Which Way Does the Flag Face the Nation?

  

Normally I try to stay clear of politics, but with government shut down , it has been on my mind.  My post is meant to be on our reactions and not what is currently taking place (or not taking place) at the white house.

          Roland is an avid follower on Sunday Morning on CBS.  Following Sunday Morning is "Face the Nation" though the station generally gets changed to another before Face the Nation comes on.  This program was on this morning when Jenna and I planted ourselves on the couch and looked up to see Margaret Brennan ask questions to Secretary of State,  Michael Richard Pompeo, who for the most part seemed robotic with his answer - or somebody's answers anyway.  Jenna and I laughed as he obviously read the answers and showed no facial emotion whatsoever - actually there were a few times where he smiled.  Jenna and I suspect he had lost his place on the screen and was smiling to cover up his embarrassment.  I realize that things need to be written down and the importance of sticking to the script so words are not taking out of context - as though that really works.

            When he first started reading, I made a joke that someone had tied his hands behind a chair and he wouldn't be let go until he read everything word for word whether he believed it or not.  Early in the interview Ms. Brennan asked about soldiers (one particular) who were being held captive and what would result in being allowed back into the states. 

            Mr. Pompeo read from the prompter that there was concern- but his facial expression and tone spoke louder than the words he was reading and made him appear as if he was a robot and why would a robot care about a human?

            I think we left to go to Church shortly after that comment and more laughter was shared between me and Jenna.  The government shut-down is a serious thing.  Mr. Pompeo's boss is an overgrown kindergartner - which some will say is an insult to kindergartners everywhere.  I have worked with a large variety of kindergartners and as a whole would have to say it is insulting - but there have been the occasional ones who act out in a "Trump" manner which seems more acceptable for a 5 or 6 year old than . . . well wait a minute.  There have been some 70 plus year olds have a way of resorting to the past.  I remember my mom resorting back to elementary school behavior.  Maybe he has some form of dementia?  It has been speculated many times.

             Our biggest problem is we had a large dose of this BEFORE Trump was inaugurated.  It bothers me that so many people say our choice has always been between Hillary and Trump - like Democrats and Republicans are the only two parties that can be represented.  How in the world did the Whigs or Federalists ever survive?  There are alternatives.  There are others who have said that I wasted my vote by writing in Evan McMullin's name.  I'm NOT a crowd pleaser, never have been.  I'm not going to vote for somebody just because a certain party elected him/her nor am I going to vote for somebody not affiliated with a party because I'm a rebel.  I'll vote for the issues.  I'll vote for the possibilities.  But I'm not going to vote blindly because that's my so-called party.  Why is it that people feel I have to be one or the other?

            Another thing that held my interest was a pin of the American Flag that the Secretary of State wore on his lapel.  

I remembered having read about the origins of the swastika (here) and how it was designed to represent "Good Luck" and how the tables have turned so much that it is now recognized as a sign of a horrific chapter in history - so horrific that I do not even wish to have the symbol anywhere on my blog (though it may be shown in the background of one of the pics used on my bully and mind game post).  I had hoped that would never be the case of the American Flag but already know others who no longer value what it once represented and choose not to say the "Pledge of Allegiance" as they feel the country has gone down (and continues) the toilet.  

The flag once use to represent freedom and honor.  For many it still does represent those things but for others it doesn't represent that anymore.  I don't know anyone who is ashamed of the flag as many of us are of the swastika and hope it never comes to that.  But it's highly possible that the American Flag may have the same symbolic meaning as the swastika in a not-so-distant future.  Situations really need to change.  I feel bad for the next President who has to clean up the mess that Trump's behavior has caused.  

Scamming the Scammer

            Funny how since giving the lesson on "Divine Design" to the RS sisters almost a month ago, that I have been noticing more parallels and "divine design" examples in so many lives that I hear about.  Last week Jenna and I watched this story on Sunday Morning - a program that Roland has on almost every Sunday I have known him.  

            He was in the kitchen making breakfast for Jenna and me when the Steven Hartman shared his piece about an unlikely friendship between Ben Taylor from Ogden, Utah and Joel Willie from Liberia.  Joel was in need of money and has been using facebook to connect with strangers to invest in a business.  Ben Taylor accepted his friendship that he might keep Joel so busy that he wouldn't have time to scam anyone else.  Joel's interest was in an electronics outfit located in New Jersey, but Ben had googled the address and the location seemed suspicious as it appeared to be a dumpground for trashed or stolen cars.  He had even called the police to investigate.

            Ben changed directions to "scam the scammer" and said he was interested in purchasing photography and that perhaps Joel could send him some pictures of a Liberian sunset - I am uncertain at how the photographs were received.  They weren't great photos and no indication that the sun was setting.  Ben told Joel that they were great but needed something different and finally blamed the camera for an imperfect quality and purchased a small red digital camera for $60. and sent it to Joel.  

 Joel sent him photos of people and places in Liberia and Ben created a book and put it on the market.  The book raised $1,000 - which in Liberia is an unbelievable huge amount.  

            Ben told Joel he was sending 500 dollars for him to keep and would send another 500 if he would give it all to charity - which Joel would have probably done anyway.  He purchased school supplies and paid for transportation to distribute to five schools and sent Ben more photos of his actions.  Shocked with all that had taken place, Ben flew to Africa to meet Joel. 

CBS photo

 Was it coincidence or by divine design?      

            For more accurate story and interview with Steven Hartman, see here 

CBS

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