What do you think?

Join the rant..... What do you think?... Put your view out here for everyone to see. We're all in this together. Contact me at firemansforge@hughes.net, and speak up...
Your sarcasm can set you free.....

"IN A TIME OF UNIVERSAL DECEIT, TELLING THE TRUTH IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT." - GEORGE ORWELL

Monday, February 28, 2011

FARRAKAHN SAYS MID-EAST UPRISINGS WILL COME TO THE U.S.


Until now, there was virtually nothing that Louis Farrakahn said, that I agreed with.
But, I've got to tell you..... I think he's right about this!
Eventually, the people of this country will rise up and show these hypocrites in government... that "We're Mad as Hell, and We're Not Going Take It Anymore!"

Excerpted from The Chicago Tribune.....
Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan predicted on Sunday that America faces imminent uprisings that mirror those in the Middle East.

“What you are looking at in Tunisia, in Egypt … Libya, in Bahrain … what you see happening there … you’d better prepare because it will be coming to your door,” Farrakhan said in a booming voice, thousands of followers cheering in his wake.

Farrakhan also called on President Barack Obama to allow protesters to march, urging the president not to attack innocent people when they do.

The controversial minster spoke to a packed house at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont as part of the 81st annual celebration of Saviours' Day, which marks the birth of the faith’s founder, W. Fard Muhammad.

For about four hours, Farrakhan spoke and jumped from topic to topic, citing religious texts.
He praised Scientology and its founder L. Ron Hubbard.
He did get a little "Out There" in his diatribe, stating...
“L. Ron Hubbard is so exceedingly valuable to every Caucasian person on this earth,”.....
“... L. Ron Hubbard himself was and is trying to civilize white people and make them better human beings and take away from them their reactive minds … Mr. Hubbard recognized that his people have to be civilized,” Farrakhan said to a cheering crowd.

Farrakhan also described a 1985 religious experience in which he ascended into a flying saucer and heard the voice of Elijah Muhammad predicting historical events that came to pass.
Okay..... It could happen..... or not... But, that aside, I think he's dead on to events that will take place in this country. They are already happening in Madison, Wisconsin. And,... there was an instance rioting in Seattle, Washington, where about 30 people dressed in black threw flares at police cars, and vandalized some small businesses in response to a police shooting that was ruled "unjustified", but no criminal charges were filed against police. (Is it just me?... Or, does that seem to be happening time and time again, lately?)

Whether or not these demonstrations will be peaceful is still in the wind, but, I believe they are inevitable, given the course of our government, and its treatment of the working class. We are under assault by the very people we elected. How long can they expect us to take it???

Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Way of Our Fallen Idol, is A Hard Road To Follow..... Especially When That Road Was Paved With The Promises of Change.

We elected him in an aura of respect and awe, but we were soon to find out, he was a false idol. Sure, he's charismatic,... and literate, as well, but, ... he's proving himself to be the hypocrite that just caught on that he's on the ride of his life, and there's no turning back.
Will he change parties before his ride is over? It's starting to look like he already has.

What happened to the man we elected? Who slipped the giant green pod from outer space into his office, and replaced him with a Clone? A Clone so evil, he could smile his loving smile, look us in the face,... and turn his back on his promises and our dreams without batting an eye. A clone who's two faced lies are carved with the unspeakable mark of corporate America.

The "Dark Mark" of the GOP seems to hang on his every decision. His promises of change reduced to compromise after compromise that only seem to benefit the rich. The promised quest for truth, transparency, and justice have all but disappeared from his agenda. Forsaking his many worshipers for the benefit a the few.

The President does his famous impersonation of Elmer Gantry.
The scary thing is that we all believed him.

Let's take a look at just a few of those promises we were lead to believe, shall we?
#1. Rewarding whistle blowers for their courage to expose the wrongs and waste in Government.
I guess we should ask Bradley Manning about that,.... if we could talk to him, that is. Or maybe Julian Assange....
#2. How about those tax cuts for the richest 2% of the Americans,.. while the rest of us get "Bupkiss".
#3. Accountability for Wall Street dragging this nation's economy right down the toilet. I guess we can all see where that went..... We paid the bill.... they got the GOLD,... and we got the SHAFT!
#4. And while we're on the subject of accountability, where's that justice that was promised for the war criminals that lied to us, congress, and lead us into the war in Iraq.
I guess if you just make torture an accepted practice, then there really aren't any criminals.
#5. This is a good one.... "The bulldozing of homes on the West Bank by Israel has to stop".
That irrational talk was short lived,wasn't it? Who got to you Mr. Obama?
#6. The closing of Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. That seemed like a slam dunk, for what,.... about a minute?

The list of broken promises gets bigger every day. And,.. with each broken promise, our Constitutional rights get laid aside. Covered by the rhetoric of a government that no longer sees its citizens as an asset, but instead,... sees them as a pain in the ass of the new world order. The order of the "CORPORATOCRACY". Where profit is king.

You,.... Mr. President have sold us out. You have lied, and you're not through lying, yet. You're a bald faced FRAUD! You've chucked us under the bus, and gone to the "Dark Side".
The "FARCE" is with you.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

DAY OF RAGE planned by Palestinians. WHO THE HELL CAN BLAME THEM?

Once again our illustrious leader reneges on one of his promises. Who's pulling the strings of our puppet President?
Why can Israel do no wrong? There's not a soul on this earth that doesn't no the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza by Israel is Wrong, Wrong, Wrong. So how does a 14 to 1 vote of the U.N. Security Council equate to the power of a veto????

This story was published in the Guardian UK today....

"Palestinians are planning a "day of rage" on Friday in response to the US wielding its veto against a UN security council resolution condemning Israeli settlements.
The US decision to use its veto has sparked a furious reaction in the West Bank and Gaza.

Anti-US rallies took place in the West Bank towns of Bethlehem, Tulkarem and Jenin this weekend after the 14-1 vote on the resolution, in which the US stood alone against the rest of the security council, including Britain, Germany and France. It voted in contradiction of its own policy.

In Gaza, Hamas described the US position as outrageous and said Washington was "completely biased" towards Israel.
Ibrahim Sarsour, an Israeli-Arab member of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, said it was time to tell the US president, Barack Obama, to "go to hell".

"Obama cannot be trusted," he wrote in an open letter to the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. "We knew his promises were lies. The time has come to spit in the face of the Americans."

The Egyptian foreign ministry said the US veto would "lead to more damage of the United States' credibility on the Arab side as a mediator in peace efforts".

The use of the veto for the first time under Obama will strengthen perceptions in the Arab world that for the US, protection of its ally Israel overrides its desire for a just outcome for Palestinians in the decades-old conflict."

"After the vote, the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, told the security council that Washington agreed with "our fellow council members, and indeed with the wider world, about the folly and illegitimacy of continued Israel settlement activity"."

Do ya think?... What happened to that promise Mr. President? If you're the leader of this country, how about trying to set an example by following up on your own statement.... "The occupation of the West Bank by Israel has to stop." Was that just another one of your hollow promises? I'd say... Damn Straight it was.

You want to broker peace in the middle east? Then,... do something for someone else, other than Israel. You hummed and hawed over Egypt. Spoke out of both sides of your mouth about how "We stood behind the Egyptian people", but you couldn't find the words to say that Mubarak was an evil dictator that needed to be removed. You jumped the fence on that one, and you're trying to jump the fence, now. You can't play both sides of the game.

Eventually, you're going to have to make a choice. And, that choice is going to be either... STAND UP FOR WHAT'S RIGHT.... or.... LIE DOWN WITH ISRAEL to the bitter end.
I, for one was raised to do what's right. My parents taught me to "stand up for right over wrong". It's time you did the same. No matter who the "Wrong" are. It's time for tough love, Mr. President. "Just say no".

Friday, February 18, 2011

LIARS and CHARLATANS translate to the GOP on the Deficit.

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of these lying SOB's laying the deficit on the backs of municipal union workers and Social Security !
It just ain't so, and they know it.


That's like saying Iraq was responsible for 911. Do you all remember that lie? The one that got us into the "WAR WITHOUT END". AKA... The search for weapons of mass destruction. It just ain't so! We couldn't find them in Iraq, so now we're off to chase the Taliban, in Iran. Whose next?... Where do we go from here to spend ourselves into the biggest deficit to hit this country in its history?

"Nothing is more important in the face of war than cutting taxes" - Tom DeLay, 2003 You all remember him, don't you?

That's the GOP's prepackaged solution for just about everything. That, and "fixing Social Security". They keep telling us it's broken. Not yet it isn't! But, if they have their way it will be. Then they can convince their loyal followers that "privatization" will cure the socialistic blight. THAT'S PURE BULLSHIT!

In the words of Dave Johnson, from his Blog on The Campaign for America's Future
"Always A Crisis"
"Isn't it funny how these "crises" keep coming up? People whipped into a panic, over and over (and over and over.)
Right now people are whipped into a panic about the deficit crisis. The "solution?" Gut the things government does for regular people, including Social Security (which by law cannot borrow, so can't cause deficits._ They are even going to force a government shutdown -- another crisis. Meanwhile the huge military budget is "off the table." All this right after they just passed more tax cuts for the rich."

"Social Security is in "crisis?" People are in a panic. Everyone "knows" we have to "fix" it. We are told this over and over and over and over. (The "crisis" is that in 2037 it will have a shortfall, and might have to cut benefits. The solution to the crisis of a cut in benefits is to cut benefits.)
State budgets are in crisis? People are in a panic. Solution? Blame unions and worker pensions (and cut taxes.) That's what's happening in Wisconsin. And Ohio. And Indiana. And Missouri. And New Hampshire. And Michigan. And Minnesota. And other states, many not even limiting the attack to public-employee unions."
(You're right on the money, Dave.)

I agree with him completely. We're in a "WAR" in this country. A war between the rich and the middle class.(a soon to be extinct species if the GOP has its way) We are being lied to on a scale far grander than we can even imagine. The rich aren't concerned with this country. They're concerned with their own wealth getting bigger and bigger. It doesn't matter if you and I fall by the wayside as casualties of this war. It's a global economy that brings with it,...... global riches.

People want jobs. They want security in their lives. But, the GOP wants us in a constant state of "CRISIS". Then, they can whip out one of their prepackaged solutions, dump it on top of us, and make us fight like hell,.. just to get dumped on by their next "CRISIS". It always comes down to the bottom line..."More and More to the rich at the expense of everyone else."

If there's ever to be a "Revolution" in this country, it will be an economic one. Between the "HAVES" and the "HAVE-NOTS". BUT,.... will there be anyone left who can afford to fight it?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Speaker of The House To Be Replaced.... By Someone We Can Trust!!


Due to his complete incomprehensibility for the plight of Americans everywhere, he is being replaced by someone with a more attuned philosophy to common sense. It is hopeful that the new Speaker will "get a clue" to what Americans really need, and therefore lead his party to a better focus on reality. Of course,...that's almost a "gimme"......



The new Speaker of the House will be a ray of hope compared to the actions we've seen since Boehner took over.

Hey!!.. It would be an improvement!... At least we won't worry.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

TORTURE???? What Torture? We Don't Want To Talk About It. And we certainly don't want you to read about it....

This story is chronicled from "Emptywheel"at"Firedoglake"..
"Judge: Government Can Shield Its Conversations about Engaging in Torture"

Federal Judge Rosemary Collyar basically argued that the President’s need to get candid advice on how to make torture legal trumps citizens’ right to know about such illegal activity.

The ACLU has been trying to get the Government to remove more redactions in an OPR report on torture memos. In her ruling she states "While the Court recognizes the public’s interest, this interest does not overcome the need for frank discussions on serious issues that confront a President. Without a free and candid dialectic, the President cannot be properly armed with the tools required to make difficult decisions on consequential issues."

In other words,..... If The President (in this case G.W. Bush) thought he was going to have his words and questions scrutinized by the public, it would hinder his ability to make decisions concerning "the enhanced interrogation process".

Furthermore.... "Because the declaration sufficiently details its rationale for redaction, and because the public’s interest does not overcome the privilege in this case, the Court finds that Defendant has satisfied its burden as to the limited redactions withheld pursuant to the presidential communications privilege."

Sorry ACLU, but you're "S.O.L."(that's "shit out of luck" for those who don't know the phrase), pursuant to "Presidential privilege".
Where the Judge's decision really gets crazy, is that she also ruled that redactions that were in this text that from conversation that occurred while President Bush wasn't even present, were still under the auspices of "Presidential Privilege", effectively shielding statements and questions from Dick Cheney and Roberto Gonzales, as well.

Where Judge Collyer’s opinion gets even crazier, is where she accepts the government’s argument that, having left its discussion about “mock burial” unredacted in one instance, it does not have to reveal the other instances. (Yeah, that makes perfect sense, doesn't it?)

Why am I not surprised by this? The public's right to know, as described in the Freedom of Information Act, has just been effectively swept under the rug..... once again.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Eleven Muslim Students.... aka "The Irvine 11" are being charged with conspiring to disrupt the Israeli Ambassador's speech. I wonder if there would be charges filed for Israelis, if they were disrupting a German Ambassador's speech????


The students all attend UC campuses and are all members of the Muslim Student Union. All the students were suspended for a quarter, but that doesn't seem to be enough for District Atty. Tony Rackauckas. Misdemeanor criminal charges were filed against the students because the students made an "organized attempt to squelch the speaker".

According to the N.Y. Times... "When the ambassador, Michael B. Oren, came to speak last February, several students stood up, one at a time, and interrupted him with shouted complaints about Israel. When the repeated outbursts continued deep into Mr. Oren’s speech, the ambassador huddled with his security aides to decide whether to continue speaking. He did, but by the time the speech was over, 11 Muslim students had been arrested. The group became known as the “Irvine 11,” although three were students from University of California, Riverside."

Somehow, that doesn't sound that scary, or dangerous. I guess they should consider themselves lucky that they weren't charged with "Terrorism"!... But, what's really happening here? We've all seen the news shots of anti-abortion screamers and neo-nazis shouting down speakers who were just trying to give a speech and make a point. Unless you physically assaulted one of them, chances are you didn't get arrested. With the possible exception of the entire eight years of the Bush administration, free speech was still allowed in this country..... What happened to change all that?

Is it the fact that Israel can do no wrong in the white world of America and Europe? Or, is it just down right Christian racism? Are we so threatened by the word "Muslim", that we must shut them down at all costs? The idea of Muslims voicing their right to free speech in this country, seems to spark a knee-jerk reaction that transcends all reasoning. If you're "Muslim"..... you're BAD! If you're Christian,.... you're "GOOD"! If you're Israeli,..... you're "UNQUESTIONABLE".

I'm definitely not... an anti-semite, but Israel has a "get out of jail card" that seems to give them powers the rest of the world can't even comprehend. Besides wreaking havoc throughout the Mid East world, at the slightest provocation, they are daily receiving over $8,000,000 (eight million dollars) from the U.S.. It's no wonder they can be the heaviest hitters in the Mid East whenever they choose.

But, what's all this got to do with eleven Muslim students? I'm glad you asked..... In reality, it hasn't got a damn thing to do with it. But,... what it does have something to do with,... is... every day, "WE" (that would refer to "regular" people, without special agendas) are being systematically oppressed in ways that seem so innocuous, it doesn't even register to our collective consciousness as free people. The "divide and conquer" principle that was prevalent from biblical times, is being played out daily against all of us.

It doesn't matter if you're a Christian, or a Jew, or a Muslim. What matters most is..... that you don't figure it out and get together. Because together, we know the difference between right and wrong. We know that nobody should be able to bulldoze our homes, and take our land. But, if... the ideologies of culture and religion can keep us from seeing these common rights,... not to mention the money,.. then "The Powerful" will keep us at each other's throats while they reap the profits of our inattentiveness.

So,... where did "free speech" go? It went the way of the Dodo. A memory that we used to quell the "Muslim" threat, and protect us from the freedoms that would be our undoing. Fear being the great equalizer...., and,... the great divider.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

BAD GUYS FOR BEDFELLOWS .... Here's 7 No-Good-Nicks we're backing to the HILT!

So,.... you weren't too fond of Mubarak, but you sort of believed we needed him,.... right?
What you mean "We"?? Obviously the people in power thought we needed him, otherwise why would we be speaking out of both sides of our faces? You know... "Power to the people of Egypt", and all that, while not stepping up with enough truth in our hearts to say.... This man was an evil dictator.

Well,... here's a list of seven of the worst dictators that the good old U.S.A. is "backing to the hilt". (This list was published on "Alternet.org" in an article by Joshua Holland)

#1. Paul Biya, Camaroon
#2. Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov, Turkmenistan
#3. Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Equatorial Guinea
#4. Idriss Deby, Chad
#5. Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan
#6. Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia
#7. King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz, Saudi Arabia ...
... Pictured below in a lip-lock with "W"
To read the entire story, check it out at..... http://www.alternet.org/world. You'll be enlightened to the true nature of our government's relationships. You also might find it a little hard to believe our trusted leaders when they expound on moral issues facing America, in the future.

Joshua Holland is an editor and senior writer at AlterNet. He is the author of The 15 Biggest Lies About the Economy (and Everything else the Right Doesn't Want You to Know About Taxes, Jobs and Corporate America).

Friday, February 4, 2011

"THE PATRIOT ACT" is as misnamed as California's "Clear Lake"..... and they want to extend it ..... Why don't I feel protected?

Could it be because this act has allowed the Federal Government to tap my phones without a warrant, spy on my internet without cause, detain me.... or anyone else without charge... and hold us for an unspecified time with out representation,.... or am I just paranoid????????? Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

When "W" enacted the Patriot Act in aftermath of Nine Eleven, it was a masterful stroke of "genius" (that's a term I'm not comfortable using around G.W. Bush).... but,... the truth is, that the act itself... successfully suspended the Constitution. Maybe not the "entire" document,... but, it kicked the hell out of a good percentage of it. Besides being rammed through Congress under the pretext that it was an imperative to protect our nation from "terrorism", the act took away rights of every American, and allowed "Big Brother"(Homeland Security and other agencies) to invade our lives like never before..... Without warrant or reason. Are we feeling safe, yet?

It was this same mind set that lead us into "War Without End", the never ending saga of the Bush/Cheney legacy, who's continued support by the current administration, in the name of "National Security", has propelled us to new and exciting
places, costing more than our economy could handle, and overwhelmingly being the number one cause for our current deficit. And,.... it's only going to get worse.

Now,.... Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt, has introduced legislation to extend the "Patriot Act" past it's 2013, Feb. 28th expiration date. In a statement made by Leahy... “It will promote transparency and expand privacy and civil liberties safeguards in current law",.. “It increases judicial oversight of government surveillance powers that capture information on Americans. This is a package of reforms that all Americans should support.” The expanded version will require the Department of Justice to issue "public reports". Sounds good, doesn't it? Why am I not feeling relieved?

But what about the FBI? Over the last decade, the FBI has been found to violate the Constitution, under the guise of the Patriot Act, "more times than you can shake a stick at".
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) finally (2010) received a "Court ordered", "complete" report from the FBI, under the Freedom of Information Act. The FBI was shown to be responsible for up to 40,000 violations since 9/11. A large percentage of those violations included bucking guidelines for internal oversight, abusing the National Security Letters and trampling on the Fourth Amendment.
In the words of an "ALTERNET" article... "The FBI Has Been Violating Your Liberties In Ways That May Shock You" (You can read the article at http://www.alternet.org/) Well worth looking at.

Have we ever seen "BIG BROTHER" any more invasive in our lives than right now? Homeland Security has touched each of us in ways we can't even imagine. You want to know what the American Civil Liberties Union thinks about the Patriot Act?
Here's a poster from their site on it....

Thursday, February 3, 2011

In The Midst of World Turmoil,... a Friend Sent Me This.... It made me cry.

No,.... not the picture of my best buddy, "Bear". He's a great dog. I urge all of you to go out and rescue a pet like him from your local SPCA. When we got Bear, he was 9 months old. He'd been in the Fort Bragg SPCA shelter for seven months. Unlike many shelters, ours doesn't dispose of their animals. He was lucky.
Now read the story that brought tears to my eyes. Yeah, I know I'm a suck.



CHEYENNE - STORY by CATHERINE MOORE


"Watch out! You nearly broadsided that car!" My father yelled at me. "Can't you do anything right?"

Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.

"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving."

My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.

Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts.... dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil. What could I do about him?

Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon . He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess.

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had done as a younger man.
Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing.

At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived. But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders. Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone.

My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.

Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick. We began to bicker and argue.

Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation The clergyman set up weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind.

But the months wore on and God was silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it.

The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered in vain.

Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, "I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article..."

I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.
I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs all jumped up, trying to reach me.

I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons: too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed.

Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hip bones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.

I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" The officer looked, then shook his head in puzzlement. "He's a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate. We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow." He gestured helplessly.

As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror. "You mean you're going to kill him?"

"Ma'am," he said gently, "that's our policy. We don't have room for every unclaimed dog."

I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. "I'll take him," I said. I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch. "Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!" I said excitedly.

Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. "If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it" Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house.

Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples. "You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!"

Dad ignored me. "Did you hear me, Dad?" I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate. We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw...
Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. Confusion replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal.

It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne . Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyenne lying quietly at is feet.

Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad 's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then late one night I was startled to feel Cheyenne 's cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.

Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favorite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's peace of mind.

The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life.

And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it."

"I've often thanked God for sending that angel," he said.

For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article... Cheyenne 's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter... his calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father.. and the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all.
Life is too short for drama or petty things, so laugh hard, love truly and forgive quickly. Live while you are alive. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance.

And if you don't send this to anyone -- no one will know. But do share this with someone. Lost time can never be found.

God answers our prayers in His time... not ours...