Foreign Aid

I read a couple of things this morning about where our US foreign aid money goes.
Christopher Manion, who used to work in Washington D.C. for Senator Jesse Helms, writes:
"Years ago, when I was responsible for reviewing legislation that distributed American "aid" to the Caribbean, I was visited by ...lobbyists and foreign agents who advocated massive amounts of ....taxpayer money for the Haitian government of 'Baby Doc' Duvalier, undoubtedly on of the most corrupt and brutal dictators in a worldwide pantheon of tyrannical thugs.'
'Our poverty is your fault,' the Third World countries sang in chorus, as their lobbyists came around, looking for more money. The trouble was, their poverty was the fault of their dictators, who siphoned off a good 20% or 30% right off the top (in Haiti it was even more: Food 'aid' would be delivered straight to Duvalier's cronies, who would then go sell it or give it away to their constituencies, in turn driving down the prices of food produced by impoverished Haitian farmers, none of whom had large plots of land).
'Unfortunately, a lot of American businesses started to cash in on the 'aid,' since they could sell the government a lot of the food, etc. delivered by aid programs. In their turn, the lobbyists would get about 10% of whatever aid they were able to procure for their foreign clients. It was all legal, an for 50 years the U.S. foreign aid program and the hundreds of billions that U.S. taxpayers provided for foreign 'aid' served primarily to keep recipient countries in poverty, while their rulers plundered the programs and prospered off the corruption."

Being Difficult

I have been reading books on dealing with difficult people. There can be lots of difficult people in our lives. Some of them we live with; many of them we work with. Maybe they go to our church or school. Sometimes we are the difficult ones. Here are some things to look out for so we aren't being the difficult ones:
Anger: Absolutely must control it. Very little is ever achieved by blowing up. Usually only harm is done.
Oversensitivity: Have to get a grip on this one. Most people are not out to hurt us.
Whining: If something is really wrong, point it out. But don't point out every little thing.
Sniping: Stop with the not really funny, humiliating remarks. Be careful with humor.
Nothing person: Communicate! This is a really tough one if someone refuses to communicate with us. Teenagers use this tactic a lot to "get back" at their "mean" parents.
There are some good books out there on the subject of difficult people. If someone in your life is really giving you grief, for heaven's sake, try to find out if you can do anything about it!
And be aware that at times we all give people grief: inconsiderate remarks, impatience, cutting people off in traffic, etc.
When dealing with difficult people it often helps if you catch them off guard and give them a hug, compliment, or whatever, before they can get started criticizing, being negative, etc.
With a little consideration, humor and humility, a lot of difficulties can be avoided.

The faith of Pope John Paul II

There are quite a few disgruntled Catholics out there who accuse our last pope, John Paul II, of being a heretic, a Muslim, a Buddhist, an animist, etc.
While it is true that the last Holy Father did engage in dialogue and prayer with those of other religions, let us examine what he said.
In his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope, he says, "It is therefore a revealed truth that there is salvation only and exclusively in Christ. The Church, inasmuch as it is the Body of Christ, is simply an instrument of this salvation...People are saved through the Church, they are saved in the Church, but they are always saved by the grace of Christ."
He approved of the document Dominus Jesus, which states, that while the Catholic Church accords other religions of the world "sincere respect," The truth that Christ founded the Catholic Church to be "the instrument for the salvation of all humanity...rules out in a radical way the mentality of  'indifferentism', characterized by a religious relativism which leads to the belief that 'one religion is as good as another.'" This should put to rest the argument that he thought all religions were basically the same.
In not one instance did Pope John Paul II ever attempt to change any doctrine or belief of the Catholic Church.
Let's not be too hasty to jump to conclusions about anyone, especially someone as important as the Holy Father.

Fall

Here are a few thoughts on life as we enter fall and are getting closer to the end of the year.
I think it is kind of sad when the leaves start putting on their beautiful colors. I think this may be because I always feel like the family is closer in the summer. We travel together, go camping together, take long evening walks--now all of this is over. It is especially sad now that the two older ones have moved on in life. A tremendous longing for the days of my children's childhood strikes when I am alone or feeling lonely. And now that they are older I worry about them twice as much!
Then there is the political situation in America. So many people are unjustly imprisoned in this country. And Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize? Kind of makes it meaningless. Not to mention that there is no justice for the unborn. Hasn't been since 1973.
But there has to be some joy in life as well. Good friends, loving relatives, kind strangers, things to make, things to do.
Blessings on all as we draw near to the end of 2009!

Looking at the times

A news banner runs across the top of my screen about some policemen repeatedly tasering a 76 year old man driving an antique tractor in a parade. I believe this type of tyranny and bullying is going on more and more in this country by those who are supposed to be protecting us.
And what about those nit picky laws that are going to get us all someday, just because we can't keep track of them all? I could never go fishing because the fishing regs are far too complicated for me.
A freedom loving Christian may be tempted to despair.
But we have to remember that tyranny and cruelty have always been around, and we must do what we can to make this world a better place. We also have to remember that this world is not our permanent home, and that eternity lasts a lot longer than our sorrowful lifespans here.

Great

Wow, isn't it just great that the US is fast on the road to socialized medicine? I know our health care system is flawed. I know it is ridiculous that things like having a baby in the hospital, doctor visits for a sick child, routine surgeries, teeth cleaning, nursing home care, etc. are out of the financial reach of most people. But I do believe getting the government involved will make things far worse. What if our gov't won't allow a woman to have a c-section because she already has two children? What if it takes several months of waiting to get pain medication for an accident that happened yesterday? What if your lifesaving surgery is on a waiting list so long that you won't make it? What if someone over a certain age--say, 75--is ineligible for any kind of medical care, because some bureaucrat thinks they have lived long enough? What if it's actually against the law for medical personnel to care for people who somehow don't "qualify?"
Do we really want someone who is pro-abortion, pro-euthanasia back in Washington DC making our medical decisions for us? Someone who doesn't know anything about us or our medical conditions?

Torture?

I have read some opinions by sincere Christian folks who actually think it is OK to torture prisoners, with tortures like "water boarding," if it's done for the safety of our country!
One wonders what these folks would say if their own son was subjected to such things by an enemy country in the name of their own "national security."
If we don't want our children to undergo such things, why should our prisons be inflicting them on helpless "terrorist suspects?"
And speaking of safety and security, one must ask:
How many boys have we lost in political wars, wars fought supposedly for "national security?"
How many liberties have we lost in the name of "safety?"
How much government control and tyranny are we subjected to in the name of "safety?"
How long does it take before a government which sanctions torture starts torturing its own citizens who are considered "dangerous?"