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By
JIM STREET Ed
& Pub After the
euphoria from the Massachusetts Senate race last week, one could conclude
things are looking better. At least we no longer seem to be on an uncontrolled
descent into socialism, or at least a Liberal utopia with a
government-controlled economy with all its attendant losses of freedom. We’re not home
free, of course. But the election may have signaled at least the start of the
beginning of a turnaround. Scott Brown’s
win over Martha Coakley for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat was a stunning victory
for a Republican in solidly-Democratic Massachusetts. It came after
Republican wins last fall in governor races in Virginia and New Jersey. Brown was the
first Republican in that seat since Edward Brooke held it for two terms
ending in 1979. OPINION But while
Brooke was a nominal Republican, his politics were far more attuned to the
Liberal ideas of what some like to call “The People’s Republic of Massachusetts.”
Brown is a
fiscal conservative and his election is as clear an indication as possible
that the solidly Democratic government in Washington has gone too far. The effects
were almost immediate, though not always clear cut. President Obama told ABC’s
George Stephanopoulos the vote was a reflection of voter concern, not just
over the last year or two but “over the last eight years.” Huh?
Were we so upset with the administration of Republican George W. Bush, we
elected a Republican? No,
people wanted to send a message that the headlong rush to government
controlled healthcare, Tax and Trade and a host of Liberal programs were
going too fast. Obama
in his State of the Union address Wednesday called for a partial spending
“freeze.” Most
agreed that, even if he can pull off a one-percent spending freeze, it won’t
do much good, especially on the heels of a $1.4 trillion deficit and his
support of an increase in the national debt by $1.9 trillion more. And
it’s a freeze, not a cut, thus locking in increases this year that have gone
to 40 percent and more for some departments. All
of this is on top of an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office that
last year’s $787 billion “stimulus” package will now cost some $75 billion
more than expected. Makes
a $20 billion tax “freeze” kinda puny, right? But it may indicate Obama may
have heard some of the more obvious signals from Massachusetts. With
a very Liberal Democrat in the White House, a substantial majority in the
House and a filibuster-proof Senate, the Democrats were acting like they
alone were in charge. No longer did they have to work “across the aisle” with
their Republican counterparts. They were in charge and could safely ignore
the other side. Some
said the Republicans were “Missing in Action” on healthcare, that they sat on
their hands and contributed nothing. They couldn’t. They were shut out of
closed-door meetings where the bills were hashed out and deals made. Republican
Lamar Alexander of Tennessee counted 173 times Republicans tried to offer
healthcare ideas but the Democrats weren’t interested. Some have said
Coakley was an ineffective campaigner and that could have been part of the
reason for Brown’s victory. But we are
missing the point if we don’t recognize the American people are fed up with
an arrogant government dedicated to jamming a massive healthcare program down
our throats on top of massive deficits and a “stimulus” bill that will do
anything but stimulate the economy. There
were indications this week that President Obama and others of his ilk were
beginning to get the message. To
be sure, it is an encouraging sign for responsible government but we are a
long way from being out of the proverbial woods. Conservatives
should do quite well in November and there is historical precedent for it.
The party out of power generally picks up seats in the first off-year after a
new President. But
there is the danger and that the Tea Party, Libertarians and Republicans can
split the Conservative vote, much like Ross Perot got Bill Clinton elected in
1992. And
the Brown election could be a wakeup call for one Barack Obama, telling him
he needs to make a right turn, which could make him harder to beat in 2012. There
is a lot of uncertainty, to be sure. But
there is encouragement as well. Stay
tuned. Play Acting It has been around for thousands of years and is worldwide. It was popular in ancient Egypt more than 4,000 years ago and during
the Greek and Roman empires. It is still popular in Africa, India and Japan
today. The actors would put on a mask and play out a particular character or
sometimes they played several characters. The plays or dramas could last from an hour or up to a whole day.
Play acting, hypocrisy or putting up a fake front goes on in life and even in
churches today. If you do not think it is happening today, just watch some
politicians for a while. It is really dishonesty and can even be in the form of flattery. For
instance, a woman may tell her friend she thinks her new dress looks so nice
but she really thinks it looks horrible. Or we can act like we care about someone very much but we really
despise them. The Bible instructs Christians to refrain from it (Matthew 23:28,
Romans 12:1.) It can become a way of life and is also contagious to others
(Luke 12:1, Galatians 2:13.) It can hinder our relationship to God and stunt our spiritual growth
(1 Peter 2:1 to 3.) In the end times, some will be led astray by it (1 Timothy 4:1 to 3.)
Hypocrisy, deception or falsehood does not come from God because God is 100
percent truthful (James 3:17.) See you in Church next Sunday. Brother J Mars closest this trip If you've been out in the early evening lately, perhaps you've
noticed Jupiter, which has been dominating the evening sky the past several
months, now sinking closer to the setting Sun in the west. And if you turned around and looked behind you, perhaps you've
also noticed another “star” rising after dark and dominating the sky in the
east. That "star" is the planet Mars. Traveling nearly 67,000 miles per hour, Earth orbits the Sun
once each year. Mars, the next planet out from the Sun, moves only 54,000 miles
per hour, has further to travel and thus takes nearly two Earth-years to
orbit the Sun. Since we speed around the Sun more quickly, we regularly pass
between Mars and the Sun about every two years. When we do, Mars is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun,
which astronomers call opposition – and this is about to occur today, Jan.
29. At opposition, Earth and Mars pass nearest each other, making
Mars appear larger and brighter than usual. So now and for the next few weeks, Mars outshines all the
brightest stars except Sirius, which is now in the southeast in the early
evening. If Earth and Mars orbited the Sun in perfect circles, Mars would
appear the same size and brightness at each opposition. But since their orbits are elliptical, at some oppositions Earth
and Mars pass nearer than at others. On average we pass within 48 million
miles, rounding to the nearest million.
But the distance can be as little as 34 million miles or as much
as 64 million miles. This time around, we're passing at 62 million miles so this is
not one of Mars' more spectacular oppositions, although it will still be well
worth noting. Perhaps you recall the excitement in August 2003 when Mars
passed less than 35 million miles and was extraordinarily bright – that was
pretty spectacular. All the planets further out from the Sun come to opposition
regularly. The period between Jupiter's oppositions is about 13 months and
for the more distant Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, just over a year. At opposition, planets rise around sunset, are up all night and
set around sunrise. And since they are then at their largest and brightest, the few
weeks before and after opposition are the best times for observing them. By coincidence, on the night of Mars' upcoming opposition, it
has a companion to escort it across the sky – the almost full Moon. And then the first week of February, the Red Planet passes near
the lovely Beehive star cluster. They will be in the same binocular field of
view several nights in a row – a sight you won't want to miss.
Saturday, Jan. 30, the full Moon is called Old Moon and Moon
After Yule. Tuesday, Feb. 2, commonly known as Groundhog Day, today is also
Candlemas, a cross-quarter day celebrating the middle of winter. Thursday morning, Feb. 4, gibbous Moon is below Virgo's
brightest star Spica high in the south. Friday, Feb. 5, the Moon is at third quarter. Sunday, Feb. 7, the crescent Moon is to the upper right of
Scorpius' brightest star Antares low in the southeast. Thursday morning, Feb. 11, the crescent Moon is to the upper
right of Mercury very low in the east southeast at dawn and to the planet's
lower left the next morning.
The Sun, Moon and planets rise in the east and set in the west
due to Earth's west-to-east rotation on its axis. As evening twilight ends, Jupiter is setting in the west as Mars
is rising in the east. At the first light of dawn, Mercury is very low in the
southeast, Saturn is in the southwest and Mars is in the west. Stargazer appears every
other week, space permitting. Paul Derrick is an amateur astronomer who lives
in Waco. Contact him at 918 N. 30th, Waco, 76707, (254) 753-6920 or paulderrickwaco@aol.com. See the Stargazer Web
site at www.stargazerpaul.com. Doug Baum, that ‘camel’ guy By TUMBLEWEED SMITH Doug
Baum got a job at the Waco zoo some years ago and fell in love with big
animals, especially camels. He
grew up playing drums and guitar in a neighborhood rock band, then played
some gigs in clubs. Realizing
that the chances of making a decent living with his music were slim to none,
he decided to see if he could earn money with camels, a much more unlikely
source of income. He
bought a couple of the strange animals, then bought a couple more. Now he has
11. He
keeps them near his residence at Valley Mills. People passing by on the
highway do a double take when they see camels in the pasture. Doug
is an enterprising person and comes up with all sorts of ways to provide
income with his camels. “Every
dollar I make is somehow derived from the camels,” Doug said. He
gives lectures at schools all over Texas and beyond, teaching students not
only about camels, but also about the people who use them in Egypt and
elsewhere. “The
two camels I take to schools are the closest ones to the gate when I load
up,” he said. While
he’s waiting for students to assemble outside, Doug combs his camels’ hair,
gathering about 100 pounds a year. He gives a lot of it away to weavers. His
camels have been in movies and commercials.
“When
a production company comes to Texas looking for a camel, I usually get that
call,” he said. “My camels are well
trained and I’ve got all the necessary equipment. If a camel looks like it
belongs in India, I can accommodate the filmmakers.” Christmas
is a busy time for Doug, providing camels for up to three dozen manger scenes
or productions where camels have to hit a certain mark at a certain time.
Doug calls his company the Texas Camel Corps.
In
2001, he went to the Middle East to learn about camels. He ended up getting
acquainted with families and came home with a renewed sense of the importance
of learning about other places. He
started taking small groups of people over there. “It
is hands down the thing I love doing the most,” Doug said. “The itinerary
includes multiple days out in the Sinai desert, camping and living among the
Bedouin as they have for thousands of years. “We
move from site to site each day on camels, doing from eight to ten miles a
day,” he said. “We split that up, doing half in the morning, then completing
the trek in the late afternoon, taking time in the middle of the day for
lunch or hiking trips to archeological sites.” He
takes as few as four or as many as ten and will go whenever a group is ready.
During the 13-day journey, Doug takes them to the Sphinx and pyramids of
Giza, a historic mosque, a monastery and a medieval market bazaar that dates
back to 1382. Some
people go to Petra in Jordan, a day trip from Sinai by van, ferry or bus. Doug
has a huge knowledge and respect for the cultures that have used camels for
5,000 years. He
encourages the people who travel with him to be good ambassadors for our
country. Doug’s
contact info is http://www.texascamelcorps.com or
254/675-HUMP (4867).
Teodoro Lozano Lozano
was born in Marfa on Aug. 14, 1940, to Fernando Lozano and Luisa Rosals, who
preceded him in death. Also preceding him was a sister, Estella Barron. Surviving
are two sons, George L. Treviño of Fort Hancock and Billy J. Treviño of
Temple; two brothers, Felix Lozano of San Jose, CA, and Manuel Garcia of Fort
Stockton; a sister, Elisa Garcia of San Jose, CA, and two grandchildren. Mailbox About price of gas To the Editor, This is in
response to Reid McClellan’s letter, “Some call it ‘gouging,’” News Leader, Jan. 22, Page Two. There are many
different factors that affect the price at the pump. If a person
has a concern about “price gouging,” they are free to contact the Office of
Attorney General on-line at www.oag.state.tx.us. Gennie
Merrifield Sanderson |
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