As we enter into a new year, some random points to consider:

– There are some people in this country – Americans – who have so much hatred for President Bush. Bumper stickers, blogs, books and talk shows are only a few of the various outlets of this rage. If these people spent a small fraction of that energy on hating terrorists and those that have vowed to kill us, perhaps the world would be a safer place. Rather than ranting that the President lied about the danger of terrorism, perhaps that energy could be redirected against those that have publicly promised to attack our cities, attack our interests wordwide — and rally against those that have said that they will not rest until they have “reduced the White House to smoking rubble”.

– Rather than trying to give captured terrorists various legal rights such as the right to sue the U.S. Government, it may do well to leave their treatment in the hands of those that do this sort of thing for a living. Rather than demanding that these prisoners get better food and shelter than their captors get, it may do well to support efforts to find even more of these terrorists. It is interesting that at the same time that American kids are being expelled for bringing a Bible to school, so much fuss is being made to ensure that there are enough prayer mats for the prisoners.

– If you are told by particular people that they are planning on killing you, it is desirable – if not vital – to find out what those plans are. Maybe you can stop them. If they use telephones to make those plans, monitoring those calls is not only good police work, it is common sense. Leave the legal arguments to the judges and lawyers that have authorized these wiretaps. It is their specialty. Regrettably, the legal knowledge that can be gained by simply watching “CSI Miami” is insufficient to establish a solid counter-argument.

-There are those who are trying vigorously to challenge so many tactics of the war on terrorism such as the interrogation of prisoners, wiretaps, the profiling of terrorists, and the treatment of the terrorists that are in fact captured. These challenges come in the form of lawsuits, demonstrations, threats of impeachment, news stories, and political rhetoric. It often seems that these very same people, while trying to defend the rights of the terrorists, are complaining that “nothing is being done” in the war on terror. When asked what their plan is for fighting terrorism, their answer is “Impeach Bush”.

– If there is a string of bank robberies committed by people described as “tall white males”, you can be forewarned that you are considered more likely a suspect if you are a tall white male. Short black females driving in the area of a just-robbed bank should be considered less-likely suspects. No, it isn’t fair. In a related story, it is so common to hear little kids say “No fair!” when something doesn’t go their way. Overlooking the interesting grammatical structure of that phrase, just who has been telling these kids that things are fair? And why? Even organized sporting events are not fair because there is often someone who is simply a better player than someone else. Things often are not fair. Learn this early. Move on.

– There are those that think “The Government” is all powerful and can do anything – and that it can and should solve every problem. Thousands of years ago, people thought that bad weather was caused by angry gods. Later, it was found that nature is the culprit. Today, it is apparently caused by The Government. If only a new law were passed, some argue, there wouldn’t be any more hurricanes.

– There are those that think that there is such a thing as Government Money – as in, “I think that the Government should pay for abortions.” The Government has no money. They just spend yours – or more specifically – they spend the money of those that pay taxes.

– There are those that think that “more money should be given to…” such-and-such a cause. Remember, in this free society, you are free to give ALL of your money to whichever cause you wish to support. But usually what these people mean when they say “more money” is not more of their own money, but more “Government Money”. (See point above.)

 – It is important to take responsibility for your actions. So many studies are being conducted nowadays to prove that “it isn’t your fault”. Being overweight is the fault of McDonalds, or society, or television, or someone else. If you spill hot coffee on yourself, try to be more careful next time. If you hear that a blizzard is coming, make sure that you have enough food in the house or you may run out. If your 15 year old son is out drinking at 2 in the morning, we do not need another government program — it is up to you to take care of him.

 Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year from the Truth and Sense Network. Above all, stay safe — and may God bless America.?