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Take A Knee

September 29, 2017 By: bob Category: Culture, On Bob's Mind, Something To Think About

colin kapernick
**********
The following was forwarded to me.  I do not know the author but share his/her sentiment.  You do not win me over to your cause, whatever it is, by dis-respecting the flag I served under as a veteran, or my Country’s National Anthem or the country I love and served proudly while in the military.  Period.  Take your protest elsewhere.
********** 
TAKE A KNEE!  My honor to pass this on!
Take a little trip to Valley Forge in January.Hold a musket ball in your
fingers and imagine it piercing your flesh and breaking a bone or two. There 
won’t be a doctor or trainer to assist you until after the battle, so just 
wait your turn.Take your cleats and socks off to get a real experience. 
Then take a knee.
Then, take one at the beach in Normandy where man after American
man stormed the beach, even as the one in front of him was shot to 
pieces…the very sea stained with American blood. The only blockers most had were 
the dead bodies in front of them, riddled with bullets from enemy 
fire.
Take a knee in the sweat soaked jungles of Vietnam. from Khe San
to Saigon…Anywhere will do. Americans died in all those jungles.There 
was no playbook that told them what was next, but they knew what flag 
they represented. When they came home, they were protested as well..and spit 
on for reasons only cowards know.
Take another knee in the blood drenched sands of Fallujah in 110
degree heat..Wear your Kevlar helmet and battle dress..Your number won’t 
be printed on it unless your number is up! You’ll need to stay hydrated 
but there won’t be anyone to squirt Gatorade into your mouth. You’re on 
your own.
There’s a lot of places to take a knee Americans have given their
lives all over the world. When you use the banner under which they fought as 
a source for your displeasure, you dishonor the memories of those who 
bled for the very freedoms you have. That’s what the red stripes mean. 
It represents the blood of those who spilled a sea of it defending 
your liberty.
While you’re on your knee, pray for those that came before you, not on
a manicured lawn striped and printed with numbers to announce every inch 
of ground taken…but on nameless hills and bloodied beaches and 
sweltering forests and bitter cold mountains..every inch marked by an American 
life lost serving that flag you protest.
No cheerleaders, no announcers, no coaches, no fans…just American men
and women…delivering the real fight against those who chose to 
harm us…blazing a path so you would have the right to “take a 
knee.” You haven’t an inkling what it took to get you where you are…but 
your “protest” is duly noted. Not only is it disgraceful to a nation of 
real heroes, it serves the purpose of pointing to your ingratitude for those 
who chose to defend you under that banner that will still wave long after 
your jersey is retired…
If you really feel the need to take a knee, come with me to church
on Sunday and we’ll both kneel before Almighty God. We’ll thank him 
for preserving this country for as long as He has. We’ll beg forgiveness 
for our ingratitude for all He has provided us. We’ll appeal to Him 
for understanding and wisdom. We’ll pray for liberty and justice 
for all…because He is the one who provides those 
things. But there will be no protest. There will only be gratitude for 
His provision and a plea for His continued grace and mercy on the land of 
the free and the home of the brave. It goes like 
this…
GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Comments (14)

WAS – IS – WILL ALWAYS BE

September 02, 2017 By: bob Category: Culture, In the News, On Bob's Mind, Something To Think About

Senator Robert Byrd

 

 

JUST TO BE CLEAR.  

I WILL SPELL THIS OUT IN BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS.  

I DO NOT WANT TO BE TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT OR MISREAD.  

I BELIEVE THAT SLAVERY HAS ALWAYS BEEN WRONG, IS WRONG AND WILL ALWAYS BE WRONG.  

HUMANS WERE NOT MEANT BY THEIR CREATOR TO LIVE IN SLAVERY.  

I ALSO BELIEVE THAT RACISM IN ALL ITS FORMS IS NOT ONLY WRONG BUT IS STUPID AND THOSE WHO PRACTICE IT CHEAT THEMSELVES OUT OF THE RICHNESS OF OUR COLLECTIVE DIVERSITY.  

PERIOD!

Having said the above I am witnessing in our media and on our streets a form of mass hysteria and hate.  It scares me in the sense that I can see it ripping our society apart. I hear and read about “non-negotiable” demands to erase and tear down any relics of real or imagined links to slavery in our nation.  

It seems that anyone with any cultural, racial or historical ties to slavery by any association or relationship in any way, is marked for removal from the annals of  our nations heritage.

The other day it was announced that ESPN removed a Sportscaster from the commentary at a Sporting event because the man, who had an Asian background, shared the same name as a Confederate General.

Let me share something with you.  I have a 60+ year fascination with history.  

But, don’t take my word for it, study for yourself.  When you study you will find that, take a deep breath, slavery in various forms was practiced by: The Carthaginians, the Romans, The Greeks, The Persians (Iranians), The Babylonians, The Chinese, The Mongols, The Huns (Europeans), England, The Vikings, The Russians, Southern Asian Peoples (including India), Egyptians, Middle Eastern and North African Islamic States, Native Americans (North, Central and South America), The People, Tribes and Nations of Central and South Africa.  Also, many Island Nations including Japan. And, I have probably missed naming a few.

Also keep in mind that the horror of slavery is still practiced in parts of the world.

I could be wrong but the only Continent that I am aware of that has no history of slavery in some part or way is Antarctica.  So, if you can firmly establish that all of your ancestors were Native Antarcticans you are stain free. Otherwise, join the rest of us in the cesspool.  

Virtually all of us have a skeleton or two in our closet if we want to dig a little and drag them out.  

If it is decided to eradicate all statues, memorials, hospitals, schools, parks, highways, malls, airports, landmarks etc. etc. etc. with the names of anybody who has any ties in history to slavery, racism, a now despised group or family heirloom associated with such, you are going to be very busy.

Just one example:  Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia. Besides being a Senator, he was a former Grand Wizard in the Ku Klux Klan.  I have heard an estimate, probably exaggerated, that perhaps half the airports, schools, hospitals, parks, highways etc. in the State of West Virginia are named after him.  You are going to need a lot of shovels, backhoes, “whitewash” and other equipment to eradicate his name and memory from the state.

But not to pick on just the Senator.  Many, most or all of our great leaders, as well as us common folk, have historical skeletons we would probably just as soon not know about. 

Slavery was abolished in the United States more than 150 years ago.  

The stain of racism is still with us and is practiced by people of all colors.  It will be with us until we all learn to love one another, forgive one another and be enriched by one another.  You cannot erase it by law, edict, marching in the streets or hating one another.  Unfortunately, the latter is what I see being practiced in the media and on the streets.  Pity.

Bob Bandy

 

Comments (11)

SEVENTEEN INCHES

March 19, 2017 By: bob Category: Culture, On Bob's Mind, Something To Think About

home plate

I received the following in my personal email from a friend.  It was sent to me without attribution but I was so impressed by it that I researched it and found that the article is credited as having originally been written by a person named Chris Sperry.  Coach John Scolinos (1918-2009) was a real coach.

I am reprinting it here because it is important and says something really important that I could not begin to say as well.  Enjoy and be enriched by the truth that it gives.  Bob Bandy

*******************************

 

In Nashville, Tennessee , during the first week of January, 1996, more than 4,000 baseball coaches descended upon the Opryland Hotel for the 52nd annual ABCA’s convention.

While I waited in line to register with the hotel staff, I heard other more veteran coaches rumbling about the lineup of speakers scheduled to present during the weekend. One name, in particular, kept resurfacing, always with the same sentiment — “John Scolinos is here? Oh, man, worth every penny of my airfare.”

Who is John Scolinos, I wondered.

In 1996, Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching career that began in 1948. He shuffled to the stage to an impressive standing ovation, wearing dark polyester pants, a light blue shirt, and a string around his neck from which home plate hung — a full-sized, stark-white home plate.

Seriously, I wondered, who is this guy?

After speaking for twenty-five minutes, not once mentioning the prop hanging around his neck, Coach Scolinos appeared to notice the snickering among some of the coaches. Even those who knew Coach Scolinos had to wonder exactly where he was going with this, or if he had simply forgotten about home plate since he’d gotten on stage. Then, finally …“You’re probably all wondering why I’m wearing home plate around my neck,” he said, his voice growing irascible. I laughed along with the others, acknowledging the possibility.“I may be old, but I’m not crazy. The reason I stand before you today is to share with you baseball people what I’ve learned in my life, what I’ve learned about home plate in my 78 years.” Several hands went up when Scolinos asked how many Little League coaches were in the room. “Do you know how wide home plate is in Little League?”

After a pause, someone offered, “Seventeen inches?”, more of a question than answer.

“That’s right,” he said. “How about in Babe Ruth’s day? Any Babe Ruth coaches in the house?” Another long pause.

“Seventeen inches?” a guess from another reluctant coach.

“That’s right,” said Scolinos. “Now, how many high school coaches do we have in the room?” Hundreds of hands shot up, as the pattern began to appear.

“How wide is home plate in high school baseball?”

“Seventeen inches,” they said, sounding more confident.

“You’re right!” Scolinos barked. “And you college coaches, how wide is home plate in college?”

“Seventeen inches!” we said, in unison. “

“Any Minor League coaches here? How wide is home plate in pro ball?”………..“Seventeen inches!”

“RIGHT! And in the Major Leagues, how wide home plate is in the Major Leagues?

“Seventeen inches!”

“SEV-EN-TEEN INCHES!” he confirmed, his voice bellowing off the walls. “And what do they do with a Big League pitcher who can’t throw the ball over seventeen inches?” Pause.“They send him to Pocatello!” he hollered, drawing raucous laughter.

“What they don’t do is this: they don’t say, ‘Ah, that’s okay, Jimmy. You can’t hit a seventeen-inch target? We’ll make it eighteen inches or nineteen inches. We’ll make it twenty inches so you have a better chance of hitting it. If you can’t hit that, let us know so we can make it wider still, say twenty-five inches.’”Pause.

“Coaches…” pause, “… what do we do when our best player shows up late to practice? When our team rules forbid facial hair and a guy shows up unshaven? What if he gets caught drinking? Do we hold him accountable? Or do we change the rules to fit him? Do we widen home plate?” The chuckles gradually faded as four thousand coaches grew quiet, the fog lifting as the old coach’s message began to unfold.

He turned the plate toward himself and, using a Sharpie, began to draw something. When he turned it toward the crowd, point up, a house was revealed, complete with a freshly drawn door and two windows. “This is the problem in our homes today. With our marriages, with the way we parent our kids. With our discipline. We don’t teach accountability to our kids, and there is no consequence for failing to meet standards. We widen the plate!”

Then, to the point at the top of the house he added a small American flag. “This is the problem in our schools today. The quality of our education is going downhill fast and teachers have been stripped of the tools they need to be successful, and to educate and discipline our young people. We are allowing others to widen home plate! Where is that getting us?”

Silence. He replaced the flag with a Cross.“And this is the problem in the Church, where powerful people in positions of authority have taken advantage of young children, only to have such an atrocity swept under the rug for years. Our church leaders are widening home plate for themselves! And we allow it.”

“And the same is true with our government. Our so called representatives make rules for us that don’t apply to themselves. They take bribes from lobbyists and foreign countries. They no longer serve us. And we allow them to widen home plate and we see our country falling into a dark abyss while we watch.”

I was amazed. At a baseball convention where I expected to learn something about curve balls and bunting and how to run better practices, I had learned something far more valuable. From an old man with home plate strung around his neck, I had learned something about life, about myself, about my own weaknesses and about my responsibilities as a leader. I had to hold myself and others accountable to that which I knew to be right, lest our families, our faith, and our society continue down an undesirable path.

“If I am lucky,” Coach Scolinos concluded,“you will remember one thing from this old coach today. It is this: if we fail to hold ourselves to a higher standard, a standard of what we know to be right; if we fail to hold our spouses and our children to the same standards, if we are unwilling or unable to provide a consequence when they do not meet the standard; and if our schools & churches & our government fail to hold themselves accountable to those they serve, there is but one thing to look forward to …”

With that, he held home plate in front of his chest, turned it around, and revealed its dark black backside, “… dark days ahead.”

Coach Scolinos died in 2009 at the age of 91, but not before touching the lives of hundreds of players and coaches, including mine. Meeting him at my first ABCA convention kept me returning year after year, looking for similar wisdom and inspiration from other coaches. He is the best clinic speaker the ABCA has ever known because he was so much more than a baseball coach. His message was clear: “Coaches, keep your players—no matter how good they are—your own children, your churches, your government, and most of all, keep yourself at seventeen inches.”

Here’s how to fix what’s wrong with our country today.

“Don’t widen the plate.”

Comments (21)

Criminal Enterprises

May 22, 2016 By: bob Category: Humor, On Bob's Mind

Criminal Enterprise 3

A STORY OF TWO ORGANIZATIONS

  

One is a ruthless, efficient, organized criminal enterprise.  

The other is a ruthless, corrupt, inefficient, dysfunctional, poorly organized criminal enterprise that can’t balance its own books.

One of these organizations is operated by professional criminals.

The other is comprised of a few good men and women.  The other 98% are clowns, criminals and lunatics.  Sort of Larry, Moe and Curly on steroids trying to be a well oiled criminal enterprise.

Which is which?  Here is a hint.  One of them is 19 Trillion Dollars in debt.

If you had a license to legally pick the pockets of everyone in America don’t you think you could at least break even?

Meet your government.  They “legally” tax your income, your property, most everything you buy, your phone, water, gas, electric, cable television, etc. etc. bill. They also attach fees and assessments to your property tax bill.  They even charge sales tax on the “other taxes” on gasoline and many other items.   As the comedian Gallagher once said “Everywhere you leak they hang a bucket!”

Despite government’s ability to rob us endlessly, they still run deficits, then tax us to pay the interest on the debt that they created.  Talk about “creative accounting”!

Not to worry though.  Soon we will be given the choice for a new “Dear Leader” to guide us further down the path of bloated government and overwhelming debt for our children and grandchildren which will have to be “paid for” with devalued and inflated dollars.

Looks like we will be able to choose between “Hillary” (if she can stay out of jail) or “The Donald”.  What could possibly go wrong?

Bob Bandy

 

 

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MONUMENTS ALONG THE WAY

October 20, 2015 By: bob Category: On Bob's Mind, Something To Think About

Monument valley 1a

LESSONS IN LIFE – THINGS I HAVE LEARNED

As I get older I find myself reflecting on my life and the things I have found to be true.  Many of these truths I discovered by observation and many I have learned the hard way, through experience.  The following are in no particular order.

1.  It is human nature throughout history to want to act irresponsibly without negative consequences.  But, there are always consequences.  The hardest person to forgive is me.

2.  Success in life’s endeavors most often follows self discipline.  Including hard work and responsible behavior.

3.  The Native American Indian made the mistake of believing Government promises.

4.  We do not truly appreciate what we have not worked for.

5.  Core values are essential to inner peace and harmony.

6.  A loving family and true friends are more valuable than gold or silver.

7.  We humans often do not want to hear the truth if it is unpleasant.  “I have given up my search for truth and now seek a good fantasy.”

8.  Creating dependency destroys lives.  Whether the dependency is for drugs or a handout.  That is why the nations parks have signs saying “Don’t Feed The Animals”.  It makes them dependent.

9.  Good intentions often lead to bad unintended consequences.  Example:  The War on Poverty.  In 50 years we have spent 22 Trillion Dollars fighting poverty and it is worse today than when we started and we have done great damage to the family unit in the process.

 10.   Never stop being thankful for things I too often take for granted.  The “green pastures and quiet waters” of life. My loving, faithful and long suffering wife.  The laughter and shining eyes of my daughter.  The joy and comfort of good friends.  A warm bed on a cold and rainy night.  Indoor plumbing .

11.  My faith in my Creator.  For “I am fearfully and wonderfully made…..” Psalm 139:14.

12.  And finally, when I find that I am taking myself too seriously,  I look in a mirror.  My Creator also has a sense of humor.

Bob Bandy

Comments (4)

AS DARKNESS FALLS

August 25, 2015 By: bob Category: On Bob's Mind, Something To Think About

The end is near

And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment – wickedness was there,

In the place of justice – wickedness was there.

Ecclesiastes 3:16

At the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 Benjamin Franklin was reported to have been asked by Dr. James McHenry: ” What have we got, a Republic or a Monarchy?”.  To which Benjamin Franklin replied: ” A Republic, if you can keep it”.

For some time I have been troubled by what I see happening at all levels of our government.  It seems that no matter where I look I see only a thirst for political power.

I continue to search but find only department after department, agency after agency that have succumbed to the politics of the moment.  The Internal Revenue Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the (in)Justice Department, the “Supreme” Court, ad nauseum.  All seem to be the lap dogs of the ruling political party.

Freedom, truth and true justice are being sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.  And this altar is for a god that will never be satisfied.

I hope for a turning point down the road.  A return to the values my country was founded on.  Faith, personal responsibility, integrity and honor.  It is only a hope.  For now, I fear the darkness that is falling over our land.

If you read my writings you will find that I rarely quote from the Bible so you will forgive this single verse from the above mentioned Book of Ecclesiastes.  Chapter 3 verse 1 tells us: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

Has America’s season passed?  It is my prayer that it has not.

Bob Bandy

Comments (9)

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