Sunday, October 31, 2021

A Little Sunday Night Music

I Shall Not Want - Audrey Assad

Quote du jour

"Smite, Lord, smite, for my sin is forgiven; if thou hast but forgiven me, smite as hard as thou wilt."

- Martin Luther

Saturday, October 30, 2021

A Little Saturday Night Music

Hey, That's no Way to Say Goodbye - Leonard Cohen and Julie Felix

CRT - Doesn't Mean 'Cathode Ray Tube' Any More!

Best of the Web*


*…that Dave and I have seen all week!

(BTW, if you wonder where any of the links will take you, hover your cursor over the link.)

Political/SocioEconomic

Ex-Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder says state Democrats have not earned black support
Legal Analysis: Alec Baldwin Situation Beginning to Look a Lot Like Manslaughter
Hypocrite Terry McAuliffe Does Not Send His Kids to Virginia Public Schools
Man Arrested For Threatening To Kill Matt Gaetz Worked For CNN, ABC, NBC - remember! The news people don't root for any side! They told us so!
Biden Administration Expands List of ‘Sensitive’ Places Where Immigration Officers Cannot Make Arrests



Culture

Henry Donates 65 Rifles for 11-Year-Old Girl’s Battle Against Heart Defects -because gun owners are heartless to the suffering of children?
Feel Good Friday
Jeff Foxworthy's Bible Story








Photoshops/Cartoons/Graphics
Flopping Aces -Sunday Funnies
Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #30
Sunday Funnies, 10-24-21
Today's Toons 10/20/21
Today's Toons 10/21/21
Today's Toons 10/22/21
Today's Toons 10/25/21
Today's Toons 10/26/21







Science/ Technology
Baby Born Size of Sharpie Defies Incredible Odds of Survival; 4.5 Months Later, He’s a 7-Pound Miracle





Linkfests:
Larwyn’s Linx: Don’t Let Democrats Turn Us Into Europe
In The Mailbox: 10.25.21
Larwyn’s Linx: Rand Paul: New call for Dr. Fauci's firing, as overwhelming evidence points to COVID lab origin
In The Mailbox: 10.26.21
Larwyn’s Linx: True cost of Dems’ plans: $7.5 trillion and a lot of gimmicks
In The Mailbox: 10.27.21
Larwyn’s Linx: Rand Paul: New call for Dr. Fauci's firing, as overwhelming evidence points to COVID lab origin
In The Mailbox: 10.29.21 (Afternoon Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: True cost of Dems’ plans: $7.5 trillion and a lot of gimmicks
In The Mailbox: 10.29.21 (Evening Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: Biden Wants To Give Separated Illegal Immigrants $450,000 Per Person






Dave's Rule Five Roundup:

Proof Positive - Best of the Web

Animal Magnetism - RULE FIVE POWER GRIDS FRIDAY

By Other Means - Tuesday Tap Rack and Bang, BeCos(play) It's Friday and Seeing Red

Evi L. Bloggerlady - Rosemary Clooney: When October Goes️

Ninety Miles From Tyranny - Hot Pick, Girls With Guns, Morning Mistress and Blogs With Rule 5 Links

Grouchy Old Cripple - Saturday Boobage

Irons in the Fire - Friday Data and ... Saturday Data Overflow

The Feral Irishman - Friday Femme Fatale

The Daley Gator - Daley Babe

Diogenes Middle Finger News - A Good Monday Morning

A View from the Beach - Rule 5 Saturday - Jessica Chastain Demands 'Equity' in Nudity and Fish Pic Friday

24 Femmes Per Second - Sue Williams

Knuckledraggin My Life Away - I'm sure she's taken, men And ... I’ll leave you with this

Theo Spark - Holy Cow! Anne Hathaway

Woodsterman - Rule 5 Woodsterman Style

The Other McCain - Rule Five Sunday: Queen Victoria Eugenie Of Spain

The Pirates Cove - If All You See ... and Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Wired Right - A Beautiful End to the Day

Sonoran Conservative - Rule 5: Friday

The Right Way - Friday Babe and ... Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama

Quote du jour

Not real big on liturgy. If I had been with Luther at Wittenburg, I would have handed him the hammer!

-Mike B

Friday, October 29, 2021

White Supremacists Are Equal Opportunity Employers?

Bonus Free Gun Friday

Another Bonus Free Gun Friday! This contest ends Monday, so it couldn't wait another week! 




One Lucky Winner Will Receive: Aero Precision Rifle.

Product Description:

- Aero Precision M4E1 receiver set with Arid Crakote Camo
- 15" ATLAS R-ONE Handguard with Arid Crakote Camo
- VG6 Epsilon
- Crimson Trace CTS-1400 reflex sight
- Black Nitride Bolt Carrier Group
- BREACH Ambidextrous Charging Handle FDE Anodized
- Magpul Furniture

A total prize package worth over $1,600!

Enter For Free Today!

USA ONLY - RULES APPLY - VOID WHERE PROHIBITED - ENTER BY 11/1/2021

 Enter here.

Free Gun Friday

Free Gun Friday once again! I've got 99 problems, but getting a free gun ain't one of them! And such a gun it is! A Delta 5 in either .308 or 6.5 Creedmore!
You can enter here.

Quote du jour

Self-defence is nature's eldest law.

- John Dryden (1631-1700)

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Facebook is Changing Its Name to "Meta"



Last night I Meta pon the stair,
A little man who was not there...

Quote du jour

There’s no problem so bad that the government can’t complicate it further.

- Ronald W. Reagan

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Quote du jour

“I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Quote du jour

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”

- Harper Lee

Monday, October 25, 2021

Facebook is Changing its Name!

I'd Like You to Meet My Friend Harvey...

Quote du jour

"Capital punishment for premeditated murder is the only law in all five books of the Torah. The only one."
- Dennis Prager

Sunday, October 24, 2021

A Little Sunday Night Music

Psalm 150 (Praise the Lord) LIVE - Matt Boswell, Matt Papa

Quote du jour

"Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."

- Hans Christian Andersen

Saturday, October 23, 2021

A Little Saturday Night Music

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance -Gene Pitney

Gun Experts of Social Media

This is the gun that Alec Baldwin fired that killed one person and injured another.

Just by looking at it, could YOU tell if it was loaded or not? And if the rounds loaded were blanks?

Best of the Web*


*…that Dave and I have seen all week!

(BTW, if you wonder where any of the links will take you, hover your cursor over the link.)

Political/SocioEconomic
Wind, solar or nuclear: which is best for costs, electricity prices and the environment?
Why Terry McAuliffe Is Losing




Culture

Record Number of Container Ships Waiting Off Ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles
Feel Good Friday
ET TU, SAN FRANCISCO?
Math Is Hard: L.A. Leftists Lose Millions Writing Traffic Tickets
School Attacks, 2021: #8





Photoshops/Cartoons/Graphics
Flopping Aces -Sunday Funnies
Sunday Funnies, 10-17-21
Today's Toons 10/13/21
Today's Toons 10/14/21
Today's Toons 10/15/21




Linkfests:
Larwyn’s Linx: How Zuckerbucks Stole The 2020 Election And Why GOP Leaders Must Never Let It Happen Again
In The Mailbox: 10.19.21 (Morning Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: Parents aren’t Terrorists, Mr. President. They’re Americans with Something to Say
In The Mailbox: 10.19.21 (Evening Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: DHS Insider Reveals Biden Policies Allowing Sex Traffickers and Drug Cartels to Operate in U.S.
In The Mailbox: 10.20.21
Larwyn’s Linx: Christopher Steele: Product of Corrupt FBI
In The Mailbox: 10.21.21
Larwyn’s Linx: The Rape of America’s Borders
In The Mailbox: 10.22.21
Larwyn’s Linx: NIH Admits Funding Gain-Of-Function COVID Experiments; Gives EcoHealth Five Days To Report Data





Dave's Rule Five Roundup:

Proof Positive - Best of the Web

Animal Magnetism - RULE FIVE USELESS UN NEWS

By Other Means - Tuesday Tap Rack and Bang, BeCos(play) It's Friday and Seeing Red

Evi L. Bloggerlady - Dune 2021: A Review️

Ninety Miles From Tyranny - Hot Pick, Girls With Guns, Morning Mistress and Blogs With Rule 5 Links

Grouchy Old Cripple - Saturday Boobage

Irons in the Fire - Friday Data and ... Saturday Data Overflow

The Feral Irishman - Friday Femme Fatale

The Daley Gator - Daley Babe

Diogenes Middle Finger News - A Good Monday Morning

A View from the Beach - Rule 5 Saturday - Stargirl - Brec Bassinger and Fish Pic Friday

24 Femmes Per Second - Alexis Smith

Knuckledraggin My Life Away - I'm sure she's taken, men And ... I’ll leave you with this

Theo Spark - Holy Cow! Anne Hathaway

Woodsterman - Rule 5 Woodsterman Style

The Other McCain - Rule Five Sunday: Kate Upton

The Pirates Cove - If All You See ... and Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Wired Right - A Beautiful End to the Day

The View from Lady Lake - Changing gears tonight

The Right Way - Friday Babe and ... Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama

Quote du jour

In Joe Biden's America, judging from the results, it's hard sometimes to know if we invested in Netflix or Blockbuster.


 - definitely Blockbuster!

-Mike B

Friday, October 22, 2021

Free Gun Friday

Free gun Friday? Again?? Yes. A little birdie told me that some of you haven't won yet! So, here we go again!




 Six Prize Packs

Pack 1
Pyramyd Air Avanti BB Gun Prize Pack - Daisy Match Grade Avanti Champion BB rifle, Air Venturi safety glasses, 2400ct Daisy BBs, and the Air Venuri Medusa target
+
Lockdown Prize Pack - Large Handgun Combination Vault, PUCKLED Auto Cordless 25, T-Shirt, Brumate, Yeti, and a hat
+
Axil GS Extreme earbuds
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pack 2
Pyramyd Air Explorer Rifle Prize Pack - Ruger Explorer youth rifle, Air Venturi safety glasses, 500ct, RWS Meisterkuglen wadcutters, Air Venturi Stampede pellet trap, and a Plano rifle case
+
Lockdown Prize Pack - Large Handgun Combination Vault, PUCKLED Auto Cordless 25, T-Shirt, Brumate, Yeti, and a hat
+
Axil GS Extreme earbuds
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pack 3
Pyramyd Air Explorer Rifle Prize Pack - Ruger Explorer youth rifle, Air Venturi safety glasses, 500ct, RWS Meisterkuglen wadcutters, Air Venturi Stampede pellet trap, and a Plano rifle case
+
Lockdown Prize Pack - Large Handgun Combination Vault, PUCKLED Auto Cordless 25, T-Shirt, Brumate, Yeti, and a hat
+
Axil GS Extreme earbuds     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pack 4

Pyramyd Air SIG Pistol prize pack - Sig Sauer 1911 Spartan CO2 BB pistol, Air Venturi safety glasses, 1500ct Air Venturi Dust Devil Mk2 frangible BBs, Air Venturi Dueling Tree target, and a 40ct pack of Crosman CO2 cartridges
+
Lockdown Prize Pack - Large Handgun Combination Vault, PUCKLED Auto Cordless 25, T-Shirt, Brumate, Yeti, and a hat
+
Axil TRACKR Blu Muffs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pack 5
Pyramyd Air SIG Pistol prize pack - Sig Sauer 1911 Spartan CO2 BB pistol, Air Venturi safety glasses, 1500ct Air Venturi Dust Devil Mk2 frangible BBs, Air Venturi Dueling Tree target, and a 40ct pack of Crosman CO2 cartridges
+
Lockdown Prize Pack - Large Handgun Combination Vault, PUCKLED Auto Cordless 25, T-Shirt, Brumate, Yeti, and a hat
+
Axil TRACKR Blu Muffs  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pack 6

Lockdown Prize Pack - Large Handgun Combination Vault, PUCKLED Auto Cordless 25, T-Shirt, Brumate, Yeti, and a hat+
Axil TRACKR Blu Muffs


Enter now through October 29th here.

Quote du jour

"Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff."

- Frank Zappa

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Everything Old is New Again

Why Empty Shelves are a Bad Thing (As if you didn't already know!)

Maybe you've heard Jen Psaki try to spin the supply chain crisis as no big thing. "Your new treadmill will be a week late." But it's more than tardy treadmills, Jen! From the Twitter:
I can’t get a compressor for my coolers. I’ve been waiting 6 months. Can’t sell food if I can’t fix coolers.
First, in general, what's the big deal?
Well, there's an opportunity loss involved. The producers, processors, and manufacturers lose the opportunity for you to see and purchase their goods. If they're not making money, they may be forced to lay off, at least temporarily, personnel. 

The products you don't see on those shelves are not going into your home to nourish your family or make your life more pleasant, at a reasonable cost. Empty shelves hurt you. 

The producers, processors, and manufacturers aren't making a profit. Apart from possible layoffs, part of the gross profit from those goods is often invested in their next order to replenish their stock, or to have the goods ordered and in the supply chain for their next sale.

The local grocer or vendor is not exempt from the pain. They're paying rent for every square foot  of that building, and turning a profit rellies on having that square footage occupied. I once sat in on a meeting between a grocery store manager and a sales rep for a food line. 

They were haggling about how much the product cost, and where it would be displayed in the store. The end caps of each aisle were premium territory. You pass them by even if you don't go down that particular aisle. They went back and forth over what kind of incentives the sales rep could offer for prime placement and what kind of guarantees he could get in return. 

Other retailers told me about the "turn". If they allocate a square foot of space to a product, how many times would it "turn" during a year? That is to say, how many times would it sell? That's why nearly every store that sells shoes has a heavy inventory of sizes 8-12 and maybe 13, but few 6-7 and usually no 14-15. Why. Do shoe stores hate people with small feet? Large feet? No, those sizes don't turn fast enough. They can make a larger profit on products that sell faster. 

Try to find 36" inseam jeans at your local clothing store. Do they hate tall men? No, there's just a lot more guys who are 5'10" than those who are 6'4"! They make more money on the turn.

Now ask yourself a very simple question: How many times does an item "turn" on an empty shelf?
Zero. 
How about tomorrow? 
Zero.
Day after?
Zero.

You're picking up a pattern here, I see! Conventional grocery stores have a profit margin of about 2.2%. How many empty shelves do you need to erode a 2.2% profit margin? How might you compensate, in order to keep the doors open? Raise the prices on the goods you DO have! We've been seeing a lot of that.

But what if your customers refuse to pay the higher prices, either because they object to higher prices or cannot afford them? You either raise your prices again, hoping that you will retain enough customers paying higher prices or you look to things like laying off personnel, cutting down on the number of hours you're open to minimize personnel costs. Reduce the number of full time employees so that you can reduce benefit costs. Not things that you want to contemplate if you want to encourage loyaty from long term employees.

But, it's just like ordering a treadmill and getting it a week later than you expected...right?

We're seeing the empty grocery shelves. What we're not seeing is the manufacturer, like the fellow above, who needed compressors to process his food orders. The factory that make the decision to source a part of the product overseas, that cannot continue production or ship product until they get the parts. A amanufacturer who cannot ship product will lay people off. 

Every day that the shelves remain empty (or grow emptier) brings the spectre of unemployment closer to more and more people. 

I wish I had some words of encouragement other than "hunker down". We are living in an age where the government seems to be accelerating the ship of state towards the iceberg. God help us all. 





Quote du jour

In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

- George Orwell

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Paris and the Pencilneck

Quote du jour

The possession of arms by the people is the ultimate warrant that government governs only with the consent of the governed.

- Jeffrey R. Snyder

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Quote du jour

“God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest.”

- Josiah Gilbert Holland

Monday, October 18, 2021

Quote du jour

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

Sunday, October 17, 2021

A Little Sunday Night Music

He Knows My Name - Bonnie Knopf

"Is post-pandemic California coming back or in decline?"

is the title of a column by Dan Walters in my local dead tree paper, in which I ran across this interesting bit:
Joint Venture Silicon Valley and the Bay Area News Group commissioned the poll which found widespread dissatisfaction with the region’s economic and social life and an inclination toward going elsewhere.The poll found that 71% of respondents feel the quality of life in the Bay Area has grown worse over the past five years. A slight majority say they are likely to leave the Bay Area in the next few years, most citing high housing and other living costs and deteriorating quality of life.

"A slight majority"...did you get that? HALF the people in your city want to move away, but it's only slightly over half! Three quarters of the people you asked said things keep getting worse and half say they're thinking of leaving in the next few years...welcome to California!
Walters is one of the best writers, IMHO, when it comes to California politics. He is in a position to see if California, like the Titanic, still has its lights on when it goes down!

"Lux Umbra Dei"


   She knew the way; she’d been doing this for years. Decades, maybe? She couldn’t remember when she first started being responsible for this particular task. A long time ago, that’s when.

   Today she had a canvas carry-bag with her. The church had been running low on votive candles, although there had been very few coins in the money box on the votive stand for quite a while now. People were burning the candles without donating? That never used to happen… But she didn’t bother the priest about it. She just paid the difference out of her own pocket when she reordered more candles.

   The most recent order had just arrived, so she was taking them to the church. At one time, she been able to pick them up easily at a local church supply store, but it had closed a few years back and there were no others nearby. She missed going there and seeing all the church items and religious statues and paintings. They also had very nice little greeting cards with Bible verses on them, which she bought—thankfully in bulk--to send to friends, most of whom lived far away now. For quite a long time, she had also been sending them to the invalids and shut-ins in her church. She smiled wryly at the thought that she might be joining those ranks soon. And who would send cards to her when she could no longer get about? She didn’t know—the congregation had steadily dwindled over the years. But as her age advanced, her energy and mobility retreated. Thank goodness she could still do these tasks for her beloved church. She just walked more slowly, due to her unsteady legs.

    As she turned a corner near to the church building, she saw a group of young teenage boys across the street, doing nothing. Why aren’t they in school? she wondered. She tried to schedule her trips to the church when the nearby school was in session; she preferred negotiating quiet streets, when her slowness wasn’t a problem. It was very busy and noisy after school let out; she avoided being there at that time of day. It wasn’t a holiday either, so she didn’t know why the boys weren’t in class. Seemed like a lot of them to have played hooky all at the same time—then her mind caught her up briefly, as so often happened: did people use that term anymore? “Hooky”? Language changed, but she wasn’t always aware of the changes…actually, she was seldom if ever aware of them. Probably no one said “hooky” any more…

   Anyway, was it an early dismissal day? No---if it was, there would be a lot more young people walking home, going into the shops, standing around and talking with each other. Today there was only this small group of teenage boys.

   All this went through her mind in a flash as she kept walking. She barely glanced in their direction. She had discovered that looking too long might cause a reaction. She hoped they would ignore her as she walked down the street toward the church. Maybe she could reach it, and disappear inside in time…

   No such luck. They started talking and pointing at her, and even laughing.

   “Hey, old lady, can’t you move any faster?”

   “What’s up, lady? Goin’ to visit your boyfriend?” This was followed by howls of laughter, as the speaker was slapped on the back for this gem of wittiness.

   “Get out of our neighborhood! You don’t belong here!”

   It was true that the neighborhood around the church had changed dramatically since she started attending the church, when she was much younger. She used to know almost all the people who lived there. Now she knew no one.

   The church then had been filled with people: families with children, speaking many languages and celebrating many traditions, but brought together in their love of God and their dedication to his church. Where had all those families gone? she wondered. Where were those children now? They were completely different from the young people standing across the street from her.

   She continued walking towards the church, hoping that they’d get bored with teasing her and leave her alone. But it got worse. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a couple of them start across the street towards her. She tried to walk a bit faster, but knew that if she went too fast, she could fall. Her doctor had told her, “No more falls, or you’ll have to use a walker!” She hated the thought. She might be getting old, but she wasn’t elderly—yet. No matter what her doctor said.

   If she pretended not to see them, maybe the boys would let her alone. She faced forward and kept on walking, but suddenly she felt a jerk which almost caused her to fall backwards. One of the boys had grabbed at her canvas carry-bag.

   “Hey, what’s in here, grandma? Something for me? Did you bring a present for me?” The whole group laughed at that, from both sides of the street.

   “Please,” she said, “I’m just going to the church. There’s nothing in there, just something for the church.”

   The boys laughed again, as most of the group drifted over to where she stood, trembling a little. The first speaker yanked the bag again and this time it slipped off her arm. She tried to grab it back but nearly lost her balance again. The boy who had taken the bag opened it and looked inside. He stopped and his face went blank, then he threw it back at her quickly. As she tried to catch it, to prevent the candles from hitting the ground and maybe breaking, she fell heavily, awkwardly, crying out when she landed. Her cries were drowned out by sneering laughter. She felt sharp pains in various places and looked at him in fear.

   “This is boring,” the first speaker said to the others, as he gave her an inscrutable look. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

   From the ground, she watched them saunter away, laughing. Despite the pain from hitting the sidewalk, she was immensely relieved that they were leaving her so soon. Thank you, God…

***************

   Her doctor scolded her; she’d been seeing him for years, and he treated her a little like an elderly aunt.

   “Thank goodness you didn’t break anything, although I have no idea why not! But you are badly bruised and will be in a lot of pain for some time. Bed rest for a while until the bruises go away—no extended trips outside your home!” He was adamant about that and sent her home with some mild pain killers. A kind neighbor volunteered to do her grocery shopping for a while and also bring in her mail.

   While she was recuperating, her priest came to visit her. He was shocked to hear what had happened and suggested that someone else take over the candle and votive stand responsibilities. But at this, her natural stubbornness asserted itself. She’d been doing this for years and intended to continue until she couldn’t manage it any longer! He reluctantly gave in, but insisted that she confine her trips to Saturdays, when school was not in session. She was struck by the simple solution and readily agreed. He’d then asked her if she had recognized her assailant, but she shook her head. The boy was completely unfamiliar to her; she had never seen him before. The priest expressed disappointment; he said that his experience had been that, when a young person was caught in wrongdoing and made to suffer the consequences, there was a good chance that they might change their ways. He left on this note, giving her something to think about. She could only visualize the boy vaguely, but she knew she’d never forget the expression on his face after he’d tossed the bag back at her.

***********

   A few weeks later she made her first trip back to the church. It was threatening rain that Saturday; she should have stayed home, but knew it was past time to check the votive stand. If they ran out of candles, people coming to pray would be disappointed. She felt well enough to go and had hoped the rain would hold off until she was finished and back home. Unfortunately, it started while she was on her way there; she just made it into the narthex before it began to come down heavily. I’ll be here a while, she thought. No need to hurry now!

   She made her usual prediction as she neared the stand: the upper right-hand corner candle insert would definitely need replacing. Yep, she was right—burned empty as always. Someone must really like that spot, she noted. Can’t blame ‘em—I always use the one in the opposite corner, don’t I? Guess I’m not the only obsessive one. She’d have to remember that example for the next time she and her doctor argued about her behavior.

   She finished refilling the candle holders and put the empty inserts into her bag, to throw away later. After unlocking and looking in the money box, she decided there wasn’t enough to remove; it was only a few dollars in coins. No need to take out that small of an amount. She’d wait another couple of Saturdays.

   It was still raining hard--she could actually hear the faint sound of raindrops hitting the church roof and very little light came through the stained glass windows. She decided to wait a while before going home; perhaps it would clear up, or at least subside into only a drizzle. Her umbrella could keep her fairly dry, but steady rain made it hard to see to walk safely. At times like this, she wondered if maybe she should get a walker…she made a face at the thought.

   She picked up her carry-bag and went to her usual pew, on the other side of the church from the votive stand. She kept a couple of small pillows there, to ease the occasional pains in her legs and back; they were helpful now, to cushion the fading bruised places, which were still a bit sore. She settled herself, with the bag on her lap, and said a few prayers. “When in Rome,” she thought, and then laughed at herself. Really, the things that flit through my mind…

   The quietness and dimness of the church and the light, regular sound of the raindrops soon lulled her to sleep.

   Something caused her to waken all at once. She didn’t move for a moment, trying to recall where she was, and then the uncertainty sharpened into focus. She was in church, it was still dark inside because of the rain clouds, and someone was walking towards the votive stand. She stayed still and watched, not wanting to disturb someone else’s prayer time. They wouldn’t be able to see her in the cloud-caused dim light—she could only make them out because of the little wall sconces near the stand.

   The person paused in front of the stand for a moment, and then started to do something. Instead of lighting one of the candles, however, they leaned over, fumbling with something below the stand. From the clinking sounds, she guessed that they were doing something with the money box--putting coins in? No, it sounded like the little door at the back of the money box being opened. But she and the priest had the only keys! This certainly wasn’t the priest—was someone picking the lock? Then she heard the familiar slithering sound of coins being poured out. Someone was taking the candle money! Someone was stealing from the church! She was angered and indignant but didn’t move. She’d heard too many horror stories about what happened to people who tried to stop robbers; she’d seen too many violent altercations on the city streets. But she was disappointed that it was too dark in the church to make out any details about the thief, so that she could report it to the priest and the police.

   There were more sounds: the back of the money box closing, the box being returned to its place. The thief would leave quickly now, she expected, but that did not happen. Instead, there was silence for a bit, and then she heard the sound of a match being struck. She watched as the upper right-hand corner candle flamed into life. The figure then bowed its head and stood still. Without thinking about what she was doing, she clutched the carry-bag to her chest, got to her feet, and moved quietly down the pew until she came to the center aisle. She started to hear different sounds, bits of softly spoken words. She crossed the aisle to get closer; the words became distinguishable.

   “…sorry, so sorry…not for me, for my mom…I’m sorry…” The figure bowed again and then turned away from the votive stand toward the front entrance. As she walked closer, the sound of her steps made the person turn in her direction and freeze in a half crouch, fists clenched.

   At that moment, the light came streaming in through the rose window. She thought of several things at once: the clouds breaking up, letting the light go through; the breathtaking beauty of so many colors falling across the stone floor, the pews, the votive stand; and a young man’s face. A very young man—actually a boy, with a very familiar-looking face. She suddenly realized that she was looking at the boy who had yanked away her carry-bag a few weeks ago. An intense fear washed over her as she noted his defensive stance, and then vanished as quickly as it had come. Why is that? she wondered. Why am I not afraid any more? And then she saw what had caught her eye, unconsciously—the glimmer of tears on his face, and an expression of guilt and shame.

   The light coming through the window widened as the clouds broke up more and more—widened further until the bright colors fell on her, too. The boy squinted, blinked, and then focused on where she was standing; he straightened up, and she saw instant recognition in his eyes. They both stood silently, staring at each other. We’re inside a rainbow, she thought obliquely. God’s rainbow. God’s promise. Why?

   She moved closer, half-expecting him to run away, but he didn’t. The clouds shifted again and the area of colored light shrunk, but still surrounded the two of them.

   There was a short silence. “You took the candle money,” she finally said, matter-of-factly. “You’ve been taking it for a while, haven’t you?”

   He looked at her in fear. “Yes,” he said, “but not for me! It’s for my mom, for her medicine. She’s sick, and the medicine costs a lot of money. More than we have…”

   “Is she going to get better?”

   The boy’s face crumpled and he looked down. “I don’t know. She’s been sick a long time.”

   There was more silence as she watched tears roll down the boy’s face. His fists clenched again, but she ignored it this time. Dear Lord, what should I do? she thought dispassionately—and then she knew. The colored lights coming through the window intensified briefly and then dimmed.

   She leaned forward and spoke quietly. “May I come and see your mother?” He looked up apprehensively. “No, not to tell on you. Just for a visit, to see how she’s doing?” She hesitated for a moment and then took some money out of her carry-bag and put it into his hand. “This is for you, for your mother’s medicine.”

   He stared at the money in his hand, and then said, “No! Take it back!” He dug the coins from the votive stand out of his pocket and tried to hand everything back to her. “I’ve taken that money lots of times---and I hurt you….” He collapsed onto his knees, sobbing.

   She carefully lowered herself to the floor, while holding on to the arm of a pew, and put her hand on his shoulder.

   “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he kept crying; his hands opened up and the money fell to the floor. She moved her own hand and gently touched his cheek. He looked at her. “How can you be nice to me? I steal from God and I hurt you!”

   “You are sorry. God forgives you—I forgive you.”

   He took a breath and spoke again. “How can you forgive me? I was mean—I laughed at you and I threw that bag at you. You fell over and cried out. I did that.”

   She picked up the money and handed it back to him, folding his hand tightly over it. “I’m all right. And you will be, too. Go home to your mother and take care of her. Come back here and pray any time you like. God sees your candle and hears your prayers. He heard you say that you’re sorry.”

   The boy reached out his other hand tentatively and put it on hers; all their hands were clasped together now. “I’m so sorry, so sorry,” he repeated in a whisper.

   For a while, neither of them moved. Around them, the colors from the windows shone even brighter.

Quote du jour

“The preacher must be a serious man; he must never give the impression that preaching is something light or superficial or trivial.”

― D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Where Did China Get Their Hypersonic Missile From?


H/T People's Cube

A Little Saturday Night Music

Everly Brothers - Let it be me

Best of the Web*


*…that Dave and I have seen all week!

(BTW, if you wonder where any of the links will take you, hover your cursor over the link.)

Political/SocioEconomic

Who Killed Sir David, and Why? UPDATE: ‘Somali Heritage,’ Motive Unknown




Culture
Feel Good Friday




Photoshops/Cartoons/Graphics
Flopping Aces -Sunday Funnies
Sunday Funnies, 10-10-21
Today's Toons 10/6/21
Today's Toons 10/7/21
Today's Toons 10/8/21
Today's Toons 10/11/21
Today's Toons 10/12/21






Linkfests:
Larwyn’s Linx: Biden Administration Tries to Use Intimidation to Silence Parents
Links for Saturday evening, and Sunday
In The Mailbox: 10.12.21 (Afternoon Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: Mexican Cartel Seen Firing Machine Guns Towards US National Guard Recon Post
In The Mailbox: 10.12.21 (Evening Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: Cartels in charge: Leaked docs show mass release of criminal illegal aliens into US by Biden
In The Mailbox: 10.14.21 (Morning Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: Cartels in charge: Leaked docs show mass release of criminal illegal aliens into US by Biden
In The Mailbox: 10.14.21 (Evening Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: White House Chief of Staff Is Not Worried About ‘The Help’ Dealing With Inflation
In The Mailbox: 10.15.21





Dave's Rule Five Roundup:

Proof Positive - Best of the Web

Animal Magnetism - RULE FIVE LYING LIARS THAT LIE FRIDAY

By Other Means - Tuesday Tap Rack and Bang, BeCos(play) It's Friday and Seeing Red

Evi L. Bloggerlady - Live By Night: A Review️

Ninety Miles From Tyranny - Hot Pick, Girls With Guns, Morning Mistress and Blogs With Rule 5 Links

Grouchy Old Cripple - Saturday Boobage

Irons in the Fire - Friday Data and ... Saturday Data Overflow

The Feral Irishman - Friday Femme Fatale

The Daley Gator - Daley Babe

Diogenes Middle Finger News - A Good Monday Morning

A View from the Beach - Rule 5 Saturday - Croatian Cutie - Natalija Ugrina and Fish Pic Friday

24 Femmes Per Second - Farrah Fawcett

Knuckledraggin My Life Away - I'm sure she's taken, men And ... I’ll leave you with this

Theo Spark - Dua Lipa

Woodsterman - Rule 5 Woodsterman Style

The Other McCain - Rule Five Sunday: Carol Cleveland

The Pirates Cove - If All You See ... and Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Wired Right - A Beautiful End to the Day

The View from Lady Lake - Changing gears tonight

The Right Way - Friday Babe and ... Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama

Quote du jour

When you classify gang murders and drug murders as "gun crimes", you misidentify the problem.
Drunk driving and vehicular homicides are both "car crimes", but cars are not the problem, they have different causes.
Any real solutions must start with a valid premise, not a political agenda.

-Mike B

Friday, October 15, 2021

Free Gun Friday

Another Free Gun Friday! More goodies available without straining your budget!


and more!

To test your luck, enter here.

Quote du jour

The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able might have a gun.

- Patrick Henry

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Quote du jour

“We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.”

- Henry David Thoreau

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Quote du jour

"We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst!"

- C.S. Lewis

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Quote du jour

“True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness.”

- Albert Einstein

Monday, October 11, 2021

Happy Columbus Day!

All you "Indigenous People's Day" folk have 365 days to choose from to celebrate. May I suggest April 1st?

Quote du jour

The purpose of the pistol is to stop a fight that somebody else has started, almost always at very short range.

- Jeff Cooper

Sunday, October 10, 2021

A Little Sunday Night Music

Marty Goetz - For Zion's Sake

Quote du jour

Father, we long for the clarity of Your truth to dawn upon our minds and for the immensity of Your love to grip our hearts.

- Alistair Begg

Saturday, October 9, 2021

A Little Saturday Night Music

Goodbye Hello 2021 - David Perry

Best of the Web*


*…that Dave and I have seen all week!

(BTW, if you wonder where any of the links will take you, hover your cursor over the link.)

Political/SocioEconomic

Democrats Agree: Criticizing Our Behavior Is Racist, Sexist, Homophobic




Culture
Feel Good Friday
Who’s Up For A More Radical Climate (scam) Movement Or Something
California experiments with social democracy - Dan Walters
Milwaukee Teen Killed by Systemic Racism & High-Speed Head-On Collision...







Photoshops/Cartoons/Graphics
Flopping Aces -Sunday Funnies
Sunday Funnies, 10-03-21
Today's Toons 9/29/21
Today's Toons 9/30/21
Today's Toons 10/1/21
Today's Toons 10/4/21
Today's Toons 10/5/21





Science/ Technology
NASA plans ‘Armageddon’-style mission to crash into asteroid’s moon





Linkfests:
Larwyn’s Linx: Sen. Ron Johnson Shares Latest COVID-19 Data, Refutes “Pandemic of The Unvaccinated” Rhetoric
Weekend MUST READ LINKS!
In The Mailbox: 10.04.21
Larwyn’s Linx: Texas braces for surge of 60,000 Haitian migrants
In The Mailbox: 10.05.21
Larwyn’s Linx: Democrats & Media Do Not Want to Weaken Facebook, Just Commandeer its Power to Censor
In The Mailbox: 10.06.21
Larwyn’s Linx: How left-wing protesters are justified, but angry moms are ‘domestic terrorists’
In The Mailbox: 10.07.21
Larwyn’s Linx: AG Garland's school board crackdown after son-in-law revealed as social justice education kingpin
In The Mailbox: 10.08.21




Dave's Rule Five Roundup:

Proof Positive - Best of the Web

Animal Magnetism - RULE FIVE SIX DECADES FRIDAY

By Other Means - Tuesday Tap Rack and Bang, BeCos(play) It's Friday and Seeing Red

Evi L. Bloggerlady - Hymn to Red October️

Ninety Miles From Tyranny - Hot Pick, Girls With Guns, Morning Mistress and Blogs With Rule 5 Links

Grouchy Old Cripple - Saturday Boobage

Irons in the Fire - Friday Data and ... Saturday Data Overflow

The Feral Irishman - Friday Femme Fatale

The Daley Gator - Daley Babe

Diogenes Middle Finger News - A Good Monday Morning

A View from the Beach - Rule 5 Saturday - Courtney Hansen and Fish Pic Friday

24 Femmes Per Second - Dawn Richard

Knuckledraggin My Life Away - I'm sure she's taken, men And ... I’ll leave you with this, More Girls with Guns GwG gifdump

Theo Spark -
Friday's Monster Tits

Woodsterman - Rule 5 Woodsterman Style

The Other McCain - Rule Five Sunday: Gwen Stefani & The Harajuku Girls

The Pirates Cove - If All You See ... and Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Wired Right - A Beautiful End to the Day

The View from Lady Lake - Before you lose faith in this generation of slackers, take note of one accomplishment

The Right Way - Friday Babe and ... Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama

Quote du jour

Before he was 30, Michelangelo found time to sculpt the Pietà and the statue of David.
At 41, Leo Tolstoy found time to write War and Peace.
Throughout his life, Albert Einstein published hundreds of books and more than 300 scientific papers.


Yesterday, I found time to Tweet...

-Mike B

Friday, October 8, 2021

Free Gun Friday!

Once again, it's Free Gun Friday!  A rifle in 7.62, which, if you're REALLY lucky, you can still find ammunition for! But I think if you're lucky enough for a free gun, you'll find the ammo, too!





To win this DD5® V4® 7.62, you can enter here.

Quote du jour

Taking my gun away because I might shoot someone is like cutting my tongue out because I might yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater.

- Peter Venetoklis

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Quote du jour

“When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law.”

- Frédéric Bastiat

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Quote du jour

“A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.”

- Alexander Pope

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

The New Acceptable Behavior

Quote du jour

“Once writing has become your major vice and greatest pleasure only death can stop it.”

- Ernest Hemingway

Monday, October 4, 2021

Quote du jour

There is a tide in the affairs of men. 
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; 
Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. 
On such a full sea are we now afloat, 
And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures. 

 - Brutus, Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene III

Sunday, October 3, 2021

A Little Sunday Night Music

God of Wonders - Mark Baldwin

Forty Days for Life®--And Mine

 Editor's note: This account is from 2020, but the 2021 Campaign for 40 Days is happening right now!

To learn more, visit https://www.40daysforlife.com


Something happened during one of our "40 Days for Life®" prayer shifts...in a mid-sized, San Francisco Bay Area town




It was very quiet, no foot traffic in and out this day, because the Planned Parenthood clinic was closed for an afternoon meeting. Another woman and I were praying the rosary off to the side: she was standing in a walkway between the building and the small parking lot, and I was sitting on a folding chair in the shade of a sidewalk tree. It was a warm and sunny afternoon in the fall, and we both needed our sunglasses. From my vantage point I could see along the front of the building, past the front door to the street corner. We held our rosary beads; I also held the large, scriptural prolife sign I’ve used for a long time.


I have taken part in the “40 Days for Life” international prayer vigils for several years, originally outside the small Planned Parenthood clinic in our county and now in front of their newer, more central location, where surgical abortions take place at least once a week. Our city is not very big and our 40 Days group is small, but it is a dedicated group.


The local organizers have a policy that there must be at least two people present during all vigil hours, for safety’s sake. We seldom if ever encounter the kind of opposition or violence that sometimes takes place in larger cities. Incidents do occur from time to time, however, and people sometimes gang up on a solitary person praying, so no one is ever to be there alone.


While we were in prayer that afternoon, a woman drove by on the opposite side of the street. She rolled to a stop because of the traffic light, then glanced out her window--and read my sign. She immediately leaned out her open window, gave me the middle finger gesture, and then yelled, "YOU should have been aborted!" I looked after her in disbelief as the light changed and she sped away.

Her reaction really struck me. The middle finger, cursing, thumbs-down signs--those don't really bother me very much any more. I’ve gotten used to those. But that sentence did bother me, for some reason.


I was still trying to process it as we finished our prayers. I told the woman with me what had happened and what had been said, because she hadn’t been facing the street at
that moment. She stared at me, astonished and shocked. We talked about it for a while and then sat in silence, but those words continued to bother me.


A short time later, a man in a motorized wheelchair came around the street corner, just beyond Planned Parenthood's front door. He stopped, leaned to the side, and looked as if he was talking on an in-ears headset. Then he started forward, toward us. As he came nearer I braced myself, wondering if he would get in our faces and harass us. People do, sometimes, when they see us praying. You get used to that, too, but it can be upsetting.


As he came closer, though, he looked right at me and started smiling. Because I was sitting on my folding chair we were at eye level with each other. He stopped close to me, only about a foot away, and said, "Every time I pass by here I lay hands on this building, and I pray that the women who come here will go somewhere else." As he was speaking, I took off my sunglasses and looked straight into his eyes. He ended with "God bless your work here." Then he started up his motorized chair and continued on his way.


As I watched him leave, a sense of peace and calmness washed over me. Under my breath I said, “And God bless what you do, too.”



It wasn't until days later that I realized why the "YOU should have been aborted!" shout bothered me so much.


The following week, during another prayer shift, there were three of us present, including one of the leaders. We were in the middle of our prayers when two young men stopped in front of us--one short, one tall, both very young (it became clear during the conversation that they were probably older middle schoolers).


The short one was the spokesman, while the other merely stood and listened. The speaker asked about my sign, an old “40 Days for Life” one, which says, " Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you -- God" [Jeremiah 1:5]. It was clearly his way of creating an opening for talking, which continued for about 15 or 20 minutes. He brought out all the usual talking points, but not in a belligerent way. It was more of an "I don't know anything else because this is all I've been told" kind of way. Each point was well-countered, mostly by the leader and the other woman present. After each response, he went on to the next talking point. But he listened, and the taller one really listened (I
watched his face). They were polite and respectful; they even excused themselves when they finally had to leave.


At one point, the speaker brought up the issue of "unwanted babies". I answered that one, by telling him that I was adopted--that my birth mother had resisted pressure to either abort me or marry my biological father. Instead, she carried me to term and gave me up for adoption, by a couple who could not have children: my mother and father (who went on to adopt other children). I told him that I was deeply grateful to my birth mother for the gift of my life.


After the young men left, I started thinking more about what I'd said to them, remembering the few, but important, facts I knew. My birth mother had cared enough for me to reject abortion. I was a real person to her, and she was adamant that I should live. She even gave me a name at my birth, a name which is on my legal adoption papers. It isn’t just a placeholder name, like "Baby Smith" or some such--she gave me a full, three-part, personal name that obviously had meaning for her. No one now knows that name except me and her--if she still lives--because my adoptive mother and father are both dead.


Pieces started falling into place then until the whole picture was clear to me. That woman's shout, "YOU should have been aborted!" hit me as hard as it did because I so easily could have been aborted. I so easily might never have existed.


Never born. Never having lived.


And that's why it bothered me so much, I believe. Because it had been so possible.

Copyright, 2019, by Mary M. Isaacs

(Previously published here 9/27/20)