HEADING FOR THE LAST LAP -- For Just A Minute Radio - Thursday 111201

We’ve had some frost… and some wet weather over the last week – but so far no snow…   Clap, clap, clap –

 

However during the rainy weather I finally managed to squeeze out enough ‘spare’ greenbacks to spring for four new tires for my nearly new (actually ten years old) deeply red (although it looks black to the uninformed eye Outback LTD – which I fell in love with about three years ago when it was only a seven.

 

But it has done well.  I did have a timing belt replaced because several former aficionados severely warned me to BE SURE to replace it when the owner’s manual says… don’t run the risk of ruining the engine by trying to squeeze out a few thou more miles… or you’ll end up with a very expensive repair – amounting to a re-building of the engine. So I did like I was told.  And it’s been running well… and I’m pleased.  But you can’t keep tires from wearing down.  (I tried to remind my lovely daughter she had a similar task to make sure she looked after her car as it needed oil from time to time… and she … well having fallen on hard monetary times… ended up where a $20 oil change would have sufficed… it appears she’ll have a $2000 + bill for an engine replacement.  OH my… Sad.

 

Well – some things we have to learn the hard way.  I thought we had been through our tough times with Jimmy Carter as President.  But no… we had to let Bill Clinton get elected by having Ross Perot in the race… who managed to siphon off enough votes that we got “Jolly” WJC Bill for the next EIGHT years.  Sometimes we just seem to desire the hardest way!...

 

Now don’t get me wrong. I *respect* the two aforementioned Presidents.  I just don’t want to have to learn another lesson the *hard* way… (I think you may see where I’m going.)… I also *respect* my fellow broadcaster (although he’s has about 1000 times more listeners [maybe more] than I do) Rush Limbaugh… I just don’t want America to have to learn the same Jimmy Carter lesson – the hard way --  again… four years of the man from Georgia was more than enough… and four years of Mr. Obama in my book is double or triple enough.

 

I simply cannot imagine how we could run up such a fantastic increase in the national debt in such a short time except that we have someone who is really talented in that way.  I really don’t want to speak ill of my leader. He is MY President although I’m very quick to say I did not support him; nor did I vote for him.  But we pay the Piper at a terrible, terrible rate. I know the Lord knows what WE need – and how desperately we need to know it. I look in the Bible and find similar cases… like Samson… his lesson came at a horrible cost to him and to his nation. Other members of the ruling class did the same for the children of Israel and Judah.  Hurts my teeth just to think about it… sets them on edge I think is the right metaphor.

 

Well… the greatest remedy for ALL of this is prayer. I recall when I was still an undergraduate how worried we were about having a President who did not share our faith for the first time in our nation’s history. Well… we learned from that too. But the Lord IS merciful. However… there comes a time when we’ve used up all of the “ways out” as was discovered by King Zedekiah. The children of that exile had 70 years to think that one over.  I pray we will not have to endure that – but the Lord knows best. I just want us to learn from our errors and most of all to learn to trust  in the Lord.

 

Enough of my sermonizing – and I’m not even a prophet OR a preacher. However I do have three church ‘ordained’ men in my family. I pray for them too that they have short learning cycles.(J)

 

OK… bed time again.  May the Lord bless you all in your work and in your families – AND in the work HE has for those who will follow HIM.

 

Cordially, in HIM

 

Jack Buttram

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“JUST A MINUTE”

HEADING FOR THE LAST LAP

          Just a Minute:  I know it’s hard to believe but one of my computer files says the first votes for the election in 2012 occurs in the fifth week from today… the date is January 3^rd – when the Iowa caucuses are held. It’s a crazy journey we embark on because Iowa holds these ‘caucuses’ first but they are just about the last to actually select delegates to their national convention. That’s just for starters.

          The Democrats have no contest because they have Mr. Obama.

          Granite State New Hampshire voters cast their primary votes first in the Nation … and that lets the first horse out of the barn.

          Actually we start voting in January but nobody knows exactly when votes *that count* are dropped in the box.  or marked on the ballot.

          For a nation claiming to lead the world in technology -- we are a ‘ragged’ bunch.

          My advice? Flip a coin – draw straws – draw a name out of a hat -- you’ll do as well as anyone’s guess today. <> I’m Jack Buttram. (END)  

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