Maduro Sees Options Narrow; Western Nations Line Up Behind Trump in Battle Against South American Thug; With Updates on Ron Wyatt and Maryland in NCAA Basketball Tournament

BALTIMORE, Maryland Tuesday, March 19, 2019 - In Venezuela, a real true thug, not just some fool who acts like a thug, but a real dyed-in-the-wool evil thug, bounces into absolute control.  Now the 'good guys' running the Western World have banded together trying to figure out how to put him - 'him' being Nicolas Maduro - out to pasture.  And by 'out to pasture,' well, think about the way the French put Napolean out to pasture.

It's not that getting Maduro off the world stage is a problem for rocket scientists.  The challenge for the west is getting rid of the sadistic nut without seeming to be as bad as Maduro is.

Already, nice and civilized solutions have been suggested.  More than one nation has stepped forward and volunteered to take Maduro as a refugee of sorts; in other words allowing him to live there in a reasonably protected status, so long as he agrees to stay off of the world stage.  Predictably, a nut like Maduro turned this down.

[Not to change the subject, but some years back Bernie Sanders said nice things about Maduro and the socialist revolution he was running down there in Venezuela.  It was typical goofiness coming out of the mind and mouth of the USA's very own Anti-American.  As the years passed and the Maduro regime was knocking off its citizens by the truckload, people got back in touch with the Bernster and asked him if he was ready to walk that bit of pro-Maduro insanity back.  Bernie has refused.  He doesn't want to hear anything negative about the good socialist Maduro, not matter how many Venezuelans are slaughtered.  And this is the mindset Bernie wants to bring to the USA.  As the immortal Vin Scully once said, "socialism just doesn't work."

More recently, Bernie said a shower door jumped in front of him without giving fair warning.  The result, for the Socialist, was a black eye and other facial reminders.  The shower door said it doesn't even know Bernie and wants to keep it that way.]

Most of the Western World has declared that the far-more-respected and decent Juan Guaidó, the Venezuelan opposition leader,  is the real and recognized leader of the oil-rich South American nation.  Guaidó took the personally risky step of returning to Venezuela last week despite not-to-subtle threats from Maduro and his operatives to arrest his opponent and his family.  When Guaidó refused to be intimidated, Maduro backed down on his threat, at least for now.  In the meantime, however, Maduro has refused to allow shipments of humanitarian supplies, sent to thousands of starving Venezuelan citizens by President Trump, the French and other western nations, to enter the country.  Military types, deployed to border entry points in Venezuela by Maduro, have prevented the aid vehicles from entering Venezuela. 

Maduro gets his dwindling international support from those freedom-loving folk in Russia, China and Cuba.  

Guaidó took the personally risky step of returning to Venezuela last week despite not-to-subtle threats from Maduro and his operatives to arrest his opponent and his family.  When Guaidó refused to be intimidated, Maduro backed down on the threat, at least for now.  

There is no apparent end to this stand-off, at least not a peaceful one.  Thugs like Maduro don't have a history of going quietly into the night.

I am still a few days away from our report on Ron Wyatt.  If you are too curious to wait, there is plenty of material out there.  Unlike secular folk at places like Wikipedia - which does a real hatchet job on Wyatt - our report will be positive and an endorsement of his work.

And a word on the NCAA Tournament:  it is apparent that the Selection Committee did a fine job in picking and seeding the field.  Some choices are open to debate, of course.  I don't know that Maryland deserved so high a seed.  The Committee gave the Terps a sixth seed in the East, meaning that Maryland's first game will be against the winner of a play-in game tonight between Belmont and Temple.  It worries me that TV types have tapped Belmont as a Tournament Darling.  If Belmont gets by Temple - I think I'm the only pundit taking the Owls in tonight's game - that 'darling' tag will get totally out of control by Maryland's Thursday afternoon, 3:10 pm, tip-off. Tru TV will have the TV coverage of the game.

I hope, against hope, that Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon begins to put down those criticisms about his ability to prepare a team for the postseason.  Under Turgeon, the Terps have never gotten past the round of 16.  His record in the Big Ten Tournament is worse. There is a path for that to happen this year, but a lot of brackets will be shot down in the process.

Against God, Against America, The Democrats Pound All Things American; Announcement About Pending Coverage Concerning Ron Wyatt; With Sports and 3 Verses From Second Timothy

BALTIMORE, Maryland Thursday, March 7, 2019 - Within the next week or two I am going to be so audacious as to write about one of the most amazing persons I have come to learn about.  That person is Ron Wyatt.

He is an extremely difficult person to write about.  It may be just me.  But it absolutely has to be done; the man was that amazing.  He passed on in 1999.  Before I knew about him, he was gone.  One of his three children - who spoke about his father in a breathtaking You Tube video - passed on in 2015.

But I need a bit more time to collect my thoughts about Wyatt. (And be aware, the man has his critics, chief among them, I am sad to report, is Wikipedia).  Until then, I am compelled to report on the Anti-American Blitherings of the leadership of the Democratic Party, now more accurately known as the Socialist Party (formerly known as the Democratic Party).

I am a life-long Democrat.  There was a time that was something I was proud to say.  But that was a long long time ago.

Sooner, rather than later, it may not even be true for me to say I am a Democrat.  Why should I be?  I am not a racist like most Far Left Wing Democrats.  I am not Anti-American, like most Far Left Wing Democrats.  The titular head of the party, Hilary Clinton, is not a jailbird.  But that is a blemish on the nation, since she belongs there for the rest of her miserable life,  Name one other American who could get away with what she did, or did not do, with the nation's supply of uranium, with American lives at Benghazi, with what she did with material under subpoena and a certain computer program known as Bleachbit.  What other American could have her husband hold a face-to-face with the Attorney General of These United States only a few days before a public decision about whether or not she was going to be indicted.  

I do not brow-beat fellow citizens about their so-called 'carbon footprint' while, at the very same time leaving such footprints so large that they can be viewed without mechanical aid from the International Space Station.  It would not cross my mind to do to President Trump what the Far Left Goons that lead the party are doing and have been doing since the second Trump was elected by USA citizens to lead us for the next four years.  For those like Jerrold 'Jezabelle' Nadler and Adam "Believe Me, Please!" Schiff, Trump's election was their signal to begin the Democratic Party's Neolithic attack on their prey; i.e., Caucasians of all description, Jews of all description, etc.  During a recent interview on some mainstream media festival, Nadler explained that the word of the day was "investigate" Trump, followed forthrightly with "impeach" Trump.  Other, more typical issues that come before the Congress, such as defense spending, agricultural support, environmental concerns, well, they will have to wait.  Afterall, what the heck were they elected for?

Nadler said all of this with a straight face.  Schiff talks like that also.  My absolute favorite Schiff moment on the mainstream media was when some joker, imitating a Russian operative, called him up to say he had some real good dirt on Trump, and wanted to know if Schiff had an interest in it.  Well, let me tell you, Schiff was slobbering right there on the telephone trying to hurry the caller into sending the material to Schiff.  No matter what the caller suggested, it wasn't quick enough.  Schiff wanted it now.

April fool, Adam.  There was no such garbage.  To the everlasting frustration of Schiff and Nadler, there never is any real dirt on Trump.  No matter what they come up with, it ends up being benign, and even worse, entirely legal.

This is my question:  what kind of person goes into a voting booth and actually votes for folk like Schiff and Nadler?  

Really.  How would you describe such a person.  I keep getting stuck on the part where the so-called potential voter has to fill out the little form when they register to vote.  If you are so mindless that you would actually vote for such people, how do you also manage to muster up the intellect to register to vote?  That is a one and one that does not ever equal two. 

Am I the only one in America who watches Schiff and Nadler and wonders how can these two be assigned the job of tracking down liars, cheats, thieves and fools?  How do they get past a mirror?  Schiff manages to mix a couple of humdingers into every statement he tries to make.  When either Nadler or Schiff get started on Trump, they immediately blow every fuse in the box.  

Just this week Nadler really, honestly, said that Trump would certainly be indicted for calling the Mueller investigation a "witch hunt."  What's worse, the Nadler said, he's done it hundreds of times.  Imagine!

Tell me this, Nads, Do you lose your First Amendment rights when you become President?
If you put Trump's statements before the American public, a whole lot of people - a majority? - would agree with the President.  Ole Nads probably thinks it was perfectly OK for Mueller to staff his witch hunt with Far Left Democrats, most of whom had contributed to Hilary's so-called campaign.  I wonder if Nads had any trouble with Hilary sending thugs to Trump's campaign appearances to rough up the citizens who were in attendance.  

Just wondering.

Who, in the party leadership, actually thinks the 2020 election for President will turn on the way Nads and Schiff dominate the nightly news on the highly objective national newscasts with their latest pop of pure secular evil.

I have to say that, for the moment, even some charter members of the media think Nads and Schiff are going way too far and way too fast.  Even Shifty George "I Still Love Hillary" Stefanopoulos was dumbfounded the other day when he interviewed Nads on National TV.

And it is only getting worse.  The Democrats are going open and obvious in their attacks on the Christian Faith.  At a Congressional Hearing the other day, Bernie Sanders declared that a Trump nominee who honestly stated that he was a Christian could not be approved for the position he sought because of his faith.  Sanders and other Democrats say that Christians cannot serve most government positions because of their faith.  Bernie never has gotten around to reading the Constitution.  And I wonder if old Bernie has the same convictions about Islamists.

During another hearing, the Dem running the proceedings left "under God" out of the oath all witnesses take before giving testimony.  When a member of the GOP complained, the Democrat in charge said witnesses would not have to give oath "under God" unless they chose to.

Leave it to the Ultra Left.  They gore and a trash the Good Lord, but strike out when they attempt to find an agreeable way of sanctioning one of the two Islamic members of Congress - who had made a number of openly Anti-Semitic Statements.  As I am about to post this, agreement was escaping the Dems.

And if you think all of this is so much banality, consider the fact that the Dems will not do business with your business or even talk to you if you let on that you voted for the President.

This is what St. Paul wrote in his Second Letter to Timothy, Chapter 1, beginning at Verse 8:  Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner:  but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. Verse 9: Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, Verse 10: But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

A few Sports Notes:  Maryland has lost 6 of its last 11 games.  The Terps have but one regular season game left, then enter the Big Ten Tournament.  One of the four double byes in that get-together has apparently escaped Maryland, again.  The late season semi-fade seems to be an annual affair.  There is a ton of outstanding talent on this Terrapin Team.  If you listen to Coach Mark Turgeon speak after these later games, he seems to know what the problems are.  But transferring that knowledge to corrections in subsequent games always escapes Maryland.  You know, I get the idea that Jalen Smith isn't playing up to his potential, but many others are exceeding potential.  Both starting guards, for instance, are wonderful.  And Bruno Fernando has a double-double every game.  Yet they manage all of these narrow losses.

Another slumping team is Burnley, and the Claret are playing with Relegation Disaster.  A check of the Premier League Table shows Burnley in 16th place, five points clear of relegation.  Only the poor play of the teams that are fighting with the Lancashire lads have kept Burnley where they are.  Burnley is 16th with 30 points, while Southampton is 17th with 27 points.  The three teams holding relegation spots are 18th place Cardiff City, with 25 points, the two bottom-dwellers, Fulham and Huddersfield, who have played themselves out of contention with 17 and 14 points, respectively.  If Burnley can find some points, a considerably higher position is easily within reach.  Brighton is actually tied with Burnley in points, but Brighton Hove Albion has a game in hand.  Newcastle is in 14th place with 31 points, Crystal Palace is 13th with 33 points, Bournemouth is 12th with 34 points, and Leicester City is 11th with 35 points.  

And finally, despite the bleak prognosis given the Orioles as Spring Training opened, the young collection of no-names is playing well and with spirit in Florida.  Particularly effective is Catcher Chance Sisco, who in 6 games and 12 at bats has hit 4 home runs and knocked in 9 runs. Sisco is also hitting .417.  Shortstop Jack Reinheimer, who is a non-roster invitee, is batting .462 with 6 hits in 13 at bats.  And Anthony Santander, who played plenty during the Orioles' late season games, is batting .444 with two homers and 4 doubles among his 8 hits in 18 at bats.  There is also bad news.  Chris Davis is 1 for 12.  Mike Yastrzemski is one for 10, although he has hit a home run and has two runs batted in. His grandfather is, of course, Hall of Fame Member Carl Yastrzemski.   At age 28 he is a non-roster invitee and everybody - including me - is rooting hard for the young man.  Another offspring of a member of baseball's royalty is first baseman Ryan Ripken, Cal's son.  He is 25.  With the Orioles this spring, he is 0 for 1.  He is not under anywhere near the pressure that Yastrzemski is.

Trump Speech to Extol American View

BALTIMORE, Maryland, United States of America, Tuesday, February 5, 2019:  It has been said previously without the statement being adhered to.  Now, it will be adhered to.  "It" is the number of posts each calendar week.  Four will be the minimum.  God Willing, there will often be more posts each week than that.  There will be sub-heads in the posts which will enable readers to skip over posts on subject matter they don't care to read.

Rarely Has a State of The Union Address Generated More Pre-Speech Interest.
       The President of the United States is called upon to give a report on the State of the Union on an annual basis.  Since the early 1900's, that report has been made by way of a spoken speech.  Article II, Section 3 of the United States  Constitution provides that the President periodically "give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."
       Credible and Incisive doubts that President Trump will have any trouble in fulfilling his obligations.  There were, of course, pre-State of the Union skirmishes between President Trump and embattled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  Prior to the interim settlement of the budget imbroglio, Pelosi disinvited the President, who replied at first that he'd show up anyway.  Then he pulled back on that.  With the settlement, everything, at least at this hour, is a 'go'.
       Pelosi is said to be fearing an uprising of venomous showboating by the quickly growing anti-American contingent among Democratic Congressional representatives.  The two Islamics in that group - Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan - have already put the country on notice that they intend to showboat and make free use of Anti-Semitism.  Look for all of that to begin tonight.  Some Democrats will like that.  Many will not, not because they don't really agree with the presumed sentiment of such outbursts, but because of the damage to the party they fear will result.
       One assumes that President Trump will be ready and loaded for bear when the showboating gets underway.  Will he try to ignore it?  Will he attempt to take it in stride?  Will he fight back?  It is difficult to imagine the President taking a passive approach.  Nor would a passive approach be appropriate.   Would the President or a Congressional Officer seek to resort to Congressional Rules and Procedures to restore the decorum of the Congress (such as it is).  I would not want to be the Sergeant of Arms or official security and police personnel. 
       Some observers have worried that the new anti-American elements amongst the left will begin their show by dressing down for the night.  And that might be a good early gauge as to what the anti-Americans are up to.  
       Assuming the President is actually able to make his speech, one assumes he will begin by reminding the audience of his many and varied accomplishments thus far.  I say "remind," but in more than a few cases, a recitation of those many accomplishments will be a matter of first impression.  The Anti-American Anti-Trump Main Stream Media have all buy eliminated any news about these frequent accomplishments from the pages and minutes of their media outlets.  People who actually still look to the New York Times or, say, CBS, for news of such things will be getting quite the education when they hear about the microscopic unemployment levels these days, even among such often vulnerable groups such as Black Men and Hispanics.  In both of these instances, the unemployment rates have never been lower.

Never.

Trump will also want to remind Viewers about his many foreign policy accomplishments, including his agreements with North Korea, his pending agreement with China, his trade treaties (now actually favoring the USA) and his decisions to reduce USA troop levels around the world.  He will also want to inform everyone once again about the better-equipped USA Military that defends this nation.  Before President Trump, the American Military was on a downbound train, seemingly, under Obama, on an express one to a crash landing at the bottom of reality.

President Trump must also take this unique opportunity to frame to Border Wall Controversy in a way that will make crystal clear how necessary wall is and how wrong-headed opposition to it is.  Will the Queen of Hostility and Inane thinking - she being Nancy Pelosi - be listening?  No.  That is why the President be prepared to explain what his next steps will be.

Let me put in an unsolicited plug for One American News and its announced coverage plans for the evening,  According to the network - which, on FIOS, is Station Number 116, there will be no commercial interruptions, either during the State of the Union or during the rebuttals of the Democrats.  After all of this, One American News will provide analysis from its never-soft-spoken commentator Liz Wheeler.  I wish time would also have been made for a contribution from the networks only other commentator, Graham Ledger.  You will not find a more articulate, hard-hitting, honest, or informed commentator anywhere.

From the King James Bible, the Old Testament, this is Jeremiah, Chapter 50, Verse 6:  My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.

Also from the King James Translation, Old Testament, from the prophet Obadiah, Chapter 1, Verse 15:  For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, It shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. 

And from the King James, New Testament, St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians, Chapter 1, beginning at Verse 13:  For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: Verse 14: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. Verse 15: But when it pleased God, who separated me fom my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, Verse 16: To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:  Verse 17:  Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.  Verse 18: Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter; and abode with him fifteen days.  Verse 19: But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.  Verse 20: Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.  Verse 21:  Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;  Verse 22: And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:  Verse 23: But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.  Verse 24: And they glorified God in me. 

Sports: A Few Notes About Burnley and Maryland (Basketball and Baseball)
       Pinch yourself.  It is only February 5, but opening day for the University of Maryland Baseball Team is only a few days hence.  The Terps open the 2019 campaign in Conway, South Carolina, where they will take part in a three-day, four team NCAA baseball festival.  Besides the Terps, Campbell, Coastal Carolina and VCU are taking part.  Maryland plays Campbell on Friday, February 15, at 11 am, Coastal Carolina on Saturday, February 16, at 3 pm, and VCU on Sunday,  February 17, at 11 am.  Maryland opens their home schedule Friday, February 22, against Maine.  It will be the first of a three-game series with the Brown Bears. 

Maryland basketball team next plays Nebraska.  The Terps slipped to No. 24 in the latest AP poll.

Unless Burnley rights their ship, they seem destined to play the relegation game right down to the final week of Premier League play in May.  As I post, the Claret are 6 wins, 6 draws and 13 defeats, and, more importantly, just two points clear of relegation.  The Claret have 13 matches left to play.  Generally, to avoid relegation, a side needs to be a tad over 40 points.  Right now, Burnley has 24 points.  Think about 4 wins and 4 draws to avoid relegation.

The World Reacts! Queen P. is Back!

BALTIMORE, Maryland, United States of America, Friday, January 4, 2019 - Whether someone in the GOP hierarchy - might it be our President? - or just one of those things that happen because of dumb luck, but there, in bold mid-January colors, was the queen of the legislative corral, back in the saddle again.  Yessiree, the legendary, near mythical Nancy Pelosi had come east in the dead of winter to once again assure all Americans that something almost all of them want (a Southern Border Wall) will not be provided thanks to those wiley Democrats, ensconced in a leadership role once again in the auguste United States House of Representatives.

On Thursday, the third day of the new year, those witless, er, ah, wiley Democrats, voted Queen P. back into the role of Speaker of the that House.  Just so you know, Queen P is now third in line to the Presidency.  

We who are so wise.  We, who have belittled others for witless and foolish decisions.  We have done this.

Just so you know and can now sleep soundly.  Next thing you know, that delightfully brain-dead representative from the same intellectually gifted Western State, Ms. Maxine Waters, will be placed in charge of a very important committee.  Couldn't happen!  Not even Queen P will allow such a travesty.  

Remember back when Queen P last held the role of Speaker of the House?  She had instructed the Air Force to provide her a fully equipped jet plane capable of transporting her and her entire staff of fools back and forth to California.  And so the Air Force had to take the mega-expensive jet off active duty, along with its entire crew, to shuttle the Queen back and forth to Western Cuba (California).

You don't think anyone in the Air Force would follow such a foolish order again?  Would the Queen even try to implement such an outrage?

Hard to say.  I have wondered just how many federal legislative districts would elect the Queen to represent them in Congress?  Can you think of any be other than the one she actually ran in?  I cannot.  Have any of you heard the public service spot the federal forestry folk have been running in their attempt to get more people to come to the many beautiful USA National Forests?  In the spot, the wonderful flora and fauna that live in the forests so enjoyed the visit of a young boy to their environs that they came to the joint conclusion that one of their own needed to be dispatched to the boy's home to tell him to visit again.  The creature selected for the mission was a banana slug, which the boy mistook for a booger.  Once the lad gets over his revulsion, he follows the advice imparted by the good booger slug and beseeches his mom to take him again.  We learn during the commercial that it took the poor banana slug many months to make the trip from the forest to the residence of the young hero.  I know I took up a lot of space retelling the story of the slug, but I thought maybe, just maybe, Queen P could be prevailed upon to adopt a similar urgency (as well as a similar means of transportation) for her ventures back to her legislative district.   

Well, it is a nice thought.  

Some Parting Thoughts:  The Ravens will be playing the Chargers on Sunday.  It will be a rematch of a game played just a couple of weeks ago in California.  The Ravens won the game because the Chargers - with one of the NFL's most prolific offenses - could not so much a budge the Raven defense.  By the 4th Quarter, the Chargers weren't even calling for pass plays that called for their offensive line to provide all-Pro QB Phillip Rivers more than a second or two to throw the ball.  The poor man spent most of the game on his back...After a horrific start in the Premier League Campaign, Burnley has won two matches in a row and given the faithful at Turf Moor some hope of avoiding relegation.  The two wins - 2-0 over West Brom and 2-1 over Huddersfield - put the Claret in a virtual tie for 17th on the table.  They will need to move out of the tie to avoid the relegation tag.  Of course, they have until May to do it...Back in the autumn the weather had turned so cold that the internet started to fill with conjectures concerning a coming ice age.  For those who aren't fans of the Mid-Atlantic's confounded warm winter stretches, that autumn cold weather was just wonderful.  There were days when the mercury never reached freezing, and this was only November.  Well, anyway, my Accuweather App has a setting that allows you to look 30 days into the future.  That shows that the weather will start acting like winter once again come about the 20th of this month. Wow!  More winter!

The Bible says this in the Old Testament Book of the Prophet Malachi, Chapter 2, at Verse 10: "Have we not all one Father?  Has not one God created us?  Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?  

This is what the Bible says in the New Testament in Saint Paul's Letter to Titus, Chapter 3, beginning at Verse 1: "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for any honest work, Verse 2: to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all men.  Verse 3: For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by men and hating one another; Verse 4: but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, Verse 5: he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, Verse 6: which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, Verse 7: so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs of eternal life.  Verse 8: The saying is sure.  I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who gave believed in God may be careful to apply themselves or enter honest occupations. These are excellent and profitable to men.  Verse 9: But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile." 

These are well worth contemplating during a time when the secular Ultra Left seems to delight in doing everything it can to stir up hatred.  Is it merely a coincidence that most of the Ultra Left's leaders supported the idea of constructing a wall on the Southern Border only a few years ago.  I don't suggest that the Good Book is speaking to them.  I am suggesting that the words and thoughts here are very useful when we contemplate these issues.