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health (8)

Removing Incompetent Incumbents

I'm a member of the Independence Caucus (http://icaucus.ning.com).We are an organization whose primary mission is to replace our compromised,fiscally irresponsible incumbents with good men and women who share our principles and values.Every conservative group shares that same goal and we have something tooffer the other groups that they cannot do for themselves or their members.We truly are the last-mile solution to get the job done. At IndependenceCaucus, we have five golden keys to help us accomplish this.1) Independence Caucus has a well defined candidate vetting processwhich includes a set of 80 principle-based vetting questions, which we poseto all potential candidates for office. We believe that this is a jobinterview, and that the primary reason we have so many people in office whohave not represented us well in the past is because we have not vetted themproperly. The Independence Caucus members and partners for each area(comprised of people who are in that particular candidate's votingdistrict), must agree with at least a 70% majority, that the candidate isthe right person to back before Independence Caucus will endorse thatcandidate.2) We conduct specific research on incumbents to show the link to theirvoting records & earmarks, and which big money special interest groups havedonated to their campaigns and how much they've donated (it's a whole lotmore than the media reports). We use that research to give our endorsedcandidates an advantage in campaigning against that incumbent.3) Our founders understand that "all politics is local" and they have astrong knowledge of how politics works down to a precinct level andunderstand what is needed to win campaigns. Their first win was JasonChaffetz from Utah's third Congressional district. Chaffetz is theCongressman who sleeps on his cot in his Washington office to save the taxpayers money. Frank Anderson and Monte Bateman, the co-founders ofIndependence Caucus helped Chaffetz beat an incumbent Congressman whilebeing outspent by 6:1.4) We've identified 26 specific functional positions within a campaignthat are needed in order to win and beat compromised incumbents who areowned by the big money special interest groups.5) Finally, the Independence Caucus currently has programmersdeveloping a powerful political social networking tool, which connectscandidates to enthusiastic and motivated volunteers for their campaigns.This social networking tool contains all the tools a candidate needs tomanage his/her campaign, as well as the tools and training volunteers needto be most effective in working for their chosen candidate.We would like to partner with any and all groups as well as individuals whoshare our goals and would like to participate with us to use the tools weprovide. Are you interested?Thanks,Darrel
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Important Health Information- Water or Coke?When you are thirsty which beverage will you choose Water or Coke?This information about water is so important I have to share it with you.WATER#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.(Likely applies to half the world population)#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weakthat it is mistaken for hunger.#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as 3%.#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangsfor almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University ofWashington study.#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses ofwater a day could significantly ease back and joint painfor up to 80% of sufferers.#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-termmemory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing onthe computer screen or on a printed page.#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk ofcolon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breastcancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to developbladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of wateryou should drink every day?Coke#1. In many states the highway patrol carriestwo gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood fromthe highway after a car accident.#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Cokeand it will be gone in two days.#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into thetoilet bowl and let the ‘real thing’ sit for one hour,then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removesstains from vitreous china.#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers:Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of ReynoldsWrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Poura can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubbleaway the corrosion.#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Colato the rusted bolt for several minutes.#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola intothe baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake.Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mixwith the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.#8… To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Cokeinto the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and runthrough a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosengrease stains. It will also clean road haze from yourwindshield.FOR YOUR INFORMATION:#1 the active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoricacid also leaches calcium from bones and is a majorcontributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) thecommercial trucks must use a hazardous Material placecards reserved for highly corrosive materials.#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to cleanengines of the trucks for about 20 years!Now the question is, would you like a glass of water?or Coke?
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Jenny Thompson Director of "The Health Science Institute" Talks About the Gardasil VaccineFrankly I thought this would be the best way to get this information out to you so I'm sending it via this blog. Please take a moment to watch the U Tube video., and pass it along.32 Girls Have Died11,916 adverse events already reported to the CDC… and counting.Pain and swelling. Life-threatening muscle weakness. Blood clots in the heart and lungs.And the deaths of 32 innocent girls and young women.You might think I'm talking about a deadly new disease or a global epidemic…I'm not.Sadly, it's more sinister than that. The health threats listed above have all been linked with Gardasil, the so-called "cervical cancer vaccine." And thanks to Pharma giant Merck, desperate parents and naive young women believe this vaccine saves lives… they couldn't be more wrong.That's why HSI's Jenny Thompson has released a new video in which she exposes the deception for what it is…and reveals some truly shocking information no one else is talking about.And you are the very first to see it.Please, if you have daughters, granddaughters or friends who might be considering this terrible vaccine, you must watch this video. And please forward it to anyone you think would benefit from the vital information it contains.If you think you know the whole story on Gardasil, I think you'll be shocked by what you're about to see.Just click here to start .It's just a few minutes long…and those few minutes might just save a young girl's life.
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If you have not listened to this, you are missing a BIG change in OUR history....The possibilities are endless....Anyone and everyone needs to see and hear this message.....This will make some major changes here in the USA and will travel across the planet.This is a huge beginning......Thank You All for all the support that you have given in this endeavor....BlessingsCHECK IT OUT! It’s really great to see forward thinking, integrative MDs getting heard in the Senate.http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2009_02_26/2009_02_26.html
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Maximizing Brain Function

Are you questioning your brain function? Is that because you are 50 something, and you are noticing a change?Young people may be experiencing some of the same issues. The importance of nutrition for the best brain, and body function is crucial to healthy aging. School age children may be sent off to school with a bowl of sugared cereal and a kiss goodbye. Baby boomers, we are not out of this picture, you may have the same bad eating habits, this is alarming, and I will tell you why.The brain is an amazing organ, our brain cells continue to die and are not replaced. Our memory on the other hand last our lifetime. We have billions of brain cells called neurons, did you know that our brains can hold more information in it than all the books in our libraries?Our brains produce hundreds of chemicals called neurotransmitters that affect our lives in so many ways; our attitudes, they can act as a pain killer, an attitude adjuster, and they can suppress our appetites naturally. How this works is that these neurotransmitters are made of up nutrients that allow information to pass to different circuits in an organized manner. Our bodies are intricate, they function their best when we give them the proper nutrients to work with. Neurotransmitters are made up of nutrients, that is why I concentrate so much of my energy on educating about the importance of nutrition. If we don’t get proper nutrients into our bodies on a daily basis trouble will arise.What happens when we go day in and day out without the proper nutrients that our bodies need to function at their peek?To reiterate, neurotransmitters are chemicals that the brain manufactures. Disorders that people are stricken with are caused by nutritional deficiencies. To name of few; fatigue, weight gain, moodiness, irritability, insomnia, anxiety, depression, memory loss, loss of appetite, headaches, hair loss, impaired wound healing, arthritis, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, heart disease, acne, and growth impairment.We’ve all heard about antioxidants and their importance. I cannot stress this enough, we need XL amounts of antioxidants on a daily basis. Just walking down the street you are bombarded perhaps by a gardener using round up on weeds, this gets in the air, how about all the exhaust coming from our cars, must I go on? These “free radicals” form in the bloodstream as toxins and contribute to impaired brain function. This garbage can damage and kill neurons.Antioxidants kill free radicals and protect our bodies from oxidation. Like that apple that is cut in half and it sits on the counter, and gets browner by the minute, it is deteriorating. That is what happens to our cells if we do not get them the proper protection that they need.A diet that is full of nutritional value will improve both brain and body function. A diet rich in nutrients should include whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, millet, fresh fatty fish (not farmed fish), lean meat, turkey and chicken, brown rice, green tea, dark green leafy vegetables, and all the other veggies that are dark with color, plus fresh fruit, and if possible make these choices organic.Contributing to a diet rich in fresh whole foods are supplements, I prefer liquid supplements, the go to work the minute they touch your tongue.Adding to this abundant diet of fresh whole foods, is exercise. I encourage walking, running, hiking, biking and strength training. There are so many activities that we can do to promote healthy aging, these are just a few of my favorites.Last but not least keep yourself in a healthy environment that promotes stimulation, so you avoid boredom, and depression.
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Longevity

"Longevity:Although the findings seem obvious, the specialists hope that by showing the long-term results of healthy living, people will see that lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of dying from diseases such as heart disease and cancer.The findings suggest that the combination of lifestyle factors has a substantially larger impact on survival than any single factor.It is important for women and men to understand the amount of control we have over our health. You are not a victim. You don’t age, go through mid-life, become a sick old man or woman, and then die. That’s not how it has to work. We have to understand that aging doesn’t have to be associated with illness.Here’s a motto for 2009 “make yourself your number one priority every single day“One lifestyle change is healthy eating.Check out the New Anti inflammatory Food Pyramid…….by Dr. Andrew Weil.http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02995/Dr-Weil-Anti-Inflammatory-Food-Pyramid.htmlNext get plenty of exercise: 30 minutes on most days, make sure you break a sweat. Strength training 2 to 3 times a week.Stay stress free, pay attention to what you are feeding your mind. What you feed your mind on will affect your body one way or another. Stay positive, look at the glass 1/2 full not 1/2 empty.Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston ChurchillDrink plenty of liquids, 8-10 glasses of water each day, which should include 3-5 cups of green tea.These suggestions are very simple to follow. There are no extremes here.Following these suggestions can add years to your life.Say you are well, or all is well with you,And God shall hear your words and make them true.~Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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On Alcohol - Part II

Dear Way Corps,Let me start this by pointing out some things that should be self-evident. We are all born with a different genetic foundation. Our genes give us our skin, eye and hair color. They give us our frame and our build. They have something to do with our intelligence and emotional balance and character. There is in fact very little they do not give us. Sometimes what we inherit seems to be unfair. Included in the list of “unfair” is a predisposition to different types of addictions. Geneticists have been looking for years now for markers that show we are prone to becoming alcoholic. Several years ago I spoke to a researcher at Yale University working on just such a project. She said they had found well over 20 such markers in human DNA. That my friend is a lot!Where did all of the genetic baggage we carry come from? Did it come when “sin entered in”? Did it have something to do with the drunkenness of Noah? Was it a simple mutation or was it somehow picked up or spliced in from another species? I have no idea; I leave that to the X-Files.Now, what is the difference between an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic? The difference is that one can stop while the other can’t, but why? Well, first you have to realize that alcohol is both a stimulant and a depressant. When you take a drink or two you get stimulated. You may feel a lift and your mind may suddenly break through the day’s lethargy and begin buzzing with a sense of well being, ablaze with profound thoughts. As you keep drinking and the liver begins breaking down the alcohol into sugar, you may begin to feel a little down, a little tired. If you are a “normal” drinker you do the natural thing, and that is you stop drinking. Yet there are those who have never had a “normal” drink in their lives. They drink to get high, and then they drink to pass out or black out. And when you ask them the next morning how much they drank the honest reply should be “all of it.”Let me describe this in a way I have heard medical experts describe it. But let me qualify this by saying I am not a Doctor, nor a medical expert. The information I am sharing though is not hard to find if you want to delve into it further. Here goes…We all have what some refer to as a “lizard brain,” or a limbic system. That is the where all the basic motives and emotions of survival are transposed into thoughts, feelings and actions like fight or flight and sexual urges. It is the pleasure center of the brain. The brain uses dopamine to regulate our sense of wellbeing. It is a natural compound that God created to help us get through the day without savaging each other. Now there should be in your brain a base line or level of naturally secreted dopamine. What happens with drugs and alcohol is that they create a chemical surge that nothing natural can. They spike up your dopamine level unnaturally and then when you come down lizard brain tries to reestablish the dopamine base line. Usually it does. However, when you keep repeating this behavior you will force havoc upon your limbic system. You are tampering with your dopamine base line, your ability to feel good about life and self. Like a trampoline, up you go and down you come, up you go and down you come, up you go and down you come, up you go and down, huh… oops… the springs give out, you drop through your base line, your floor of wellbeing, your dopamine level has given way. Ever wonder why people feel so bad when they are coming down off of a high? It is not just the poison they have ingested; it is the lack of dopamine. Your brain now must work overtime to restore the base line. THIS IS WHERE ADDICTION STARTS. Yes, did you hear me? THIS IS WHERE ADDICTION STARTS. Now you know.I have explained it to my children like this, "The greater your genetic predisposition is to alcoholism the less likely it is you will ever have a normal drink”. Again, the “normal” drink is the one drink you take and then you take no more. You voluntarily stop.If you drink or use, you may find yourself having a compulsion towards doing it again and again. When compulsion turns into a craving you have crossed the line into addiction. And hey stupid, good luck coming back!!!Say you do come back and you quit. It will now take your brain anywhere from two months to three years to feel normal. Most people think this is depression. It is not depression, it is dysphoria. Dysphoria has several meanings, but in this context is an adjustment disorder that feels like depression brought on by a chemical imbalance to the brain.Now your mind will tell you to DO SOMETHING about this terrible state of being. And that is why people frequently relapse. They are overwhelmed because the limbic system is stronger than the rational mind. It is saying “feed me, feed lizard brain, feed your head, feed me and feel good!” So now what do you do? Well, you can exercise. Exercise releases dopamine naturally. Or you can realize that the craving, like a storm, will pass and you can white knuckle it. Another thing you can do it talk to somebody about it. Hey, doesn’t the Bible say something about confessing our faults one to another? Isn’t that like talking about our problems? The funny thing is when we do that, when we verbalize what is eating away at us, it loses its power over us. Really.If addiction runs in your family, stay away from the drugs, the pills and the booze. The only sure fired remedy is abstinence. You heard me, abstinence!“You mean… I… can never… drink again?!?”Well, I might simply say “Yes,” but I am apt to add, “if you want to live, or live without destroying yourself or someone else you should never drink again.”“Uh, that is so unfair, so unimaginable!”“Is it now? What a deep handicap, what a great deprivation, what traumatic loss. Could it be that alcohol in your life is a god, an idol, something you put between you and others, something you put between you and your Lord? Could it be you spend an unusually large amount of time thinking about getting it, thinking about using it, thinking about hiding it?” Now, we are talking!See, part of the problem is that some people in The Way taught that true deliverance would come when the alcoholic would able to drink again. I think that is probably one of the most destructive lines of spiritualized drool I have ever heard. If your daughter was deathly allergic to peanut butter, would you keep sending her to school with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Is that how you would “cure” her? “Just woof that down dear one with a little milk and be sure to believe.” Tell that to the ER Doctor when she has suffocated on a bloated tongue and throat!Alcohol is an allergy too. By allergy, I mean that one’s body cannot process it the way most people’s bodies do. So why shame someone over their problem when they are trapped unwittingly? But that is what we have done. We have shamed people into thinking they are defective, broken, damaged, less-than-zero. Shame says “I am a bad person,” which is very different from guilt which says, “I have done something bad.” There is no shame in being an alcoholic or addict. There may be guilt, but no shame. And God forgives all, so hopefully everyone can get past the guilt as well.So next time someone tells you legalizing pot is a good idea because after all, “What is wrong with something that lifts you out of depression?” Just remind him or her that, “in the long run it puts you deeper into a depression that becomes a living hell to get out of.” It is another one of Satan’s unending lies of happiness. As long as you're not hurting anybody, right? Remember, drinking or using is all about loss and we will look at the cost of it in real measurable terms later. But for now may I would like to leave you with this:“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”(Philippians 4:8)Respectfully Yours,Steven C. BudlongRidgefield, CT 06877Copyright 2008 Sojourner Media, LLC
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On ALCOHOL - Part I

Dear Way Corps,In 1982, my wife and I were living at The Way International, in New Knoxville, Ohio. It was our interim year in The Way Corps and I had the privilege of producing the 40th Anniversary Film. It was supposed to be a 20-minute documentary but it spun out of control and into a 64 minute mini-feature entitled “The Teacher.” It is not my best work but it was an amazing experience and I was honored to do it. It is also an important record of the event.During that time I became acquainted with a man from Van Wert, Ohio, who had been part of Dr. Wierwille’s ministry at the beginning. That beginning was the first “The Youth Caravan Hour” radio broadcast in 1942. I heard a number of those broadcasts from The Way’s archives. The program was a blend of inspired teaching, praise and worship and for its time and means it was remarkably well done. As my new friend told me story after story of his days with V.P. (as in “V”ictor “P”aul Wierwille) I wondered about the obvious disconnect. I wondered why he left the ministry “oh so many years ago”. Clearly it was not over doctrine.One evening I asked Dorothy Owens about his departure and without hesitation she shot me a look I will never forget. I swear I was looking right into the crazed eyes of Carrie Nation; head of the pre-prohibition temperance movement Out of her mouth came one word, a thunderclap loud and crisp, “Alcohol!” That is all she said and she said it all. You may well remember Dr. Wierwille telling us, “alcohol has ruined more men’s ministries than anything I know.” And with that I agree.I have been working on a film for Caron Treatment Centers, which is one of the most progressive organizations on addiction in the country. The man who founded it was Richard Caron, an alcoholic, who found his way to Hazelton, got sober through the principles of AA, nutrition and good therapy and started what were known then as the Chit Chat Farms in Pennsylvania. He was an amazing Christian and I visited his grave out of respect for his work. His tombstone says:Richard J. CaronFounder of Chit Chat FarmsSeptember 23, 1914 – January 8, 1975Who Reached Out His Hand“The glory of life is to love, not to be loved.To give, not to get. To serve, not to be served.To be a strong hand in the dark to another in the time of need.To be a cup of strength to any soul in a crisis of weakness.This is to know the glory of life.This is how he lived.”His is one of the most profound burial markers I have ever seen. It led me to weep when I first read it. What it said to me is that life, love and freedom are all about service. I thank Father God for giving us Richard Caron.In my life, my work and my ministry I have come to know a great deal about addiction. I thought this would be a good place to share what I know, because in The Way we often overlooked drunkenness as harmless fun. And in excusing it we let a lot of our brethren slip into addiction. Let me explain.By the time I was in tenth grade I was on a pretty steep slope of self-destruction. I was living and chasing the false illusions of the sixties’ counter-culture that espoused dubious philosophies like “turn on, tune in and drop out.” For some it was a time of searching and for others it was an excuse to party, act up and act out. I was genuinely on a quest. I looked for meaning in just about everything, including sex, drugs and rock and roll. Through a maze of rather remarkable events I finally accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. But, at the age of 16, I wasn’t quite ready to retire from the party scene. In fact, I took my whole Christian fellowship partying with me each and every weekend until one day I was spiritually and scripturally confronted by someone I highly regarded. He called me one morning, a Sunday morning about seven, when I had just gone to bed, and he challenged my behavior and put my nose in the Book. I realized that “pharmakia” (Greek for drug use and translated as sorcery) was not God’s intent for man, and was in fact, sin!I stopped the drug use and didn’t look back. I really loved being born again. I loved the ministry, the people, the natural high of the fellowship and my freedom in Christ. And you know what? We drank! We drank a lot. Sometimes we drank a lot, a lot. We went to bars to "witness". Well, what do you really do in bars? We drank and smoked and engaged in foolish conversation. I do not remember ever winning anyone to the Lord Jesus Christ in a bar. Isn’t that strange???See, nobody told me there was anything wrong with alcohol. In fact, from what I could see, alcohol was good! Why??? Because Paul had encouraged Timothy to "take a little wine for thy stomach’s sake", right? Yup, you see “its in the Bible”. So, as logic goes, we should all take heed to this great spiritual lesson, actualizing and harnessing the truth of it, so that if a little is good, a lot must be great, right?Well, there are other things in the Bible too, but most of us glossed over those word studies. For instance:"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Proverbs 20:1"Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness..." Romans 13:13"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18I also recommend reading Proverbs 23:29-33.Now, many Christians perceive alcoholics to be nothing more than morally weak people who choose to drink to excess, to get high, to get wasted, to pass out or black out. They are weak willed, selfish people, caring only about themselves. They endanger themselves, their families and complete strangers. They are drunks who could stop it if they wanted to, if they really wanted to, but they don't. They don't because they are weak, weak, weak. I use to think that, did you?After all, why do we (mankind) get high? Because WE WANT TO, that is why. We chase things, we lust, we desire to have and then we kill to have even more (“yes, its to die for, darling!”). We bounce from one emotion to another, from one state of consciousness to another, from one feeling to another and we do it for a lot of really good reasons. You know them. They have to do with f e e l I n g s. We (mankind) drink to have a good time. We yuck it up and f e e l better about ourselves. We blot out emotional pain, stress and those really uncomfortable thoughts. We drink our courage to erase our memories and inhibitions. We drink and we f e e l comfortable in our own skins, we f e e l like somebody. Sometimes we drink to mask pain or to become (in the words of Pink Floyd) comfortably numb. Sometimes we drink to hide. We hide from ourselves, from others and from our responsibilities. Like the ostrich with its head in the sand we are not here, not now, not tomorrow. “Tommy Can You Hear Me?”My definition of the alcoholic came from the culture of The Way, not the Bible or Science. I picked up my beliefs from the attitudes, words and actions of others. And I believed that alcoholics were simply sinners who could not control their own lusts."Well", you say, “there might be something to that?” And I will answer you and say “there is, but there is really a whole lot more.” And if you don’t try and understand the “more” you will never understand the process of addiction that turns your child, your partner, your friend or yourself into the addict.I can go on and on, but I think I will spread this out over the next four or five blogs. If there is a question you would like me to answer please e-mail me at stevenbudlong@earthlink.net and I will try and work it in. And I will end this particular blog with the end of the Bible... some good thoughts for this dark, dark day!“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Revelation 22:20, 21Respectfully Yours,Steven C. BudlongRidgefield, CT 06877Copyright 2008 Sojourner Media, LLC
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