Sunday, April 6, 2014
"NOAH" - Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street) and Jack Torrance (the Shining) rewrite the story of Noah according to Hollywood's values
I suffered all the way to a late evening ending with "Noah", the Aronofsky directed movie version, with merely one consolation; I did not lose my birthday dinner. Credit is due for the extraordinary, and still pathetic, attempt to contradict an important Biblical lesson from God the Creator with humanist fantasies from Hollywood fans of Freddy and Jack. This important lesson is that God created humanity to be upright - to respect and care for His creation, to love justice and mercy, to obey God's fair and reasonable natural laws, and to have confidence that God will reward and rescue even a few who love goodness over the powerful masses who love evil. "Noah" the movie recasts Noah, the man who fears God instead of evil, in the image of Freddy and Jack, the murderous hacks of horror genre, who fantasize and execute homicidal fantasies on victims oblivious to the miraculous power of God. Even the official movie website portrays Noah (Russell Crowe) as a dark, brooding, ax wielding figure, far more fitting for a serial killer's still shot. So, what does Aronofsky's movie have to do with the real Noah? Well, nothing. Here are a few takeaways I got:
Posted by Don Zimmerman at 4:46 PM 2 comments
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Texas Senator Cruz Defends Texans Guns Rights
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) today sent the following letter to gun makers, their banks, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
It's about time someone fought back against the anti-Constitutionalists.
Posted by Joe Gimenez at 11:55 AM 1 comments
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Adan Ballesteros Does it Again
So, what caught my eye, you ask? It was a 6" x 9" card that came in the mail yesterday attacking Toby Miller, candidate for Travis County Precinct 2 Constable, addressed to the most inexperienced voter in my household. It only took me a few seconds to determine that the two-sided black and white card was a bunch of lies and misleading out of context information. It took me a bit longer to follow the string back to the source.
It was déjà vu all over again as I had seen the same type hit piece sent out about this time (very late) in the election cycle in 2008 when Bob Vann was running for re-election. I'm motivated by my memory of the late Bob Vann, the last very decent and honorable Precinct 2 Constable in Travis County, to get this story out. Bob was a good man and did not deserve the personal attack that Adan Ballesteros, thru the Central Texas Constables PAC, made against him in 2008. It is high time Adan Ballesteros paid the political price for his despicable campaign tactics. It's time for him to be defeated.
The Central Texas Constables PAC (Precinct 3 Deputy Constable Stacy Suits, Treasurer) put out the smear piece on Toby Miller. I don't wish to share the mailer with you but if you live in Travis County Constable Precinct 2, you may also have seen it. The mail piece is obviously misleading, to say the least. It makes partial use of information in the stories linked below (the links are pretty much to the same story - I've just exhaustively listed all I could find). The truth is, Toby Miller was the "whistle blower", not the perpetrator, in the Jonestown alternative energy fraud case.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/10/09/51101.htm/
http://www.cnsenvironmentallaw.com/2012/10/09/1387.htm/
http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/10/10/funny-business-alleged-at-texas-wind-farm/
http://www.ilawconnect.com/news/courthouse-news/funny-business-alleged-at-texas-wind-farm/
http://greenenergydealer.com/funny-business-alleged-at-texas-wind-farm/
I recall hearing Stacy Suits's name from Bob Vann back in 2008. As of the last semiannual ethics report filed for Central Texas Constables Political Action Committee on July 15th, 2012, Stacy Suits is listed as the treasurer and sole contributor of $6122.41 on 05/21/2012 (paid out $975 to Austin Chronicle and $5,147.41 to Quik Print, 8311 Shoal Creek, Austin, TX 78757, on that same day). Where did that money come from? I can't see how Deputy Suits could have contribute it from his own funds.
The purpose of the PAC, as file in the July 2012 semiannual report is listed as follows:
Opposed: Greg Hamilton for Travis County Sheriff
Click here for the Ethics Report filing.
On 08/06/2008 Stacy Suits contributed $450 to this PAC; and on 10/09/2008 the Adan Ballesteros for Constable Campaign contributed $6,825.00 to this PAC.
The purpose of the PAC at the time of the ethics report filed for the period ending before the 2008 General Election was as follows:
Supported: Richard McCain for Travis County Constable Pct 3
Opposed: Bob Vann for Travis County Constable Pct 2
Click here for the Ethics Report filing.
After bringing this matter up to Toby Miller, I learned that he has addressed the issue (of both the Jonestown case and the potential for the very attack piece that I've discussed herein) on his web site. Click here to read Toby's explanation of the Jonestown case and here to read about all his disclosed organizations and affiliations.
Stacy Suits, real estate agent and former Travis County Sheriff candidate is deputy constable in Precinct 3. I found this video of him addressing the Travis County Commissioner's Court in 2010.
If you live in Travis County Constable Precinct 2, vote Toby Miller for Constable and share this information with other voters in the Precinct.
Posted by Freedom Ain't Free at 5:17 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
ObamaCare Tax Set for January 1, 2013
Dear JOE,As a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, effective January 1, 2013, employers will be required to withhold a 0.9% Additional Hospital Insurance Tax on High-Income Taxpayers (a.k.a., “Medicare Surtax”).High-Income Taxpayers are defined as those with an annual income of $200,000 for individuals, $250,000 for joint filers, and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately. The increase applies only to the employee portion of the Medicare tax, though the employer is responsible for withholding and reporting.Employers should be mindful that the law requires an employer to withhold the Additional Medicare Tax on wages or compensation it pays to an employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year.Reconciliation of over or under withholding for joint filers or married individuals filing separately, is accomplished when the employee files his/her income tax return. An employee has the option to have additional Federal Income Tax withheld on Form W-4 in anticipation of meeting the wage threshold for the additional Medicare Surtax.*ADP’s payroll application has been updated and your company payroll should reflect the new Medicare Surtax requirements as applicable, beginning in calendar year 2013.For more information about the Additional Medicare Tax, you can access the following links:• Refer to the IRS FAQ’s at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=258201,00.html• Details can also be found on the ADP website at http://www.adp.com/tools-and-resources/legislative-updates.aspxWe appreciate the opportunity to serve your payroll and tax filing needs.Sincerely yours,Your ADP Service Team
Posted by Joe Gimenez at 9:57 PM 0 comments
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Is There a Way Out of This Present Darkness?
I began composing this post as an email message on Thursday night two weeks ago, just a few hours before the horrific shooting in Aurora, Colorado began. Twenty-four hours later I sent the original email to Central Texas Republican Assembly members and friends. With the equally horrific murderous acts this morning against Sikh worshiper at their temple in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek, Wisconsin I feel that America is on the brink of a looming darkness and that the message I sent out via email is worth adapting to share with the wider audience of the readers of The Travis Monitor.
The fact is, we need not wait to learn the motives of these murderers to ascertain that of the ultimate person behind their evil acts; for that person is our enemy, the devil. And that means that some sense can be made out of these horrific events. Evil exists! The devil (Satan) is the penultimate personification of that evil, and each human being has inherited the sinful/evil heart of Adam, even though we have been made in the image of God. As Jeremiah lamented, "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
This attack on young people has come far too close to home for me and my family. Rebellion and drugs are threatening to take another of our four sons (we lost our 3 year old son, Daniel in an accident in November of 2005). Our 18 year old has left home to "live with friends." He has not yet graduated from high school and at the time he left home (originally on July 5th) had no job, no money (that we know of), no driver's license and virtually no possessions. We hope and pray he will return to to the Lord and to us, but of course have no guarantees. Our son has very flawed parents and siblings and is himself a fallen and broken young man. I pray that we will all repent and be reconciled. We grieve with Karen Austin and her family as they continue to deal with the pain of the loss of Nathan even as we are broken hearted over our son's decision to leave our home and apparently cut ties with his family.
Please pray for America's children and families, and especially right now for the survivors of the evil that raised its dark and demonic head in Theater Number 9, in Aurora, Colorado early on Friday, July 20th and again this morning in and near the Sikh Temple of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing at least 7 image bearers, counting the shooter.
Dear Friend,
I will be joining with thousands of people nationwide to walk in AFSP's Out of the Darkness Community Walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
My personal fundraising goal is $155. I would appreciate any support that you give me for this worthwhile cause.
I started a "team" called "Carry on For Nathan" for the Out of the Darkness walk in Austin on November 4, 2012. This team honors my 18-year old son who passed away on April 2, 2012. The team website is http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&eventID=1713&teamID=34867. Please consider joining the team, contributing financially, and/or walking with us.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is at the forefront of research, education and prevention initiatives designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. With more than 36,000 lives lost each year in the U.S. and over one million worldwide, the importance of AFSP's mission has never been greater, nor our work more urgent.
Donating online is safe and easy! To make an online donation please search for my name on www.outofthedarkness.org and the click "support this participant". If you would rather donate by check please make the check out to AFSP and mail it in with the offline donation form.
Thank you for considering this request for your support. If you have any questions about the Out of the Darkness Community Walks or AFSP do not hesitate to contact me or visit www.afsp.org.
Sincerely,
Karen Austin
Support me!
© 2012 DonorDrive® All rights reserved.
Posted by Freedom Ain't Free at 6:05 PM 0 comments
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Texas 2012 GOP Convention for SD-14 SREC: what happened and why
First, I'd like to commend the very remarkable new generation of Republican leaders who elected me to the SREC in 2010, many of whom are still deeply involved and returned in 2012 through the precinct caucusing we won on April 21st. I can now clearly see that the old generation of Travis GOP leadership who has controlled the TCRP for decades inadvertently made it possible for me to win in 2010, then deliberately made it impossible for me to win in 2012. Ironically, they deserve credit for my victory, and for my defeat, from the viewpoint of pure politics. They deserve credit for having a long standing base of power - built over several decades, and being able to motivate just enough of them to regain their power over choosing the SREC member; I lost by just 18 votes, in spite of conducting a campaign of similar effort and expense to what I did in 2010. Without precinct caucusing, I would have lost by 4 or 5 times that margin.
What happened is this. In 2010, I took the spring break week off for a big trip to Alaska, and missed the entire SD-14 Convention - all the temporary committee meetings and the Convention Day itself when flights were overbooked and I was stranded in Seattle. My friends pointed out that if you're running against two strong, credible challengers for SREC (Dan McDonald and Roger Borgelt), you're probably doomed to failure just for missing the most important Republican meeting of the two year campaign season. I knew that and agreed with them. What I didn't know, until just this past April (2012), was the 2010 temporary rules committee had greatly improved PRECINCT CAUCUSING, allowing far more state delegates and alternates to be chosen FROM THE PRECINCTS - that is, the grassroots. The 2010 precinct caucus rule allowed an unprecedented number of true grassroots delegates - nominated by local precincts, instead of being nominated by the at-large committee, to attended the 2010 State Convention. The psychology of this is obvious; persons selected by a committee understandably feel some loyalty to the person who holds the power to nominate them, and that loyalty will influence their judgment. At the precinct level, individual delegates feel more empowered because it is their own local friends and neighbors agreeing - ONLY AMONG THEMSELVES, without party boss oversight, who will represent them. These grassroots delegates shocked everyone (including me) by electing me to the SREC in 2010 by a slim margin of 5 votes. The old generation of leadership were litterally crying, with faces of shock and disbelief. The "grassroots" spoke, and the old generation of leadership was extremely angry at what they said!
The solution to correct the 2010 mistake of the grassroots was simple - put "Gandolf", the most amazing guru, grand poobah, trusted and respected dean of Texas Republican politics, Bill Crocker, in charge of the SD-14 temporary convention, and strip ALL power of the grassroots by eliminating ALL precinct caucusing from the grassroots, going back to having all State Delegates coming from one at-large nominating committee, the members of which were appointed by, and loyal to, one man - Mr. Crocker. Mr. Crocker refused to allow me or any other person interested in keeping the precinct caucusing supplemental rule from serving on his Rules Committee ("his", because he had exclusive authority to name all the members), and the committee unanimously voted to eliminate precinct caucusing in spite of 12 out of 14 persons testifying at that committee asking for precinct caucusing to remain. (That committee also concluded all its busines in only one evening, instead of two evenings as was publicly advertised through announcements). While other metro counties like Harris and Bexar had been using precinct caucusing ever since the mid-1990s, Travis only reluctantly moved to the precinct caucusing rule in 2006 (keeping the rule in 2008 and improving it in 2010 as well). The rationale for stripping the grassroots of their power to nominate their own delegates in precinct caucusing in 2012 was remarkably shallow and dishonest, and precinct caucusing was eventually saved (at great expense to both sides of the debate), but that's covered in my earlier blog. Again - NO OTHER METRO COUNTY in Texas attempted Mr. Crocker's dishonest rationale ("it's too complex...") to eliminate precinct caucusing and consolidate nomination power through appointed committee.
In spite of retaining precinct caucusing, Mr. Crocker's at-large nominations committee still retained control and made a deliberate, successful effort to screen at-large delegates based on their loyalty to incumbency power and party bosses, screening out persons of clear conscience and loyaltly only to the Constitution and the Texas platform (i.e., "principles"). You could see the success of this strategy on the number of "Samuelson" stickers on the Alternate seating rows before the SD-14 votes. The nominations committee left around 100 alternate slots open, which allowed them to leave off numerous Travis precinct chairs and other voters and activists.
I congratulate Randy and Davida on winning the positions and pray they will yield to the petitions and just demands of the grassroots, while predicting that grassroots will be underserved. My two years of service offered several key votes I would categorize as bright lines which illustrated this truth: "you cannot serve two masters". Our overall Republican political contest, and the one I just lost, really has nothing to do with the most crucial issues which WE ALL AGREE ON. It has everything to do with courage and integrity. Will political leadership stand with a clear conscience before God to truly serve principle and the rule of law, or will it bend to serve the rule of power and party bosses?
That question will continue to be asked, as it has been for thousands of years. As for me, and those who are true friends of the cause of liberty, we will continue to unapologetically serve God's rule of law with the best conscience we can -- because we answer to Him, not the political boss, and we will never insult the Lord through the idolatry of kissing the ring of power.
Blessings to all who labor on to restore our Republic! Never give up!!
Don Zimmerman
Posted by Don Zimmerman at 3:00 PM 1 comments
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Old SD Convention Movie: I Put You On The Nominations List - that other guy dropped you!
All this chatter on the State GOP Convention Delegate lists, with SD/County Convention nominations committee members boasting power to put you on a "list" (a list which is never publicly released, and later claimed doesn't even exist), followed by accusations against others that "THEY took you off the list", is the same bad old movie I saw 10 years ago in Travis County. Same old, same old. Like many, I believed the characters in that movie the first time I saw it, but I think the rational among us now understand how that movie-game power play is done.
Posted by Don Zimmerman at 11:43 AM 5 comments