Judas, Betrayer of Christ or Misunderstood Disciple?

Howdy!
    I'd  like to bounce a few things off all y'all that I been pondering. It's kinda different that most things I write about but it's been sticking in my head.
    Last month at our family reunion, we had us a small family Sunday Service out on the deck. Won't go into much detail but something said there stuck in my head about Jesus having a time line. So it got me to  pondering, if He had a timeline, was Judas a part of it?
   Here's what I'm getting at, we all know Jesus came to save us and had to die to do it; could Judas have been the catalyst that started it?
  Judas was close to Jesus. He was in fact, the money man or road manager for Jesus and the rest of the Disciples. Jesus trusted him so could it have been possible that He trusted Judas enough and that Judas was loyal enough to do what had to be done?
   Jesus had told his Disciples that one would betray Him. All but one were aghast. Is it possible that out of loyalty and love, Judas could do the unthinkable? Could it be that the reason he hanged himself after giving the money back was not out of guilt for betrayal, but out of grief? 
  I know this is all supposition and postulation, but did not God command Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in a test of faith and loyalty? So, is not also possible that Christ could have asked the same act of faith and loyalty of Judas? Christ had plans for all his Disciples as we all know, maybe this was his plan for his close friend Judas.
  Guess only one way to find out huh? Me, I'm kinda looking forward to finding out!
 

Ponderings

   Ever ponder certain things that get into your head when not much is going on? Stuff that when it pops in just won't go away? It happens to me all the time and it may be because I'm a very non linear thinker. I have a tendency to go off on a tangent from time to time but usually get back on track after a while. And on that note, here goes.

• What's so bad about being nonlinear?
• Why do we need a photo ID to cash a check but not to vote?
• Why are drug tests given to workers but not welfare recipients?
• What is the '' whole nine yards''? [I actually looked that one up]
• Why will some folks climb a flag pole to tell a lie when it's easier to stand on the ground to tell the truth?
• Why do chile con queso and chili con carne have different spellings of chile/chili?
• When does a chile become a pepper? [there's that tangent]
• How can someone be pro-abortion and anti-capital punishment? 
• Why do some people blame a bomber but not a shooter?
• Why do some folks go pale at the thought of armed guards in schools but find it perfectly acceptable to have them in banks? Which is more valuable to you?
• Why are Eagle eggs protected by Federal law, yet that same government funds abortions?
• Why do feminists rail about injustices to women here in the US but remain strangely quiet about the savagery inflicted upon women in  certain Muslim countries?
• How is it possible in New York a minor can  choose to get an abortion but not a Big Gulp? Both are choices made concerning her body.
• Does the school that Michelle's girls attend have the same lunch program the Michelle rammed down the public schools throats?
• Do Americans working in Mexico get a paid holiday for the 4th of July? 
• How many vacations do the Obamas need?
• Is there really a ''Catch 22"?
• Why is it that ''Murphy's Laws'' are simpler and easier to understand than the laws enacted by congress [I left it lower case because of the lack of respect I have for that body!]?
• Is ''My hard drive crashed!" now a viable excuse to the IRS to get out of an audit?

I could go on but I think I'd like to here some comments from all y'all on these. I know that y'all have thoughts like this also, so why don't we share them?

Thoughts

In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae

I thought this would be a good way to open my blog considering Memorial Day Weekend is just a few days away. Just how many of you really know what Memorial Day is all about? The poem above should be a hint.

These days it seems to be the kickoff to summer, graduations, vacations and the like.  And now, with it just days away, the reeking stench from the VA has cast a shadow over this holiday. And, how we as Americans have allowed our government to treat them as undesirables by withholding care in order to protect the bottom line is also unforgivable.

Our Vets have been denied care that was promised to them when they said, “sleep easy, I’m on that wall and I will keep you safe”. They have become mere names and numbers to a corrupt system that has given more than tacit approval of that which is nothing more than fratricide. The VA has denied and withheld care to our hurt and sick, deciding who will live and who won’t. It has lied to their families and to America. It has cast a stain on America’s honor that won’t easily be removed.

Mr. President, do not feign righteous anger over this. Do not tell me that you just learned of this when you spoke of it as far back as 2008 or did it slip your mind on all your vacations and golf junkets? Do not call yourself their Commander-in-Chief after this betrayal of the very troops that keep us from Harm’s Way.

What you can do, Mr. President is hold someone accountable. By this I mean someone goes to jail, people get fired, and the system is revamped from the top down. I know this won’t happen, as prior scandals have proven. But it’s nice to think that maybe somewhere down the road you discover that Karma can be a bitch.

As a final thought, for any of you that think this is an isolated incident, ponder this: this is the same government that now controls YOUR Healthcare. Kinda frickin’ scarey now, ain’t it?

I been gone a while but this hit me hard and it jump started me back into Stirrin' the Pot.So, look out for further musings, rants and whatever else pops into my head.One favor here, if you like this, please share it with family and friends and do not ever forget these words....

We the People.. 

God, don't y'all love the sound of that? Let's not lose them!

Musings From the Couch

 I was sittin' on the couch last night, watching a little TV with my feet propped on the table when I happened to notice that my socks didn't match. that got me to thinking, does it really matter that you're socks don't match when you wear boots? One thought led to another and before I knew it, a lot of stuff went thru my head and I thought I'd share it with you and see if you can answer some of these for me:

• How far is "a piece"? [Oh, it's just down the road a piece.]

•  Why does the word phonetics star with "ph"?  [kinda defeats the whole purpose don't it?]

•  At what amount does "umpteen" kick in? [more than twelve, less than twenty?]

•  Why did most of my bad ideas involve my cousin, DW? [not sure, but most of them might have been bad ideas, but were a lot of fun!]

• Just how hungry would the first person to eat a raw oyster had to have been?

• Why do some people say they like draft beer, yet not like the same beer from a can? [come on people, they are both made of aluminum!]

• What is it about frying food that makes it taste sooo much better?

• Just how much is a passel?[or is it passle?]

• If it's better with butter, why use margarine?

• Is the saying,"Work like a dog", really appropriate any more?[Looking down at mine sleeping on his back paws up, I'm thinking it might be true only for Liberals!]

•  How is it possible an 18 year old can be issued a handgun and use it in the military  yet be denied the right or own or purchase one by the same government that issued it one, as a civilian?

• Finally, on that same note: On background checks to buy a gun, why does a person  buying a gun undergo a more stringent background check that Obama did to run for President? [I'm dying to hear y'all's comments on this one!]

 Well as y'all can tell, looks like I spent more time thinking than I did watching TV. Oh well, it was a rerun anyhow.

An Interview With Captains Call an McCrea

I sent this as a sample to to the Lonesome Dove Fan Page as a sample of my work . if they like it, I'll become a blogger for them. Regardless of what happens there,I'd like to share it with you and see what y'all think.

Thanks

An Interview With Captains Call an McCrea

                Hearing of a large herd of cattle being moved north towards Montana, I managed to run into the Leaders of the drive at the store here in Ogallala while they were ordering supplies. One seemed rather jocular while the other seemed kinda taciturn and only wanted to get their business done and get back to the herd.

                Approaching the talkative one, I asked his name and discovered he was none other than Captain Augustus McCrea, late of the Texas Rangers and his partner was Woodrow Call, also a Captain of the Rangers.

                Offering a round of drinks at the saloon next door, McCrae managed to get Call to follow along and while McCrea put a serious dent in a bottle, I learned they were driving a herd all the way from South Texas to Montana to start a ranch.

Here are some excerpts from that interview:

Me: So, gentlemen what ever made you decide to attempt something of this magnitude?

McCrae:  Well, me and Woodrow, we been all over most of Texas and Woodrow wants to be the first cattleman in Montana. Ain’t that right?

Call: Yessir.

McCrea: Now, Woodrow, this man wants to hear about us, don’t you think you could be a might more sociable?

Call: Gus, we got cows to tend to and I don’t like leaving the herd alone with most of the boys in town.

Me: Captain, just a few questions please. What gave you this notion to run cattle in Montana?

Call: Well  I got the idea from listening to a fellow ranger  by the name of Jake Spoon tell of his travels up there and all the grass and thought it  would be nice to see some unspoiled country before it got overrun  by folks  and civilized.

Me: This Jake Spoon sounds like an interesting person, I’d like to meet him and get his perspective.

Call:  Can’t.  We hung him down in the Nations for murder and horse thievin’.

Me: Without a trial? 

Call: Yessir caught him red-handed. Trial enough.

Me: Captain McCrea, why are you in on this adventure?

McCrea: Call me Gus. Well, Woodrow has it in his mind and well, it’s always been me and Woodrow. We fought the Comanche together; we built us a place down in Lonesome Dove together and well ,  I said, me and Woodrow.

Me: Gus, is there anything you’d like to add to Captain Call’s comments?

Gus: Well, a man needs something to do. And this seems like the thing for us right now. The Comanches are gone. We killed off most of the bandits and Texas is getting too tame. We are getting on now and this will be our last chance to go somewhere new, Like Texas was when we first got there.

Me: Well Gus, you seem to have quite a unique philosophy on live and living.

Call: Gus’ philosophy only comes out when he’s about half drunk or better.

Gus: Call that ain’t true. I’m a man who likes to engage in thoughtful conversation with people of a like mind. I do have quite a few thoughts on life and living, unlike you who prefers to watch the sunset cleaning your rifle.

Call: Well it’s a damn sight better than going into town playin’ cards and consortin’ with whores.

Gus: Whores need talking to also.

Call: Like all you do is talk to them.

Me: all right gentlemen, one last question, what kind of legacy do wish to leave behind you?

Call: Gus, you answer this; I’m going back to the herd. Nice meeting you, sir.

Gus:  well, I’d like to think we left each place we were a little better. That what we did mattered. And, that we will be remembered for just a little while after we are gone. Is that too much to hope for?

Bro and Joe vs The NRA

 Looks like the Left is going to have to take aim at the NRA. The NRA has offered several proposals and have been not only rebuffed but shot down. We all know the Obama regime wants no part of the NRA. They want no part of anything that will stand in the way of their scheme ban guns here in the US as has happened throughout most of the World.
 After listening to Joe talk about "Executive Action", I began to wonder where does Congress stand in all this. Are they going to stand meekly by and allow our system of checks and balances go by the wayside?
What about the Supremes? Are they going to stand by and rubber stamp everything this person wants to to? The next question is, are we? Enter the NRA! The NRA has been fighting for individual guns rights and the 2nd Amendment for years. They are well organized and funded, not by shadowy holding companies or bundlers, but by their members. I've been a member for years and have often contributed to their battles.
 So, now with the NRA in their sights, The Left will now attempt to do what they do best. Lie, vilify, marginalize, threaten and persecute taking their methods directly from the Alinsky Playbook. They won't attack them directly; they are cunning like hyenas in that matter. They will attack from the flanks, attempt to weaken support for the NRA and gun owners by saying they don't want to ban all guns, just the ''bad'' ones. You will see high profile supporters of the NRA pilloried in print and on on the air by the Main Stream Media. The NRA and its  members will be most likely subjected to numerous audits and subpoenas. Moderate (RINO) Republicans will be attacked with the threat of losing the moderate vote if the Republicans continue to back the Second Amendment. Lies about guns will profligate the airwaves. Every shooting incident will be blasted over the airwaves, the bloodier the better. The exception being the stories where an armed individual prevented or stopped an incident. Obama will try and soothe the people by saying that something must be done, trust me, I know what's best for America! Hmmmm, does any of this sound familiar? Let's roll back the calender to Europe in the mid 1930's and see if anything looks familiar. I'll leave you to your own conclusions.
 One problem with attacking the NRA, is they won't lay down, knuckle under or play dead. The NRA is is not some person trying to get elected, It's us, the average American who believes that Constitution is not written on a chalkboard that can be erased and altered at the whim of some petty demagogue that wants to change our country to suit his vision. We, the members are going to fight, the best way we know how, by educating people, by staying in contact with our elected representatives, by voting them out if they cave and electing ones who will stand for the principal that they work for us, not the other way around. That y'all is how you fight a revolution these days. We must be doing something right, We (NRA) added over 100,000 new members just last week.

The Left and Gun Control

  Been hearing a lot these days about gun control on the news. Been reading about it, too. Not too sure what to think. Some say banning the high capacity clips will be plenty. Some same say we need to ban the AR platform rifles. Some even want to to ban all guns and confiscate them.
 I honestly don't believe any of this will do what the the idealistic left say. It will however, take us from  being citizens  of a free country to being subjects of a government that is growing larger and more powerful each passing day.
 But, I digress. Let's look at some of their arguments:
Gun control will reduce violent crime: Illinois[Chicago] has some of the strictest laws in the country and violent crime is at all time high. Please explain that to me. States who recognize the right pf a person to carry a gun to defend themselves have seen their crime rates plummet.
Guns kill people: I love this one. Yes, so do baseball  bats, knives, bricks, motor vehicles, etc. The one common denominator in the aforementioned is that it takes an action by a person to turn them into a weapon.
We have the  police to protect us: the average loss of life in a rage shooting when police respond is around fourteen; when an armed citizen intervenes, it drops to two usually including the shooter. Case in point: while back a man started shooting up a trailer park in a nearby town. Police officer responded and was pinned by gunfire.The officer might have been killed if a man hadn't responded with a well placed shot dropping the shooter. Who protected whom?
We need to raise age limits to purchase guns. Young people aren't mature enough to  handle guns: Oh really? Does this mean we are going to have to raise the enlistment age also?
Lower capacity magazines will make it harder to kill more people: This one is laughable. Anyone with any dexterity can switch clips in a split second. Here's a thought along that line of thinking, most drivers  and passengers in a motor vehicle can survive a head on crash at twenty miles per hour. Do  see or hear anyone screaming to limit a vehicle's speed to 15 miles per hour?
Making it illegal to own a gun will reduce crime: How's that working for Meth and Crack? Does Prohibition come to mind?

Okay, I could go on all day about drunk drivers killing more people than guns etc.., but let's face it, when trying to present our side to the rabid Left to make them  understand; it isn't going to happen because none of us are Jackass Whisperers!

One final thing, when it comes to defending you and yours, I just wanna leave y'all with this thought:

LOCK'NLOAD!