Time to Put Thinking to Action

With the economic and storm devastation that America has endured this year there are literally millions who are homeless or facing homelessness and poverty. Join with us on October 15th at http://www.blogactionday.org/ to understand how you can change lives for the better.

Hope Outreach, CDSA, Salvation Army, DHS and many other organizations are serving the poverty stricken. However, while government agencies and social charities have given countless millions to the poor, the struggle does not seem to change. Mental health, physical disabilities, and lack of education are common marks of the disadvantaged. What can you do about it?

Watch this video and be inspired. Then join with us on October 15th.

<object width=”400″ height=”302″> <param name=”allowfullscreen” value=”true” /> <param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always” /> <param name=”movie” value=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1529825&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1” /> <embed src=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1529825&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowfullscreen=”true” allowscriptaccess=”always” width=”400″ height=”302″></embed></object><br /><a href=”http://vimeo.com/1529825?pg=embed&amp;sec=1529825″>Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/blogactionday?pg=embed&amp;sec=1529825″>Blog Action Day</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com?pg=embed&amp;sec=1529825″>Vimeo</a>.

A Moral Choice Was Made Today

Apostasy is a fundamental renunciation of a religious or political belief or allegiance. However, today this act is primarily performed by intolerant Islamic sects bent toward jihad maniacal sentiments against Christians. I find that ironically interesting in a time and country where a Christian society has been extremely tolerant of other religious believes. That happened because of previous persecutions of the Christians in England and Europe by the governing aristocracies that motivated our Constitution. America was built upon these principles of tolerance and Christian love and forgiveness.

 

Today, those with anti-Christian sentiment are blaming the existing political-economic problems on Christians, exclaiming non-tolerance of Judaea-Christian beliefs toward homosexual lifestyles, atheism and Islamic religion. That’s really not a truth. They are simply being intolerant of Christianity and the people who represent Christ. If the Christian principles were replaced by anything else, then this country would have been like any other country dealing with despots, tyrants and dictators who only call themselves presidents. Because of the tolerance of our Christian society and Constitution, gays, Muslim and aetheist are equally considered to have a right to protest AND VOTE! It’s kind of like the spoiled brat who has been given everything they want, but they always want more including everything from the hand that feeds them.

 

I stood up and voted with a moral choice today. If the Moral Majority, and I believe there is still one, doesn’t stand up with moral fortitude today, the lies will blanket and completely cover what many of our men have died for this past century…THE RED, WHITE AND TRUE.

Who is really being Bailed Out by the Feds

Our country is in dire straits for new leadership. Do you understand about the Stock Market catastrophe? Well, the federal government is telling us that they’re working on solutions to prevent a Depression. A bit of healthy skepticism should always be applied to whenever the government gets in a rescue mode. There is usually an underlying reason for doing what they do. Nobody does anything in Washington for the total “good of the people”.

I’ve read recently how the government (our fine tax investment) is bailing out the botched mortgage industry, by buying several of the desperate mortgage investment corporations. This amounts to almost a trillion dollars that Washington does not have. We are essentially borrowing from other foreign powers that our tax dollars will need to pay back. The Bible has a truth that should be applied here: ”A slave to the lender a borrower will be.” What is that going to eventually do to our Amercian Liberty when we owe our enemies? My daddy didn’t fight WWII or the Korean War for this. My classmates have not fought Viet Nam for this. My peers have not fought in Irag, Kuwait, or Afghanistan for this.

The Bush Administration’s concept may be a solution to our nation’s economy and the world economy for that matter, but I find this proposal extremely appalling for one ethical reason. While these corporations are being “saved”, the billionaire CEOs that led the greed in these organizations are living fat and large in their multiple mansions in their magnificent Mercedes Benz debauchery.

What is wrong with this picture? Millions are being forced out of their homes and losing their jobs with nowhere to go while these fat cats continue stoking on their Cubans with disconnected indifference. They got their’s. Where’s ours? Why aren’t the Feds bailing out the homeowners who were victimized by greedy market manipulation? Why isn’t the government protecting the hundreds of thousands of jobs being lost by highly-skilled workers? Read the excerpt below and you decide for yourself who is actually benefitting. But, you can bet, it isn’t you or me.

“The government could make a profit, a substantial profit,” said Jaret Seiberg, a financial services analyst at the Stanford Group, a policy research firm. “The pricing mechanism is going to be central.”

The plan will help banks shore up their balance sheets by removing hard-to-value assets. This would address the seemingly endless rounds of writedowns and capital raising that have been rocking the financial sector.”

Read the whole story on CNN:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/19/news/economy/what_we_know/index.htm

Positive Solution Overcomes the Falls

I was very  privileged to be a part of wonderful group of people in an organization called  Enid Beautiful Inc back in 2003. Then, a very assertive and positive group of people who loved Enid and Government Springs Park were strategizing about the demise of the spring’s old water fall. Erosion, 40 years of neglect, poor engineering and maintenance had rendered the waterfall useless, ugly and a great liability. Several concepts were drawn up with plans to include the whole south ridge or just replace the immediate site with a more suitable waterfall. The project would cost from $125,000 to $75,000. With the passion of evangelists, several folks rallied the fervor from a few other organizations and key individual supporters in Enid.

With the support of a Enid Symphony concert and a big financial contribution from the Rotary Club, the $75,000 waterfall was put into place by August of 2004. With the enthusiasm of kids with  new toys, many gardeners and landscapers clambered upon the newly place boulders along the ridge to plant new growth and mold the final touches to the beautiful waterfalls of today. Thank you, Enid for proving the positive side of our community’s efforts can overcome obstacles and make this the best place to live in NW Oklahoma!

 

Targeting Eastside is Becoming a Culture

The City of Enid and its Zoning Czars have taken most all of the service and retail businesses from the eastside’s neighborhoods. Over 90% of new businesses are pushed to the far west, as well as the new developing infrastructure. Now, instead of offering to improve relations with the constituency, city leaders would rather use oppressive political tactics such as specific ordinances that generally define eastside property owners. There many families that work in shifts at several of the 24-hour industries around town. These families own more than 2-3 cars, but are still only able to make it from pay day to pay day.

Now, the city is adding to their challenge of living in Enid. It’s bad enough that the eastside neighborhoods have barely enough affordable housing. Enid manufacturer employers are desperately needing more housing for their workforce. Hospitals are also desperately trying to attract more medical workforce, too. Now, instead of coming up with a better housing solution, Enid officials can only operate in an attack mode. I wished that Mayor Criner and his cronies could find the positive side of their responsibility and promote positive solutions. I’ve personally talked with the Mayor, and I knew of his dreams for Enid. Somebody must have something on him, because he sure has done a flip-flop from when he was platforming for his candidacy. Enid needs to know who is holding the whip! If the Mayor would arise to the challenge, the city leaders could collaborate with town leadership from Garber to Meno and from Hennessey to Pond Creek and develop economic corridors for industry and advertise area tourism along 412 from I-35. Work on that angle and maybe we could all get a pay increase and stay happy

Will Work for Welfare

The price of gas has passed over the price of soda and milk! Who ever dreamed this would be a reality? What kind of land of naivety have we been living in? I know that we have trees in my neighborhood only because people have historically been able to afford electricity and natural gas. In many countries there are no trees because they’ve had to burn them for fuel. People are beginning to call in to Hope Outreach for personal things like soap, shampoo and toothpaste because they’ve had to put gas in their cars. Makes me think about what Obama is wanting to do for Welfare fathers and pay them for doing what they’re supposed to do in the first place…TAKE CARE OF THEIR CHILDREN & FAMILY. Well, I’m always opposed to “hand-out” welfare, because of how human nature responds to such gestures. It rewards them for being poor and destitute. A welfare mother that keeps having children has learned to work the system. The sad thing is that the system responds as expected and keeps rewarding them. Not all welfare mothers are comfortable with the bondage of being on welfare. Regulated to a fixed income, jumping through hoops for food stamp purchases, and living in government subsidized housing, will pretty much humble the independent human spirit after a while. However, those who never intended to work and are always out to get what they can get from anybody, this is the “gravy train”.

At Hope Outreach, we provide items and services for those who are willing to work for it. Everybody can work. Whether they’re sitting down sorting, or packaging or helping with the product loads from donations. Our Senators need to adopt this same principle and integrate it into the Welfare system. You don’t work, you don’t get paid or food. There are too many nonprofit services that are helping other people throughout every community that could use some additional help. These are great places where welfare ”volunteers” could be serving the community. In some instances, their kids could participate. There’s nothing wrong about trading out for childcare services, either. It could be worked out so that the millions of welfare recipients are contributing to the very society that’s supporting them. Multiply that effort by millions and it will effect our economy. There has to be and very, very soon. I can see the welfare offices in the near future distributing “fuel cards” or “transportation cards”.

Oklahoma is working on their own welfare reform and is trying to encourage recipients to go back to work. In order to do that our communities must have programs developed to provide that process of empowerment. There also must be employment that can match the support the government is providing. Otherwise, people will be forced to settle receiving their monthly checks without hope of a way out. Giving them something for nothing will only perpetuate the cycle of welfare. Since either is so, we must provide training to help people overcome their situations. That means academically, special instruction and on-the-job training programs need to be in place for those working through transition.

No successful employer puts their workers to work with providing the appropriate tools and training. Our social welfare programs should be gearing up their clients likewise. Write your Senators about welfare form which you and I will be paying more for because of the recent trends in economy. Empower these people to buy their own gas.

Street Cars of Desire

Mobs get worked up to a frenzy, but I guess this human nature phenomena also happens with politicians. In their zealous effort to clean up the Enid, the Eastside has become the frenzied target of choice by the Mayor. I’m not sure where their source of motivation has derived to push them so far to the side of being Leftist and Elitist. They’re considering regulating how many cars can be owned at a residence. To add further insult to injury, their target area are homes built in the 1920s and 1930s which driveways were designed only to accomodate Model Ts and Model As. To illustrate, my 1990 GMC pickup hangs over both edges of my Maine Street driveway. My Maine Street home also does not allow parking in the street. That requires a shuffling of cars for my wife and I when we want to leave or arrive. For a while, we considered turning our front yard and city easement into a circular driveway to ease the parking problem. Well, now the city wants to attack our constitutional rights by limiting what we can own. Sure wished our Commissioners, city staff and Mayor would focus more on the positive solutions to our problems and work on getting more for Enid citizens instead of taking away what little we have. I desire to have more and better jobs for our community. I want to increase commerce; increase traffic and transportation opportunities; increase better housing accomodations for new workers moving into town; increase more opportunities for making Enid the greatest  place in Northwest Oklahomaq to raise families. That’s my challenge for City Hall. Change their polarity to positive when facing the desires of the community. Just don’t tell me that I can’t have a Mini Cooper because it’s my 3rd car.

Of Weeds and Wheat

Billowing wave after wave of southeasterly wind the heavy wheat heads of Northwestern Oklahoma bent over and sprung back in reciprocating gestures like a parade queen waving at me on Father’s Day. Clicking away with my digital shutter, I recorded the moments overlooking the wheat fields of my son-in-law’s family from the top of a hill. He had boyishly grabbed my youngest grandson and tucked him safely away in the cab of the combine before roaring off in the mighty machine at a fast snail’s pace along row after row of wheat. The race was against the storm looming high in the northern sky. We were anticipating that we would witness the next unloading of wheat from the combine into the truck as we stood there watching intently under a small thicket of rickety old elms that once graced a farmstead of long ago. The structure’s remnants lay in heap overgrown with weeds behind us. My wife mentioned it probably was a cozy home at one time. As she was saying that my eyes peered over the mysterious mound of gray wood and rusty metal and I replied, “Still is.” However, I was referring to a cozy home for Oklahoma rattlers. With all the available wheat seed, I thought that there should have been plenty of rodent activity and resulting attraction for snakes. Feeling a bit uneasy, I pulled my wife’s hand a littler further away from the weeds and into the close cropped wheat stubble. Feeling the clean breeze on my face reassured me that I did not own or owe the toil of this land. I was a visitor free to leave when I’ve filled me eyes with enough. I could leave the wheat and weeds as a memory just as I have the garden hoe of my youth. I had used it at one time or another to kill both weeds and rattlesnakes. I’m glad there are machines for those things now and my son-in-law is doing it.

Father’s Day in Enid

You don’t have to be a father or know your father to celebrate the day. Everyone has a father, just as everyone has a mother. It’s biological…underscore “logical”. That’s natural. What is heart breaking is to not have a daddy to show you how to navigate through the unknown. This day was created to celebrate that relationship not because you are an offspring, but because you had a male role model to nurture you with strength. While your mother embraced you with close tender emotions, dad was supposed to wisen you about the wiles of life. A boy requires a man to show them how to properly use the tools he has been given. A girl requires her dad to show her how a man should treat her.

Sad to say, in many young lives our fathers were not much better that the wild apes rumored to be our ancestors. An animal instinctually responds to their natural urges, hunger, weariness, and the need to procreate. Note, I didnt’ say sex. Sex is what humans do for recreation and out of love for each other. Animals procreate and have no other need for mating processes. Males generally are not involved with the rearing process either. Hmm. Sound like your father? If so, perhaps you need to investigate further to find about your true daddy who loves you, “Our father who art in heaven…” Don’t take my word on it. Go to the Bible and find out the truth for yourself. You’ll find that He will never leave nor forsake you. Once you discover these truths, you’ll know the answer to the question, “Who’s your daddy?”

Happy Daddy’s Day!

Lee Langshaw
The Red Dirt Chronicle

How to Shop at Hope Outreach

I remember the day that I could buy a shirt in the 70s in a thrift store for 10 cents. Well, hello, gas was $.28 a gallon then, too. While the prices are certainly not high on the clothing at Hope Outreach, sometimes the prices can be a little unreasonably high on household and furniture items. Okay, so what do you expect? They have employees who are not the average employee like at the civilians at VAFB nor are they trained at Dillard’s retail university. They’re just folks like yourself trying to overcome an obstacle in their lives by working at Hope Outreach. We do not have professional retail market specialists who have researched Macy’s philosophy of price structure.

That’s why there is a pricing structure at Hope Outreach that will overcome any discrepancies in the pricing. It is a 5-week shelf life schedule for every 1,000 plus products that are placed in the store everyday. There are 5 colors. White, yellow, green, red & blue. How it works is that each week color tags run through a cycle of discounting of 25%, 50% and 75%, until they rotate to the Clearance Corner where items will be marked down to as low as 23 cents! Now that’s cheap by today’s fuel prices anywhere! This cycle routine changes every Wednesday morning. That’s the day to shop for Bargains with a capital “B”.

The more important thing about shopping at Hope Outreach Thrift Store is that all of your purchases go toward managing the Hope Outreach ministries, store operation and the employment of 35+ local folks who are working for your community & God.