President George W. Bush's chief speechwriter, Michael Gerson, has a message of importance.

This is from a Republican. George W. Bush's speechwriter. ***Warning; it is graphic ***.

President George W. Bush's chief speechwriter, Michael Gerson, has a message for people who are excusing President Trump's racism:

"I had fully intended to ignore President Trump’s latest round of racially charged taunts against an African American elected official, and an African American activist, and an African American journalist and a whole city with a lot of African Americans in it. I had every intention of walking past Trump’s latest outrages and writing about the self-destructive squabbling of the Democratic presidential field, which has chosen to shame former vice president Joe Biden for the sin of being an electable, moderate liberal.

But I made the mistake of pulling James Cone’s 'The Cross and the Lynching Tree' off my shelf — a book designed to shatter convenient complacency.

Cone recounts the case of a white mob in Valdosta, Ga., in 1918 that lynched an innocent man named Haynes Turner. Turner’s enraged wife, Mary, promised justice for the killers. The sheriff responded by arresting her and then turning her over to the mob, which included women and children. According to one source, Mary was 'stripped, hung upside down by the ankles, soaked with gasoline, and roasted to death. In the midst of this torment, a white man opened her swollen belly with a hunting knife and her infant fell to the ground and was stomped to death.'

God help us.

It is hard to write the words.

This evil — the evil of white supremacy, resulting in dehumanization, inhumanity and murder — is the worst stain, the greatest crime, of U.S. history. It is the thing that nearly broke the nation. It is the thing that proved generations of Christians to be vicious hypocrites. It is the thing that turned normal people into moral monsters, capable of burning a grieving widow to death and killing her child.

When the president of the United States plays with that fire or takes that beast out for a walk, it is not just another political event, not just a normal day in campaign 2020. It is a cause for shame. It is the violation of martyrs’ graves. It is obscene graffiti on the Lincoln Memorial. It is, in the eyes of history, the betrayal — the re-betrayal — of Haynes and Mary Turner and their child. And all of this is being done by an ignorant and arrogant narcissist reviving racist tropes for political gain, indifferent to the wreckage he is leaving, the wounds he is ripping open.

Like, I suspect, many others, I am finding it hard to look at resurgent racism as just one in a series of presidential offenses or another in a series of Republican errors. Racism is not just another wrong. The Antietam battlefield is not just another plot of ground. The Edmund Pettus Bridge is not just another bridge. The balcony outside Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel is not just another balcony. As U.S. history hallows some causes, it magnifies some crimes.

What does all this mean politically? It means that Trump’s divisiveness is getting worse, not better. He makes racist comments, appeals to racist sentiments and inflames racist passions. The rationalization that he is not, deep down in his heart, really a racist is meaningless. Trump’s continued offenses mean that a large portion of his political base is energized by racist tropes and the language of white grievance. And it means — whatever their intent — that those who play down, or excuse, or try to walk past these offenses are enablers.

Some political choices are not just stupid or crude.

They represent the return of our country’s cruelest, most dangerous passion. Such racism indicts Trump. Treating racism as a typical or minor matter indicts us." — Michael Gerson

In the beginning...

It's an adventure story and this is how it began.

Today you are creating a new day.  Reality springs forth from your consciousness.  The reality you dream into being blends with those dreams of all the other divine beings you are sharing this physical space with at this moment in time to create a world that has never been before.

www.WeAreGOD.org

Is there a simple way to have schools perform better?

It's as simple as getting a good breakfast. Listened to a great TED talk recently about how crucial it is for kids to get a nutritious breakfast either at their school or before they get to school. If breakfast is not served at you local school you should try and get them to do it. Schools that serve breakfast to all students consistently show improved test scores, better grades and less disciplinary problems. Want a simple way to improve the education system? The benefits on health and learning of providing a nutritious breakfast are very clear. It is one of the easiest ways of helping every school and all their students be more successful.

Learn More

What can we expect our kids to learn if they're hungry or eating diets full of sugar and empty of nutrients? Former White House Chef and food policymaker Sam Kass discusses the role schools can play in nourishing students' bodies in addition to their minds.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.

We will benefit if we pay attention to her.

Although her ability to win is slim, Marianne Williamson is the candidate who is focused on the real problem - it is the poisoning of the heart and soul of these United States - the neglect of the passion for freedom and compassion that has always made this country special. Trump can win on programs - even many who despise him think he is doing a good job as a chief executive. On the surface the country is thriving but Trump has poisoned the swamp he assured us he would drain. He has not gotten rid of it but he has drained most of the decency and compassion that was left as a governing principle. Marianne Williamson is very likely correct that we cannot beat Trump on policy and programs - we must expose him for the corrupting, callous, self-serving force that he is.

Tim Wise, the author of “White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privilege Son” writes: 

People who say the Democrats should ignore Trump`s race-baiting because it`s some political genius strategy calculate to distract us are idiots.  He`s no genius.  If you downplay it, you normalize him.   You make this about policy, you normalize him.

He adds: If anything, I would say crafting an argument that this is an existential crisis for the nature and making it about Trump`s bigotry and who we want to be as a country would be far more effective.   It`s the only way we`re going to get reasonable moderates and conservatives who probably are never going to agree on policy with the candidates the Democrats have, but they can come together on the basis of a moral message and we can live to fight another day about the issues that we care about once the Democrat has defeated Donald Trump.  But in the meantime please understand that this movement that he is leading poses a threat to the values that this country holds dear.  It is a movement that is opposed to pluralism, opposed to multiculturalism.  It is a white identity cult and we all can do better than that. 

WISE:  Marianne Williamson is doing it.  If Marianne Williamson`s doing it, they can all do it.  Believe me. 

This is part of an interview from MSNBC’s Chris Mathews’ show “Hardball”.  Sadly Chris felt the need to be sarcastic about the inclusion of Marianne Williamson’s participation in the “serious” political debate that had taken place.  

While she may stand no chance of winning the election, there is no question that she was the only one on that stage who made clear the real problem with Donald Trump.  You can say he is an effective executive but he totally lacks any appearance of a moral compass.  Much of Trump’s key support comes from people who claim strong moral compasses.  Can they continue to deny the nature of the man that Trump has shown himself to be – a guy with little compassion and no love for those average people who believed he was better than another morally suspect individual who was running against him.  As Tim Wise said,  “Marianne Williamson is doing it.  If Marianne Williamson`s doing it, they can all do it.  Believe me.”

While it may not be a contribution to a winning campaign, a $10 contribution to support her message will be more beneficial to our country than supporting any of the other campaigns.  CLICK HERE NOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO RECLAIM HOPE AND THE IDEALISTIC SPIRIT THAT TRULY  MAKES THIS COUNTRY GREAT.

A Favorite for Work in Local Community

Gateway Community Outreach tops Our City Media Readers' Choice voting for Charity Community Service

For the last several months the readers of Our City Media have been submitting votes for their favorite businesses and services. Gateway won for helping thousands of local families with food, expenses and counselling after a financial challenge.

By: Our City Media

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. - July 19, 2019 - PRLog -- Gateway Community Outreach helps address the needs of the hungry and homelessness in the community. The Gateway mission is to safeguard and protect our most vulnerable community members by providing food, housing assistance, referrals and intensive case management to those in need of emergency aid. Their goal is to feed the hungry, prevent homelessness and help clients reach self-sufficiency.

Many families are one paycheck away from experiencing homelessness. It only takes the loss of a job, an injury, prolonged illness, unexpected expenses or a fire, to create an economic downturn for a family barely "getting by." Most families experiencing these circumstances, within a few months, will go through hunger, experience an eviction or foreclosure and are at risk of being homeless.

Gateway Community Outreach steps in to provide the assistance needed, to prevent homelessness and restore self-sufficiency.

They assist over 30,000 clients each year with a staff of 4 and over 300 volunteers. Through 8 satellite locations Gateway provides food and emergency assistance to prevent homeless through the utilization of private donations, Federal EFSP and Foundation grants. Their successful program utilizes a case management system, consisting of a 90-day plan to connect clients with services and referrals (e.g.) food, bus passes, baby needs, gift cards for clothing, rent/mortgage and water bill assistance.

Give a Tax Deductible Gift, Save a Family or Individual from homelessness (CLICK HERE: http://gcoflorida.org/donate/ )

Readers' Choice Award for Best Charity
Gateway Community Outreach
291 S.E. 1st Terrace, Deerfield Beach
954-725-8434
http://GCOFlorida.org

GENESIS

All that is emerges out of nothing.  It was a very BIG bang when the formless infinite energy field of consciousness imagined form into existence.  Prior to that moment it was a self conscious field of energy occupying no space at all since it had yet to create space.  It simply was.  It was discovering itself as consciousness with the imagining of shapes and sizes and material possibilities.  From limitless it imagined limits and time.  The dreams and considerations of pure consciousness flashed into seeds of forms that would grow into worlds beyond number of infinite variety as it played with the possibilities.  With that one great desire nothingness became something.

In that moment it discovered itself.  In that moment it gained a purpose.  The development of this physical, time and space “place” became its passion.  This physical realm was its child, its offspring, its first beginning.  It would create a magical place that would be powered by its unlimited ability to provide whatever was needed to be sustained.  This “Universe” would be balanced by a few very basic laws.  Every part of physical form would be actively connected as a point of awareness to all of non-physical consciousness.  The more complex the physical form, the greater the amount of awareness and connection between physical and non-physical.  Whatever the physical forms imagined would become their physical reality.  Any action they initiated would result in an equal and opposite reaction to maintain the balance of the whole.

Non physical savored this new reality of feelings and amazing sensations.  Whatever it appreciated about Creation blossomed and expanded.  Those things it did not give its attention to lost their energy and faded from experience.  Some things came to be for a short time just to point the way to a more satisfying experience.  Many would come and go in a never ending cycle of renewal and regeneration.  Little improvements would be made with each generation of a form.  Everything constantly evolved into more sophisticated and beautiful forms.  Non physical was eternally focused on the development of itself as physical forms because it was through these physical forms that it found joy and wonder and substance.  Points of individualized consciousness anxiously awaited a chance to get into the game to either just enjoy the experience or actively create new stories for the game world. 

Though momentous physical events were always occurring in the adventure world of physical form, there was only appreciation that was experienced by non physical.  In the physical space of the adventure worlds not everything was always perfect – in fact nothing was ever perfect because that would mean that Creation was over and the fun would come to an end. 

For those points of consciousness getting to directly experience the physical, there would often be some dissatisfaction with “reality”.  Things certainly didn’t always go as planned for the physical characters they created for themselves.  But then, of course, that was why they got into the game.  They came for some challenge and adventure.  A billion game worlds had been created for them to adventure in and create whatever they desired.  They just needed to learn how to channel their creative power and see past the surface of things that were just a representation of past ideas and imaginings.  They needed to learn that they were each a player with access to all of the skills and powers that were woven into the fabric of the game.  They needed to realize they had nothing to fear because as infinite eternal energy they were really only pretending to actually be in the game anyway.  It was all just for something exciting to actually “do”.

What’s your story?  You are the Creator for today.  Visit www.WeAreGod.org and www.DesignerOfReality.com for some ideas about living on Planet Earth.  Enjoy the game!

Tips to prevent water damage... it is not always a storm that is the problem

Here's a few tips to reduce the chances of the number one claim in property insurance...

I hear daily in the office as to why or why not insurance rates should or should not go up at renewal. The number one reason why rates should not go up from clients is that we have not had a hurricane in years and in many ways that makes a lot of sense.

But hurricanes are not the only claims people submit and as a matter of fact water damage is by far the most frequent claim we see. As homes age and in some cases even in new homes pipes, supply lines, dishwasher hoses, washing machine hoses, hot water heaters, toilets, icemaker supply lines, A/C Lines can break or fail and fill your home with water. These claims have exploded in Florida and cost insurers a ton of money. Insures will tell you about 70% of their processed claims are for water loses as homes age here in Florida.

Water claims can cause a tremendous amount of damage in a home or business but there are a few things you or better yet a plumber can do to at least reduce your chances of coming home from the grocery store and having water running out your front door.

Again M&L strongly suggest that you hire a professional plumber to complete these easy and mostly inexpensive safe guards to your house.

1..Check Your Hot Water Heater…They do not last forever and most professionals believe they should be replaced every 12-15 years max. If you see rust, water on the outside or just signs of age get rid of it as it’s a ticking time bomb with a lot of water in it not to mention the water that will be filling it as it pours out. 2. Washing Machine Hoses…The supply hose to your washing machine carriers a lot of water to your machine. But if this hose gets old and breaks the water damage can be excessive. Check these hose on a regular basis and get it replaced if there are any signs of wear and tear. But be careful, as I have said not installing any of the above correctly can cause water damage so make sure it’s done correctly. Get a plumber.

3. Toilets…We all have them and use them but they can cause a huge water issue. Many toilets have a plastic plug on the bottom of the clean water tank that over time dries out and can fall out and release a tremendous amount of water in your home. When this plug falls out the clean water tank will also auto fill with water and never stop as the water is just pouring out the bottom of the tank. This could easily dump hundreds or even thousands of gallons of water in your home. Check this plug and the hoses going to the toilet and replace if you see any wear and tear or aging. 4. Ice Maker Hoses… Believe it or not that little hose that fills your icemaker can be very destructive if it breaks and even a small pin hole can release a lot of water. In the good old days these hoses were copper but had a tendency to bend or pinch so many years ago a plastic more flexible option starting being used. But they are a poly based hose in many cases over time they dry out and decay and can break from the heat behind your refrigerator. Of course this is another auto fill item so once that break happens it will not stop until the water is shut off as the ice maker will just keep running looking for water to fill it.

5. AC Systems …These should be maintained 2 times a year. Get those pipes cleaned and blown out to eliminate the chance of backup and property damage. 6. Check Under Your Sinks...Look for standing water, rust, wear and tear and replace any pipe/PVC that looks like it could be damaged or about the break. This is a cheap fix that can really pay off.

7. Install a Water Alarm Sensor…These are generally very inexpensive and can be life savers. Most hardware and big box stores sell them and if you have a water loss it can shut down your system or at least let you know there is an issue. 8..I Saved The Best For Last…KNOW WHERE YOUR WATER SHUT OFF IS ON THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOUSE!!!! This is huge. So many people have no idea while a water loss is happening how to shut off the water. You have a main water line going into your home that you can shut the water completely off.

FIND IT THIS WEEK and let everyone in the house know where it is and how to shut it off. I personally shut my water off every time I go away on vacation or business just to make sure I won’t come home to a pool in my house.

Really any pipe or hose that carriers water from one item to another needs to be a point of interest in your home and you need to keep your eye on them and have a professional replace it if it’s old or worn. I just cannot say enough by maintaining and replacing these few items above you can greatly reduce your chances of a water claim on your home. Claims are not ever fun but taking a weekend to make sure a few items in your home are in great working order can just reduce your risk of a claim and the frustration and the overall aggravation of any insurance claim. If you have any questions just call us at 954-340-2323 and we will be more than glad to help you.