Are GMOs Really Safe?

            We all have our self-interests, and nobody wants to do harm themselves.  If you ask a cattleman to name the best, most nutritious food, he’ll probably tell you ‘beef’; ask the same thing to a shepherd, you probably hear the word ‘lamb’.   The nutritional facts don’t come into play, they ultimately want to sell you something.  A pig farmer would never hand out scientific studies saying bacon is bad for you; you’re more likely to him croon about how his lovely grandmother made his grandfather a bacon-and-eggs breakfast everyday for 75 years and ‘gramps’ lived to be 95.  Of course, they will have their own studies, stories, and opinions; but it’s still about the bottom line.  So why would we expect no less from the big bio-tech companies, like Monsanto, when they to convince us that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are safe for humans.
       An article in 2011 in the journal Food Policy said, “In a study involving 94 articles selected through objective criteria, it was found that the existence of either financial or professional conflict of interest was associated [with] study outcomes that cast genetically modified products in a favourable light.”1  Approval of GMOs has been based solely on numerous studies provided exclusively by the companies that would benefit from their sale and manufacture.  Corporate safety studies should not be considered the most reliable sources, as seen with tobacco industry studies which cast doubt and which stirred controversy on the negative health effects of smoking, not to mention delaying governmental regulation.
       Why won’t the companies that create GMOs push for more independent studies, since they consider them to be safe? Several independent studies to be published were blocked by GMO seed companies when the results were considered “unflattering,” according to Scientific American, even though they had been approved prior by the said companies.2  Independent studies cite the problems of getting plant samples to test due to restrictive end-user agreements imposed to protect GMO companies' intellectual property rights. Cornell University's Elson Shields submitted a statement to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that stated, "as a result of restrictive access, no truly independent research can be legally conducted on many critical questions regarding the technology".3
       The fact is that genetic engineering as a scientific discipline is still relatively new, only about 40 years old. Until the Human Genome Project in 2002, scientists believed that one gene carried the directions for making one protein (based on an antiquated one gene/one protein hypothesis from 1941).  Now scientists understand that one gene codes more than one protein and that abnormal proteins can be created.  Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie (European Institute of Chemistry and Biology) says that scientists estimate that 70% of our genes code for at least 4 proteins each.  The damage caused in the creation of genetically modified organisms could be the mutation and differentiation of 2-4% of the DNA of the organism.  These mutations could be proteins that are allergenic, carcinogenic, or toxic. However, companies creating GMOs assert that when they do it one gene will only produce the one intended protein, behaving in the “precise and controlled way” they expect. It would be more correct to say in the “precise and controlled way” their investors expect.
       But do GMOs really behave according to Monsanto's, or other biotech's, corporate rules?
Researchers at the York Laboratory in the UK in 1999 were concerned that reactions to soy had skyrocketed by 50% over the previous year.  John Graham, spokesman for the lab, said, “We believe this raises serious new questions about the safety of GM foods." The soy used in the study was mainly GM; GM soy had recently entered the UK through US imports.4 A GMO food additive caused 37 deaths and a multitude of injuries by causing an Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome (EMS) epidemic in the United States.  Mice fed genetically modified corn have showed changes in testicular cells.  Rats fed genetically modified soy have showed major changes in their blood, liver, and kidneys.5  The World Health Organization states very clearly that “all genetically modified foods should be assessed before being allowed on the market.”6
       GMOs are a failed technology that only benefits the corporations that manufacture and sale them.  These corporations have tried to repeatedly to assure us to the safety of GMOs with one hand while demanding cash with the other.  I am not so easily deceived.

1.Food Policy. 2011; 36: 197–203
2.Scientific American 301(2) 22, August 2009
3.Bruce Stutz (1 July 2010). "Wanted: GM Seeds for Study". Seed Magazine.
4 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/08/genetically-engineered-soybeans-may-cause-allergies.aspx
5 http://www.who.int/topics/food_genetically_modified/en/
6 http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/65-health-risks/1notes

GMO Myths and Truths - Click here!

Helen Keller's Letter to German Students in 1933

Helen Keller

Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in the small town of Tuscumbia, Alabama.  In 1882 when she was 18 months old, she fell ill and was struck blind, deaf and mute. Beginning in 1887, she made incredible progress with her ability to communicate with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.  In 1915 she founded, with George Kessler, the Helen Keller International (HKI) organization, which is devoted to research in vision, health and nutrition. In 1920, Keller helped found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).  She became a world-renowned author and speaker.  She was a radical in her time - a socialist, a pacifist, a women’s rights activist, an early supporter of the NAACP, and an advocate for free availability of birth control. She was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.  She was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1971.

For more information about the Helen Keller International organization, click here.

Americans learned in May 1933 that students in German universities planned to burn a long list of books deemed “un-German.” Finding out her books were among those to be burned, Helen Keller wrote this open letter to the students.

Transcript of letter, as it was published by the Associated Press on May 9, 1933:

"To the student body of Germany:

History has taught you nothing if you think you can kill ideas. Tyrants have tried to do that often before, and the ideas have risen up in their might and destroyed them.

You can burn my books and the books of the best minds in Europe, but the ideas in them have seeped through a million channels and will continue to quicken other minds. I gave all the royalties of my books for all time to the German soldiers blinded in the World War with no thought in my heart but love and compassion for the German people.

I acknowledge the grievous complications that have led to your intolerance; all the more do I deplore the injustice and unwisdom of passing on to unborn generations the stigma of your deeds.

Do not imagine that your barbarities to the Jews are unknown here. God sleepeth not, and He will visit His judgment upon you. Better were it for you to have a mill-stone hung around your neck and sink into the sea than to be hated and despised of all men.

                                                                                               Helen Keller"

Click here to see an image of a first draft of the letter, with written annotations

Click to view more of Helen Keller's letter at the American Foundation for the Blind website 

The Jefferson Bible

  

A popular philosophy widely accepted by the intellectuals of colonial America at the time of the American Revolution was deism.  Deism is the belief that, although the universe had a Creator, He does not concern Himself with the daily lives of humans and He does not directly communicate with humans.  They believed that the Creator allowed the universe to operate completely upon natural laws.  Deists also believed that human reason was the best means to solve social and political problems of the time. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen, James Madison, Thomas Paine and James Monroe were all followers of the philosophy.  Deists were not atheists, but I wouldn't say they were fundamentalist Christians either.  I believe that we really can’t know a person’s inner religious convictions; we can only decipher their beliefs by their actions and works.  By presenting the Jefferson Bible, I don’t want to convince you of what were Jefferson’s beliefs; I want to present you with the fact of something he himself created and let you make your own decisions.

“Done with his official work for the day, Thomas Jefferson sat in the new presidential mansion in Washington in 1803 and opened his Bible--not to pray, but to cut. He scoured the text for Jesus' greatest teachings, sliced out his favourite portions, and glued them into an empty volume. He called it ‘The Philosophy of Jesus.’ That book was lost to history.

In 1819, he started over and created a new version called ‘The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth,’ commonly referred to now as the Jefferson Bible. This volume was kept largely secret and passed among Jefferson's relatives until 1895, when it was discovered by the librarian at the Smithsonian. In 1904, it was published by Congress."*

You’ll discover in reading it that Jefferson completely cut out miracles and signs or declarations of Jesus' divinity. 

Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800

The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth 
Extracted Textually from the Gospels 
Greek, Latin, French, and English

Thomas Jefferson, 1819

Christ's Birth through The Twelve Apostles 

Luke 2

The Roman empire taxed. 
1: And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 
2: (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 
3: And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 
4: And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 
5: To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 
6: And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 
7: And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.   

21: And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS. 
39: And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 
40: And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 
42: And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, after the custom of the feast. 
43: And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 
44: But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. 
45: And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 
46: And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 
47: And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 
48: And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.   
51: And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them. 
52: And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature. 

Luke 3 
1: Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 
2: Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, 

Mark 1 
4: John did baptize in the wilderness. 

Matthew 3 
4: And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 
5: Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 
6: And were baptized of him in Jordan.   
13: Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 

Luke 3 
23: And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age.  

John 2  
12: After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. 
13: And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 
14: And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 
15: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; 
16: And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

John 3 
  
22: After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. 

Matthew 4 
12: Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 

Mark 6 
17: For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 
18: For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 
19: Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 
20: For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 
21: And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 
22: And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
23: And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 

24: And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 
25: And she came in immediately with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 
26: And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 
27: And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 
28: And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 

Mark 1 
21: And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 
22: And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 

Matthew 12 
1: At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat. 
2: But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 
3: But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 
4: How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 
5: Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?   
9: And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: 
10: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 
11: And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 
12: How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 

Mark 2 
27: And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. 

Matthew 12 
14: Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. 
15: But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him. 

Luke 6 
12: And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 
13: And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; 
14: Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 
15: Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zealotes, 
16: And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. 
17: And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him. 

Beatitudes - The Sinful Woman

Matthew 5 
1: And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 
2: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 
3: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
4: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 
5: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 
6: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 
7: Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 
8: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 
9: Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 
10: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
11: Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 
12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 

Luke 6 
24: But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 
25: Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. 
26: Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. 

Matthew 5 
13: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 
14: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 
15: Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 
16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 
17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 
18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 
19: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 
20: For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
21: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 
22: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 
23: Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 
24: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 
25: Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 
26: Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 
27: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 
28: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 
29: And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 
30: And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 
31: It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 
32: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 
33: Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 
34: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 
35: Nor by the earth; for it is his ?footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 
36: Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 
37: But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 
38: Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 
39: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
40: And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 
41: And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 
42: Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 
43: Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 
44: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you; 
45: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 
46: For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 
47: And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 

Luke 6 
34: And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 
35: But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 
36: Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 

Matthew 6 
1: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2: Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 
3: But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 
4: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret hinself shall reward thee openly. 
5: And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 
6: But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 
7: But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 
8: Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 
9: After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 
10: Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 
11: Give us this day our daily bread. 
12: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 
13: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 
14: For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 
15: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 
16: Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 
17: But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18: That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 
19: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 
20: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 
21: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 
22: The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 
23: But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 
24: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 
25: Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 
26: Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 
27: Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature? 
28: And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 
29: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 
30: Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 
31: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 
32: (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 
33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 
34: Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

Matthew 7 
1: Judge not, that ye be not judged. 
2: For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 

Luke 6 
38: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. 

Matthew 7 
3: And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 
4: Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 
5: Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. 
6: Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. 
7: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 
8: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 
9: Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 
10: Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 
11: If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 
12: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 
13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 
14: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 
15: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 
16: Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 
17: Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 
18: A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 
19: Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
20: Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 

Matthew 12 
35: A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 
36: But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 
37: For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 

Matthew 7 
24: Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 
25: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 
26: And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 
27: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28: And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 
29: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 

Matthew 8 
1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.   

Matthew 6 
6: And he went round about the villages, teaching. 

Matthew 11 
28: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
29: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 
30: For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

Luke 7 
36: And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 
37: And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 
38: And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 
39: Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 
40: And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 
41: There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 
42: And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 
43: Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 
44: And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 
45: Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 
46: My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.   

Mark 3 
31: There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 
32: And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 
33: And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? 
34: And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 
35: For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. 

For the complete Jefferson Bible, as well as more information and resources, click here.

* http://www.beliefnet.com/resourcelib 

"The Peach Tree"

The peach tree started life at a tree nursery amid questions of its paternity.  No one questioned that it was there, but they didn’t know from where the seed had come.  The pot in which it was growing had been located near the outermost greenhouse and had not been found until the little seedling was about 8 inches tall.  Some guessed that some wayward squirrel had planted it, but no one really knew (or really cared).  The daughter of the nurseryman ended up using the seedling in a science project; it was later sold with a tag that read “ Peach, parent stock unknown”.

       The peach tree was bought buy an elderly lady on a fixed income and unceremoniously planted in her back yard.  The lady became ill with a chronic condition and was told to spend most of her time indoors.  The peach tree spent the next years growing without any particular care.  It was never fertilized, except for the birds that nested in its branches. It was never pruned.  It was never treated for bugs – the birds took care of that for the most part.  It pretty much grew wild those first few years, but was full of leaves that raised themselves toward the Sun.

       When the lady died, her children decided to sell her house.  They realized that they needed to clean up around the house, so they hired a landscaping business to get her yard and gardens in order.  A young man was told to clear away the tangled brush and weeds from one particular part of the yard.  While he was doing his job, he came upon the peach tree.  His boss told him to just chop it down, but the young man figured that he might be able to use it.  He asked his boss if he could have it and his boss said he could.  The young man dug up the peach tree and put it in a yellow bucket.  He poured some water in the bucket and placed it in the shade of an old oak tree until he was ready to go home.

       After work, the young man took the peach tree in the yellow bucket to his mother’s house in the country.  He transplanted it near an old fence near the back of her property.  He fertilized it with some rich manure and gave it a good shower of water.  The peach tree seemed to thrive.  It grew a few feet, straight and tall.  The next spring for the first time it flowered.

       The flowers of the peach tree crowned its upper branches.  Bees buzzed around them every morning.  However, the season had come early, causing havoc with all the blooming fruit trees in the area.  There was an intense cold snap that killed almost every little blossom on the tree and the bees didn’t visit the tree anymore that year.  A few of the blossoms sprouted into little peaches – fuzzy and yellow. But before the little peaches could mature, mildew set in and they all fell from the tree.  Some of its twigs dried out and snapped off.  Tufts of lichens grew out of some of its branches.  Winter came again and the peach tree once again went dormant.

       The following spring, a lady in a white van came around.  She busied herself all over the property.  She made it finally to the peach tree, and began to snip off branches.  She sawed off some branches, clipped some dead twigs away, and picked off lichens and parasitic vines.  She sprayed various formulations onto its branches.  She rooted around the base of the tree, turning crystalline compounds into the soil.  She then laid a thick circle of mulch around the base of the peach tree.   Few blooms and no peaches occurred that year, but the peach tree was verdant and tall. 

       Finally one spring, the peach tree burst into bloom; its branches waved with billowing clouds of pink blossoms.  Weeks later, the branches of the peach tree heaved under the weight of bushels of juicy peaches.  People gathered and picked the luscious fruit, singing and buzzing around like bees around a hive.  Laughter filled the air as the juice of peaches ran down chins.  Pie and cobbler recipes were shared; the topic of what makes the best peach ice cream was debated. Soon people left, carrying away baskets of fresh peaches and twirling little twigs of peach leaves with their fingers.

       A mild rain came later that day and washed away some dust and traces of errant peach juice.  Droplets fell from the tips of leaves and the peach tree grew.

King George's Response to the Declaration of Independence

(Have you ever wondered what King George III said after the Declaration of Independence was signed?)

King George III by Johann Zoffany c.1771

King George's response to the Declaration of Independence

His Majesty’s Most Gracious Speech to Both Houses of Parliament

on Thursday, October 31, 1776

My Lords, and Gentlemen,

Nothing could have afforded Me so much Satisfaction as to have been able to inform you, at the Opening of this Session, that the Troubles, which have so long distracted My Colonies in North America, were at an End; and that My unhappy People, recovered from their Delusion, had delivered themselves from the Oppression of their Leaders, and returned to their Duty. But so daring and desperate is the Spirit of those Leaders, whose Object has always been Dominion and Power, that they have now openly renounced all Allegiance to the Crown,
and all political Connection with this Country. They have rejected, with Circumstances of Indignity and Insult, the Means of Conciliation held out to them under the Authority of Our Commission: and have presumed to set up their rebellious Confederacies for Independent States. If their Treason be suffered to take Root, much Mischief must grow from it, to the Safety of My loyal Colonies, to the Commerce
of My Kingdoms, and indeed to the present System of all Europe.
One great Advantage, however, will be derived from the Object of
the Rebels being openly avowed, and clearly understood. We shall have Unanimity at Home, founded in the general Conviction of the Justice and Necessity of Our Measures.

I am happy to Inform you, that, by the Blessing of Divine Providence on the good Conduct and Valour of My Officers and Forces by Sea and Land, and on the Zeal and Bravery of the Auxiliary Troops in
My Service, Canada is recovered; and although, from unavoidable Delays, the Operations at New York could not begin before the Month of August, the Success in that Province has been so important as to give the strongest Hopes of the most decisive good Consequences. But, notwithstanding this fair Prospect, We must, at all Events, prepare for another Campaign.

I continue to receive Assurances of Amity from the several Courts of Europe; and am using My utmost Endeavours to conciliate unhappy Differences between Two neighbouring Powers; and I still hope, that all Misunderstandings may be removed, and Europe continue to enjoy the inestimable Blessings of Peace. I think nevertheless that, in the present Situation of Affairs, it is expedient that We should be in a respectable State of Defence at Home.

Gentlemen of the House of Commons, I will order the Estimates for the ensuing Year to be laid before you. It is [a] Matter of real Concern to Me, that the important Considerations which I have stated to you must necessarily be followed by great Expence: I doubt not, however, but that My faithful Commons will readily and chearfully grant Me such Supplies, as the Maintenance of the Honour of my Crown, the Vindication of the just Rights of Parliament, and the Publick Welfare shall be found to require.

My Lords, and Gentlemen, in this arduous Contest I can have no other Object but to promote the true Interests of all My Subjects. No people ever enjoyed more Happiness, or lived under a milder Government, than those now revolted Provinces: the Improvements in every Art,
of which they boast, declare it: their Numbers, their Wealth, their Strength by Sea and Land, which they think sufficient to enable them to make Head against the whole Power of the Mother Country, are irrefragable Proofs of it. My Desire is to restore to them the Blessings of Law and Liberty, equally enjoyed by every British Subject, which they have fatally and desperately exchanged for all the Calamities of War, and the arbitrary Tyranny of their Chiefs.

Economic Bill of Rights, as suggested by Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1944

Excerpt from President Roosevelt's January 11, 1944 message to the Congress of the United States on the State of the Union[1]: "It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure. This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty. As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness. We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.”[2] People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made. In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed. Among these are: The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation; The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation; The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living; The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad; The right of every family to a decent home; The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health; The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment; The right to a good education. All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being. America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for all our citizens. For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world."

1.                                ^ "State of the Union Message to Congress". http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/address_text.html. 

2.                                ^ This phrase is found in the old English property law case, Vernon v Bethell (1762) 28 ER 838, according to Lord Henley LC “Necessitous men,” says the Lord Chancellor, in Vernon v Bethell, 2 Eden 113 (1762), “are not, truly speaking, free men; but, to answer a present emergency, will submit to any terms that the crafty may impose on them.”

"Lessons from Lola"

(This is a story I wrote years ago after an encounter with a stray dog.  I reread it and it made me smile.)

I woke up one Sunday with a splitting headache and a bad attitude.  No job and struggling with finances, I felt the heaviness of life making my headache ten times worse.  Add to that the fact that I was mad at my brother over a dog.

                My brother Mike’s dog had had a litter of puppies a few weeks before and I had fallen in love with the runt of the litter.  I would go home to my mom’s house where the puppies were, and I’d spend the day feeding and loving on that little runt puppy I had named Rosie.  I’d sit outside in the sun with her asleep on my lap. 

My brother, sister, and mother all said that it would be impossible for me to have a dog due to my current financial situation and small living space.  But I knew they were wrong, I loved this puppy!  I knew it would make me feel so good and happy to have a dog.  I definitely knew I was totally right, and they were plotting against me.  Was I being selfish?  After all, I was the miserable, depressed one…I knew what was best for me.  How dare they tell me what I could and couldn’t do!  My brother made it clear I wasn’t going to get a puppy.   That little 30-something year old cuss – he was always against me with his “I- know- best- attitude”.   I was pissed at everybody. 

Well, the Saturday before I was going back to my mom’s place, I went and bought a can of dogfood for Rosie. I also grabbed a small bag of catfood to keep the cats at my mom’s house busy so they’d leave Rosie and me alone.  

                So I was prepared – a can of food for Rosie, some nibbles for the cats…. a whole day of loving on my little Rosie.

                OK, so I woke up with another headache and feeling a bit bad.   I took some medicine and called my Mom to tell her I would be running late.   Eventually, I got on the road and started the 40-mile trip.

                I remember listening to the radio and thinking about a story on which I was working.  I happened to look to my right and saw a little rat terrier rooting through some garbage on the side of the highway.  My first thought was why did animals have to suffer from idiot owners.  I just continued to drive when I heard a voice in my head.

                “What makes you think you’re better than the owner that tossed that dog on the side of the highway? You see suffering and you drive on?  Can you live with that thought?”

                 Well, I don’t know what possessed me but I turned the truck around and headed back toward the dog.   I parked off to the side of the road and got out.  In my mind, I thought what are these people driving by thinking about me, but it quickly left my mind when I stood looking at the emancipated, dirty little dog. 

                She ran into the woods looking back at me with a cringing fear.  I walked briskly toward her, clucking my tongue and whistling softly.    She stood there shaking and I moved my hand toward her.   You moron, I thought to myself, never put your hand out to a strange dog.  I pulled back just as she nipped at me.

                I figured that she was just hungry so I ran back to the truck and just grabbed a handful from the bag of catfood.   I carried it back and threw it on the ground in front of her.   She devoured it as well as any dried leaves and such near it.  I headed to the truck and grabbed the can of dogfood I had, opened it, and blew on the can in her direction.  She looked toward me and ran toward me.   Then she stopped.   I clucked and whistled and spoke as if I was in church.  She moved toward me and I poured out the contents of the can.    She devoured the food with gusto.  I looked over her bug-ridden, emaciated body.  I wanted to touch her but didn’t want to scare her.   She ate the contents of the can and looked at me, then she started to look for the can that I had tossed aside.   I grabbed the bag of catfood from the truck and poured some onto the ground.  After I did that I looked up, a state trooper was flashing his lights and was moving onto the shoulder of the road. 

                “OH, shoot,” I said to myself, “I’m going to get a ticket or going to jail over some darn dog.”

                “Is there a problem?” announced the voice over the loudspeaker.

                I stood there thinking nothing.  So I just walked toward the car.  The officer lowered his window.

                “I hope I’m not breaking the law, Sir, but I saw this poor dog on the side of the road.  She’s starving and all, and I just couldn’t pass her by without checking her out.”

                “I was worried you had broken down or something then I saw you feeding the dog.”

“Yes, Sir looks like someone threw her out.  Looks like she hasn’t eaten in days.  I don’t rightly know what to do with her.”

                “If I could I’d take her but my complex doesn’t allow pets. My little boy would love her though.”

                “Well, my mom lives in Reform, I guess I’ll do what I can…. that is if I can catch her and not get bit.”

                “Well, looks to me like you got a friend,” he said, motioning past me.

                There sat the little dog on her best behavior.   Sitting there behind me, her ears flexing in excitement.

                “I don’t understand how people can just abandon animals like that and let them just starve.  People see it and just pass on by; you did a good thing.   Who says that that’s not an angel testing us?  Testing us to see how kind our spirit is.”

                “I agree,” I said, “ and like the saying goes the way you treat animals shows how you treat your fellow man.”

                He laughed and said, “I do agree with you.”

                ‘Well, be careful, I think she’d be good with you.  You seem to have charmed her.” He said winking toward the little excited dog behind me.

                I finally got her, after many attempts, into the truck.  She sat on the seat beside me. She quickly lay down and fell quickly to sleep.

                In my mind was the matter of how I was going to explain this little dog.  I figured Mom would fuss, as would my sister.   I would hear them going on how I couldn’t keep a dog and that it wasn’t going to stay at either of their houses.  I figured it would be a very short visit.

                I tried to put it out of mind, and decide on a name for her. Rosie? No. For some reason, I heard that song “Copacabana" in my head.  You know the first line about Lola being a showgirl kept repeating in my head.  OK, I thought, I will call you Lola.

                I drove up to my Mom’s, and took a deep breath.   Here came my nephew running up to me.  He was going on about the dogs there.  I heard my sister yell something to him. Oh, great, I thought to myself, she’s in a mood.

                I walked to the backyard with Lola at my heels.  My sister saw the little dog and smiled.  Asked me about her and I told her the story.  Then my Mom came outside.  She smiled too and asked about the dog.  I kept thinking it seemed totally opposite from the reaction I expected.

                Lola stayed in the truck asleep the whole visit.   I would check on her from time to time, and she would look up at me with happy eyes and go back to sleep.  In my head I kept telling myself that having a dog is a piece of cake, no problem at all.

                Mom was made dinner for us.  I was sitting at the table, when she stopped looked at me and said, ”So God sent you a dog anyway?  Well, I’ll get her fixed and she can stay here or whatever.”  I don’t know if it did, but I think my jaw dropped.  Or maybe it was more like a punch in the stomach.  It was said so matter-of-factly, no speech, no sermon.  Everything was cool.  I had sort of won, I thought.

                I made my way back to my apartment that night.  Lola stayed in her spot beside me the whole trip.  I thought I had better make a detour on the way and pick up some food for her.  I stopped at a grocery store and figured I could let Lola stretch her legs for a minute and she’d go to the bathroom before I went inside.  She quickly jumped out of the truck and we both walked to a small grassy spot.  That was the spot I learned my first lesson.

                Lola sniffed around and around.  Then suddenly like a little rocket she proceeded to run all over the parking lot.   I ran after her and finally grabbed her and decided to try it again.  I put her on the grass and she looked at me before running off toward the store entrance.

                “Lola! Lola!” I yelled, not realizing I could have been yelling the word “chicken” and got more of a response from her.  People turned to watch me chase a little black and white dog down the sidewalk, with me hoping to catch her before she ran inside the store’s now-open sliding doors.  I finally grabbed her and walked back to the truck breathing a little hard.

                So we finally got back to the apartment.  I left her in the truck and went to find a makeshift collar and leash.  We then went into the apartment and as soon as she walked in she unceremoniously peed in the living room then ran to the kitchen and pooped.  My cat walked into the area, the cat I raised from a kitten.  There and then I learned that rat terriers are bred to attack anything cat-sized or smaller.  The cat flew out the door and I didn’t see him the rest of the night.    Lola walked to the bedroom, jumped on the bed, and passed out for the night.   I myself had a moment of truth as I sat back into my chair thinking about the events of the night.

                I felt at first like I was the victim of some big cosmic practical joke.  Then I had a moment of intense clarity – what we desire and want aren’t always the best things for us.  Sometimes we get so hardheaded about things that we can’t see the reality of things.  If we only listened to the voice inside us and put away our own selfishness, we could understand that the world doesn’t revolve on what we want.

                 The next day, my sister helped me find a home for Lola, a home where she is constantly showered with love and affection.  I now for sure that sometimes the happiness of others does hang on our own actions.  I have also discovered that Lola is actually a very well trained dog, readily obeying most simple commands.  It was if her actions the night before weren’t typical of her.  As my sister and I prepared for Lola to leave me, I caught my sister humming the first line of “Copacabana”.  “Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl.” In my head, I thought, yes, she was.

As my mother says, “Nothing happens by accident.”  There is a purpose for everything under the Sun.  I am glad I met Lola.  She showed me that life extends beyond our own wants and desires.  I’m glad God sent Lola to me.  He used her to teach me a lot.