Who is a VIP?

November 11, 2008

We may not be a “small business” kind of town or a “self-made millionaire” town, but there are a select few here in Binghamton that are wealthy due to their booming family businesses. The question is when someone becomes wealthy, is that when they are able to be cocky?

I am a server. I have met some and waited on some VIP’s. That is what my coworkers call them. What makes them this? I suppose it is their name. But what names around here are considered VIP? Here are few: Gault, Mathews and Maines. Three big names we can all probably identify. However, just because they are successful in their own family made businesses, does that make them VIP’s? We here in Binghamton are the only ones who know them. This does not make them celebrities. I consider a VIP to be someone of importance. That is what VIP means: “very important person.”

Granted, I am thankful for what they do, I think it takes a very hard working person to become very successful, but using VIP to describe them, I wouldn’t do. I think the President of the U.S. is a VIP. The Maines brothers, not VIP.

How much success does one person have to have in order to become a VIP? If we are throwing this title around then I think there are a lot of people that deserve it such as: single mothers or fathers that work 24/7 just to survive or just Americans in general that live paycheck to paycheck.

A Church’s Generosity

November 10, 2008

“I promised them 1,000 coats.” That is what Pastor Brandon Samuel told his congregation two weeks before November 2, 2008. He was asked to join the Family Enrichment Network in gathering coats for the needy this winter. But when Pastor Samuel promised them that many, he hadn’t enlisted the help from his congregation yet.

However, when he brought it to their attention, the people were more than ready to donate. Many marked their calendars and circled the dates. Others sent out emails to friends and family, while one woman took it upon herself to really reach out.

Debra Vincent of Binghamton attended that Sunday that he announced the challenge. “I wasn’t looking for this many.” Her face gleaming from the amount of coats she donated. “Working at Gault is like working at home. Everyone is family there and so I thought it couldn’t hurt for a little support for coat donations.” And donate they did. Email after email was sent around Gault Toyota asking for a coat here and there. Calls were made from News Channel 34 looking for a story, while Debars work desk was covered with coats from small to large. When November 2 came along; Debra Vincent lugged her three full garbage bags of winter coats donated by her and her work family.

Coats line the foyer of Washington Streets First Assembly of God. Piled high to the ceiling, people kept packing in their used and unwanted winter covers. “It is more than we bargained for but, it will all help the people. There is more behind the door,” said a member of the church when we entered for a picture on November 9, 2008. “They are still bringing some. People are still bringing some.”

And although the church coat drive is done now, donations can still be dropped at the Family Enrichment Network by Dec. 15 to be delivered in time for the holidays. Items can be dropped off Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

What If You Are Wrong?

November 5, 2008
Recently, I wrote an article about being pro-life. It became quite a hit on pressconnects.com as an amateur article. The comments left on there were many for pro-life and many for pro-choice. There is no question as to who is right in my mind, then again everyone thinks that their opinion is right and cannot see over to the other side.

I guess that there is never really a clear-cut answer as to what is right or wrong… unless you ask a Christian is equipped with the manual that was provided for living a correct human life by God.

I cannot imagine now, my life without God. I know what I might be doing without Him and it might not be good. People who don’t have God in their lives, are no bad people… they are just considered “lost.” They might not know they are lost, but in God’s eyes, they are. Christianity is not about Bible pushing. It is about love, and knowing there is always someone you can turn to that is the Father.

After finding God, I looked at things different. I could see the wondrous things that He created, things that couldn’t be done by anything or anyone else.

I cannot save the world-not even close, but if I can touch just one person with the word of God, then who I am to deprive that person of a relationship that is greater than anything else in this world? I am not perfect, no one is. I have done my fair share of sins.

People ask me, “What if you are wrong, and there is no God?” Well then, I have nothing to lose believing in Him. But then what if I am not wrong and the non-Christians are wrong? Is that a risk you are willing to take? I may have nothing to lose- but if you are wrong, you may lose everything.

PRO-LIFE

November 3, 2008

I am PRO-LIFE! And because I am pro-life, I get asked, “Why?” (Everyone gets asked why they are for what they are.)

This is my opinion and this is why I vote the way I do for politicians. I do base my vote on more than just the life of a child, but this is my main point that I look for in our next president. The biggest question I get for being pro-life is: “What about rape victims? Don’t you believe they should be able to have an abortion if they are raped?”

And for a long time I really thought that the only reason I cannot be fully pro-life is because I did think that a rape victim should be able to have an abortion for a couple reasons: 1. they didn’t ask to have unprotected sex with that person and 2. They will not want the baby as a reminder of the rape. Until I realized, whether that victim has that abortion or not, that person has been raped. There will always be something that reminds them of the rape. Such as the place, the date, any person that walks by them could be the rapist or even just the mere memory of it is considered a haunting of the incident.

So no, I do not think anyone should have an abortion. I don’t think that aborting a baby is going to get rid of the victim’s pain of the rape. Either way, they were raped and that is not the baby’s fault. The baby didn’t ask to be conceived, the baby did not plan the rape and the baby should not be held accountable for it either.

The same goes for whether a baby should be aborted because the parents found out the baby will have a disability or be disfigured in any way. God made everyone the way he did for a reason. And it should not be our judgment as to who puts that baby’s life to an end. A person can do great things in our world no matter how normal they are or not. The babies of today are our leaders of tomorrow. http://www.catholicvote.com/

I believe in forgiveness. I believe God has forgiven all the people for their wrong doings when they asked. I believe that HE is who we will all ultimately answer to. But when it comes down to it, I don't only believe in sparing the life of a child because God tells us to, I believe we should not have abortions because it is immoral.
What if someone didn’t want their kids anymore after so many years, would it be okay to have them killed if it made the parents life better? How is that any different than abortion? Abortion is killing a CHILD that you do not want because he/she interferes with your life. And that is wrong. Last I checked, murder was against the law and abortion is murder. If you don’t know what abortion really is, go here and look at it. www.abortiontv.com.
No one NEEDS to have an abortion. There is no such thing as NEEDING one. People NEED oxygen, food, shelter, love, water... but abortion is a WANT not a NEED. And it is a WANT that comes with a high price of grieving.

Many believe that a baby is nothing more than an organ in a woman’s body until a certain numbered of weeks. For all those people, look at http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy-fetal-development-index. This shows all the stages of a baby’s life inside the mother’s womb.

There really is no reason for abortion. No one can give any excuse for killing a baby that is valid. People use abortion for all the wrong reason: 1. Used as a birth control 2. They are financially not ready 3. They are just that careless or 4. They are immature.

Do not be immature, do not be careless. Reality is, if you are pregnant, you have the responsibility to raise that child and if you cannot do that, you find an adopted family that can. When voting for our president, remember the lives that are at stake.

Driving is a Privilege and Privileges can be Taken Away

October 31, 2008

It is guaranteed that every day we can find some elderly people behind the wheel of a vehicle. The question is, should they be there?

It has come apparent that as we grow older we do three things like clockwork: 1. Shrink in size, 2. Drive slower and 3. Acquire a bigger vehicle. As it was for my grandfather too, it could take hours for an older person in their 80’s to get to point B from point A.

Some people we see driving can barely see over the steering wheel, and are moving at a pace of 5 mph in the slow lane on the highway. The next question is who allows these people to drive?

Prime example: earlier this year there was the elderly woman from Vestal who was going to the doctors and ended up missing. They eventually found her in Pennsylvania dead from an accident with the car. The family members had told the police that the woman had early Alzheimer’s.

So, no one thought that having this disease could possibly effect her driving? She wasn’t just “sick” she was elderly. Heck, sometimes I am headed to the grocery store and I forget where I am going too. AND I AM 23 YEARS OLD!

I think that everyone when they reach a certain age needs to go through a driving test every year. Then again, even drives young or old may have to be tested every year, because lately it seems that no one can drive or understand the rules of the road. Maybe we all think that once we get our license, it can not be taken away. News flash: driving is a privilege and privileges can be taken away.

Voting: It’s a Right as an American

October 27, 2008

She said what, he donated how much, and they support who? Being a young voter in the US can come with a high price, the chore of determining who is right for office.

Between the internet, television, radio and street ads, there is no limit to the amount of information we receive about ever position running for every position possible. We are responsible for making the decision as to who runs our county, city, state, and even the country. There is never a shortage of information and there is never a shortage of lies.

Lately the statement made by opposing positions about their running mates is: “She/He supports Bush.” We all may not like Bush, but when someone is in office, they make a choice, and supporting Bush may have been a good or bad choice.

How are we supposed to know who to vote for when she says he supported bush, and then in another ad he says she supported Bush?

In a recent online poll, the question was: Which celebrity endorsement for president would most likely influence your vote? Bono (Obama), Kelsey Grammer (McCain), Oprah (Obama), or Elisabeth Hasselbeck (McCain). While looking at the names and thinking which one I have more interest in, I began think. Why would any endorsement make me vote a certain way. Just because Oprah is backing Obama, does this mean I should vote for him? Even if I were the biggest Oprah fan on the face of the planet, I would not vote for Obama. What if I love Oprah so much, but she thinks abortion is okay, or we should support education but not help our economy the way it is needed. So in what sense, would any endorsement from any celebrity or “big name” could make my vote or your vote be influenced?

Don’t you think that our voting has come down to who likes who and who said what and he did this? It is childish. We should be looking at who stands for what, who is going to make a difference, and who we can trust to make the US better.

“That’s So…” KNOCK IT OFF!

October 18, 2008

We learn to not say things like “Shut Up” or “You’re Stupid” because the impact can be hurtful to others. We are also taught to no say “That’s so gay” or “You’re being retarded,” but when have we have listened to anyone? We always think we can say whatever we want if it doesn’t hurt us right? We have all heard that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words could never hurt me.” Words don’t hurt us until they are said to us.

Perhaps you have seen the FRIENDS episode where Monica’s feelings are hurt when her mother refers to all the bad things she does by saying “She’s pulling a Monica.” That is pretty much what we are saying when we refer to something bad, ugly, dumb or stupid as gay or retarded. We might as well put our own names in place of the hurtful words in order to get the point of how much words really do hurt.

Maybe if a celebrity like Hilary Duff or Wanda Sykes get involved, we will a learn to KNOCK IT OFF for the sake of others feelings. Wait, they are already getting involved. Check out their powerful ad campaigns against “THAT’S SO GAY” at http://thinkb4youspeak.com.

Possibly then, we can all learn to be a little nicer and accept people for the way they are. This is probably how we can help the world.