Thots and observations about our culture  2011 By Jim Watson Iraq: What was gained, what was lost The Week, December 22, 2011 After nine bloody years of war, some 4,500 US troops dead, more than 33,000 wounded and maimed, and nearly $1 trillion spent, many Americans question whether our achievements in Iraq were worth the staggering cost. This war may turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes in US history. It was "launched under false pretenses" by the Bush administration, which exploited the nation's post-9/11 fears and manufactured evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Between 150,000 and 400,000 Iraqis were killed in the war and the bungled occupation and civil war that followed, and another 1.3 million were displaced from their homes. And what did their losses - and ours - produce? A destabilized Middle East, a newly emboldened and empowered Iran, and "widespread hatred of the U.S." The US is also leaving behind a giant US Embassy and 16,000 contractors and State Department personnel. Post on a Facebook Status Update I am sitting in a wonderful little coffee shop that I frequent and that I know a lot of fellow Christian brothers and sisters hang out in and it disturbs me how many times I have heard "Happy Holidays". I am so sick of this politically correctness folks? What happened to tradition? I have many Jewish friends and I respect you and Happy Hanukkah. To my Christian friends stand up and be bold. We don't celebrate a holiday! We celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Merry Christmas! My reply In a situation where one knows the religious beliefs of the other, it is most appropriate to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Eid, or whatever. However, you were in a public place where strangers are greeting each other. Because religious beliefs are so personal, one won't always know another's beliefs. Therefore, in those instances, it is more respectful and appropriate to wish them a Happy Holiday (Holy Day). And, you are celebrating a holiday. Jesus was not born on December 25 - that date is merely symbolic of his birth and is now regarded as a Holy Day. Happy Holidays has been a tradition for decades - we are sticking to tradition. Its just not your personal tradition. But, your personal spiritual beliefs should not dictate how others behave in a public coffee shop. Relax a bit, Erick, and enjoy this wonderful time of year. So what if others don't use the phrase you prefer? Will that harm your beliefs or how you celebrate Christmas? I hope not. Jesus taught us to love others and be patient with them - not to be sick and disturbed by them. Merry Christmas. Clerics clash in Bethlehem brawl at Jesus' birthplace From USA Today, December 28, 2011 Up to 100 Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic priests and monks swinging brooms clashed inside the Church of Nativity today in Bethlehem in a frenzied turf battle. The fighting broke out during cleaning of the church in preparation for Christmas celebrations, as each side jealously guarded its territory. Palestinian police, using batons and shields, broke up the fighting inside the basilica. "It was a trivial problem that ... occurs every year," said the police Lieutenant. He tells the news agency that there were no arrests "because all those involved were men of God." Favorite politically correct holiday greeting, from Glenn To my friends, Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive and gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all; and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2012 but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (but not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country) and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, gender, religious faith, choice of computer platform or sexual preference of the wisher. [By accepting this greeting you are accepting the following terms: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable, but without alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for him-or-herself or other and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.] Keep in touch Salma Hayek asks Jesus for some boobs "I was getting tested a lot because everybody was older and I was the skinny tomboy. I went to a church that had a saint that was supposed to do a lot of miracles. I put my hands in holy water and prayed: Please Jesus give me some boobs." Mythology: today a religion, tomorrow a fable. A few important Christmas lessons The Christmas season is a joyous time of the year. If you choose to celebrate it as a religious holiday, please consider: Jesus is not the reason for the season. The actual reason is an ancient Pagan festival celebrating a good fall harvest. Biblical scholars acknowledge that Jesus was most likely born in the spring. Early devout Christian sects refused to celebrate Christmas as it was not Biblical nor respectful of their faith. Most of the season's trappings - Santa, tree, decorations, cards, feasting, parties, and endless shopping were swiped from other cultural traditions or added by retailers. The word Xmas is just as reverent as Christmas. X is the greek symbol Chi which represents Christ, as are the symbols c h r i s t. Xmas just takes up less space so advertisers can put more into their ads. But, its not particularly disrespectful nor irreligious; its just different. The cross is not an appropriate symbol of Jesus's birth. It is a symbol of a violent horrible instrument of death, as was used for the crucifixion of Jesus. Ignorance of this lesson is very obvious in Oklahoma City where large skyscrapers blatantly display the crucifixion death symbol in December, rather than in the spring for Good Friday. (read more) WWJD is inappropriate during the Christmas season. There is almost nothing we do during this time, except for maybe donating to charities, that Jesus has asked us to do or would do himself. This cultural holiday is not very Christ-like. Jesus was not about 'family'. Jesus commands us to leave our families to follow him. Please read: Matthew 19:29, 10:21, and 10:34-37, Mark 10:29-30 and 13:12, and Luke 12:51-53, 14:26, 18:29-30, and 21:16. Saying either Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays is fine. Christmas is more of a cultural season than a religious one, so Merry Christmas doesn't have to be literal. There are no authentic Biblical Holy Days associated with December 25 but there are other religious holidays at this time, so Happy Holidays has merit. Either one seems to work just fine. And, all the whining and complaining about people 'stealing' Christmas will not make it any more religious. Lesson: Enjoy the Christmas/holiday season, but don't mistake it for an authentic religious observance. I almost threw up. Snip. Snip. Snip. What is that sound? Its so familiar, I recognize it. Of course, its the sound of nail clippers on a fingernail. I looked around - this guy was clipping his fingernails! At a table in Panera Bread in Edmond, Friday, December 9, 3:24p. What is so bad in his bathroom at home that motivated him to cut his nails in public, in a restaurant? Lesson: Please complete all personal grooming tasks before leaving home. New favorite fotos or phavorite photos LEFT: A thoughtful considerate idea: mount the sanitizer outside the restroom doors so one can sanitize hands after leaving the restroom, touching the door knob, and closing the door. MIDDLE: The thoughtless act of texting or checking Facebook while kissing. RIGHT Caption: Before I set this sandbag down, Father, I need you to clarify whether the flood is Your will and we're subverting Your judgement by stopping the water, or whether its Your will that we sandbag the flood, meaning that You visited this horrible act upon us intentionally. A show of arrogant ignorance Every Christmas season, two skyscrapers in Oklahoma City turn on lights on their facades that form Christian crosses. Unfortunately, they serve as large beacons of ignorance and bigotry in Oklahoma. Not a good message for the movement of Oklahoma City towards becoming a major league city - displays such as these keep Oklahoma in the minor leagues. Major cities do not condone such ignorance. A few concerns: Irreverent: WWJD? Jesus would likely be disgusted by the showy display. He taught his followers to share one's faith, but in a more respectful manner. As is too often the case, Christians don't act very Christ-like. Inappropriate: The cross is a symbol of the crucifixion - a terrible painful instrument of torture and death. Not very appropriate for the season of Santa, toys, carols, and shopping. Ignorant: The cross is more closely associated with the holiday of Easter and Christ's death and resurrection, not Christmas, which is more about birth and joy. Someone simply goofed by using the Easter crucifixion during the birth holiday. Arrogant: There are likely many non-Christians that work in those buildings. There are thousands of non-Christians in the metro area that these crosses shine over. Divisive: The USA is in the midst of a religious war - this just heightens the division and animosity. As stated, the crosses are not about Christmas, but a blatant show of Christianity Exclusive: A city should avoid alienating any of its citizens. While these are privately owned buildings, they do serve as symbols of the city and take on a more civic role and responsibility. Other inappropriate displays of ignorance These are two large Interstate Highway Crosses: one in Effingham, Illinois and one in Edmond, Oklahoma. As a devout Christian, I read and studied the Bible many times. I could never find any verses in which Jesus recommended that his followers spend money on large structures of the symbol of crucifixion. If you know of any Bible verse that confirms that Christians should build such ostentatious structures, please email me at the address below. Thanks. Winner 2011 Halloween Costume Contest Another in the series Graphs of the human condition House Reaffirms 'In God We Trust' as US Motto On November 2, 2011, the House passed a non-binding resolution reaffirming "In God We Trust" as the national motto. The measure sponsored by a Republican Rep, supports and encourages the motto's display in all public schools and government buildings. The resolution was needed because President Obama had once called "E pluribus unum" the national motto, and the Latin phrase meaning "from many one" was engraved in the new Capitol Visitors Center until Congress ordered that it be corrected. A Democrat Rep called the resolution a meaningless distraction from the nation's real problems. "Nobody is threatening the national motto." "In God We Trust" officially became the national motto in 1956 and began appearing on paper currency the following year. So, we have publicly stated (defying what Jesus preached about not making a public show of faith) that the US puts its trust in God. Since we began this in 1956, we have lost hundreds of thousands of Americans to horrible deaths in war, tornadoes, hurricanes, drought, traffic accidents,and terrorist attacks. The bankrupt US economy has hurt many people. Observation: It clearly seems that trusting God hasn't been a good move for America. Suggestion: The US should consider trusting a different God - this one is not working out too well. More info on cliches of the ignorant. Quick, name the country Its not Nazi Germany, nor some mideast battleground. The Occupy movement, October, 2011, the United States of America. Maybe, the Revolution has begun. This week's pet peeve: cars that honk when the doors are being locked Please program your car key fob so that the horn doesn't honk when you lock your car. Most cars have this option - check the Owners Manual for the instructions. Its quite simple to reprogram the key fob. Think how much nicer it will be without those needless honks. The sound of the locks clicking still provides an aural confirmation that your car is locked. The extra horn sound is unnecessary, rude, selfish, and obnoxious. Okay, it may not be quite that bad, but it will still be nicer without the honks. Many car key fobs allow you to double click the button to sound the horn in case you need to find your car in the lot. Better solution: car manufacturers should program the no-honk as the default on the fob. People who feel they need the honk can program the fob to do so. But, for all the people who don't think about it or don't care, the horn option would be turned off. Some controversial, yet thought-provoking, images from Facebook status updates Easter morning An unfortunate yet appropriate image (and why hasn't this flag been taken down?) This photo of the flag on One World Trade Center at the 9/11 Memorial seems to represent the current state of affairs in the USA better than any of the protests, media opinions, or even Rick Romney, Michelle Palin, or Mitt Perry. A rational response to an irrational philosophy The Catholic Church acknowledges it does not trust God to answer its prayers! The Church contends that if one trusts Jesus and prays in His name, God will answer. Think of the thousands, or millions, of people who pray for the safety and protection of the leader of the Church - the Holy See, the Pope. Yet, despite these prayers and the assurances from the Holy Bible, the Church spends a hundred thousand dollars to buy a vehicle to protect the Pope. "God, we trust that you will protect the Pope, but we're not quite sure you will, so we're going to buy an armored vehicle to protect him. Amen." The Church can't have it both ways - asking its parishioners to put their complete trust in God and also show tangible evidence that the church, itself, does not have such trust. The popemobile isn't its official name, because the vehicle doesn't have one. Pope John Paul II pleaded with journalists to stop using the term because he thought it sounded "undignified." The popemobile is a modified Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle with a special glass-enclosed 'room' that has been built into the back of the vehicle. The pope enters through a rear door and ascends several steps. After the pope sits in his chair, it is elevated up into the glass 'room' by a hydraulic lift, allowing the pope to be more visible. The vehicle's security features include bulletproof glass windows and roof and reinforced armored side panels and underbody. Estimated cost: $116,842.50 The emotions of 9/11 in photographs Robert Peraza, 68, had been selected as a reader at the 10th anniversary ceremony, but before the 9/11 Memorial opened to family members, Peraza took a moment to walk near the North Pool around 9:45a. It was there that he found his son's name: Robert David Peraza, who had been working on the 104th floor of the North Tower, just above the gaping hole left in the building by the impact of American Airlines flight 11. Justin Lane, a press pool photographer, took Peraza's picture and it soon appeared around the world, showing up on the cover of the Washington Post, the New York Daily News, and the New York Post. Naming hurricanes David emailed me with a great idea: a hurricane name that provides more information. Naming devastating storms after people does provide a reference, but there are 2 problems: 1. The name does not provide any information about the storm - like when it is, what ocean, etc. 2. It associates a negative connotation to a name. I suspect that, a few years ago, not many baby girls were named Katrina. We don't name terrorist attacks after people - we use 9/11 for September 11, 2001 and the English use 7/7 for the terrorist subway bombings. In Oklahoma, we still refer to the May 3 tornadoes - we refer to them by their date, not someone's name. David's suggestion is to use a letter prefix to denote the number of the storm in a year, followed by the year. So the 3rd storm of 2009 would be named C-09. I wonder if we can go a step further and add a code for the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Maybe just A, P, or I? And even add the month to the year. The date may not work since a hurricane can last several days and strike different locations on different days. Example: P3-8-11 would be the 3rd storm in the Pacific, occurring in August of 2011. Downside: tough for the weather reader to say on air - maybe a storm has both - an on-air name (Irene) and a letter/number denoter (A2-8-11). In print, the storm could be denoted by both for clarification. This doesn't address the issue of potentially tainting names with a negative association. They could assign obscure names such as these that have previously been assigned: Hazel, Beulah, Caesar, Hortense, and Ophelia. But, improving the system for naming hurricanes is certainly an idea worth considering. Thanks, David. Background, from the FEMA website For hundreds of years, hurricanes in the West Indies were named after the particular saint's day on which the hurricane occurred. An Australian meteorologist began giving women's names to tropical storms before the end of the 19th century. In 1953, the US National Weather Service, which is the federal agency that tracks hurricanes and issues warnings and watches, began using female names for storms. In 1979, both women and men's names were used. One name for each letter of the alphabet is selected, except for Q, U and Z. For Atlantic Ocean hurricanes, the names may be French, Spanish or English, since these are the major languages bordering the Atlantic Ocean where the storms occur. The World Meteorological Organization uses six lists in rotation. The same lists are reused every six years. The only time a new name is added is if a hurricane is very deadly or costly; then the name is retired and a new name is chosen. Why is abbreviation such a long word? The abbreviation for the World Wide Web is one of the few instances where the initials take longer to say than the name they are modifying: www = doub le u doub le u doub le u = 9 syllables World Wide Web = 3 syllables Essay: Christians shouldn't use cruise control Satan must work for God. Here's the system: When people die, God passes judgement and decides where their souls should spend eternity. If its Hell, then He must ask His fallen angel, Satan, to help him out. "Satan, old buddy, would you do me a favor and torture these sinners for all eternity? Make them suffer? Thanks, I owe you one." So the two work in tandem, God sends them, Satan punishes them. But, wait, doesn't Satan defy God and try to usurp His power? Why would Satan cooperate with his sworn enemy? Seems it would be more likely that when God asks for Satan's help to punish the sinners, Satan simply says, "No!" Or he says Yes, and then, just to spite God, allows the sinners to relax in a La-Z-Boy recliner watching TV (but no 'reality' shows), with the remote, an air conditioner, nachos, and a cooler of cold beer. God has spoken, in our nation's capitol The recent earthquake in Virginia was felt in Washington DC, where it toppled these stones in the National Cathedral. Other than the Washington Monument, there was very little damage in the capitol. What was God telling us by destroying this angelic figure in a House of Worship? And will we ever listen? A few days later, a crane toppled at the Cathedral, sending its operator to the hospital, damaging two out-buildings and crushing four vehicles that belonged to contractors. The crane was lifting supplies to the top of the cathedral (as part of the earthquake repair) when it collapsed without warning. "We don't know why it collapsed," DC Fire Chief John Donnelly said. The Rev. Simon Bautista looked out his office window, saw the yellow crane sprawled on the ground, and thought that people must be hurt. When he learned that no one had died or was seriously injured, Bautista called that miraculous. "You can see that this was a divine hand that kept something else from happening." But, I guess that divine hand can't or won't stop accidents in the first place. Does He just intervene after the fact to show His mighty power? There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people. The USA (you and I and our money) has murdered 100,000 - 200,000 civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. Studies have long shown that the more intelligent one is, the less likely one is to be religious (religion defies logic, reasoning, and rationale thought). This chart is similar - addressing proficiency in writing to a variety of religions. This study is a double whammy, however. In addition to showing that religious folks have lower proficiency, it follows that the USA, predominantly Protestant and Catholic, has a low level of writing proficiency. Isn't this what 'pray for rain' really means:     Dear Lord, I know that you have created this drought according to your glorious plan.     But, I don't like it and I ask that you change your perfect plan to suit me and my desires.     I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, Amen. A few more musings on religion from Facebook status updates  August 2011 I'll worship God as soon as I find one that is up to my moral standards. If I were God, I would have stopped those planes on 9/11, not have sent that tsunami to Japan, nor tornados to Joplin and Oklahoma; I would erase cancer for all children, feed the hungry, and stop suffering. Wouldn't you act similarly? Why worship a God that's not as nice or as moral as you are? In 2009 16 Hindu diners went to a New Jersey restaurant, Moghul Express, and ordered vegetable samosas. But, people in the group realized they had actually eaten a meat-filled version of the pastry. Now, the group wants the restaurant's owner to pick up the tab for a trip to India's Ganges River, where they say they must cleanse themselves in order to save their souls after eating the meat. Let me see - these people believe they must fly to India to wash in a specific river or their God will send them to Hell for accidentally eating some meat. And these people choose to worship such a God. God is an ever-receding pocket of scientific ignorance that's getting smaller and smaller as time goes on. - Neil deGrasse Tyson. Religion is an old relic that is no longer needed in today's society. Mankind is capable of so much more but it is being held back by 2000+ year old superstitions. It's time for us to embrace our future by moving away from religion. Christians believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and they say that atheists are the ones that need help? - Dan Barker If the faithful could stand outside of their delusion for a minute they would likely be shocked at how ridiculous their claims are. Why do so many black people embrace Christianity when it has such a history of oppression and servitude? Religious relic of St. Anthony stolen from church A 780-year-old religious relic was stolen from St. Anthony Catholic Church in Long Beach CA, in June of 2011. The relic was of St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost causes and missing objects. "It belongs to the entire Catholic church. He's the patron saint of lost causes, so he'll come home. I'm hoping we've got some higher sources who've got our backs here and we can get it back. People here are pretty upset but they're praying to St. Anthony for the return of his own object."      Associated Press June 2011 Makes me wonder just how effective these Saints are and why people in 2011 still pray to them. That's God holding her up. LaRhonda of Oklahoma City weighed 433 pounds. Her health was in jeopardy. Chris, from Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, worked daily with her for months. She wasn't able to control her eating on her own, but with the constant help, guidance, and sacrifice of her trainer Chris, she lost 202 pounds! LaRhonda was later interviewed on ABC: "I give all the credit to God."   How rude, inconsiderate, ignorant, insensitive, and mean. Shouldn't some of the credit go to Chris and some to herself? (And where was God while she was overeating and getting dangerously obese.)   July 2011 Lets try this one more time. Texas Governor Rick Perry initiated an event, called The Response, and has invited the nation's 49 other governors to endorse it and attend. The day-long Christian rally is scheduled to take place at Houston's Reliant Stadium. Attendees are asked to fast and bring Bibles. On The Response's website, Perry writes, "Right now, America is in crisis: we have been besieged by financial debt, terrorism, and a multitude of natural disasters. As a nation, we must come together and call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles, and thank Him for the blessings of freedom we so richly enjoy." Some questions: • Haven't we asked Jesus to guide us through struggles (1929 stock market crash, 3 years of the Dust Bowl drought, Iraq War, 9/11) before? Since he didn't do it then, why would he now? • If we are a 'Christian nation' founded by Christians, why would America even have to struggle? • Shouldn't we thank the Founders and the soldiers for our freedoms? Is Perry giving them the shaft? Are we, instead, to thank this fairy tale character?   July 2011 This is so sad on two levels. Texas Rangers baseball game, July 9, 2011. An Oakland player hit a foul ball that ricocheted into left field. Rangers All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton picked up the ball and tossed it toward fans in the bleachers behind a scoreboard. The toss was a bit short. A man in the front row with his 6-year-old son reached for the ball, leaned a little bit too much over the railing and fell headfirst behind the left-field wall - as the entire crowd gasped. The man, Shannon Stone had taken his son, Cooper, a huge Josh Hamilton fan, to the ball game. They even stopped on the way to the stadium to buy Cooper a new glove so they could catch a foul ball. Hamilton's Christian faith is a big deal in his life. Soon after the tragedy, Josh Hamilton said: "I can't imagine what they're going through right now. All I can think about is praying for them and knowing that God has a plan. You don't always know what that plan is when those things happen, but you will." Can you imagine what a horrible thing that is to say - this child saw his father fall, screamed, rode in the ambulance, and probly watched his father die. Hamilton who threw a lob that was a bit too short, suggests that God had planned this horrible death. And that Cooper might not understand it, but he will someday.   July 2011 Wow - lots of ignorance about the Caylee/Casey Anthony trial. Simple: the prosecution did not present a convincing case. Therefore, the jury had 'reasonable doubt'. Casey may be guilty, but we just don't know. However, millions of Americans say they know. They insist that Casey is guilty of murder (she may be) and that the jury should have convicted her (no, they couldn't - see Simple above). Many people confuse what they know with what they believe.   June 2011 A thoughtless phrase: "give back" A current buzzword among celebrities is "I want to give back." What did they take? I am concerned because using this phrase is a symptom that one is not a thinker, but a follower. They use the phrase just because its a trendy buzzword right now that sounds impressive and altruistic. But, for those who give to their community and are thinkers, the phrase doesn't make sense. A good person doesn't give 'back', one simply gives of him or herself. That's impressive enough.   April 2011 Assessment of the names of network morning shows The Early Show Early is not typically associated with something positive: early to a party, early to work, early in the morning. "Dang, Its awfully early." "Why are you up so early? And why are you dressed like that?" The Today Show A bit better, at least its neutral. One can't deny the fact that it is today. Good Morning America This is the strongest - positive, cordial, and patriotic. Appropriately, the program with the negative name is in third place in the ratings. Why I stop at stop signs I don't stop at a stop sign just because there is some red and white paint on a piece of metal. It doesn't even matter that its in the shape of an octagon. I choose to stop there: 1. To avoid the hassle of being pulled over and paying for a ticket. 2. To avoid hurting people. 3. To minimize damage to the car and paying for car repair 4. It's easier than closely checking for cops and other cars. This list was prompted by seeing several people get stuck at stop signs in our naberhood during the blizzards. If they hadn't stopped (there was no other traffic), they could have glided right on. I suspect these were Foxies, people who are trained to obey and not think for themselves: "Its a stop sign - I have to stop." March 6 2011 Irrational Catholic abuse An independent commission in Belgium reported that children had been sexually abused in every Catholic parish in the country. Hundreds of boys and girls were raped or molested by hundreds of priests, with some children abused over many years. At least 13 committed suicide. “None of us was prepared for the severity of some of the accounts of abuse,” said a psychiatrist who headed the commission. From The Week magazine, November 30 2010 Average military compensation: $70,168 in pay and $52,095 in benefits for a total compensation of $122,263 per person in 2009, up from $58,545 in 2000 (benefits include the value of housing, medical care, pensions, hazardous-duty incentives, enlistment bonuses and combat pay in war zones). From USA TODAY, August 17 2010       84 % Military       37 % Federal workers       19 % Private sector Some thoughts on the illegal immigration issue Why do Mexicans risk their lives to enter the USA illegally? To give birth to an American child. Federation for American Immigration Reform: automatic citizenship for children born in the US is one of the main magnets for illegal immigration. While many illegal immigrants are searching for jobs, many others come here to have a baby who is entitled to a wide array of government benefits and can eventually help the parents become citizens as well. USA TODAY: The number of children in the USA born to illegal immigrants jumped to 4 million in 2009. Those are automatically granted US citizenship and represent 5.4% of all children under the age of 18 in the US. An estimated of 8% babies born in the US in 2008 came from illegal immigrant parents. Solution: Change the law that allows any baby born in this country to be considered an American. Immediately. To escape violence in Mexico due to the drug wars. Solution: Legalize marijuana. Remove the black market. Step up enforcement in Mexico and US border towns. Work with Mexican police to minimize corruption. To work and earn money. We actually like and want illegal immigrants in the US. Their willingness to work for low wages keeps prices lower in these industries: restaurant and food service, construction, roofing, and landscape and yard work. Myth: "But, they don't pay taxes." They pay sales tax, gas tax, property tax (through their landlord), and others. The only tax not paid is the income tax (many wealthy Americans pay very little income tax). Solution: Not sure - how can we balance keeping prices lower and still manage the influx of illegal residents. Work visas? New working class designation with lower wages than minimum wage but still pay income tax? It does seem apparent that a huge wall along the border hasn't yet solved the problem. Remember how we cheered when the Berlin Wall came down and yet we are now building our own Wall. August 27 2010 An 'Act of God' destroys the 'King of Kings' statue In June 2010, near Cincinnati, Ohio, a bolt of lightning struck the Kings of Kings statue at the Solid Rock Church, setting it on fire. Believed to have been the largest sculpture of Jesus Christ in the USA, it showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus because of the raised arms. There were lightning resistors and grounding rods in place around the statue, but they failed to divert the bolt from the Heavens. “I can’t believe Jesus was struck,” said someone who noted the giant sign for the Hustler Hollywood adult store across the street was untouched. The Lord hasn’t struck down the adult store, yet. The statue will be rebuilt. “We are blessed. Now we get to build a brand-new one, all paid-for (because of insurance coverage). This time we are going to try for something fireproof." (to avoid another clear message from God.) Complete updated essay June 23 2010 Below: some people doing the YMCA dance. More spelling words Spelling Wensday, probly, and Febuary more intelligently sure makes sense. But how about the word restaurant? Few of us say rest • au • rant. We often say restraunt, but I'm not yet sure how this should be spelled. Restrant? But that looks too much like restraint (which we often do not have in restraunts). Restrawnt? Too clumsy. Restraunt seems to be the most logical and clearly communicated. This is different from rest runt, which is a command to the smallest dog in the litter. June 16 2010 Religion May Be Heading for Extinction in Parts of World From FoxNews.com: A study, conducted by the American Physical Society, finds that religion may become extinct in Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Canada, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Researchers from the University of Arizona and Northwestern University took data stretching back 100 years for those countries. "In a large number of modern secular democracies, there's been a trend that folk are identifying themselves as non-affiliated with religion; in the Netherlands the number was 40 percent, and the highest number, 60 percent, was in the Czech Republic. The model predicts that for societies in which the perceived utility of not adhering is greater than the utility of adhering, religion will be driven toward extinction." The study also found that "Americans without affiliation comprise the only religious group that is growing in all 50 states." "In 2008 those claiming no religion rose to 15 percent nationwide, with a maximum in Vermont at 34 percent," the study says. The First Presbyterian Church of Perry, Oklahoma, burned to the ground and was a total loss. Why do leaders of burned churches seek to rebuild instead of heeding God's wrath and warnings?  More on God burning churches Massachusetts Mom Accused of Killing Daughter in Exorcism By Jessica Hopper, ABC News Dora, 26, is accused of killing her 3-year-old daughter by stuffing roses down her throat in an exorcism to remove the demons inside the girl, according to court documents. Dora's brother told police that when he arrived at the home, his sister told him that "they need to pray and that their sister, Maria Elena, was also in the room." Maria Elena had died several years ago. Dora previously told her brother that she'd been "given a gift by God that allowed her to see people that had passed away." Dora stuck a rose down Nicole's throat because God had told her to, but then "she realized the rose was actually her fist and that 'the devil' bit her hand through Nicole." While being interviewed by police, Dora began "singing and praying." She said that she had recently returned from a religious retreat. Police observed her holding her hands out to make a cross symbol. Pity the poor atheist who is grateful and has no one to thank! Atheists simply thank those responsible rather than a fairy tale character from a book. Unlike the coach who thanks God for a victory, rather than the players for their hard work; or the family of the healed child who thanks God rather than the doctors, the equipment, facilities, and nurses; or those who thanked God rather than the pilot, Sully, who skillfully landed the plane in the Hudson River. Isn't it more Christ-like to not pity our neighbors but to express appreciation to the people in our lives who are responsible for the kindness shown? I am often quite grateful. For example, for my health. But I know exactly who to thank: my parents for providing nutrition, doctors for assessment and advice, teachers for information and motivation, friends for support, and myself for dedication and effort. Photo taken in Edmond, Oklahoma Home • Email Jim Watson • Filename to share: http://www.jamesrobertwatson.com/blogculture2011.html