Valentine

And if I should simply ask you,
Would you tell me true,
Or would you simply say,
I love only you.

Stealing from God Part 2

"And through covertness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you."

2 Peter 2:3

I have never heard anyone preach on this scripture perhaps because they could not look into the camera without blushing. I started to write about the tithe tonight but God led me to Christian charitable giving in America which in turn led me over to the Charity Navigator web site. What I found there in retained earnings, profit from investments, directors salaries etc turned my stomach. Not to mention my thoughts of those who did not or should I say would not divulge their consolidated financial records.

Like King David I will not strike out at anyone who may be "anointed" by naming them or their organization. Preferring simply to leave it between them and God. It is they who in heaven may hear Jesus say I do not know you. They may claim to prophesies and cast out demons in His name but at the end of the day if they were merely in the temple to make money then like the money changers and peddlers of religious artifacts he will take a whip to them.

Please review any charitable giving on the Charity Navigator web site before you even open your check book or pick up your pen. The American people are amongst the most gracious and generous givers on this planet. It is time that they started getting not only value for their money but honesty too.

God bless you and yours!

Mr. President

We poets tend to scribble our thoughts down on little pieces of paper that turn up later as we tidy up our briefcase or desk. Tonight I found one such piece of paper on which I recorded my thoughts at the time of President Regan's death. I remember the trip well especially because of one gentleman from Kentucky who was on board our flight and was terribly upset at the loss of the man he believed was the greatest President of the 20Th Century. "A President who genuinely cared about the people and this nation", he said. How do you find words to express yourself at a time like this? I told him that I would write something down and below is what I sadly wrote upon my arrival in Sweden. Please forgive me for I know the words are not adequate to express the sadness felt by that honorable gentleman from Kentucky or this nation.

Mr. President

I dropped my flag today,
I lowered it half down,
I cried today Lord,
As in the Rotunda,
My son they laid down.

I am America dear God,
The one whom you bless still today,
And all I ask you Lord,
Is bless this son of mine,
As to heaven he makes his way.

A father and a husband,
But yet my greatest son,
I cried today Lord,
As in the Rotunda,
My son they walked around.

Tears of a nation,
What mean they on high?
I know not Lord.
Yet this I know is true,
He always acknowledged you.

I lowered my flag today,
I lowered it half down,
And as your son acknowledges him,
And he picks up his crown,
I cried for him today and the sorrow of my loss.

Naked Chicken

Most people in the USA do not know that a major bottled water producer from the USA withdrew all of its bottled water from the UK in March of 2004 because of a high level of the carcinogenic causing chemical called Bromate. The Bromate in the water was reportedly caused by the addition of a contaminated batch of Calcium Chloride added during the ozonisation process while "making" the bottled water. This of course meant that the water in question could not be categorized as natural mineral water, spring water or bottled drinking water under UK regulations controlling bottled water. I share this to explain my foray to Whole Foods in search of a simple glass bottle of plain old drinking water as I am not your sparkling water kind of guy.

All over Europe you can buy water in glass bottles both fizzy and non-fizzy or as the toffs like to call it Sparkling or Natural. The reason for glass bottles? You guessed it the plastic can leach into the water depending upon how old the bottle is from the date of manufacture and how it was stored e.g. exposure to sunlight, temperature, method of transportation, etc. To my surprise none was available in Whole Foods but a very kind associate informed me that I could probably buy what I was looking for in World Market which in fact I did. Why Whole Foods only serve "natural" bottled drinking water in plastic bottles I do not know perhaps it is because consumers are willing to pay a premium for fizzy water? So someone please tell me why should fizzy water drinkers be treated to a safer product in a company that expounds a health conscious image than me? No problem World Market you now have a new customer.

While in Whole Foods I purchased a rotisserie chicken which bore the label "naked chicken". Now as all rotisserie chickens I have ever bought from Walmart were featherless (and either cheaper or larger) I had to ask the question what does the label "naked chicken" really mean? I was informed that it was cooked without additives, seasonings or preservatives. So I asked the informative sales associate do you not think that the label should read "bland chicken"? After all we are searching more and more for truth in advertising as a nation.

While on the topic of drink products did you know that certain soft drink manufacturers add Sodium Benzoate and Ascorbic Acid to their product which if mixed incorrectly can react to create Benzene in the drink? You guessed it another cancer causing agent in humans. No wonder the print on the labels get smaller and smaller each year and the color combination of font to background add to the difficulty in reading the bottles contents. And simple soul that I am here I was merely thinking that yours truly eyesight was simple diminishing because of old age. Now what chemical combinations may I have drunk or eaten over all these years to speed up the cause of my 20/20 vision loss? Well definitely not naked chicken!