IT CAN BE DONE

See, Muslims?  It can be done!...Lar of Galen

Being fracked up in the head is NOT courage...Lar of Galen

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"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

 

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted' for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

 

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

 

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3rd day of October, A.D. 1789."

(signed) G. Washington

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My Annual Bailey Bread For Thanksgiving: PARABLE OF THANKSGIVING

Behold, in a great city lived a man. For all the years of his life he had worked hard, and when the years had come upon him in number, he had accumulated great possessions. But that man loved God and gave liberally to the poor.

And it came to pass that as the season of giving thanks was upon the land, the man called together the people and said, "Let us make a service of thanksgiving, each man according as he is able. Let us express to God our gladness for the bountiful way He has provided for us. Before feasting, let us give thanks."

Yet even as the man so blessed was speaking, another man stood to his feet. "Oh, mighty one, it is easy for you to say, 'Let us express to God our gladness for the bountiful way He has provided for us.' I cannot say such a thing. God has not provided for me bountifully. He has scarcely provided for me at all.

"The money changers own my house. The collectors of taxes hound me. I have nothing to call my own. How can I give thanks?"

Behold, the rich man looked at the one who had nothing to be thankful for. And in his heart grew a great compassion. Many times he had shared with the other man, but now he wished to give him more than possessions. If only he could give him confidence in himself, encouragement, hope-and God.

"Sir, let us plan our service of thanksgiving. And to you I say, bring your family. When it comes time to give thanks, I will offer you half of all my riches, if you will give me half of your riches."

The people gasped, but a smile crossed the discontented features of the poor man. What had he to lose? But oh, how much he had to gain. So he opened his eyes wide, "I will do as you say."

And it came to pass that the day of thanksgiving was upon the people. There was great rejoicing throughout the land. God had been good and it was a time of feasting. Many were the expressions of gratefulness of the love and mercy of the Heavenly Father. But none was so glad as the poor man and his family. For this day would they be rich. They would leave the service of thanksgiving as owners of half the rich man's worldly possessions! No longer would their home be filled with worry each time the tax collector or moneylender came. Every good thing would fill walls of their house. Nay, they would sell their little house and buy a mansion, such as the rich man owned. They would purchase the fanciest of chariots, without worry of fodder in the days to come. Then they would be thankful.

Lo, the service was almost over. The great God of the harvest must have smiled at the people's praise and joy. Then it was time. Only the rich man and the poor man had yet to give thanks.

The rich man stood to his feet. "Good friends, this day is a day of rejoicing. All of you know my brother has agreed to barter. He will give me half of what he possesses. I in turn will give to him half of what I possess. Has it not been agreed?"

"Aye." The voices were a hundred strong, but no one was so loud as that of the poor man.

"Then let it be so." The rich man stood facing the poor man. "This day have the doctors and physicians made known to me that one of my legs is no longer healthy. Sir, you have two legs. I pray that you will give me one of them." A ripple of shock went throughout the people, but the poor man could only stare. "My leg? You want one of my legs? But I could not give away a leg! What madness is this to ask?"

No one saw the little smile creep into the carefully hidden eyes of the rich man. "So be it. I will forgive you on this point."

He turned and pointed to the two stripling lads who accompanied the poor man and his wife. Twin boys, healthy, bright, and pleasant to look upon. "God has denied children to my wife and me. Give me one of your sons. You have two. I will take him and raise him as my own. He will possess all that I have accumulated. Come, which will it be?"

The poor man gazed at his sons. Give one of them away? He thought of how they laughed and tumbled together. He thought of the merriness in their home, although it was rude and humble. Give away one of his sons, part of his own body? For a moment his vision of a mansion, a chariot, and all that went with it lingered in his mind. Then he faced the rich man. "I can never give away my son!"

The rich man persisted, although the twinkle in his eye grew bigger and brighter. "But what of our bargain? Half of what we possess. That was the agreement. Sir, claim one of your sons."

Behold, the poor man drew himself up with dignity. "Not for half your possessions, not for all your possessions would I give away my son!"

Behold, the sound of laughter rang through that assembly. The rich man could no longer hold back his mirth. "And you have nothing for which to be thankful?" He laughed again, and a reluctant smile began to creep into the face of the other man. "I say unto you sir, with two strong legs, with two beautiful sons-you are richer by far than I. Now can you give thanks?"

And it came to pass that the rich man and the poor man stood together before the altar. But lo, he who had felt he had nothing of worth of which to thank God perceived in his heart whose riches was greater. And behold, his arms tightened upon the shoulders of his sons, his head bowed, and out of the shame and envy that had been released by his richer brother, he gave thanks.

Blessings,

CH Ray Bailey

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Letter From Florida

ORANGE COUNTY,FLORIDA For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper ..... Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which do not agree with the philosophy they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help, it will get published via cyberspace! From: "David LaBonte" My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined. Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register: Dear Editor: So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Islandand other ports of entry. Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home. They had waved good-bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought alongside men whose parents had come straight over from Germany , Italy , France and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan . They were defending the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France , no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German-American or the Irish-American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one Red, White and Blue bowl. And here we are with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags. And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty , it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet. (signed) Rosemary LaBonte