"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first." ~ Thomas Jefferson

Greetings. We've got ourselves a wee bit of a cool down here. Not bad. Not bad at all for a Tuesday, October 14, 2014, if you ask me. I do hope this day finds you dong well. I did check the headlines this morning. Here's a brief summary: The world, both here and abroad, continues to be a mess. I do pay attention to stuff going on. There sure are a whole lot of folks who do not. My observation says the younger they are the less they care about knowing what's happening in the world. I suppose there's some attraction in being clueless but I just can't see how it can be healthy, especially over time. It's almost like they would rather close their eyes and put their fingers in their ears if they hear you talking about anything that's not related to sports or celebrities. One area of exposure comes when folks don't know what is really going on and you have those in power who exploit that weakness. I'm not talking about a need for some type of slavish devotion to being plugged in 24x7 to the world news channel. I'm talking about a basic sense of appreciation for the times we are living in and the challenges we face as we seek to move forward. I enjoy talking about sports and other subjects as well as the next person but I do know that things like Ebola are not only much more important, but given the potential for harm here at home, we all should keep up with what's going on. After writing this paragraph I noticed a posting on Facebook from the son of a man we have known for years. He is an early twenties guy and he asked his friends to please quit posting stuff about the news. He said he worked hard to stay away from that stuff and he sure didn't need to see it on Facebook. I rest my case.

Many trust our government to make sure they are told what they need to know. I'm not an alarmist but please believe me, that's not a very wise way in which to live. Take for instance this most recent case of Ebola in the Dallas area where the man from Western Africa died. You do not have to be an expert to have become very uneasy with the way in which the high level officials in our government were handling this event from the first day forward. Now we have one of the individuals who treated this man who has come down with this dreaded disease. I see no need for panic but we do need to have a mindset that weighs facts and information in light of the reality being played out before us. I heard the county judge from the Dallas area giving his thoughts about this most recent case. I'm just a lay person. I'm not an expert. Yet, I could very much see how his major objective was the try and limit panic. While that is a noteworthy thing to stress, may I just tell you that folks need the truth in order to make informed decisions. I, for one, do not share a blind confidence in the so called experts who are handling this crisis. Just one example of so many areas where we need to function with our eyes and ears wide open.

Go back and read the quote I have used in the title for today's blog. It may take a time or two to get what Thomas Jefferson had in mind. It's not the fostering of an anti-government spirit, but rather, it's doing our best to operate based on an appreciation for the facts. And that's my take. I'll let you think about that as I move on to other things that are also important. Things like our families, our work, our daily goals and objectives, and our doing of our best with God's help to live in a way that honors Him and serves others. Knowing the truth does not mean we live lives that are dominated by fear and foreboding. Knowing the truth means we live out our faith because God is ultimately in control and we belong to Him, therefore, if He be for us, who can be against us? That should encourage us all even as we make our way forward in a messed up world. Amen.  ....More later.