Black Friday and Canine Common Sense

I am often saying that humans could use a little more “canine common sense” and today I’m going to give you another example, “Black Friday”.  I cannot understand for the life of me why humans willingly stand in line for hours (sometimes even camping out) and then complain about retailers opening earlier and earlier each year after Thanksgiving.  It makes no sense to me.

For over a week I’ve watched different people complain incessantly on various social networking sites about Walmart and other retailers starting their “Black Friday” deals on Thanksgiving.  Do they not understand that retailers wouldn’t do this if there wasn’t a demand for it?  In their quest to be the one to give the “best gift” at Christmas, consumers have trampled each other, gotten into physical fights and even camped out at stores so they could be first in line.  Did they think stores weren’t paying attention?

A few years ago, a security guard was trampled by a mob at Walmart while trying to help a pregnant woman who had fallen.  The family of the security guard sued Walmart over it.  Now, I ask you, what would you do if you were Walmart management?  You would do the same thing they did.  You’d open your doors earlier and even rope off “lines” for people headed to a specific part of the store.   This has helped with “trampling”, but people will still fight about who was in line first.

My human has only gone out on “Black Friday” once.  That year her friend had a broken leg and was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get her granddaughter a specific doll she wanted.  When my human got home, she told me she would NOT be doing that again.  She was bumped, knocked down and even got hit on the head by a crock pot someone was trying to get down above her head.  It was ridiculous.  

 

Another thing that has begun to irritate me is the people who claim that one or the other side of the political spectrum is to blame.  It isn’t!  Consumers (YOU) are to blame for this.  Conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, it doesn’t matter.  Everyone seems to be in on the need to outdo everyone else with their Christmas gift.  And just for the occupiers, don’t even try to talk about greed to me!  I saw you occupiers with your Ipads and Iphones when you were camping out illegally in public parks!  Your argument about the “rich being greedy” won’t wash with me when you yourselves show the same greed and selfishness!

Grow up people!  It’s time that you exercise a little canine common sense, remember what the holidays are truly about and stop whining and/or complaining about retailers chasing the almighty dollar when they are doing nothing more than responding to your greed and pettiness.  If you want to see retailers close on Thanksgiving, STOP camping out and/or standing in line.  STOP trying to outdo everyone else and teach your children the true meaning of the holidays instead! I guarantee you’ll be happier for it in the long run.

Knowing Your Own Viewpoint

My human turns on internet radio quite frequently.  She enjoys the hosts and the varying points of view expressed by their guests and people in the chatrooms.  I must admit that Patton and I get a kick out listening ourselves and watching her reactions.  Last night was no exception.  We did get a little worried about it though when people started using the Bible scriptures in their debate.  Sure enough, her reactions to the comments got interesting as they took scriptures out of context and/or twisted them for their own personal point of view.

I cannot for the life of me understand why people are so eager to start quoting ONE scripture from the Bible without referencing what comes before or after.  Of all the books my human has read to me, the Bible is one in which I KNOW you must use more than just one scripture to understand what is being said.  You have to take in and absorb the ENTIRE context of what is being discussed.  What is so bleeding difficult about that?

Nothing gets under my human’s skin more than for people to use one verse to forward their own agenda.  It isn’t that easy.  Just because you only like that one verse doesn’t mean you can throw the ones that go with it out the window.  If you truly abhor deceit and search for truth, you’ll acknowledge ALL the truth and not just one part of it.

I agree with her on most things but there is one thing she said last night that will stick with me for the rest of my life.  “How can I believe what you say regarding another ‘religion’ when you can’t even understand your own any better than that?”  She has a valid point.  Why would I trust anyone’s thoughts or opinions on another belief system if I know for a fact that they haven’t studied their own beliefs and therefore don’t understand why they believe what they do.

This philosophy is used in our home regarding ALL things, but especially religion and politics.  It isn’t enough to only go with what “feels good” or what we “want to hear”, we are encouraged to go beyond that and into the realm of uncomfortable so that we can discover the real truth for ourselves.  We are not allowed to just regurgitate information or even “cherry pick” what we like.    

Here is a little canine advice for all of you.  Before you speak on one subject from one viewpoint…make sure you understand your point of view first.  I guarantee that if you do your own research, study and/or ask for help from an expert, people will be more willing to listen to you because you’ll have more credibility.  I swear humans could definitely use a little more canine common sense!

Changes Changes Everywhere

The last couple of months have brought a lot of changes to our household.  It began back in November.  Candi was invited by Facebook friends to attend a new show on libertybellradio.com.  As we settled in to listen, we became so inspired that Patton and myself dictated a couple of reviews to Candi.  That started us on a path to doing things we would never have imagined doing.


After being encouraged to learn more about radio by listening to some talk shows, Candi called into The Freedom's Wings Show as a joke.  See, she was going to harass Diane Student and leave her speechless.  It worked...lol.  Then she called in a couple of more times to express an opinion or sing a song and before we knew what had happened, Diane had asked Candi if she would be her producer.  Now thankfully, Diane does all her own research and Candi just mans the phone lines and occasionally will go on air with a story or rant that has a special interest for her.  So far, it's been working out pretty well.


Then in January, BigDawgMusicMafia asked Candi to do their live video stream show called "Off The Cuff 'n' Ruff".  Nothing worked right, but that didn't stop us.  Nope...Candi continued on improvising as she went.  Lisa Mei Norton, one of the co-founders, then asked us to "host" the show.  All we have to do is broadcast for a few moments and give an introduction to that week's artists.  Easy enough...right?  Yeah...that is until you have a last minute cancellation for technical or personal reasons.  At that point, Candi goes live for an hour just winging it and making things up as she goes along.  It's usually pretty entertaining as she is the sort of person that can be talked into doing silly things or even be made to laugh until she snorts...lol.  But it's fun and we enjoy doing it.


Now, Candi is co-hosting another internet radio show brought to you by BigDawgMusicMafia.com and LibertyBellRadio.com.  It's the BigDawg's Music Hour show.  Unforseen changes and an illness have put her in a position to be solo in her duties for now, but we are figuring it out as we go.  It's fun watching her choose her songs for the week's show and do introductions for them.  Since she doesn't know what she's doing, she usually just goes with what feels natural and right.  The interviews she conducts for the show are done the same way.  


I have to tell you guys, seeing Candi re-adjust and doing the "learning as you go tap dance" has been entertaining to Patton and I.  We're also enjoying the extra hugs and attention we're getting during showtime as she wonders how others are taking it.  We're on an adventure right now and having a blast.  We don't know how long this adventure will last or where it will eventually lead us, but we're going to enjoy the ride.  We're going to enjoy the politics of The Freedom's Wings Show and the music from BigDawgMusicMafia.com.  It's a perfect mix for this home and we're counting our blessings for the opportunities.  Look for us on the internet airwaves and the blogs.  We're definitely around.

A Relevant Movie For Today

Last night my human was in tears and frustrated.  A project she was working on just wouldn’t come together.  After a few back and forth emails with a friend, she decided to let the matter go, sit back and relax with a good movie.  It is the relevance of the movie to today’s political climate that struck me, a dog, and I feel the need to talk about it.

The movie was “State of the Union” starring Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn and Angela Lansbury.  I was amazed at how Angela’s character, a newspaper magnate, was determined to make her choice for POTUS the Republican nominee and therefore, President.  Nothing would stop her machinations in getting what she wanted.  She chose the politicians that would “bring him around” to the party line and get him the “delegates” needed to win the nomination.

I realize the movie is a dramatization, but think about it just a moment.  Most writers are inspired by something they’ve seen or heard.  Somewhere the author of the story witnessed the lengths the media of the day would go to in their attempts to control the political climate.  Isn’t that what we are seeing with today’s media insisting that Mitt Romney is the only republican candidate that can beat Obama? 

“Candi, isn’t what she’s doing in this movie the same sort of thing that they’re doing today?  When Spencer Tracy spoke from his heart, the people responded and that terrified ‘those in charge’.  Isn’t that what they did to Sarah Palin and Herman Cain?”

“Good point, Shasta.  In 2008, the media did everything within its power to make her look inept.  The GOP did everything in its power to make her ‘toe the line’ and, in doing so, thus gave the White House to Obama.  If the people had been allowed to hear ‘the truth’, we may have seen a different outcome.”

“So how do we take that power away from the media and politicians?” I asked.

“We (the people) have to be louder than the media, Shasta.  We have to use the power of the ‘new media’ and spread the word about conservative candidates on all levels of government.  We have to stand up and tell them what we think, just like Katherine’s character did in the movie.  Just like the ‘grip’ at the end who asked, ‘Are you any different than them?’  We have to decide that we will no longer allow the media and D.C. tell us who to vote for or why,” Candi said.

Although movies are “entertainment” and “dramatizations”, if you actually pay attention to the plot and sub-plots, you can learn something.  You can see the truth that no one wants to face.  You just have to look.  I would ask each of you to consider watching “State of the Union”, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, and “Meet John Doe”.  Each addresses the power of the media and the political machines that are still prevalent in today’s society.  I would ask that you not only watch and listen to the movies, but that you look at them with an open mind to see if you can come to the same conclusions that we came to.  That today’s media and political elite are STILL trying to dictate to us, the people, WHO to vote for.

Where Are The Christians?

Today my human was chatting with a couple of members of a group on Facebook and a link to an article was posted.  The article was about conservatives seeking another Ronald Reagan-esque candidate and being sorely disappointed.  It also mentioned it being too much to ask of God to send us another Reagan.  This naturally led to a discussion about the role of Christians in politics.  As Candi, read the comments to me, I thought that her and her friends made sense, BUT I also wanted a little clarification to a few comments.  So, I asked my human and her friends to explain to me exactly what they were saying about their view on Christians and their involvement in politics.

I decided to start with Ana Claire, who is in the ministry.  "Ana, why do you feel Christians are lazy and as a result, responsible for the moral decay in America?"

"Well Shasta, week in and week out I see our members listening to the minister and applauding his sermon.  During the week I see them sitting idly by while waiting for that same minister to "do it all".  Agreeing with a message and acting on a message are two entirely different things.  I feel that Christians, as a rule, have gotten too lazy to do more than show up for service, applaud when they agree and then go home to never give it another thought.  How can we expect the morals in our country to NOT be in decline when we aren't willing to stand up and say something when we see something wrong?"

I have to say, Ana Claire has a point.  Candi has often said that people in her dad's churches are always talking about what they should do, but never actually do anything.  They talk about how bad it is, but they don't stand up for what is right.

When I asked Michael about his comment that, "Many Christians have nothing better to do than judge petty external issues and they wonder why the church is irreverent to modern American society. " He explained it like this:

"Shasta, as a Marine and police officer, I have had experience with the dregs of society, as well as Christians.  Very often I hear them condemning the behavior of criminals and others, but seldom do they do anything beyond that.  I think that Christians need to get off their high horses, and lead by example rather than sitting idly by."

Wow...good point, Michael.  I've heard Candi say, "If I had a dime for every time I'm judged or have been judged by someone in church, I could pay off the national debt AND restore the social security trust-fund."

Now my human's sister is a minister and Candi has great respect for her.  She posted the following on the church's Facebook page:

 

Sometimes a caravan of travelers will be in the dusty, hot, dry desert, and about to perish for need of water. When this happens they will let one of the camels go. The instincts in the camel will lead him to refreshing waters. When the animal moves nearly out of sight one of the men will mount his camel and follow. When he is about to be out of sight another will do the same. When the camel ...discovers the water the man following on the camel will turn and wave to the second; the second to the third, and so on, until everyone has gathered at the fresh water.

This reminds me of the Scripture about the Pentecost outpouring. “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38).

Candi felt the analogy of the camel was somehwat appropriate to today's political climate as well as religious climate.  I wondered why and I asked her.

 

"Shasta, the very article that led to the religious discussion in our group is very similar to this analogy.  Americans are looking for the right camel to send out in search of water.  With that being said, what are Christians doing to find that camel?  They're praying!  That's it...they're not actively looking for that courageous camel that will strike out on it's own and search for the source of help.  No...they're too busy doing other things...like sitting in judgement of others, showing up for church but then going home to take a Sunday afternoon nap, and complaining that God has not sent them a savior for the country." 

 

"But Candi, isn't praying what they should be doing?" I asked.

 

"Yes Shasta, but ask Ana Claire or my sister to name a single miracle in the Bible that God did NOT require some sort of action on the the part of the human asking for the miracle."

 

I think I finally got it.  Between the three of them I see the problem.  So here is my solution:  Christians, after you've spent time seeking God's wisdom, get up off those knees and get to work.  If you want God to move on behalf of this country, step out on faith and demand that our government pay attention.  I'm a dog and I know that God requires you to step out on faith when you ask for something!

Is Mother Nature Sending A Message?

While watching the news last night and this morning I began to wonder if Mother Nature isn't trying to tell D.C. something.  Stop and think about it.  First, we have an earthquake that rattles the greater D.C. area and now a hurricane is headed directly for the East Coast.  I decided I'd ask my human what she thought.

"Candi, what do you think about the earthquake and the hurricane headed toward D.C.," I asked.

"Well, Shasta, I think that the founding fathers finally got the news about what is currently going on this country and began rolling over in their graves and that is what caused the earthquake.  As for the hurricane, I think it's Mother Nature's way of telling those morons in D.C. that they're on the verge of being fired."

I couldn't help but giggle.  Obviously they aren't listening to us, so Mother Nature may be trying to lend us a hand in getting their attention.  It kinda makes sense...lol.  It's time D.C. listen to somebody!

TEA Party Dogs

Dear Congress:

I have a message from the TEA Party Dogs.  WE ARE OVER IT!  Our humans are sick and tired of your refusal to STOP spending and the blame game you insist on playing with each other. Our humans can't seem to stop worrying about the state of this country long enough to play fetch with us anymore.  They have stopped allowing us to lay our heads on their laps while they scratch us behind the ears, because they are too busy wringing their hands together while trying to figure out how to make ends meet.  Some of us have even heard them talking about sending us away because they can't afford our food anymore.  We don't blame our humans.  They are merely reacting to your idiotic refusal to stop spending and the fear of higher taxes.  They are reacting to your constant refusal to accept responsibility and insisting that it is their fault!  The TEA Party Dogs will not allow you to keep doing this to our humans!

So here is the deal.  Everytime one of you behaves in a way that clearly indicates you don't give a flip about the American people, a member of the TEA Party Dogs will come to Washington and bite you on the rear.  Hopefully, it will only take you once to learn your lesson.  We are fully prepared to do it as often as necessary until you do, though!  And just for the record, you guys don't taste very good so this is NOT something we would enjoy doing.  We just want you to understand how serious we are!  It's time to grow up Washington and do the right thing!

Sincerely,
Shasta
TEA Party Dog

I'm A Terrorist Hobbit (LMFBO)

For the past few weeks, during the "debt-ceiling" debate, Tea Party activists and conservatives have consistently been called names for refusing to budge in their convictions.  This began to bother me.  I mean, really, how can they call ME a terrorist?  I'm one of the most friendly and lovable creatures on the planet.  I didn't understand this at all, so I decided to talk to my human about it.

"Why am I a hobbit, terrorist or "self-serving hypocrite" because I believe the government should live within its means," I asked.

With a look of understanding on her face, Candi simply said, "When a person has no valid argument to make for their side, they often resort to name-calling.  It's their way of making themselves feel better about who they are."

"Well, that's kinda stupid," I said.

I thought on it some more.  Then I decided that I am in no way a terrorist.  Sarah Palin got it right last night on Hannity when she said, "If we were truly terrorist, President Obama would be hanging out with us."  I also decided that I'm in no way a "self-serving hypocrite".  If I were, I wouldn't be busting my doggie butt to learn things that will enable me to visit with returning soldiers in the hospital.  The last thing I decided was, I like being a hobbit.  I've seen those movies with my human and I know that they never gave up, they never wavered in their belief of what is right, AND they won the battle.

After expressing this thought to my favorite human, we decided that since we like being hobbits so much we'd go find our Hobbit names.  I am Ruby Sandybanks of Frogmorton and Candi will now be known as Petunia Sandybanks of Frogmorton.

It still bothered me, though.  All the name calling and mud slinging just seems so...childish.  So Petunia gave me a hug, smiled and said, "Ruby, if they weren't calling you names, you wouldn't be doing it right!" (you'll notice we used our hobbit names) Immediately I felt better and to show my thanks I promptly licked her face, rolled over for her to scratch my belly and then went to get my favorite tennis ball for a game of fetch. 

Yes, I may be a terrorist hobbit, but at least I stand for something and don't fall for every bit of nonsense coming out of D.C.  So...keep calling me names and trying to bring us down.  Every time you do, we'll find a way to make lemonade out of the lemons you just threw at us!

I Want More

"Candi, I've decided you need to raise your debt ceiling," I said this morning while watching morning talk shows with my favorite human.

"What?  Shasta, why would I need to raise my debt ceiling?"

I calmly explained to her, in a voice you'd use to explain something to a child, that I felt she needed a house on the beach in the Caribbean, a house in the Canadian Rockies, a new house here, and that I need an airconditioned two-story dog house at each location.  We can't have all of that if she doesn't raise her "debt ceiling".

"Oh, I see," she said.  "Shasta, let me get this straight.  You aren't content with what we have, so I'm supposed to increase my debt in able for us to have things you WANT above and beyond what you NEED."

"Yes."

"Shasta, I can barely afford to pay back the debt we have now.  If I were to increase my debt, it would eventually reach the point where I couldn't afford to pay it back.  Do you understand what that means?  There would be no more money available for your "diet doggie food", there would be no more money to put gas in the car to take you to the dog park so you can play with your friends, and there would be no more money to pay for you to go to the vet," she replied.

Now, at this point I'm becoming a little aggravated that she doesn't see it my way.  I try to be patient.  She is just a human after all.  AND, she's a conservative woman without a man to explain it to her!  "Listen," I said, "If the government can keep borrowing money to pay their bills, you can too."

Candi looked at me for a moment with utter confusion on her face.  Then it finally dawned on her...I was kidding.  Dogs don't care about what you have and don't have.  We don't care if we get the "cheap" food versus the "designer" food.  We just want our needs met.  It's time Congress take the attitude of us dogs and get serious about what we NEED versus what we WANT.  Americans NEED jobs, not handouts!  Americans NEED to feel safe at night when they go to bed, they don't want to worry about a terrorist blowing up their home!  Americans NEED to know that the money they paid into Social Security will be there when they need it.  But what Americans NEED most is to KNOW their elected officials have their best interests in mind.

For too long, we have allowed the "honorable" men and women in D.C. to put what they WANT before the NEEDS of the American people. Let's continue to send the message that we DEMAND they start spending less, borrowing less and STOP putting themselves above the American People! 

Government Is Like A Tick On A Dog

"Ewwwwwww!!!!!!" 

"What is it, Shasta?" Candi asked as she came running.

"I have a tick on my eyelid.  Help me get it off."

Candi immediately got the alcohol and a pair of tweezers.  This is NOT one of her favorite things, so I sat patiently while she cringed and gagged through the entire process.  Then it struck me how like a tick government is.  If you don't take care of it right away, it'll suck every ounce of blood it can and swell to unbelievable dimensions.  That is what is happening in our government today.

When Obama was elected in 2008, Nancy Pelosi decided she could drain the blood out of taxpayers whether they liked it or not and government began to swell.  Remember "You have to pass it to find out what's in it?"  Just like a tick, Nancy latched on to healthcare and made it so big we couldn't see anymore.  We know we have to stop this.  America needs to get out the alcohol and tweezers, remove the parasite, cleanse the wound to prevent any infections and pre-treat the animal against future parasites.  In a way, America did just that with the mid-term elections in 2010, we just didn't get the head of the parasite so the infection is still present.  We can't pre-treat until we cleanse, and I have to think that at this point...we're going to need a lot of alcohol to cleanse the wound.

C'mon America.  Get out the biggest bottle of disinfectant you have and let's clean up the infection that is the Washington, D.C. establishment.  It's time we get rid of the parasites, give the dog a good bath, and pre-treat against future parasites!