We are losing

And have been since the Obama administration began.  Russia ordered us to get our planes out of Syria and in the early hour this morning bombed the Syrians we support.  Assad will rule with Russia's support and we continue to be the weak fool of the Mideast.

Jen and Josh leave today for Israel

Jen and Josh leave Shreveport at 5 this afternoon on the first leg of their trip to Israel where  they  will spend two weeks visiting Jessica  and seeing many holy sites. They will change planes in Atlanta and go on to Kennedy  Airport in New York.  From Kennedy they will fly to Tel Aviv in Israel.

Places they will visit include Mt. of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Hebron and Jericho.   They will avoid dangerous places such as Temple of the Mount.

What a week

What a week for events and exhaustive TV coverage.  Pope Francis has visited for the entire week  and participated in many ceremonies, including an address  before both houses of Congress.  If that was not enough for TV reporting , John      Boehner resigned as Speaker of the House  and as member.

Whether the pope's visit will have any lasting effect is doubtful, even  his address to the United Nations will be  soon forgotten.  On the other hand, Boehner's leaving could be good or bad, depending on who will succeed him.  Some who  are gleeful at his departure are poorly informed.  They seem to be ignorant of  the effect of President Obama and the Democrats. Sixty votes in the senate are necessary to get by Obama's veto.

I hear from Jessica

I talked to Jessica for a few minutes Wednesday afternoon; I had not heard from her since she began a two-week tour with Methodists from Iowa.  This nest week she expects to devote  some time preparing an advent service.

Jessica is disturbed at the violence that is common.  The tour with the Iowa group was re-routed when they came across some disturbance that included Palestine youths throwing rocks at the wall.  Often these turn tragic with kids throwing rocks being fired upon and often killed.

Jessica is still enjoying her puppy.

A time for gathering

Yesterday I spoke on how much I enjoyed October on the farm.  It was a time of hard work but we could  enjoy the results of a summer of work.  We picked cotton and took it to the gin, gathered corn and took it to the barn along with hay; we harvested sweet potatoes, pulled up  peanuts and gathered produce from the garden.  Pecans,  large and small,  were gathered.  It was too early for sugar cane, which would be harvested in November and made into syrup.

While I did not enjoy school, I was two minds about it because I enjoyed seeing my friends after a long summer of little social life.

My time of the year

I know that some hot days are ahead of us, but we will have some days in October with a cool, invigorating snap.  Right or wrong I have often said, and I believe, the most  enjoyable weather in North Louisiana  comes in May and October.  Some years it feels great on the last day of May but very hot on the first day of June.  October has much to offer, not the least is the heart of football season.

I dispute pope on global warming

This blog has never gotten involved in discussions of religion beliefs or practices, but I am certain that when a religious leader makes political statements I am free to  dispute them.  The pope is a strong supporter of  taking action against global warming and is outspoken against capitalism.  I find fault with both  issues.

It seems that many who speak out about global warming are wealthy or otherwise free of harm from rules that are claimed to reduce damage from climate change.

Regulations like those proposed by EPA would terribly  hurt the poor and middle class.  Higher costs could force small businesses to lay off workers or even go out of business.  Obama has said he wants to double energy costs for householders.  This could cause  many to suffer from heat and cold.

I won't go so far as call the pope's economic  stance is similar to communism, but he is so wrong on the economy.  Who does he think creates jobs?