THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume III, Issue XXXIX

Special Money Issue

The federal government will take in $2.173 trillion in 2011. That’s their income, and it sounds pretty good. Until, that is, you factor in that the federal government will spend $3.818 trillion during the year. So, just like many families, the government’s outgo exceeds their income—to the tune of $1.645 trillion in overspending. That’s called the deficit. Altogether, the government has $14.2 trillion in debt. According to the MSM though, we're making 'serious' budget cuts to address the problem head on. Here are the actual numbers:

US Tax Revenue: $2,170,000,000,000
Federal Budget: $3,820,000,000,000
New Debt: $1,650,000,000,000
National Debt: $14,271,000,000,000
Recent Budget Cut: $38,500,000,000

Now, in the spirit of Rush Limbaugh, let's make the complex understandable. Simply divide all the big numbers by one hundred million (remove eight zeros) and think of it as a household budget:



Now it starts to make sense, right?

L. Randall Wray of the Roosevelt Institute argues that you cannot compare the Federal budget to a household budget, largely basing his assumptions on the mass of the United States economy. As India and China continue to grow, however, Wray's assertions seem less convincing.

The current situation in Greece and Europe would seem to underscore the old agage: "If your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall."

Joy in the Journey, Milepost 60

True Friends on the Road Less Travelled...


A special hike with my family after our celebration at Humpback Mountain picnic area.

I had no idea what it would feel like, reaching the next big turn of the odometer as it were, but the congratulatory messages started pouring in early from friends and family. The first was from friends in Thailand, where my birthday would have started earlier.

This Lovely Tribute [click to read] by my friend and fellow blogger, Lynn Mitchell, really moved me. Thank you!

Paintless Dent Repair

The Art of Smoothing Damaged Auto Metal


Keith Hebert of Dent Free Paintless Dent Repair [1.] concentrates as he brings an automobile hood back to its original shape using an assortment of specially designed tools.

Does Government Do Too Much?

That Could Depend on Your View of the Divine


The Federal Reserve in Washington.

Here is a really thought provoking piece: Does Government Do Too Much? [click to read] by G. Jeffrey MacDonald in Jewish World Review. Dr. Walter E. Williams looks at the real cost of looking to the government for more and more, asking: "How do we Fix it?" [click to read] ht/Greg

"People who strongly believe in an engaged G-d who "has a plan for me," were much more likely to agree that "the government does too much" and "able-bodied people who are out of work shouldn't receive unemployment checks," according to a just-released Baylor University survey.

By contrast, those who believe that G-d is more removed from day-to-day affairs — or who don't believe in G0d at all — are more likely to reject small government and economic conservatism." -- G. Jeffrey MacDonald

Life in Renaissance Waynesboro

Reinvigorating Augusta's Gateway to the Blue Ridge


Fairfax Hall, originally the Brandon Hotel, once lured visitors to Basic City. Now Basic City is part of Waynesboro. Illustration by Bob Kirchman.



Waynesboro grew to its greatest extent in the mid-Twentieth Century propelled by industry such as the DuPont plant that employed thousands...

Waynesboro rode the industrial boom of the mid-Twentieth Century to become a very prosperous community. The city's beautiful homes and churches give evidence of this golden age. In This Two Part Series [click to read] NBC 29 looks at how the big factories helped build Waynesboro and their decline has led to new challenges for the community.

Fairfax Hall is one example of how the community is seeking to reinvent itself by revitalizing some of its great historic institutions. Bill Hausrath used historic preservation credits and incentives for creating affordable housing to restore Fairfax Hall to its original glory [with modern appliances]. The Wayne Theatre is being restored as a performance venue.

Wayesboro is located at the entrance to a major National Park and is convenient to two major interstates. There are a number of properties such as the old Virginia Metalcrafters building just waiting for creative 'reinvention.' The Valley has a willing workforce waiting to be tapped. The Governor is actively pursuing pro-market policies on the state level.

Silicon Valley firms facing higher taxation in California should be takng note.


...and provided the resources for them to build many fine homes in the city.


Lynn Mitchell was having lunch at Grean Leaf Grill [1.] on Main Street as our team was working on a project across the street which will bring more life to downtown. Photo by Lynn Mitchell

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume III, Issue XXXVIII

The 'Science' of Favoritism

There is so much to report on this week: Palestinian 'statehood,' the economic woes of Europe and the United States and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to New York. The 'other' weekly news magazine is featuring the cover story: "Why Mom Liked You Best." OK, it is a story remeniscent of an old Smothers Brothers show.

Here's a favoritism study worth reporting: Why does the American Left so love the Palestinians and Jihad-friendly folks who'd really like to see us gone right after they nuke Israel into oblivion (and they blatently say so)? American intellectuals have bent over backward to promote disdain for our own amazing achievements as a people in our major universities. Our media is saturated with self-loathing 'reporting' guaranteed to dispirit the most resilient of people.

While it is a sign of maturity as a people to deal honestly with our failings as a people, it is equally mature to recognize the goodness that underpins the American way of life.

It is time to take back the conversation from the naysayers. America still stands as a unique experiment in self-government and individual responsibility. It is still the land of opportunity to millions who live outside her borders. Her Constitution has served as a catalyst to give dignity and a voice to people of every ethnicity and persuasion. The American dream is not about owning a house, it is rather that vision of a bright shining city on a hill, one that inspires and enriches the human condition... a celebration of "imago dei."

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country lov'd,
And mercy more than life.
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward.

Binyamin Netanyahu Addresses the UN


"The real leader of the free world."

"The Most Important Level of Government is Local"
--Thomas Jefferson


Signs for David Karaffa for supervisor line the entrance to the Brookwood subdivision.

If Israel Disappears...

Show Me the One Free Society in the Middle East


The United States should realize that Israel's friendshp is one of the few certainties we have in the Middle East. We should cherish it accordingly.

If Israel Disappears... [click to read] by Cal Thomas in Jewish World Review.

"If the Palestinians laid down their arms, there would be peace. If Israel laid down its arms tomorrow, there would be no Israel" -- credited to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister

"Any solution for the Iraqi problem cannot be reached without Arabs and Arab participation." --Amr Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States

"How will decent people in the region ever believe in peace if Arab terrorists interpret every gesture of peace as a display of weakness and then act accordingly?" --Tom Lantos, US Congressman

ht/Phil for these quotes.

Phil has Some Background [click to read] on the situation in Israel as Mrs. Clinton throws Israel to the wolves. Thankfully Israel has Binyamin Netanyahu to guide her, a man who walks in the spirit of David and the wisdom of Solomon. I hope Mr. Netanyahu realizes how many of us are ashamed of the treatment he is being given by our 'official' representatives.

When Mr. Netanyahu addressed the United Nations and said "have you no shame?" he spoke for many of us. He spoke for me!

So Mr. Netanyahu, please realize how many of us see your leadership and appreciate it. We are working to restore balance in our own government that includes official recognition of the bond between our peoples.


When I think of Israel my mind cannot help wandering to flowers. This small nation, the size of New Jersey, exports many fine flowers and other agricultural products as well. Her produce is known throughout the world.

A Little History [click to read]. ht/Phil

A Two State Peace isn't the Arab Goal [click to read]. Here is some historical perspective from Jeff Jacoby in Jewish World Review.

The "whole world" wants a Palestinian state and near utopia in the Middle East. It won't happen. Here's why.

Modern Day Nehemiah

Noam Bedein's Mission is Unique, But It's Not New

A "Milestone Monday" Feature

"But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?" -- (Nehemiah 2:19)


Noam Bedein, Founder of Sderot Media

I frankly expected someone much older. The website I discovered while trying to get perspective on the situation in Southern Israel Sderot Media [click to read] is the creation of Noam Bedein, a young man in his twenties. Just like Nehemiah of old, Bedein saw the perilous situation of his beloved city and became both advocate and activist to change things. In the face of opposition from the Western Media, Uninformed pressure from Western Leaders and downright hostility from Hamas, the young photojournalist found his mission to tell Sderot's story and work for the healing of her people. Bedein’s ultimate goal is: "to make people aware of the crisis and present the Israeli perspective that is not often portrayed accurately in the media."

Bedein has lived through about 7000 rockets raining down on the city, who's population consists largely of new immigrants [many from Russia] who are simply too poor to move elsewhere. Many of the citizens are dug in to stay, fearing their exodus would simply create a vacuum for terrorists to move in.

Through Sderot Media, he has also founded Sderot Community Treatment Theater. This theatre project helps young residents of Sderot suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome.

Words Mean Things, Punctuation Matters

A Friend Shines New Light on an Old Mystery


Jesus, from the Mural at Staunton Alliance Church.

"Since I have been at SEBTS studying theology for 6 years now I have been looking for an explicit statement about Christ being G-d. There have been those like John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d.” Or, Col 2:9: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…”

But none of them used the words “Christ” And “G-d” in the same sentence. Well I found one: Romans 9:5 ESV translates this well. Here it is in the Greek and my own translation." -- Danny Achten

Punctuation Matters [click to read] by Danny Achten

Massanutten Mountain Morning

Scenes from a Getaway at Massanutten Lodge


Dew on a spider web...


...catches the morning light.


Horses at the Keezlenutten Stables.


Sunlight filters through the morning mist in the trees.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume III, Issue XXXVII

The Rise of Rick Perry, MSM's Downfall

You know the story: "There's no one out there for the Republicans..." it seems like the MSM is obsessed with it. Take a look at the recent CNN Tea Party Debate, however, and you come away with the realization that Conservativism actually has a pretty deep bench. This week the 'other' weekly news magazine reports on 'The Rise of Rick Perry.' You can almost hear the frustration as Joe Klein embarks on another road trip in search of what he calls 'sanity in America.'

Klein's 'sanity' probably would consist of the Republican candidate being, at worst, Mitt Romney or at best, John McCain. Those crazy Tea Party Conservatives, according to MSM, are just too likely to scare away those all-important independents. When they say this, they're forgetting Ronald Reagan and a host of other solid Conservative candidates who won by articulating conservative principles.

All attempts to cast the Tea Party Conservatives as crazy racist fringe people fly in the face of the fact that they are the adults in the room. They WANT to talk about taking on government spending and runaway debt. They know that the definition of a 'Ponzi Scheme' fits the way Social Security actually is funded.

They're smart enough to know that a state executive with real experience has had to make some tough calls. They may disagree with some calls that executive has made, but they can see that real experience happens in the real world. Governing a state is a lot tougher than being a 'Community Organizer' or voting 'present.' One must actually digest the best information available and make the best call with it. Here is where Michele Bachmann might do well to remember some military history. Great campaigns and important victories are often realized after some initial moves that can be called no less than disasterous. Expecting perfect decisions is a little unrealistic.

They are hungry for leadership with a proven record creating a state environment friendly to job creation and industry. They are hungry for leadership that exhibits Faith and commitment to principles. They overwhelmingly voted for such candidates in the last election. They are working for 'sanity in America.' Joe, wake up and smell the coffee.

The Perils of Dividing Jerusalem

A Little Realism [click to read] from Michael J. Totten in City Journal.

Palestine's Nakba Narrative [click to read] by Sol Stern in City Journal.

The Palestinian Obsession [click to read] by Caroline B. Glick

"Every single Palestinian leader from the supposedly moderate Fatah party has rejected Israel's right to exist and stated that they will never set aside their demand that Israel accept millions of foreign born Arabs — the so-called Palestinian "refugees" -- as citizens. They say this with the full knowledge that this demand is nothing less than a demand for Israel's destruction." -- Caroline B. Glick

The Window from which We Look

Sometimes what we see Depends on our own Window



"A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast,
The young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
The young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
Nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and
Cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
Depends on the purity of the window through which we look ." ht/Joy

Tea Party Debate, Taking on the Evil Empire

"You Came in That!, You're Braver than I Thought!"


My own photo of Michele Bachmann from last year's rally.

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." -- Unknown.

Watching last night's CNN Tea Party Debate [1], I was not so much looking for a winner and a loser, but wanting to see how the candidates might work "in ensemble." Visible was a lot of talent that rightly combined might just propel us to the point of retaking the high ground necessary to save this country.

Erick Erickson [click to read] is calling Perry the winner. Still, he points to how Rick Perry fumbled the immigration and HPV issues. Bachmann drilled into Perry, who stumbled into an awkward defense of his decisions on those two points. Perry would have been light years ahead had he stopped after admitting that his decision was wrong. Experienced leaders, you see, have had to have opportunity to gain experience.

Bachmann sounded a bit like Princess Leah in Star Wars, Grilling the reckless Han Solo. That banter is some of the greatest dialogue in movies. Filmmaker George Lucas put together his initial cast by working the actors "in ensemble." That means he wanted to see how they worked together before he cast them. Lacking the number of "Han Solos" he needed to do this, he grabbed Harrison Ford, who was an unemployed actor doing carpentry in his office. He put him in the dialogue tryout with Carrie Fisher and the rest is history! The two of them had what it takes to defeat the evil empire! Not only that, the chemistry was amazing to watch...

Back to last night's debate, Bachmann and Perry just seemed to have what it takes to sharpen a great attack on Obama's Evil Empire. Make Ron Paul the new Fed chairman and replace all the Czars with the wisdom of Gingrich and Cain, but give us Han and Leah to fight Emperor Obama and Darth Biden. I see the chemistry there.

Is Social Security a 'Ponzi Scheme,' as Rick Perry Says?

Merriam Webster Definition of PONZI SCHEME: "an investment swindle in which some early investors are paid off with money put up by later ones in order to encourage more and bigger risks (Origin): Charles Ponzi,1949 American (Itaian-born) swindler."

Early 'investors' in the Social Security System pay into an 'account' that does not exist. Monies go into the general fund and are spent by the government. Early investors are actually paid off with money put up by later ones. How is this NOT a Ponzi scheme?

Giving the Victims of 09/11 a Voice

One Man's Unique Vision to Never Forget


Xaver Wilhelmy created a unique glass organ pipe design and a plan to remember the victims of 09/11.

This is a Milestone Monday feature.

I first met Xaver Wilhelmy in 2003 and a few days after our introduction we were standing overlooking the massive hole at Ground Zero. I had been asked to illustrate his proposal for the memorial competition.

The vision that he unfolded that day was inspiring. He wanted to create a massive organ who's 3000 some pipes would give a voice to each person who was murdered in the attacks on the United States. Xaver is a master craftsman who has made organ pipes out of every material imaginable. The instrument he envisioned would have the usual metal and wood pipes... but in addition there would be the wonderful glass pipes! They would rise around the room to capture light coming in through the windows. I could give myself goose bumps imagining something like Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man ringing through that wonderful room.

Xaver actually created a portion of the work... a series of glass pipes depicting the American flag. He showed them at two conventions of the American Guild of Organists. Alas, his inspired piece was overlooked in the 5000 some entries in the memorial competition. Still, it begs one to reconsider the non-memorial memorials so in vogue right now. Rather than reduce the victims to some monolithic repeated design, why NOT celebrate the unique character and voice of each life that was destroyed that day.

Phil's Video [click to watch] reminded me of Xaver's vision. Seeing the faces of the NYPD members who died that day prompted me to think again about the voices that were silenced that day... Fathers, Husbands, Brothers, Sisters, Friends and Colleagues. May we do the right thing and never forget them.

Read Xaver's Vision [click to read] in his own words.
ht/Laney, who reminded me of this post.


Xaver Wilhelmy's beautiful glass organ pipes form an American flag.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume III, Issue XXXVI

9/12

It was the day after the attacks on the United States by Islamic extremists who hijacked airplanes and flew them into icons of American military and financial strength. Thousands were dead. The illusion of safety we had lived under was forever shattered.

Did you reach out and take the hand of a stanger to pray? Did you put your lunch money in a firefighter's outstretched boot? Did you gather with others in a church that evening?

Like the Continental Army camped at Valley Forge, we knew that our Nation and our way of life were in danger of being lost, and we came together.

'Beyond' 9/11

The mainstream media wants us to 'get over 9/11.' Andrew Breitbart [click to read] offers the details. The same people who want us to 'get over' the founding of our nation and who want us to 'get over' the foundational faith that has sustained us, want us to 'get over' this moment in history.

"The Mainstream Media would have you believe that a hurricane hitting a city that is below sea level and that has been struck by hurricanes repeatedly throughout its history is anomalous and open to yearly review, yet the terrorist attacks upon us is a matter we need to simply get over now! This is the same media that will show images of flooded homes and victims awaiting rescue in the aftermath of Katrina, but then make the excuses that we can’t show the images of 9-11 because of the trauma and possible hatred they would foster if shown annually." -- Kevin L. Martin

It was no small wonderment then that the 'other' weekly news magazine ran "What to Eat" as their cover for the issue dated September 12. To be fair, TIME publishes the issue a week before the issue date. Still it is interesting to see their commemorative issue crank out the following week, delivered early enough to be in readers' hands for the 9/11 weekend. It seems almost like an afterthought. To be fair, the issue commemorates the event and people, but the headline 'Beyond 9/11' seems to indicate that they'd like to move on from discussing the historical significance of that terrible day.

Miracles and Divine Protection in Manhattan

"Ten years ago this Sunday, Muslim terrorists rained death and destruction of unparalleled magnitude on an unsuspecting America at New York's Twin Towers and the Pentagon outside Washington. And while so many first responders gave their lives in their attempts to save others, one group witnessed a succession of open miracles — and no losses. A decade later, the leaders of Hatzolah, an EMT group whose members are comprised entirely of Orthodox Jewish volunteers, relive the Divine Providence of that horrifying day, which they didn't believe they'd survive" -- Eytan Kobre

"I'm here to listen to some prominent Hatzolah members share their recollections of 9/11 for the tenth anniversary coverage of that tragedy of tragedies — but I fail. Because as I sit across from Heshy Jacob, Hatzolah's indomitable president, it quickly becomes clear I've gotten it all wrong: For Heshy, as for Hatzolah CEO Rabbi Dovid Cohen and board member Zelig Gitelis, who joined our conversation, there are no 9/11 "anniversaries," tenth or otherwise. They — like the 185 other Hatzolah members who spent September 11, 2001, in downtown Manhattan — relive those frightening hours every day of their lives."

Read More [click to read] in Jewish World Review.

Jewish World Review editor Binyamin L. Jolkovsky offers a Packed Issue [click to read] of commentary and analysis of the day that is well worthy of recommendation. If you are not a regular reader of this fine publication, I urge you to begin today. Although it is delivered 'free' on the web, please treat it as any valuable news source and consider making a regular donation to cover your 'subscription.'

Myth and Reality after 9/11 [click to read] by Victor Davis Hanson in Jewish World Review.


Our Flag will be flying Sunday.

A Sampler from City Journal

Judith Miller:
New York 9/11/11 [click to read]
Ten years after the terror attacks, the city is safer, thanks to the NYPD—but the threat remains.

Victor Davis Hanson:
The Ripples of 9/11 [click to read]
A decade of surprises in the war on terror

Andrew Klavan:
When Hollywood Hit Rock Bottom [click to read]
Post-9/11, the film industry covered itself in shame.

Fred Siegel, Sol Stern:
Naming the 9/11 Enemy [click to read]
Our long struggle will only get longer if we refuse to understand radical Islamism.

Ron Radosh:
How Time and Newsweek Memorialize 9/11 [click to read]
The 'other other' weekly news magazine loses touch.

An Alternative to the President's Speech

Tim Hawkins Says What the President Ought to Say


"The Government Can."

Children's Art is a Statement of Truth

It is a Great Gift to be Able to See through Young Eyes


Handprint Rainbow.

"I'd like to study the drawings of kids. That's where the truth is without a doubt." --André Derain. ht Laney Riley

September 11, 2001 Lives in our Memory

Never Forget the Real 9/11...

The Cross found at Ground Zero. Photo by Samuel Li. CC

Our parents could tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing on that day in December when Japanese planes struck Pearl Habor. I will always remember that beautiful blue skied September day. It was the kind of day private pilots love to be able to get off work and put in some flying time. Then the sky was suddenly devoid of aircraft as Yamisaki's towers collapsed and the Pentagon burned. In Shanksville, Pennsylvania an airliner crashed into the ground.

We were under attack. We prayed. Firefighters and members of NYPD did their jobs... they were heroes! They were our fellow Americans.

You would think that the events of September ten years ago, like the attack on Pearl Harbor, would remain in the forefront of our National narrative. Sadly, there are many who would rewrite that narrative to Exclude the Events of 09/11 [click to read]. ht/Lynn

On Jumping to Conclusions

Some 'Information' is Best Left Unshared


While the sign may show insensitivity, it is not what it appears to be.

There is a reason I don't forward emails. Sometimes I feel compelled to learn a little more on my own before passing information along. This one is making the rounds now, showing a sign on the door of a 'Perfume Planet' store in Houston's Harwin Central Mall. The email states that the owner of the store is closing his business to honor one of the 09/11 hijackers.

A little research will show you that none of the hijacker/terrorists was named 'Ali.' The Imam Ali (Imam is a title for a religious leader, not a name). The Imam Ali is no modern day terorist, but rather a 7th Century cleric, a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

Ali was attacked while praying in a mosque on the 19th day of Ramadan. He died two days later. A calendar coincidence placed the anniversary of his martyrdom on September 11 in 2009.

While the store's manager, Imran Chunawala, may legitimately be accused of insensitivity, the sign itself is no reference to the attacks on America in 2001. Perpetuating a slander against the man is a greater evil.

Sadly history is full of misinformation mishandled. Six million Jews died in the horror of Nazzi genocide. Misinformation fueled the campaign to exterminate them. In our own country, the extermination of Native Americans was similarly incited.

One of the saddest chapters of our National history is recorded in the book 'Trail of Tears.' The event was the extermination of a whole community of Moravian Cherokee. Befriended by the settlers of Eastern Pennsylvania and Central North Carolina, the Moravian Cherokee adapted the peaceful ways and the faith of their Moravian friends only to be slaughtered later as 'hostile savages.'

Red House Virginia's Terrorist Training Camp

Meanwhile, real threats seem to go unheeded my many in the MSM. A good example is this compound in rural Virginia. With enough real threats to consider, there is no need to create imaginary ones.

In the fight against worldwide terrorism, truth is our friend.


This is a fairly old Fox News report, but the content is still important.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume III, Issue XXXV

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)
Alan Jackson

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you in the yard with your wife and children
Or working on some stage in L.A.?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke
Risin' against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry?

Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below?
Did you burst out in pride for the red, white and blue
And the heroes who died just doin' what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters?

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell
you the difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you teaching a class full of innocent children
Or driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?

Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Or speak to some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Or go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns?

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers
Did you stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell
you the difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?



Lower Manhattan, New York, New York. Photo by Detective Greg Smedinger


Arlington, Virginia.


Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The 'other' weekly news magazine features 'food' on the cover [1.] For the September 12th issue, we feel something more serious is appropriate.

It's a Beautiful Day and I Can't See It

How We Describe a Situation Shines a Certain Light on it


ht/Joy


Evening light on Elliott's Knob.