New Years--Bah Humbug!!

What is the big deal about New Year's? Why does everyone make such a big fuss about it? It is just another day, no different than any other. Just an arbitrary day marking the end of one calendar year and the start of another. What is there to celebrate? Thinks aren't going to be any different just because it is a different year. The world will still be the same god-awful mess it was before. Our lives will be the same as before...likely no better, hopefully no worse...so what's the big deal.? To me, this is the stupidest, most worthless holiday ever created. For most, it's just another excuse to go out and party and get wasted...as if people need an excuse. In my opinion, it all boils down to four letters...SSDN, which stands for "same shit, different number" Pooey on it all!!

So Sayeth The Shack
www.sosayeththeshack.com
www.gresiakfamily.com

Happy....whatever!

To everyone, whatever you may celebrate....

Happy Hannakuh

Merry Christmas

Happy Kwanzaa

Happy Boxing Day

Happy New Year

And if you don't celebrate anything, Have a happy day!!

(Please forgive me if I didn't mention your holiday!)

So Sayeth The Shack
www.sosayeththeshack.com
www.gresiakfamily.com

On "The End"

http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/20666/

Maybe this also exlpains why so many people are living so deep in debt and at the edge of bankruptcy. They believe that they may never have to pay it off.

Fear of Queers? How About Fear of God?

In the week or so following the presidential election, I read many articles bemoaning the results of the election as well as the reason for them. Many people who voted for George Bush listed moral values as the top reason for doing so. So the writers of the articles indicated that people were perhaps more afraid of the gay couple down the street than they were of the terrorists plotting their next attack on out country....more afraid of the single woman across town contemplating an abortion than of losing their job to someone in Mexico or Bangladesh. I think that maybe there is something else going on here. In the Bible, there are many times that the lesson of "prospering in the land" as a consequence of obeying God and doing His will is taught. When the people of biblical times obeyed God, they were prosperous and protected from their enemies. When they became disobedient and rebellious, they lost that protection and prosperity. Could that be what is happening to the United States? As a country, we are becoming less and less obedient to our God. There is widespread corruption and we are allowing things like abortion and gay marriage as well as pornography. So we are losing God's protection (witness the terrorist attacks) and are becoming less prosperous (good jobs are going to other countries and we are left with the low-pay, low-benefit service type jobs). Maybe people are beginning to realize that if we put God and his law first, these other things, prosperity and protection, will follow. No, I am not afraid of gay people, nor do I hate them (at least not any more than anyone else), but I still feel that what they are doing is wrong, and that, as a nation, promoting and condoning the actions of this vocal minority is leading us away from the protection and prosperity that God can provide. Same with abortion, illegal drugs, etc. I am not saying that we should hate the wrongdoers, but we should not be encouraging or promoting their behavior by passing laws that allow same-sex marriage, elective abortion, and other things. Incidently, I voted for Kerry!

--So Sayeth The Shack

Highway To Hell

This entry has a picture in it, so you'll have to visit the link below to view the picture and the related text.

http://www.sosayeththeshack.com/pai80.html


---So Sayeth The Shack

Civil War Within a Decade?

Well, the election is over, and we all know the result. We have been admonished by the candidates and others to reunite behind our elected leader and give him our full support. But will this really happen? I doubt it. In fact, this country is so divided on the issues that there is virtually nothing that will bring us together, even a common enemy. After the World Trade Center attacks, we briefy united in consolation for the victims and in hate for the perpetrators. But that union did not last long. Over the past year we have been more divided than in almost any other time in this country's history. Unless our country is seriously attacked, I do not envision any unity of the citizens. In fact, I envision an eventual split into various factions and political parties with no cooperation whatsoever between them. On the one side, there will be the "morally upright" yet warmongering and big-business favoring Republicans. On the other, there will be liberal gay, abortion-rights furthering Democrats. (No offense intended to anyone here....notice I am dissing both parties equally). I can see the nation splitting as it did before the Civil War, but this time into a Democratic group of states and a Republican group of states. There may not be an actual war between the two, but a once great nation will be split in two. Perhaps it will be even worse...perhaps there will be more and more divisions until it is down to every person for themselves. Why do I have such a dim, pessimistic view of things? Because I have been for over four decades observing the behavior of people and have seen a steady trend for the worse. (See an earlier post, "Shack's Theory of De-Evolution"). I guess deep down I hope that I an wrong, or that I die before this happens.

--So Sayeth The Shack

A Prayer

I received the following by e-mail from my cousin Kathy. Think it deserves a post here...

This Pastor has guts!! Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people.

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the KansasSenate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and call it Pluralism.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators ! walked out during the prayer in protest.. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God." If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything." Think about this: If you forward this prayer to everyone on your e-mail list, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world.

-- The Shack did not write this, but he does agree with it.

If I Were Kidnapped in Iraq

If I were in Iraq and got kidnapped by one of those hooded freakos that go around beheading people...I would REFUSE to go in front of a camera and plead for my life on worldwide TV and internet, asking for my country to withdraw their troops. I would refuse to dishonor my country and its armed forces by doing this. Instead, I would tell the hooded freakos to chop my head off right there and then...or to let me go, their choice. The more we give in to these murderous morons, the more they will be encouraged to keep on murdering and kidnapping.

--So Sayeth The Shack

Kerry's Catholic Quandary

As a member of the Catholic Church, Senator Kerry claims that he is opposed to abortion. Yet, as a presidential candidate, he must court the "pro-choice" vote, and, as a politician, whether senator or eventually president, he must represent the majority of his constituents, even if that majority opinion conflicts with his religious beliefs. This is called "separation of church and state", and is part of the constitution of this country. (By the way, does anyone know, are "pro-choicers" a majority in this country, or just a highly vocal minority, like gays and those promoting gay marriage?) There are those who seem to have a problem with Kerry's "two-sided" stance on the abortion issue. This includes some Catholic Church leaders who seem to feel that he should not be allowed to receive communion. If this is the case, there are a lot of other Catholics who should be denied communion. I hear many say "I'm Catholic, but I'm pro-choice" or, "I'm Catholic, but I disagree with the Pope on such-and-such." I have said this before...the Catholic Church is NOT a democracy. What the Pope says goes, and if you cannot abide by that, you should not call your self a Catholic. But I am wandering from my original point, which is, this country IS a democracy, with church and state constitutionally separate. No political leader, in any capacity, from small-town mayor to president, has the right to push his or her religious beliefs on anyone. In this respect, I feel that Senator Kerry is simply doing his job as a political leader...keeping his religious beliefs separate from his political statements and actions. For that, if nothing else, The Shack respects Senator Kerry.

--So Sayeth The Shack

The Iraq Hornet Nest

President Bush's war in Iraq can be likened to a homeowner tearing down a hornet nest in the yard. He goes out with a baseball bat and smashes the nest (Iraq) to the ground, then immediately and proudly declares "mission accomplished". Suddenly, a swarm of angry hornets (the Iraqi insurgents, radical Islamists and others) surround him, stinging him to death.

I would enter this as a cartoon. Unfortunately I am one of the worst five artists on the face of this Earth and if I were to draw it as a cartoon, no one would be able to tell what it was. Maybe I can persuade my son to draw this as a cartoon.

--So Sayeth The Shack

The Girlie-Man Song

This song is done to the music of "Macho Man" by the Village People, for those of you old enough to remember that. It is dedicated to President George Bush and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (sorry about the spelling; I'm sure it's not right).

Army...got to build my army
Army...such a thrill my army
Army...wanna join my army?
Check it out my army, army
Don't you doubt my army, army
Talkin' bout my army, army
Check it out my army

The USA don't want to be no girlie girlie man
We're gonna get those terrorists...any way we can
Shoot 'em in the mornings, go man go
Take over every country; our nukes they glow
You can best believe, we ain't no girlie man
We're gonnna get those terrorists, anyway we can

Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be...no girlie man
Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be no girlie!!

Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be...no girlie man
Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be no girlie!!

Army, it's so hot, my army
Army, you can't top my army
Army, love to use my army
Army, don't you tease my army
Army, you'll adore my army
Army, come and join my army
Army, made by God my army
Army, it's so good my army

We're not gonna be no girlie girlie man
To live a life of freedom, we've gotta take a stand
To spread our own lifestyle and ideals
Posess the strength and confidence, that's what's real
You can best believe, we aint no girlie man
Gonna get those terrorists...any way we can

Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be...no girlie man
Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be no girlie!!

Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be...no girlie man
Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be no girlie!!

Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be...no girlie man
Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be no girlie!!

Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be...no girlie man
Girlie girlie man
We don't want to be no girlie!! HEY!

--So Sayeth The Shack

What do these terrorists think they are accomplishing

The recent terrorist attack at the school in southern Russia has gotten me to wondering....just what are these people (the terrorists) trying to accomplish? Do they think that the random killing of innocent people will scare us into doing their will? Do they think that we will feel compassion and forgiveness for them and that we will try to see their side of things?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While there may be a few who are scared (indeed, terrorized) into changing their thoughts and actions, most of us are not. While a few have tried to figure out the hate and rage that goes into these terrorist actions, most simply see them as the killing of innocent people. In fact, the killing of the innocent school children in Russia has probably turned more people against terrorists than anything. I can understand hate and rage. I have felt it, as mentioned in some previous posts, but I have never actually gone out and killed innocent (or for that matter, guilty) people.

This war against the terrorists is unlike any previous wars. They do not attack armies or military installations. Instead, they attack innocent people in their homes, schools or workplaces. This makes them cold-blooded murderers, not soldiers. Their actions do not further their cause one iota, as far as I am concerned. Instead, I, and a I am sure the majority of other people, look upon them as ruthless, murdering savages. I wonder if they think about this when they plan their attacks.

--So Sayeth The Shack

Athletes in Advertising

The 2004 Summer Olympics are coming to a close. For the gold medalists, at least those from the U.S., lucrative endorsement contracts may be in the future. These athletes may soon be paid huge sums...millions of dollars, to advertise anything from cereal to athletic shoes to viagra. And whenever anyone purchases any of these products, part of the price that we pay goes to paying for this expensive advertising, whether we want it to or not. Bought any running shoes or other types of athletic footwear lately? Hah!! You could almost buy a used car for less. And the price is so high because...great athlete so-and-so is making millions to advertise it. And it isn't just Olympic athletes...many professional athletes, who already make millions just for playing a sport (that's material for another post) get paid even more for advertising something. And when we the consumer go to buy a product, some of that money goes to pay for that advertising. If we don't want to contribute to the wealth of some overpaid athlete or other celebrity, the only choice that we have in the matter is to avoid buying products that are endorsed by them. This may be difficult or in some cases nearly impossible to do, but if we are willing to take a little time to do some research, we can save ourselves some money and keep some money out of the bank account of someone who already has ten times more money that we'll ever see in out lives.

--So Sayeth The Shack

The Gay Rights Issue

I am not gay, nor do I know personally any gay people. Therefore, I am writing this from a position of relative ignorance, but with a desire to understand things. I will be looking at both sides of the issue, and probably coming to no definitive conclusion.
The issue of gay rights, especially the right to marry, has been in the news quite a bit over the past year. Some states, cities and counties have passed laws to legalize gay marriage. Some ministers and others have gone ahead and performed such marriages even without legalization. Some churches even have gay minsters. Meanwhile, a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage was voted down. It is also becoming an election issue as President Bush opposes it while Senator Kerry seems more open to it. Most of those who oppose gay marriage or any kind of gay rights do so on moral or religious grounds. These people feel that it is morally wrong, even a sin, to be gay, and that legalizing gay marriage would further enable the sinners. According to some Christian beliefs, enabling or allowing a sin is itself a sin, so that by legalizing gay marriage or giving other rights to homosexuals, the rest of us also become sinners (accomplices, if you will…like buying a gun and giving it to a murderer.) Interestingly, there is nothing in the Ten Commandments about homosexuality, just “ Thou shalt not commit adultery”. Of course, without the benefit of marriage, homosexuals have no choice but to commit adultery. In this case, legalizing marriage would actually help them to avoid a sin.
Let us leave behind the religious and moral aspect of this for a moment and turn to the “natural” aspect. Even ignoring religion, church and scripture of any kind, homosexuality seems “unnatural”. The main purpose of sex, whether in humans or in other species, is to create more of that species. Without this, the species would die out. Homosexual sex cannot result in pregnancy, therefore it can be viewed as being against the natural scheme of things, whether it is a sin or not.
Now let us return to the “sin” aspect of this matter. Committing a sin involves being able to make a choice between right and wrong…knowing that something is wrong and choosing to do it anyway. Gay people claim that they cannot make such a choice…that they are “born gay”. Of course, I could say that I was “born angry’, because I have a predisposition to having a bad temper and flying off the handle with little provocation. But that doesn’t make it right or OK. That doesn’t give me the right to force my anger and bad temper upon others. It is a personal problem or fault that I have been struggling all of my life to overcome and correct. Some people would say that it is a chemical imbalance in my brain or perhaps my environment or life experience that makes me the way I am, and so it is not my fault that I am an angry person. This may to some extent be true, but that still does not make my occasional intense outbursts of anger acceptable to other people. In the same manner, is it OK to be gay because of a chemical imbalance or one’s life experiences or environment? Or is something that has to be lived with and maybe overcome eventually (like my bad temper). Or, is it, as some say, a genetic variation and impossible to control, no matter what. (Like one’s nationality, skin color or gender). If it is really the case that people are “born gay”, that they have absoloutely no control over the matter, then being gay cannot be a sin, and we should go ahead and grant them equal rights in all things, including marriage. I do not believe that this premise has been scientifically proven or disproved yet, however, and, until it is, perhaps we should not be so hasty in passing legislation or constitutional amendments in either direction. We should instead be trying to find out whether or not people are “born gay”; whether or not being gay is something completely and totally out of their control. Once we have the answer, then we should act accordingly. In the meantime, we should be treating homosexuals just like other human beings…they way we all deserve to be treated…with respect, courtesy, love and compassion, and without judgment.
Comments as always are welcome, either here or by e-mail

--So Sayeth The Shack

Here's One Of The Reasons "They" Hate Us

Guardian Unlimited Guardian daily comment Palestinians want an end to their solitary confinement

This is despicable. I do not condone the terroristic attacks staged by the Palestinians, but after reading this, I can certainly see some of the hate and hopelessness that fuels these attacks.

--So Sayeth The Shack

What difference would 5 or 10 minutes have made?

According to a news report on Thursday, August 5, 2004, Senator Kerry criticized President Bush for remaining in the classroom for several moments after being told about the World Trade Center attack on September 11. Really, Mr. Kerry, in the overall scheme of what was happening at the time, what possible difference could these few minutes have made? Absolutely none. You are a fool to think otherwise and even more of a fool to speak out against the President's actions. It was too late to prevent the attacks. It was too late to prevent the aftermath. Furthermore, a sudden exit of the President from the classroom would likely have startled the young children. I commend the President for his calmness in the face of what was happening at the time and I criticize Senator Kerry for trying to make an issue out of it.

--So Sayeth The Shack

The High Price Of Convenience

We have it far too easy in our society. When I was a young lad, there was no internet, no cell phones, no cable TV in most areas, (no VCR’s, DVD’s or Tivo either) and most businesses were closed at night and on Sundays and holidays. We had to discipline ourselves to do things when we were able to. To shop when stores were open, to wait until we got home to make a phone call, to go the library to look up information, to write and mail a letter and wait for a reply rather than using e-mail, and to watch a show when it was on rather than recording it. We had a limited number of TV stations to pick from rather than the hundreds that many of us have access to now (and there’s still nothing on that’s worth watching). Now we can do our grocery shopping in the middle of the night, and any other kind of shopping online at any time. We can make a phone call from anywhere to anywhere at any time. We can access information online 24/7. We can send someone an e-mail with the click of a mouse, or exchange instant messages with anyone across the planet.. We can record TV shows to watch later, or rent or buy movies to watch when it is convenient. My purpose here is not to suggest that these things, in and of themselves, are bad. Certainly, it is hard to argue against all of these conveniences. But is our society any better for it? I don’t really think so. Many of these services represent extra items in our budgets: anywhere from 10 to 50 dollars a month for the internet (depending on whether you have a basic no-frills dialup or satellite broadband or something in between), a similar amount for cell phone service depending on how many phones you have and how much you use them, and a minimum of 25-45 dollars a month for cable or satellite TV service. (DirecTV’s full package plus every sports subscription could probably run you over 200 dollars per month). While these items were originally viewed as luxuries, they are now commonplace in most households, even necessities, if you will. So we are spending an extra 45-145 dollars a month or more on these “necessities”. Has our income increased that much? No wonder there are so many more bankruptcies these days. In addition to the extra drain on our bank accounts, some of these services require some people to work nights, weekends and holidays. If you’re going to buy groceries at midnight, for example, someone has to be there to run the checkout. Back in the day, most people worked some version of 9-5 weekdays, though some factory workers had rotating shifts. Most people had weekends and holidays off. Holidays were for family. Sundays (or Saturdays) were for church. Other weekend time and evenings were for household chores, family and relaxation. We have much less of this time now as we are required to spend more time at work for the sake of the convenience of others. (And the bank accounts of our bosses) Yes, convenience has a high price, both in terms of money and in terms of less tangible but even more important things, such as the time we spend with our families and the time we spend just resting and relaxing. And, with all the convenience, it strikes me that many of us have less patience and less discipline than people did a generation or two ago. We expect things right here, right now. We are unwilling to wait for anything. It is a catastrophe if the cable is down, the internet won’t work, or we can’t make a cell phone call.

--SO SAYETH THE SHACK

The Trouble With Politics...Is Money!!!

The trouble with politics and the entire “democratic” process is that there is far too much money involved. This is especially true for both the Democratic and the Republican Parties, mostly because they each have plenty of money, and less true for the smaller parties, such as the Green Party, Libertarians and others, because they have rather little money. The odds of a third party candidate being elected president are virtually nil, and one of the reasons is that they simply don’t have the billions of dollars to spend on advertising that the big guys have. Another reason is that a lot of voters just don’t have the guts to vote for someone who “has no chance of winning”. Sure, in this country, anyone can be president, as long as they first are rich. Despite campaign finance reform in recent years, there is still plenty of money being thrown around at the conventions and during the campaigns. Some of this money is not given directly to the candidates or their political parties, but instead is used to “wine and dine” the candidates and others. During the Democratic Convention last week, ABC News covered some of the “extra-curricular activities”, huge expensive parties thrown by heads of corporations and other rich folk to entice various politicians to vote “their way” or to at least get their cause heard in Washington. Some of these parties were actually going on during the convention when the attendees should have been out on the convention floor!! We are paying these people to represent us but instead they are going to parties!! (I am only picking on the Democrats here because their convention has already happened…I’m sure the Republicans will be no better). What it comes down to is that those of us who don’t have a lot of money to give to the candidates don’t count for much of anything. Yes, they need our vote to get into office, and they will say and do virtually anything and spend oodles of money to get that vote. But once in office, we are like the proverbial “chopped liver”. They don’t need us anymore and couldn’t care less about us. We might as well walk to the edge of the earth and fall off into space; it wouldn’t matter to them. Once they get rich and powerful, they no longer know or care what it’s like not to have money and power and they no longer care about those who don’t have money and power.

We call this nation a Democracy, but as I see it, it is a Democracy for the rich, and basically a dictatorship for the poor. We are lulled into thinking that we can have some say in the making of laws and policy. We can write letters to our elected officials (be sure to enclose a big hefty check though!!) Unless we find some way to separate the money from the political process, we will never again have a government “ of the people, for the people and by the people”.

--SO SAYETH THE SHACK

Too Bad, Girlie Men!!

Last night (July 19, 2004), a news report indicated people were upset at Governor Arnold (I'm not even going to try to spell his last name) for calling people "girlie men". Come on folks, lets get real here!! I just wish that the worst thing that anyone had ever done to me was to call me a "girlie man", or any other name for that matter. Sure, I've been called some names (some are even true), but they don't bother me. Remember the old saying "sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me" If you are offended by being called silly names I feel sorry for you!! There are much worse things that could happen to you. On the other hand, if being called a "girlie man" is the worst thing that has ever happened to you, then you have had a pretty good life.

This is not intended to be a defense of Governor Arnold. He was probably wrong to use the term. I am just ragging on those who are offended by it. You are too thin-skinned and there are many worse and more important things to worry about than being called a silly name.

So Sayeth The Shack

I Don't Drink Enough!!!

My wife tells me that I don't drink enough!! Can you imagine that?! Most wives tell their husbands that they drink too much, but mine tells me that I don't drink enough!!!



(She's talking about WATER here...I don't drink enough WATER!) She drinks the equivalent of a gasoline tanker full of water a day. [OK, slight exaggeration here]. If I drank that much water, I would spend the whole day in front of the urinal! Not to mention I would not be able to eat anything because the water is taking up all the room. I drink a lot of coffee, a little water and once in a while some juice, beer or whiskey. When I was growing up, my parents virtually never drank water. It was either coffee or something alcoholic. My mother just turned 80, still virtually never drinks water, and is in good health. By the way, she smokes too.

So Sayeth The Shack