Goofy or Deadly? Watch what you buy for children at Christmas

“Goofy String” scared me Straight! Not the string itself, but what I read on the can.

Let me start from the beginning. My eight year old grandson is visiting us for “Camp Meemaw” and he had five dollars burning a hole in his pocket. Meemaw took him to a local Dollar Store. He bought an assortment of kid things from the children’s section of the store.

The next morning while we were all on the deck watching the birds, he decided to surprise meemaw and papa. He sprayed us with “Goofy String” as we laughed aloud. With great vigor and merriment he covered us from head to toe. It all seemed like great harmless fun.

As we laughed and brushed off the “Goofy String,” I picked up the can and read the label. As fast as it started, the laughter stopped. I read the label aloud as my left eye began to sting a bit. Here is what I read in small print on the can of “Goofy String” found in the toy department of a local store, “Caution. Contents under pressure. Do not puncture or incinerate container. Do not use near open flame or heat sources. Do not store at temperatures above 120 F. Keep out of reach of children. Test before use. May stain fabrics and other surfaces. Do not spray at eyes or faces. Do not ingest.” And on the side it says, “Non-flamable”

This caution label was on a can sold to a lone eight year old boy, who found it on the shelves in the toy department at that store in our own community! I am trying to remember if at eight years of age did I know what incinerate or ingest meant.

Now my ire and curiosity were up. My attention turned to what were the ingredients of this spray can that should be kept out of the reach of children. Guess what? The ingredients are listed. The only other information are the simple directions for use by the prohibitive child; the weight at 3 oz.; and that it was Made in China and distributed by Greenbrier International, I.nc., in Chesapeake, VA. 23320.

Let me capsulize the above. A company in China sells something, who knows what,  in a spray can. It has many safety potentials and by all means it must be kept out of the reach of children.

A company in Virginia in the USA distributes it in this country without any further information. Then a company puts it on the shelves of the toy or children’s department for any unsuspecting innocent child to purchase with their birthday money. Have I got it correct so far?

Let me clarify even further. Business people could careless if something is harmful as long as no one notices. Guess what? I noticed.

And Mr. Businessman, it does take a genius to know that things that are labeled “Keep out of reach of children” don’t belong on the shelves where children can reach them, or worse yet buy them.

One of the very first things I learned at New York University’s Safety School of Certification is that labels should be red by the distributer BEFORE it is distributed. Buyer Beware is not for children When it comes to children it is Seller Beware, because we consumers depend upon your honesty.

My grandson has learned a lot from this experience. In fact, he is taking this article back to New York with him for discussion in class when school starts next week or so. I only hope our local merchants are astute. And young customers, Read the Label before you buy.

My left eye still stings.  Be careful what Santa brings this year!

Christmas and Defcon 5

Recently a poll indicated that while 87% of Americans claim to be Christians only 36% focus on the birth or coming of the Christ child. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!!

  Every Christmas focuses on the coming of the Christ. Advent means arrival or coming and we celebrate the first and second coming of Christ. While Jesus, the babe in the manger is the image of our celebration, the real issue is who he was, is and will be that inspires believers to annually celebrate .

  When will he come? Two thousand years ago, this was the question on the lips of a few Jewish believers. The vast majority had begun to focus on the celebrations and traditions. Ever since the fall of Jerusalem they had been told by their leaders, the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One would be coming soon. Their annual disappointment had caused them to push it into the back of their minds. Not to worry. When and if he comes, he comes! Not a thing we do can help it happen.

  Years ago I was up on a high mountain in Greece looking out on the Aegean Sea toward Sparta in the southwest. I asked my friend Yani, a captain in Greek Air Force how far away was the huge island that held Sparta and Patriae. He asked me how far I believed it looked to be. I replied about twenty or thirty miles. He chuckled and said it is over one hundred US miles. Many things in life seem closer than they are in reality. We just need to look with an educated eye.

  In the military we had five levels of alert status. Defcon 1 thru 5. Number One was total let your guard down time. Number Five was: we are being attacked or about to be attacked any minute. Twice in my military career I experienced Defcon 5. Both involved President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The first time was the Cuban missile crises. The second was in Turkey when he was senselessly assassinated. The first seemed like an exercise and few of us cadets took it seriously. Why? Because our lives had been sheltered from reality.

  The second was total experience of living on the edge. We were on total alert with every listen devise we had cranked up and pointed north over the Black Sea. The ears and eyes of Trabizon where fully focused on the Soviet Bear.

  Was the bear ready to come out of his cave and ravish the free world? Was JFK the start of Armageddon? If so they would be moving through Turkey to the valley of the Jordan River. To the last man, we were thinking, "My God this is it!" Its not an exercise or movie script. The Evil empire has started their move. A move that will lead to the most horrible war we could imagine. I recalled the many times in school during air raid drills, we climbed under our seats to avoid the shattered glass. At first we were all scared, but by the seventh grade it had become a joke. But there in Turkey on November 24, 1963 it was no joke. We soon expected to hear the roar of Soviet bombers or missiles overhead any moment. Armageddon was about to begin and we were ready! And nothing happened!

  That was 48 years ago in another life. I no longer worry about Armageddon or major catastrophe. Life every day keeps me busy enough.

  Yet, we are told to always be alert and keep watch. Every Advent and Christmas season so far has been an exercise. Yes, it has become extremely routine. It is hard to imagine that Christ will be coming to usher in a new era of existence and end life for many. But then after marching in JFK's inaugural parade, I thought he would live forever and freedom would triumph over the evil empire. That assassin's bullet in Dallas yanked me back into reality. We must always be alert for the advent of the Christ and the Day of the Lord. It is just part of life.

  How do you maintain a state of readiness? Believe it will happen and have the essentials ready. Christ will come whether we see it as the first or second time. Those, who are about his business in life are deemed ready. God’s business? Loving others with all our hearts as we love ourselves. Simple straight forward. In 1963, we knew it could happen. When it did we did exactly what we had practiced over and over in other exercises. When the Lord comes we are to do what we have been practicing Advent after Advent; Christmas after Christmas: showing our love for God and others. The world is in Defcon 5. Are you ready?

Ifs of Pilgrims and Giving Thanks

On July 22,1620 the Pilgrims started out from Holland aboard the "Speedwell". At Plymouth, England, they transferred to the "Mayflower". And as they say, "The rest is history."

Historians have often speculated about what would have happened if they had landed where they intended to, which was far south of the Plymouth Rock. Virginia was their original destination. Cape Cod was not on their course, but when they saw it they followed it to the mainland and a new Plymouth.

Ironically today is also the day in 1587, that the Lost Colony landed on Roanoke Island, off North Carolina. That colony expected to be met by a group that landed earlier. A third group, landing later at Roanoke also expected to be met by the colony before them. A familiar story to all and a mystery to this day.

But the story of the Pilgrims is no mystery - except what might have happened in American history if they had reached the original destination instead of Massachusetts. History and life is full of big "ifs". "If" we do this or that, what happens? Today each of us as individuals and all as a community face some really big "ifs".

If I don't find hope for myself or society, what will happen? If I don't take an extra effort to better my
community, why should I expect the politicians to do any better? If there is no God, why are we here? If I acknowledge God; if I become involved in my community; and if I have hope in a future will life as I know it be better?

Do you realize at this point there is a great urge to say emphatically, "Yes!" life will be better "if". But that would be a spectator's response and none of us are spectators in life. Everyone participates, some good, some bad. Was it a good or bad moment when the "Mayflower" changed course and headed in land to Plymouth?

Would New York be where Norfolk is today? Would slavery be unnecessary in an industrial South? Would Haiti and other Caribbean Islands be part of our great nation? Do we see the endless possibilities of "what ifs". These "what ifs" did not happen. That course change was an important moment in history. Good or bad are merely a form of speculative evaluation of a historical decision. Everyone has their own view.

How will history evaluate our decisions today? Should the church keep after the image of a church as we had it in the Eisenhower years? Or is it time to change course and venture into new territory? Should any community follow the ways of old or give their Mayor support to take them into new progressive waters? Should we resist the changes facing our youth or sail with them into uncharted waters?

A great nation of traditions and values held so dear, came out of that decision in the North Atlantic in 1620. Since that first Plymouth Rock, we have become a great nation of pioneers and risk takers. Don't stop now.
The Plymouth Rock of every community across the land is being built by peoples’s decisions today. To prevent our children from being plagued with "what ifs", let us all head for uncharted waters together. Let's change courses as churches and work together for our children. Let us as citizens endorse visions of our Mayors. As a community let's all quit doing things for and to our children. Let's do more things "with" them.

The original vision of every community in this great land began nearly two hundred years ago. There have been course corrections along the way, some good and some bad. Overall they have brought us to communities way beyond the greatest hopes of anyone on the "Mayflower". Today some of our leaders have seen a glimpse of a new era on the horizon and want to change course to see where it leads us. I say, remember the brave Pilgrims following a glimpse of land to their New England. Shall we encourage our leaders to go for it! It will be worth any hardships endured. Who knows what great future we can established? Will they look back three hundred years from now and celebrate the course changes of today's leaders? I pray so.

Time for self examination

As the end of this year rushes upon us we all begin many self-examinations and I thought an old story was appropriate. It goes like this: A man came to an elderly rabbi and said, “You Jews use a special form of reasoning, called Talmudic, which explains your cleverness. I want you to teach it to me.”

“My friend,” sighed the old rabbi, “I am afraid you might not be able to.”

“Nonsense! Why?”

“Well, when Jewish boys wish to study the Talmud- we first give them three questions. Those lads that answer all three correct are allowed to study the Talmud; those who can’t, are not.”

The man frowned and demanded, “Give me the exam.”

The rabbi shrugged and gave him the first question: Two men fall down a chimney. One emerges filthy, covered with soot; the other emerges clean. Which one washes?”

“The dirty one of course,”sneered the man.”
“Wrong, sir. The clean one washes.”
“The clean one?” the man was astonished. “Why?”
“When the two emerge,”explained the rabbi, “they look at each other, correct? The dirty one looks at the clean one and thinks, ‘wow we came out clean’. But the clean one looks at the dirty one and says, Holy Mackerel! We really got dirty. And he washes.”

‘Ah,” the man says, “very clever. Now, what is the second question?”

“The second question is this: Two men fall down a chimney. One emerges filthy, covered with soot; the other emerges clean. Which...”
“Whoa, that’s the same question,” roared the man.

“No it is not. This time the dirty man washes. The clean man looks at the dirty man and says how dirty we must be, but when he looks at his hands he sees he is clean. Likewise the dirty man looks at the clean man and thinks how clean they must be, but realizes he is dirty when he looks at his hands. So the dirty man washes.”

“Clever, Jew,” said the man, “very clever. Now give me the third question. You won’t fool me again.”

“Very well, here it is: Two men fall down a chimney. One emerges filthy, covered with soot; the other emerges clean.”

“Wait a minute, that’s the same question!” cried the man.

“Wrong,”said the rabbi. “The words may be the same-but the problem is entirely new. Which man washes?”
“The dirty one!” snapped the man.
“Wrong,” murmured the rabbi.
“The clean one!”
“I am sorry,” said the rabbi, “wrong again.”

“Then what is the answer?” seethed the man.

“The right answer,” replied the rabbi, “ is that this is a cuckoo examination! How can two men fall down the same chimney and one come out dirty and the other come out clean? Anyone that doesn’t see that at once will, I am afraid, never be able to understand the Talmud.”

  Now a new story from me: Two men read their Holy Writings and one comes out very very perfect and the other not so perfect. Which one must repent?

Silly isn’t it how we work hard in life to gain labels and at the same time work to get rid of labels. So this year don’t take the silly examine of constant repentance, just work at being the image of God as you see it.

Reactions at a Political Gathering

I don’t know why, but in  the time period we celebrate “Hallowed Eve, thanksgiving and Christmas, I can’t help enjoy what The Force Behind Creation (God in my system) thinks of how we take ourselves so seriously over two celebrating events.

  One of the neatest sounds in all of creation is the “Heavenly Chuckle.” This is the chuckle, we seem to hear, when Life says, “Relax, you're taking yourselves way to seriously!”
  Since no person has ever completely seen The Force Behind Creation (my God), all studies about them are a matter of opinion. We are asks us to respect one another, to accept one another without censure. If we have this mutual respect we can laugh “at and with” each another. The “Heavenly Chuckle” is to be shared by all people.

  Recently an article I read included something along these lines, that gave me a chuckle and I want to share it with you. When I read it the very first time, I am positive I heard the “Heavenly Chuckle.” Here it is my modification of that article.

“HOW PEOPLE RESPOND IN A CRISIS...”
During a political gathering, someone rushed in and shouted, “The building is on fire!”
The Congressional attendees yelled throw money at it;
The Methodist gathered in the corner and prayed;
The Baptist cried, “Where's the water?”;
The Christian Scientist agreed there was no fire;
The Fundamentalist shouted, “It's the vengeance of God!”;
The Atheist began to sing “Case Sera” - whatever will be will be;
The Lutherans nailed a notice on the door declaring the fire was not justified;
The Quakers quietly praised God for the blessings the fire would bring;
The Jews posted symbols above the door hoping the fire would pass over;
The Congregationalist shouted, “Everyone for themselves!”;
The Muslims were divided over whether the fire was an act of heroism or terrorism;
The Church of Christ kept the news all to themselves;
The Episcopalians formed a procession and marched out in grand style;
The PAC members asked if anyone needed advice as what to do;
The Catholics sold tickets to toast marshmallows;
The Presbyterians appointed a chairperson who was to appoint a committee to look into the matter;
The President declared the fire started before I got here!

  Yes we are all different in our views and understandings about who or what God is or what this life is all about, but we still are beholden to Someone or Something in all things. Perhaps the last laugh is on us. Maybe we are here for fellowship with Someone or Something, for their amusement. I personally can hear my God chuckle at are seriousness of the subject. Ain't that neat?

Shall we all lighten up on who is right or wrong and solve life’s problems together, before it is to late and the “Chuckle” turns to a “Sob” over our demise?

A sad Christian General

For years I was blessed to look at the painting entitled, "The Christian General" by William L. Maughan. It is a picture of General Lee reading the Holy Bible as a sleeping child rest peacefully on his lap. Robert E. Lee, a graduate of the US Military Academy and leader of the Confederate Armies, was a remarkable human being, who spoke many wise proverbs in his life.

None more wiser than what he said on December 13, 1862. Pondering the Battle of Fredericksberg, General Lee said, "It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow fond of it." Do you think the politicians in Washington believe war is so terrible? What about the neo-brown shirts called the Christian Coalition or anti war zealots of the sixties? Have they all become fond of war? One would think so with recent actions.

Our nation during the last quarter of the twentieth century and into the present one, has become the "champion of freedom" at home and abroad. My heart pounds with pride when we send troops to defend freedom, whether it is in Birmingham, Detroit, Berlin, Bagdad or wherever. I took an oath to serve those causes and defend the nation against all tyrannies that threaten our freedom.

But recently, and I mean the last thirty years, the leaders of this nation seem to have forgotten why we send men and women to war. Their primary reason seems to be capitalistic gains or oil. Now I know all wars have a capitalistic undertone, but it should not be the primary focus.

With all of the wars being fought on our beautiful planet, why are we choosing to get involved in a religious war, that has been going on since the fall of Constantinople? If we are going to send peace keeping troops into every Muslim country, shouldn't we also send them into Ireland, South Africa, China, Korea, Thailand, etc.? Are we really getting involved to protect freedom, religion or our nation's security and financial interest?

I believe places like Bosnia and Iraq are good marketplaces for our military industrialist. We declare we are there to maintain peace and in the same breath announce we can now sell arms to the Muslims. The people of Bosnia even look like Mr and Mrs Middle America, so the war was easier to sell to our citizenry. Let's face it selling Asians or Blacks as victims of anything is a hard sell in this country.

Bosnia was also close to our economic and ancestral roots. We still fall all over European Royalty no matter how ridiculous they behave. It also is close to the cradle of what we call civilization - Greece and The Fertile Crescent of civilization . The roots of many of our religious organizations come out of these neighboring regions. Yes, Bosnia and our religious geography are an easy sell to Americans.

It was and is a win win situation. It was and is easy to sell. It is good for our industrial manufactures. After all we are the largest producers of killing machines. It could be a prolonged market surge. Television can help it be perpetuated and more and more war products will be consumed in the name of peace. My fellow military officers will benefit as they did in Vietnam. Nam was a two promotion tour. Nam was a down payment on a new home, thanks to combat pay.

Yes Bosnia and the Fertile Crescent are much better places to be involved in a war. People are really growing fond of the idea. How that must sadden the "Christian General" I saw on my wall for so many years..

How One Man Ruined Humanity

The Death of Humanity or How Curiosity Killed the Cat
Ever wonder how we humans got in this mess?
People killing people in every corner of the world. People driven by greed stealing financial opportunities and security from thousands, no make that millions, of people in every village, town, city, and nation on this giant beautiful blue marble spinning through space and time. People seeking power and fame crushing people as they climb over their broken bodies and empty wallets at any spot on the globe. The bad guys seem to be winning.

The grand and glorious goal of a perfect socialist nation crumbled when angry citizens torne down A WALL. The vision of a nation of people worshiping and honoring their God as they see fit was struck down when freedom was deemed to be for everyone, not just the Christians. The idea that all human beings deserve the same opportunities and freedoms in this life was crucified: when a gay man was strapped to barb wire, tortured, and killed; when a young girl is mutilated and covered with a burka; when a white collar billion dollar criminal is better treated in prison than a homeless man in a shelter; and when national and international leaders meet and meet and talk on and on and on, while people continue to suffer from an array of persecutions.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
FIRST WHEN DID IT HAPPEN?
Well, I have an idea that it started a long, long, long time ago, when humans existed in their own separate clusters. There were some in the hill country and they lived in comfortable caves. The ones in the plains lived in grass huts. The ones near the sea in warmer climates lived on the beach. And so on and so on, well you get the picture.

None of these groups knew about the other groups. They believed they were the only ones on this small planet. They each developed their own language, diet, ethics and beliefs about where they came from, why they were here, and where they were going. All was right with the universe!

SECOND WHY DID IT HAPPEN?
It probably started when the boys were playing on the edge of their "village" and one of them, let’s call him Abe, looked up the hill where the horizon met his world. The play stopped and one of his friends asked, "Abe what are you looking at?"

Abe answered, "The top of the hill. Have you ever wondered what is beyond the top of our hill?"
His friend replied, "Abe you should not say or think that. What if the elders heard you?"
Then over the next few years, Abe would go to the edge and ponder the hill and what laid beyond. He never discussed it with anyone, for fear of sounding different. Then one day after he had entered manhood, he made an important decision. A decision that would change humanity forever. On that particular day, Abe decided to venture over the hill and see what was on the other side.

In just a few days after he crossed the crest of the hill he encountered some beings that looked a little like him, except that their color and built were different than his. They were lighter skinned than Abe and much taller. He stayed hid and crept closer to observe them better. They spoke strange words and were eating fruits and vegetables.

What they ate bothered Abe the most. In his world human beings only ate the animals they caught and killed. Things from plants were for the pigs and other beast. Plus with their lighter skins and tall bodies, how could they hide in the forest and hunt for their food. They were so different than Abe. It unnerved him!
With great fear and a trembling heart, Abe ran back over the hill to his own world. As soon as he arrived he ran to the head elder and reported the awful and fearful things he had seen over the hill. Those beings he saw were so very different than him! It was frightening.

The elder listened. He had never encountered these things he was hearing. What to do? So he pondered for a moment before responding to Abe’s report.

As the elder pondered, Abe blurted out, "They look like wild animals to me. They also seem dangerous because they are nothing like us. We should kill them before they come up over our hill." The elder agreed and so did the rest of the human beings, who looked like Abe and ate like Abe.

AND IT HAPPENED!
Ever since Abe reported to that elder so very, very, very long ago, human beings have been afraid of any being different than them. So much so, they believe it is their duty to eliminate anything different. Of course, the methods of elimination have improved and the kinds of differences we fear have expanded since Abe first introduced that kind of fear to humanity.

THAT IS HOW IT HAPPENED!