was able to validate his ticket. 

Casual

You wrote we have accepted ... casual efforts at … service, …."

 

As a body our primary group activity is assembling to listen. Groups need to be involved in group activities which offer encouragement for individuals to engage in individual activities.

 

You talk about preaching when you were a young teenager. You were given opportunities to grow. We should provide opportunities for the members to grow.

 

Several years ago officers at the New York City Department found an anonymous note posted on the bulletin board, "We're not report takers we're the police."  At the time the focus was on arrests made, reports taken, cases closes, budgets met but were changed to an output of double-digit annual declines in felony crime rates.

 

What is our focus?

 

 

MarieHowe Prayer Poem

Every day I want to speak with you. And every day something more important calls for my attention—the drugstore, the beauty products, the luggage I need to buy for the trip.

Even now I can hardly sit here among the falling piles of paper and clothing, the garbage trucks outside already screeching and banging. The mystics say you are as close as my own breath.Why do I flee from you? My days and nights pour through me like complaints and become a story I forgot to tell.

Help me. Even as I write these words I am planning to rise from the chair as soon as I finish this sentence.

Not All Cultures are Equal

There is a lesson for all "mulitcultural" libs. To paraphrase Leo Strauss, If all cultures are equal, the difference between the Pope and a cannibal is a question of preferences. Merkel, Cameron and now Sarkozy, "get it". It is time for America to "get it". Savages are savages. Period.

 

 

Usain Bolt

The media likes Bolt for their own reasons. To the rest of us Bolt is just another athlete with a big mouth.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

  "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face"  

 

---Mike Tyson

Irrelevant

Women's Olympic basketball is irrelevant. Few care most of them do no watch.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

  "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face"  

 

---Mike Tyson

Backlash over Team USA’s Nike gold-medal T-shirts

It is always best to let others call you great than for you to call yourself great. This has destroyed the USA Women's Soccer team's endorsements. No one likes egotistical morons.

Wearing a slogan such as  "Greatness Has Been Found" was a tragic and permanent stain on the USA Women's Soccer program.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

  " The great obstacle to progress is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge"  

 

---Daniel Boorstin

World in Serious Trouble on Food Front - Lester R. Brown - The Guardian on Tuesday, July 24, 2012

In the early spring of 2012, U.S. farmers were on their way to planting some 96 million acres in corn, the most in 75 years. A warm early spring got the crop off to a great start. Analysts were predicting the largest corn harvest on record.

The United States is the leading producer and exporter of corn, the world's feedgrain. At home, corn accounts for four-fifths of the U.S. grain harvest. Internationally, the U.S. corn crop exceeds China's rice and wheat harvests combined. Among the big three grains – corn, wheat, and rice – corn is now the leader, with production well above that of wheat and nearly double that of rice.

 

The corn plant is as sensitive as it is productive. Thirsty and fast-growing, it is vulnerable to both extreme heat and drought. At elevated temperatures, the corn plant, which is normally so productive, goes into thermal shock. 

 

 

As spring turned into summer, the thermometer began to rise across the Corn Belt. In St. Louis, Missouri, in the southern Corn Belt, the temperature in late June and early July climbed to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher 10 days in a row. For the past several weeks, the Corn Belt has been blanketed with dehydrating heat.

 

 

Weekly drought maps published by the University of Nebraska show the drought-stricken area spreading across more and more of the country until, by mid-July, it engulfed virtually the entire Corn Belt. Soil moisture readings in the Corn Belt are now among the lowest ever recorded.

 

 

While temperature, rainfall, and drought serve as indirect indicators of crop growing conditions, each week the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases a report on the actual state of the corn crop. This year the early reports were promising. On May 21st, 77 percent of the U.S. corn crop was rated as good to excellent. The following week the share of the crop in this category dropped to 72 percent. Over the next eight weeks, it dropped to 26 percent, one of the lowest ratings on record. The other 74 percent is rated very poor to fair. And the crop is still deteriorating.

 

 

Over a span of weeks, we have seen how the more extreme weather events that come with climate change can affect food security. Since the beginning of June, corn prices have increased by nearly one half, reaching an all-time high on July 19th.

 

 

Although the world was hoping for a good U.S. harvest to replenish dangerously low grain stocks, this is no longer in the cards. World carryover stocks of grain will fall further at the end of this crop year, making the food situation even more precarious. Food prices, already elevated, will follow the price of corn upward, quite possibly to record highs.

 

Not only is the current food situation deteriorating, but so is the global food system itself. We saw early signs of the unraveling in 2008 following an abrupt doubling of world grain prices. As world food prices climbed, exporting countries began restricting grain exports to keep their domestic food prices down. In response, governments of importing countries panicked. Some of them turned to buying or leasing land in other countries on which to produce food for themselves.

 

 

Welcome to the new geopolitics of food scarcity. As food supplies tighten, we are moving into a new food era, one in which it is every country for itself.

 

 

The world is in serious trouble on the food front. But there is little evidence that political leaders have yet grasped the magnitude of what is happening. The progress in reducing hunger in recent decades has been reversed. Unless we move quickly to adopt new population, energy, and water policies, the goal of eradicating hunger will remain just that.

 

Time is running out. The world may be much closer to an unmanageable food shortage – replete with soaring food prices, spreading food unrest, and ultimately political instability – than most people realize.

 

Theater Lawsuits

These families have not buried their dead loved ones and some are already planning on making this a money making venture. Before this happened who would have expected the theater owners to have full fledged security systems? These families are disgusting. Bury your dead, clean out their rooms, throwout their clothes and move on.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible."  

 

---Stuart Chase

Military: tools to enforce our governments will

As we consider our dead military in Iraq it might help to remember those who sacrificed their lives during our Revolutionary War.

 

The British soldiers were considered the best trained in the world and were attempting to implement their King's orders to bring the rebels back into subjection.

 

The French government used its military in their attempt to gain favor with the new nation, looking for trade and assistance with their international politics. The French soldiers sacrificed their lives fighting for their King and the mercenaries fighting along side sacrificed their lives for a paycheck.

 

The rebels who died sacrificed their lives for an idea, a principle they never experienced, the freedom we have today that we assume will always be ours.

 

A major difference between our Revolutionary War and the military action in Iraq and Afghanistan is the colonies asked for help to gain their freedom. In Iraq we used our freedom to invade a sovereign country remove their government, dissolve their military and are now attempting to form a government we like. In Afghanistan we did something quite similar plus we installed our choice for their president.

 

Some join the military services for the pretty uniforms others for the "glory" others for a job. Regardless of the motivation they have volunteered to be tool to be used to enforce our government's will. There lives are of little concern.

 

Today in Iraq we have our military and contractors. Contractors are mercenaries, fighting for a paycheck. If they survive they will have been well paid. If they do not, nothing they gained will have been worth what they lost.

 

 

NATO

By bullying Libya NATO has shown it is not interested in defending member countries but in telling the world how to live. It is well past time for NATO to dissolve

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

"People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant." Helen Keller

 

"The questions you ask set limits on the answers you get." Temple Grandin

 

Death Tax

One can understand the Chinese practice of honoring one's parents, who after all have achieved something. To honor descendants, however, merely from the accident of biology, is not only groundless and absurd but often hurtful to that posterity. Permitting the passing of fortunes to new generations has the affect of establishing a class of royalty; making the purchase of items such as homes, education etc beyond the reach of those who due only the accident of biology do not have such opportunities. Those receiving these vast fortunes only because of the accident of birth are not only unprepared to control such fortunes at the same time it puts others at a disadvantage. While those responsible for accumulating such fortunes must be permitted to enjoy the fruits of their labor distributing such fortunes to next generations must not be permitted.

Re: Illegal Immigration is a Serious Threat to America’s National Security

Representative Roe:

 

Have you ever considered why anyone cares if folks are here legally or illegally? When our country began we paid people to come here. If you could get here you could stay. The Native Americans wished they could have closed their borders but they could not and we are here. We went steps further we killed as many Native Americans that we could. We starved them to death by destroying their food supply. We changed their religion. We took their land we moved them onto reservations and watched them die.

 

Now that we have everything under control we want to keep everyone out. Why do you suppose we want that? Well, I believe it is because we do not want those new folks getting the same benefits from the government that we get. How about we stop all benefits from government? Wae need to stop living off our government.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

"People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant."

Helen Keller

On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 4:51 PM, Congressman Phil Roe <rep.roe@mail.house.gov> wrote:

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Website | About Phil | First District | Constituent Services | Newsroom | Issues | Legislation | Kids Page Illegal Immigration is a Serious Threat to America's National Security Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court justices heard arguments regarding Arizona's immigration law. The way I see it, Arizona is simply trying to enforce our basic immigration laws that make it illegal to be in our country without a visa or proper citizenship. With nearly 12 million illegal immigrants in this country, it is clear that our system is broken and the federal government needs to enact and enforce strict immigration laws in order to protect the citizens of our country. The problem with illegal immigration has gone on too long, and the Arizona law is an attempt from states to address a problem that the federal government has not. The law would allow state and local law enforcement in Arizona to enforce federal immigration statutes, but it has been struck down at the district and appeals court levels. The hearing is a product of the administration filing a legal challenge against the new Arizona immigration law, originally claiming it is unjust because it will lead to "racial profiling". However, the Justice Department, under the current administration, is now arguing the law violates the Constitution's supremacy clause, which states that the Constitution, federal laws and treaties supersede state laws. I personally see the supremacy clause line of attack as questionable since it would seem that Arizona is simply trying to enforce our basic immigration laws, which make it illegal to be in our country without a visa or proper citizenship. The Arizona law, known as SB 1070, requires police officers to verify the legal status of people if the officer is suspicious that the person is in the United States illegally. The bill makes it a state crime to be in the country without authorization. According to Reuters, several U.S. Supreme Court justices in the hearing voiced support for Arizona's effort to crack down on illegal immigration, appearing to reject Obama administration arguments that the federal government has sole responsibility for dealing with people who illegally enter the United States. As a member of the bipartisan Immigration Reform Caucus, I have cosponsored a number of immigration reform bills, including H.R. 2000, the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act. The SAVE Act offers a three-part plan to drastically reduce illegal immigration, which includes a strict emphasis on border security, the verification of an employee's legal status, and increased enforcement of existing laws. H.R. 2000 would hire 6,000 additional new Border Patrol agents and 1,150 new ICE agents. In addition, it provides the tools necessary to ensure the INS agents can successfully protect our borders, including additional vehicles, better infrastructure, new facilities, lighting units, weapons, and armor.  The SAVE Act also expands E-Verify and makes it available for use by every employer over a four-year period. This will benefit employers because they will be able to efficiently check whether or not their employees are legally authorized to work in the United States.  If the federal government would do their job and pass legislation such as the SAVE Act, Arizona would not have a need to enforce SB 1070, and they would not be on trial for the law today. Illegal immigration is a serious threat to our national security, one that is very expensive and a burden to hardworking taxpayers.  Furthermore, there is a national debate over what to do with the 12 million illegal immigrants in the country. Something needs to be done to solve this problem. The federal government needs a comprehensive solution to the problem of illegal immigration that starts with securing our borders. Please feel free to contact my office if we can be of assistance to you or your family.  You can contact my office by mail, email or phone.  Our contact information can be found on our website, www.roe.house.gov.   CONNECT WITH US E-News Sign-up Forward to a Friend Contact Phil TAKE A SURVEY TAX SURVEY Do you support Arizona's immigration law? Somewhat support Strongly support  Somewhat oppose Strongly oppose Other             Choose Your Answer Washington, DC Office 419 Cannon House Office Bldg Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6356 Fax: (202) 225-5714 Kingsport Office PO Box 1728 Kingsport, TN 37662 Phone: (423) 247-8161 Fax: (423) 247-0119 Morristown Office 1609 College Park Drive, Suite 4 Morristown, TN 37813 Phone: (423) 254-1400 Fax: (423) 254-1403

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bin Laden was a fluke of luck

Osama bin Laden was a fluke of luck. He had no way of knowing the architects did such a poor job designing the World Trade Center towers that planes would cause the buildings to collapse. Without the collapse the attack would have killed a few hundred not the thousands resulting. The United States made bin Laden into some sort of genius planner. He was not.  
 

Ratios between the top and the bottom

Professor Herman Daly points out the military, civil service, and universities manage to keep ratios between the top and he bottom salaries in their organizations within a range of 15/20 to 1 and seem to do okay with no lack of highly skilled, motivated, and competent leaders, yet the corporate spread in the United States is now up to 500 to 1. There appears to be no evidence that such ratios actually encourage performance across the economy.

ID Theft

With the increased occurrences of ID theft the solution it may be time to make theft of IDs a capital felony allowing for capital punishment.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

"Hell hath no fury like a vested interest masquerading as a moral principle."

Max Grosvenor

More Does Not Mean Happier

In his 1975 State of the Union comments Richard Nixon said:

As we move into the decade of the seventies, we have the greatest opportunity for progress at home of any people in world history. Our gross national product will increase by $500 billion in the next 10 years. This increase alone is greater than the entire growth of the American economy from 1790 to 1950. … In the next 10 years we shall increase our wealth by 50 percent. The profound question is: Does this mean we will be 50 percent richer in a real sense, 50 percent better off, 50 percent happier?

Our economic system is not working

Constant economic growth is not possible. The measure of government is the Gross National Product (GDP) as if economic activity is good and more is better. The system to we use to measure progress does not.  

 

In 1965 Robert Kennedy said:

 

"Too much and for too long, we seem to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things.  Our Gross National Product … counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage.  It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them.  It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl.  It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children. 

 

Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play.  It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials.  It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile."

 

96 Hours to Anarchy

A little known situation is described in the New Economics Foundation's report "96 Hours to Anarchy." With our finely tuned just-in-time food supply system an interruption in the transportation system would result in empty shelves at grocery stores in just four days. A terrorist attack on fuel depots, rising oil prices, or a strike by drivers will have social and political consequences greater than we have ever considered.  

The Rich Do Not Create Jobs

How do the people who receive millions if not billions of dollars as executives personally create jobs? They do not. They give their money to people like George Bush and other unethical, immoral already rich folks such as our congress and president. Raise their taxes and eliminate all tax deductions for people as well as corporations. If you receive a dollar you owe fifteen cents. 

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

"Find a priest who understands English and doesn't look like Rasputin."

---Aristotle Onassis

Verify Request for Abortion

Prior to performing an abortion it appears reasonable to require visual proof a fetus exists. Doctors who perform abortions upon request just might be likely to pretend they actually performed a procedure.  

Rules vs Regulations Private vs Public

Athletic events have rules which differentiate are thletic events. If not for rules how would the participants know they were playing football or basketball. Rules are necessary they define what one may and may not do and what is considered a rules violation and punishable what what that punishment should be. Rules define what is fair. Without rules games and matches could not be played. The participants would not know what to do.

 

Businesses have the same problem. Rules or as they are known as regulations. Businesses need rules so they will know what they may and what may not do. Regulations define what is fair. 

 

Sports have their rules committees to define the rules. Businesses do not. Government, representatives of The People, sets the rules. Government defines what is fair.

Arkansas Rejects Ban on Sex Between Teachers and Students

Neither government nor the majority have ever been nor will they ever have the final decision of what is right. 

Throughout most of the 19th century, the minimum age of consent for sexual intercourse in many of the states was 10 years old. In Delaware it was seven; as late as 1930 twelve states allowed boys as young as 14 and girls as young as 12 to marry with parental consent. 

So, go ahead and decide what you prefer but never consider that your preference is "right." 

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

"Find a priest who understands English and doesn't look like Rasputin."

---Aristotle Onassis

Hate Crimes

Why does it make us want to increase the punishment if the killer hates the victim? If the killer liked the victim do we really want to punish the killer less? Why does it make us feel better if the killer apologizes for killing the victim? We are a weird people.   

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

"Find a priest who understands English and doesn't look like Rasputin."

---Aristotle Onassis

Protecting the Saints

Knowing the Saints or at least an unknown number of Saints were attempting to injure their opponents can you imagine how the rest of the NFL will treat them on the field next year? Imagine, every play every opposing player trying to permanently injure the Saints players. No bounty no fine no suspension just getting even. Should be great for ratings.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

"Find a priest who understands English and doesn't look like Rasputin."

---Aristotle Onassis

Colt's Move On

The NFL is all about making money and secondly winning. Win enough games to keep the fans buying tickets, buying memorabilia, buying products endorsed by NFL players.  The ultimate win is the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning played for 14 years, helped the Colts win a lot of games but the Colts appeared two Super Bowls and won one of them. Hardly impressive when you look at a few other quarterbacks. Manning appears to be nice guy; he takes his job very seriously; does all the things NFL quarterbacks are supposed to do and then some but have you wondered why the Colts had no number two quarterback ready to step in if Manning got hurt? Do you suppose Manning had contractual control over all players brought into the Colts' organization and used that power to ensure he had no competition as quarterback? He is cares not about the team.

 

The Colts' owner bet Manning would not play another full season at an acceptable level and Manning was betting he would. Manning could have postponed the $28 million bonus until after next season, after he had proved the Colts wrong. But he did not. Could his reason have been Andrew Luck was coming in to be behind him and eventually in front of him?

 

Manning tells the Colts' fans he loves them but apparently he does not like where they live, Indianapolis, enough to live there. The University of Tennessee never beat Florida with Manning at quarterback and had to wait until Manning was gone and his backup stepped in to win the National Championship. Make no mistake Manning is probably a nice guy and says the right things so people like him but he is all about Peyton Manning. If he really loved the Colts' fans he would have stayed with the Colts, ensured there was someone to step in and do the job when he could not.     

 

Now he will go to another team and hope they have an offensive line to protect him; hope they have the runners to give him time to do his thing; hope they have receivers to catch the balls he throws; and hope the fans take to him now that he has shown the world who is most important to him. After all if he makes a mistake Sundays will be very long days and he just might spend some time going to and staying in hospitals.

 

The Sports Analysts talk about how tough various quarterbacks are and how they take hits and keep going. Manning dives for the ground; Manning is not tough. No one talks about that. A new era is beginning in Indianapolis and I wish them luck.

Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning does not know life without football. But in this case it is all about the money. The Colts are betting Manning will not play up to an acceptable level. Manning is betting he will. He could have changed the contract to something like if he played a full schedule next year he would get the $28 million. But he did not. He wanted the money and the Colts did not take the bet.  He will now go to a team without an offensive line to protect him, without runners to take the pressure off the passer and without the receivers to catch the ball. He will be beat up and possibly seriously injured. He should follow Jim Brown and go out in style. Instead he will follow Brett Favre and be pitied. He is no longer the prize he once was. He will be remembered as that old quarterback who could not quit.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

"...for many in today's society,  success now has more to do with public image and the appearance of success than it does with the quality of our work and our character." 

Richard E. Simmons III

Russ Limbaugh and Other Talk Show Idiots

What are considered conservative and liberal, right and left radio talk shows are breeding grounds for hatemongers.  The more hatred they spew the higher the ratings and the more money they put in to the bank. The "hosts" are famous for their hatred. They are not "for" anything, they are only "against."  But the public listens and we deserve what we tolerate. For me I do not listen to any of them. If you didn't report their rantings I would be oblivious of them.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

"...for many in today's society,  success now has more to do with public image and the appearance of success than it does with the quality of our work and our character." 

Richard E. Simmons III

Foreclosure Settlement Puts Americans Saving for Retirement at Risk

Sometimes we lose sight of the original objective. Step back for a second and consider:

 

In a free market, why is the government involved in guaranteeing home loans? Organizations such as governments who have no income other than what someone gives them begin to think the money is their money instead of it being the government's money. As a taxpayer I want government out of the home loan business. I want the government out of the business of providing tax deductions associated with home loans or the interest paid on them. Government has better things to do than be the insurer of anything.  Where in the Constitution is the government assigned the authority? Get government out of the home loan business.