The Last Pitch 

     November 5. The world series. Game 7. Ninth inning. Score tied. 

     The Philadelphia (think constitutional convention) Phillies now risk defeat. The New York Yankees, the home team, have led the league going on four years. 

     Yanks only need to score one more run. Bases loaded. Two outs. Count - 3 balls, 2 strikes. The batter doesn't need to get a hit...if she is hit by a pitch, the Phillies make an error, or the pitcher throws ball 4. Or the judge - we mean umpire, makes a bad call. Ha Ha. 

     If Yankees win, they will make all laws, choose all leaders, bench any opponents, erase prior records, remove statues of opponents...and sign-up illegal players from around the world. 

     It's already happening, because they won control four years ago. 

     Okay. It's not November 5th...yet. 

     When a ball game is over, players win or lose, not the fans. When a national election is over, potentially any of us can be affected, for the good, or not. As we're part of an uncertain world, who knows what may happen well after the election? Can we trust our leadership? 

     Unlike ball games, we get to vote. It's not much. There may be cheating. But if we don't participate, hopefully with true knowledge, we have no complaint when our government fails us. 

              Jimmy

     

      

In Our Mail Bag 

     While we work on tomorrow's special, you might enjoy(?) looking over some of our mail.

"Time is running out to hold accountable the most corrupt and fraudulent congressional committee ever."

"...there was no insurrection or coup attempt..."

"The...committee has suppressed critical testimony...leaked...smeared... massive misinformation..."

"...they don't want you to know."

"...but a cabal...blocked their deployment..." 

"...they need to hide that fact from the American people." 

"No one has held them accountable."

"There have been a ton of lies thrown around..."

"They went nuclear on the whistleblower from the Secret Service..."

"They outright lied about what he had testified..." 

"They hide evidence, they lie, and they destroy people who stand up..."

"The answer is they are afraid of the truth." 

"I'm forming a special team who can't be bought..." 

"...there will be no one to fight for us when it comes for us!"

"Yet...still refuse to defend our border..." 

"I'd do it all over again because protecting Americans..." 

"That's why...makes me see red." 

"...Illegal immigration costs the American taxpayer..."

"Washington is chock full of spineless Democrats AND Republicans..."

"But thanks to Biden rolling out the welcome mat for all..."

"...terrorist hot spots, drug manufacturing, and countries hell bent on destroying America." 

"...done all they can to dismantle the America First policies..."

"I lost both my legs more than 13 years ago...in Afghanistan."

Don't hide under your bed. We'll quit here.

Jimmy

Get Emotional   

We're soon going to blog you everything - we think - 

you need to know about this year's election. 

     Today, let's get emotional. This follows previous blogs on the human heart, soul and mind. 

     Did you know - your emotions will go with you into eternity?  

     There are emotions of gladness, love, courage, repentance, grief, humility, excitement, happiness, motivation, inspired, joy and passionate. 

     Emotions not so welcome include fearful, anxious, anger, anguish, troubled, sadness, depressed, frustrated, annoyed and irritated. We assume none of these will follow us into heavenly life. As for hell? 

     Some emotions can be positive one time and negative another, depending on the issue...such as anger over evil activity, or excitement that some danger passed us by. 

     While some facts about us cannot change, or shouldn't, we can change, control, or revise certain emotions. Our Bible speaks of joy in the Lord while experiencing trouble. And humility: if we don't have it, we had best reconsider. 

     As for both positive and negative emotions, some can be helpful, others harmful. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that we all (including himself) are "jars of clay."  

          Jimmy  

 And Jesus said...

   John chapter 13

The last supper with his disciples, knowing what was to happen:

v. 31  Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 

v. 34  A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 

v. 35  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. 

   John chapter 14

v. 1  Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 

v. 3  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 

Thomas: "Lord, we do not know where you are going..."

v. 6  I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 

Philip: "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."

v. 9  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, "Show us the Father?"

COMPASSION  

Path Out of Poverty?

     What say? Let's put a lid on politics for today. 

     Some children climb the economic ladder as adults, while others never escape the poverty of their childhood. Why is this?

     Research published by Harvard suggests that parental employment is key to a child's long-term economic improvement - most importantly employment among the parents of a child's school mates or friends. 

     It's long been known that children who grow up in poverty make less money than their peers in adulthood. They also have worse outcomes in health and education. 

     There was a study of tax and census data of 57 million American children born between 1978 and 1992. Children raised in neighborhoods with high rates of parental employment made the greatest economic strides. This was true even if the child's own parents didn't have jobs. 

     If parents of friends and neighbors were employed, such children tended to earn more as adults, achieved higher SAT and ACT scores, and were more likely to be employed and pursued more education. 

      So...a child's future economic success isn't always a credit to affluent, well-educated parents.

     Other research confirms that the power of social environment is often key. Encouragement matters, wherever it comes from.  

          Jimmy

This Election Isn't War

     It's only a checkup to determine who's winning the war.

     Americans since World War II have been at war with other Americans. Unlike the Civil War, it is fought with words, lies and "lawfare." 

     Since Donald Trump, who dared to invade the political world in 2015, the battle has heated up. The stronger side plays for keeps, and if they win this year's checkup, our more perfect union, Justice, domestic Tranquility, general Welfare and the Blessings of Liberty will be something for history books. Written by the victors. 

     Trump's house was raided. He was indicted four times and impeached twice. As of today, he is still upright. Although a 20-year-old nearly ended his campaign for keeps. 

     General Flynn was indicted and financially broken. Peter Navarro was in prison. Steve Bannon is in prison. Roger Stone was sentenced to jail.

     More than 1,100 Trump supporters have been arrested. James O'Keefe was raided. Alex Jones was bankrupted. 

     We don't know the details or the full truth. We do know that some unjust judges are leading the fight. 

     We did read that in Tuesday's debate, Disney World's ABC, the two moderators are not journalists, and each are friends with Harris or her running mate. It's not a small world any longer. 

     Harris is only a voice of her army. The officers and ground troops are all over Washington and scattered throughout.  

              Jimmy 

Encouraging Hope in Dark Times 

    Part 3, conclusion 

What about those outside Israel?

     Aaron: "Jewish people in a lot of places are feeling less confidant being public about their Jewishness. So, wherever we are we invite Israelis and Jewish people in. At our New York base, we invite people to come in and talk, connect and share how there're feeling. We want Jewish people to feel safe, to engage with other Jeish people, whatever they may believe. In the midst of that, many of them are getting to hear more about the hope that we have as Messianic Jews...what Jesus has done for us and how He's impacted our lives." 

How do you encourage hope among people in dark times?

     "We have one of the greatest solutions to anti-Semitism. We're not coming to this battle empty-handed. We want Jewish people and Arab and Palestinian people to hear about the hope we've discovered. So, we go back to the gospel. Jesus said, 'You will have hardship, but take heart, for I've overcome the world.'"

     "Division and hatred and wars shake us to our core, and they make us ask deep questions like, 'Why, God? Why is this happening?' Look at (ancient) Israel and the exile. Look through the Hebrew Scriptures, and you see how challenging times would bring men and women back to the Lord and back on their knees. In a sense, it's drawn us back onto our knees to say, 'God, You save us.' So, we have hope. We feel an immense sense of purpose."

 #

God, Could This Be True? 

     Part 2

I understand you had a friend who was killed by Hamas.

     Aaron: "My military roommate was kidnapped by Hamas. He was tortured for several days before being executed by his captors. It was a traumatic experience which left me questioning the existence of God."

     "Once my service ended, I traveled and encountered Christians who shared the gospel and challenged me to read the New Testament. And after reading it and asking God, 'Could this be true?' I felt drawn to Jesus. I just couldn't get enough. I kept reading Gospel after Gospel, for six, eight hours. I started to turn my life toward Jesus, and say, 'What would it look like to follow you?'" 

     "When I went back to Israel and tried to share my faith with Jewish friends, I (thought) 'Wow, this is hard work. How do I do this?' So, I found Jews for Jesus, and they said, 'we'll help train you'. I've been on the staff since 1999." 

What do your experiences bring to the organization, especially in light of current middle east conflict? 

      (He mentioned his life, his military service and experience in conflict): "I can empathize with the current conflict. I've...seen Israelis grappling with what has happened since Oct. 7. Many of our team were called up to reserve duties. We also had staff in Gaza."

How did Oct. 7 and the war affect your outreach efforts?

     "Everybody was in shock, but our team said, 'What would Yeshua do--what would Jesus do?' We partnered with Jewish and Arab Christian congregations, and other ministries provided food, basic supplies. It was a powerful witness. When people experience something like this, they start asking deeper spiritual questions. In the first three months of the war, we had over 600 orders for Hebrew-language New Testaments."

Tomorrow: How to encourage hope

Countering anti-Semitism  

  Part 1

     Aaron Abramson, CEO of Jews for Jesus, is the first Israeli to lead the 51-year-old outreach organization. Born in Detroit, he moved to Israel at age 15 and received an Orthodox Jewish education. 

     He began a spiritual search that led him to faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Now he leads a ministry that works in 11 countries seeking to reach Jews with the love of Christ. 

by Lindsay Mast, WORLD magazine

I've heard American Jews say that they feel their sense of security was swept from them after Oct. 7.

     "Jewish people represent a very small percentage of the population, and yet they're the focus of the news. I'm aware, as a believer in Jesus, that there's a diabolical side to this. My family left Europe to come to the United States because it's been relatively a safe haven for Jewish people. Today, we're seeing the U.S. has become rather scary for some Jewish people. We're encouraging Christians to reach out to their Jewish friends."

Your father was Jewish, but your mother had a Catholic background.

     "I had a bar mitzvah. When I was around 12 or 13, my parents also started to explore this Jesus piece, and I didn't know what to think. My mom converted to Judaism, and my family moved to Israel. I attended an Orthodox Jewish seminary, a yeshiva, and lived in an Orthodox Jewish environment. Meanwhile, I was asking, "Is this who God is and what God has for me?" 

Next: three years in military, then...

Before the Debate

     Debate this.

Before we vote

     Consider the motivations. 

     Long before there was America, God allowed good kings and bad kings to rule Israel and Judah, his people. We don't know that God cares who enjoys the fame and fortune of a term in the White House. 

     He is busy winning souls all over the world, while he battles his enemy, Satan. (With one hand behind his back?) 😜

     Our state-by-state election process is good, but not perfect. Cheaters and liars can steer our ship in one direction or another. 

     What's curious - no, evident - today, the Chaney family supports Harris, and the Marxists. They despise Donald Trump, and they will sell out America to get even. Our middle class will despise a communist world, but those like the Chaney's who already conquered will be okay.

     With Trump, like him or not, middle-class life was much better, the border was secure, and the world was at peace. And he didn't take a salary. Former VP Dick Chaney says Trump "cannot be trusted...a threat to the republic. We must put country above partisanship and defend our constitution." That's BS. 

     His daughter, former congresswoman Liz Chaney, calls Trump a "depraved human being, a coward," and he and his running mate, J.D. Vance, "misogynistic pigs. They promote violence" (Jan. 6, 2021 apparently). Opponent Kamala Harris doesn't even use that language.  

     What's Liz's problem? Oh, the GOP caucus replaced her as conference chair in 2021, and a Trump supporter defeated her in the next primary. 

     They accuse Trump/Vance of destroying democracy and the constitution, the very goals leftist Democrats have in mind. Debate that!   

          Jimmy 

John chapter 12 

     Jesus said...

v. 25  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 

The attitude that values heavenly interests far above those of this world.

v. 26  If anyone serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him my Father will honor.  

v. 31  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 

Jesus began Satan's defeat on the cross. Finally, the lake of burning sulfur.

v. 32  ...if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to myself. 

Grace is offered to all. Not all will receive it, by their own actions and decisions. 

v. 36  ...believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. 

v. 43  ...for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 

Many seek the favor of others. The victory over this error is faith. 

v. 44  He who believes in me, believes ... in Him who sent me. 

v. 46  I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness. 

v. 49  I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me gave me a command, what I should speak. 

💓

 No Offense, FSU Readers    

     In high school, we rooted for our football team. Later in life, we realized our modest cheers and participation in our marching band had no effect on the outcomes. Cheering among 80,000 fans in college likewise produced no touchdowns. 

     Players appreciate cheers, but cheers don't motivate them to win. If that's what it takes, they would lose every away game. Adults and students continue to think they are helping their gladiators.  

     There are cheerleaders, mascots, marching bands and flags to excite the fans-$$$. We attended a game at Clemson years ago. Didn't see a single Clemson fan that wasn't dressed in team apparel from head to foot. Is that how the Tigers beat Georgia Tech that day?

     Okay. It's all about fun. And profits.

     Now, there is one home team I will never, ever watch again.

     I looked in on Florida State's home game with Boston College last weekend. FSU Noles were undefeated in the regular season a year ago, and they have, or had, great expectations this fall.  

     The school has a nice relationship with descendants of the Seminole tribe in Florida. So, their athletes can be Seminole Indians, unlike the shamed Cleveland baseball Indians and Washington's NFL Redskins. 

     While the visitors were having their way with FSU, fans were singing every five seconds, the same Indian song of war, on and on, again and again. None of it produced a Noles win. Later during the night, my mind did some war singing while I was trying to sleep. Last night, it happened again. Enough! I'm blowing the whistle! Throwing the flag!

       Jimmy 

The End of Everything 

     Don't fear. It's only the title of a Victor Davis Hanson book. He says voters deserve to know whether either presidential candidate grasps how close "the unimaginable is to the quite possible."  

     Ah, maybe we should fear. 

     War and annihilation. From Russia and Ukraine to China and Taiwan. Korea, Iran and Israel. What could be the spark that sets the world ablaze? Russia is striking Ukraine and Ukraine is striking inside Russia. The U.S. supplies weapons. 

Side note: Our involvement may have more to do with profits for weapons companies. We read that Ukraine and Russia were ready to quit, but President Biden scrapped the deal. True or not? 

     Hanson's book covers four civilizations - Thebans, Carthaginians, Byzantines and Aztecs - all with common factors in their demise. Human nature has not changed. He says, "arrogant moderns misunderstand." 

     Israel awaits an Iranian attack. Nuclear Pakistan and (NATO) Turkey say they will supply or join the Iranian cause. And Nuclear Russia might also. (We thought Russia is busy with its own war). 

     Would the U.S. administration get involved in any of the global flashpoints? Hanson writes, "We share a major characteristic of the four dead civilizations: factions and disunity." 

     His question for both of our candidates: "Who can offer a winning, realistic vision that unites our divided country?"

 #

Behind the Politics

     Part 2

     "In the 2016 campaign, Hillary Clinton spoke of Trump supporters as a 'basket of deplorables' (working-class Americans). In her own book, she defended her comments by citing J.D. Vance and Hillbilly Elegy and his description of 'a culture of victimhood, grievance and scapegoating.' 

     "It is now clear that literary and social elites loved his book, or said they did. That was then. 

     "Somehow, readers eventually caught on that Vance was making some transparently conservative arguments, ground in conservative principles, including the importance of family, strong work ethic, and binding morality. 

     "Did they miss the fact that the original text on the book jacket mentioned that Vance sometimes wrote for National Review? 

     "Liberal academics...now hate the book. They are turning on Vance with unusual passion. That's to be expected in politics, but Hillbilly Elegy reminds us that what's behind the politics is infinitely more important."

  by R. Albert Mohler Jr.

Loved and hated

     "Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance's story of a family and a culture in crisis, rose to the top of bestseller lists in 2016. Since Donald Trump asked him to be his running mate, the book is a best seller again. 

     "What's also interesting is that some of those who admired the book in 2016 have changed their story. Politics! 

     "Ron Howard made the book into a feature film starring Glenn Close.

     "This is the story of a boy born into radical family dysfunction in Rust Belt America. He escaped to join the Marines, where he found structure, patriotism and strong male influences. Vance graduated from Ohio State and then Yale Law School. 

     "He was a principal at a Silicon Valley investment firm, living in San Francisco (Kamala Harris's city). Vance later became a U.S. senator in Ohio. 

     "His story is shared by millions of Americans...family resilience rooted in crushing poverty in Appalachia. He was born as James Donald Bowman, abandoned by his father and abused by his mother, who struggled with addictions. His anchors were his grandparents, known as Mamaw and Papaw. Vance took his grandfather's name to honor them. 

     "There is more here than personal story, for Vance is a skilled cultural observer who sees the deep moral under-currents shaping his private world and the public world around him."   

WORLD magazine; conclusion tomorrow

No Degree? No problem 

     Welcome to Jimmy's Career Counseling Center (CCC). 

     You don't need to spend $$$ in college and more $$$ paying off your loans. Become an electrician and make $61,590 per year. Or, for almost as much, you can be a plumber or pipe fitter. 

     The U.S. government, Dept. of Labor, has proposed 779 pages of new rules regarding apprenticeships. Not that apprenticeship needs new rules, but you might join the DOL and get one of these gigs. Salary?

     Jobs in machinery maintenance pay about $61,170. Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn about $57,300. Still looking for better pay? Aircraft equipment mechanics and technicians earn $75,400. Electrical power-line installers and repairers earn $85,420.  

     Still not satisfied? Elevator and escalator installers and repairers earn $102,420. Those jobs have an upside and downside, all day. 

     When your blogger finished college and military service, at age 25 he began his career, earning, oh, about $6,000. Yep. Long time ago.

     White-collar career? Dental hygienist, $87,530; diagnostic medical sonographer, $80,850; court reporter, $63,940; paralegal, $60.970; and sales agent (advertising, insurance, real estate), $56,620-$61,270. 

     More? We need more air traffic controllers: $137,380. Now, top of our list...U.S. congress members...$174,000. No college requirement. We hear the hours are short, and there is no definition of success.

          Jimmy

What's Up With Project 2025?

     In 1981, the Heritage Foundation created a proposal for the Reagan administration. They have done so ever since.

     This year's Mandate for Leadership wasn't unusual. It's 900 pages or so includes taking the reins of government, the common defense, the general welfare, the economy and independent regulatory agencies.   

     None of those generally conservative notions appeal to Democrats. The Harris team had a fit and linked this with Donald Trump. Of course, he isn't in the Heritage Foundation, and quickly denied any connection. Not that he wouldn't support certain issues. We don't know. But he can't allow this attack to take hold, on top of various other charges the Dems make. 

     The project's director resigned after the project became political warfare.

     If you're interested, the 2025 proposals include a federal limit on abortion, a simplified tax system, a stricter credible-fear test for asylum seekers, a pornography ban, and consolidation of government agencies. 

     Pretty scary, huh? And the authors recommended combining U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

     Democrats denounced it as Trump's top priorities. "It's dangerous, it's dastardly, and it's diabolical," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. "The extreme MAGA Republican agenda is to jam Trump's Project 2025 down the throats of the American people." 

     Of the project's 34 authors, 20 held roles in the Trump administration or worked in federal agencies during its tenure. So, there is smoke, but no fire. We think the House and Senate would have to support these changes anyway. 

     More evidence we voters need to get a grip. Our Constitution does not call for electing anyone based on sex, race or issues beyond national defense and general welfare. We don't think the founders meant welfare payments. They may not have approved (national) Social Security either.

                  Jimmy