"Leap Day Today"

Today is LEAP DAY, a day which only occurs every four years during Leap YEAR.  This is my first Leap Year since I started this blog two years ago, so I've given extra thought regarding what to SAY on this first-for-me Leap Day. (Here goes.)

Leap Day will be different things for different people. For example, for those who love winter, Leap Day is great because it delays the official start of spring by a full 24 hours. For those who love SPRING, it's a 24 hour "setback." Fans of "Black History Month" (February) get an extra day for it this year because of Leap Year, but isn't March "WOMEN'S History Month"?? (I believe so.) Consequently, for WOMEN, Leap Day makes them have to wait an additional day to get "THEIR" month (although BLACK women wind up as TOTAL winners with Leap Day, because they may celebrate BOTH February and March, and thus they get this extra day in between to connect the two.)

Personally, I was kind of bummed because one of my devotional books that I read each morning does NOT accommodate Leap Day...there is no February 29th reading. (Thankfully, the other one DOES...and God's Word the Bible is ALWAYS available!!)

My point is that some GAIN from Leap Day every four years and some feel like they LOSE something because of Leap Day.  Paul Simon's song "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor" seems relevant right now, regarding this once-every-four year event.

The ODDEST thing about Leap Day and Leap Year, though, is that, here in the U.S., Leap Year coincides with our Presidential Election Cycle. This means that every four years, as we have our Presidential elections, we get a whole extra DAY to weight the candidates before we VOTE in November.  Sadly, Leap Day THIS year will be the first time the Democrats have an extra day to slander, persecute, hinder and try to DESTROY Donald Trump before the election (in 2016, he wasn't the CANDIDATE yet, on Feb. 29th, so relatively speaking, they left him alone.) So Leap Day is a day that can either be used to gather facts to vote more intelligently this fall, or, for the NOT-so-intelligent, it can be another day MISused to just rail on a candidate you don't like.  The choice IS yours as to what you do with this Leap Day and, this Leap Year.

For me, as a Christian, Leap Day is an extra opportunity to try to serve the Lord God with all of my heart.  This is something I should be doing ANYway, 24 / 7/ 365.....or, on every Leap Year, 24 / 7/ 366.

What will YOU do with this extra day this year?

7 Mini-Blogs: "Trustworthy Trump / Breakthrough!! / New Book Coming Soon / A Precious Letter / Democrat Debate Debacle, etc."

TRUSTWORTHY TRUMP---I'll be first to say that I don't like President Trump's off-the-cuff insults, and so on.  However, though he speaks from off of the top of his head it comes from the bottom of his heart, and this "saying what you really think" trait has an UPSIDE.  It came the other night when he addressed the nation about the Coronavirus.  I, personally, believe Trump GAVE IT TO US STRAIGHT, told us what he REALLY thinks, and consequently I found him TRUSTWORTHY.  Now, I'm not saying "In Trump We Trust" (instead of "In GOD We Trust") like the book which Ann Coulter wrote with that idolatrous title.  The President is still a SINNER, and as such I'm sure there's times he stretches the truth, as well as he TELLS the truth.  But overall, I find his candor COMFORTING in times of crisis like these.  He's not canned....he's CANDID.

BREAKTHROUGH!!--- Remember the "Chetitorial" about my local paper, where the Muslim guy, in his full-page column, recently printed his "100 Commandments of Islam"?? Well I got a few of us who live locally to request that the paper print our Christian TEN Commandments and they wouldn't do it.  The good news is, the Muslim guy's column is no more and the paper isn't accepting ANY religious articles (see announcement above, which appears, for the first time, in the March 2020 issue.)  Praise God, the errors of Islam can no longer be spread through our community (which is 97% NON-Muslim.)

NEW BOOK COMING SOON---My new book (above) is in the final stages and will be available via Amazon SOON, in both print and Kindle versions.  To get an idea what it's about, click the photo to enlarge.

A PRECIOUS LETTER---One of my sons wrote me this letter (above) which I just received yesterday. It really touched my heart!!  THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A HANDWRITTEN NOTE, EVEN IF MY SON'S PENMANSHIP IS AS BAD AS MINE, Lol!!

DEMOCRAT DEBATE DEBACLE---I cannot believe how CHILDISH the Dems looked at their Debate a few nights back. If I were a moderator I would have kept them all after school, gave them string cheese and juice boxes and CALLED THEIR PARENTS, Lol!!

CHILDREN'S BOOK---I have been illustrating a children's book for a fellow Christian and I am just about done.  This (above) is his (and my) favorite drawing of the 8.

"EVANGELISM AS EXILES"---It's rare that I'll recommend a book OTHER than my own, but here's a GREAT one!!  To get an idea what it's about, click the photo to enlarge.

"A Tribute to My Friend, Bill Bane"

It's around that time of year when my friend BILL BANE passed away, six years ago.  Bill was the President of the cleaning supply company we utilized for 30 of my 35 years in the carpet cleaning business.  Legacy.com contacted me today and wanted me to add to what I wrote / my portrait of Mr. Bane, but I re-read my ORIGINAL tribute and at the moment, I cannot improve on it (except to add that he was a Conservative and a YANKEE fan....NO WONDER we hit it off so well!!) However, though I don't want to ADD to my original Tribute I did want to share it HERE.

So here's what I wrote six years ago, just after he passed (Feb. 20th, 2014), and, BTW, so my new readers know, my first wife Beth, whose name appears with mine at the bottom, passed away three years ago next month:


Dear Mrs. Bane, Bill Jr. and Don,


I join hundreds, and even thousands, of Bane-Cleners from all over the world in saying that, quite simply, we are at a loss for words regarding the loss of your dear husband and father. It is hard to know what to say and for several days, we have said nothing except to let our tears for his loss and our prayers for you all "speak" for us. The time has come to attempt the next step, however, which is to try to put his amazing life into perspective.


To you he was a dear husband and "Dad" but Mr. Bane was, to us, a humble, generous and sincere man filled with unique wisdom and common sense developed over many years and life experiences. He could always be counted on to counsel us as to what was in our best interest, and always spoke encouraging words when we sought his input. He was not only exemplary in his gentlemanly love for his dear wife of 67 years and loyalty to his family, but his praiseworthy conduct even overflowed towards "enemies." Many times in his "Cleaning Digest" or "Clene Times" articles he would go out of his way to commend a competitor where such was warranted. This was despite a constant barrage of unfair criticism which he often received and was aware of. Mr. Bane held no grudges! He firmly believed that "The Bane-Clene Way" was the best way, but he reached out to others in the industry and commended them where possible. True leaders always take the arrows, but Mr. Bane did it without bitterness!


When someone in the Bane-Clene Family or the cleaning industry at-large passed away, he wrote touching tributes to them. He was always inspiring and edifying to be around. He knew how to listen to us every bit as perceptively as he spoke. Allow me, please, to share some of my enduring and endearing personal memories of Mr. Bane. Before I came to Bane-Clene, the very first issue of the "Cleaning Digest" I received in the mail (from early 1981) told me a lot about its publisher, William F. Bane. There was a Japanese-American man shown on the cover, cleaning draperies, you see. Mr. Bane lacked prejudice before it was fashionable to be that way, and when I later learned he was a World War II veteran I was even more impressed with him for that. At my first visit to Bane-Clene Institute in 1983, there was a female entrepreneur back in the days when this was uncommon in the male-dominated cleaning industry. Mr. Bane treated her with total respect and again, he was on the cutting edge with this attitude. I was amazed at how a man in his 50s at the time (I was in my 20s) adapted so well to the changes around him and, in fact, helped effect many of the positive ones.


He truly loved baseball (and knew the game very well), he truly loved this country and, most of all, he truly loved PEOPLE. Even after I retired last year, he and I remained good friends and e-mailed each other often about those things I just mentioned, and others. Towards the end of his life, he never complained or felt sorry for himself, he merely asked for prayers and expressed gratitude when assured that they were forthcoming.


When I think of Mr. Bane, I think of a man I respect, not just a gentleman but a "Gentle Man." He was a thinking man, an articulate man, a generous man, a Man's Man. He was a salesman extraordinaire, but always a supremely ethical one in my 32 years of dealing with him. He was a man worth emulating and respecting. He was a man who was very rare and who will be greatly missed by a world which has changed so much, often for the worst, in his lengthy and uplifting lifetime.


Mr. Bane was true friend to me and thousands of others who, with you, mourn his loss with tremendous sorrow of heart.


You and the family are in our prayers,


May the God of Peace give you peace,



Love, Chet (and Beth) Jelinski

"Why Is It Controversial To Pray For Our Enemies?"

Saturday night I learned that my Democrat Governor, Phil Murphy, has a tumor on his kidney which is likely cancerous.  Considering that he recently signed a bill requiring New Jersey schools to teach LGBT History (leaving out, of course, teaching how God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of rampant Homosexuality), I must admit that my FIRST reaction to Murphy's health revelation was....GLOATING.

This was a SINFUL knee-jerk reaction on my part, and I quickly confessed it to God as such.

And, within minutes, I went on Facebook with a post asking PRAYERS for the Governor.  Here's what I posted, along with a link about his announcement...

He's my Governor, I don't like this man, but Scripture says to pray FOR those in authority, not AGAINST them.

May this affliction cause Murphy to SEEK THE LORD!!

I posted this, though, thinking that SOME Christians reading it might think it was "controversial." And, here on Monday morning (after sleeping on that thought TWICE), it's a reaction that STILL sticks with me. You see, there are SOME who think we should pray that the Lord would REMOVE Murphy....TAKE his life....via this tumor. But the Bible bids us pray that, like David who "before he was afflicted, went astray but then kept God's commandments," Murphy would truly LIVE before God because of this situation.

The man is headed for HELL if he doesn't repent, but GOD doesn't take pleasure in that reality...should WE?? Should we wish him dead rather than pray he would get RIGHT WITH GOD, THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST??  Do we really, REALLY know how horrible Hell is if we can wish that ANYONE would hasten to go there??

Yes, Jesus said to pray for our enemies, and I certainly count Murphy as ONE of those because of the LGBT issue and several other issues.  And it is certainly Christian to OPPOSE what Murphy is doing to New Jersey school children.  But we should pray that Murphy will be healed, physically AND spiritually, that his physical healing will be seen as the goodness of God which will lead him to repentance.

Yes, it's Christian to OPPOSE Murphy's present, evil policies.

However, it is ALSO Christian to pray for his REDEMPTION...and that shouldn't be controversial.  If it is, perhaps WE have a potential cancer on our Christianity.

" 'The Not-So-Magnificent-Six': A Bunch of Losers"

Today is the NEVADA CAUCUS and, of course, Nevada's largest city, Las Vegas, is known for gambling.  I do not gamble nor do I CONDONE that sin, but I advise any of my Democrat friends who may be reading this...if YOU gamble, bet AGAINST one of your six "finalists" in the 2020 Presidential Sweepstakes ever beating Donald Trump in November. 

You see, the Democrat Debate a few nights ago was VERY ENTERTAINING, at least for Republicans like myself who watched it and boosted the ratings through the roof.  Let me give my feedback on all of the "Not-So-Magnificent-Six" candidates and their performances, from left to right....

1.) MAYOR BLOOMBERG. The Dem field started out with well over 20 candidates, and this arrogant, condescending billionaire comes in for his FIRST debate and was TOTALLY unprepared for the shellacking his opponents gave him. (Did he think they OWED him a "win" just 'cause he's IN now??) And perhaps they think Mike* is still a Republican because they quickly labeled him a Racist and Sexist (and in his case the comments seem WELL-DESERVED, I might add.) Bloomberg spent half a billion bucks to get into this race as a late entry, and his terrible performance the other night just wasted ALL of it.

2.) SENATOR WARREN. I have to hand it to her, she REALLY nailed Bloomberg on his sexism. She clearly was the RUNNER-UP winner of the debate (the PRIMARY winner was PRESIDENT TRUMP, Lol!!)

Problem is, because BLOOMBERG is a rich capitalist and so is TRUMP, Warren now thinks she can take TRUMP down as easily as she did BLOOMBERG.  Not gonna happen!!  If they do clash,Trump is not going to stand there in shock, speechless, while Warren tears him apart...he will proudly DEFEND Capitalism and put "Pocahontas" on the defensive. He has a record of accomplishment AS PRESIDENT that he will use to bolster his appeal for re-election.  And, all of HIS negatives were brought out in 2016....he STILL beat Hillary.  If Warren's the Dem nominee, he will beat her ALSO.

3.) BERNIE.  It's laughable that a 78 year old "Socialist Millionaire," who recently had a heart attack and refuses to disclose his health records, is even running for President....but he is.  And he is LEADING the Democrat field when, in reality he's NOT EVEN A DEMOCRAT!! What a joke. But Bernie definitely IS the leader of the "B" Team of male candidates....Bernie, Biden, Buttigieg and Bloomberg, at THIS point. And many in the Democrat Patrty don't LIKE that, and are trying to OUST the guy.

4.) BIDEN.  Once perceived as "the only one who can beat Trump," the former Vice President for 8 years under Obama still hasn't learned that that distinction is a liability, not a "plus." He doesn't get it: Obama chose him because he's the dumbest white politician that people had heard of, he was hand-picked to make Obama look SMART by CONTRAST.  Joe is "hanging on for dear life" in the polls and needs a strong showing in the Nevada Caucus today to give him momentum towards South Carolina NEXT Saturday..

5.) MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG. I actually thought he was the most ARTICULATE of the debaters but it's a joke that a young, openly gay Mayor of a town in Indiana thinks he can govern this country. He showed his very nasty, woman-rejecting side when he was picking on....

6.) SENATOR KLOBUCHAR. She has GOT to toughen up.  Yes, Mayor Pete WAS making fun of her but if she can't take it from HIM without practically breaking down, getting hysterical, how can she stand up to the heat TRUMP will give her??

Yes, the Nevada Caucus is TODAY and Bloomberg is NOT on the ballot (I'm sure he's happy that people CAN'T vote for him after his lousy debate performance!!) The next DEBATE is Tuesday, the 25th, and that gives him a chance to recover a bit before South Carolina, on the 29th.

I will DEFINITELY plan on watching the next Debate to get another peek at this new comedy I call The Not-So-Magnificent-Six:  A Bunch of Losers.




* I refuse to call him "Mini-Mike," as Trump does...someone's size has nothing to do with their character or things they've done. "Pocahontas," on the other hand, critiques Liz Warren for her lying about her heritage, that's a CHARACTER issue and it's fair game, IMHO.

"Was There Bias Against Yoko Ono, Regarding The Beatles' Breakup?"

Singer JAMES TAYLOR has released a new memoir where he claims he was "a bad influence" on the Beatles by giving the group's founder, John Lennon, Opiates.  (That's Taylor and Lennon above, when they both lived in The Dakota apartment building in New York, in the '70s.) 

Read this link...


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/james-taylor-beatles-john-lennon-drugs-opiates-022015931.html

For 50 years now, MOST people have been blaming John's wife Yoko Ono SOLELY for the Beatles' demise. She and Lennon became an item in 1968, but that's when Taylor now said HE was hanging around Beatles' recording sessions (for "The White Album"), ALSO.  The link goes on to affirm that Lennon had a "Heroin addiction" around that time, and claims it led to a rift in the band that couldn't be healed.  TAYLOR had a Heroin addiction, AS WELL but all the media could do was blame John's "addiction" to YOKO for the Beatles' split-up, in 1970.  

And, for fifty years I've been hearing things like "Yoko made John CRAZY" (and there's no doubt that she is "out there" and DID influence him), but never let us forget that JAMES is the one who actually went into a mental hospital shortly after when, he now admits, he gave John drugs that he wasn't sure John had ever used before.

This all leads me now to three questions.

     1.) Is James saying all this in a memoir NOW because he's in his 70s and wants to clear his conscience of something, "set the record straight" while he can? (If so, "better late than never.")

     2.) Is this new confession of his ONLY intended to help "Sweet Baby James" sell his new memoir AND his new album that's coming out soon? (I hope it's NOT for this reason....only JAMES knows.)

     But most of all, Question # 3.) Has there been BIAS AGAINST YOKO ONO, unfairly blaming HER ONLY for the Beatles' breakup and hiding TAYLOR'S possible role in it?? 

"Loco" Yoko:   Talentless Japanese WOMAN who screeches and thinks it's "singing."

James:  Gifted Caucasian MALE with a smooth, silky voice that has led to a very successful, 50 year career.

BOTH of them got their "start" as "stars" via John Lennon / The Beatles.  And, I now think that BOTH of them share equal blame for The Beatles's DEMISE....though only YOKO has been blamed for an entire half-century.

Perhaps James Taylor should apologize to Yoko for not telling his story SOONER.  I am SICK of women getting all of the blame for things while MEN HIDE!! 

"Poems: People Aging Differently"

“FIVE AFTER 65” 
(Plain / The Chills / Breakin' Down Old Car / Clear View, Rearview / Beatlesless World)

Five new poems, about five different people, contrasting how we age differently depending on PERSPECTIVE.  Wrote these since turning 65 last week.


Looking behind him

Now that he’s old

Life’s a flash in the pan, a cloud drifting by,

A tale that’s been told

He dabbled in business

While doubled in pain

Now 50 years later

Where are the journals

Scribbled in vain?

Presuming life’s answers…plain
They're yellowed
and faded
and give him eyestrain

/ She’s watching TV, entertained by ghosts

All of them dead yet speaking still

And then, the commercials where living ones boast

Of tomorrow, forgetting the “If the Lord Wills”

And that’s what gives me the chills

/ And

Now I am a senior

And I feel my body fadin’

I’m a breakin’ down old car

Just a-lookin’ for my trade-in

And yes, the one God has for me

it’s surely worth the waitin’

That’s good, because, like that old car

I feel this body achin’

/ You’ve got a CLEAR VIEW

In the rear view mirror

The road up ahead

Is even clearer

You’ve got a CLEAR VIEW

Though the future’s nearer

A CLEAR, CLEAR VIEW

In the rear view mirror
Look ahead! Look beyond!
Forget about your roots 
pretty soon you'll be gone
Watch the road, not the past!
Look ahead and try to figure out
where you'll stop at last

/ Oldschool church

With graves in back

Bulldozed down.  Razed flat. That’s that.

Replaced by fakes

With the Truth they hide

It’s like all the graves have been moved inside

‘Cause she just wants to live

In a Beatlesless World

They won’t contend

They’ll easily bend

They’re ready to float with the tide.

Kanye? Chick-Fil-A?

Christianity Today?

Jellyfish, make a wish

Wait there’s no Wishbone

Tell her what THE SCRIPTURES say

Words of ours have little sway

Though they are our own, yeah

Though they are our own
(But this world's not our Home)

‘Cause she just wants to live

In a Beatlesless World

They won’t contend

They’ll easily bend

They’re ready to float with the tide.
and she's going along for the ride

"Altuve, Astros Apologize (and Look REALLY Small in the Process)"

Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros have "apologized" for their cheating which helped them win the 2017 World Championship of Baseball.  This is more than the cheating RED SOX have done, I grant you. However, with MANY fans (me too) it's SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH.  Read this link...

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/jose-altuve-astros-cheater-los-angeles-tv-station-021157567.html

Jose Altuve IN PARTICULAR angers me because he beat out Yankee AARON JUDGE (shown to the left of Altuve, in the photo) for the Most Valuable Player that year. Many of us felt JUDGE deserved it, and attributed his coming in second place, behind the diminutive Altuve, to these factors:

     1.) That eternal, undeniable, ever-present Anti-Yankee Bias, and

     2.) Major League Baseball wanting to "promote" a short guy, make him a "role model" to inspire kids that "size doesn't matter."


Look, I'm 6'3" and I have never made fun of any guy who's shorter than me, and I don't think JUDGE is any more a creation of our sovereign God that ALTUVE is, just because he's taller.  But on the other hand, ALTUVE is no better than JUDGE because he's SHORTER. And I got sick of all the Altuve Idolaters who were putting their diminutive hero up on a pedestal (no pun intended.) How's that working out now that it's been revealed that ALTUVE AND THE CHEATING ASTROS BATTERS KNEW WHAT PITCH WAS COMING MOST OF THE TIME?

Pathetically, Major League Baseball cannot DISCIPLINE the players by removing the Astros' 2017 title OR Altuve's 2017 MVP Award.

However, I predict three ways that the Astros WILL pay for what they've done.

     1.) Home attendance WILL suffer as demoralized Astros fans will stop supporting these cheaters.

     2.) ROAD attendance will spike....with fans who come to mercilessly BOO the Astros. The Astros play the Yanks IN NEW YORK Sept. 21st-24th....they'd better bring extra security for Altuve, SOME Yankee fans are CRAZY.

     And, 3.) Jose Altuve plays SECOND BASE?? Sooner or later an opposing player WILL "take him out" while "breaking up a double play" because the other PLAYERS feel cheated by him and the Astros.  I'm not saying revenge is RIGHT, I'm just saying it's COMING because I'm a realist.


The link above points out ways that this team will pay IN THE LONG RUN, as well.

In conclusion, the Houston Astros look SMALL after their "apology."  

They should have suspended, or even banned, THEMSELVES.

"Valentine's Day 2020: GOD'S True Love"

"O LOVER WITH ETERNAL LOVE / O LAVISHER OF LOVE DIVINE"

O Lover with Eternal Love,
too often I have strayed
from You, the One Who saved my soul
to creatures You have made.

My sins, my sins they hinder me
from loving as I ought
The One Who gave His blood for them
and me, from judgment brought!

O Lover with Eternal Love
Yes, Lover of my soul
forgive the things my heart still does
make Christlikeness my goal!

I long to love You PERFECTLY
the way that You love me
In Heaven, where Your Face I'll see
From sin I'll be set free!

/ O Lavisher of Love Divine
and ravisher of hearts
Forgive me, that this soul of mine
so soon forgets...departs

O Savior of my sinning soul
Sometimes I have the words
but lack the love, and act as if
I've never seen or heard

My Jesus, Author, Finisher
one day I'll be brought Home
and I'll forget the way things were
in this prayer-poem!

“Lover” (1st 4 stanzas) written 2011.
“Lavisher” (last 3 stanzas) added in 2015.
Both Copyright 2020, by Chet Jelinski.
Artwork: Public Domain.

"To Those Who Will Feel Alone On Valentine's Day"

If you feel alone as Valentine's Day approaches, you are NOT alone, I assure you.

In my 65 years, I've experienced times of intense loneliness, mostly BEFORE my first marriage (age 24) but even after that. There were instances as a teen that, because of my isolation from alcoholic family members, I felt totally alone, especially every Valentine's Day when I didn't have a girlfriend. Even after I became a Christian (at age 20 and still single), I was sometimes haunted by loneliness. In fact, I occasionally got mad at God when it seemed he was turning a deaf ear to my needs like my EARTHLY father did. Questioning the wisdom and goodness of God got me NOWHERE, I'm here to tell you, but I'm glad that He loves me in spite of my sin of unbelief!!

And yes, getting MARRIED even has its times of loneliness...separations...times of temporary ALIENATION, and so on.  I learned this starting in 1979 with my first marriage and so has every other honest married couple, by the way.

I mention all of this only to say that, if anyone reading this is DREADING tomorrow, if anyone feels LEFT OUT because it seems everyone else in the world has "someone" and you don't, if anyone feels LONELY and is questioning the goodness and wisdom of God, I FEEL YOU, I really do.  But I'm here to tell you what others told ME when I was single..."You can't look to another human being to fill your deepest needs for love.  Only THE LORD can fill that deepest need." This is SO TRUE!!  (I used to wonder if married people were just trying to help me be content in my singleness by saying that, but they were being wise and HONEST.)

My first wife and I worked on our marriage and because SHE was such an eminently godly woman, who put up with my immaturity, we lasted 38 years as husband and wife.  Five years ago on Valentine's Day we had the BEST Valentine's Day I can ever remember.  Then, about a week later, we learned she had terminal cancer and she went Home to Heaven about two years after that.  My point?? We sometimes think finding "true love" will help us live "happily ever after" but it cannot.  Only GOD will never leave nor forsake us as His children!! Even if you find True Love, you might LOSE it so you'd better learn how to be ALONE if you have to be, for a time.

It's a true saying that "You can't live with someone else until you've learned to live alone." I would only add to that "alone WITH GOD." Alone with the One who, if we know Him in a saving way, can never leave US alone and will always love us, no matter how much we may fail HIM. If you're feeling lonely this Valentine's Day seek HIM first, and then watch and see Him bless you with the right person, at the right TIME, once you aren't seeking to have ALL of your needs met through that fallible, sinful human being.

And again, if you feel alone as Valentine's Day draws near, you are NOT alone, I assure you.  I feel you and, yeah, I'll say it.... I love you, too!!

"Tyson-Douglas: 30 Years Later"

30 years ago today (well, it was Feb. 11th in Tokyo where the fight took place, but still Feb. 10th here in the USA), boxer BUSTER DOUGLAS shocked the world.  A 42-1 underdog, this journeyman defeated the seemingly unbeatable MIKE TYSON to win the World's Heavyweight Championship. And in the process, he knocked OUT a guy who had never even been knocked DOWN before.

My family and I were over my MOM'S house where we were celebrating her birthday (which was the 10th.) The fight was just coming on as we were leaving, and my brother-in-law Lawrence said "Let's stay and see this, it won't take long." You see, Iron Mike Tyson knocked MANY of his opponents out in the first round, up until that point!! But instead of leaving after a few minutes, we stayed for all TEN rounds as Buster fought a terrific fight and ultimately knocked MIKE out.

And when it was over, Buster, sweat pouring down his face hiding the TEARS running from his eyes, said he won the fight for his MOM, who had died about a month earlier.

This was an AMAZING moment for boxing fans, accurately called "The Greatest Upset in Sports History." It was the first fight I ever watched where it was impossible to even suspect that "the fix was in."  Many thousands of people lost millions of dollars because of this upset, so it COULDN'T have been fixed.  The miracle, you see, was REAL.  It was PURE.  It was Rocky Balboa, but in real life.  And Tyson, himself, was NEVER THE SAME after he was beaten and proven to be only human.  He wound up getting put in jail on rape charges for a few years about two years later (there, he'd become SUB-human). Millions of dollars were lost to the boxing industry because of the chain reaction that Buster Douglas set in motion, you see, in that one fight. 

But the part I'll always recall about Feb. 11th, 1990, was watching Douglas win for HIS mom, there with MY mom, on her 54th birthday. It was refreshing to see a boxer fight not for EGO but for LOVE.

And when my own mom died in 2007, I wished I could go out and win a fight for HER like that. It's something I'll never forget.....Tyson-Douglas...30 years ago today.

"Nancy Pelosi Should Be Mad at HERSELF"

Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are furious that Republicans made a video out of her ripping up President Trump's State of the Union speech...and are using it AGAINST her. What did she THINK would happen?? Or DIDN'T she think?? Lol

Pelosi and the Dems are also mad at Facebook and Twitter for not REMOVING the video as they've demanded, as if they have the RIGHT to demand that........https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-shared-doctored-video-pelosi-173524980.html

Friends, we can disagree all day about whether or not the edited video is deceitful...I say it ISN'T.  But the bottom line is the Republicans DO have Free Speech and so let the PUBLIC decide whether their video lied.  If the PUBLIC decides that Pelosi is being treated unfairly it will backfire on Republicans, just like PELOSI'S action is backfiring on HER. But Pelosi KNOWS she blew it, that's why SHE wants the video taken down.

House Speaker Pelosi should be mad at HERSELF for childishly giving the Republicans "ammo" by her (some say ILLEGAL) stunt.  She didn't just verbally "rip" the speech as she could have done via HER Free Speech...she physically ripped UP the actual TRANSCRIPT of the speech.  Apparently Nancy has something in common with the dummies in the NFL who take a knee to protest their "cause," rather than go on TV and TALK about their gripes. Both Nancy AND those knee-takers aren't articulate enough to VERBALIZE their complaints, you see, so they resort to symbolic actions which only HURT their "cause," not help it.  Then they whine when their self-destructive attacks are used against them, knowing full well they'd do the same thing if the tables were turned. 

Their objection to the altered video is, apparently, that it makes Pelosi look like a Racist.  But let's be honest....if TRUMP wore a white suit like NANCY did, they'd accuse HIM of Racism just because of THAT "proof."

Instead of JOINING Nancy to pressure Facebook and Twitter to take the video down, the Democratic Party should be plotting a way to take NANCY down....remove her from being the House Speaker.  And do it NOW. 

It may or may not be true that she belongs in jail for ripping up the speech, but one thing's for sure, this childish brat does NOT belong as the Speaker of the House.

"A TV Show That Can Never Be Replicated"

"The Fugitive" TV show from the '60s, starring David Janssen, is my all-time favorite TV show*. It was about a doctor, falsely accused of murdering his wife, who travels the country running "from the police lieutenant obsessed with his capture" while at the same time trying to find the REAL killer, an elusive one-armed man. He was CHASING while BEING chased, you see...a tension in the PLOT that was reflected so well by Janssen's tense acting skills.

Many only know of "The Fugitive" because of the excellent 1993 movie starring Harrison Ford, but the original TV show hit it big three decades BEFORE that.  And just as the MOVIE can never be improved on, neither can the TV SHOW (though there was a short-lived attempt in 2000-2001, with Tim Daly as Dr. Richard Kimble, to do just that. It failed.)

I've been thinking about this show a lot because I'm officially becoming a SENIOR this coming Wednesday, age 65, and that weekly show was one of the highlights of my painful youth. I even wrote, and starred in, a "play" based on The Fugitive when I was in school, at around age 9!! I related to the character because I was "running" from my cruel step-father while trying to "find" my father, who left us.  I felt that TENSION which Janssen conveyed.  Also, the day AFTER my birthday this week, it will be 40 years since Janssen dropped dead of a heart attack at age 48, supposedly only a day after getting a physical which found him to be in good health.  It's not something you forget, that's for sure, if you were a boyhood fan of his show.

THIS SHOW CAN NEVER BE REPLICATED TODAY, and it's not just because there'll never be another David Janssen, so perfectly suited for the role.  For one thing, in the 60s, The Fugitive could travel the country freely, getting odd job after odd job to support himself though he had to constantly fake new IDs and references.  In the year 2020, with computerized background checks, security cameras everywhere, etc., they could never remake the show with Dr. Kimble having that amazing flexibility.  The Tim Daly remake died out in spring of 2001, before 9-11-'01, but if it had been renewed for a second season it would have been quickly cancelled after the terrorist attacks once the Dept. of Homeland Security had been created. America is simply NOT as free since 9-11 as we were in the 1960s, and again, that takes away Kimble's ability to travel freely across the U.S. like he did long ago.

Also, The Fugitive can never be replicated today because of the way TV shows are generally "dropped" today, in entire "seasons," all at once. "Marathons" of "The Fugitive" don't work well because all of the plots are basically the same: Kimble finds new identity / someone figures out who he is / he risks capture to try to help people in need / and then someone (usually a woman) helps HIM and he escapes.  A friend of mine once said he hated the show when it aired in the 1960s because "he always got away," Lol!! But it WORKED in the 1960s because people couldn't RECORD the show or BINGEWATCH it, they had to watch one episode at a clip, once a week, and so  it didn't get "old" as it would if you could watch episodes back-to-back. But now that technology ALLOWS us to watch back-to-back, it'll never GO back and that would kill the pacing of a remake. People would see quickly that, up until the good doctor CAUGHT the one-armed man, it was the same plot reworked over and over in just about every episode.

And if they tried to remake "The Fugitive " today they'd feel they had to put coarse language and sex scenes in it, things which were never heard or shown when the show aired in the '60s. Kimble, who was basically a GOOD doctor, would argue FOR abortion, not AGAINST it (like he did in one of the 1960s episodes) if Hollywood remade the series again. The background music would probably be RAP instead of that lovely ORCHESTRA. And, they'd probably make Kimble GAY and make THAT the reason he argued with his wife....(NOT the fact that they couldn't have KIDS, a la the original series.)

Maybe that's why I have all of the show's DVDs and rewatch them when I can, even though the first three seasons were in black-and-white.  It's nice to remember an America that seems INNOCENT and UNCOMPLICATED (relatively speaking) compared to what we have today!!





* "Get Smart" is my favorite sitcom and "The Fugitive" just barely beats out "The Rockford Files" as my all-time favorite SHOW.

"TRUMP'S ACQUITTAL is Climax of 72 Hour "Political Movie" "

If you're into Politics like I am, man, these past three days have had it ALL. Drama. Comedy. Great ACTING (by phony Democrats). Emotional Highs and Lows, and, MOST of all, a Happy Ending as PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS JUST VINDICATED FROM THIS, HIS BOGUS IMPEACHMENT.

Here's how the past three days unfolded.

       On Monday, the IOWA CAUCUSES started, officially kicking off the selection of candidates to run for President here in 2020.  Meanwhile, CLOSING ARGUMENTS were made by both sides in the Senate Impeachment Trial of President Trump (who won, as he would say, HUGELY over Republican opponents in Iowa, by the way.)

On that same day, Conservative Talk Show host RUSH LIMBAUGH announced he has advanced Lung Cancer, shocking the political world. This comes not long after ANOTHER radio giant, Don Imus, passed away (although even HE could not match RUSH'S influence these last 30 years.)

       On Tuesday, to inject a little COMEDY into this "Political Movie" after the sadness about Rush, the Iowa Caucus STILL had not been able to count all of the Democrat votes!!  However, they gave us 62% of the tally at 5pm, and that, in and of itself, was historic because it showed openly gay Presidential Candidate PETE BUTTIGIEG in the lead over fellow Democrats (Bummer!! That's BAD history).

Then, of course there was the State of the Union address last night by (the still-impeached) President Trump. It was a TERRIFIC speech, uplifting and inspiring, accurately stating SO many of his accomplishments that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi RIPPED UP THE TRANSCRIPT WHEN HE WAS DONE (see photo.) Note: She didn't VERBALLY  "rip" the SPEECH....she physically, LITERALLY RIPPED UP THE TRANSCRIPT!! That's how you KNOW Trump is right....Nancy freaked out, Lol!! This move gave MORE comic relief after that touching, tear-jerking event when Trump gave Limbaugh (who was physically present at the SOTU) the Presidential Medal of Honor. Seems to me Rush must not have long to live if they honored him that SOON (initial reports were that he'd get the Medal at a later date, you see. Check my LAST blog for more about Rush.)

       Then, this morning, Wednesday, when I awakened, the Iowa Circus, I mean CAUCUS had STILL not finished counting the votes but "Mayor Pete" was still in the lead with 71% counted now. I can't believe it has taken them TWO DAYS...and they are STILL not done!!

And, at 4 pm the Senate voted to ACQUIT President Trump of the bogus Impeachment Charges, CLIMAXING the 72 hour "Political Movie" on a very high note for me. I stood there in disbelief, though, as 3 Democratic Senators who are running AGAINST Trump voted to remove him...refusing to RECUSE themselves because of that clear conflict of interest.  Romney the Republican-In-Name-Only Rat was the ONLY Republican to break rank with those who voted "Not Guilty" and even HE only voted "Guilty" on ONE of the Articles.

PART of me would like to have seen Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) rip up the IMPEACHMENT CHARGES like the HOUSE Majority Leader (Pelosi-D) ripped up the President's speech, but why stoop to THEIR level?? The Democrats are losers who are LOSING. Who wants to be like THEM??

But that would have made a nice "Alternate Ending" to those who've watched this amazing 72 Hour "Political Movie."

"Rush's Cancer, and My Hope For Him"

Conservative radio host RUSH LIMBAUGH, 69, announced yesterday that he has "advanced lung cancer."

I love Rush and have been listening, on-and-off, to his radio show since 1992.  In fact, I called in and was on-the-air with him once, in 1994.  I also visited the set of his TV show in New York three times in the early 90s, and found him to be a true, humble gentleman when I met him personally.  I've bought and read his political books and subscribed to his upbeat newsletter for many years (and, hey, I even bought Paul Shaklin's PARODY albums when he was a part of Rush's shows)!! Admittedly, I stopped listening to Rush regularly when I retired 7 years ago and wasn't on the road as much, no longer listening to the radio between service appointments. I mention all of this to hopefully help you understand where I'm coming from, when I say the following.

Rush averages 27 million listeners a week, many of whom are Christians and are PRAYING for him.  Right now, whether he knows it or not, the prayers of the millions who love him are worth more than his $500 million dollar fortune or the FAME he has achieved in this life. You see, it would be a terrible tragedy if Rush was one who, as Jesus said, "gained the world but lost his soul." I know that many fans of his would bristle at the suggestion of this possibility, but having been exposed to much of his thinking over the years (up until 7 years ago) I do believe my concern to be valid DESPITE how much I love the man.

From the little bits and pieces he'd divulge here-and-there on the air about his faith, from 1992-2012 when I stopped listening, it seemed Rush's hope was built upon TRUSTING IN HIS OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND GOODNESS. This type of faith won't get ANYONE into Heaven.  Rush seems to be a good, moral, upright person but like all of us, he's a SINNER and he needs salvation which only the perfect righteousness of Christ can provide.

I was encouraged to read Rush say the following yesterday: "I have a deeply personal relationship with God...I have been working that relationship tremendously." My prayer is that Rush is not "working" to try to EARN salvation but that he IS saved, or close to it (his brother David seems to be a solid Christian and can assist him in this.) And my hope for Rush is that he is "working" ON trusting in Christ Alone, renouncing all self-righteousness or supposed "goodness."

In conclusion, if the Lord chooses to heal Rush Limbaugh PHYSICALLY that would be great, but my main prayer is that he's healed SPIRITUALLY and right with the Savior, the One Who is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life.

"The Caucasian Caucuses / I'm Not Alone!!"

As the Dems have their Iowa Caucuses today, note: all five of their finalists are WHITE.  After a field of over 20 candidates have been sifted through, this Party, which claims to be the Party of racial diversity, has five WHITE people as finalists. Booker?? Gone.  Harris?? Gone. (Wow, if this were the REPUBLICANS they'd be calling us "Racists," wouldn't they? Lol.)  By the way, Elizabeth Warren, one of the final five, is NOT part Native American...let's not even go there. It's a lie. She's WHITE.

So let's call the Iowa Caucuses what they really are....the CAUCASIAN Caucuses.

The Dems DO have some DIVERSITY, though!!  Shown above is the openly gay Pete Buttigieg (pronounced "Buddha Judge") and his potential "First Spouse."  Mayor Pete IS one of the final five to make it to Iowa.

You know, in the 1990s a guy named JOEY BUTTAFUOCO made news by cheating on his wife with a 17 year old named Amy Fisher. He was (correctly) branded as a despicable human being and, because of his last name, he was the "butt" of many jokes on TV and elsewhere.  But here in 2020, you have a guy, Buttigieg, who ALSO has the word "butt" in his last name and is OPENLY MARRIED TO A MAN, no less!!  Yet HE is not goofed on by comedians and no one criticizes HIS sin (which is as bad, if not worse, than Joey's)...in fact Mayor Pete is running for President, he's ONE OF THE FIVE FINALISTS IN IOWA TODAY AND HE IS THIRD IN SOME POLLS this morning!! Now, let me be clear, I don't think ANYONE with sins like Joey's or Mayor Pete's should be the butt of anyone's jokes..."Fools make a mock at sin," Scripture says!! But doesn't it show how far our nation...and the Democratic Party, in particular...has DECLINED in the last 25 years or so??  Just contrast the way "Joey" and "Pete" are treated and esteemed.  Anyone think JOEY should run for President??

And to my BLACK readers...how do YOU feel that the Democrats don't have a BLACK candidate in Iowa today, but MAYOR PETE is in the..........."Caucasian Caucuses"??

I'm Not Alone!!  When our local paper printed my POEM in the new February edition, they left out the DRAWING which went WITH it (above).  Additionally, the poem, ITSELF was compressed so the meter was destroyed.  I wrote the editor and told her this wasn't the FIRST time but it's the WORST time my work got butchered (I'm waiting for a response, but not holding my breath, Lol!!)

However, I feel better now since reading the OTHER poems in that paper, particularly THIS one.

I count SIX (6) spelling errors in this short poem and I'm confident that they are NOT the fault of the WRITER.

1.) The writer has two OTHER poems in this edition and there is only ONE minor spelling error between the both of them.  And 2.) The writer is listed as a "Contributing Writer" by the paper....he has one or more poems in every issue, and I have NEVER seen errors like this before in his poems.

I blame the EDITOR for these mistakes...if she didn't purposely CREATE them she failed to CORRECT them.  Ironically, the poem is called "Eyes Wide Open" but HERS must not have been!!

And now ANOTHER Christian writer looks foolish, because of it .

At least I know I'm not alone in this, but I hope I'm not the only one speaking up.  By the way, I told the editor I'm DONE contributing my art / poems to this paper.

"Thoughts On (Officially) Becoming a Senior"

Now that it's February, I'M OFFICIALLY AN OLD MAN. Later this month, Lord Willing, I'll turn 65. This means that anywhere in America I'll be considered a SENIOR CITIZEN. Sigh!! Now, some considered me a Senior at 55...60...62, and I rejected their discounts (even though, secretly, I felt old when I hit ***50***.) My grandmother was right, she told me I'm "still a kid" at 50, Lol!! But 65 IS the universally accepted age, at least in America, of being a SENIOR. (Yes, I'll accept those discounts NOW, Lol!!) Yet even though this is a Leap Year I won't be "leaping for joy" about it, Lol!! I'm not going to hit 65......65 is going to hit ME.

Seriously now, all I can say...all I can PRAY is that whatever time I have left on this earth, that I will use it to glorify God, in whatever He wants me to do, as I never have BEFORE. TIME IS SHORT...and I've lived long enough to see those who SURVIVED into their 80s but their health and strength, their ability to move, or think clearly or talk, was gone. THAT AIN'T LIVING, in my opinion.

Young people, SERVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH while you HAVE the strength in such abundance.

Jesus said it best: We should labor while it is yet the day, for the night is coming when no man can work. Amen!! His return, our being incapacitated, or our DYING ushers in that "night." My grandmother lived to be 85, in good health to all appearances, till she died rather suddenly. If the good Lord wills, I would not mind another 20 years under those circumstances. HIS WILL BE DONE!!