Stormbringer's Thunder

Buona sera. OK, clever ones, tell me something. Why is it that we get uppity atheists and snotty "progressives" crying about the "separation of church and state" at the drop of a hat? It's almost at joke status: A rabbi, a priest and a Baptist pastor walked onto City Hall property. An atheist went crying to the ACLU, who promptly filed for an injunction, etc. "Sensitivity" and "political correctness" are absurdly think disguises in efforts to criminalize Christianity and, to some extent, Judaism. (Of course, the Jews have a few thousand years' head start being experienced in persecution before Christians started getting hammered, so they're more used to it. I'm being facetious, you know.) In a broader sense, "political correctness" is an effort to stifle free speech and to dodge productive discussion of important issues. And to squelch values, of course. Then you get sarcastic types like me that don't give a rat...

Buon giorno. I received this in my e-mail a while ago, and have decided to use it now. You may have seen it, or even had it forwarded to you because it's been around for a few years. I've seen it (and its writer) attacked by liberals, progressives, anti-theists and others that are politically correct, intellectually castrated; these types dodge important dialogue by labeling someone as a "hater" or "racist" (I railed on "racism" in my previous post). You know the type: Peace, touchie-feely love and grooviness for all — unless you believe differently than their nebulous blather requires. Then their idea of "tolerance" shows its true ugly self, that we have to tolerate all views except Judeo-Christian and/or Conservative values. But I digress. Again. Yes, I like to digress on occasion. Here is a version of the piece that I received. Afterward, I will have some of my typically insightful comments for your enlightenment. Can a ...

Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate with your employees, motivate them and reward them. If you do all those things effectively, you can't miss.   — Lee Iacocca Tweaked for clarity 3-26-2011. Buona sera. I have an attitude with thunder and lightning heading your way. You may have noticed that the title of this missive is the opposite of true intelligence. It constantly amazes me that so many companies seem to think that if their employees are not in a minor panic, sweating and frantic, that work is not getting done. Brace yourselves, this is Bluntness Day: They are too cheap to supply their employees with the proper tools to get the job done. Remember my buddy Neil? He works for a cheapskate Fortune 100 company. They are certainly not in the "100 Best Places to Work" list, but they cannot determine the cause. Spurious surveys to make themselves feel good, with faked results and continually contemptuous workers are the r...

Buona sera. I thought I was done with writing about "Monica", but there are a few more important points to add. She was overly fond of money. In fact, lies were a means to acquiring more money and not parting with her own. One of her biggest secrets was that she had some money stashed away that only she knew about. Money changes people. They get greedy and want more. It's almost strange, you don't have to be rich to be greedy, and you don't have to be poor to avoid loving the stuff. What was she holding onto her money for, anyway? Tomorrow? Monica did not have any more tomorrows. Ironically, her money went for her own burial expenses. "...say you'll be all right come tomorrow, but tomorrow might not be here for you..." — Lynyrd Skynyrd Monica made her plans. We all have our plans, dreams, hopes, expectations, dreads, fears, whatever. But I have to be very direct with you: Today may be your last day on Earth. Like these people: Michael...

In a way, these three articles are different aspects of the same thing: Selfishness. I told you how "Monica" had died, and what is inside of people comes out, whether greed or kindness. Relatives act like vultures, wanting "stuff". For cherished memories? I doubt it. After all, a used microwave or television set is not really a "keepsake". And an abundance of items turns into clutter that eventually has to be discarded in one way or another. (Hint: If something breaks, runs down or simply has to be removed, you are not losing the memory of the person as if their spirit was attached to the object(s)). Also, I told you that people alienated from one another because of lies she had told to and about them were learning some truths and clearing the air. Reconciliations, and in some cases, new friendships, have begun to form. That's the bright side. But discovering the lies that were told has been a torment to friends and family. Now for this third par...

In our last installment, I told you about a death, and the way people act. Some show their true colors and get greedy for the possessions of the deceased, others put aside their differences and can actually begin a process of reconciliation. Truth comes out; you can't hide it forever. And a great deal of what happened is knowledge rapidly gained "after the fact". "...be sure your sin will find you out." — Numbers 32.23b (NASB) Now I have to be cagey. As I already told you, I am calling the deceased "Monica", and (with certain obvious exceptions), I do not use real names in my article. She did not live to see her thirtieth birthday. Monica's parents were divorced when she was young, and each had remarried. That is very important to this narrative. Monica's mother, Martina, married Larry. Her father, Jimmy, married Faith. Monica had mental problems (and my personal suspicion is that those were complicated by demonic oppression, but never min...

It's not that I'm afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens. — Woody Allen Looks like I've found a new series to write about. I'm going to ask you to tolerate awkwardness in this post because I'm running on fumes. With all of the deaths that have happened around me, including recently, this is the first time that I've been in the middle of helping with making arrangements for a funeral, burial, cleaning out an apartment and so forth. On Saturday, July 31, we went to the scene of a death. Lots of shock, hysterical crying, getting people notified, talking to police, all that. No foul play, it seems to have been a matter of losing track of how many prescription pills and how often to take them, and it became fatal. She was in her mid to late 20s. That's all you need to know. As my regular readers well know, I do not use real names for the protection of people; I can make my points without risking anyone'...