John McCain

To most hard-core conservatives, ( Ideological conservatism) Republican opinion-makers including the "Christian Right" leaders have been referring to McCain as a "liberal". Christianity, politics, controversies and worldliness have brought in the darkness that people cannot see the light. A Christian's economical life and standard of moral living are not private matters but rather they are critical issues of faith and discipleship. A Christian life in this world should be different from the world, being in the world but not of the world.

In the past, most politicians have failed "morally" in their lives which have been exposed by the media. If the politicians can't control their own moral, why should the average americans? Abraham Lincoln famously said "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."

Last month or so, my wife and I have been watching John Adams on HBO and I am impressed. Thomas Jefferson is probably the most admired man of all Founding Fathers because he wrote the Delcaration of Independence. He remembered his history that the Puritans were interested in establishing a degree of separation of church and state because they had been persecuted by the English government and wanted to ensure their own freedom of religion in Massachusetts Bay.

Will conservatives sort out what are legitimate needs that helps citizens and what is pure greed that hurts citizens?

America was once very wealthy and today we are not because America also has failed to cure our economic needs. Money has given us more freedom, but we are unable to tell the difference between right and wrong. America's attitudes towards money should be in their conviction that money is a social good, not a private possession and that the economic main purpose is the welfare of everyone in society, not the personal pleasure of the person who happens to have control over it. Throughout the Old Testament, there were lists of people who were wealthy and in fact the Book of Proverbs wrote who we use our wealth. Economic system is stewardship. So, regarding the political economic system, I have said before and I will say again, economic system is NOT the problem, its PEOPLE and their attitudes. One of my favorite quotes is from this billionaire investor Warren Buffett when he told his shareholders a few years ago: "If they insist on trying to time their participation in equities, they should try to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful." The idea that Jesus Christ has absolute and final authority over all of us in every detail of our lives is simply regardless of legalistic control by some evangelical Christians in the political world. We are in the world of self-deceit that we are too focused on ourselves to see the eternal truth. It is the selfish who possess the world while it is the meek who inherits the world. Church politics, controversies and worldliness have brought in the darkness that people cannot see the light. A Christian's economical life and standard of moral living are not private matters but rather they are critical issues of faith and discipleship. A Christian life in this world should be different from the world, being in the world but not of the world.

Charles Colson wrote in his book about Conservative Christians, "Who Speaks for God?'': "It's easy to become enthralled with access to places of supposed power. In time, however, without even knowing it, our well-intentioned attempts to influence government can become so entangled with a particular political agenda that it becomes our focus; our goal becomes maintaining our political access. When that happens, the gospel is held hostage to a political agenda -- and we become part of the very system we were seeking to change.''

Alumni of RIT/NTID:Removal of AG Bell Plaque

Its funny, I used lived in Bell Hall Dormitory which is next to Lyndon Baines Johnson building when I attended RIT/NTID.

I graduated from RIT/NTID (Rochester Institute of Technology)back in 1981. Lately, there have been many conversations and actions about removing AGBell plague and renaming a dormitory. Before Superbowl game, Pepsi chose to air a 60-second commercial with no audio of a couple of guys looking for “Bob’s House”. The two Deaf men driving a car through a suburban neighborhood, looking for their friend’s house. Most of you know the commercial. Anyway, before the commercial came on the air, the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) President Karen Youdelman sent a letter to a Senior Vice President of PepsiCo Communications regarding her views of the Deaf community. Many NTID Alumni and student were outraged at the response from AG Bell.

Since then, because of AG Bell’s views, many members of the Deaf/HoH communities no longer wish to honor. Its not about against oralism but rather against the promotion of cultural prejudice of the Deaf community.

I have found out as of this morning, the plaque of AGBell have been removed and now considering renaming the dormitory.

Hearing Loss and other disabilities.............

Thinking lately about my deafness, multiple sclerosis and other disabilities, and I have been reading your blogs that many of us are sharing our insights from our first-hand experiences with disabilities. Our adversaries have made our will strong and made our desires to live stronger which caused our determination to be strong.

No matter what, life goes on and we will do our best to enjoy our life. :)

Deep thoughts about life and politics

In all aspect of my life including politics, I am finally understanding that God don't want me to live in a easy life, but rather make me a stronger Christian. I have to keep in mind that God may be withholding what I ask in order to do special work that He have placed me according to His plan and will (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). I have learned that by doing of the will of God leaves me no time for disputing about His providence plans and why things are happening around us.

I have had many deep thoughts about my spiritual life and my relationship with non-believers. I just let God handle their beliefs that I disagree with. Christianity seriously while at the same time, understand sins in this world.

Happiness, Contentment and Grace

I have learned that contentment is excitement in the midst of struggles, gracefully compassion over the needs of someone who is worse off than I am , joy in the midst of pain. I have learned that true happiness and contentment comes from the Holy Spirit through God's Grace. As one of my favorite theologians said "Happy are they who know that discipleship simply means life which springs from grace". It is God's will that we submit to the Holy Spirit and keep on filling (Ephesians 5:18). Like an athlete when training, we should always keep drinking water so that we won't be dehydrated and feeling weak. With that thought in mind, we should always keep filling the Holy Spirit so that we are able to act and react any given situations. "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9).

The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved - loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves. Victor Hugo

When you accept rather than fight your circumstances ---even though you don't understand them --- you open your heart's gate to God's love, peace, joy and contentment. Amy Carmichael

Democracy and Politics

Christians can work with non-Christians in attempting to promote justice and civic peace because it is good for all people, not just Christians (Galatians 6:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:15). God allowed democracy happen in the United States so that He can basically swamps each of us Christians among non-believers. Through Divine Providence, we have democracy in order to share spiritual revival that only the Holy Spirit can provide. Democracy provides possibilities and opportunities without any restrictions to share the Gospel. Andrew Murray said "Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation."

How hiding his deafness ruined novelist's life

For ten years, the Whitbread Award-winning author, now 73, tried to hide his hearing loss. 'Unlike other disabilities, deafness can be concealed, and it's tempting to do this, especially when it's gradual,' he says. 'It's not just about vanity, but about fears of old age and mortality.' He is a full-time writer and doesn't wear his aids while writing. 'You're meant to keep them in but I find them tiresome. I don't like hearing the keyboard.

Hearing loss is so easy to hide - it's the invisible disability.

The Dangers of Political Parties

Political extremist refers to a person or group that holds a set of beliefs that diverge from society's norm to a great degree. They show disdain for the rights and liberties of others, but resent the limitations of their own activities. They favor censorship of their enemies but use intimidation and manipulation to spread their own assertions and claims. We Americans should unite for the good of our country and not get caught up in divisive partisan political warfare that causes that solves nothing but rather creates more problems and delaying crucial important decisions that will affect all Americans.

United States government is a democracy which every citizen within the country gets to have a say in what decisions are made. The sovereignty which democracy grants to law (higher than custom or the whim of individuals or the rights of groups) creates a moral problem like must we logically accept a decision of the people to make a law which approves abortion? How to handle people with disabilities? Like for an example, recently, a federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. discriminates against blind people by printing paper money that makes it impossible for them to distinguish the "bills' value". How do we handle this?

The America people are seen as the ultimate source of legitimacy in democracy and while making laws, many cannot all agree to propose legislation. Democracy is very complexed and its not that simple. Democracy is popularly associated with the principle of majority rule and it is the expression of the sovereign will of the people, however there is no easy method by which that "will" is deemed to be defined must consist of majority rule.

Rule by a extremist may easily constitute a tyranny of its own by political parties. In today's Columbus Dispatch, a national columnist named Rowland Nethaway wrote about this very issue. George Washington's warning against political parties and the divisive partisanship that inevitably accompanies party politics.

Here are George Washington's quotes:"the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it."

"agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection."

I am very nuetural when it comes to politics. I don't like telling other people what to do with their lives. I hold conservative positions on most issues but have an underlying worldview of what is happening and make decisions based on them. I am against abortion but in relation to my fellow citizens, who am I telling them what to do? I have come to conclusion that being a moderate reminds me that I have no control of what is going on in this world. Christianity will always be running against the prevailing society of individualistic views. Lack of balance is often the direct consequence of over-emphasis on certain topics while ignoring others that are related. There is a fine balance between legalism and liberalism. Both are wrong. Everything is allowable but not everything is allowable. People are really confused the balance between what the world ought to be.

Grace is about loving other people that we have the freedom to do so but at the same time, respect how they practice their beliefs. I just let God handle their beliefs that I disagree with. Christianity seriously while at the same time, understand sins in this world. Sins are discord, disunity, and chaos will always produce great insecurity that leads people to feel destabilize in their lives. I am one Republican who wants to see a return to traditional values that must come from the people, not the government. "We the People" are the true government. Politically, to me idealism is freedom without people telling me what to do or how should I live my life. One of my favorite Presidents of all time was Abraham Lincoln, he had one idealism that lead to civil war. Do you remember what that was? I truly believe this kind of idealism is truth. He wanted to abolish slavery.

Today, political parties have unrealistic expectations and an ignorance of the way things really work in politics which is why they are losing. Idealism basically means holding on to a set of beliefs which are a rigid system of the way life is "supposed to be" or "should be". Belief system you have adopted about how things "should be done" which often gets challenged by the way things are in reality. I also noticed that many idealists find it difficult to fully accept anyone the way they really are and chronically attempt to control them so that they can become the way they "should ideally be" which often leads to become fatalistic, hostile, pessimistic, and negativistic attitudes. I truly believe that "over-idealism" is a control issue and that it is at the root of our need to overcontrol situations, people, places, or things in order to ensure that they come into compliance with our ideal image of the way reality is supposed to be. Adolf Hitler was one example of "over-idealism".

Famous Quote
"Where a constitution, like ours, wears a mixed aspect of monarchy and republicanism, its citizens will naturally divide into two classes of sentiment, according as their tone of body or mind, their habits, connections and callings, induce them to wish to strengthen either the monarchical or the republican features of the constitution. Some will consider it as an elective monarchy, which had better be made hereditary, and therefore endeavor to lead towards that all the forms and principles of its administration. Others will view it as an energetic republic, turning in all its points on the pivot of free and frequent elections." --Thomas Jefferson to James Sullivan, 1797. ME 9:377

Still alive

Hi, I am still around. Just busy here and there.

Jim

Are we corrupting our thoughts with our wishful images of God?

After time away from blogging, I have had good quiet moments and plenty of deep thoughts without getting involved with blogging. When I am facing my chronic pains or facing whatever issues at hand, I often focus on something to keep my mind busy such getting online (i.e. my Blog). I often retread to read books or get into deep thoughts about certain topics.

There are many people who have their own image of God and they believe that God have good life planned for them but there are so few who want to put themselves in a place where they can really hear Him. C.S. Lewis once said "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world".

I am finally understanding that God don't want me to live in a easy life, but rather make me a stronger Christian. I have to keep in mind that God may be withholding what I ask in order to do special work that He have placed me according to His plan and will (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

We live in an apartment and lately, my wife and I have been searching information about buying a home. This is what we have been doing lately and the process is slow due to unsure of what to do.

I am slowly coming back as we figure out what we should be doing.

Harry G. Lang: Honeoye Falls resident, a professor at National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, received

the 2008 Robert F. Panara Award for contributions to deaf education at a statewide conference held in Rochester earlier this month. (Panara, 87, presented the award.)
Harry G. Lang writes about education and history in the deaf population

Deep Thoughts: God's will

I have learned that by doing of the will of God leaves me no time for disputing about His providence plans and why things are happening around us. In my position, God will not hold me responsible for my lack of understanding in the mysteries of election, predestination, and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these is to look to God in deepest respect say, "0 Lord, You know all."

God's will is revealed in the New Testament:
Saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9)
Spirit-filled (Ephesians 5:17-18)
Sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7)
Submissive (1 Peter 2:13-15)
Suffering ( Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 3:12)

A person's heart is the main problem. Too hard to notice the Holy Spirit's conviction and accepting God's grace.

Grace (undeserve kindness)

I'm going to have to slow down on the blogging for a while as I try to focus on issues at hand. Nothing serious. I will be back whenever I can.

Before the end of May, I will be passing out Kindness awards that I received from Angela.

In the spirit of gratitude and being thankful....and kindness, of course, I created this award. I truly love giving out kindness awards more than anything else because people who are truly kindhearted never expect a return on their actions.

The definition: n.1.
1. The quality or state of being kind. 2. An instance of kind behavior: I will always remember your many kindnesses to me.

“Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm... As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
Audrey Hepburn

Angela's Blog

From the Bible, I am reminded in Colossians 3:12-13 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Looking at kindness from one perspective, 2 Peter 1:7 "make every effort to add to your faith......brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love."

I love this quote: The Christian faith is meant to be lived moment by moment. It isn't some broad, general outline--it's a long walk with a real Person. Details count: passing thoughts, small sacrifices, a few encouraging words, little acts of kindness, brief victories over nagging sins. Joni Eareckson Tada

To all Mothers....

Happy Mother's Day

Theme Music from "Without a Trace" have been missing without a trace

Did you notice that Numb3rs and Without a Trace are not playing the "theme" music lately? I missed them.

Consultants relating to Deaf Education

Louisiana State Department of Education officials have chosen three consultants to recommend changes at the Louisiana School for the Deaf following the arrests on indecent behavior charges of 5 people connected to the school. See Story

I am really curious what changes they are looking into? I know its about improving the safety of this school but almost every school have similar problems with sexual predators in the school systems.

I am hoping they are not focusing on "deaf issue" of the problems because this problem is nationwide and worldwide deaf, non-deaf, able and disabled. (See Child predators finding cracks in the school system, Teachers and Sexual Misconduct and Inaction keeps sexual misconduct in schools ).

I for one will watch how Louisiana and see how they focus on the investigations.

Interferon beta-1a and Chinese hamsters

Because of Multiple Sclerosis, I have a very active immune system. Taking interferons change the behavior of the immune system by reducing the number of T-cells which are transported from the blood stream to the Central Nervous System (CNS) which reduces the number of inflammatory T-cells (TH-1) while at the same time allowing the TH-2 cells which reduce inflammation to dominate the central nervous system. Interferon beta-1a is identical to the naturally occurring protein found in the human body. This kind of interferon is manufactured by extracting the drug from Chinese hamster ovary cells which I take Biogen's Avonex which is a 30 mcg of interferon beta-1a which is injected once weekly and the most common side effects (for me) are the flu like symptoms. Avonex is manufactured by Biogen that will help modify the course of multiple sclerosis.

Volunteer.........

After working for Envionmental Protection Agency (Ohio) for almost 27 years, I decided to volunteer to be a judge for the science fair. Today's was my second year since I started doing this last year when they were looking for more judges. Today, I attended the same scince fair that have been hosted by The Ohio State University each year on OSU Campus across from OSU Ohio Stadium. I am not the "actual" judge but rather a sponsor judge for "Governor's Award for Excellence in Environmental Protection Research". I work with other judges and make selections according to the students' environmental research projects in reducing pollution and protecting the environment as well as the public. My role is to judge the 7th and 8th graders that I am very impressed with them (as I was last year). I don't think I as in their level of knowledge when I was in science. (Heck, I was busy studying sports and girls, LOL).

I plan to do this again next year.

Common sense

Common sense basically means the knowledge and the experience people have or do not have. We all have to live in efficiency and productiveness of common sense and a strong sense of desiring to be a good steward that makes sense and benefits everyone without selfish motives.

Quotes:‘Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.’ — Josh Billings

‘Common sense is instinct. Enough of it is genius.’— George Bernard Shaw