Puffs

Memories . . .

Some things we remember forever, others we forget as soon as possible.

Sunday, a bad memory came rushing back because of driving to Sunday Mass on a gravel road soaked by about an inch or rain. I forgot what it’s like to drive on gravel roads when they are wet.

It all came back to me . . . quickly. However, I did stay out of the ditch and I’m thankful for however much rain fell during these couple of days. As I heard one lady say: “We just couldn’t go into winter without some moisture.”

A O

A good friend of mine retired a number of years ago. I retired a number of years after he did, but we got to talking one day about “TV News” in general.

He noted that he really enjoyed watching the news televised almost 24 hours a day. He noted: “it kept him up to date and helped him understand how and why today’s activities will be tomorrow’s history.”

I replied, saying that was OK, if that is what it took to stay informed. However, I felt that it was a bit of “over kill” and mostly led to a bit of depression because most all of the TV news is designed to get you ‘excited’ about the subject matter they are reporting and most of that news was negative and depressing.

I do watch TV news, but a limited amount of it. I mostly try to keep up with daily news via newspapers and magazines, but mostly newspapers.

For “fun” I try to read history from books. That is if I’m not watching the Cornhuskers playing some type of sport.

A O

In that reading effort, I recently came across a Trivia questionnaire about “Quirky Laws” in Nebraska. There were 15 questions and I hope to bring five a week for the next couple of weeks.

The following are “True – False” questions:

No. 1: Barbers in Waterloo are prohibited from snacking on veggies, specifically onions, during working hours.

No. 2: Omaha and Bellevue allow the keeping of pot-bellied pigs as pets, although many other Nebraska cities (like Lincoln) don’t.

No. 3: Nebraska law says that bar owners cannot sell beer unless they brew a pot of soup at the same time.

No. 4: Contrary to the widely repeated urban legend, there is, in fact, no specific Nebraska law that outlaws whale hunting.

No. 5: Under no circumstances is it permitted to lead or ride horses, mules, oxen or other draft animals on the streets of Grand Island.

No. 1: False (although it is a popular legend)

No. 2: True

No. 3: False (but there are statutes about serving food)

No. 4: True

No. 5: False (allowed with permission)

A O

Speaking of history something I find interesting is the formation and eventual destruction of various civilizations throughout history. Many, but not all, were constructed around a “religion”

The United States does not have a “religion” except to say that there is a freedom to accept any religion a person may have. It so happened that almost every founder of the U. S. was Christian, so the majority of religions in the U. S. are Christian.

However, it does seem (if you believe TV news and national media outlets) that a new secular religion has come into being.

This new secular religion promotes ideas most of us have accepted for years. “Good and Evil” are not always what we’ve been taught is the new understanding. For example:

No. 1: The powerless (good) and the powerful (bad) are pitted against each other. While there are examples of the powerful misusing their position, there are many examples of the powerful helping the powerless. The two groups are not natural enemies.

No. 2: Color blindness and race obsession. So often an activity between people of color and people identify as white is judged in this new secular religion as good or bad because of the color of their skin. The real reason is often lost.

No. 3: Debate with denunciation: a person can talk about ideas without actually promoting them. However, it that idea does not side with this new secular religion, the person is not accepted and ridiculed because of his debate stance.

No .4: Persuasion with public shaming: How often are Conservatives ridiculed because their ideas of “right and wrong” are still the same as they have been for thousands of years? Liberals try to shame them into accepting new ideas judged superior to those old ideas.

I recently read the following that put the situation into words better than I can: “Our civilization is threatened with oblivion by an internal ideological cancer. That’s the crux of the culture war and the source of conflict in Western societies that’s become impossible to ignore—though many have and still try to.”

A O

Please remember to say a prayer of “Thanks” on Thursday. I know I’m guilty of not appreciating all that I’ve been given in this world. That is the reason for the holiday. Give thanks to those around you that you have benefited from and give thanks to the Almighty God for all the gifts you have received from him, simply because He loves you.

A O