101 Strings Orchestra: Up, Up and Away (Webb, 1967)

Makes me smile~

Chuck Baldwin: Now We Know How Germany Let It Happen

Now We Know How Germany Let It HappenBy Chuck Baldwin
April 2, 2020

For as long as I can remember, when freedom-loving Americans would gather in small groups to discuss world affairs, the question would come up, “How did the German people come to allow themselves to embrace totalitarianism the way they did?” Then, after a time of discussion about it, the group would always conclude by saying, “Thank God, this could never happen in America.” 

As a small boy, I heard those discussions from my parents and their friends, who were part of “The Greatest Generation.” I heard it from my friends in college. And I heard it all of my adult life in churches, coffee shops and conference rooms all over America: “How could Germany let it happen?” And, “Thank God, it could never happen in America.”

Well, it IS happening in America—and all over the world at the same time. Due to their complete collapse into a state of fear and panic, most Americans seem oblivious to the fact that we are right now—RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE—living in what could easily be the last days of freedom.

It happened in less than 30 days—and it is happening due to mass hyperbole and media manipulation. No, I’m not saying that the coronavirus is not real. Neither am I saying that people have not died from the virus. But I am saying that the fearmongering over the claim that corona has the potential to be a global pandemic akin to the Black Death is pure, unadulterated  poppycock.

Here is a list of twelve of the most respected and imminent medical scholars in the world telling us that all of this fearmongering over COVID-19 is much ado about nothing.

The virus models spawning much of this fear and paranoia that are producing all kinds of Martial Law around the world are themselves fraught with inaccuracies.

And in this analytical report, John Rappoport uses quotes from official sources about their own diagnostic tests to prove that the entire coronavirus scare is an “illusion” produced by “fake science.” 

Rappoport shows:

*A positive test doesn’t guarantee that the COVID virus is causing infection at all.

*Some PCR tests register positive for types of coronavirus that have nothing to do with COVID—including plain old coronas that cause nothing more than a cold.

*The idea of “asymptomatic patients” confirmed by the test is nonsense. And even though a positive test for COVID may not indicate the actual cause of disease, all positive tests must be reported—and they will be counted as “COVID cases.” Regardless.

*All positive tests must be reported to government agencies, and they are counted as COVID cases.

Let this sink in: The corona cold virus has been with us for almost forever. If we ever had the corona cold virus in our past, a PCR test could show us as being corona “positive.” And if a person dies from almost any cause—short of a car wreck or bullet wound—a postmortem test that reflects a positive reading for corona would require (by the demands of government) that the deceased be listed as having died FROM corona. But in many cases (if not most cases), the deceased died WITH corona but not FROM corona. 

In other words, these tests and statistics surrounding the coronavirus are wildly speculative and exaggerated. But they succeed in keeping the public in a state of fear and panic. 

By the way, did you know that more people in Tennessee committed suicide than died from corona last week? 

Make no mistake about it: This is a planned event. The globalists—that the entire evangelical Christian and conservative Republican world kept telling us for the last three years that Donald Trump had on the run—are actually stronger than ever and have chosen this White House and this moment to launch an all-out attack against our Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Laws of Nature. 

No! Donald Trump was not a man of the people to take down the Deep State; he was always a puppet of the Deep State to take down the rights and freedoms of The People. State governors (Republican and Democrat) are taking their Police State cues from the White House, because they know that as long as Trump endorses the plan, Christians and conservatives will sheepishly go along. I’m telling you straight out: This all-out assault against our freedoms would not and could not be happening if a Democrat was in the White House.

I’ve said it a hundred times: America loses far more freedoms when a Republican is in the White House than when a Democrat is in the White House. We lost far more liberties under G.W. Bush than we did under Bill Clinton, and we have lost far more freedoms under Donald Trump than we did under Barack Obama. And right now it looks like the loss of EVERYTHING we hold dear as a nation will occur under the Republican President Donald Trump.

This is not because Republican presidents are worse than Democrat presidents. It’s because both Republican and Democrat presidents are controlled by the same people, and when Republicans are in office, the real source of resistance—born-again Christians, “patriots” and conservatives within the GOP—becomes sheepish slaves of the Republican president and offers ZERO resistance. No! It’s more than that: They provide enthusiastic support for the Republican president—no matter how draconian his actions prove to be.

In the past 30 days, Americans have lost—or should I say have willingly surrendered:

*The free exercise of religion
*The freedom to peaceably assemble
*The freedom to travel
*The freedom to work
*The freedom to obtain a firearm (if you live in Washington State, New Jersey, New Orleans and other places)
*The right of autonomy over one’s own property
*The right of autonomy over one’s own money (try to withdraw a large sum of money right now and see what happens)
*The right to buy and sell

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. A county in Indiana recently declared books (which includes the Bible) to be “non-essential” goods and outlawed their sale. Checkpoints are going up. National Guard troops are checking temperatures at airports. Local governments are setting up networks for citizens to rat out each other. Medical care is being rationed. The list is endless. 

Judge Andrew Napolitano rightly asks, “What good are constitutional rights if they are violated when Americans get sick?”

One of my Fox colleagues recently sent me an email attachment of a painting of the framers signing the Constitution of the United States. Except in this version, George Washington — who presided at the Constitutional Convention — looks at James Madison — who was the scrivener at the Convention — and says, “None of this counts if people get sick, right?”

In these days of state governors issuing daily decrees purporting to criminalize the exercise of our personal freedoms, the words put into Washington’s mouth are only mildly amusing. Had Washington actually asked such a question, Madison, of all people, would likely have responded: “No. This document protects our natural rights at all times and under all circumstances.”

Namely, that since our rights come from our humanity, not from the government, foolish people can only sacrifice their own freedoms, not the freedoms of others. 

Thus, freedom can only be taken away when the government proves fault at a jury trial. This protection is called procedural due process, and it, too, is guaranteed in the Constitution.

Of what value is a constitutional guarantee if it can be violated when people get sick? If it can, it is not a guarantee; it is a fraud. Stated differently, a constitutional guarantee is only as valuable and reliable as is the fidelity to the Constitution of those in whose hands we have reposed it for safekeeping. 

Because the folks in government, with very few exceptions, suffer from what St. Augustine called libido dominandi—the lust to dominate—when they are confronted with the age-old clash of personal liberty versus government force, they will nearly always come down on the side of force.

How do they get away with this? By scaring the daylights out of us. I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime, though our ancestors saw this in every generation. In America today, we have a government of fear. Machiavelli offered that men obey better when they fear you than when they love you. Sadly, he was right, and the government in America knows this.

But Madison knew this as well when he wrote the Constitution. And he knew it four years later when he wrote the Bill of Rights. He intentionally employed language to warn those who lust to dominate that, however they employ governmental powers, the Constitution is “the Supreme Law of the Land” and all government behavior in America is subject to it. 

This is not a novel or an arcane argument. This is fundamental American law. Yet, it is being violated right before our eyes by the very human beings we have elected to uphold it. And each of them — every governor interfering with the freedom to make one’s own choices — has taken an express oath to comply with the Constitution.

What is the nature of freedom? It is an unassailable natural claim against all others, including the government. Stated differently, it is your unconditional right to think as you wish, to say what you think, to publish what you say, to associate with whomever wishes to be with you no matter their number, to worship or not, to defend yourself, to own and use property as you see fit, to travel where you wish, to purchase from a willing seller, to be left alone. And to do all this without a government permission slip.

What is the nature of government? It is the negation of freedom. It is a monopoly of force in a designated geographic area. When elected officials fear that their base is slipping, they will feel the need to do something — anything — that will let them claim to be enhancing safety. Trampling liberty works for that odious purpose. Hence a decree commanding obedience, promising safety and threatening punishment.

It was only a few months ago when Christians and conservatives would often use this quote from Benjamin Franklin: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

Hardly any of them are using that quote today. Instead, they are expressing enthusiastic endorsement for the assaults against their liberties—in the name of SAFETY from corona. More than that: They are frothing venom and hatred against anyone who dares to stand up for our constitutional liberties.

These conveniently confused Christians and conservatives are regurgitating the very words and ideas that the Tories expressed toward our American patriot forebears.

Recall that the great champion of liberty, the Rev. James Caldwell of New Jersey, was assassinated by a fellow American loyal to the tyrannous British Crown. These modern Tories would be happy to do the same thing to those preachers standing for freedom right now. I know, because I receive and hear their hate-filled threats almost daily.

Do you not find it interesting that the same Trump-worshipping Christians and conservatives who for the last three years kept telling us that the mainstream media (MSM) was “fake news” are now aggressively attacking anyone who doesn’t buy what the MSM is saying about the coronavirus? Talk about blatant two-facedness! 

Make no mistake about it: We are in the beginning of a war against our liberties that will not subside until the American people decide, AGAIN, that essential liberty is more valuable than temporary safety. 

As loudly as I know how to say it: FREEDOM IS NOT A NON-ESSENTIAL. 

From The Ron Paul Institute For Peace And Prosperity website, Justin Pavoni writes,

There have been 23,000 US deaths so far this year due to flu, 3,000 from coronavirus. Worldwide stats are roughly in parallel. Legitimate population samples and common sense show that the virus has infected way more people than reported by the immoral news organizations that make money off this hysteria. It is highly likely that REAL death rates are closer to .05 percent rather than the oft-emphasized 3 percent.

Social Distancing makes people distrust one another. People that are afraid of each other are easier to control. 

{As Dr. Frank Ulrich Montgomery noted, lockdowns and quarantines in Italy did NOT slow down the spread of the virus but actually caused it to spread much faster.}

I have already seen certain local governments posting websites for all of us to tell on each other for congregating in groups. My wife has had skeptical posts removed from Facebook. Sounds a lot like the secret police to me.

Will they soon be forcibly vaccinating my whole family even though there's a huge chance I'm naturally immune to this virus already? What if I don't want the vaccine? What if I would rather develop a natural immunity? Am I going to be targeted (modern day witch hunt) as a bio terrorist germ spreader if I want to contract the cold and let my body beat it on its own? Of course, since vaccines have all kinds of toxins in them and since they'll also get rushed to market in the hysteria, there's a huge likelihood making me take the vaccine would do more harm than good. Is anyone going to be held responsible for that if it were to happen?

The first amendment to the constitution is supposed to guarantee the right of Americans to peacefully assemble with their fellow man. THAT IS, TO PEACEFULLY PROTEST AS A GROUP. What happens when I get together with > 10 people to protest this insane coronavirus lockdown that does nothing to stop the spread of a disease the government is likely 6 months behind? I would probably spend 6 months in jail and everyone would tell me I'm trying to kill their grandparents. INSANE! There is no provision in the constitution that allows for this fundamental human right to assemble to be ignored during the coronavirus or at any other time.

The government has no money. It has to steal everything it gets and since it's in the red, it has to print the $2 trillion {actually $6 trillion} out of thin air. The one honest guy in the House of Representatives, Thomas Massie, called this a huge wealth transfer from the masses to the rich with $1200 as the cheese in the trap. He is exactly right. 

{I urged everyone on my Facebook page to call Mr. Massie and encourage this courageous congressman. Almost everyone in Washington, D.C.—including Donald Trump—is excoriating this good man for his principled stand on the Constitution. Trump is calling for Massie’s expulsion from the Republican Party, and wealthy Zionists are heeding Trump’s call and are amassing money and personal opposition to Massie’s re-election.} 

Now they're printing up more money to buy all the big companies. So soon the Fed will own all the businesses because who can compete with a printing press. Who needs a communist revolution when you have central banking?

Welcome to 1984 in the central banking states of America.

What’s going to happen during the next 30 days? An Internet shut down? Cash made illegal? Jail for people who question the media/government spin on the virus? What comes after that? Elections cancelled? Military courts taking over civil courts? An oligarchic politburo installed? 

I was talking about the elitists’ plans for an unelected, oligarchic takeover of America via a Continuity of Government (COG) blueprint on my national radio talk show back in the 1990s. Even the CBS TV show Jericho (2006 - 2008) highlighted the existence of COG in its dramatic depiction of a conspiracy between giant corporations and government to destroy America’s constitutional liberties. 

Even as we speak, the U.S. military is prepared to implement COG Martial Law in America due to the coronavirus. The point is, all of this has been on the drawing board for decades. 

Bill Gates is saying he expects that people will soon receive a “digital certificate” branded into their skin to show that they have been vaccinated. He also said that a “national tracking system” is on its way for Americans. He said that “technology is nothing more than an upgrade on traditional cattle branding.” Obviously, Gates believes we humans are cattle—to be branded with HIS mark. 

“It could never happen in America,” you say? A month ago, I seem to remember people saying that same thing about what is happening RIGHT NOW.

So, now we know the answer to the decades-old question, “How did Germany let it happen?” They let it happen the same way WE are letting it happen. 

P.S. Here is my message recorded live at Liberty Fellowship last Sunday, March 29, 2020, entitled "The Plague Of His Own Heart". 

© Chuck Baldwin

Funeral Etiquette

"How-tos" for supporting loved ones during their time of grief

Do you have questions about what to wear to a funeral or memorial service? Or wonder what to say to someone who has just lost a loved one? The information below may help guide you through unfamiliar circumstances.

 What to wear to a funeral or memorial service

The appropriate attire for a funeral or memorial service is simple: dress to show respect for the person whose life you are remembering. This means selecting clothes that are more conservative, not flashy or brightly colored. Darker dresses, suits, pants, jackets and sweaters are appropriate. Flip-flops, tank tops, shorts, sundresses, casual tennis shoes and cleavage are not appropriate. Even though the service may be a celebration of life, many of those attending will be mourning. Your goal is to blend in, not be conspicuous.

A special note to teenagers or young adults: You live in a very casual world where jeans and casual shirts are appropriate in most settings. A funeral is not one of those. If this is your first time attending a service, talk to your parents or a trusted friend to help you select what to wear. This is the kindest way to show the family you care.

What to expect at a funeral or memorial service
Depending on where the service is held and the wishes of the family, services today vary widely. Regardless, there are some common guidelines to know:

1. A guestbook will be outside the service for you to sign. Please do sign it and make your signature legible – the family will treasure reviewing the names of those who attend, and this will be the best way for them to remember you were there.
2. Be on time or early. It is rude to enter a service after it has started. If you are late, enter from one side and be seated as unobtrusively as possible. If the family is processing, wait until they have finished and reached their seats, then enter after them.
3. Seating: the family will have a designated seating area, usually at the front or the side of the room. This area will be marked, so look for “Reserved” signs and avoid sitting in these seats.
4. If an usher is present, you will be shown to a seat. If an usher is not present, it is courteous to enter a row from a side aisle to avoid climbing over people already seated.  Much as at any event, seating is “first come, first served” so if you want a “good” seat, arrive early and do not expect people to move for you. The aisle seats are the ones most preferred.
5. Enter the room and sit quietly. Turn off your cell phone and put it away. Your behavior should allow those around you to mourn without distraction.
6. There may be an open casket. At most services, you are welcomed to walk forward prior to the service to pay respects at the casket. Do not touch the body or any of the surrounding items or flowers. However, it is not mandatory to go forward if you prefer not to.
7. When the family enters, you will be instructed to stand until they have entered and taken their seats. Then you will be seated.
8. When the service ends, you will be instructed to stand while the family exits. This recessional will vary depending on the service and the presence of an open vs. closed casket.
9. After the service, the attendees may be ushered out by walking past an open casket. It is most courteous to follow the group. If you prefer not to view the open casket, just walk past without looking.
10. If you are not escorted past the casket, watch for direction on how to exit the service: at-will or by escort row by row.
11. If you are going to the burial and will be driving, you will form a queue behind the vehicles carrying the casket and family members. Turn on your lights and follow the car in front of you.  If your group is escorted to the cemetery, follow the directions of the officers; generally you will be waved through stoplights and stop signs, and out of courtesy other drivers may pull over to let you pass.
12. At the gravesite, stand away from the site to allow the family to be seated before approaching. Then gather close so you can hear the brief service.
13. Following the interment, you are free to leave as you wish. The family often lingers to speak to guests, and they will be your cue as to whether or not you should approach to express your condolences.

How to express sympathy following death
One of the most frequent questions we hear is, “What do I say to someone who has just lost a loved one?”  There may be special circumstances surrounding the death—an accident, a suicide, unexpected death during surgery—that make the question even more difficult to answer. Here are some simple suggestions:

1. Please do speak to the family. They will hear eloquent messages and bumbling messages. But the most important thing is that their grief is acknowledged.
2. If you knew the person casually or only slightly, stick with a short statement: “I am so sorry for your loss.”
3. If you have something positive to add, make the statement a little longer: “I am so sorry for your loss. John was the best teacher I ever had.”
4. If you won’t see the family, send a card or a note. The same message you would say in person can be written on the card.
5. Make a donation in the person’s memory. Most people designate a place of worship, charity or other organization that was important to them. The recipient will notify the family of your donation (but not the amount that was given).
6. Offer concrete assistance: a guestroom for family attending the service, grocery shopping or other errands, even staying at the family’s home during the service so the house isn’t unattended.
7. Reach out later, when the flush of attention has ended and the days of grieving may be long and lonely. A simple phone call that says “thinking of you” can mean so much.
8. Share stories that reflect the goodness of the life you’re remembering.
9. Listen. And listen some more.

What NOT to say following a death
Most families can relate head-shaking stories of inappropriate comments made following a death—many of them well intended but offensive. Here is what to avoid:

1. Do not probe for details. It is not your business.
2. Don’t add value judgments: “It’s for the best,” “This is a blessing in disguise.”
3. Don’t assume the family’s beliefs are the same as yours. Avoid comments such as, “He’s in a better place now,” “Everything happens for a reason,” “It was God’s will.”
4. Don’t minimize the family’s loss: “Aren’t you glad it’s over?” “She wouldn’t want you to be sad.”
5. Don’t assume you understand what the family is feeling. Everyone grieves uniquely.

Copied from https://www.turrentinejacksonmorrow.com/resources/funeral-etiquette  

Scottish Potato Scones and recipe

Tomorrow is Robert Burns Night (January 25th), but we got a head start with this recipe tonight...
  Scottish Potato Scones recipe from Christina's blog- it's full of food and travel!

In spite of the fact that we did not make them thin enough, or cook them quite long enough, or put quite enough salt in them...we have a new favorite at our house!  Serve with butter and apple butter (homemade is best!).   Mmm, mmm, good!  We started with leftover mashed potatoes so they were wetter and needed more flour, but still quite tasty.  Instead of rolling them I patted them onto waxed paper. 

 We tried this sausage...purchased from Azure Standard.com  Pretty good.  The other is Mesquite Smoked Kielbasa from Costco. 

Keeping them warm on the wood stove while the final batch cooked!

Pot Pie Recipe

 

The short answer to the recipe request: Cook a pot-roast, make gravy from the drippings, cook the veg on the side, mix them together, and put them in a crust.

The long version of the recipe:

These cute little pot-pies are goat, rather than beef. Trust me- if you like game, and make this recipe, you will love it.  
2 things make this recipe great: 

1) If you open the meat as much as possible, and try to get as much of the connective tissue/silver skin out/off of it as you can, it will taste MUCH less "gamey".  (Some people don't know that it is goat!)

2) The seasoning. 

Get our Crust recipe HERE!

Get the Lamb/Goat recipe from Mike, at his blog: over HERE!

Changes that the McKees made the first time:

Cooked 45 minutes in an "instapot"

2lb of Goat Shoulder,

4 sprigs of rosemary, (left whole)

dry thyme, (we used dry leaves 6 generous pinches, maybe 2 teaspoons?)

1 & 1/2 Tablespoons table salt,

generous shakes of red pepper flakes,

Dry white wine in place of the cooking wine.

Extra wine (in place of some of the water) added bouillon.

Cooked the onions in bacon grease! 

Changes that the McKees made the second time:

Cooked 90 minutes in an "instapot"

4lb of Goat Shoulder,

4 sprigs of rosemary, (stripped off the twigs)

dry thyme, we used dry leaves 6 generous pinches,  maybe 2 teaspoons?

Salt: as called for the the recipe, 

Dry white wine in place of the cooking wine,

Beef drippings (from a pot roast) in place of the water,

Cooked the onions in olive oil & bacon grease!

Turn it into pot-pie:
 ~Don't cook the veg with the meat: cook the veg on the side (carrots and peas together, and potato in another pot).  
~Be careful to get all the bones out of the meat (goat and lamb have very tiny bones).
~The gravy was just all the drippings (4 cups or so) thickened with tapioca starch. 
~Mix everything together, and put them in a crust. 
~We cut 2 single crusts in quarters (so, 8 pieces total).
~And baked our pot-pies in oven-safe cereal bowls. 
~I "glazed" the top crusts with beaten egg. :-)
~Bake in a 375 oven, until the center bubbles.

Homemade Apple Wine

Our first batch of Apple Wine! Photos and recipe here!

 

 

Apple Pie Cookies...

...for Hubby's Birthday!

We pretty much followed the recipe from http://omgchocolatedesserts.com/apple-pie-cookies/...
We used our homemade Cajeta (caramel sauce), and our own crust HERE.  Oh, and we added sharp cheese (some inside, some on top, and some without).

Cook, Cool and then Cut the Apples~

 Ready to go?

Assemble...

 ...cut...

...bake on parchment paper...

...and eat!

Yum!!!

Our own Smash Burgers

Our own Smash Burgers - recipe inspiration here:  https://food52.com/recipes/55658-the-food-lab-s-ultra-smashed-cheeseburgers

Homemade BBQ sauce, Homemade Bread & Butter Pickles, Fresh, grass-fed, free-range beef from our friend Sarah, and French brioche buns (toasted in organic butter) from Aldi!

  

 In the middle of the Potato Diet month we just had to feast on MEAT!!!  Slurp!  =P 

Still true....Most Notorious Predators Known to Man

Look at what Adrienne found!  She clipped this* back when she was young, when we did not know we were a liberty minded family!   Well, we homeschooled and did our own thing medically, but didn't know that was "Liberty Minded".  =) 

 We know so much more today.  

Unfortunately the predators don't limit themselves to the US....the entire world lives in fear of the terrorists oh, er, I mean the predators.  

*out of WORLD's children's magazine.

Homemade Pfeffernusse cookies

We just made these and used 2 teaspoons of cloves...they are wonderful! Of course they are even better after several days (not so strong and we worried the 2 t. was a mistake at first!). 

My mother keeps insisting that they should have black pepper. Is that really a traditional ingredient? 

I think they would be good with the bottoms dipped into dark chocolate- something like the chocolate covered, soft gingerbread cookies that Aldi's sells. Ours had a nice cross between soft and chewy texture. 

We cooked them a little longer, they were just too soft at 10 minutes. 

Recipe HERE  

Mug Swap ~ what I got from Brooke

The box of goodies was perfect in every way!  Especially the mug- I have a few with a similar glaze/color and love them!   Oh, and the journal with the great quotes, I love it, too!  I'm so glad I could participate in the 2015 Mug Swap...giving to a good cause and blessing and being blessed in return! 

Mug Swap ~ what I sent to Adela

I love to journal and have a difficult time passing up cute notebooks/journals, so I got a pack of two small notebooks.  She loves coffee and likes hazelnut best, so on a trip to Austin we found this coffee at Central Market...it seemed a fitting gift from Texas to Florida!  Then I saw these cookies from a Dallas bakery (Austin Central Market as well).   Cookies with coffee...nice treat!  I hope she likes the things I chose and maybe thinks of me when she uses them!  Here's to you, Adela!  Enjoy!  Bon Appetit! 

Our long time, tried and true Pie Crust Recipe

So you want to make a good pie crust?  A wheat or "wheat-free" pie crust?

Originally adapted from Ken Haedrich's Country Baking

To make several batches running keep your fats ready to go in the fridge and pull them out as needed.  We like to weight the fat.  

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cup white flour

1 T sugar

1 t. salt

3 oz tallow (chilled and cut into chunks)

4 oz butter (chilled and sliced)

4-6 T iced water

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Variation 2:

1/4 cup oat flour

1/4 cup barley flour

1 3/4 cut white spelt flour 

(or 2 1/4 cups total flour) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 oz butter

2 oz tallow

3 oz coconut oil

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Variation 3:

1/4 cup oat flour

1/4 cup barley flour

1 3/4 cut white wheat flour 

(or 2 1/4 cups total flour) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 oz butter

3 oz tallow

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 First, choose your fat and make sure it's cold:

(this is Coconut oil/Butter/Tallow)

Mix your dry:

Make really icy water:

Put dry ingredients into food processor bowl.  Add fat and cut in briefly until pebbly, pea size chunks.  While pulsing add the iced water 1 -2 Tablespoons at a time .   Stop as soon as the dough pulls together and cleans the sides.
 (At this point we dump it on a lightly floured surface, trying not to handle much, pat it into a uniform rounded  shape, cut in half, push the cut edges together so you now have 2 "round-ish" disks of dough.)

To use really soon:  Wrap each in wax paper and then place in a covered container or zip-lock and place in the fridge.

To Freeze: Wrap each in wax paper and then foil.  Date and freeze.  (keeps practically forever)

When chilled,  roll out between 2 sheets of waxed paper:

(note: the photo below is actually from a Gluten-Free recipe Adrienne made one time: HERE)

Mother's Day for Peace

This year, Brave New Foundation is remembering and honoring the origins of Mother's Day in this short online video (HERE).  "Through the power of compassion and womanhood, we hope to work towards peace."

Embedded below, or watch it HERE.

]

It's Not About Getting High

by Texas State Representative David P. Simpson

There is nothing like filing a bill where both sides of an issue have strongly held positions, and I have the opportunity to interact with all. I appreciate and respect those who have called, emailed, or posted on my Facebook page with their opinions on HB 2165 which would repeal all marijuana offenses in Texas statutes.
 I do not advocate the irresponsible use of marijuana or any substance, but those are choices that should be made by individuals, not the state. We have plenty of laws to deal with those who harm their neighbor and these will remain in force if this law is passed.

Some of those in opposition to the concept have inferred that my comment in the op-ed that “as a Christian I see the innate goodness in all that God created” as approval of marijuana’s recreational use. That was not my point.

My point is that government has gotten it wrong when it comes to marijuana.  Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning that it is defined by the government as a drug with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. However, since that classification, at least 23 states have legalized the plant for medical use. Marijuana, used irresponsibly, can have some bad side effects. But many pharmaceuticals, used as intended, have even worse side effects. Compare the side effects of prescription painkillers, antidepressants, or chemotherapy drugs to the side effects of marijuana. Should people be allowed to make a choice between the two? Also, compare the side effects of marijuana to the countless substances and activities, which may not be the best choice for the individual, but which we tolerate and do not prohibit.

When marijuana was originally outlawed most scholars agree that the laws were motivated by hype, racism, and perhaps an industry or two seeking to control competition from hemp in some commodities markets. Hemp, coming from the same plant as marijuana (but from a strain with extremely low THC), is the strongest and most durable of all natural fibers. It produces four times as much fiber per acre as pine trees and could be an ideal source of biomass for fuel. To this day, cultivation of industrial hemp requires a permit from the Drug Enforcement Agency (rarely given out) with conditions that the crop be surrounded by security measures such as fences, razor wire, security guards, or dogs.

Thus, we are missing out on both the medicinal and economic value of a plant God has given us that, coincidentally, can also be abused. Comments in emails and Facebook posts have focused on the fact that God also made poisonous snakes and hemlock, but that does not mean we should use them recreationally. That is so true, and I no more suggest that people should use marijuana recreationally than I suggest that people play with rattlesnakes. The difference is, the state does not prohibit playing with rattlesnakes, and some people actually bring them to the Capitol and let other people play with them.

Of course, another difference is that no one has ever died from the use of marijuana. It is nontoxic. This fact does not mean it’s a good idea for a person to use it recreationally, but it does underscore the fact that it does not need intense government regulation.

Meanwhile, I do not think it is right that we punish citizens who are not harming their neighbor. We may disagree with their use of the plant, but when should the state step in? We have 70,000 people incarcerated in Texas simply for possession of marijuana.

I understand the desire to send the right messages to our children. However, prohibition does more than send a message. It creates many problems. We may not want a teenager to experiment with marijuana, but would we rather that discussion be between parents and the child or the child and the police?
 What motivated me to file the bill at this time is a desire to help constituents who desire access to the natural plant for treatment of seizures, PTSD, cancer, etc. I want to expand liberty and restore personal responsibility without creating another bureaucracy like the ATF on the state level to regulate it, nor a registry that a future federal administration might use as evidence of breaking federal law.

Getting back to the basics on this issue will put parents in charge of their children’s lives and adults in charge of their own. It is time to reject nanny state policies and restore limited civil government, individual liberty, and personal responsibility.

HB 2165 Frequently Asked Questions

Is marijuana a gateway drug? Perhaps, but is it a gateway because of the chemical influence or because of the criminal element that a person is involved with in obtaining the plant?
 What can I do to help get the bill passed? Contact your elected officials and express your support for the bill. Pray for me.
 Why do you encourage recreational use of marijuana by saying all things created by God are for good? What I said in my op-ed is that “As a Christian, I recognize the innate goodness of everything God made and humanity’s charge to be stewards of the same.” I do not encourage the irresponsible use of any plant, chemical, or other substance. I do not allow my children to consume caffeine until they are in their teenage years and then only in moderation. I instruct them on its addictive nature and potential abuse. Anything can be used for evil, but that does not make it evil. Cannabis can be used for much good.
 Why do you want to legalize the plant that can harm you just because God made it? Many plants aren’t good for human consumption. Some of them can even kill you. However, we do not need to outlaw them to avoid their irresponsible use. To my knowledge there are no confirmed reports of dying from marijuana, unlike synthetic marijuana.
 Won’t this increase impaired driving accidents? The research on driving accidents does not support any special fear about marijuana. While most studies will agree that the number of people who test positive for marijuana use in driving accidents has increased, there is less evidence to indicate that the drug use was directly related to the accident.  Colorado accident rates were at a near historic low in 2013. The federal government recently conducted a study and concluded that marijuana potential contribution to accidents was not statistically significant.
 Have you researched what legalization has done in Colorado? Yes. It is mixed. I encourage you to do your own research of the issue and look at the information from both sides of the argument.
 Do you believe that there should be some regulatory scheme to protect children from getting marijuana? My favorite regulatory scheme for minors is parents. They have the greatest opportunity of preventing bad behavior. Prohibiting the sale of tobacco and alcohol for minors has not stopped the use and abuse of those products, though education has.
 Why are you bringing this bill up now? I filed the bill to help constituents who desire access to the natural plant for treatment of seizures, PTSD, cancer, etc. I want to expand liberty and restore personal responsibility without creating more bureaucracy. There are other bills promoting the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, but they create a regulatory scheme that would be counter productive and create more government. They also create a registry of all medical users. Should the federal government choose to come into the state and enforce federal statutes, we would be giving them the information needed to prosecute.
 What happens if someone smokes marijuana and has a car crash killing someone? Driving impaired is illegal, whether it be under the influence of cough medicine, alcohol, or marijuana. This bill would not change any penalties for harming another person currently in statute.
 Why do you keep saying there are medical benefits when there are so many studies saying there aren’t? There are studies on both sides of this issue. To date, 23 states have legalized marijuana for medical use. I am not a medical expert, but I have heard numerous first hand accounts from people in Texas and across the country that have said it has helped them, including veterans. I believe people should be given the freedom to make responsible decisions about their health without being criminals, and I trust them more than I do government to keep them safe from themselves.
 Were you smoking marijuana when you came up with this idea? No, and I never have.

I certainly don't agree with everything I've read by Benjamin L. Corey, but there is much truth in this post.

The Kind Of Missionary The World Most Desperately Needs

February 20, 2015 by Benjamin L. Corey 50 Comments

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a lover of all things related to missions. Peering into the window of missionary life was perhaps one of the first things I remember of my childhood that completely fascinated me- while regular weekly sermons may have been boring to sit through, never once was I anything other that completely engaged when a foreign missionary came to speak. The world of missions for me came to embrace the best of everything that makes my heart tick: Jesus, theology, other people, travel, and experiencing different cultures. It is certainly no surprise that all these years later, this precise area of theology is what I would get my doctorate in. I love missions.

When one is studying missions for the purpose of being a practitioner in the field, one of the first things a person must decide is what “people group” God is calling them to. Determining a people group is crucially important because this will determine the course of the rest of one’s studies and preparations for becoming a missionary. A missionary can’t simply show up in the field one day and expect to be successful– one must first learn and study everything about the “people group” and culture they are called to, first. This process can actually take years for some, because it would also include difficult aspects such as language fluency and the like. However, when one is done with the hard preparation, they’re usually sent off with some bare essentials to begin learning a new culture and finding ways to inject the teachings of Jesus into that culture.

When talking with missionaries, I’ve often found them describing their particular calling in one of two ways: often they’ll either say, “God caused me to fall in love with this culture/people group” or, “God just really broke my heart for this culture/people group.” With the latter description, the missionary has often noticed something desperately broken in a particular culture that screams out the need for the teachings of Jesus, and the need becomes so glaringly obvious that it almost becomes gut-wrenching to look at those needs without doing something about it.

Lately I’ve been having one of those moments in life where my heart is broken and grieved over a people group who desperately need to hear the message of Jesus, in order that it might change their hearts and culture. It is a people group we have historically failed to send missionaries to, we have neglected, and through nominal encounters with Jesus, they have grown to feel inoculated- falsely believing they are no longer in need of the one who alone can radically reshape and renew us.

The kind of missionary the world most desperately needs are missionaries who are sent to introduce the message of Jesus to one of the last unreached people groups: Americanized Christians.

Christianity in so many parts of America has been blended together with American, nationalistic culture to the point that the Jesus many believe they are following is just a false American caricature of the real thing. In many ways, the tradition of Jesus has become a civil religion that is able to exist in complete harmony with American ideals instead of being something that was designed to turn culture on its head– showing those within culture a totally different way of living and being.

This week my heart feels particularly broken for this obviously unreached people group. Case in point: I issued a call to love our Muslim neighbors in our communities– loving neighbors being what Jesus called the second greatest commandment– and it was met with outright hostility, and even calls for acts of violence against Muslims. One Christian minister said that telling people to love their Muslim neighbors was a “slap in the face” and that we should do no such thing. Others said it is impossible to exist with Muslim neighbors. And, even some “Christians” said that the only approach to Muslims is to kill them before they kill us.

Or, there’s the response I get when I suggest that we should actually love our enemies (a core aspect of the message and life of Jesus): outright disgust, and immediately objections that surely, Jesus didn’t really mean that.

Better yet, there’s the times when I suggest that Jesus invites us to give our loyalty to God’s Kingdom instead of earthly nations, and the Christian response is quite predictable. “Go somewhere else” I’m often told, or as one internet commenter said recently, I’d do better to just “shut my mouth and pay homage to our soldiers.”

Day in and day out, I am faced with the heartbreaking reality that perhaps the last unreached people group has been sitting right in our very pews– those who have succumbed to an Americanized, civil religion, that is only loosely based on Jesus.

And so, the kind of missionary the world most desperately needs is the missionary who is dedicated to introducing American Christians to the message of Jesus.

It is a beautiful message.

A counter-cultural message.

A message of hope, transformation, and healing.

But, it is also a costly message- one that invites us to deny ourselves, and to follow in the footsteps of one who willingly died for his enemies.

And this message is precisely the one this last, unreached people group, desperately need to hear.

I hope you’ll join me– right from where you are– in becoming a missionary dedicated to evangelizing Americanized Christians with the radical, countercultural message of Jesus– because that’s the kind of missionary the world most desperately needs.