We Swear

… have left the building.

15 years, done.

I paused for a moment to listen to the door lock for the last time.

Last night was a going away party.  Very good people.  I understand now why people are reluctant to leave a job because of the people.  I will miss them.

I’m looking forward to the future.  I’m excited about it.

I had my going away lunch with my team mates and co-workers.  there were about 10 people there, including my boss’ boss, whom I have worked with for about 14 of my 15 years there.

Among other things, she said this;

“Jon is the best employee I have ever worked for.”

heh.

yep.

Over the weekend I drove to Kansas City to visit my daughter in college.

I’ve found that I like driving if I have some good books on CD to listen to.

This trip was Abraham-Hicks and  Michael Beckwith.  Both were excellent.

In fact, the entire adventure to Kansas City was a most excellent adventure.

My daughter is doing well and attending college, as expected.  Ironically, for one of her classes, she really does have to walk uphill both ways.  One of the buildings is on the other other side of a small hilll from the parking lot.  So she goes uphill to class, then uphill back from class.   Funny stuff.

.

---

.
Oh, I learned from Mr. Beckwith that the Aramaic translation of “satan” is “crazy thought”.  I’ve studied things like that for a while and find little nuances of those translations to be fascinating.  They really change your perceptions when you adjust to the meaning.  In this case, the implication is that “Satan” isn’t an external concept, but an internal one.

I’ll write more on the topic of differences in translations from Aramaic to Greek to English and how it has effected the terms used within the Bible.  It is an awesome topic for me.

Victor Davis Hanson’s latest observation reminds me of another situation regarding Obama and the people he used to ‘pal around with’.  Victor writes;

---

Indeed, there is a disturbing pattern here. Obama’s once-close radical Chicago associates are never jettisoned out of principle, but only at the 11th-hour when they became impediments to Obama’s political career. Thus Wright is defended throughout his racist rantings, until he makes the unfortunate decision of bringing that hatred to DC’s elite nexus at the National Press Club — and only then is immediately dropped, as Obama resigns from Trinity Church. Ditto Ayers. What made Obama cease communciations with Ayers was not the latter’s radicalism (indeed Obama facilitated it by serving with Ayers to dispense millions to questionable organizations), nor even Ayers’ boasts in 2001 of having no regrets about trying to blow up government buildings. Instead, 2005 coincides with Obama’s ascension to the Senate and the plan to begin running for the Presidency — and thus Ayers, like Wright later, became expendable. Ditto Rezko, Pfleger et al.

---

.
As I wrote to Victor, I don’t think they were “jettisoned” at all.   I think they have been asked to “lay low for a while”.  If Obama wins the election, I expect these long-time friends will suddenly have Obama’s ear and will have input on the future direction of our nation.I am very concerned that Obama looks at Hugo Chavez not as an enemy, but as a role model.

.

Update: Jay Nordlinger wonders pretty much the same thing.

Y’all, don’t you think the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has been awful quiet, since that National Press Club performance, back when? I mean, he doesn’t seem the type easily shut up, does he? Is there some compact? Will he be back prancing around, yelling about how the U.S. government invented AIDS, come November 5 or so? Just asking . . 

Do you remember George Orwell’s book, 1984?  In it, he mentions that the media controls the message and people only know what the media tell them.  Well, it is happening now.

In a recent speech, McCain blasted the Democrats for the current messed-up economy.
In their “original story” on the subject, the LA Times did not quote that part of McCain’s speech.  But they then quoted Obama in saying that McCain was afraid to talk about the economy.  I highlighted “original story” because after this disconnect was pointed out, the LA Times removed the original story and replaced it with a different version that phrases things slightly differently.
—
Saturday Night Live had a skit that skewered the politicians about this situation and indicated that George Soros is a bad person.  That skit has been removed from the NBC online version.

—
Palin did interviews with Katie Couric a few weeks ago.  The differences between the transcripts of what Palin said and what was broadcast are significantly different.  Many of her answers have been chopped – not just truncated at the end, but items removed from the middle of the reply.  Those changes significantly altered the impact and meaning of her message.
—
Obama has not been asked about his associations with Ayers (a domestic terrorist) who helped launch Obama’s Senate Campaign, why he dropped Reverend Wright (”God Damn America!”), nor the support he has received from Soros, nor his time on the Joyce Foundation (which funds anti-gun legislation).

—
Biden has not been called to the carpet on his lies during the VP debate.  Nor his inaccurate citing of the Constitution – the VP is president of the Senate at all times, not just during a tie vote.  He has also not been questioned about his flip-flopping on many items since he has been selected as a VP.  He was against Obama on many topics during the primaries.

—
Going back a few years, when the Clinton administration mis-used a system called “Carnivore” to track phone calls and meetings of corporate leaders to determine their political support, the New York Times called this “necessary”.  Now they call the Patriot “too much”.  Their support for programs depends upon the politicians in office.  They have no loyalty to this country – a lot of the media in the US isn’t even owned by Americans.

——
Whether you support one party / candidate or another, or even if you want a president / party that isn’t viable, this type of “changing history” is really disturbing.  Think about it on a bigger picture – how much of this “financial crisis” is real?  And how much of it is a matter of the media getting hyper excited about someone’s perspective and goals?  Is what the media is telling us about the looming health care “crisis” real?

When hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, how many murders, rapes, and suicides actually happened versus how many did the media report?  They contributed greatly to the hysteria of the situation.

My point in all of this is that we really cannot trust the message we are getting from the media.  They are leaving items out – not even investigating facets of the candidates they support – and are overhyping things that will make us scared, insecure, and more likely to want more government control.  The media knows that if they can manipulate us, they can manipulate the government.  And down the road, I’d bet they intend to try and use federal law to restore their dominant position as being ‘the only source for news’.

If their goal is to mis-inform you and tell you only about things they want you to know and react in a way they want you to react, then I hope your goal will be to find alternate sources of information.  Branch out from TV and radio and find sites on the web you agree with – use them as a springboard to find other sites.

We need to branch out and learn more on our own.  Most of us know people who have fought for these freedoms with a rifle.  The time has come for us to return the favor by fighting for freedom with a keyboard.  All I ask is that you skip one TV show, one video game session, even one sporting event, and do some reading on the net.  Then go down to your next city council meeting and watch.
If you don’t have a place in mind, start where I start my day: Instapundit.  He has links to just about everything.  Go from there.  Go anywhere.  But go somewhere and bypass the media.  You really do owe it to that person in your life who has worn fatigues at some point in theirs.

—

(This post was inspired by this post by Rachel.)

Rachel has nice intro post to Whittle’s PJ TV commentary on the ‘bailout bill’.

You should go read it.  I’ve read Whilttle’s work for years and agree with most of it.
But when I saw the image Rachel posted, I thought of an ‘atuoMotivator‘.  And Rachel encourages her readers to create DeMotivators, so I came up with this:

.

.

(click to embiggen)

I had a text-message exchange with my soon-to-be boss.   The subjects were the background check and the letter of intent to hire.

.
boss: Human Resources is writing the offer letter now, they will send me a copy as soon as it is done.

me: I guess that means I passed the background check. 

boss: Yea, I spilt coffee on it while the attorney was reading it.

me: ROFL!

.

So, it looks like my last day at my current job will be the 24th.  Fifteen years there.  I just got an award for that.

I expect to start the new job on November 3rd.  I’m excited.

.

In the mean time, lots to do.  Hmmm, I wonder if there is a level of blogging that is lower than what I have been doing, but still higher than zero. 

Update: Oh.  The move is a job in Fayetteville, North Carolina.  I’m told to expect quite a difference from Detroit, Michigan.  Also, my soon-to-be boss is a former co-worker here who took the buyout and moved to NC.  He’s been bugging me ever since to come down there.  Over my fourth of  July visit, we worked out the details.  The rest has been a slow ride to here.

.

Another Update: I just turned in my Letter of Resignation.  Both bosses said “I’m not accepting this.”  They are about as torn as I am.  It is a great opportunity, but it is a difficult time.

This is a cool idea:

 Well, the sea presents a problem because the sea levels are coming up. But it’s also an opportunity. By bringing that rising sea water onto the land we can arrogate agriculture. A new form of agriculture. Greenery will take carbon out of the air — we have to take some out — because we’re putting too much in. And it will produce a biofuel that doesn’t put any carbon in.

The problem sort of pushes us to a solution. We’ve either got to build sea walls, or we’ve got to move tens of millions of people away from the edge of the sea. But instead of that — instead of cost — we invest money in these new production systems, creating jobs, creating wealth, and taking big steps in solving global warming.

Basically, he wants to make a series of salt-water rivers that bring sea water into desert areas.  Then they plant sea-water tolerant vegetation and trees around, making a formerly arid place green.  That’s pretty cool.  And a lot cheaper than desalination and such.

I think I should avoid politics.

.

It is too damned depressing.