Meet Doctor George Lombardi, who, as a young physician just beginning his career, was flown halfway around the world to treat Mother Teresa Please exercise patience. The doctor's style is dry, understated, and undemonstrative. What he has to say, however, should prove highly amusing as well as amazing. It certainly bolstered my faith, and added to my store of wonder, even as it gave a remarkable, intimate glimpse into the power of the Catholic Church and the selfless, devoted support, and intense loyalty given by some of her finest servants.

An Eloquent 

Musical Indictment 

of Government Bureaucracy

To This We’ve Come

THE CONSUL

" ... My child is dead; John's mother is dying, and all you give me is papers – papers – PAPERS! ..."

An Opera in Three Acts

Music and Libretto by 

GIAN CARLO MENOTTI

Patricia Neway, who created the role of Magda Sorel, presents here one of the most moving scenes in the operatic literature. Menotti won the Pulitzer Prize in 1950 for The Consul. The show also won the New York Drama Critics Award for Best Musical. This performance was televised in 1960, ten years after the opera’s first appearance.

Gian Carlo Menotti (1907-2011)

The Most Eloquent 

Musical Indictment 

of Government Bureaucracy

Ever Written

To This We’ve Come

THE CONSUL
" ... My child is dead; John's mother is dying, and all you give me is papers – papers – PAPERS! ..."
An Opera in Three Acts
Music and Libretto by 
GIAN CARLO MENOTTI

Gian Carlo Menotti c. 1949

EILEEN FARRELL, soprano

A Change of Pace

Think of something gentle

Think of something kind

Dwell today on something not designed

To make you lose your mind.

Think of something pretty

Think of something soft

Take time away each day from Microsoft

And soar aloft

Where Spirit reigns in Bliss

Away from all the Madness

Where Kindness ever dissipates the Sadness

In the Realm of Gladness

~ FreeThinke- 3/27/2014

The WORK ETHIC 

that Built the USA 

and Made it Great 

has Fallen Prey to 

The WELFARE STATE

The Cato Institute released an updated 2013 study (original study in 1955) showing that welfare benefits pay more than a minimum wage job in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Even worse, welfare pays more than $15 per hour in 13 states. 

According to the study, welfare benefits have increased faster than minimum wage. It's now more profitable to sit at home than it is to earn an honest day's pay.

Hawaii is the biggest offender, where welfare recipients earn $29.13 an hour, or $60,590 a year for doing nothing.

Here is the list of the states where the pre-tax equivalent yearly “salaries” received by welfare recipients pay more than available jobs:

1. Hawaii: $60,590

2. District of Columbia: $50,820

3. Massachusetts: $50,540

4. Connecticut: $44,370

5. New York: $43,700

6. New Jersey: $43,450

7. Rhode Island: $43,330

8. Vermont: $42,350

9. New Hampshire: $39,750

10. Maryland: $38,160

11. California: $37,160

12. Oregon: $34,300

13. Wyoming: $32,620

14. Nevada: $29,820

15. Minnesota: $29,350

16. Delaware: $29,220

17. Washington: $28,840

18. North Dakota: $28,830

19. Pennsylvania: $28,670

20. New Mexico: $27,900

21. Montana: $26,930

22. South Dakota: $26,610

23. Kansas: $26,490

24. Michigan: $26,430

25. Alaska: $26,400

26. Ohio: $26,200

27. North Carolina: $25,760

28. West Virginia: $24,900

29. Alabama: $23,310

30. Indiana: $22,900

31. Missouri: $22,800

32. Oklahoma: $22,480

33. Louisiana: $22,250

34. South Carolina: $21,910

As a point of reference the average Middle Class annual income today is $50,000, down from $54,000 at the beginning of the 2008 Recession.

Hawaii, DC, and Massachusetts pay more in welfare than average workers are able to earn there. Is it any wonder that so many stay home rather than look for a job. Time for a drastic change. America is virtually bankrupt.

Have we gone mad? How could we hope to undo this extravagant stupidity in public policy?

US Presidents: 

$400,000 a year while in office

Representatives  and Senators: 

$174,000

Speaker of the House:

 $223,500

Majority or Minority Leader 

$193,400

Average income for teachers - $40,065

Average Salary of Soldier DEPLOYED IN

AFGHANISTAN  $38,000

Think about this:

Nancy Pelosi, already a very rich woman, earned $174,000 a year as a US Representative. She earned $223,500 a year as Speaker. She receives $193,400 a year as Minority Leader. Doubtless at the rate things are going others who follow in her wake will eventually receive more

Nancy Pelosi is just one of many hundreds of senators

and representatives that float in and out every

year.

[NOTE: The retirement income members of congress receive (from is, the taxpayers) is determined by a formula that takes into account the years served and the average pay for the top three years in terms of payment. For example, a member elected before 1984 ... who worked for 22 years and who had a top three-year average salary of $153,900 would be eligible for a pension payment of $84,645 per year. A member elected after 1984 would have been enrolled under the FERS plan, and their pension payment under the same conditions ($153,900 top three-year average salary and 22 years of service ^[not in citation given^]) would be $55,404. ^[not in citation given^].[3] In 2002, the average pension payment ranged from $41,000 to $55,000.[4]]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_pension

[NOTE: The average annual retirement income in the USA for a COUPLE is about 50K, but the figure’s meaning is distorted, because it averages in the incomes of the super-rich, which may amount to millions per month and hundreds of millions per year –– or more ––  along with that of the burger flippers, lawn care service workers, store clerks, waiter and waitresses, domestic assistants (i.e. house maids), etc. Omitting the top 5% would doubtless bring the average down to less than 20K per year. Exact figures are not readily available.] 

http://www.ask.com/web?am=broad&q=average+retirement+income&an=google_s&askid=7f12d5b2-0fc0-4117-82a6-14ca73bce30d-0-us_gsb&kv=sdb&gc=0&dqi=Average+annual+income+for+US+retirees&qsrc=999&ad=semD&o=11475&l=dir&ampclid=&af=&_=1

Don’t you think paring down the rewards that come through serving in congress would be a good place to start paring down the costs of government?

SOURCES:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/09/02/on-labor-day-2013-welfare-pays-more-than-minimum-wage-work-in-35-states/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salaries_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0875856.html

MOTHER BUYS A ROBOT

IT SLAPS PEOPLE WHEN THEY LIE

She decides to test it out at dinner one night,

and asks her son what he did that afternoon.

The son says, "I did some schoolwork."

The robot slaps the son.

The son says, "OK! OK! 
I was at a friend's house watching movies."

The father asks, "What movie did you watch?"

The son says, "Toy Story."

The robot slaps the son.

The son says, "OK, OK, we were watching porn."

The father says, "What? At your age 

I didn't even know what porn was."

The robot slaps the father.

The mother says, "Well, you certainly are your father’s son."

The ROBOT SLAPS the MOTHER.

*... ROBOT FOR SALE ...*

Sayonara!

... ROBOTS ... 
Bane or Boon? 
Marvel or Menace? 

SUNDAY MEDITATION

Oswald Chambers (1874-1917), Theologian

Am I Carnally Minded?

Oswald Chambers: My Utmost for His Highest - 3/23/2013 

Where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal . . . ? —1 Corinthians 3:3

The natural man, or unbeliever, knows nothing about carnality. The desires of the flesh warring against the Spirit, and the Spirit warring against the flesh, which began at rebirth, are what produce carnality and the awareness of it. But Paul said, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). In other words, carnality will disappear.

Are you quarrelsome and easily upset over small things? Do you think that no one who is a Christian is ever like that? Paul said they are, and he connected these attitudes with carnality. Is there a truth in the Bible that instantly awakens a spirit of malice or resentment in you? If so, that is proof that you are still carnal. If the process of sanctification is continuing in your life, there will be no trace of that kind of spirit remaining.

If the Spirit of God detects anything in you that is wrong, He doesn’t ask you to make it right; He only asks you to accept the light of truth, and then He will make it right. A child of the light will confess sin instantly and stand completely open before God. But a child of the darkness will say, “Oh, I can explain that.” When the light shines and the Spirit brings conviction of sin, be a child of the light. Confess your wrongdoing, and God will deal with it. If, however, you try to vindicate yourself, you prove yourself to be a child of the darkness.

What is the proof that carnality has gone? Never deceive yourself; when carnality is gone you will know it-it is the most real thing you can imagine. And God will see to it that you have a number of opportunities to prove to yourself the miracle of His grace. The proof is in a very practical test. You will find yourself saying, “If this had happened before, I would have had the spirit of resentment!” And you will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.

_______________________________

CARNAL

1. Pertaining to flesh; fleshly; sensual; opposed to spiritual; as carnal pleasure.

2. Being in the natural state; unregenerate.

"The carnal mind is enmity against God." Rom. 8.

3. Pertaining to the ceremonial law; as carnal ordinances. Heb. 9:10.

4. Lecherous; lustful; libidinous; given to sensual indulgence.

________________________________

QUESTIONS:

1. What do these words suggest to you? 

2. Are they meant to be a condemnation of sex and sexual desire? 

3. Do they irritate you, and put you immediately in a defensive mode? 

4. Do they provoke curiosity? 

5. What is meant by the term "Self-Justification?" 

6. Is it a good thing or a bad thing, or possibly a bit of both? 

7. Is advice of this sort meant to apply to the way we think of others, or only the way we regard ourselves as individuals?

 8. Do you think "religion" may be going out of style, and is, therefore, no longer relevant in modern life? 

9. If your answer is yes, please explain why this may be so? 

10. What does the term "Salvation" mean to you?

HUNKERED DOWN!

BARRICADED!

CLOSETED!

NEFARIOUS?

The More Things Change The More They Remain the Same
This witty little ditty, written in 1955,  and later made popular by The Kingston Trio in 1959 proves that conclusively

They're rioting in Africa; They're starving in Spain; There're hurricanes in Florida, And Texas needs rain.
The whole world is festering  With unhappy souls The French hate the Germans The Germans hate the Poles
Italians hate the Yugoslavs South Africans hate the Dutch And I don't like anybody very much!
But we can  be thankful and tranquil and proud That Man's been endowed with a musrhoom-shaped cloud, For we know that some one on some lovely day Will set off the spark, and we will all be blown away.
They're rioting in Africa There's strife in Iran What Nature doesn't do to us Will be done by our fellow man!
~ Sheldon Harnick (1955)

Sheldon Harnick - American lyricist and songwriter (born 1924)

The Wit and Wisdom 

of ANN COULTER 

Nemesis of Leftists

Part VI of a New Series (Concluded)

Random Quotes from Miss Coulter’s Work

'You remember what a fabulous success court-ordered "desegregation" plans have been. Few failures have been more spectacular. Illiterate students knifing one another between acts of sodomy in the stairwell is just one of the many eggs that had to be broken to make the left's omelette of transferring power from states to the federal government.'

'While the form of treachery varies slightly from case to case, liberals always manage to take the position that most undermines American security.'

“Democrats couldn't care less if people in Indiana hate them. But if Europeans curl their lips, liberals can't look at themselves in the mirror.” 

'If we're so cruel to minorities, why do they keep coming here? Why aren't they sneaking across the Mexican border to make their way to the Taliban?'

'Swing voters are more appropriately known as the 'idiot voters' because they have no set of philosophical principles. By the age of fourteen, you're either a Conservative or a Liberal if you have an IQ above [that of] a toaster.'

'Liberals become indignant when you question their patriotism, but simultaneously work overtime to give terrorists a cushion for the next attack and laugh at dumb Americans who love their country and hate the enemy.'

'If we took away women's right to vote, we'd never have to worry about another Democrat president.'

The Wit and Wisdom 

of ANN COULTER 

Nemesis of Leftists

Part V of a New Series

Random Quotes from Miss Coulter’s Work

'“Even with a Democratic president behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a far larger percentage of Republicans than Democrats voted for it. Eminent Democratic luminaries voted against it, including Senators Ernest Hollings, Richard Russell, Sam Ervin, Albert Gore Sr., J. William Fulbright (Bill Clinton’s mentor) and of course, Robert Byrd. Overall, 82 percent of Senate Republicans supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964, compared to only 66 percent of Democrats. In the House, 80 percent of Republicans voted for it, while only 63 percent of Democrats did.'

'Crediting Democrats for finally coming on board with Republicans civil rights policies by supporting the 1964 act would be nearly as absurd as giving the Democrats all the glory for President Reagan’s 1981 tax cuts –– which passed with the support of 99 percent of Republicans but only 29 percent of Democrats.”'

'The New York Times editorial page is like a Ouija board that has only three answers, no matter what the question. The answers are: higher taxes, more restrictions on political speech and stricter gun control.'

'

The Wit and Wisdom 

of ANN COULTER 

Nemesis of Leftists

Part IV of a New Series

Random Quotes from Miss Coulter’s Work

'“It’s often said that those who are unduly bothered by gays are latent homosexuals. Isn’t it possible that people obsessed with racism are themselves racist?”' 

'“Pilate was required to release one of the prisoners, so he gave the mob the choice of Jesus or Barabbas, a notorious murderer and insurrectionist –– in other words someone who incites mobs."' 

'Again, the mob "spoke with one voice" demanding "with loud shouts" that Jesus be crucified.”' 

“You know you're doing something right when you've reduced hordes of liberals to blind, sputtering rage.”' 

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

~~~~~~~ On St. Paddy’s Day ~~~~~~~

On city streets and hills and village squares

Neighbors celebrate with ethnic pride

Something ancient ~~ veiled in mist ~~ with airs

That sound like merry mourning countrywide.

Pipes of clay so white and pints of brew

Abound among the throngs that flood the pubs 

Declaiming Emerald the sacred hue ~~

Decrying England’s cruel historic snubs.

Yet, maudlin sentiment soon drowns the ire.

‘Tis nostalgia that’s the order of the day ~~

Sweet dreams of something mythic ~~ far away

Dissolve with drink the potency of fire.

A nation’s wounded pride may fill its heart,

Yet give no strength save that which tears apart.

~ FreeThinke ~ The Sandpiper ~ Spring 1997

The Wit and Wisdom 

of ANN COULTER 

Nemesis of Leftists

Part III of a New Series

Random Quotes from Miss Coulter’s Work

'In his fawning hagiography of Teddy Kennedy, Clymer wrote that Kennedy's liberal voting record made up for his killing that girl at Chappaquiddick. I didn't believe it either, but Adam Clymer actually wrote: Kennedy's "achievements as a senator have towered over his time, changing the lives of far more Americans than remember the name Mary Jo Kopechne." (A review in The Washington Monthly said Clymer's Chappaquiddick section did "not sugarcoat his subject's flaws.")'

'This is the way addled liberals really think. Even as they champion sucking the brains out of little babies, they think of themselves as indelibly compassionate because they favor an overweening, behemoth federal government.'

'That's what the Supreme Court did in Roe vs. Wade, and has repeatedly done in periodic codicils to its original edict. ... In Stenberg vs. Carhart, the court expanded the apocryphal abortion right to an all-new right to stick a fork in the head of a half-born baby.' 

'The first lunacy keeps being rewritten to give abortion enthusiasts everything they could possibly want.'