Paul Anthony's Blog of Steel

I have become certain that nothing is certain anymore.  We have seen monumental changes in the fabric of our society over the past decade.  The past year alone has brought enough change and tumult for a lifetime!   We have continued to fight two wars, spent trillions of dollars bailing out the sinking ships of mismanaged financial and automobile industries.  Now, our elected “representatives” have passed sweeping healthcare “reforms” that will change our lives dramatically–and not necessarily for the better.  We are losing more freedoms and control and yet many of us are too busy to care!

 We have muted much of this shocking change through self-afflicted A.D.D.–by way of  TV, cellphones, laptops, ipods, ps3′s and ds’s.   While we were busy being distracted, the rug we were standing on was pulled out from under us so quickly that we never noticed! 

Yes, I am worried about our great Republic.  Are we worthy of it’s glorious freedoms and opportunities when we do not care enough to take the time to read and understand our Constitution?  Do we even sense the water in the pot growing warmer by the second?  Is it already too late?  Have we cooked our own frog, er, goose?

Would you do something that I did recently–and should have done a long time ago?  The next time you are near a bookstore, go in and purchase a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution of the United States.  Begin to read it whenever you can.  It is not a long document but it does have a lot of meat to digest.  Understand it to the best of your abilities and be willing to confront our elected officials when they propose change that runs contrary to it.

And now, as I step down from my soap box, I continue to hold fiercely to the anchor line which is firmly knotted to the only thing (person) I know that does not change–Jesus (The Word).

Political and social storms of change are battering this land that has been called the “last great hope”.  Natural storms are battering the Earth at the same time.  Nothing is certain and yet if you and I will hold firmly to the One who does not change, we can stand strong in the storms ahead because the Anchor will hold fast.

The pushers of the Global Warming Theory (GWT) have begun to back down–finally.  Fraud, funny numbers and outright deception have caught up with this crowd that was getting close to bilking world governments out of billions of dollars.  Now, after falsified data, in-fighting among the so-called global warming experts, and finally a little real journalism shedding light on the shenanigans, the dam that was holding back the truth has begun to crack.  Now, some  GWT ”experts” are admitting that the Earth HASN’T warmed up at all in the last 15-years!  Are you surprised?  Me neither.  Just relieved that the GWT proponents didn’t get their hands on our cold hard cash!

I heard someone from the main stream media (MSM) say the other day that if Al Gore would just say, “uncle” with regard to his global warming theory, the snow would stop burying the nation’s capitol.  I laughed aloud when I heard that!  Many cities in the eastern U.S. have now received their highest seasonal snowfall totals ever!  The timing couldn’t be more ironic with the opening of the government’s new global warming/climate change building…which had to cancel it’s grand opening because of the blizzard! 

The money-grabbers, er, Global Warming Experts must be shaking their fists at the sky and asking who ordered this new ice age!   

Now, I am just as ambitious as the next guy or gal, so I have begun to plan a stategy that could net me billions of dollars!  My idea is to begin promoting the theory of a new Global Cooling Trend that, if not reversed by a world-wide committment to building bar-be-cue/firepits in every backyard, could mean the end to life as we know it!  Of course, I will need billions of dollars from the UN and billions more from the world’s LEAST developed countries who do not produce enough greenhouse gases to help heat the Earth and keep us comfortable.

And if I don’t start receiving this money soon?   Well, the polar ice caps will grow, the oceans will shrink back and ruin our world’s greatest vacation spots, and, fur-bearing animals will become endangered species as coat and hat manufacturers hunt them down to keep up with world demand for warm, winter outerwear. 

Therefore, I will produce slick movies, books, posters and school curriculum, tee-shirts, wrist bands and caps all promoting the need to increase industrialization that emphasizes the release of CO2 to insulate the Earth and retain residual heat.  A side effect of this increased CO2 production will be re-forestation around the globe…but I guess we can live with a few  more plants and trees. 

Watch for my clever TV ads featuring hollywood stars who will promote this fight against the coming killer Global Cooling Event (GCE).  They will guilt you into making lifestyle changes like adding a burning barrel to your yard, buying a bigger gas grill, and letting your giant SUV idle in the driveway for fifty-minutes rather than just five.   YOU MUST HELP ME SAVE THE PLANET!  I am not some kook!  This is pure science!  It is true! 

ONLY YOUR MONEY can save the Earth.  Lots and lots of money!!!  What’s that?  Oh, sure, I take credit cards…and if you send your contribution before midnight tonight, I’ll send you a pair of wool socks–free!

Iran’s president is shooting off his mouth again. This time Ahmadinejad is promising to unveil “giant achievements” that will include Iran establishing it’s right to access and use nuclear technology. I just hope this won’t include the annoucement that Iran now has the bomb.

On Saturday, Iran boasted that it’s scientists have found a cure for AIDS. If this is true, I applaud Iran as I would any nation that can produce a life-saving cure. I wish Iran would focus on peaceful announcements like the cure for Aids rather than constant threats against Israel and America. Saddam Hussein did that for years and he isn’t around to make boasts anymore.

If Iran were serious about joining the family of nations committed to peaceful co-existence, it would sit down and dialogue with regard to it’s nuclear program and ambitions. It is becoming more evident that Ahmadinejad will continue to stall on nuclear talks and UN observers until they finally develop a working bomb. Once Iran has the bomb, I believe they will try to use it against Israel at the earliest opportunity.

Watch and listen to the little man with the big complex make his announcement on February 11th…but, don’t be surprised if a not-so-distant neighbor of Iran attempts to spoil the party. 

President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union speech this week marking the end of his first year in office.  What a difference a year makes!  Just look at his poll numbers.  One year ago America and the world were rejoicing over the election of our first black President!  It certainly was long overdue.  

On the campaign trail, Obama promised us change–and lots of it!  He would deliver non-partisan productivity, complete honesty and transparency, fantastic job creation, healthcare reform and urban renewal…oh, and did I mention his promise of a balanced budget and an end to government waste in every nook and cranny of Washington’s gigantic bureaucracy?

It is now one year later.  What has changed?   The national debt has soared to over 12 TRILLION dollars!  That’s a 12 followed by 12 zero’s!!!  The healthcare bill so furiously pushed to the brink of passage by the Democrats is now near death following the election of Republican Scott Brown to the Senate.  The prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is still operating.  The unemployment rate has climbed to 10%.  The 2-wars continue to cost us tens of billions of dollars per month.   Banks continue to fail at an alarming rate.  National Security has taken several steps backward after some very close calls with terrorist attacks.  To be honest, this has not been a good year for Barack Obama nor the USA.  The polls reflect this.  His early sky-high approval ratings have slumped to the lowest point in his Presidency and represent the fastest drop of any President’s  in modern history.

  What, then, will Obama talk about in his State of the Union address?  I hope you will tune-in and be listening for a sign that he will follow former President Clinton’s lead, who recognized his errors and  took a distinct step toward governing from the center.  Obama’s leftist policies have left him reeling.  America is not happy.  This has not been the change we were expecting.  Now, will Obama change his ways?  We can only hope.

I joined the Avatar Forum on Facebook after reading that some people are having suicidal thoughts after seeing the movie.  They long for a real Pandora and can’t cope with the fact that there will never be a real Pandora.  Here is what I wrote:

The overwhelming number of people who long for a world of Pandora points to a very real need that is lacking in today’s complex, sensory-overloaded, instant gratification-based society. This movie was loaded with spectacular effects and yet the story couldn’t have been more simple.  It was essentially “earth-worship” with a not-so-subtle, the humans are always the “fly in the ointment” plot running throughout. The fact that some people, so taken by the fictional Pandora, have been dealing with suicidal thoughts at the realization that Pandora isn’t attainable, points to a very real and I believe, reconcilable issue.  I would ask that you humor me for just a moment and consider my next statement before you dismiss it because it may not be hip in today’s world. 

 In your mind, watch the movie Avatar again.  This time, replace the world of Pandora with God.  Imagine people longing to connect to God and bowing before Him out of reverence because of his provision for their every need both physically and spiritually.  Imagine that scene with the tree and the horde of natives bowing down to the ground worshiping and communally connecting with the ultimate source of power and healing in their universe.   Now, once again, replace the tree with God and replace one of the natives with yourself.   The picture you get is an amazing analogy to the kind of relationship that God wants to have with you and with all of humanity.   The difference?   Pandora is fiction.   God is real.   This world began with a Pandora-like place before sin destroyed it. The good news is that God has said that He will remake the heavens and the earth and will restore the pandora/paradise that was meant to be–and He wants you to experience it!

It is too bad that so many people want to worship the created thing rather than the awesome One who created all things!   God is very real and He longs for a communion with you that goes far deeper than the glowing vines of a fantasy tree.   Jesus says, “I stand at the door and knock.   If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and make my home with him.”

There will never be Pandora on this present earth.  Man is far too inclined to follow the path of selfishness and darkness.  But, there is hope!   God has promised to make all things new!  Will you get to experience the real Pandora that is to come?   Read the gospel of John, Chapter 3, Verses 3-8 and see for yourself what you must do to have a secure place in the kingdom of heaven.  Then, start worshiping the Creator rather than the created!   Invite Jesus to be Lord and Master of your life and he will make his home in you…and you will have your ticket punched to a world that will far surpass the one created by director, James Cameron.   What God has planned for His children is so wonderful that no human mind could even conceive special effects that would even come close to the new creation He is preparing for those who believe!

If you find yourself longing for Pandora–that is okay!   It is natural to want something good, pure and refreshing for your body and soul.   God is just waiting for you to accept His invitation to a relationship–and passport to His new creation that will fill that desire perfectly!