Our son Sam has had an interesting fascination with the Titanic lately. We’ve let him watch the 1997 movie “Titanic” and the early 1958 “A Night to Remember.” We’ve checked out additional documentary DVDs from the library along with books. He’s taken one of his giant Lego planes and converted it to be Titanic, complete with funnels and a break-away hull which allows him to sink it (from the couch to the floor) in dramatic near-real play action into two pieces. It’s pretty cool actually. I even helped him find the underwater 3D representation on the sea floor in Google Earth.
All this has re-kindled my own childhood interest in the story and the wreck. I recall being intrigued by the idea of this unsinkable ship having sunk in 1912 and the fact it hadn’t been found. I, like many others thought how cool it would be if someone did find it and was able to raise it. I read Clive Cussler’s book “Raise the Titanic” and watched the movie of the same name. These of course only kindled a belief the Titanic might one day be found and actually brought back to the surface. Many people thought the same thing. But tonight I got to thinking what a folly that was.
I’m sure before the Titanic was discovered by Bob Ballard, many people truly believed we’d find her and be able to affect a patch on her hull that would allow us to bring her up. I’m certain there were grand visions of turning her into a museum, monument or sailing her again just to take the “unsinkable” meme and shake it in the face of God.
But God had other plans.
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I am a person who has become paranoid about my government; I live in the United States of America and feel I’m losing my liberty. That’s not something that was supposed to happen here.
“When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”
unattributed
Shamefully it’s because of this paranoia, of the U.S.A. government of late, that I have grown silent; not wishing to draw attention to myself or my family. I don’t wish the IRS to perform an invasive audit. I don’t want the NSA snooping in my files or monitoring my phone calls. I don’t need them to tell me what kind of health coverage I need, or what to eat, where to eat it or who to work for. I don’t want a visit from G-Men thugs pressuring me to think like the collective. I wish a return to liberty, freedom and the choice to be responsible for myself without the shackles of being told I have to support those who don’t want to be responsible.
I find I can’t be silent anymore, but what I want to say and how I can say it are in some ways bounded by the fact I work for a living and have a family to support. What I have time an inclination to share is my voice. I have no other outlet than the words I can write, or speak. Therefore it will be my writing that speaks for me.
The one word that comes to my mind with regard to the present administration grossly lacking it, is “integrity.” A man must be a man of his words. Make no promises you can’t keep. Commit nothing, do nothing, until you have consensus. Let one’s actions speak louder than their words. Don’t believe or think that you know it all… because you don’t, and neither do I. Be a leader, not a smooth-talking snake oil salesman.
The second word I’m thinking of is “honesty.” A man must believe in what he says and live what he says to the best of his ability. He must bear no ill intent or hide iniquities with his words. Facts must not be construed or manipulated for personal gain or the a perceived gain of the collective. Truth must be told as it exists in the heart and in facts, not from breath of power. Sometimes honesty and the truth can hurt, yet it is necessary to address the pain soon and seek recovery. Most people find great respect for those who are honest. In contrast, they experience deep emotional pain when they discover a liar. Read the rest of this entry »
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