March 29 '03
Volume 356
French Leave
Let Freedom Ring
Our European allies,
particularly
the French, have been less than supportive of America's willingness to wage
war on Iraq in order to effect a leadership change and lessen the likelihood
that Saddam Hussein's arsenal of chemical and biological weapons might be
used on us or our friends in Asia, Europe, or the Middle East. Since the
end of the Gulf War, diplomacy, sanctions, and weapons' inspectors have failed
to convince the Iraqi President to voluntarily disarm.
The United States, unsuccessfully sought a new disarmament resolution by
the Security Council of the United Nations, prior to launching military air
strikes on key targets in Baghdad. France, Germany, Russia, and other nations
failed to support such a measure and the United States finally withdrew their
proposal rather than suffer certain defeat if a vote were forced on the
resolution.
Many Americans have been surprised by the lack of support by the French
government. We remember liberating France during World War II from the Nazi
control and now feel it's time for France to reciprocate, at the very least,
by supporting our efforts to liberate Iraq from a terrorist regime. A grassroots'
effort has begun in the U.S. to divest our vocabulary of the word, French.
As far as I know, it began by someone renaming French fries, "Freedom fries."
Others have simply stopped eating French fries altogether.
Someone introduced a bill in Congress to fund the removal of the remains
of U.S. soldiers buried in France as a protest measure, but I haven't heard
if the bill passed and shall assume it did not.
The other night, I saw on Television where a restaurant was offering Freedom
toast, rather than French toast, so I suppose the protest movement is growing.
Lately, I've found myself avoiding the use of the "F" word (French not the
other "f" word) when asking for fried potatoes, requesting fries instead
of French fries.
I consulted a dictionary to see how many words or word combinations contain
the word, French. I found roughly fifty. Of these, five have to do
with food: French chop, French dressing, French fry, French pastry,
and French toast.
I've a strong background in cutting and selling meat, but I wasn't sure what
a French chop was. So, I checked its definition and discovered it's
a rib cut of meat with the fat and meat trimmed from the end of the rib.
I don't eat lamb chops, and it's hard to find a beef rib steak. Plus, I'd
just as soon leave all the fat and meat on my pork chop and don't need a
pretty little rib bone to gaze at or hold onto while I'm eating my pork chop.
It would be easy for me to give up French chops, in the interest of
ridding my vocabulary of a few French words.
French dressing is okay, but I hardly ever eat it. French fries are
not very healthy, so I could easily give them up. It's been so long since
I had a Dolly Madison brand French Pastry that I don't miss them anymore,
and a pancake beats a French toast, hands down. So there are five
French words that I could dispense with right of the top.
I've never cared for Frenchmen nor their smooth-syllabled,
slobbery-sounding speech. As to Frenchwomen, the last time I checked,
they preferred not to shave their underarms, and hairy underarms on women
are a real turnoff for some of us.
Several geographic locations contain the word French, reflecting the colonization
efforts of France. Most have since been parceled or renamed and include
French Cameroons, French Equatorial Africa, French Guiana, French
Polynesia, and French Canadians. I've not visited any of them
and don't have a burning desire to do so in the future.
A few terms relate to attire, French chalk, French cuff, French heel,
and French seam. Tailors and cleaners use French chalk, not
us ordinary folks. I don't own a shirt with French cuffs, and while
I do have cuff links, don’t ask to borrow them, because I don't know
where they are. French heels are for women's shoes, and though I may
be able to tie or knit a French knot, I can't sew a French seam.
French doors are nice but not necessary. A French curve is a draftsman's
tool, and while French provincial was once a popular style of architecture
and furniture, who needs it today?
There are other terms employing the word French, all of which we could easily
live without. However, the romantically inclined might have a problem dispensing
with the French kiss.
From the 18th-century French custom of leaving without saying good-bye to
the host or hostess, we have the term French leave. Perhaps, that
might be America's best response to the French. Maybe it's not necessary
to modify our vocabulary, change our eating habits, or remodel our homes.
Instead, we might consider pulling our Armed Forces out of Europe and not
telling them anything about it. Thus, we could give them a French leave,
or should that be a "Freedom leave?"
Bellmont Bells
A Nice Ring To It
Ten months ago my daughter, Rayanne Adams, invited her parents to a special
church service at First Baptist, Belmont, MS. One of the families of FBC,
Belmont had expressed a desire to donate a sum of money to the music ministry
of their local church. There were enough members interested in a Handbell
Ministry that the Belmont church invited FBC, Batesville, MS, to help them
with their questions and also asked the Batesville church to present a handbell
concert at the evening service on May 26, 2002.
First Baptist, Batesville is heavily committed to their Handbell Ministry.
The age group of the ringers ranges from children in the fourth grade through
adult. The church has five choirs and each choir practices once a week during
the school year. You might say they take their handbells seriously, and ringers
are asked to commit to being at the rehearsals.
The night I was present, the Batesville ringers brought three choirs to perform,
Youth I, Youth II, and Adult. Eleven selections were presented, but I was
only familiar with the tunes of roughly half of those. I was impressed by
the number of males in the choirs. At FBC, Pontotoc, we too have a handbell
choir, but it's an all female choir.
I was
also impressed with the various techniques employed by the ringers. They
not only rang the bells with the precision of a drill team, but they hammered
them with felt mallets much like one would play a xylophone or marimba, and
they produced muted tones by holding the bell against the padded tabletops
and plucking the clapper. And, there was one other technique that's hard
to describe but once the bell is rung it's quickly swung down and back, like
a bowling ball, and then brought quickly forward to produce something of
a Doppler effect. In addition to handbells, the choirs also made use of Malmark
Choirchimes in some selections.
I was greatly impressed with the handbell choirs of Batesville, and it was
easy to see the members of FBC, Belmont were too. Why, a pied piper, or "The
Music Man," could not have more thoroughly captivated the audience than did
the visiting choir.
Since my daughter had been exposed to handbells several years ago, church
members interested in pursuing a Handbell Ministry for the Belmont Church
sought her opinions and input. I mentioned the churches interest in handbells
to my friend, Jim Hess, Minister of Music, FBC, Vicksburg, MS. Jim knew of
a unique situation were a church had an extra set of new handbells that could
possibly be purchased for a reduced price. I passed the information to Rayanne,
who then passed it to the decision-makers at FBC, Belmont. Within a few weeks,
Belmont bought the bells and began a Handbell Ministry.
One choir formed quickly, then another, until three handbell choirs were
meeting regularly. From the early stages of pursuing a Handbell Ministry,
Rayanne had been asked to direct one of the choirs. She and Holly Nichols
each direct an Adult Choir and Holly directs the Youth Choir. Choir members
selected a meaningful name for each choir. The youth are "The Bell Peppers."
Holley's choir is "The Victory Bells," and Rayanne's choir is "The Ju-Bell-ation
Ringers."
All three choirs have been active for several months, but last Sunday, FBC,
Belmont set aside their normal Sunday morning worship service to dedicate
the new handbells in a service that was largely musical in nature. The youth
performed the Call To Worship and following a couple of congregational hymns,
the adult choirs rang three songs each.
The congregation could not contain its pride with its new ministry and applauded
after each selection. I had trouble containing my pride as well, but I managed
to resist the temptation to applaud. Oh, I was once a clapper, myself. Applause
is fine for public meetings and the theater. However, I decided a number
of years ago that for singing, ringing, or playing instruments in a church
service, applause tends to direct praise toward the individual rather than
the Creator or the One worthy of worship. I don't criticize those who choose
to applaud in church, but for me, I'll quietly smile and keep my hands silent.
Rayanne's choir played an arrangement of one of my favorite hymns of all
time, "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross." Yet, it was their second selection
that moved me the most, "Were You There?" A flautist carried the melody as
the handbell choir accompanied her. The combination of the flute and the
bells was exhilarating. As the words of the hauntingly beautiful tune played
in my mind, and as a father's pride in his daughter's accomplishments plucked
a few rusty heartstrings, I found my eyelids batting hard to distribute moisture
over the surface of my eyes before the wetness had a chance to form tears
capable of running down my cheeks. I was not the only person touched by the
moment, for I noticed a lady a few seats nearer the front wiping her eyes
near the end of the selection.
FBC, Pontotoc, has a wealth of musically talented individuals, but on a
percentage basis, the Belmont congregation gets higher marks in my book.
It's not that they are more talented, but they are more eager to use their
talents. Each time Barbara and I hear the Belmont Adult Choir, we are impressed
with the fullness of the sound produced by a choir less than half the size
of Pontotoc's Adult Choir. And, for a church half the size of FBC, Pontotoc,
the church at Belmont shames ours in having three handbell choirs to our
one.
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of both ringers and
directors of handbell choirs to carry on a bell ministry in any church, but
the results are significant and the experience of worship has eternal
consequences.
Entitlement
Criticism Of Leaders Considered
The following article was passed along by Ed Dandridge. No authorship is
provided, but the author makes a good point:
The Hollywood group is at it again. Holding anti-war rallies, screaming about
the Bush Administration, running ads in major newspapers, defaming the President
and his Cabinet every chance they get, to anyone and everyone who will listen.
They publicly defile them and call them names like stupid, morons, and idiots.
Jessica Lange went so far as to tell a crowd in Spain that she hates President
Bush and is embarrassed to be an American. So, just how ignorant are these
people who are running the country.
Let's look at the biographies (biographical sketches editorially shortened)
of these stupid, moronic, idiotic leaders, and then at the celebrities who
are castigating them:
President George W. Bush: Received a Bachelors Degree from Yale University
and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He served as an F-102 pilot for
the Texas Air National Guard. He began his career in the oil and gas business
in Midland in 1975 and worked in the energy industry until 1986. He was elected
Governor on November 8, 1994. He became the first Texas Governor to be elected
to consecutive four-year terms on November 3, 1998 winning 68.6 percent of
the vote. In 1998 Governor Bush won 49 percent of the Hispanic vote, 27 percent
of the African-American vote, 27 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of women
and is the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to win the heavily Hispanic
and Democratic border counties of El Paso, Cameron and Hidalgo
Vice President Dick Cheney earned a B.A. in 1965 and a M.A. in 1966,
both in political science. Two years later, he won an American Political
Science Association congressional fellowship. One of Vice President Cheney's
primary duties is to share with individuals, members of Congress and foreign
leaders, President Bush's vision to strengthen our economy, secure our homeland
and win the War on Terrorism. In his travels as Vice President, he has seen
first hand the great demands the war on terrorism is placing on the men and
women of our military, and he is proud of the tremendous job they are doing
for the United States of America
Secretary of State Colin Powell was educated in the New York City
public schools, graduating from the City College of New York (CCNY), where
he earned a Bachelor's Degree in geology. He also participated in ROTC and
received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in June
1958. His further academic achievements include a Master of Business
Administration Degree from George Washington University. Secretary Powell
is the recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign military awards and decorations.
Secretary Powell's civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom,
the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary
of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished
Service Medal.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld: attended Princeton University
on Scholarship (A.B., 1954) and served in the U.S. Navy, 1954-57 as a Naval
aviator; Congressional Assistant to Rep. Robert Griffin (R-MI), 1957-59;
U.S. Representative, Illinois, 1962-69; Assistant to the President, Director
of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Director of the Cost of Living Council,
1969-74; U.S. Ambassador to NATO, 1973-74; head of Presidential Transition
Team, 1974; Assistant to the President, Director of White House Office of
Operations, White House Chief of Staff, 1974-77; Secretary of Defense, 1975-77.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice earned her Bachelor's Degree
in Political Science, Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of
Denver in 1974; her Master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975; and
her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University
of Denver in 1981.
So who are these celebrities? What is their education? What is their experience
in affairs of State or in National Security
Barbra Streisand : Completed high school. Career: Singing and acting
Cher: Dropped out of school in 9th grade. Career: Singing and acting
Martin Sheen Flunked exam to enter University of Dayton. Career: Acting
Jessica Lange dropped out college mid-freshman year. Career: Acting
Alec Baldwin dropped out of George Washington U. after scandal. Career:
Acting
Julia Roberts completed high school. Career: Acting
Sean Penn Completed High school. Career: Acting
Susan Sarandon Degree in Drama from Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C. Career: Acting
Ed Asner Completed High school. Career: Acting
George Clooney Dropped out of University of Kentucky. Career: Acting
Michael Moore dropped out first year University of Michigan. Career:
Movie Director
Sarah Jessica Parker: Completed High School. Career: Acting
Jennifer Anniston: Completed High School. Career: Acting
Mike Farrell Completed High school. Career: Acting
Janeane Garofelo Dropped out of College. Career: Stand up comedienne
Larry Hagman Attended Bard College for one year. Career: Actin
While comparing the education and experience of these two groups, we should
also remember that President Bush and his cabinet are briefed daily, even
hourly, on the War on Terror and threats to our security. They are privy
to information gathered around the world concerning the Middle East, the
threats to America, the intentions of terrorists and terrorist-supporting
governments. They are in constant communication with the CIA, the FBI, Interpol,
NATO, The United Nations, our own military, and that of our allies around
the world. We cannot simply believe that we have full knowledge of the threats
because we watch CNN!! We cannot believe that we are in any way as informed
as our leaders.
These celebrities have no intelligence-gathering agents, no fact-finding
groups, no insight into the minds of those who would destroy our country.
They only have a deep-seated hatred for all things Republican. By nature,
and no one knows quite why, the Hollywood elitists detest Conservative views
and anything that supports or uplifts the United States of America.
So why the hype out of Hollywood? Could these celebrities believe that since
they draw such astronomical salaries, they are entitled to also determine
the course of our Nation? That they can make viable decisions concerning
war and peace? Did Michael Moore have the backing of the Nation when he recently
thanked France, on our behalf, for being a "good enough friend to tell us
we were wrong"? I know for certain he was not speaking for me. Does Sean
Penn fancy himself a Diplomat, in going to Iraq when we are just weeks away
from war? Does he believe that his High School Diploma gives him the knowledge
(and the right) to go to a country that is controlled by a maniacal dictator,
and speak on behalf of the American people?
The ultimate irony is that many of these celebrities have made a shambles
of their own lives, with drug abuse, alcoholism, numerous marriages and divorces,
scrapes with the law, publicized temper tantrums, etc. How dare they pretend
to know what is best for an entire nation! What is even more bizarre is how
many people in this country will listen and accept their views, simply because
they liked them in a certain movie, or have fond memories of an old television
sitcom!
It is time for us, as citizens of the United States, to educate ourselves
about the world around us. If future generations are going to enjoy the freedoms
that our forefathers bequeathed us, if they are ever to know peace in their
own country and their world, to live without fear of terrorism striking in
their own cities, we must assure that this nation remains strong. We must
make certain that those who would destroy us are made aware of the severe
consequences that will befall them.
Yes, it is a wonderful dream to sit down with dictators and terrorists and
join hands, singing Kumbaya and talking of world peace. But it is not real.
We did not stop Adolf Hitler from taking over the entire continent
of Europe by simply talking to him. We sent our best and brightest, with
the strength and determination that this Country is known for, and defeated
the Nazi regime. President John F. Kennedy did not stop the Soviet ships
from unloading their nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962 with mere words.
He stopped them with action, and threat of immediate war if the ships did
not turn around. We did not end the Cold War with conferences. It
ended with the strong belief of President Ronald Reagan...PEACE through
STRENGTH.
Bodock Beau
Prescription For Murder
Good jokes involving pharmacists don't come along that often, but this one
is worth a grin.
A fellow goes into a pharmacy and asks for a vial of Cyanide.
The pharmacist, trying to keep a professional posture, asked what he wanted
it for.
He answered, "I want to kill my wife."
"I'm sorry Sir," the pharmacist replied, "but you will have to understand
that under such circumstances I can't sell you any Cyanide."
The guy reaches into his wallet and produces a photo of his wife, perhaps,
the ugliest, meanest woman ever.
The pharmacist blushes and replies, "I am sorry, Sir, I didn't realize you
had a prescription."
Submitted by Dena Kimbrell
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