Monday, July 25, 2016

Hot Potato Topic July #4

Greetings my fellow cooks,
well this is my last week guest blogging for our wonderful Chef who is enjoying some downtime. I felt I would wrap things up on a positive since the past several weeks have been riddled with horrible violence and disgusting bad behavior by people that would not be found guilty of being human beings. Humans seek to unify, seek to help others and not hurt, desire peace and goodness. I know it will take a change of heart before any of those things will happen. Love truly is the answer.
May we quickly see the error of our ways and change. Until we start respecting each other and see/understand that differences are for keeping us separated but are to be used to bring us together to make our world a better place. God help us if we don't change soon....
Conservative Connie

From the inside 

The things in your life will change for the better to the extent that you
change for the better. Who you truly are on the inside will determine how your
life proceeds on the outside.

Progress, success, achievement and fulfillment flow from the inside out. No
person or object or situation outside of you can bring about any kind of
worthwhile positive change unless you are committed to it on the inside.

Rather than waiting and wishing for things to get better, prepare
 yourself to
be the person who can truly live the reality you seek. Align your thoughts, your
passions, your priorities and your actions with the life you desire and it will
come to be.

Every great achievement lives first in the mind and in the heart, and from
there it works its way into the outer world. That's why it is far more
effective to focus on what you can give rather than merely on what you can get.

Touch your highest vision and make it part of who you are in every moment. All
kinds of good and valuable things will flow from the inside out.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, July 18, 2016

Hot Potato Topic July #3

Hey Fellow Cooks...
Well I got a little preachy last week and I am really trying not to do that but inform, educate and engage in a dialogue that will hopefully bring about change. So I decided to go to the source with this next bit. As parents are faced with vaccinating their children, or opting out of that, HPV has been on the rise and of course parents must decide on what they want to do to in aid in keeping their children healthy.

Although I advocate for abstinence and married couple waiting until after they have married to have sex I know not everyone is going to do that....I especially feel sorry for the males who are made to feel like they NEED to know or do it so they can take care of their future wives or be successful with the ladies. Okay I'm stopping myself right there and here are the experts....

CDC: Vaccine can prevent 28,500 HPV-related cancer cases a year

Melissa Jenco, News Content Editor

More than 30,000 cancers linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) are diagnosed each year in the U.S., and most can be prevented by a vaccine, according to a new report.
“Increasing vaccination coverage could decrease the cancer incidence and disparities in the United States,” researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wrote in the report “Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cancers — United States, 2008-2012” published Thursday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, http://bit.ly/29ry5Ui.
HPV can cause cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, oropharyngeal, anal and rectal cancers. Roughly 38,793 HPV-associated cancers were diagnosed annually from 2008-’12, with about 59% affecting females, according to the CDC. The most common types were cervical carcinomas and oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers.

The annual average is up from about 33,369 a year in 2004-’08, although the increase is due in part to the inclusion of additional cancer sites.
Utah experienced the lowest rate in the most recent study with 7.5 cases per 100,000 people while Kentucky’s rate was highest at 14.7 per 100,000. There also were differences based on race and ethnicity. For example, cervical carcinoma rates were higher among blacks than whites and among Hispanics compared to non-Hispanics.
Of the 38,793 annual cancer cases associated with HPV based on their location and cell type, the CDC estimates 30,700 (79%) are attributable to HPV and 28,500 could be prevented with a 9-valent HPV vaccine.

The Academy and CDC recommend HPV vaccine as part of routine immunization for males and females at age 11 or 12 years, although it can be started as early as 9 years. They also recommend catch-up vaccination for females ages 13 to 26 and males 13 through 21 who have not been vaccinated or did not complete the three-dose series. Males ages 22 to 26 also should be vaccinated if they have sex with other men or are immunocompromised.
However, HPV vaccination rates have been lagging. Roughly 60% of female teens and 41.7% of male teens in the U.S. received at least one dose in 2014. Only 39.7% of the females and 21.6% of the males completed the three-dose series, according to the report.
In addition to recommending vaccination, the CDC stressed the importance of regular cervical cancer screenings.
“Most cervical cancers are preventable with regular screening for precancerous lesions among women aged 21-65 years linked with follow-up for abnormal test results,” researchers said.

Resources

Monday, July 11, 2016

Hot Potato Topic July #2

Hello Fellow Cooks!
Conservative Connie here, filling in while our Chef takes some much needed time off.
I began last week with talking about Freedom. Webster's definition:
  1. 1 :  the quality or state of being free: as  
     a :  the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action 
    b :  liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another :  independence  
    c :  the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous <freedom from care>  
    d :  ease, facility freedom>
e :  the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken freedom>

f :  improper familiarity 
 g :  boldness of conception or execution  
h :  unrestricted use freedom of their home>

  • 2 a :  a political right 

    Of course the definition is taken out of context and used for anything and everything. I can do whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do and if you say anything against me you are judging me and a hater. What utter craziness!!

    Do we really want people doing any and everything? I am sure that most "sensible" persons would agree that we can't have extremes from either side...too much freedom and too little. Rules and standards help us work within our freedom and maintain it.

    I would love to make sure all kids had to have a license before they had sex...All that is promoted is the pleasure but no one talks about the consequences. With all the books that are written, especially romance, so much is put into 'they couldn't help themselves' (Yea they could), 'the passion was so much there was no stopping' (Um you can always stop if you really want to) we aren't teaching or addressing the emotional side of sex and that isn't even touch intimacy.

    I would love for kids to know the not to nice side of sex. The icky and sticky. The waiting on test results that could mean cancer, HIV, STD, or AIDS. Some wish they had only been pregnant. Then when the emotions kick in what do you do then. When he or she just wanted an easy lay or when a relationship is only physical and nothing else.

    We have got to arm our kids with knowledge....just like you have to have car insurance to drive we need to give our next generation facts so they can make an informed decision that "hopefully" will result in them waiting for a maturity level that will match their desired sexual level.

    After teaching our kids about saving, balancing a financial account and paying their bills on time we need to teach them to respect themselves, their bodies and the special bond that can be created between a man and a woman.

    Let's use our freedom to not be horny, hormonal individuals, but loving, caring people responsibly sharing our love. Just something to think about...
    Until next time,
    Conservative Connie
  • Monday, July 4, 2016

    Hot Potato Topic July #1

    Happy Fourth of July!!
    I am glad to be guest hosting the site while The Chef is on vacation.
    Freedom, our world is greatly different from when the Founding Fathers celebrated this day 240 years ago. Of course our world is different from just a week ago, month ago, a few years ago. Groups professing one this go another. Groups with agenda to "normalize" their lifestyle. Groups that are trying to destroy the foundations of marriage, family even God are on the upswing and many law abiding citizens are just keeping our heads in the sand just trying to make it from one day to the next.
    I promised not to be on my usual soapbox for the next month but I do hope that you seekers of truth and fact will enjoy and engage in the conversation. As long as we have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, let us strive to make our world better.
    Conservative Connie

    The Myth of
    the Separation of Church and State

    by Tim Greenwood

    Anytime religion is mentioned within the confines of government today people cry, "Separation of Church and State". Many people think this statement appears in the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution and therefore must be strictly enforced. However, the words: "separation", "church", and "state" do not even appear in the first amendment. The first amendment reads...
    "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." 
    The statement about a wall of separation between church and state was made in a letter on January 1, 1802, by Thomas Jefferson to a church (the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut). The congregation heard a widespread rumor that the Congregationalists, another denomination, were to become the national religion. This was very alarming to people who knew about religious persecution in England by the state established church. Jefferson made it clear in his letter to the Danbury Congregation that the separation was to be that government would not establish a national religion or dictate to men how to worship God. Jefferson's letter from which the phrase "separation of church and state" was written to affirm first amendment rights. Jefferson wrote:
    I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. (1)

    The reason Jefferson choose the expression "separation of church and state" was because he was addressing a Baptist congregation; a denomination of which he was not a member. Jefferson wanted to remove all fears that the state would make dictates to the church. He was establishing common ground with the Baptists by borrowing the words of Roger Williams, one of the Baptist's own prominent preachers. Williams had said:
    When they have opened a gap in the hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the Church and the wilderness of the world, God hath ever broke down the wall itself, removed the candlestick, and made his garden a wilderness, as at this day. And that therefore if He will eer please to restore His garden and paradise again, it must of necessity be walled in peculiarly unto Himself from the world...(2)
    The "wall" was understood as one-directional; its purpose was to protect the church from the state. The world was not to corrupt the church, yet the church was free to teach the people Biblical values.

    I know all about the separation of church and state.

    For seven years one of my realitives, Rev. John Greenwood, the half brother of my great (x15) grandfather, was confined in prison and finally on the sixth of April, 1593, was taken from jail in England and hanged for his belief and teaching of - the separation of church and state.

    That little band of Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth, Mass., in 1620, were his followers -- they had worshipped at the church he founded -- that band of Puritans that landed in America and founded Boston were believers in the doctrine that John Greenwood was the first to publish and teach - the separation of church and state.

    The Pilgrims at Plymouth brought to America the teachings of John Greenwood -- including the separation of church and state -- and if America owes its greatness, its progress, and its achievements to one principle in government more than another it is that in America every American can kneel at the altar of his own faith, and worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience. The state in America is separated from the church. American government tolerates no single form of religious worship but shelters and protects alike all. John Greenwood taught that there could be but one head of the church and that head was not a King or Queen but Jesus Christ, and that there could be no law for the government of the church other than what the Scriptures contained.
    Both the phrase and concept of the separation of chuch and state used by Thomas Jefferson and Roger Williams came directly from the teachings of Rev. John Greenwood.
    The American people knew what would happen if the State established the Church like in England. Even though it was not recent history to them, they knew that England went so far as forbidding worship in private homes and sponsoring all church activities and keeping people under strict dictates. They were forced to go to the state established church and do things that were contrary to their conscience. No other churches were allowed, and mandatory attendance of the established church was compelled under the Conventicle Act of 1665. Failure to comply would result in imprisonment and torture. 
    The people did not want freedom FROM religion, but freedom OF religion.
    The only real reason to separate the church from the state would be to instill a new morality and establish a new system of beliefs. Our founding fathers were God-fearing men who understood that for a country to stand it must have a solid foundation; the Bible was the source of this foundation. They believed that God's ways were much higher than Man's ways and held firmly that the Bible was the absolute standard of truth and used the Bible as a source to form our government.
    There is no such thing as a pluralistic society. There will always be one dominant view, otherwise it will be in transition from one belief system to another. Therefore, to say Biblical principles should not be allowed in government and school is to either be ignorant of the historic intent of the founding fathers, or blatantly bigoted against Christianity.
    Each form of government has a guiding principle: monarchy in which the guiding principle is honor; aristocracy in which the guiding principle is moderation; republican democracy in which the guiding principle is virtue; despotism in which the guiding principle is fear. Without people of the United States upholding good moral conduct, society soon degenerates into a corrupt system where people misuse the authority of government to obtain what they want at the expense of others. The U.S. Constitution is the form of our government, but the power is in the virtue of the people. The virtue desired of the people is shown in the Bible. This is why Biblical morality was taught in public schools until the early 1960's. Government officials were required to declare their belief in God even to be allowed to hold a public office until a case in the U.S. Supreme Court called Torcaso v. Watkins (Oct. 1960). God was seen as the author of natural law and morality. If one did not believe in God one could not operate from a proper moral base. And by not having a foundation from which to work, one would destroy the community. The two primary places where morality is taught are the family and the church. The church was allowed to influence the government in righteousness an d justice so that virtue would be upheld. Not allowing the church to influence the state is detrimental to the country and destroys our foundation of righteousness and justice. It is absolutely necessary for the church to influence the state in virtue because without virtue our government will crumble -- the representatives will look after their own good instead of the country's.
    Government was never meant to be our master as in a ruthless monarchy or dictatorship. Instead, it was to be our servant. The founding fathers believed that the people have full power to govern themselves and that people chose to give up some of their rights for the general good and the protection of rights. Each person should be self-governed and this is why virtue is so important. Government was meant to serve the people by protecting their liberty and rights, not serve by an enormous amount of social programs. The authors of the Constitution wanted the government to have as little power as possible so that if authority was misused it would not cause as much damage. Yet they wanted government to have enough authority to protect the rights of the people. The worldview at the time of the founding of our government was a view held by the Bible: that Man's heart is corrupt and if the opportunity to advance oneself at the expense of another arose, more often than not, we would choose to do so. They firmly believed this and that's why an enormous effort to set up checks and balances took place. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. They wanted to make certain that no man could take away rights given by God. They also did not set up the government as a true democracy, because they believed, as mentioned earlier, Man tends towards wickedness. Just because the majority wants something does not mean that it should be granted, because the majority could easily err. Government was not to be run by whatever the majority wanted but instead by principle, specifically the principles of the Bible.
    Our U.S. Constitution was founded on Biblical principles and it was the intention of the authors for this to be a Christian nation. The Constitution had 55 people work upon it, of which 52 were evangelical Christians.(3) We can go back in history and look at what the founding fathers wrote to know where they were getting their ideas. This is exactly what two professors did. Donald Lutz and Charles Hyneman reviewed an estimated 15,000 items with explicit political content printed between 1760 and 1805 and from these items they identified 3,154 references to other sources. The source they most often quoted was the Bible, accounting for 34% of all citations. Sixty percent of all quotes came from men who used the Bible to form their conclusions. That means that 94% of all quotes by the founding fathers were based on the Bible. The founding fathers took ideas from the Bible and incorporated them into our government. 
    If it was their intention to separate the state and church they would never have taken principles from the Bible and put them into our government. An example of an idea taken from the Bible and then incorporated into our government is found in Isaiah 33:22 which says, "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king..." The founding fathers took this scripture and made three major branches in our government: judicial, legislative, and executive. As mentioned earlier, the founding fathers strongly believed that Man was by nature corrupt and therefore it was necessary to separate the powers of the government. For instance, the President has the power to execute laws but not make them, and Congress has the power to make laws but not to judge the people. The simple principle of checks and balances came from the Bible to protect people from tyranny. The President of the United States is free to influence Congress, although he can not exercise authority over it because they are separated. Since this is true, why should the church not be allowed to influence the state? 
    People have read too much into the phrase "separation of church and state", which is to be a separation of civil authority from ecclesiastical authority, not moral values. Congress has passed laws that it is illegal to murder and steal, which is the legislation of morality. These standards of morality are found in the Bible. Should we remove them from law because the church should be separated from the state?
    Our founding fathers who formed the government also formed the educational system of the day. John Witherspoon did not attend the Constitutional Convention although he was President of New Jersey College in 1768 (known as Princeton since 1896) and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His influence on the Constitution was far ranging in that he taught nine of fifty-five original delegates. He fought firmly for religious freedom and said... 
    "God grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable and that unjust attempts to destroy the one may in the issue tend to the support and establishment of both."(4)

    In October 1961 the Supreme Court of the United States removed prayer from schools in a case called Engel v. Vitale. The case said that because the U.S. Constitution prohibits any law respecting an establishment of religion officials of public schools may not compose public prayer even if the prayer is denominationally neutral, and that pupils may choose to remain silent or be excused while the prayer is being recited. For 185 years prayer was allowed in public and the Constitutional Convention itself was opened with prayer. If the founding fathers didn't want prayer in government why did they pray publicly in official meetings? It is sometimes said that it is permissible to pray in school as long as it is silent. Although, "In Omaha, Nebraska, 10-year old James Gierke was prohibited from reading his Bible silently during free time... the boy was forbidden by his teacher to open his Bible at school and was told doing so was against the law."(4) The U.S. Supreme Court with no precedent in any court history said prayer will be removed from school. Yet the Supreme Court in January, 1844 in a case named Vidal v. Girard's Executors, a school was to be built in which no ecclesiastic, missionary, or minister of any sect whatsoever was to be allowed to even step on the property of the school. They argued over whether a layman could teach or not, but they agreed that, "...there is an obligation to teach what the Bible alone can teach, viz. a pure system of morality." This has been the precedent throughout 185 years. Although this case is from 1844, it illustrates the point. The prayer in question was not even lengthy or denominationally geared. It was this: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country."
    What price have we paid by removing this simple acknowledgment of God's protecting hand in our lives? Birth rates for unwed girls from 15-19; sexually transmitted diseases among 10-14 year olds; pre-marital sex increased; violent crime; adolescent homicide have all gone up considerably from 1961 to the 1990's -- even after taking into account population growth. The Bible, before 1961, was used extensively in curriculum. After the Bible was removed, scholastic aptitude test scores dropped considerably.
    Satan is not a creator. He cannot create anything. All he can do is take that which God has created and 'twist' it upside-down and call it something else. God created good - Satan twisted it into evil. God created love - Satan twisted it into hate. God created faith - Satan twisted it into fear. Do you see how he works?
    Satan also twists the good things that man has created as well. To the point - our founding fathers, many of which were ministers, created the constitution and it's amendments including the First Amendment which provides for legal protection of the Church from the State (i.e. government) - Satan has now twisted that in the minds of the people to "protect" the State and all governmental entities, property, programs, etc... from the Church - banning the very freedoms that the First Amendment guarantees!  Now the IRS is already beginning to tell Pastors what they can and cannot preach and teach in their own churches - threatening to revoke their 501(c)(3) tax exempt status!
    There is no such thing as a pluralistic society; there will always be one dominant view. Someone's morality is going to be taught -- but whose? Secular Humanism is a religion that teaches that through Man's ability we will reach universal peace and unity and make heaven on earth. They promote a way of life that systematically excludes God and all religion in the traditional sense. That Man is the highest point to which nature has evolved, and he can rely on only himself and that the universe was not created, but instead is self-existing. They believe that Man has the potential to be good in and of himself. All of this of course is in direct conflict with not only the teachings of the Bible but even the lessons of history.
    In June 1961 in a case called Torcaso v. Watkins, the U.S. Supreme Court stated, "Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism and others." The Supreme Court declared Secular Humanism to be a religion. The American Humanist Association certifies counselors who enjoy the same legal status as ordained ministers. Since the Supreme Court has said that Secular Humanism is a religion, why is it being allowed to be taught in schools? The removal of public prayer of those who wish to participate is, in effect, establishing the religion of Humanism over Christianity.
    This my friends is exactly what our founding fathers tried to stop from happening with the first amendment.
    Today in the United States, 90% of the population believes in God!  80% of those believe in the Judeo-Christian Ethic (i.e. believe in Jesus).  But Hollywood and the media has convienced most Christians that they are - the vast minority!  When in fact Christians are the "Silent Majority!"  Alolph Hitler once said that if a well crafted lie is told often enough and long enough it will become as good as the the truth!  For example, "the Religious Right" is a totally ficticious entity.  There SHOULD be one, but there is no such thing!  Christians just haven't seemed to be able get together long enough to realize the strength they would have if they united politically.  Now the "Religious Right" is just a straw-man to hide a REAL and very active movement - "the Athiest Left!"
    "Separation of Church and State" is just a myth.  But it's a myth that if allowed to continue will continue to daily chip away our religious freedoms.  We just cannot keep quiet about it any longer.  Christians must be taught on this subject now - before it becomes illegal to do even that!  All evil needs to flourish is for good men - to do (and say) nothing!