Notes on Encouragement

A couple of mental notes I made during today's message on encouragement from Pastor Jon... Limiting the number of people in your life is limiting your blessings.  I sometimes purposely keep my social connections small because I get tired when socializing... But I need to stay open to God's calling when opportunities arise.

Encouraged people who have gone through tough times make the best encouragers. Frankly, I haven't gone through many hardships, but I'll need to remember this when I do.

Paradise Gone

It's sad how the town of Paradise got burnt down. They're still investigating the cause of the fire, but more than 1000 are still missing, and unfortunately may be presumed dead in time. I pray those that perished didn't suffer too long and that they called on Jesus before they died.

Report: U.S. Military Could Lose War with China or Russia

A bipartisan report came out that states that the U.S. Military has eroded and probably wouldn’t win a war against China or Russia:  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-military-might-struggle-to-win-or-perhaps-lose-war-with-china-or-russia-report-says/

Two big reasons is 1) We’ve been entrenched in a 17-year effort to combat terrorism and 2) Our military is underfunded.  The second reason seems crazy since we spend over $700 billion on our military while China and Russia each spend less than $200 billion.  The specialist (who was on the panel that created the report) on CBS News said that China and Russia only defend their borders while the U.S. have global interests all over the world.

So do we throw more money at it?  If so, then we should raise the large corporate taxes back and put the money towards the military.  But even if we do that, there’s no guarantee we’d win a war against them.  It could be argued that we didn’t win the Korean or Vietnam War... and we’re still engaged in the Middle East.  Perhaps we need to stop thinking that the U.S can control the world.  Perhaps we need to realize that we need to work with our allies instead of touting “America First.”  I’ll keep praying that we work with our allies instead of alienating them like 45 seems to be doing.

Veteran’s Day

Just taking some time today to be thankful for our Veterans who have served the people of our country.  I see a lot of old pics of FB friends’ family members who served, but I don’t have any handy... although I know my Dad Clifford Wong served in the Korean War, as did my Fairfield Dad Howard Dupuis.  Most of my uncles also served and, although they don’t always talk much about it, I know that it had to change how they see the world.

Shooting, Fires and 45’s Responses

This past week we had another mass shooting and two huge wildfires in California.  And of course 45 said some more insensitive (to put it mildly) remarks about soldiers with PTSD and about how California is responsible for the wildfire damage.    California Professional Firefighters have refuted his claim: “nearly 60 percent of California forests are under federal management, and another one-third under private control. It is the federal government that has chosen to divert resources away from forest management, not California.” (You can see their full statement here: http://www.cpf.org/go/cpf/news-and-events/news/cpf-president-brian-rice-responds-to-president-attack-on-ca-fire-response/)

One of my friends said she liked Trump’s honesty during his campaign.  When I mentioned that he had no diplomacy and I worried about how that would go over with other World Leaders, she said she didn’t care about diplomacy.  But this goes beyond diplomacy.  He lacks compassion and the ability to unify this country.  I pray that we can find a way to unify without him. 

Keeping it Simple

Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39).  He didn’t mean just people in our nation, people we agree with, friends and family...  He meant everybody.  This is hard for me because I don’t feel particularly lovingly towards Trump or his most ardent supporters, especially the religious evangelicals.  I’ve mainly been praying for the nation to heal the divides, world leaders for peace, James Mattis to guide Trump, and Robert Mueller to run a thorough investigation on Russian meddling.  

Now that Election Night is over, I need to go back to just watching 30 minutes of CBS News and reading Reuters, AP, WSJ, WaPo, NYT and local news.  I need to keep it simple and stay off CNN, MSNBC, Fox, etc because those channels just bring out more anger from me... and that makes it hard for me to love my neighbor.

Texas Talk

Maybe there are more moderates than extremists after all. I spent the week in Dallas for work and we had team members fly in from other parts of the country - Chicago, St Louis, California, Washington, Atlanta.    Beto O’Rourke didn’t beat Ted Cruz, but he did get quite a few votes... which is pretty surprising for Texas.  This made me think that, if a Democrat could get a good number of votes in Texas, maybe things are starting to swing a bit back to the middle again. 

Before flying home last night, a bunch of us went to dinner.  Three of us made sure we sat where we could face the door.  I mentioned that this is something that my hubby ingrained in me since his brother was shot at the Golden Dragon shootings.  The other two also wanted to keep an eye on the door for defensive reasons.  They both have ranches and guns, and the non-carriers in the group all said we trust them with their guns and don’t want to take them away.  We chatted about how we could improve gun control laws or, at the very least, enforce the current laws better... and guess what?  Nobody lost their temper or got upset.  This is because we all have gotten to know each other and aren’t bunching each other up in groups of “us” or “them” through a screen.  This was a good reminder for me to treat others on social media the same I would treat them in person.

All The President's Men

I remember when Nixon resigned in the summer of 1974. I think I was in San Diego on vacation with my cousins, and I picked up a newspaper that may still be in storage somewhere. A couple years later, I remember watching "All the President's Men" and I think that's when journalism first intrigued me. I wasn't as interested in politics as I am now, but I remember thinking of journalism as an unofficial check on government.

Freedom of the press is important and I think 45 is threatened because they don't just blindly believe everything he says like his supporters do. Now that Democrats have taken the House to also keep a check on him, he's now gonna know what it feels like to have to negotiate. Spoilt brat hasn't had to do that yet because his underlings continue to bow down to him. It will be an interesting two years and I'm curious to see how he's gonna handle it.

He's already asked Sessions to resign, presumably so he can end Mueller's investigation... And he took away Jim Acosta's press pass for asking questions he didn't like. I'll admit that I thought Acosta got plenty of time to ask questions and was irritating 45, but he clearly didn't push or manhandle the intern. He just protected the mic with his free hand. I would've liked if other journalists continued Acosta's line of questions in support of him though.

Dude is clearly unraveling, even mocking fellow Republicans for the House losses. I don't understand him or his followers, and I'll admit I stopped trying because it's too disappointing. I just accept that they are what they are, and just pray for our world and its leaders... Because clearly the USA can't really lead the free world with this guy at the helm. I just pray our allies can keep the world peace.

Nice try, Beto!

It's a Midterm Election Night and it's been a while since there's been so much participation... So the glass half full Independent Voter part of me is glad that at least 45 has gotten people to care more on both sides of the aisle. The New Democrat on me is a little disappointed that there are still so many people supporting the GOP agenda. 

Much has been said that it's not enough to just run an anti-Trump agenda and I agree. I am voting for equal rights for all (women, POC, LGBTQ, etc). I am voting for an America that cares for each other, not just the wealthy and large corporations (who the tax cuts most benefited). I believe in taking care of the planet God entrusted us with. 

There doesn't appear to be a big blue wave, but I'll be content if Democrats get the House. The Senate was a long shot, so I wasn't really hoping for that. I'll just be glad to get a little more checks and balances in place. I don't want to impeach Trump right away. I want Mueller to complete his investigation before deciding whether to impeach.  I pray daily that Mattis keeps Trump from starting WWWIII and that Mueller will continue to bust the slimeballs.

P.S. I'm in Dallas right now, so... Go Beto! 

Underlying Causes and Worries

I came to Texas for work and was a little sad that I couldn't be with my mom for her doctor appointment today.  She's had coughing, phlegm and pneumonia for 3-6 months now, and a set of x-rays and CT Scan showed inflammation and nodules on the lungs. When I googled lung nodules, I saw that the majority (at least 60%) were not cancerous... but to me, that's a little too close to 50/50 in my book.  Thankfully my brother was able to take Mom and Dad to the appointment and many people (including myself of course) have been praying that the doctors can figure out what's going on, that it's not cancerous, and that they can treat her.

I talked to my dad and brother (Mom is hard of hearing so phone chats are usually quite brief with her), and the news is pretty good.  The pulmonologist does not think it's cancerous; but rather an underlying infection.  They don't know where it came from (sounds a bit like my hubby's case a couple months ago) and will be running tests to identify it so that they can treat it.  While she can finish her set of antibiotics, they don't want to give her more antibiotics because her body will probably build up a tolerance/immunity to it.  They want to concentrate on what the infection is and fight it.

Thinking about the underlying infection, I know deep down I'm scared that my parents may not necessarily believe Jesus is their Lord and Savior.  They probably believe in God but not necessarily that Jesus died and rose from the dead for our sins... and to show how great His love is for us.  They both believed at one time, but I think they're now agnostic. While I worry about Mom and Dad getting sick, I know that my underlying worry is really that they won't renew their faith in Him before they die. While I and my friends/family continue to pray for their health, I also pray constantly that God renews their faith.

Shout Out for Politifact

There's been a lot of talk about "Fake News" over the past couple of years, but people have the wrong idea of what news is and what it isn't.  News is just reporting of events as they occur and backing it up with research.  People think that what the President is true news and they (him included) get upset when journalists report that "there is no substantiating proof what he says is true."  People say Snopes leans liberal because they debunk many of his myths.  To those folks, I say they should go to Politifact.  They do a great job of fact checking and Conservatives will be pleased to see that Obama was fact checked also.

One of Obama's biggest lies was saying that people would be able to keep their doctors.  My doctors haven't changed (I'm Kaiser), but evidently many other people had to change doctors.  I believe this was a lie told before the system was finalized and I believe he actually wanted it that way.  What the current President does now is lie to rally up his base and bring out their worst instincts. He keeps talking about his beautiful wall (which yesterday turned out to be more barbed wire) and said that Mexico will pay for it (knowing that they will not).  He lies about:

• "Democrats oppose any effort to secure our border."
• Says a recent opioid bill that reached his desk had "very little Democrat support."
• Saudi Arabia has ordered $450 billion, "$110 billion of which is a military order," producing "over a million jobs."
• "We’re making (Medicare) stronger. We’re making Social Security stronger."  

The list goes on and on but you get my point.  I used to wonder, "Why is thou shalt not lie (bear false witness)" up there with "Thou shalt not kill?" (Exodus 20)  Now I am seeing how lies have consequences because we had 25% of the nation voting for a guy because they believed everything he said.  They didn't want to look past the surface because he echoed some of their darkest thoughts and now they feel empowered.

“Me and Mine”

Seems like people only care about “me and mine.”  That may not be true, but it sure does feel that way in this political climate.  They don’t care about LGBTQ people unless one of the kids or relatives comes out and is mistreated.  They don’t care about women who claim to be raped because it hasn’t happened to them or somebody they love. They don’t care about unarmed Black kids getting killed unless it happens to someone they know.

Unfortunately, these injustices are far too common... but LGBTQ kids don’t want to come out to parents/family who bash queers and make them feel flawed.  Girls don’t talk about being molested because they see how people still tend to not believe them (or worse blame them).  Black athletes are criticized for silently kneeling, yet people turn a blind eye to Blacks getting killed and incarcerated for longer periods and greater frequency than Whites for like crimes.  There’s a lack of compassion in this nation that disturbs me, and I pray daily that we all (me included) have empathy for one another.

Galations 6:2 ESV

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Facebook Classic Experiment and Kavanaugh

I did a one-week experiment that I call “Facebook Classic.”  When I first joined FB, it was just to stay up-to-date with friends and family.  It hasn’t been until the last couple of years when the number of political posts rose exponentially, for myself and others.  For the past week, I didn’t respond or “like” any political posts whether I agreed with them or not.  Some I read, some I scrolled past.  When I saw heated discussions, I occasionally messaged a friend to “save their breath” because it’s clear that some people generally don’t want to hear another opinion, and often become rude (name-calling, presumption of idiocy/stupidity, etc)... and that just leads to frustration, hurt and disappointment.

I saw a couple posts about “Just because I disagree with you doesn’t mean I hate you. We need to relearn that in our society.”... and I had a conversation with my family about some of our “friends” across the aisle.  One general comment my girls mentioned was that, “Anybody who can call you a libtard, loonie, etc is not really your friend.”  I noted the irony that some of those people that I’ve met in person are also probably the first to lend a hand when they see you’re in need... and I don’t think they really understand how some of the hateful name-calling can do irreparable damage.  Or maybe they just think we’re being too “politically correct” and need to get some thicker skin.  

It has been eye opening to see how people think though, and I’m getting glimpses into souls (or lack thereof).  While I won’t be engaging in heated arguments (it’s useless and disappointing), I will be watching how people behave and continuously evaluate who I want to associate with.

This whole Kavanaugh Debacle is what brought about my experiment.  When I first heard about the accusation, my first thought was that nobody would believe her because it’s been so long.  I watched the testimonies both Ford and Kavanaugh.  I found her to be credible and respectful; I found him to be rude, partisan and out-of-control.  He even had to apologize to one of the female Senators for being such a jerk.  

He misrepresented facts by saying the other witnesses cleared him; but what they really said was that they couldn’t remember.  There’s a big difference.  I went to parties just about every weekend in high school and got highly drunk at many... and I can’t remember what happened to other people either.   It’s not something I’m proud of, but I’m not lying about it either.  Someone could’ve been cornered into a room with 1-2 other people and gotten sexually assaulted; and I wouldn’t have known either.  I got decent grades and played sports like Kavanaugh - but that doesn’t have anything to do with whether he attacked her.  Instead of answering yes or no questions, he ran down the clock by bragging about academics and sports. When I “ralphed,” it was cuz I drank too much - not because I had a “sensitive stomach.” If he lied about little things like  “ralphing,” it makes me wonder if he lied about the bigger things. If I kept a calendar from the 80s, I wouldn’t write down each time I got drunk or passed out... so to say that his calendar clears him is a pretty big reach.

After the testimony, I posted that I believed her but I figured he’d be sitting on the Supreme Court because... Anita Hill.  And I was right.  They pretended to do another FBI investigation, but it’s not really an investigation if you’re not interviewing the numerous people who can testify that they saw him get out-of-control drunk in high school and college.  Heck, from what I saw of an “adult” out-of-control Brett Kavanaugh trying to give testimony, I can only imagine what a scary, drunk teenage version of him was like.  The one-week investigation was a sham as were the so-called moderates who called for it.  Flake got a bit of heat in the elevator and asked for more investigation, but neither he nor Collins ensured that people were actually being followed up on.  But that's neither here nor there - anybody who watched Kavanaugh "testify" could see that he spent his time attacking Democrats and conspiracy theories... and can no way be impartial.

People say, “Of course he was mad,” but this was a job interview for the highest court in the land (which is supposed to be impartial btw), and he behaved poorly by lashing out at Democrats, the Clintons, etc.  He had plenty of time to calm down and give testimony like someone befitting the highest court of the land.  He now claims he will be nonpartisan and regrets some of what he said, but he planned out his opening statement in which he lashed out at people, so you can’t really claim he was blindsided at the moment and reacted.  He basically planned to be a partisan hack while giving his testimony.  Even Republican former Justice John Paul Stevens said he’s not fit to sit on the Supreme Court.  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/us/politics/john-paul-stevens-brett-kavanaugh.html

As for people who claim to now worry about their sons being falsely accused - If you raise your sons to respect women, then you don’t have to worry about that.  In fact, the number of silent victims greatly outnumbers any boys that were falsely accused.  I’ve known a lot of boys and I don’t know of any who have even been accused.  This is just a scare tactic people are using to shut victims up.  

People also ask why she waited so long to talk.  All I can say is that you’re pretty lucky to not have been sexually harassed/assaulted and/or not known someone who has.  It’s pretty well known that sexual assault victims don’t want to talk about it because they feel hurt and shame, and often get criticized for being at the wrong place, wearing the wrong clothes, being flirtatious, etc (especially back in the 80s).  Oftentimes the perpetrator is a person in power or held in high esteem (family elders, priests, etc) and it’s a “he said she said” thing where only those two people were in the room.  In this particular case, she was 15 years old and at a party she didn’t have permission to go to... and he was unsuccessful at the rape.

I’m glad she spoke up now because, at the very least, it showed how out-of-control he could be during testimony.  I figured I’d listen to both testimonies before forming my opinion, and his behavior convinced me he was not fit.   And it also reveals how the Republican Senators will do anything to make the Supreme Court as partisan as it can be. They accused the Democrats of digging up dirt on Kavanaugh, but there shouldn’t be any dirt to be dug up. Neil Gorsuch was confirmed not too long ago, and I can’t believe Kavanaugh was the only person suited for the job.

As I mentioned before, I knew he’d be confirmed anyway because we haven’t progressed all that much since Anita Hill.  People keep saying “innocent til proven guilty,” but this was not a trial by court.  This was a job interview.  Her testimony was credible, she had a psychiatrist that she told about the attack several years ago and she had taken a polygraph.  That’s enough to make me look for a better candidate. If I hire a babysitter for my kids, I’m not gonna hire somebody that even has a whiff of perversion or irresponsibility about him/her.  I’m going to look for the next candidate.  If I asked a babysitter about some accusations against him/her and he/she started railing about how there was a conspiracy against him/her... that person wouldn’t get a dime from me.   But alas, that’s what we have as a Supreme Court Justice.  Nothing surprises me anymore, it just saddens me.  That’s the one branch of government that’s supposed to be nonpartisan, and it’s losing credibility along with the others.