Season’s Greetings, Fellow Earthlings

Each and every day, each and every one of us, regardless of our circumstances, has a choice. We can squander our time fingering old welts, second guessing past decisions, and tormenting ourselves over the poor choices of others; or we can embrace a new day brimming with opportunities for doing justly, loving mercy, and building foundations for a bright new tomorrow. Time is precious. Choose wisely. SC

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

HISTORIC HANGTOWN CRICK

It was many and many a year ago

Along an old stagecoach road,

A gold camp flourished in the snow,

In the heart of the mother lode.

Soon the whole place went to heck,

And loath to call a truce,

They stretched a couple careless necks

With a crudely fashioned noose.

So the gold camp grew in infamy.

Notoriety done the trick!

And soon the little ditch was known

As historic Hangtown crick.

The camp was christened Hangtown too,

In memory of the dead,         

And far and wide her legend grew

As the lawless place them fellas wound up dead.

Soon folks rushed in from shore to shore

To pan the muddy street,

With Hangtown renowned for evermore

As the place to come to see them swingin’ feet.

The city fathers deemed it wise

To spread the gold camp’s fame.

Soon gold aplenty became the prize,

And emptying tourists pockets became the game.

When delicate womenfolk arrived,

The name Hangtown give ‘em grief.

So a brand new name was soon contrived,

In the hope it might provide the men relief.

Ravine City was considered

But the womenfolk groaned still,

So at last the city fathers

Changed the name to Placerville.

The little metropolis grew and grew

And the townsfolk, being thrifty,

Began providing gasoline

To the motorists they could lure from highway 50.

Flatlanders now are welcome

Despite what you may hear.

And we very rarely hang one.

With ropes now coiled, we count each tourist dear.

So if you’d like to live on beans

Out west where skies are sunny,

Check out Old Hangtown by all means,

And just to play it safe, bring lots of money.

SC

SOMETIMES IN THE EVENING

SOMETIMES IN THE EVENING

Sometimes in the evening

When the sun is sinking low,

And the pines are silhouetted

And I’ve nowhere else to go,

I remember good ol’ Placerville

In the distant days of yore,

And I’d very nearly sell my soul

To walk its streets once more.

When its avenues were dusty

And its storefronts weathered wood,

When the girls were thin and lusty

And the Ivy House still stood;

When Main Street ran a rutted course

And blooms were yet a bud,

The only ride to town, a horse,

And gold was in our blood;

When the Hangman’s Tree served nickel beer,

The Cary House was new;

Lamp-lit saloons exuded cheer

And frosty mugs of brew,

The three mile house was always full,

Lake Tahoe days away,

And folks who stopped at Hangtown

Almost always came to stay.

Father in Heaven, hear my prayer.

Dear God, please grant my plea.

If I could just awaken there.

If time could set me free.

If once more I could stroll its streets

And once more breathe it’s air,

I know there’s souls aplenty Lord

Who could benefit from prayer. SC

TATTERED STARS

TATTERED STARS

Her stripes were worn and faded,

Her fabric torn and frayed.

Tattered stars hung loosely now,

Weakened by old battles and decayed.

Still, she hung with dignity,

Despite her ragged state.

Her very fabric promised hope,

Although the hour was late.

Just then, as dawn was breaking,

A rustling in the trees,

A disturbance in the morning mist

And a cool, refreshing of breeze.

The flash of nearby lightening,

Pulses quickened by the thrill,

While meadows shook with thunder

And a deluge took the hill.

With that, Old Glory caught the wind,

Unfurled, as on the march.

Despite the hail that tore her hems,

She took the field and stretched out stiff as starch.

And those who saw this marveled,

And recalled old glory’s youth.

And hearts swelled near to bursting,

Quickened by old loyalties and truth.

And every soul saluted,

While new hope replaced old fears,

And each heart pledged allegiance,

And sealed their pledge with gratitude and tears.

 

SHANNON THOMAS CASEBEER

Cut each other some slack.

Each and every one of us is a distinctive product of our gene pool, our environment, our life experience and our faith. Our beliefs, our convictions, and our partisan leanings are inherent in the unique and singular individual which, through time, we each become. As a result, some of us lean blue, and others red. It’s not simply what we choose to believe. To a large extent, it’s what we’ve become. We need to accept that we’re different and cut each other some slack. SC

The Bible tells us if we would have God’s boundless affection, there’s but one condition:

The Bible tells us if we would have God’s boundless affection, there’s but one condition: We must love God without restraint and each other without exception. I realize that loving some of us is a tall order, but considering the reward, I suspect it’s worth the effort. And, just between you and me, God doesn’t expect us to be 100% successful.  He just requires us to try. I intend to try harder.  I suggest you do likewise. While loving everyone, unconditionally, without exception, at first appears daunting if not entirely impossible, that’s not necessarily the case.  We are all products of genetics, our environment, and our life experiences.  As a result, we are each very different.  Despite this obvious fact, we all have one thing in common.  Even in the case of the most seeming vile and depraved among us, that individual was once a vulnerable child.  To one extent or another, some essence of that innocent child remains.  While it’s often difficult to reconcile ourselves to what many people become, or at least appear to have become, with this insight and determination, it’s entirely possible to love who each of us was. We’re required to love the sinner, not the sin. That’s a start.  SC

Any godless sinner can put on a pious façade and slander the faith and beliefs of others, but it requires wisdom, dedication, sacrifice, and boundless compassion to truly repent and follow the teachings of Christ.  SC

If that makes me a liberal...

Back in the mid fifties, even I was a youngster.  Following a horrendous spinal tap and the heart stopping diagnosis of Poliomyelitis, I spent several weeks convalescing at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo California. During a two week confinement in a hospital with dozens of other crippled children, a five year old has worlds of time to pray. One night, all alone in my hospital room, scared half to death and miles and miles from home, I called out to Jesus from the depths of my little soul.  Days later the hospital ran some tests, and told my folks to collect me and take me home. When I finally tugged my cowboy boots back on and Dad and Mom headed for home with me in tow, I began a walk with Jesus that has lasted to this day. When my family and I arrived in Missouri in 1978, I became a member of Dry Creek General Baptist Church, where I was baptized under the bridge at Indian Creek in 1979.  Twenty years later, in 1998, I became a member of Pomona Christian Church, where I maintain my membership today. I live in the Ozarks now.  Suffice it to say, the majority of my church family are lifelong, staunch conservatives. I love those folks dearly, and many of them tolerate me.  As someone who has considered Jesus Christ my personal Savior for over fifty years, I believe in doing justly, loving mercy, walking humbly with my God, and enthusiastically supporting the rights of others to walk with theirs. I believe freedom is all about personal choices. I cherish my own freedom; I make my own choices, and I passionately support the freedom and choices of others.  If that makes me a liberal, so be it. I prefer to consider myself an American. SC  

It’s time to remember what made America great to begin with

There’s a race in progress around the world today that we can’t afford to lose, and America is standing flatfooted at the starting line, held back by those who feel no need to participate, because they’re not invested in America.  They’re only invested in themselves.

The incomparable engine that powers our economy is all but idle, rusted, and starving for fuel. Our country’s vast wealth and potential has pooled at the top and grown stagnate.  The answer is not additional years of greed, robbery, self-interest, and promises of trickledown. The answer is cash flow now.  It’s time to prime the pumps!

I’m not suggesting giveaways. We don’t require additional handouts to the bottom.  And we certainly don’t require more tax breaks and giveaways to the top.  I’m suggesting unparalleled investment, with the expectation of unparalleled growth and dividends. It’s time to put all our backs into it and grunt.   

It’s time to puncture that reservoir and circulate the fuel that will get our engine running.  It’s time to make hard work profitable and profits equitable for all those who do the work that make them possible. The answer is not raising wages until America is unable to compete on the world stage. The answer is to provide incentive through affordable housing, healthcare, and education, so that a person who is prepared to work for fair, equitable, and competitive wages will find those wages sufficient to meet their needs, and the businesses and corporations who employ those people can produce state of the art services and products that result in reasonable profits while remaining competitive around world.  

It’s time to rebuild our infrastructure so that America is once more the envy of the world.  It’s time to harness our ingenuity, creativity, workforce, and technology, and invest again in America and our people. It’s time to remember what made America great to begin with, and why the world once looked to America for leadership.  It’s time to refuel our engine and get back in the race. SC