I have intentionally waited until the end of the Olympics to update the column. If you watched the Olympics then you saw Beijing with smiling people and lighted displays. The commentators talked of how friendly everyone was, they spoke of Chinese hosts like they were invited over for a friendly dinner party.
My skepticism of China could have numerous conceptions, perhaps it’s my disdain for Communism, or because I turned 18 in 1989 when the Chinese Government killed 2,600 people of my same age. (They were killed for crimes against the People’s Republic of China.) Crimes like protesting the forced abortion of female babies, the killing of girl babies immediately upon birth. Crimes like protesting the starvation of the elderly all in the name of population control.
BUT HEY, let’s not let something as paltry as the killing of Christians for refusing to deny their faith get in the way of a good time!!! I am really not trying to be Debbie Downer here, I loved the Olympics. However, I can not forget the atrocities that have been committed and are still happening daily inside of Red China. So, before I head to the mailbag this week I want to say how happy I am for the Americans who did so well in China and how sad I am for all of those Chinese people who lost their medal round… because as of today they are probably working back at the shoe factory except with one less parent or sibling. (That’s China’s way of teaching their people not to lose!)
Now To The Mailbag
Sandy
You have said on the radio and in your blog that you believe, based on the Bible, that John McCain will win the election. You are such a f****** dumb a**. Your reckless yearning to see McCain win has you interpreting Bible Prophecy for your own benefit. Get a f****** clue! If the Bible says anything about this election, it is that we will one day be rid of unbelievers and that’s you. Keep your opinions to yourself, especially when they are ill informed and based more on your perverse sanguine optimism more so than fact.
David K
Banks, AR
Dear David
Let me begin by promising to type slowly so that you can “get it.” I have not said that based on the Bible John McCain will win the election. What I have said is, I do not believe Barack Obama is a shoo-in and there are certain Biblical prophecies which, if their time of fruition is now, would exclude someone with Senator Obama’s experience from being the person in charge of the U.S. Also, I do not have a “reckless yearning” to see McCain win. My candidate didn’t make it out of Florida, which is where many retired New Yorkers end up. (Did you catch that hint? Do you now know the candidate I was rooting for?) Thirdly, keeping my opinions to myself wouldn’t make this column much fun to read, now would it? Finally, thank you for teaching me a new word!!! I almost edited the word “sanguine” like I did your other choices in vocabulary. Then I decided to look up the meaning. Here’s what I have found, you either were redundant by using the term sanguine optimism or you were calling me a red-head… Hmmm, not sure which you chose! Either way, please have a great day. I hope you feel smarter after you got to “tell me off.” By the way, read the Bible sometime and apply it, the instructions contained therein really work!
Sandy,
Good answer to the teenager who wrote you. I received the story below recently and thought it an interesting point about life. Praise be to God that the teen years go by quickly. I would not want to be a teen again, though I would enjoy having my leaner body back! Tamara W
Carrots, Eggs & Coffee
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.' 'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. 'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
May we all be Coffee!!!
