Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

     The lesson is seems easy, but can you do what it suggests?

#10 expanding and perpetuating the use of racial preferences
#9 creating new constitutional rights to physician-assisted suicide and human cloning
#8 expanding judicial oversight of military detentions and CIA interrogations
#7 prohibiting tuition vouchers for religious schools
#6 banning the death penalty
#5 requiring taxpayers to fund essentially unlimited abortion rights
#4 creating new constitutional rights to massive government welfare and medical care programs
#3 stripping “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance
#2 eroding property rights
#1 ordering all 50 states to bless gay marriage

 

     Is there anything you Republicans aren’t afraid of? If so, please comment for me so I can learn. Fear, fear, fear, fear is all that you preach. Take care of me and my own, is all that you believe. There are 6 billion people on this planet, all with varying beliefs. What makes you so much more special? If American, the melting pot of the world, was run by republican philosophy only, there would be nothing but filthy rich white folks living here. I am a white man, and I would hate to live in that reality.

     My dog Baron is a great companion. He has been there for us many times as a friend and protector. Most of the protecting has been from bugs, but he does it without question. As a friend, he listens intently, knowing exactly what you are saying. He does not need doggy speak or shortened sentences.

     He came from nowhere, appearing one day on our lawn with mother and 7 other siblings. We knew the neighbor who was raising them and did not want any harm to come to them, so we took them in. This was Friday and we did not connect with the neighbor until Sunday afternoon. I cannot describe the chaos that ensued that weekend. Trying to housetrain 8 puppies so your house is not destroyed, is a chore in itself.

     We were given the choice of puppies as a sort of payment for protecting them. We chose the one who had been at our feet the whole time. He was very docile and seemed to understand the brevity of the situation and did not want to add to the chaos. Nevertheless, we named him Baron von Chaos.

     When I say he is intelligent, I mean brilliant. He house trained himself. He took a dump in the house, turned and smelled it, then proceeded to go outside. I told him that was the right thing to do if he had to go. He never used the bathroom in the house again. We aquired a bassett hound at one point, she came out of nowhere too. One day we could not find the hound, so I asked Baron where she was. He had never heard these words before, but took off through the woods. I followed and guess what we found, the bassett hound. He has through the years astounded us with his extreme intelligence and continues to do so in his old age.

     The protection he has given us, is mostly in his size. He weighs 140 now, and is almost 3 feet tall. The most prevalent comment we hear is, “That’s the biggest Shepherd I’ve ever seen!” My phrase is, “I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve heard that!”

     His muscles are extremely impressive. I never understood how people could get mauled by a single dog, then I saw him attack another dog, territorial dispute, and in two lunges the other dog was bleeding profusely and simply trying to get away. His jaws are so strong he literally crushes the interior of a golf ball without taking the skin off, all in one bite. I knew then to respect him and never treat him bad.

     With all that said, he is the most gentle dog I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. He can eat from a fork and his teeth will never touch the fork. When eating from your hand, he can sense your fingers, and if he touches one he immediately retracts until he knows you are ok. He has played with puppies and kittens and I have never heard a yelp from them even when playing rough. It’s as if he knows his size and strength and is very adept at knowing where his body is at all times.

     My best friends life is drawing to an end and it pains me greatly. I fear that his heart will outlast his body. Nothing is going to hurt me more than having to make that decision. I don’t know if I can.

 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30539063/?ocid=MSNToolbar130 / Catholic Bishop on Obama at Notre Dame

    I call you out. Understanding your position is easy and logical, but let me ask you one question after you read the facts below:

Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States

July 2008

INCIDENCE OF ABORTION

• Nearly half of pregnancies among American women are unintended, and four in 10 of these are terminated by abortion.[1] Twenty-two percent of all pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.[2]

• Forty percent of pregnancies among white women, 69% among blacks and 54% among Hispanics are unintended.

• In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed, down from 1.31 million in 2000. From 1973 through 2005, more than 45 million legal abortions occurred.[2]

• Each year, about two percent of women aged 15-44 have an abortion; 47% of them have had at least one previous abortion.[3]

• At least half of American women will experience an unintended pregnancy by age 45[4], and, at current rates, about one-third will have had an abortion.[5,6]

WHO HAS ABORTIONS?

• Fifty percent of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25: Women aged 20–24 obtain 33% of all abortions, and teenagers obtain 17%.[7]

• Thirty-seven percent of abortions occur to black women, 34% to non-Hispanic white women, 22% to Hispanic women and 8% to women of other races.**

• Forty-three percent of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 27% as Catholic.[3]

• Women who have never married obtain two-thirds of all abortions.[3]

• About 60% of abortions are obtained by women who have one or more children.[7]

• The abortion rate among women living below the federal poverty level ($9,570 for a single woman with no children) is more than four times that of women above 300% of the poverty level (44 vs. 10 abortions per 1,000 women). This is partly because the rate of unintended pregnancies among poor women (below 100% of poverty) is nearly four times that of women above 200% of poverty* (112 vs. 29 per 1,000 women[3,1]

• The reasons women give for having an abortion underscore their understanding of the responsibilities of parenthood and family life. Three-fourths of women cite concern for or responsibility to other individuals; three-fourths say they cannot afford a child; three-fourths say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependents; and half say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner.[8]

The AFCARS Report

How many children were in foster care on September 30, 2006? 510,000

How many children entered foster care during FY 2006? 303,000

How many children exited foster care during FY 2006? 289,000

    Can you do the math? We are already losing the battle in the foster care and adoption rings. If your stance was approved to make abortion illegal, we would be adding over 1,000,000 children to an already stressed system. Who is going to take care of all these unwanted children? You?

     Of course you would answer that question as a yes. That is until you consider the fact that all families would need to take in another child every 5 years until you die. By the time you hit 70 you will have had 10 children, not your own. You would still be working to support 4 of them. Family vacations would be a joke and you can completely forget about enjoying the golden years with your spouse.

     If you are one of those willing to make all these and more, sacrifices, I applaud you. Please introduce yourself though, because, to date, I have not seen a christian, or other human, that giving yet. Truth is, I doubt I ever will. It is easy to take a stance when you are not willing to follow through and be a part of the inevitable solution. It is hard to actually follow through.

     I believe all life is sacred. I don’t think unwanted animals should be euthanized, but if they were not, who would take care of them all. It is sad fact, but a fact nonetheless. I will not sit here and fight euthanization because it is necessary, just as abortion is necessary.

     We all have experienced the dreaded sleepless night when the next day is a work day. Upon waking, the only thought on our mind is, “I don’t want to go to work!” Then we begin a dialogue that traverses the entire morning until at the last minute, we decide, we are not going to work.

     I don’t want to go to work. I have to go to work. Work sucks and I don’t want to go. My boss will get mad at me if I don’t go. Who cares what he thinks, he’ll get over it. But if I don’t go in, the project won’t get done right or at all. Oh well, I’ll catch it up later. How much money will I lose if I take today off? Wow, that much, let me see if I can afford to take it off. No, but what the hell, live a little, right. No, you can’t be that irresponsible. Everyone else does it, why not me?…………………………………………………………On and on! I’m not going in!

     Now that that has been decided, what is my excuse? Sick, family emergency, dog chewed my tire off, hair is falling out, car won’t crank, cat peed on my clothes(all of them), I have Spring fever, I’m still drunk from last night, city is paving my street, I’m going into labor, my hair is green, my agoraphobia is kicking in,…………………………………On and on. Then you decide on the only rational excuse there is, I’m sick!

     Now all this stress actually makes you sick, so you spend the day lying around on the couch feeling guilty about calling in. This causes more stress and throughout the day, you continue to ask yourself, should I have just gone in. Now you are back to arguing with yourself again and getting more stressed out. The kicker is you can’t leave the house, because you called in sick and you can’t be seen in public in fear of being caught in a lie.

     Wouldn’t it have been easier just to go to work?

If you’re a fan of the award-winning reality series Animal Precinct, then you’ve already seen the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement’s Supervisory Special Investigator Annemarie Lucas in action. But did you know that you, too, can help crack down on animal cruelty in your own community? Read on for Officer Lucas’s take on making the world a safer place for animals:

1. Be aware. Without phone calls from the concerned citizens who report cruelty in their neighborhoods, we wouldn’t know about most instances of animal abuse. It all comes from the public, it all starts with YOU—that’s why it’s so important to keep your eyes and ears open. Get to know and look out for the animals in your neighborhood. By being aware, you’re more likely to notice, for example, that the dog next door who was once hefty has lost weight rapidly—a possible indicator of abuse.

2. Learn to recognize animal cruelty. Here are some signs and symptoms that we see in many of the cases we investigate:

• Tick or flea infestations. Such a condition, if left untreated by a veterinarian, can lead to an animal’s death.
• Wounds on the body.
• Patches of missing hair.
• Extremely thin, starving animals.
• Limping.
• An owner striking or otherwise physically abusing an animal.
• Dogs who are repeatedly left alone without food and water, often chained up in a yard.
• Dogs who have been hit by cars-or are showing any of the signs listed above-and have not been taken to a veterinarian.
• Dogs who are kept outside without shelter in extreme weather conditions.
• Animals who cower in fear or act aggressively when approached by their owners.

3. Know who to call to report animal cruelty. We’re lucky here at the ASPCA in New York City, because we have Humane Law Enforcement officers who have the power to investigate and arrest perpetrators of animal cruelty in the state of New York. But every state and even every town is different. In some areas, you may have to rely on the police department to investigate animal cruelty; in others, you may have to contact local animal control or another municipal agency. If you aren’t sure where to report cruelty visit our Report Animal Cruelty section.

4. Provide as much as information as possible when reporting animal cruelty. The details that you provide can go a long way toward assisting the investigating officer. It helps to write down the type of cruelty that you witnessed, who was involved, the date of the incident and where it took place.

5. Call or write your local law enforcement department and let them know that investigating animal cruelty should be a priority. Animal cruelty is a CRIME—and the police MUST investigate these crimes.

6. Know your state’s animal cruelty laws. These vary from state to state, and even from city to city. You can visit the ASPCA’s online database of more than 550 animal cruelty laws—and their penalties—in all 50 states.

7. Fight for the passage of strong anti-cruelty laws on federal, state and local levels by joining the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade. It’s frustrating when I have built a strong case against someone who has been arrested for cruelty to animals and the judge treats it like a simple violation. But with stronger laws, they’ll be more likely to receive tougher penalties. As an ASPCA Advocacy Brigade member, you’ll receive emails asking you to write letters encouraging your legislators to pass these laws-and you can send them directly from our website.

8. Set a good example for others. If you have pets, be sure to always show them the love and good care that they deserve. But it’s more than just food, water, and adequate shelter. If you think your animal is sick, bring him to the veterinarian. Be responsible and have your animals spayed or neutered. And I always give my own pets lots of hugs when I get home!

9. Talk to your kids about how to treat animals with kindness and respect. I regularly see children in homes where animal abuse has been reported. If a parent isn’t treating the family’s pets right, I tell kids that their dog or cat would really appreciate fresh water every day, or if they spent some time playing with them. If the animal has been left outside without shelter, I’ll say, ‘You have a nice house, and if you get cold, you can put a coat on. But your dog can’t do that. Don’t you think he’d like a nice warm place to go, too?’ I know of families who watch Animal Precinct together, and I think this can help children understand that animals are living creatures who have the ability to feel pain, joy and sadness. You can see these emotions on the faces of the animals on the show.

10. Support your local shelter or animal rescue organization. Before I even knew that police for animals existed, I was volunteering at an animal shelter. It’s a great way to make a difference. Some of our ASPCA volunteers foster animals who have been abused in their former homes, giving these dogs and cats the chance they deserve to have a good life. You can find a list of shelters and rescue groups in your area in our National Shelter Directory.

Credits for this post go to the ASPCA.org website. I simply copied and pasted the information. I hope we all find it useful.

Now this company has some ideas on energy. Love their innovation!