Places We Read with a Rant

Hello Everybody, Frank here.

Over the last few years, we have picked up some sites, blogs, websites, that we enjoy reading. There are a few that over time have faded away. We thought we'd share with you some that we find enjoyable. Maybe enjoyable is not the right word, because some of the things we read are very disturbing. Some of these sites have new recipes, for the most part, these are enjoyable, unless of course it involves cauliflower. Living in the land of the free and the home of the brave, I do not have to eat cauliflower. I remember the older Bush president stating one day, "I am President of the United States, and if I don't want to eat broccoli, I don't have to." Well, I will eat broccoli, if Fern makes me, but I have drawn a line in the mud about cauliflower.

Getting back reasonably close to what we're talking about here, some of the sites we read are by no means enjoyable, they display the events that are happening in our world, that I would like to believe are a relative rendition of the truth. Speaking of the truth, or lack thereof, I am astounded by the behavior of not only the 'mainstream' media, but the sub-mainstream media and the unbelievable perversion and distortion of the truth. An example. This morning President Trump tweeted that Senator Chuck Schumer is already criticizing his State of the Union speech, and Senator Schumer has not read the speech yet. I'm not picking on the Senator here, this is just an example of the way the news is betrayed in our country.

Now, I'm not making reference here to a natural disaster, or the tragedy, of let's

say, a plane crash. The mainstream news media gives a relatively honest depiction of what happens during these types of events. Or, they do initially anyway. When the blame game starts about why things happen, the news media gets lost in it's feeding frenzy of filth, always trying to blame somebody for something. It appears the mainstream news media has an agenda which involves obvious destruction of the decent values that most Americans cherish and hold dear. Maybe I shouldn't have had that extra cup of coffee this morning.

Fern put out an article recently called Unbelievable. I find the news media to fall in that category. Let's break the word down. UN-believable. So, what is their true agenda? What do you think is their

agenda? Do you think there is a way to change this? I'll go ahead and say it now, I believe in God and a Higher Power, but besides God, is there a way to stop this decay? Are we going to have to hit total bottom before this thing can be restructured? Have we crossed the line of no return where there is no recovery? And do most people even have a clue what is happening around them?

Let's get a grip of reality here. When a college professor in a New York Times article states that 'Mary Poppins is racist' because she has soot or dirt on her face from coming out of a chimney, and the majority of her face is not covered in dirt or soot, just small patches. This person obviously has some type of destructive agenda. I cannot believe that anyone of reasonable intelligence would imagine this scenario to be racist. It doesn't make any difference who they are, how can anybody of normal intelligence see this as racist????

In my own humble opinion, I don't think we can recover. Yes, this

is doom and gloom, call it what it is. Let's call it reality. I do not think this divide can be conquered, therefore, things are going to get real nasty. I would guess that tonight at the State of the Union address, there are going to be disruptions. So, let's wait and see.


Moving on. Below is a list of sites that we currently read. Most of them are of an adult type nature. Some use language that people may find distasteful or offensive. Others, the content area maybe a little heavy for people to find palatable. Some deal with recipes. Some deal with life and death. We'll give a brief description of each one. There are sites that we don't read as often anymore. Sometimes people just grow apart for various reasons.

You ready? Here goes. These are in no particular order, by the way. Let's just start with a list.

Fox News
This is where we go for our mainstream news. Some of it is questionable, but of the mainstream news, I enjoy this site the best.

Drudge Report
Drudge is a good source for mainstream news. Some of it is also questionable.

Breitbart News
A relatively honest site, but has some questionable stories also.

Donald Trump Twitter
It is what it is. 
 
DailyMail
Fern reads this one to see a different perspective on some of the news.

Western Rifle Shooters
Adult content. One of my favorites. Some stories can be real hard and very graphic. Viewer discretion advised. My favorite site.

Zero Hedge
A lot of financial news and some other just what's happening.

Bison Prepper
Adult content. Language on occasion is salty. Fern reads this to me every morning. A different level of analysis that we enjoy. Also one of my favorite reads. Again, adult content.

Woodpile Report
Ol' Remus is a weekly. Late Monday night or Tuesday morning. Quality content. A first class read.

Rural Revolution
Homesteading blog. Good information. Fern has enjoyed reading Patrice for years.

5 Acres & A Dream 
Another homesteading blog. Leigh is an author and is very enjoyable to read. She and her husband work hard at being self-sufficient.

Mom's Scribbles
Vicki lives in an apartment and still tries to prepare for what's coming. She has some interesting perspectives Fern enjoys.

Confessions of a Crazed Cattlewoman 
Fiona and Ralph have a homestead and occasionally share their adventures. 

Gabe Suarez
Articles about home safety, shooting. Adult content. Always proper. Some good advice.

The Z Blog
A different perspective from a higher thinking level about events happening around us.

The Burning Platform
News stories, various topics.

Bushbeater
I use this site for radio information. He has other information from a military type perspective.


These are just some of the sites that we read, and there are probably some that we've missed. That happens when you get old. If you have some favorite sites, please share. If you find some of these to be offensive, I genuinely apologize. I don't expect everyone to like what I like. I hope you find something here that you enjoy. Please share, really, sites that you like whether it's recipes or news, and we'll all take a look.

We'll talk more later, Frank

What Do You Think?

Just when I think the condition of our world cannot possible get any worse or any more unbelievable, it does. Over and over and over again we read about events or conditions that are not only unbelievable, but appalling, disgusting and one more nail in the coffin of life as we knew it. I can no longer say life as we know it, because our lives as we knew them are long gone. Disappeared beneath the onslaught of decadence, crime, hatred, bigotry and greed. 

Can someone tell me why it is not okay for everyone to have freedom of speech instead of a few chosen minority groups? Why is that okay? Two Days After Reporter's 'Race War' Murders, CNN Returns to Phony Race-Baiting. It's okay with some groups, call them Group H, to disagree with another group, call them Group C, to the point that they remove all rights to free speech of Group C just for having a differing opinion or viewpoint. Take this article for instance, Scientists Ask Obama To Prosecute Global Warming Skeptics. What? You can no longer think for yourself and be skeptical of others opinions? It is now a crime?

It is unbelievable the lengths to which our current leadership is going to destroy our country. It is so obvious and blatant, no steps are being taken anymore to disguise it at all. Like this move, Obama to Nominate First Openly Gay Service Secretary to Lead Army. Or this one, Obama Admin Won't Reveal to Congress Number of Americans Killed By Iran.  

Why has it become open season on law enforcement? Georgia Police Officer Shot and Wounded; 2 Suspects Caught. Better yet, why haven't the politicians of our country, especially those in leadership, come out strongly against the rash of murders recently? Are those doing the killing acting at the behest of the folks in charge of the show? You can't help but wonder. But remember, you have to be careful about thinking too much, you could be prosecuted for that.

The financial and economic roller coaster ride continues to get wilder by the day. One day it will rocket right off the track and land in a big heap to become indistinguishable from it's previous appearance. Amazingly enough there are still companies that promise no matter what happens, they will be able to protect your wealth as long as you give them your money. What a joke! Give me your money and I will protect it, even in the event of a total economic collapse. Sounds like voluntary robbery to me. Many folks continue to sound the warning, with some warnings coming from surprising people and places that don't usually issue warnings. Mark Spitznagel warns: If Investors Thought August Was Scary,"They Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet."  Then there is this possibility, Fed Opens Negative Interest Rate Pandora's Box: What Happens Next. Another impact on the economy is that Nearly 50 Million Americans Now On Food Stamps. So are we ready for a repeat of what happened in 1930 or more recently in Greece? The Day All the ATMs Ran Out of Cash. 

Many situations are brewing around the world, and as the heat is turned up, from warm to hot, something will boil over. From here, Security Council 'Gravely Concerned' Over Temple Mount Violence, to here, Why Kim Davis Was Right - And Is a Hero, to here, Migrants Crisis: Neighbours Squabble After Croatia's U-Turn. Where will it end? It only seems that it can end in conflict, major conflict. The Pentagon is Preparing New War Plans for a Baltic Battle Against Russia. Not only that, but differing countries are forming new alliances, Russia Moves It's First Tactical Fighter Jets to Base in Syria.

Where will it all end? I really don't know. What I do know is that regardless of how disturbing knowledge of what is happening in the world is, it is better to be informed and know what the adversary is up to. I have had more than one person lately tell me how depressing it is to know what is

happening in the world. It may be, but it is better to know your enemy than to have to guess what he is like. Why do we read history? To know what has come before to help us understand and be prepared for what is going to happen again. There is a reason 'history repeats itself' is an old saying, because it does. Mankind does not appear to have a very long memory, and tends to make the same mistakes again and again. Now it's our turn to live through the downturn of society into the shallow, narrow minded, pleasure seeking, mob mentality that has come to encompass all of us, voluntarily or not, this is where we are. 

Know what is happening. Don't get caught up in the distractions of the day. They are there for a reason, and most fall for the drivel dished out by the talking heads every day. The mainstream media are no more news outlets than the man in the moon. They are the bought and paid for slaves of TPTB, spewing forth the script they have been given without regard for the accuracy of what they are saying. It's just another example of speech control instead of freedom of speech.

Keep an eye on each other. Pay attention to your instincts. Listen for that still, small voice. Wisdom and reason are your best friends right now. Pay heed to the warnings they are giving you. Time is short.

Until next time - Fern

Sinus Dilation & Other Stuff

Last Friday, five days ago, I had a sinus dilation procedure in the office of my ENT (ear, nose & throat doctor). For about six weeks prior to the procedure, I had terrible headaches almost everyday that nothing would help. Not nasal steroids, sinus washes, antibiotics, Tylenol, pain pills, nothing. You should really feel sorry for Frank. One, for having to put up with me and two, because I have just not been myself. I have never been one to have headaches, especially not ongoing, seemingly never ending, headaches. Am I healed? Not yet, but I am well on the way. Has this procedure taken care of my sinus problems? The verdict is still out since I still have some occasional pain from the procedure, but the never ending headache seems to be gone, for which I am truly thankful.

Until recently I had never heard of sinus dilation. Here is a site that explains what it is and how it is done. We have a neat doctor that let Frank stay with me and watch the whole thing. Some things hurt and some didn't. The doctor dilated both of my frontal sinuses and both maxillary or what I call cheek bone sinuses. He calls it bone cracking, and sometimes it sounded like that was the case. When he got to the left maxillary sinus he poked and prodded and poked and 
prodded and couldn't get in. He said something about a flap in the way, so he cut it out. I think he actually had to cut a hole to get in and when he did, a stream of white, creamy ick came out, which he expected. The CT scan they did prior to the procedure showed the left maxillary as solid instead of with any air in it. He cleaned everything out of there he could.

So now I am healing. It is still uncomfortable to bend over to do much so the garden is patiently sitting out there waiting for me, just doing it's thing all on it's own. I think the aphids are having a hey day. By next week, I hope to diminish their population greatly. We have made cheese a couple of times, it doesn't take much physical effort, I just had to concentrate more to make sure I didn't skip a step.

The new online program I am using for my contract work with the school district, which is statewide, is really taking a lot of time. Since it is new, there are many, many data fields that have to be populated for each student, and of course with school starting and families moving around, there are many new students to contend with as well as the ones that are returning. I have spent so much time on the computer today, at one point I had this picture of a ball and chain coming out of the laptop attached around my ankle. Silly, huh? It's not hard work, just time consuming. 

It's always good to use your mind to learn new things, but right now it would be more fun to research greenhouse plants for winter. Soon enough the school work will calm back down and I will do just that. Frank and I are already talking about the plants we want to experiment with over the winter. It will be exciting to be able to walk out there and harvest fresh food for the table in December or January.

Since I have been in recovery mode and busy with school work, we are behind on answering the comments and emails on the blog. Please bear with us, we will respond, it just may not be quite as timely as it has been. We really do enjoy hearing from you and appreciate the time you take to share with all of us.

I know you are watching the financial news, the news of yet more hatred and murder being splashed in our faces, the news of countries flexing their military muscles and the news of natural and man made devastation around the globe. Ponder long and hard what you need to be doing for the near and far future. We sure are. We think about it, talk about it, and pray about it every single day. 

Until next time - Fern

Keep Your Ear to the Ground

We wanted to share some things we've been reading lately that have given us pause. There are many things afoot that make us wonder what will be next. Just when we think things can't get much worse, something new comes along. That used to happen a few times a year, now it happens almost everyday. In addition to the unbelievability of these events is the willingness of The People to accept them, and in some cases, even embrace and defend them.

Planned Parenthood Sells Dead Baby Parts

Judges: Nuns Must Obey Obama

Schools Offer IUDs to 11 Year Old Girls Without Parent Consent

Oregon Allowing 15 Year-Olds to Get State-Subsidized Sex-Change Operations

Events in the world are compressing into a time bomb. Each event that happens shortens the fuse a little more and a little more. Just yesterday Frank talked to a man that can see what is coming, but he still told Frank that he can only hope he is wrong, as he goes about his life trying to keep things as normal as possible. This is the disease that our world is suffering from, cognitive dissonance. According to Wikipedia, "In psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values." This is the terminal, fatal disease that will cause the deaths of millions of people. It will incapacitate them to the point that when they are faced with the collapse and disappearance of everything 'normal', they too will collapse into a state of numb disbelief, or they will turn into animals that will do anything to survive. Anything. Either way, they will not be able to live with what has happened or what they have become.



Freedom or the Slaughterhouse? The Police State from A to Z

Chinese Stock Plunge Resumes with 1200 Stocks Halted Limit Down; Yellen, Greek Elections on Deck

Why Some Texans are Suspicious of a Massive Military Operation called Jade Helm 15

New Executive Order From Obama Authorizes Turning Americans into Government-controlled Slave Labor Force

Sometimes I feel like a helpless little ant scurrying around trying to be prepared for the fall. But how can we possibly be ready for the fall? We try to prepare mentally, to envision or imagine what it might be like, but I know there is no way to really know, to really be prepared. So, why do we try? Why do we keep working and learning, harder and faster than we ever have? That's an easy one. We want to live. We want to survive.

So, we try to keep our ears to the ground, listening for what may be coming down the pike. I know there is no way we can fully comprehend the complexities of what the world has become, but we can do what we can in our little, tiny corner of the world. When it all boils down to it, this teeny, tiny piece of dirt we call home, is what matters. Our small, two person family is what matters most in our world. Then extended beyond that are our neighbors and two small, surrounding communities. This will be our world after the SHTF. Once again the world will be a very big place, but people will seldom travel beyond a mile or so from home, if that far. Few were the people that traveled very far back when this country was young. They provided for themselves, or traded for what they could. There were a few settlers that traveled far, to find a better piece of land to live on, but they were few and far between.

There are days the coming events of the world weigh heavy on our hearts and minds. Today is one of those days. If only TEOTWAWKI would never come. If only the disease of cognitive dissonance wasn't so prevalent among the peoples of the world. If only...... But those are pipe dreams and best left for those that choose not to live in reality. That's what I tell myself. It's times like these that it's best to get back to work preparing, because if this collapse does come and it's anything like we expect, we will be lucky to live through it. We will do all we can to survive and do it well, but if by chance we do die, we want to do it with our boots on.

Until next time - Fern

What Is Really Going On?

Fern had been gone for a while the other day, and asked me what had been in the news. I said something like, "You know, the usual. Hillary, oil is down, the stock market is up, more riots, just things like that." Then we started listing off the many things happening around the world these days. Here is the list we came up with, which is not inclusive at all. It's just what we came up with in a short conversation.

• Hillary's latest antics
• Who will be the next president?
• Oil companies laying off, closing down or declaring bankruptcy
• More and more people are being dropped from the unemployment rolls because they have given up looking for a job; there aren't any that pay a living wage
• Another housing bubble is in the works
• The economy in Greece is faltering. What else is new? It has been faltering for a long time.
• The scourge of ISIS
• Putin and the Ukraine
• Iran and a nuclear deal with Obama
• Obama's treatment of Netanyahu and Israel
• Persecution of Christians
• Increase in antisemitism around the world
• The stock markets fluctuations which no longer mean anything since it is being propped up and manipulated daily
• Immigration, amnesty and illegal alien criminals
• People shooting cops
• Robots, drones and the latest smart phone
• Riots and protests using the technique of busing in folks with nothing to lose so they can stir up more serious trouble than would otherwise occur. Now that's community organizing.
• Rising racial tensions, thanks in part to the leadership of our country
• The gutting of the military, with forced retirement of many top officers who won't follow the new playbook
• Militarization of law enforcement
• Executive order after executive order after executive order
• Controversy over same sex marriage
• Abortion murdering millions of children every year
• Food rationing in some countries
• Western U.S. drought 
• What happened to Ebola?
• They let the air out of the football! Can you believe that?!?
• There is no inflation even though you can't buy near the food with your paycheck that you could only six months ago
• Terrorism worldwide on the rise
• Unconstitutional court decisions
• Taxes, taxes and more taxes

And the list could go on, and on, and on, and on. Back to the question the title of this article asks. What is really going on? I truly believe that so many of the daily and weekly trumped up crises, or fear mongering news stories, are only distractions to cover up or divert our thoughts away from what's

really happening. What is truly happening in our world? All the above mentioned news stories go around and around in a circle, like a carousel. One head pops up for a few days, then it goes back down. Then another one pops it's head up, just like horses on a carousel. They go around and around and around. The organ continues to play carnival music, everybody is laughing and having a good time. Up and down, up and down. Are we being desensitized to what's really happening in the world? Are the above mentioned issues serious? Sure they are, but they keep coming up and going away, and after a while people become desensitized to what is really happening in the world. 

What is really happening in the world? There are westernized type countries in South America where the military has taken over the distribution of food. Argentina for one. The country of Venezuela is imploding. Brazil is having the worst drought in history and in major cities

millions of people are running short of water. Don't even think about central Africa. They have things going on there that we don't talk about, we, meaning society in general, at the dining room table. What happened to those couple of hundred of high school girls that were abducted? Do you really want to truly think about what is happening to them at this moment? Look across the table at your granddaughter or daughter, and truly imagine how those high school girls lives are going right now. And not just in central Africa, look all across the Middle East and the southern Mediterranean countries, where people just like me and you are having their heads chopped off, or being burned to death, and the wives and little girls, again, we're not going to talk about what's happening to them.

Our borders. Yes, OUR borders are wide open. There are olive skinned people coming across the border, some estimates are thousands a day. Remember these are estimates. The Texas Department of Public Safety recently estimated that between 10 and 100 radical terrorists from Middle Eastern extraction are crossing the Mexican border daily. So, let's give these people Social Security benefits, all medical benefits, unemployment, an accelerated program to get their drivers license, food stamps, welfare and a free and appropriate public education. Let's talk about those 10 to 100 extremists as estimated by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Let's say their numbers are blown way out of proportion for sensationalism. It's a long border from Brownsville, Texas to San Diego, California. Let's say there's 10 a day. That's only 3650 per year. That's only about 20,000 in the last six years. So, what kind of damage can 20,000 individuals committed to destroying the Great Satan (the United States) and infidels (Christians) do? What kind of damage can these 20,000 people truly do? What about their local sympathizers that have been here for years? What about the ones that we are importing because of political strife in their countries? We bring them in by the plane load everyday, legally. What if the Department of Public Safety is correct and there are 100 crossing everyday? That's only 200,000 over six years. Throw in the forever silent sympathizers. Add in the ones we are flying in daily from Syria and Iraq. 

Now let's add a couple of things together here. Let's say there are a few million people here in this country that have been trained, conditioned mentally to do atrocities, like we see in central Africa, the Middle East and the southern Mediterranean countries. Now while you're sitting there at your dining room table, think about your husband or son with his head chopped off. And then look over at your daughter or granddaughter and envision in your mind what's happening to those 200 high school girls, and try to convince yourself that this is okay. This about to be the norm.

So, go back over and hop on your little wooden pony with a pole going through it's body, and ride up and down and up and down, and laugh and play and listen to the organ music. Because this is what is coming.

You are aware that there are places in Europe where law enforcement does not go. There are places in France and Denmark that practice a different law than what the local government supports. There is a disease consuming our world, and we are doing nothing to stop it. There are parts of the world that have already been consumed. And there are countries in Europe where the population has a significant minority that has their own rules and laws. The United States also has a significant minority that is growing daily. And you might say, these are only the radical extremists. I say different. The silent group affiliated with these radical extremists, the silent groups that do nothing, are an accessory to rape and heinous murder.

It's too late to stop this movement. But you had better be aware of it. All these other news stories are just distractions, and there are lots of other distractions, too. Don't forget your television, because when you sit down tonight to watch TV, you are being conditioned to believe that everything is Okay. When you're watching NASCAR, or the big football game, or whatever sporting event is the season of preference, or when you watch that 30 minute sitcom that makes humor about events that 50 years ago people went to prison for, you are being conditioned for what is coming. Folks we've lost this battle. Our ship has sunk. You need to get prepared to swim.

Let's do a quick review here. Evil has been loosed on our society. You and I, and our government has allowed this to spread. Now it is here. Just take a minute and quit looking at the purple car going around in a circle

(NASCAR) and look around. Look at Africa, look at Europe, look at the United States, look at all those news worthy events mentioned above, and then look at the radical insurgents that have consumed our world. And now one last time, envision all the men in your family with their heads chopped off, and picture all the girls and women in your family having things done to them that are unimaginable. Okay. Now you can go back to watching the purple car go around in a circle, or maybe you can watch a bunch of athletes pat each other on the butt, or high five about how great they are. Reality is not always a pretty picture. We are under attack. WAKE UP!!

Remember the words of our current president, "We are not a Christian nation."

We'll talk more later, Frank

Send Me Your Money

Hello, Frank here.

I spend way too much time reading and researching about what the future seems to be bringing us at a rapid pace, and there is a lot of good stuff out there on the internet. I don't waste my time with the

major news medias, unless it's a major news story dealing with some type of natural disaster or something of that nature. But in my readings I run across a type of high level scam that is difficult to identify at first. They all start out telling you about how bad the economy is, most of them have lots of nice pretty charts. What they all boil down to is they know a secret that nobody else knows. They are only going to share this secret with just you and a few other lucky folks. Boy, if that's not a con game, I've never seen one. People fall for these things every day. Give me your money. I am happy, you can be happy too.

Why do all of these billionaire investment company articles end up with 'give your money to me'? If you want to pitch your money down a never ending hole, give your money to me. Buy my stock, it's the only one that's going to survive. Here's one prime example. They're going to take all the money, they're going to close all the banks. Times are going to be really, really hard. But I will save you from collapse. Invest in my mining stock.

Well, let's look a little deeper now. Mines use a huge amount of energy. That means the power grid will be up and running. They need a huge

amount of fuel, let's say diesel, which means the oil fields will still be working, the refineries will still be up and producing, trucking and shipping will be doing just fine, and the internet, which is were all these orders are placed, will be working fine, too. Okay, how about the workers at that mine? No workers, no mine production. That means that the workers houses are still functioning normal. That means that they have electricity, gasoline, food. Starting to get the picture here?

This article talks about collapse, as do lots of articles. But that's okay. Give me your money and I will invest it in my mining company, or whatever company they're selling that day. It could be laundry detergent. But

 everybody has the secret. It's a scam. It's just somebody working on the emotions of people to find a different way to steal their money. I will give you security. Give me your money and you will make a fortune afterwards. Are the things they say in the article true? And it's not just this one article, it's numerous ones. Are we going to have a financial collapse? I would say the chances are very, very good. Has quantitative easing worked? No. Is it going to work in Europe? No. Has it worked in Japan? Of course not. Have we kicked the can down the road a little farther? Yes. And I personally am very glad that they/we have. I like the electricity being on, and having the relative safety that we do right now.

Back to the article. Did the government confiscate precious metals back in the 30's? On something loosely compared to that. Our government is in the process of banning a certain type of common ammunition. This is

probably just a test run to see how this flies. But it's just a matter of time, until through executive order, guns are also banned. It's coming. You can see the writing on the wall. But, yes, the government did confiscate precious metals from individuals. So the article is correct. But what I disagree with is, when everything collapses, I know a secret place to put your money. What's the old saying? If it sounds too good to be true, then it's a lie. So beware of people writing flashy little articles about the future that end with the same message. Buy whatever I am selling or peddling. There are all levels of con men out there.

But wait. I'm giving thought to setting up a charitable organization to support the poor, ailing gold mine workers in South America. So, send me your money and I will make sure that it gets to these poor, ailing mine workers. Remember, humor is the essence of survival. Do your research, do your homework, and don't give your money to some white collar thief. And for that matter, a blue collar thief either.

We'll talk more later, Frank

Television? What Television? A Re-Post

This is a re-post of an article we did a while back. We've thought about doing this for a good while, but just haven't worked it into our routine yet. Well, yet is here. Sometimes you just like to say things more than once. We've all told kids more than once to look both ways before they cross the street, or don't touch that, it's hot. So, on occasion, we're going to try some re-posts, maybe something worth saying or hearing more than once. Please comment if you like this approach, or if you don't like this approach. Let us thank you up front, and hope you enjoy the read.....again. From the staff of Frank and Fern (that would be Frank and Fern, of course). 


Originally posted June 10, 2013

Most people will find this hard to believe or may not even believe it at all. We do not own a television. We repeat. We do not own a television and have absolutely no desire to have one in our home.

We have not watched regular television programming for over 20 years. We have only had cable once for a few months in Barrow, Alaska and realized we weren't watching anything on it, so we turned it off. We have watched our fair share of movies off and on. When we lived in Alaska we watched Netflix movies for a few years.

Why did we quit watching TV? We realized a long time ago that most programming by the major networks were being manipulated by Madison Avenue. The goal was to get us to think a certain way, shop a certain way and act a certain way, because if we didn't, we were some how lacking. We began to find that most television programming was offensive, demeaning, sexually suggestive, rude and a waste of time. This still holds true today. 

When we realized how much TV promotes certain political, religious and moral views, it was plain that our conservative, Christian, pro-life values were and are under attack. Everywhere we go we hear, "Did you see.......?" Is this random, by chance or a deliberate constructed means of influence and control? It appears to us to be a very effective means of destroying the family, stimulating moral decay and swaying the political views of most people.

Are there some programs on TV that are good, wholesome, informative programs? Sure there are. We know families that limit the amount and type of viewing allowed in their homes. One of the keys to anything is self-discipline and moderation. We have just chosen a different avenue.

How do we even know what is on TV now days? It is seldom we go to someone's house and the TV is not on. You can't sit in a doctor's waiting room without being subjected to a television.  As educators, we can see a marked change in the way children act, dress and interact with other children and adults. Terms like 'freeken', 'what the....' are only cute little ways to curse and are not allowed around us. When a whole generation of children is raised viewing and speaking in the manner of current TV programming, they do not know any different and for them it is 'normal'. We choose not to participate in this 'new normal'.

We choose the news we read and the images we view by using the internet for our information. The choice is ours to read, think and analyze information - not some talking head on a television. The results are remarkable. We are better informed today than we ever were when we only watched television news. This does not mean the internet cannot supply the same types of information and indoctrination that television does. It has the same lure and addictive possibilities. The key is in the choosing.

Whether the content of TV influences society, or society influences the content of TV, we are in serious trouble. Something to think about. Choose what you fill your mind with. Don't let others choose for you.

Frank and Fern

Where Do I Get My News?

News. What is news? At one point in my naive life, I actually believed that the three mainstream TV sources really gave objective news. And at one time, I think they did, either that, or age changes

the way a person sees things. Now, don't get me wrong, if there is a major natural disaster or something of that nature, then I believe the initial reporting by the major TV news medias is accurate and fair. But since modern day news of the three biggies appears to be just one giant opinion and this opinion, in my humble opinion, has now just turned into a mouthpiece for the government. But, that is still where the vast majority of people get their daily dose of news, which is why part of the reason this large group of people appears to be so grossly misinformed about their surroundings. 

I don't care who wins Dancing With the Stars. I'm sure that there is some tremendous talent there, but why is it on the news? And I don't care who is having whose baby. This is not news. Both of these afore mentioned items are just distractions to keep the populace from focusing on what is actually happening around them. So, my question is, "What is news?" And, "Where do you find what the news is?" 

A slightly different slant here, but a number of years ago, and this is going to sound a little odd, I took a class in college about great literature and poetry. One day I came across this piece about a child

getting milk from it's mother's breast, and it was by some guy named McCartney. There was no death date. It was a beautiful work. Then it dawned on me that this was Paul McCartney of the Beatles. I had probably heard the song Lady Madonna, several hundred times, not by choice, because I never did like the Beatles. But what dawned on me was, it's not that I didn't like the music, I didn't care for the medium that it was presented in - the jumping around, the long hair - it's just not my style. But the poetry was beautiful.

So, where is this leading? There are news sources out there, that I don't care for at all. I'm not going to name them here. But sometimes it's difficult to separate the presentation of the news and what the person is actually saying. Okay, one example. There's a guy down in Austin, Texas named Alex Jones. On occasion I will read a

column of his. Most of the time, it is a good story, but I just cannot bring myself to watch him on the internet. Many of you probably liked the Beatles. Many of you probably like Alex Jones. That's why we have Ford and Chevrolet. Nobody is right or wrong. I just like more peaceful quiet news.

Okay. So much for the long spiel. Where do I get my news? 

I like a fella named Chris Martensen. He has an interesting website. Most of it is free, or you can pay a fee and receive a deeper analysis about financial events. He has a wide variety of guest authors and speakers.

News? For just everyday general news I go to Fox News online. A little warning here. Fox News can get a little sexually graphic for my taste. As far as, main stream type news, these are the people I shop with. 

ol' remus at the Woodpile Report has a different perspective and an intellectual flair that is not found in today's writings. He shares other people's news and writes a weekly opinion. I find his site to be entertaining and enlightening. His opinions can be very thought provoking.

Another  thought provoking site is James Wesley Rawles' SurvivalBlog. His is a daily blog about various topics and is well, well worth a look. He is also an accomplished author and his books have a survival type theme. He has a nonfiction book titled How To Survive the End of the World As We Know It. I would recommend that everyone read this and buy a copy for a friend. We are reading it again, right now.

Patrice Lewis at Rural Revolution has a more down home approach about opinions involving the family. She writes a successful weekly article for World Net Daily. We have been reading Rural Revolution for a number of years now. Patrice might have an article about cleaning the cow's stall or how society is dying from lack of family structure. Her site is one I highly recommend. Pleasant, thought provoking articles - maybe not always pleasent, but thought provoking.

James Howard Kunsler is an interesting, up-tempo type Northeasterner. Here in the South we call them Yankees. He also has a number of novels out that are adult themes with adult language. His books deal with society after a collapse. I have read all of his current books. He also wrote a nonfiction a few years back about peak oil called The Long Emergency. I would recommend this as a good foundational book. He has an interesting blog and puts out a Monday morning opinion piece. His website is not necessarily one you share with little children. But if you are an adult, and you don't mind some adult language, he writes a very good Monday morning read.

To round off my news media choices, local newspapers and online TV sites finish off my sources. Here in southeast Oklahoma we read a news site from Oklahoma City, where our state capitol is, that covers most of the local political news. 
So, this is where I get my news. Sometimes it's hard to separate what's real and what is a lie, or as some politicians say 'mis-spoke'. The inspiration from this post came from a reader that asked where we get our news. Hope this helps.

We'll talk more later. Frank