Atwater Vitki

For starters, a cup of tea, biscotti in the nice chair and a warm blanket....then we could discuss whatever the childhood trauma was that caused him/her to act in such a violent manner towards others.. ..oh wait....that's the Dr. Phil approach... ...getting back to reality..... Naturally this sort of violence in one's home is a bit out of the ordinary and calls for rather direct measures. If a person is unable, or unwilling to use combative force against the intruder, I would suggest doing everything the attacker demanded. In my case the garden gnome would be planted squarely up the intruders backside thus solving the immediate danger problem and the complicity implications as well! Violence is a terrible thing as I've said before and can have life changing effects on both perpetrator and defender...and not always for the good...even when in defense one's life or that of their loved ones. Violence should be the very last resort, short of surrender which is simply not an option....IMHO. If a person chooses to use violence, then they should also be prepared to suffer the immediate and long term physical and emotional consequences of their actions....which in many cases are not fully known until many years later. Blessings Be,

Congrats are in order for your upcoming wedding and new business venture Blades! I've answered your PM and I'm not aware of any 30 day waiting period to perform marriages. The person that told you may have been referring to making sure the Minister be in possession of credentials, not sure, but as long as the ULC has issued the officiant's license, all should be good. I've sent you further info regarding the quals etc. What is becoming clear here is that a growing number of the ULC family is actively supporting the cause of individual pets. How cool is that?!? Whether it's helping overworked, underpaid pet owners with financial stability, housing and care for feral, abandoned or stray animals or simply giving of one's time to the many, many needs of existing shelters and animal pounds the animals that are fortunate enough to come into those people's live are genuinely touched in a positive manner. I so agree Grateful, we can't save them all, but we can make a difference in the one's that walk along our individual paths! Blessings of Peace,

"For every runner, there are hurdles....you can make the choice to sit idly by and watch others run...or you can jump in the race!" (paraphrased-from the movie [don't have a clue the title] about the young girl becoming an Olympic runner- I only saw a very short piece of it) It's those that take the easy path that sit and watch. It is those with courage, fortitude, moxie and strength that make the decision to run with their experiences. Every heartbreak you mentioned on the various paths of each individual are valid whether spiritual, Divine, religious, atheist or ignorant. However, it's your choice whether you bring valid experiences or nothing back to The Collective Consciousness/"God" when your time is over here on this Earth.....and quite frankly, I'd be a bit embarrassed, actually fearful, offering nothing at the feet of the Creator! Somehow I think your exchange in "Challenge" with Scott might be explored a bit more. Perhaps that is what got you thinking along the lines here? Blessings of Peace, (Yep, Challenge is a link!)

Bro Devon I do believe that was the original opener for the "People's Court" with Judge Wapner..... but then, as I write that a big "hmmmm" comes into play as I also recall and old B&W TV show “The Verdict Is Yours” - I don't recall the judge. The very first version of People's Court, prior to Wapner's was “People’s Court of Small Claims” with I think it was Judge Oren Evans, like 1958-60 somewhere around there. However, as this little trip winds its way down Memory Lane....wasn't the scene you described the opener for "Marcus Welby, MD"? 55+ years of having that scramble box in my face has left its impressions, some good, some not so good....but yeah that scene of "going to work" and "Be good to one another" (which is now very similarly repeated by Ellen Degeneres) does ring a bell...and it's a line worthy of any good person's endeavors. Hopefully someone with a better memory than mine will lead us on the right path as I've now spent a couple hours scouring the web for that trailer to no avail....and I've got important stuff to do today...like polish my crystal ball, saddle soap my wizards' hat and feed the cats.....again... Blessings Be,

Kay and I have been discussing this a lot lately...off and on over the last couple of weeks actually...and is why I haven't responded until now. We battled the decision to do an "intervention" for several months prior to this past event with "Bucky". Only a few, very few, times have we ever stuck our nose into someone else's rearing and keeping of their pets. We've often seen conditions that were marginal or at minimum 'not the way we'd do it', but as long as the animal(s) was not in any real danger or health risk...So Be It. Even one or two pets is a lot of responsibility in both time and monetary expense. In the senior development where we live there are numerous pet owners and the rising costs of veterinarian care (especially spay/neuter) is frequently the topic of discussion at our monthly meetings. Most of the folks keep small dogs but there is a good number of kitty lovers and even a few friends of the aviary and reptile types. I've mentioned a number of times the feral cat problem here and after 5 years of diligent work we're finally down to a manageable number....3 more were finally caught by Animal Control just this passed week. Like the woman you spoke of Grateful, they simply do not realize what they are in for. A busy gal like that is going to quickly tire of the responsibilities of walking that pup...young...adult doggy and unless she is willing to give it undivided attention during the training months....well ya know... and you had every right to talk to her the way you did. Spay, Neuter, Educate is a responsibility every pet owner should take on especially for the pet's sake. I've seen far too many dogs chained to a lean-to out back of houses after the puppy wears off and far too many kitties left to fend for themselves out of the backyards of people thinking a kitten would be a wonderful gift for "Susie" or "Bobby". It seems as if kids these days don't want anything they can't just change the batteries in every now and then....beyond that it's simply too much 'trouble'. I'm not sure what is worse, responsible pet owners that try to educate the people they meet in Life...or those that need the lesson because they just didn't think about the responsibilities of pet ownership! Some people may say we're sticking our nose in where it doesn't belong, but I'd rather get the 'nosy neighbor' label for helping out when the problem is small than the 'doesn't care' badge for a neglected pet any day! Blessings of Peace,

(In my very best Zoidberg voice:) A WHOLE Hamilton? Two Lincolns or ten Washingtons? A hundred shiny Eisenhowers? A thousand copper Lincolns, two hundred bright Jeffersons, forty glimmering Georges?.........more lavish?......my mind wanders at the wonder!! But on a serious ♪.... The argument always comes around to "we can not grasp the mind of "God"....unless of course we're condemning mankind and telling others what to do or how to act. Then it seems it's open range on every target of every type concerning our human nature....proof is just a short distance above.... Blessings Be,

Posts #77-83...I want you all to know, through this exchange above, that you have shown me something in a very real sense that I have only intellectually pondered before....Thank You! It is very clear, crystal clear, that there is a very strong divide between those that believe the messages of the ancient prophets and those that simply adhere to the doctrines of whatever religion they follow. Fawzo, the example you gave of the fellow you work with and forgiveness....I hope that is understood by others how I'm pretty sure you meant it. It explains the meaning of forgiveness as well as any other true definition I have ever heard or read. And ya know? The warning was given long ago about those that called on the Son's name. Honestly, I believe more was said in your one sentence.... "Love (God?) forgives without repentance or in some cases even remorse."....than in the total of the other half dozen posts. Yep, there's a lot of "evil" in mankind and the world, but if just a few get it about what that one sentence means...well Fawzo, I do believe ya ought to be up for Sainthood!! Blessings of Peace,

That one Thursday afternoon way back when, when for a single moment the whole world was at Peace!

I personally have rather split views on this idea of cannibalism. However my personal beliefs and preferences have a lot to do with my cultural and religious upbringing and the Scandinavian cuisine I was raised with....just like everyone else and what they are use to and find palatable. I know people who would probably rather eat human flesh than sil, ko tunga, jëtost or lox öch lingon-ber*....so So Be It....leaves more for me! If we, as the ULC, were to have a congregation of ritualistic cannibals join our ranks (and we just may have somewhere in this world) then I would say they have as much right to be a part of our organization as anyone else. We have several people here on this forum who firmly and adamantly believe their Beliefs are the only proper beliefs and routinely attempt to prove their correctness based on those Beliefs....it honestly doesn't make them Right...but vigorously expresses their conviction to their religious thinking. The bottom line for me is that anyone is free to express and share their religious views in any manner except telling others theirs is wrong. The ancient idea that eating the flesh of fallen warriors bestows upon the consumer special or enhanced powers crosses many societal boundaries....but unfortunately all of those warring cultures that did so are now long gone to history. I surmise this leaves a bit to be desired as for the supposed benefit of cannibalizing. Even to go as far as people leaving their remains to others to be consumed, it should be a personal right and choice. Every person responding above that thinks cannibalism should be allowed within the ULC ranks should also be accepting of all other aspects of people's beliefs....and yes, I agree Bro Kaman, there's a lot of talk about that yet posts seem to differ greatly when compared to actual mileage! Blessings of Peace, *(pickled herring), (cow tongue), (goat cheese), (raw salmon and lingonberry)