My wife and I have been greatly blessed in so many aspects of our lives. One of those great blessings has been the opportunities we have had to travel and see other countries, meet fascinating people, and explore their cultures. One of our amazing trips in recent times was to the Greek Isles.
Greece has always been someplace that I thought would be interesting, but honestly it wasn't as high on my list of places to visit as some others; however, after having visited the beautiful country, exploring the fascinating antiquities and ruins, and meeting some amazing people living there, I am most appreciative of having been afforded such a wonderful experience.
One of the first places we journeyed to was to a small island named Delos. This island is reachable by a short boat trip from the bigger island of Mykonos. Delos was considered the birth place of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis by the ancient Greeks, and today is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Delos is an archeological, historical, and mythological gem. The ancient ruins scattered on this small island are amazing in their breadth and scope, as archeological excavations still occur today to unearth forgotten treasures.
This area is the entrance to the courtyard of a home that was likely owned by a wealthy merchant and is named the House of Dionysus. The ancient Greeks of means would typically have an open courtyard with various living and sleeping quarters built around the perimeter thereof.
Here is an intricate picture made entirely of thousands of small little tiles to form this beautiful mosaic that adorned the courtyard of this home. It depicts the god Dionysus riding a tiger, and hence the naming of this home. The artistry involved with this mosaic was truly amazing! The original mosaic (bottom of the two preceding pictures) was carefully removed and displayed in the museum on Delos. The other picture is a recreation in the courtyard.
These are the columns in the courtyard of the House of Dionysus that would have supported the roof that covered the rest of the home while being open to the sky in the middle of the courtyard.
This is a typical example of the walkway between homes that one would see in this ancient town.
And of course, what Greek town would be complete without a theater? Considering how many millennia have passed since it's construction, it is still in remarkably good shape.
This is a picture from the market area of the ancient town. If you look carefully, you can see the stairs created going up the mountain for the ancient Greeks to climb to worship Zeus.
These are replicas of what archeologists suspect were nine to twelve lions that guarded the road of the "Sacred Way" as early as 600 BC. What remains of the actual lions has been placed in a small museum on the island as pictured below.
This is a statue of the Greek god Artemis killing a deer. Artemis, the twin sister of the god Apollo, was the goddess of the hunt. This statue was found in the theater quarter and dates back to the 2nd century B.C. The Romans referred to Artemis as Diana. This statue also resides in the museum on Delos along with myriads of other beautiful artifacts discovered there.
This is looking from the Sacred Way guarded by the lions looking out towards the bay on Delos.
Our next stop was at the beautiful town of Mykonos. This is the view from our boat as we entered the town and tied up to the pier. All of the buildings are painted white to reflect the heat of the Aegean sun.
These are some of the windmills that can be seen from the bay on the outskirts of the town. Mykonos is known as the island of the winds and these windmills were constructed to take advantage of that long ago.
The three preceding pictures are of some of the homes and neat little shops along the foot paths of the town of Mykonos. There are no cars within most of the town and you can only get to where you are going by walking these charming little meandering paths through town. The bougainvillea was in bloom in brilliant magenta hues, adding to the charm of the town. Mykonos is well-known for its very vibrant night life and the people there definitely know how to party.
Next on our adventure was a trip to Santorini. The towns on this beautiful island are all built around the top of the cliffs of a massive extinct volcanic caldera that then collapsed and was consumed by the azure waters of the sea. The picture above is one of the bigger churches at the town of Oia.
.One can see the cliffs to the ocean below and other parts of the rim of the caldera in the distance.
This picture was taken from the balcony of the restaurant where my wife and I ate a delicious lamb lunch. Any of the buildings you see with blue-painted domes are chapels.
Our last stop on our Greek adventure was to the capital of Athens. The city is huge, and unfortunately due to socialist practices for decades, the economy is in horrible shape. Many countries in the EU have had to bail out Greece, and Athens in particular because of this. As a result, there is very high crime and much vandalism everywhere of what was once the cradle of Western civilization. Nowadays, as one drives through the city, the disrepair and graffiti, even on historic beautiful buildings is readily apparent. This is a town where you must definitely be on alert for trouble.
All of that said, we did see the obligatory site of the Parthenon. This amphitheater above is on the path up the hill to the Parthenon. It is still used today for some events. The Greek-American composer Yanni has done concerts at this location for example.
And as you enter the temple grounds, this is the first view of the Parthenon that you encounter.
"The Parthenon, dedicated by the Athenians to Athena Parthenos, the
patron of their city, is the most magnificent creation of Athenian
democracy at the height of its power. It is also the finest monument on
the Acropolis in terms of both conception and execution. Built between
447 and 438 BC, as part of the greater Periklean building project, this
so-called Periklean Parthenon (Parthenon III) replaced an earlier marble
temple (Parthenon II), begun after the victory at the battle of
Marathon at approximately 490 BC and destroyed by the Persians in 480
BC. This temple had replaced the very first Parthenon (Parthenon I) of
c. 570 BC. The Periklean Parthenon was designed by architects Iktinos
and Kallikrates, while the sculptor Pheidias supervised the entire
building program and conceived the temple's sculptural decoration and
chryselephantine statue of Athena." ~ http://odysseus.culture.gr
This is the view of the Parthenon from the other end of it that was not under renovation.
This second temple on the Acropolis is called the Erechteion and was a multipurpose temple with a variety of sacred places
and cults, including sanctuaries to Poseidon, Erechtheus, and Athena
Polias. It was built in 405 BC.
This is a close up of the statues that serve as columns on the Erechteion.
The entrance to the Erechteion was impressive in its scale.
Our trip to Greece proved to be a a wonderful adventure and far exceeded my initial expectations. Other than in Athens, the people were friendly, the food was delicious, and the thought of enjoying a cold adult beverage in the shade of a restaurant balcony overlooking the beautiful Aegean Sea has me thinking that perhaps I may indeed wish to return to Greece yet again in my future travels, God willing!
It is definitely worth seeing, if you are ever afforded the opportunity to travel there! Safe voyage to you!
40 comments:
Green with envy.
It was amazing, JTF. I was very blessed to see it with my beloved.
How could one enjoy a country so raped by socialism? Were the people who have lived under this poverty so nice and beautiful? Besides the historic buildings it could not have been that fun to travel within such a society. The people obviously don't care much for their historic country if they abuse it so.
Jerry, I have been to multiple European countries that favor a lot of socialistic practices too. I enjoyed most of those places as well.
Once off the mainland of Greece and while touring the islands of the country, I noticed how most of the economies of these islands were supported by tourism. Hotels, restaurants, bars, gift shops etc. all thrived on good ol' capitalism. It was in the big city of Athens where government was trying to "help" everyone that the poverty, crime, and homelessness were rampant and apparent.
As Margaret Thatcher said, "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples' money."
Churchill stated, “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” —House of Commons, 22 October 1945.
Look at the tax and spend policies being advocated by the leftists in our country currently for socialistic means. That is why poverty is on the rise. Gas, food, lumber, transportation, and most goods have increased in price markedly since Biden was ensconced in the oval office. Inflation is through the roof and the lazy are being paid not to work. There are 10 million jobs available and 8 million Americans being paid to stay home. How is this "benevolent socialism" helpful to our nation in the long run? If it continues, we may need Germany and the EU to eventually bail us out too. Perhaps rich Chinese communist party member can vacation in the U.S. and spend money to prop us up then. Hey, their money is good enough for Joe and Hunter!
Biden's policies haven't even been enacted yet, in fact it doesn't look like they will. No one is getting paid anymore and everyone (including Republicans) thought cpvid payments were a good idea. Biden has made no decisions, or passed any law that has changed things since Trump was president. We are working under Trump policies, including fiscal policies. Stopping one pipeline is not causing the rise in gas prices. Biden cannot force truckers to do their jobs. That would be a socialist policy. If you think things are bad now wait until Biden's policies DO become law. You sound like "Chicken Little" to me. Who is responsible for the cut tax, no new tax policies that gave us the 25 trillion dollar debt?
Jerry, with all due respect, in the first few days in office, Biden issued or rescinded many executive orders. Not only stopping the Keystone pipeline, but the stopping of exploration and drilling on federal lands has had a huge impact on the supply of oil. Why do you think gas prices have skyrocketed in the last nine months, sir? This isn't due to Trump's policies. Trump had us energy independent for the first time in 50 years. Biden is now begging OPEC to produce more oil for us now, while giving the thumbs up to Putin's European pipeline.
His open borders policy and stopping Trump's "stay in Mexico" policy both had massive dilatory effects on illegal immigration and the economy, especially of border areas. His and the Democrats 6.5 trillion dollar spending spree in their proposed legislation and his red tape and hand-cuffing businesses with Covid mandates have hurt the economy and made inflation run rampant. There is a reason why goods and services costs have jumped sharply since he was elected. You are right though, that the worst is yet to come if they can bully Manchin and Synema into voting for their socialism.
On top of that, Biden has emboldened our enemies and left Americans behind in Afghanistan. He should be removed from office, if not for senility, then for dereliction of duty towards his oath of office.
Your right wing talking points do not evidence Biden's decisions having that much effect in the few months Biden has been president and any student of history and fiscal history knows effects of such decisions takes much longer. And lets not for get NONE of Biden's programs have become law and probably won't. You also seem to want to forget that the economy was heading south before the pandemic even hit. Our economy has been sick for a VERY long time and a rousing stock market did not hide that fact. Any mistake Biden made in withdrawing our troops from Afghanistan had nothing to do with our economy and any inference you make about that is absurd. Bush should have been removed from office for allowing the attacks on the twin towers, but we all lived with the fact that he was not. No matter what America does OPEC defines the worldwide price of oil. Get more real about your blame game and I might even believe you.
One more point:
I'm all for going back to the original intent of the Constitution with a simple majority passing legislation. With a country so divided nothing gets done. The change back gives equality to both sides depending on who has won majority at any given time. A super majority in a country dived ensures legislative failure. Those who lose elections will have to accept living under majority rule and will hopefully encourage greater voter participation, which Republicans seem to fear.
Dave's most recent post is about you and you banning him from your blog. Anyone reading your blog understands what happened. Then in the comment section of that post he denied being banned from any other blog than yours. That is a lie (not unusual for Dave) because I have banned him from my blog and he dam well knows it.
Jerry, I appreciate your comments; however, I respectfully disagree with several of your points. First, the economy under the Trump administration was as strong as it has been in generations, until the pandemic hit. Wages were up, unemployment was way down, particularly for people of color. Inflation was in check and home ownership was at record highs particularly for black Americans. It wasn't until the Faucci/Wuhan virus became an opportunity for leftist governments across the globe to shut things down that the economy began to falter in any serious way. Yes, Trump still spent too much, particularly during the pandemic and our national debt is unsustainable and going to cause some incredibly difficult situations for all Americans in the very near future... even if the leftist Democrats fail to get their tax and spend bills passed. Despite that, we were heading in the right direction for once.
I agree that the Afghanistan withdrawal had little to do directly with the American economy; however, it did severely weaken trust in our government, including from our international allies. That does affect our economy and investment therein, sir.
OPEC's pricing of oil on the global market had little relevance to the United States, back when we were energy independent and were a net-exporter of energy under Trump. It was the cutting of these programs under Biden to satisfy the green new deal special interest idiots that determined we would once again become reliant on OPEC and global energy markets.
Last, the constitution states that the senate can create its own rules governing the body. The filibuster has been in existence for a very long time and its removal will cause the upper chamber to be no different than the House of Representatives. Even most current Democrat senators agreed with this, until recently as they became even more power hungry. The purpose of the filibuster was to make the senate a more deliberative body and less dependent upon the fads and whims of the people. I think that eliminating the filibuster would do enormous harm to our country, especially in light of the crass political reasons that the Democrats are wanting it gone. If we eliminate such measures along with things like the electoral college, we are basically turning America into more of a pure democracy. That is something that most of the founders warned us against, as then our governance devolves to mob rule. That is great if your side controls the majority, through crook or through hook, but what happens when the people you agree with are no longer in office? I want the good of the country being determined by reasoned debate and not crass partisan politics as it currently is. Eliminating the filibuster will only exacerbate that problem, Jerry.
As for me, I want all eligible Americans to be able to vote without fear or intimidation. I would prefer that they are educated on the issues and candidates with history, civics, and economics as a guide to inform their decisions. The GOP not wanting people to vote is nonsense by and large. They don't want illegal aliens and non-citizens voting. They want voter I.D. to help ensure that is the case. Why is that a bad thing, unless you want people to vote that aren't eligible American voters otherwise?
Jerry, I appreciate the heads up regarding Mr. Dubya's blog. At the end of the day, his dissembling and prevarications have no affect on me. He continuously comments still on my blog, despite my having asked him to abide by my wishes and refrain from doing so. What is funny is that I do not even bother reading his comments but simply have them go to the spam folder. In other words he is writing dozens of comments that only he ever sees and reads. I guess his feelings are hurt that I won't let him continue his hateful rhetoric and lies here, let alone debate him in good faith anymore. Sadly, he is little more than a bully that is throwing a tantrum because things aren't going his way. Frankly, Mr. Dubya is a thorn in the side from the past. He is no longer relevant to me.
As for lies about being banned, I believe you, sir. I seem to recall comments somewhere from him boasting about having been banned from other sites in the past, let alone from yours. If I cared, I could probably even dig up the comment. I don't though. He has wasted enough time for a lot of people.
I do appreciate your continued comments and contribution on my site, even though we do have very differing opinions on some issues, Jerry. Thank you!
There are many things to take issue with in your response and thank you for responding.
Without going into many paragraphs I understand your thinking on not eliminating the filibuster, but what about adherence to the Constitution? Sure the Senate can make its own rules, but why wasn't the Constitution changed at the time? What about original intent?
I am one who could agree with a rewrite of the Constitution, but I would not trust the current crop of politicians to do that job.
Laws and the Constitution should change with the times and I believe the founders understood that and put in the Constitution a formula to change the Constitution.
I'll admit my position on the filibuster is somewhat cynical. I would expect debate to become more heated and I hope that heat would bring more voters to the polls. Forget your pipe dreams about voters being more educated and informed, that train left the tracks decades ago. There is and should not be an IQ requirement to vote.
I certainly take issue with your statement, "The GOP not wanting people to vote is nonsense by and large." The Republicans have tree times voted no on a voting bill. The last vote was to deny even discussing a vote bill on the floor. That bill included a voter ID requirement. A concession by the Democrats. As I told you before I agree with voter ID something my liberal friends dislike me for. It also called for a national holiday for voting, something I also agree with. I think federal election rules should be set by federal election laws, State election rules set by the States. There is much more to the bill, but I would like to hear from you why Republicans are so against a voter bill. Be specific please.
I want to add:
The boarder is a mess and Biden has a lot to do with that. BUT, just before and just after the turn of the last century we had millions of immigrants which we absorbed without safety net programs and plenty of work place abuses. There were many sad stories, but those new citizens made America stronger. We are much more able and prepared now to take in thousands, than the millions we took in then. I welcome new blood to our country, especially if they come from such impoverished situations. There will be many haters as there was then, but as then they will strengthen America and we should help them become good citizens. Leave the racial crap behind, which Trump just cannot seem to do.
I appreciate your considered comments, Jerry.
Let me start by saying that the Senate rules of having a filibuster is not unconstitutional. As I expounded upon before, I think the filibuster has served us well as a nation overall for a very long time, even though there were times that it was used that I found frustrating too. I DEFINITELY agree that the current crop of Democrats and Republicans in the senate is NOT the group to fix this issue. There are only a handful of either party that I have even a modicum of respect for right now. As for voters being educated, I don't mean as far as having a formal education and degree. I simply mean having read or discussed the issues and candidates at hand and know where each one stood on a issue and the ramifications of their votes accordingly.
As for the "voting bills", I would submit to you that both were very deeply flawed and did not empower the citizens as much as it did the politicians. Besides, federalizing elections in an unconstitutional manner, here are just a few of the reasons I am against it:
1. Internet-only registration with electronic signature submission. In other words, no voter ID.
2. Nationwide ‘Motor Voter’ registration. If you get a driver’s license, you are automatically registered to vote. This does not validate citizenship and can be used to register illegal aliens.
3. 16-year-olds required to be registered to vote. Children voting is a big plus for Democrats.
4. Nationwide same-day registration. (Again, can be easily manipulated for fraudulent voting.)
5. Prohibiting attempts to clean voter rolls of non-residents.
6. Felons such as murderers and rapists can vote.
7. Mandatory early voting.
8. Banning voter ID in many cases.
9. It gives federal workers [union people, mostly Democrats] SIX DAYS of paid vacation to work the polls.
10. The bill provides stiff penalties for anyone who ‘harasses’ poll workers and government administrators. Questioning election results can be prosecuted under a broad definition of what constitutes harassment.
11. It allows ballot harvesting, which has proven to be used for fraudulent voting manipulation, particularly by unscrupulous people taking advantage of voters in nursing homes.
12. It creates a public financing platform for candidates with tax payer dollars.
All of these things strengthen incumbents, Democrats, and politicians in general instead of the people at large, sir.
I am happy that you see the reasonableness of voter I.D., and I think a national holiday for voting is probably a good idea too.
I've never heard of #1 & #3.
#6 - I believe felons should have the right to vote AFTER they have paid their debt to society. I don't believe prisoners should be able to vote.
# 10 - No one should be allowed to harass poll workers. If specific wording is needed to define harassment, so be it. We already have legal definitions of harassment.
With all the complaints about voter fraud - voter fraud is less than .05%. I think that's pretty good out of 100 million cast votes. I don't believe there is such a thing as a 100% clean vote and never will be.
I'm for voters giving their Social Security number to cut non-citizen votes.
If you check the Constitution you will find explicit rules for the Congress including a simple majority vote for passing laws. Congress can make its own laws except when expressly stated in the Constitution. It takes 2/3's of the States to change the Constitution.
Jerry, I agree with you in concept on many issues with regards to immigration. I have no problem with hard-working immigrants wanting to come to America and make a better life for their families. Honestly, many immigrants work far harder than most lazy Americans do.
What I don't want is people coming here illegally and running the border. That is how illegal immigrants get exploited or worse. The drug running, human trafficking, and potential terrorism are all great concerns on why we need to lock down the borders and know who is coming in. MS13 is a big concern too. Most conservatives I know share a similar outlook as I do. Legal immigration is welcomed and is a positive thing. Illegal immigration is not and must be stopped, although it will not be under Biden's administration obviously.
Good news. Darrell is going to be busy for the next few days so he asked me to take care of his blog. I am looking forward to D.A.D.s comments, although I promised Darrell I wouldn't publish them. He is whining indeed at his site for being banned and makes is seem like he is the victim in trying to promote truth, justice, and the communist way. What an ass.
Rex
Crap, I am logged in under Darrell's name. The last comment was mine.
Keep Dave whining, it's what he's best at doing. He has really become a vile hate filled man. WHY? His man is ih the White House, his party controls Congress and the GOP can't stop the Democrats from cheating to win. Just what is his problem?
My guess is he doesn't like having done to him what he has done to others.
Tough sh!t Dave. This is one place you have no hand.
If we lock down the boarders we leave the innocent out to face dire consequences. The drug traffickers and terrorists will/have always found their way past boarders. We should increase legal immigration to meet the flow of people wanting to become Americans.
There is no such thing as a 6.5 trillion dollar spending plan. It's down to 1.75 trillion and that may not pass either. The question is not just the amount, but what it is spent on and do the American people want to spend that money. Biden won the election promising to spend on certain things. The people have spoken/voted, they do want more spending in the areas Biden set forth in his campaign. It's 40 years to late for Republicans to be concerned about balancing the budget now. At least Democrats are willing to raise taxes to pay for their spending, something Republicans find abhorrent.
So there is no appearance of a poll tax, those ID's needed to vote should be provided for free from the government.
The more I see Biden's actions, the more disappointed I am with him. But that does not mean I agree with your rigid assessment of him, nor will I give up my moderate positions, or start backing the Republican irresponsible positions.
You should study political history more closely. I would classify myself as a JFK Democrat. But JFK could never be elected as a Democratic politician today anymore than Ike could be elected by today's Republicans.
Judging by which party has done more damage to our country over the last fifty years the Republicans win that race hands down.
I feel for those trying to find a better life, Jerry. My ex-wife came here from Africa... LEGALLY!
Its cool by me to allow more immigrants in LEGALLY. There are tons of jobs that lazy ass millenials and Gen Z punks won't do as they would rather stay at home and live off of goverenmmnt.
Oh, and I don't care if Biden only wants to spend $1 trillion. If that spending isn't something that is constitutionally specified as being the duty of the federal government, then they shouldn't be doing it. It is unconstitutional. All rights not granted to the feds are reserved by the states or the people. The "provide for the general welfare" crap that Comrade Dubya approves of should not be a catch-all for everything leftist/socialist program they can think of.
The Repbulicans are nearly as guilty as the Democrats regarding spending and balancing the budget. I truly agree! They are also the problem. The U.S. is approaching $30 trillion in debt. It will destroy us if if is not stopped! No person... no nation can live beyond their means indefinitely. Eventually the bill comes due.
I agree that free government I.D. should be provided for voting. That is cool by me. As for JFK, that is the only Democrat in the last sixty years that I would have voted for for president, if I had been old enough.
The old school Democrats that still care about our country and about the consitituion and rule of law are all but gone. The Dems now are the cause of the demise of this nation. The GOP is sure helping, but it is the leftists hiding as Democrats that are really pushing for an end to our country as we knew it. What they want is not a better version for anyone excpet those that will be a part of the elite... the politburo.
Jerry,
Dave Dubya says you have blocked him from your blog. If he was posting like he was here I don't blame you a bit. Wonder what other blogs he has been banned from posting?
So what about the 81 million votes (winner) Biden got AFTER telling Americans how much and what he wanted to spend on? Didn't the American people say OK go ahead by virtue of electing him president? I don't agree with all that spending, but elections have consequences and Biden has an obligation to fulfill his promises. Just as Trump promised the largest tax cut in history while he was running for president, then got it passed as president. We have to pay some attention to what the majority of voters wanted/want and voted for. When FDR wanted Social Security (which he promised the people) the Supreme Court said that was Constitutional based on the "general welfare" of the people. I think even today's conservative Supreme Court would find Biden's spending on social issues Constitutional. But not to worry it seems the incompetent Democrats have killed their own bill.
"I think even today's conservative Supreme Court would find Biden's spending on social issues Constitutional. "
Maybe so, but is is a good thing to do?
I agree that elections have consequences and our spoiled and ignorant electorate want a lot of "free" stuff paid for by the "government". They don't realize that these spending proposals still have to be paid for and that in nearly all cases that comes back to hit the wallets of even the poor, let alone the middle class.
Also, just because the Supreme Court says something is legal, that doesn't mean that it is moral or even right. Plessy v. Ferguson, Dred Scott, Roe v. Wade are examples of wrongs that SCOTUS has said is constitutional. I think that Helvering v. Davis which upheld scocial security is also unconstitutional, even though SCOTUS says otherwise. This case simply ignored the tenth amendment and said that "general welfare" could mean anything that the feds think it does. It was then that the socialism of America really began in earnest.
But of course the Supreme Court's word makes it Constitutional,legal, and the last word on issues.
Back when Roe/Wade was decided we did not have the scientific evidence we have today and I wonder if that would have made a different outcome.
What you call a wrong decision by the Court is understandable, but it did become law. Of course the Court can make a wrong even immoral decision, but we are law abiding citizens, right?
Instead of having a Court of nine decide wouldn't it be better to have a majority of the Congress decide, then have the Court decide if that law is Constitutional?
I don't often give my opinion on these issues, because I don't feel qualified to decide what's right, or wrong for over 300 million people.
FDR's Supreme Court did not just rubber stamp his socialist agenda. In fact that's when FDR thought about packing the court so he could get his agenda passed by the Court. Some programs like Social Security passed through the Court, but many more programs did not and that incensed FDR. Since then the program has become so popular the Republicans have never had the votes to eliminate it and probably wouldn't even if they had the votes now.
Well, the Supreme Court's ruling does make it technically legal and constitutional for sure.
As law-abiding American citizens we are called to obey the laws of the land and if we disagree with them then we have the right to petition to have them changed through our legislators. Under normal circumstances, I think that is the correct course of action to pursue.
Regardless, I must obey God's laws first and foremost, so if a "constitutional and legal" law is passed like Rex gave an example of regarding Jim Crow laws such as Plessy v. Ferguson did, I will not obey that law. The Supreme Court realized that horrible decision and later reversed that accordingly.
I would not have supported "constitutional" SCOTUS rulings on the Japanese internment camps during WWII either, among many others.
As for social security, that has been so entrenched in our society and millions of people are dependent upon that income so this is a program that will never be eliminated. That said, it is my opinion which conflicts with SCOTUS, that the federal government did not have the constitutional right to mandate the withholding of money from our paychecks for us to use for retirement income in the future. They overstepped their constitutional limits in doing so by taking an overly expansive view of the general welfare clause, again in my opinion.
Regardless, the program has been in place for many decades and the pain and suffering it would cause for many folks that rely solely on that income for survival makes it so it cannot be rescinded. That is often the problem when we create perhaps well-meaning but ultimately harmful entitlement programs. We entrap people into thinking the government will take care of what they have the right and the freedom to be doing for themselves. Social Security is a mess and the returns on it are horrible compared to the typical 401K or other investments, but it is easy and the government does it so we can be dependent sheep. This only empowers politicians all the more and is part of the problem. It is why people vote for huge spending programs so that they can get more "free stuff". It will ultimately ruin us in the end though.
Rex, thanks for watching over things this week!
Anyone with a brain should know it's not free, but, by continuing to cut taxes they are in reality free. We are not paying for our spending and just add to the 25 trillion dollar debt. The government continues to give out the benefits (money). Continuing to cut taxes is more detrimental to our system than any benefits that come from continuing to cut taxes. Trickle down is a failure and is the cause of the widening gap between rich and poor. Taxing just the rich will not get the debt paid and it wasn't just the rich that benefited from those tax cuts.
Thanks to President Trump's tax cuts still in effect.
-10/29/21--Today's closing prices
-Dow Jones Industrial Average--closes at all-time high
-S&P 500--closes at all-time high
-Nasdaq--closes at all-time high
Vatican Does Not Confirm Pope Francis Told Joe Biden to “Keep Receiving Communion”
Darrell, as you know I am not a Roman Catholic, but a Presbyterian (PCA) so I do not claim to understand all the nuances of the Catholic Church...But when it comes to abortion, we stand together in opposition to the ending of human life by abortion. Period.
"After Pope Francis and President Biden met, Biden said that the pope called him a “good Catholic” and that he should “keep receiving communion.” The Vatican has not confirmed the veracity of Biden’s account.
Like everyone else, we at the Catholic League have no way of knowing whether Biden’s remarks are accurate. But from what we know about the Vatican’s handling of the meeting, and Biden’s long record of lying about many important matters, we are maintaining a healthy skepticism about the president’s rendition.
It is certainly in Biden’s interest to have everyone think that the pope encouraged him to keep receiving communion. This issue matters because it has troubled many American bishops; they will meet in a few weeks to discuss it. Biden’s lust for abortion rights, for instance, is cause for grave concern."
Bill Donohue
Anonymous, that is indeed great news regarding this observation; however, with the policies and inflation caused by Biden, I fear that our economy will once again retract and the poor and middle class will be hurt greatly by it.
JTF, thanks for your comment. Based on Biden's tumultuous relationship with the truth, I sincerely doubt that the pope told Biden he is a good Catholic and should keep receiving communion. Indeed, it was the Vatican that refused to allow the press to film Biden sitting with the Pope smiling as if he was in perfect communion with the dictates of his professed faith.
Pope Francis recently said that abortion is murder. Not a lot of gray area there. As a Catholic, one is not to partake of Holy Communion if he partakes or is a party to a grave sin. To receive communion in such an unworthy state is to blaspheme the body and blood of Christ and is a great sin in addition. Biden is almost assuredly lying. The fact that the Vatican's release of the transcript of the visit does not validate Biden's assertions further tells us what we already know. He is a man lost in deep sin, has rejected some of the core tenets of his faith, and has abrogated many of the duties of his oath of office. I pray for Biden, but he is a man that should not be leading our nation, let alone disparaging the church that Christ himself established, my friend.
Not all sins get you thrown out of the Church. If one confesses their sins and prays for forgiveness, God will forgive. But Biden has not done that and won't give up fighting for abortion rights.
Seems to me I told you we are still working under Trump's fiscal policies, but you didn't accept that and went on to list Biden's mistakes. Biden still hasn't passed his fiscal policies and we are still working under Trump's policies.
Wall Street is not the only, or last word on how our economy is doing. Money greases the wheel of our capitalistic system and the corvid payments helped by allowing Americans to keep spending and pay their bills.
Like I said before, wait until Biden's fiscal policies become law, then we will have a mess. Anyone who thinks his multi-trillion dollar plan won't cost Americans anything, is stupid.
“Catholic” Democrat Senator Dicky Durbin Denied Communion Because He Supports Killing Babies
https://www.lifenews.com/2021/11/09/catholic-senator-dick-durbin-denied-communion-because-he-supports-killing-babies-in-abortions/
killing unborn humans is a sin.
Biden, Pelosi, Durbin, and any other members of congress that support abortion should not be taking communion. If they try to take it, the priest or bishop should deny them until they repent. Pope Francis recently confirmed what the church has always taught that "abortion is murder".
To be fair, when I visit the site, I do read Dave's comments, even if you do not. I find some of your recent articles to be on par with his style. That said, I also have detected the same in much of my commentary. It is hard to take the high road, when gunners are meeting you at every intersection to the low roads all around us. It is nearly impossible and I don't think any of us are above it.
Even so, some of your recent work, to me, a distant observer, seems equally aggressive, and equally oblivious, built on enthusiasm for the cause. There is one difference: I do believe you would acknowledge non-malicious rebuttals as legitimate, and that goes a long way. You don't see to get them, though.
?Once it begins to carry us away, it is hard to get back again into a healthy condition, because reason goes for nothing once passion has been admitted to the mind.” -- Seneca
UnTrump, there is much of what you said that is true. I historically have tried to be "non-aggressive" with people that disagree with me if they approach the debate in a reasonably civil manner. It has long been my goal to have reasoned and cordial debate between people of differing opinions and views on my blog. Admittedly I have not fostered that as well as I could have always, particularly in more recent times.
I do appreciate your observation and comment as I will renew my efforts to do better.
Darrell and Just the Facts:
Should every pro-death penalty Republican and Democrat be denied communion? If not, then why should only pro-choice, not necessarily pro-abortion, politicians be denied?
UnTrump:
Is it reasonable to expect a non-malicious rebuttal from someone accused of being a fascist who hates America?
Anonymous (...Mr. Dubya?), I think a good case can indeed be made that if a politician is an ardent supporter of the death penalty without caveats, then he/she could and probably should be denied communion.
As for malicious rebuttals, I will pretend to be ignorant and that you are not Mr. Dubya hiding behind anonymity, regarding this question.
So, Anonymous, as this regards Mr. Dubya, I unfortunately allowed far too many times where he made accusations or inferences of me and other readers of being racists, authoritarians, supporting the 1/6 riot, and so forth ad nauseum. Indeed malicious rebuttals in kind towards him are not a good Christian thing to do and for the times that I wandered over that line, I do apologize to him. That said, the tenor of discussions is much improved without constant hate, false accusations, and distortions being lobbed from this previous commenter. I wish him well and I wish him to remain removed from my blog accordingly.
Darrell,
You sent another reply to my "George Carlin" post, thank you. Unfortunately it got lost in Google space somewhere. I'm sure it's something stupid I did. You are always welcome at my blog.
Thank you Jerry. I appreciate that very much, sir!
Post a Comment