The Airport tenure of one’s flying travel can be very disconcerting. I can only go by what I hear and read since the last and only time I flew was in November of 2004. I went from Philly to Los Angeles. I spent 5 days in Anaheim, California. Three of those days were for a national early childhood conference. My one time east/west coast airport experiences very went well, but some airport experiences that I heard and read about have been humiliating.
Since September 11, 2001, airport security has gone through several changes. There has been controversy over policies and search proceedures concerning a person's body. At the Chicago O’Hare International airport, travelers have been complaining about x-rated security screenings. Some folks are having encounters with Transportation Security Administration(TSA) agents. For example, a TSA Supervisor yells she has the power at an elderly wheel chair bound handicapped man after one of her subordinates pulls his pants down in public view. Read more about it and embarrassing experiences of other travelers here.
I have heard people like Sean Hannity speak up for the TSA agents, security policies and practices. Mr. Hannity says he gets extra scrutiny by security, because he buys plane tickets at the last minute. He does not mind. But I wonder if he would have the same attitude, if that over zealous Chicago TSA agent and supervisor undressed and yelled at him or love ones like his wife, children, parents and/or a beloved great aunt or uncle in public view?
It is a constant that Hollywood is strongly liberal leftist where politics are concerned. This is evident in the products of Hollywood television and movie entertainment. It has been reported that staying employed becomes very difficult for people in front of or behind the camera once it is known that they are conservative. Therefore, political silence has been the norm for most conservatives in the Hollywood. But that is changing.
Actor, Gary Sinise has organized a conservative underground among those working in the Hollywood entertainment industry known as the Friends of Abe. It is still underground in nature because the fear of retaliation from liberal leftist industry leaders. They stand for such things as traditional American values and supporting the troops. Their presidential support goes to Sen. John McCain. There will be some going public from this group to campaign for him. They want to see projects that portray America in a positive light.
Some conservatives such as David Horowitz have some skepticism about this group and see it as a non aggressive band-aid. As far as I am concern, it is a start in the challenge against liberal leftist dictatorship in Hollywood. Go here to read more and view a video by forever up front conservative, Pat Boone.
Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family is weighing his presidential voter options. He has not publicly endorsed either of the two presidential major party candidates. Dr. Dobson is looked upon as a Christian leader for the Religious Right. He is having a hard time as had most conservatives with the presidential candidates. He has come to realize that no candidate is perfect. I have had to realize that also. When I was a Democrat, I automatically went with the Democratic presidential candidate with hardly any question. In going conservative, it was not quite so automatic with the Republicans.
Dr. Dobson has admitted he is giving Sen. John McCain a very close look. Based on his personal biblically based beliefs, he cannot in no way support the Democratic presidential nominee. I guess Dr. Dobson realizes that not voting or voting for a non major party candidate will only help the Democrats secure the presidency. Dr. Dobson has problems with Sen. McCain, but he is realizing there is no other viable choice. Go here to hear Dr. Dobson on possibly voting for Sen. McCain.
Sen. McCain was not my first choice either. I liked Mike Huckabee. The possibility that scared me was Rudy Giuliani. If he had been the Republican presidential nominee, I think I would have stayed Democrat. Now I am hearing that he is on Sen. McCain’s short list for Vice President. If Mr. Giuliani is chosen, Sen. McCain can say goodbye to the conservative vote.
Former Philly CBS3 news anchor Larry Mendte has been formally charged with hacking into his former co anchor, Alycia Lane’s Yahoo email account. This is a federal offense and Mr. Mendte can be given up to a 6 month prison term if found guilty. The FBI investigation has uncovered that between this past January and May, Mr. Mendte hacked into her email account from his home and work at least 537 times. Mr. Mendte was terminated from CBS3 last month.
It is believed that he was hacking before January and leaked controversial information from Ms. Lane’s email to a reporter. Ms. Lane was the subject of a few controversial news items. She was terminated from the CBS3 this past January after a scuffle with a police officer in New York. Read more here. Larry Mendte might be familiar to you. Go here to see the other TV programs and stations were he worked.
The weather in my neck of the woods has been seasonally hot and humid. I like to wear short sleeved long flowing dresses, or a short sleeved blouse or shirt with a long flowing skirt. You will not see me in jeans until September. Sometimes I wear capris and cargo Bermuda shorts. The only kinds of long pants I wear in the summer are made of light cotton and are loose fitting. When the temperature reaches the mid 90s, then it is strictly long flowing dresses and skirts.
Therefore, here is the annual summer question about some women that I see mostly in Philly: How can they stand it? Related:
A blog friend (thanks Observer who is also High Plains Blogger) sent me a column about the future of enforced multiculturalism with Canada and Philadelphia’s Commission on Human Relations as examples. My view of these commissions dealing with various aspects of discriminations have been influence in the past by my former liberal outlook and on local interventions a decade or two ago into such problems as whites in modest Philadelphia neighborhoods keeping out and/or harassing new black neighbors. I do remember people on local TV cameras saying they worked with some hard working blacks, but absolutely would not want them as neighbors.
My view of such commissions is changing based on my ever evolving conservative outlook. Many of these HR cases that are in the news are less deserving of anyone's valuable time. Canada’s Human Relations Commission has allowed multiculturalism to run away with itself. It is not dealing with real cases like bricks being thrown through windows of a home of someone of a different race by those trying to keep the neighborhood one race exclusive.
One Canadian case is an investigaton of a newspaper's cartoon about a Muslim woman in a burqa. The woman in the cartoon wears a burqa in real life. Another case currently being investigated deals with a stand-up comedian who insulted a pair of drunken lesbians after they began making out and heckling him during a performance. These investigations are ludicrous. These investigations would be valid if they were based on personal property damage and/or direct physical harm.
Philly CHR was on purpose when it dealt with real cases of property destruction with racial and gender epitaphs and threats to human life. But now when it deals with cases like Genos Steaks restaurant for keeping a sign in the window about speaking English when giving a food order, it is wasting time. Genos management has never denied service to a person who had difficulty speaking English when ordering, in fact the restaurant staff would help a person to order in English if they had difficulty with the language. Read more here.
Are Philly and other CHRs in the United States that you may personally be aware of going overboard with these cases like Canada?
This is a beautiful hymn. Other than Sunday morning worship service, it is also a song choice for homegoings e. g. funerals. Go here to read the personal history behind this hymn. We all can hear Horatio Spafford’s continued trust and love in the Lord through his devastating loss in the words of this hymn that he wrote.
Here is Wintley Phipps with his rich baritone voice giving a brief testimony and then singing this beautiful hymn of total trust and faith in God through the Lord Jesus Christ: It is Well with My Soul.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
I just completed a week of Vacation Bible School at my church. For the first time in recent years, I was home in time to be able to attend. VBS at my church is usually from 6:30pm to 8:30 pm for 1 week in July. Some churches have it in the morning form 9 to 12. Most churches whether they have it in the morning or evening will do it from 1 week to a month.
The ministry of VBS is one of the greatest opportunities Christians have for reaching those living in the surrounding church neighborhoods. Children generally are the primary targets, but many churches include a class for adults. It continues to be one of the most productive special events in terms of both finding and leading people to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have seen entire families come to accept Jesus Christ as Savior through VBS. Check out the VBS at your church or at a church in your neighborhood. I read last year that some churches are no longer having VBS due to unavailability of teachers. I also think it is due to the ever growing cost of materials per pupil. At my former church in Philly, I was an assistant/co-director for many years of a two week program. I understand about the cost of VBS curriculum materials. Church budgets for VBS stay the same or even get smaller as the price for the material packets increase. We did have to charge a one time fee of $ 5.00 per family for children that used our van transportation. I have experienced by this time, parents jump at the opportunity to send their children somewhere secure and beneficial in the evenings, whether it is in the city like Philly or a suburban borough like Lansdale. Some of the cost cutting measures taken by churches are its church members creating the theme and materials for the bible classes and crafts instead of buying the costly packets per pupil. One creative edible craft that was done at my church for the early elementary grades was a partially hollowed out cupcake, a round cookie, chocolate and peanut butter icing and colored coconut shavings assembled to create an empty tomb which signified the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, because I was able to be at VBS this year, my Sunday school teacher asked me to assist in the class of early elementary children which numbered 16. The teacher became very sick. So from Wednesday on, I was teaching the class. Go here to my post last year on this subject to get to the link about VBS decline/importance. Go here to read about protecting VBS from the Christian Law Association.
Learning your cultural heritage is fine, but learn it along with, and not at the expense of learning what equips you for today and the future in this world
It is a constant that Hollywood is strongly liberal leftist where politics are concerned. This is evident in the products of Hollywood television and movie entertainment. It has been reported that staying employed becomes very difficult for people in front of or behind the camera once it is known that they are conservative. Therefore, political silence has been the norm for most conservatives in the Hollywood. But that is changing. 
