While on a cruise into the Yucatan and Belize a couple of years ago, I stumbled onto something that I had not had in a long time. I had a Coca-cola, a real coca-cola with real sugar in it, not the stuff with high fructose corn syrup that fill the coolers and shelves of our QTs and grocery stores.

Some of you may remember the whole "New Coke" that came out in the 80s. The theory is that  if Coca-cola switched from sugar to the cheaper corn syrup that people would notice, so they released "New Coke" and it was so universally despised that people litterally begged Coca-cola to bring back the "real thing", well the did... kinda... but time has a way of dulling the senses, and to most people the switching of sweeteners was not apparent.

Last week I was walking through Sam's club on 71st and mingo, and there in all of its glory was cases and cases of Mexican Coca-cola, with real sugar in it. needless to say I bought a case, and hopefully it will stay in stock.

Study: Nevada has had a drastic up-swing in temperatures in the last 30 years... however if you take the statistics back to the 40s, the average temperature is actually lower now.

I want to know what hoverd above an english town. "They" decided to hover silently above a town for about 30 minutes. I believe this will just be the start of mass UFO sightings, and the catalyst for "peace".

As mentioned earlier, governments and other entities are finding more and more uses for implanted microchips. The newest "victims" are carriers of the HIV virus in Indonesia. Can't you just hear the cries from the gay rights activists over this one when it comes to Europe or America? How much further down the line will it be mandatory for all people to have them so a certain class wont be discriminated against?

Last week there was a report that anti-smoking ads actually had the opposite effect on kids and they started smoking anyway. As some of you may not be aware, these ads are produced by cigarette companies as part of the federal tobacco settlement. These companies made commercials that would have the least impact, and even swayed kids in the opposite direction.

As I thought about this, I remembered a similar study a few months ago showed that abstinence only education had little to no effect, is that because the curriculum was designed in such a way to promote the rebellious spirit found in children? Or are people that are teaching abstinence only not have the heart to teach it, thus forcing it will fail.

Gas is hovering at record levels, and has been for a couple of years. Some of that has to do with speculators on Wall Street, some of it has to do with tension in the Middle East (If GWB was only in Iraq for the oil, wouldnt it have mode more sense to work out a deal with Saddam?), some of it has to do with natural disasters like Katrina, and lastly some of it it has to do with faulty refineries having to shut down or reduce capacity.

The last one is preventable, yet the oil companies understand "Supply and demand" and by not keeping the refineries up and running the supply tightens up, and with that, the prices go up and oil companies reap record profits. Why repair the refineries when you make more money with them being broken?

the AP has a story today about concerns over implanted Microchips, I firmly believe that the convenience of the chip will win out over the concern, mostly because humans are lazy by nature.

The only reason most  anything gets invented is someone wanted to find an easier way of doing something. This inherent laziness has worked both for and against us, and in some cases where it initially looks like a good idea, it can instead be used against the people, maybe not immediatly but eventually. the id chip is one such thing.

We as a people are also complacent, like the frog in boiling water, we dont realize we are doomed until it is too late. A good example is check cards, they are easy to use, they have suplanted check use for the most part (think about how many no checks accepted signs have you seen latly?), stores have added self swiping machines to make it easier, and recently they have issued keychain cards that you just wave infront of a sensor. the next logical step are these chips.

The tech is here for the mark of the beast, how long before the frog gets cooked?

Yesterday, as predicted, it was announced that the county is going to go after the 4/10th of a cent that was "left on the table" since Boeing didn’t come to town. I am torn on this.

During the run up to Vision 2025, the city said they wanted River development and instead we were offered a billion dollar tax to pay for an Arena that we didn’t need and will take more money out of the general fund, pocket parks, pools, community centers and a hodge podge of other pet projects that would have a zero effect on improving the chances of Tulsa’s survival.

River development will increase the tax base and will increase the livability factor of the city. So what are we to do? Do we reward those that pulled the wool over the eyes of the city of Tulsa and give them money when they have proven over and over again that they refuse to be good stewards of OUR money? We have been propping up Broken Arrow, Jenks, and Owasso while our streets fall apart & our crime rises. We can’t have a "strong core" as our so called city leaders want, if their ineptness drives everyone to the suburbs. So do we give them the money or not.

The river has waited this long, I say we wait to the current batch of "representatives" are no longer in office before we start work on the river.

Here are a couple of things that Barack Obama supports:

1) Sex Ed for Kindergarteners
2) Universal coverage for Abortion

Yeah, great idea there senator...

 

Rep(?) Paul Wesselhoft is at it again, introducing legislation which is basically a "One bite and you are out" bill. This reactive piece of legislation will do nothing to prevent dog bites, and instead will just produce a new breed of felons, who if convicted will receive a minimum of a year behind bars and fines of up to $10,000. (but if you drive drunk, which is completely under your control, you may be out $1,200 and up to 6 months in jail)

What happens if a downed tree tears down your fence durring a storm  or someone maliciously lets your dog out and it becomes frightened, or worse yet, provoked? This is bad law that has a potential to make every dog owner a felon, as no dog attacks "unprovoked", there is always a reason. Animals are not human; they don’t have the same thought processes. Instead of fighting dog owners we need education in the classrooms about how to deal with unfamiliar animals, we need money for animal enforcement officers to help round up the strays, and we need to go after the people who willfully ignore the animal laws and let their animals run free.
 
Maybe if this one trick pony would open his eyes he would realize his little crusade is causing him to fail to protect the elderly, fail to combat identity theft, and fail to increase safety requirements for children and consumers.  Hopefully the people of Moore will open their eyes and get this joke of a "representative" out of office. Because going after law-abiding dog owners is the lazy and cowards way out.

On a side note, Im glad to see that the Feds had the guts to go after Atlant Falcon's QB Michael Vick. I hope that, if found guilty, he is dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.

Today in the latest National Intelligence Estimate document, which is 3 years of work from the nations 16 intelligence agencies say that Islamic terrorist groups are planning high-impact, high-casualty terrorist attacks on US soil within the next three years.

So how are they getting here?

The FBI is investigating an alleged smuggling ring in New Mexico that is bringing "Iraqis and other Middle Eastern" individuals across the Rio Grande from Mexico. Not like this is really news, this is the exact reason that some have been clamoring for some sort of border protection, its not just migrant workers coming over our borders!

Recently the Transformers hit the big screen based off of the 1980s cartoon. Turns out that the movie has an Oklahoma link that would make a nice piece for a Route 66 museum. The 77 Camaro used for the first incarnation of Bumblebee is titled in Oklahoma, and is up for auction on ebay!

As I have always started though, we should be good stewards of what God has given us.
 

I almost missed this concert, I didnt expect Alice to be back in Tulsa anytime soon since he was here last year. anyway, it you want to see a fantastic show, from a guy who obviously enjoys performing, check it out!

He's performing at the Brady Theater on Tuesday August 14th, Tickets are $26, $36 & $46

 

Recently The Pope and Carlson Pearson made comments on opposite sides of the same coin, one said unless you are a catholic, you will not receive salvation, and the other said nobody goes to hell. Both views are self-centered worldviews, and dangerous ones at that, since these are leaders of men. Anything outside the birth, life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ is Style. The Substance is Christ saying he is the way the truth and the light, that no man comes to the Father except through him. That one statement alone debunks both the Pope & Pearson’s opinion. People argue day in and day out whether speaking in tongues is to be found in today’s church, but as soon as the claim is made that it is a requirement for salvation, it becomes something that God didn’t say, and if he didn’t say it then it becomes a dangerous thing. The only thing required is acceptance of Christ as your Savior, but after that has been done you will want to work for God, and that is substance.
 
One a related side note, Michael Bates had linked to an article in the American Spectator concerning praise music, at first glance I though it was concerning the theological weakness of that style of music. I have never paid much attention to praise or contemporary Christian music, but then I’m not a fan of the music it emulates either (mainstream pop), but I never argued against it's substance as long as it was Biblically sound. Upon further reading of the article, the author seemed to be downplaying the music because it was "whitebread" and lacked "soul". It sounds to me like the author wants to be entertained, but that’s not me purpose of Christian music, the purpose it to exalt God. David said "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord", that doesn’t indicate what "kind" of noise to play, as long as it is exalting God.

 

In the recent Tulsa Civic Center move I made a comment about how it was a perfect example of style over substance. and upon further thought that is also the state of the individual, the city, the state the union and the church.

Now I understand the world view of Style over Substance. Style is easy, it make you feel good, it doesnt require (as much) work and it is self-centered. It's like that first date, you are to busy trying to make yourself look good that you overlook the serious flaws with the person you are with. The problem with Style over Substance is you never stop trying to make yourself look good, and never get to the core of the problem.

 I said the City Hall move was a perfect example, so let me explain. The new building is pretty (well some think it is anyway), in fact they say its one of the nicest buildings downtown. Councilor Carter said that this will improve our "image", but as Michael Bates pointed out fixing our roads and adding cops would do more to really improve our image. One view is Style, its easy, its ego stroking, the other is Substance, it's hard, and not glamorous. One is a window dressing that will have zero impact beyond the headlines, the other will have a long term positive impact and will affect how people look at our city.
 

 Last night, Mayor Kathy got her way once again. she has saddled Tulsa with a 76 million dollar debt that we cant afford, when we are already in a situation where we cant afford to put enough cops on our unlit, unsafe, pothole ridden streets.

Its a perfect example of Style over Substance.

I can understand the democrats voting the way they did, party unity and all, but Im sorry, I will not be supporting any republican that voted for this move... not that they have been acting much like republicans anyway.

Carlton Pearson declares nobody is going to hell (Yeah, its an old story, but ABC's 20/20 is drudging it back up again).

anyone who claims to be a Christian and completely ignore the BASIC principles of salvation is truly an anti-Christ.

...only Catholics go to heaven.

Where does it say that in the Bible?

My bible says John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

EDIT: I decided to remove what I believe are falacies within the Catholic churches own teachings. Unlike the Pope, I believe that there will be those outside of my church in Heaven, but only if they do as instructed by God, not by some man made ritual.

Being a catholic (or being a member of any church) does not give you an automatic pass to heaven, there is only one way to be saved.

John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Doug Marlette died in a single car accident in Tuesday morning in Mississippi, He was 57.

As long as a live I will hold this cartoon by Doug Marlette close to my heart.

Click to see the full sized version

 

And if it is true, we better get our house in order. "experts" say that within 5 years there will be a world wide oil crunch. If this happens we wont have to worry about global warming, because there wont be any gas to run cars. (like I said earlier 2012 is shaping up to be a very interesting year)
I wonder what will happen if Israel hits the mother load? (Zion Oil applied for a license to explore 6/26/07)

 

On the surface it sounds good.. Blanket lower Manhattan with surveillance cameras to catch terrorists in the act. The argument for those against such a system will say "if you aren't doing anything wrong what do you have to worry about... Right?"

But as can be seen in history (as we fail to learn from it) we cant always assume that our gov't will be benevolent. What happens if a particular religion or a class of people is restricted? All of the sudden there are cameras everywhere in order to track where people go. We cant be so naive to think that it cant happen here. Other examples of "good intentions" that will have "unintended consequences": the Real ID card, "black boxes" in cars, the North American Trade Corridor, RFID, etc...

So, before you think an item would really help keep you safe, ask yourself what would have happened if someone like Hitler has access to the same technology... this is why I'm left scratching my head at Lieberman's support for such an endeavor.

 

Our mayor is not going to be happy...

As I have stated previously, my theory is that when the Rapture happens, something has to be blamed for the disappearance of millions of people, and in my opinion, that something will come from outer space.  To back up this theory, what once was the domain of kooks and whackos, main stream science is now getting in on the act. concerning how public opinion on "global warming" has been effected by scientists, can you imagine what they could do with ET?

Senator Clinton wants to crack down on China's trade practices. Apparently she had no influence on President Clinton when he called to renew the most favored trade status with the communist country in 1998.
Was it because China gave money to Bill for his re-election?

"Trade is also an important part of our relationship with China. Our exports have tripled over the last decade and now support over 170,000 American jobs," Clinton argued in 98. Now, almost everything we buy comes from China and the only ones benefiting from it are Wal-Mart and the Chinese Gov't whose military is growing at a record pace.

... and when old, they will not stray.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The 24-year-old son of former Vice President Al Gore was arrested for drug possession on Wednesday after he was stopped for speeding in his hybrid Toyota Prius, a sheriff's official said.

Al Gore III -- whose father is a leading advocate of policies to fight global warming -- was driving his environmentally friendly car at about 100 miles per hour on a freeway south of Los Angeles when he was pulled over by an Orange County sheriff's deputy at about 2:15 a.m.

The deputy smelled marijuana and searched the car, said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino. The search turned up a small amount of marijuana, along with prescription drugs including Valium, Xanax, Vicodin, Adderall and Soma. There were no prescriptions found, he said.

Maybe Al should have concentrated more on raising his children right and less on his global warming circus act.

And according to this article the blame "should be leveled at piracy" becasue it is "the biggest problem the industry faces."

Personally I think they should look in a mirror, becasue all the bad publicity of the RIAA suing grandmothers for piracy and the older music collectors completeing the re-buying of their old LP/Cassette tape collections onto CD are two big aspects of the drop off... the last aspect? Here is last weeks Billboard top 10:

1)  Rihanna "Umbrella"
2)  Shop Boyz "Party Like A Rock Star"
3)  Fergie "Big Girls Don't Cry"
4)  Plain White T's "Hey There Delilah"
5)  T-Pain "Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin')"
6)  Maroon 5 "Makes Me Wonder"
7)  Avril Lavigne "Girlfriend"
8)  Justin Timberlake "Summer Love"
9)  Amy Winehouse "Rehab"
10) Fabolous "Make Me Better"

In other words, there is nothing on that list I would want to listen to, much less buy (except Amy Winehouse).

I rest my case...

UPDATE: I thought this sounded a bit familier, as they reported that sales were down about 6 months ago as well (and I made almost the same comments)

I want to present some quotes from a couple of our founding fathers...

God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel - Benjamin Franklin

Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants.  - Benjamin Franklin

Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters. - Benjamin Franklin

Resistence to tyrants is obedience to God - Thomas Jefferson

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. - Thomas Jefferson

When the government fears the people there is liberty; when the people fear the government there is tyranny.  - Thomas Jefferson

 The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. - Thomas Jefferson

 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.