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Life Isn’t Fair: So Grow Up!

Allen Frederick 3 Comments

 

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways. 1 Corinthians 13:11

 

Really is that so? Are we behaving like adults or more like a child? Why are so many lamenting that life just isn’t fair? Isn’t that a bit childish?

 

English: An unfair administrator barnstarI got news for you friends life isn’t fair, and anyone who is honest will attest to the number of times they felt that they were being cheated or denied something they thought they deserved. A promotion, a job offer, a word of appreciation, an award, a gift, fame, fortune, opportunity, or any number of life’s perceived blessings. Yes it is just not fair.

 

No life isn’t fair but neither is death since death plays no favorites, does not reward nobility nor recognize wealth or fortunes. Death does not over-look ones standing nor spare the well-connected.

 

Nope my friends, death comes to us all, some sooner than later, but death is the end of life, and it does not play fair. The wicked and the saint each are buried side-by-side. Not fair but that is the way it is. And since neither life not death is fair why do we so often cry aloud like a child: “its not fair?”

 

Annie Glasel, today’s quest author, addresses this idea of fairness in her article titled: “God is Not Fair.” Enjoy!

 

God is not fair, no He’s not. He’s righteous and loving. He’s compassionate and merciful. He’s just and wise. He’s miraculous and trustworthy. God is not fair because if He was, we’d all be condemned.

Fairness implies standards. Fairness assumes morality. Fairness demands a measurement. Unfortunately, when a human speaks of “fairness,” it always means that he or she is using a standard, a morality system and a measurement that befits his or her ideals. Sadly, humanity is flawed. It is likely that any system we devise would also be flawed.

It seems rather comical to hear people talk about what’s fair. My 5 year-old’s concept of fairness is very simple if he gets what he wants, then it is fair. All else is not. Politicians with more years of public debate essentially are like my 5-year-old; they just have better vocabularies and are better rehearsed in their deliveries of eloquent, persuasive speeches that make simple issues sound more complicated. But the concept is the same.

This brings me to the recent revelation I had about 1 Corinthians 13 passage the part that reads “when I was a child” It seems that my prayer times are filled with childish complaints of unfairness, much like my 5 year olds.

I tell Him how unfair it was that “I should have to work when my other girlfriends are ‘enjoying’ full time motherhood.” I complained how unfair it was that “I am stuck with a car that I despise.” I complained how unfair that I should have a job that did not pay enough. I complained how unfair it was that I should have to live across the country from my family. I complained how unfair it was that I have been faithfully tithing but that I am not experiencing immeasurable wealth.

Of course, I do temper this with, “yes Lord, my life is not as bad as those struggling with loss of jobs, loved ones, divorce, financial ruins, betrayal, torture and diseases but nonetheless, I am miserable because you are not fair to me.” (Or more accurately, not giving me what I want, the things that I think will make me happier).

I think at this point, if God were fair, He would start to take away all those things that I take for granted and consider not good enough. And perhaps start to give me the things I deserve. (Um…I don’t really want to go down that road!)

Closer study of the Bible reveals that God does not give us what we want or what we deserve. Instead, He gives us peace, wisdom and grace. He gives us the desires of our heart. Which I had always thought meant He gives us the stuff/things/people/events/circumstances that our hearts desire. Actually, I think it means that He puts new desires in our hearts, His desires (which are better than our desires that tantamount to lusts of life). After all, His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher. I think He exchanges our childish desires for Godly desires.

In doing so, we would stop speaking childish things and start to speak in the language of love. We would be following the instructions to pray ceaselessly and bring all of our supplication with thanksgiving. That sounds like the perfect antidote to turn complaining time back to prayer time.

So, I thank you God that I have a job, a home, a loving husband and child who greet me every day after work. I thank you that I have a car with air conditioning. I thank you that my pay meets all of my needs after tithe and still have left over to not have to cook every night. I thank you that I have families and they are healthy, alive and well. I thank you that I live in an age where I can call them by phone or video phone (while riding in my car). And that it only takes a plane ride to see them. And I thank you Lord that you don’t give me more money than I can manage properly.

And most of all, I thank you God for not being fair and not giving me what I deserve. I thank you for giving me the immeasurable wealth I don’t deserve in Christ Jesus, including but not limited to salvation, kindness, mercy, justice, forgiveness, love, miracles, wisdom, grace, the power of His name and the ever-present Holy Spirit.

I’ve written to ease my pain; I’ve written to hear my voice; I’ve written for vanity; I’ve written for sanity; I’ve written for fun; I’ve written for laughs; I’ve written for me; I’ve written for money. But until I write for God, this talent is for naught.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com–CHRISTIAN WRITER–MAKE A WEBSITE

 

Thank you Annie for your thoughtful words. No life is not fair it cost an innocent man his life to save the guilty from death. The good news is everyone can be treated fairly who call upon the name of the Lord because he will save them from the unfairness of this life and keep them from the death that is to come in the life here-after.

 

No He does not promise you a bed full of roses, nor does he promise that life will treat you right, in fact he says the world will hate you because the world hated him first. But in the end that is when you will receive your reward, the gift of eternal life with Christ.

 

Some may not think that is such a grand thing since they are looking for rewards in the here and now. Well my friends get used to it. Life is just not fair!

 

And that is the way I see it. What say you?

 

This has been A View from the Nest. The statements, comments, or opinions expressed are solely that of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of the host of this site or any affiliates thereof. Any questions or comments should be directed to myself and not to the host or hosts of this site.

 

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The Living and Breathing Constitution May Have Taken Its Last Breath

Allen Frederick 4 Comments

And the Lord said to Moses, Make two other stones like the first two; and I will put on them the words which were on the first stones, which were broken by you. Exodus 34:1 (BBE)

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. Exodus 18:13 (NIV)

Throughout the Supreme CourtEnglish: West face of the United States Suprem... building are several depictions of Moses and the ten commandments upon which the foundations of our law were laid. Including one directly above the chief justice’s head, in the center of the 40-foot-long Spanish marble carving, is a tablet displaying Roman numerals I through X, with some numbers partially hidden. Today, just like in times past, the supreme law of the land had been smashed to bits by a judge.

The young nation of Israel had problems with rebelling against God’s commandments. They instead chose to be like the other nations around them instead of remaining separate and devoted to God. When Moses had led Israel out of Egyptian bondage he was instructed by God to climb to the top of Mount Sinai to receive instructions for the people. While he was a long time upon the mountain the people grew restless and decided that they were not going to wait for Moses to return with the instructions from God but would instead set about to do things their own way. The people grew rowdy and asked Aaron to make them a new god, and they took their gold jewelry and melted it down and fashioned an idol in the shape of an ox. The people said this is the god who brought us up out of Egypt.

And he took the gold from them and, hammering it with an instrument, he made it into the metal image of a young ox: and they said, This is your god, O Israel, who took you out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 32:4 (BBE)

Isn’t it interesting how history repeats itself? Although it was God who gave Israel the victory over the Egyptians they gave honor to their gold instead. Although our ancestors honored God for victory over the Crown, we, the later generation, have forgotten exactly how we got here and instead of honoring God with our wealth and possessions, we pass them along to the government and watch as it is melted down and fashioned into bull. We worship and honor our wealth and prosperity and not the God of that prosperity.

This week perhaps the last death knell has been driven into the heart of our Constitution, the supreme law of the land. It may well be broken beyond repair. The Chief Justice of the land decided to rule in favor of government supremacy over the person. Justice Roberts carved in stone a precedent never seen in America giving the government power to force an individual to act against his will and perhaps even his best interest to engage in commerce and offers him no recourse. This ruling empowers the government to reign as not only the law giver but also the law enforcer. With this one ruling the barrier of restraint has been removed, and the shackles of limited power has been torn asunder from off the legs of the federal leviathan. No longer bound by any restriction the course has been set for the ruling class to make subjects of us all. Yes I know they say it’s the “right thing to do” but I am here to tell you this has been a travesty of justice, and a sad day in American history.

The beast has been unleashed, and has set its eyes upon you. Like the bowels of hell itself, this monster now unrestrained will devour us all. There is no longer any protection given the individual. We have been sold out by those who were appointed to judge rightly.

There is no way to put a silver lining on this. This ruling was another in a long list of usurpations starting back before FDR. The progressive element in this society have set themselves on a course to end the restraints placed upon Government by the Constitution. They were determined to undermine and diminish the Constitutions authority in any way possible. With the election of Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., that course was accelerated under his ‘fundamental remake’ of America. The “living and breathing” constitution may have finally met its demise.

There is hope for America, but we must decide if we choose to honor the SUPREME LAW of the land or succumb to the whims of man (which includes the special interest groups). Do we wish to abide by the limitations placed upon us and the government by our Constitution, or do we all just want to do our own thing with total abandon and disregard for the rule of law? This empowerment of the central government is not in our best interest, for history has shown us that unrestrained government leads to tyranny.

At the close of the Continental convention, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin what type of government the Constitution was bringing into existence. Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Regardless of one’s judgment concerning the type of government that the Constitution brought into existence in 1787, no one can deny that it was truly the most unusual and radical in history.

Consider: With the tragic exception of slavery, the United States was a society in which people could, by and large, engage in any occupation or economic enterprise without a government license, permit, or regulation.

Where people could travel anywhere in the world without restriction (no passports) and trade with whomever they pleased without the permission of their government officials.

Where people could accumulate unlimited amounts of wealth without government interference, because the Constitution did not permit the government to levy taxes on income.

Where people were free to do whatever they wanted with their own money — save, spend, donate, invest, hoard, or even destroy it.

Where government was not permitted to take care of people — no Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, education grants, or foreign aid.

With a few exceptions (e.g., 1850s Massachusetts), there were no compulsory public (i.e., government) school systems.

No wars on drugs, poverty, or wealth.

My how things have changed. Today there is not one activity a citizen can engage in without having to seek some type of permission slip from the Government. No matter how much power and control the central government grants to itself it is never satisfied. The government continues to grow and continues to seek new ways to infringe upon the rights of the individual. This week the government succeeded in gaining complete access to the individual’s life and health. We are now wards of the state. The government can now force us to do anything it wants of us since there is no longer any safeguards on our liberty.

Will the constitution lie in pieces upon the floor of the Supreme Court, or will we the people insist upon its resurrection? Will we once again honor and respect the SUPREME LAW of the land upon which this great republic was built, or sit back and allow this republic to be trampled under foot like the Constitution has been? You decide. But as for me…. GIVE ME LIBERTY or GIVE ME DEATH for I REFUSE to live in the midst of TYRANNY! I have not yet begun to fight but fight I shall and may God be with us.

July 4th is the day we celebrate our FREEDOM! I am afraid that this year we need to mourn freedom’s last gasp. May God bless America again? I hope so, but that depends upon us. If we truly desire God’s blessing then we must accept God’s rebuke and repent of our evil ways and return to the

God of our Father’s whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
 
Thy love divine hath led us in the past,
In this free land by Thee our lot is cast,
Be Thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay,
Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.
 
From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence,
Be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense;
Thy true religion in our hearts increase,
Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.
 
Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way,
Lead us from night to never-ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,
And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.
Daniel C. Roberts, lyrics, 1876

Amen! Let it be so!

This has been A View from the Nest. The statements, comments, or opinions expressed are solely that of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of the host of this site or any affiliates thereof. Any questions or comments should be directed to myself and not to the host or hosts of this site.

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Doing the Right Thing

Allen Frederick 4 Comments

Scripture tells us: Someone may say, “I’m allowed to do anything,” but not everything is helpful. I’m allowed to do anything, but not everything encourages growth. People should be concerned about others and not just about themselves. 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (GW)

In other words. In a Free society we are free to do lots of things, but there are things which are not wise to do. We are free to do these things, but not all things are for the common good or work to betterment of society.

Benjamin Franklin, statesman and signer of our Declaration of Independence, said: “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” John Adams, another signer, echoed a similar statement: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Legality alone cannot be the guide for moral people. The moral question is, is it the ‘right’ thing to do? Keep in mind that slavery was legal; apartheid was legal; the Nazi’s Nuremberg Laws were legal; and the Stalinist and Maoist purges were legal.

Are today’s Americans virtuous and moral, or have we made immorality and corruption legal? Let’s think about it a little shall we?

Suppose I saw an elderly woman pain­fully huddled on a heating grate in the dead of winter. I credit Walter E. Williams for this analogy. She’s hungry and in need of shelter and medical attention. To help the woman, I walk up to you using intimidation and threats and demand that you give me $200. Having taken your money, I then purchase food, shelter and medical assistance for the woman.

Would I be guilty of a crime? A moral person would answer yes because I was stealing from my neighbor. Most Americans would agree that it would be theft regardless of what I did with the money.

Now comes the hard part.

Using Walter E. Williams’ analogy again.

What if instead of personally taking your money to assist the woman, I got together with other Americans and asked Congress to use Internal Revenue Service agents to take your money? In other words, does an act that’s clearly immoral and illegal when done privately become moral when it is done legally and collectively? To put it another way, does legality establish morality?

I believe that assisting one’s fellow man in need by reaching into one’s own pocket is praiseworthy and laudable. In fact scripture teaches the same thing. Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan:

“A man went from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way robbers stripped him, beat him, and left him for dead. “By chance, a priest was traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he went around him and continued on his way. Then a Levite came to that place. When he saw the man, he, too, went around him and continued on his way. “But a Samaritan, as he was traveling along, came across the man. When the Samaritan saw him, he felt sorry for the man, went to him, and cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day the Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. He told the innkeeper, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than that, I’ll pay you on my return trip.’ “Of these three men, who do you think was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by robbers?” Luke 10:30-36 (GW)

This man took from his own resources to help the man in need. The first part of this story reminds me more of the government thugs who beat down businessmen on their way into town to do business and leave them by the side of the road as road kill. The poor business man was minding his own business, had profit in his pocket, and these thugs and robbers beat him down and took it from him leaving him to fend for himself. What this fellow needed was some compassion and someone to look on him to tend to his wounds but instead what he got was more ridicule, insults, and another beat down from the passers-by who wanted to take even more from him.

A good neighbor, or good Samaritan, or better put, a good citizen would have compassion on someone who truly is in need and would reach into their own pocket to provide for this persons needs. This is true charity and this is what the bible refers to as caring for a neighbor. This scripture condemns the ones who ignored the person in need as well as the robbers who beat and stole from the person.

Jesus taught to go and do like the good Samaritan. Reaching into another’s pockets is despicable, dishonest and worthy of condemnation.

Some people call governmental handouts charity, but as far as charity is concerned, James Madison, the acknowledged father of our Constitution, said, “Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.” To my knowledge, the Constitution, as penned by Thomas Jefferson has not been amended to include charity as a legislative duty of Congress. Granted our Supreme court has figured out some way to weave the ‘General Welfare’ clause to include whatever congress wants to do in order to take money from one person to give to another. This is not done for charitable purposes but rather to maintain positions of power and control over the population. Making dependents of people is the aim and not tending to make these people better citizens. In order to offer this ‘assistance’ the government must steal the resources of another person thus depriving them of their rights and liberties. And some call this ‘charity’.

“Our current economic crisis, is a direct result of immoral conduct”. This again comes from Walter Williams. It is legal alright but it is immoral none-the-less.

I like how the purveyors of entitlements like to frame the argument that you are greedy and mean-spirited to deny help to the needy while at the same time they ignore their own greed and the mean-spiritedness of their own actions by demanding the property of their neighbor. They do not ask politely, they are not even concerned if the person from whom they are stealing can afford to have their possessions confiscated. Since the recipients of such ‘charity’ are not the ones actually stealing from their neighbor they somehow feel justified in wanting more and more of what belongs to their neighbor. This is called covetousness and is condemned by scripture. Just because something is legal does not mean it is the ‘right thing to do.’ And it is certainly not in the general welfare of society to be stealing from one person just to give to another.

Roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of our federal budget can be described as Congress’ taking the property of one American and giving it to another. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid account for nearly half of federal spending. Then there are corporate welfare and farm subsidies and thousands of other spending programs, such as food stamps, welfare and education. Yes, education. Education is a welfare program because you are not paying for the education of your own children but rather you are demanding that your neighbor pay for your child’s education. Since the cost of educating your child is spread among your neighbors you do not see the real cost and burden your actions is placing upon society and the burdens you are forcing your neighbors to bear.

According to a 2009 Census Bureau report, nearly 139 million Amer­icans — 46 percent — receive handouts from one or more federal programs, and nearly 50 percent have no federal income tax obligations. In other words roughly 50% of our population are taking something from their neighbor and giving nothing back. They are contributing nothing to the “general welfare” of their neighbors.

In the face of our looming financial calamity, what are we debating about? It’s not about the reduction or elimination of the immoral conduct that’s delivered us to where we are. It’s about how we pay for it — namely, taxing the rich, not realizing that even if Congress imposed a 100% tax on earnings higher than $250,000 per year, it would keep the government running for only 141 days. Ayn Rand, in her novel Atlas Shrugged, reminded us that “when you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good.” In other words when you legalize immorality you have people acting immorally and demanding more and more from their neighbors. There are too many thieves and robbers in our society and not enough good Samaritans.

That is the way I see it! What say you?

This has been A View from the Nest. The statements, comments, or opinions expressed are solely that of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of the host of this site or any affiliates thereof. Any questions or comments should be directed to myself and not to the host or hosts of this site.
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Don’t Be Duped by the Enemies Ruse

Allen Frederick 4 Comments

“The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD” (Joshua 9:14).

The Israelites Leaving EgyptWhen Joshua and the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they fought many battles. In fact, they fought 39 battles in the Promised Land compared to only two in their exodus from Egypt. God instructed them to wipe out all their enemies completely.The very reason God was giving the land to the Israelites was because of the sin of these nations Israel was to now occupy. God said he was going to drive out all the inhabitants of this land because they had a long history of sin against God. God had instructed Joshua to not make any compromises with these people because God had rejected them and wanted them defeated not befriended.

The more battles the Israelites won under the direction of God and Joshua, the more their reputation preceded them as they entered new territories. The enemies knew they were toast if they came against the Israelites. The enemies knew God was marching with the Israelites and their demise was eminent. Success was on the side of the Israelites.

Such was the case when Joshua and the people came into the land where the Gibeonites lived. The Gibeonites knew they were as good as dead if they didn’t do something. So, they dressed up in old, worn clothes and posed as foreigners passing through. They asked Joshua and the people to make a peace treaty with them.  They pretended to be wanderers from a far off country and was seeking refuge among the Israelites. The feigned to be interested in working with their opposition to infiltrate the opposing camp and then work from within to weaken the Israelite’s resolve,

The scriptures tell us that Joshua and the people made a treaty with them because they did not inquire of God about these people. They assumed what they said was true. The leadership along with the people made a fatal mistake by not seeking out the true intentions of those who were seeking to make a treaty with them. They did not inquire of God to see what the TRUTH was behind the Gibeonites actions. They took them at their word, they trusted that they were being truthful, they trusted the Gibeonites had pure intentions.

They were wrong!

They had been deceived. They now had to pay the consequences. Those consequences resulted in having to work to avoid cross-tribal marriages while they had to make an entire people their slaves. This was something God never intended them to have to do. The relationship was a source of compromise for the Israelites that made them susceptible to future compromises. Trying to keep the infestation contained to only the Gibeonites was next to impossible since the enemy was now living within their own ranks. This day-to-day contact with the opposition weakened the Israelites position since now they had to constantly monitor their own ranks to watch for compromise among the ranks and file.

This initial compromise weakened the position of the entire nation because now their message was no longer pure and their mission was now distorted. How could they drive out and defeat the remaining enemies of the land after having made a COMPROMISE deal with one group? How could they justify continued annihilation of the remaining occupants of the land while they had in their own ranks survivors of that culture?

Thus is the problem with making deals with those who are opposed to your viewpoints or way of life. If the Gibeonites were honorable people they would have begged for mercy based on their TRUE IDENTITIES and admit their true intentions and offer to change their position and embrace the beliefs and pursue the same purpose as the Israelites. But they did not do that, they pretended to be someone they were not to play upon the mercy of the Israelites. They tricked them into believing they were not the enemy but were somehow mistreated by others and were seeking the sympathy of the Israelites.

We see this RUSE today in our own country as foreigners move in among us pretending to be victims of some injustice in other parts of the world. These modern-day Gibeonites play upon America’s compassion to help those who are less fortunate, but these folks have no intentions of conforming to the American way of life, nor adopt the American traditions and customs, instead they adhere to their own identities and infiltrate our institutions to corrupt them and get them to compromise and gradually accept the foreigner’s world view and agendas.  This weakens the county.

Israel today is being asked to COMPROMISE with an occupying force the Palestinians while the Palestinians have no intentions on compromising their position or intentions. They are intent on eliminating Israel and taking over the country for themselves. Therefore it would be a fool’s errand to make a treaty with these enemies of the state. And yet that is exactly what they are being asked to do. And that is exactly what the enemies of the American way of life want us to do as well.

Let us not make the same mistake Joshua made, instead let us inquire of God and seek out the TRUE identities and intentions of these strangers among us.

That is the way I see it! What say you?

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Be Quick to Listen but Slow to Speak

Allen Frederick 1 Comment

Remember this, my dear brothers and sisters: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and should not get angry easily. James 1:19 (GW)

James 3:5-6 – Power of Tongue Papel de Parede Imagem
Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

I do not know about you but I am growing weary of all the TALK going on and on and on. Primarily I am talking about endless 24 hour a day news cycle. There are several CABLE channels devoted to nothing but NEWS all the time. And each one has their cadre of talking heads all offering an opinion on the days HOT TOPIC ITEM. You would think with all this talking going on that SOMETHING positive would come of it all… aw not really… since most of the talk is NEGATIVE one can get really depressed if you listen to too much NEWSSPEAK.

The bible tells us…

When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19 (HCSB)

Proverbs insists that with so much talk going on ERROR (sin) is unavoidable. As Christians we are supposed to use SPEECH to build up and encourage those who hear us.

Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable. Philippians 4:8 (GW)

We should be attempting to SPEAK TRUTH in a loving way. No one has all the answers, and although NEWS REPORTERS like to appear IN THE KNOW, I fear they are leading many astray just by the huge volume of WORDS they have spoken.

An old folk adage goes something like this.. Let the words you speak be sweet for you do not know how many of them you may have to EAT.

Or perhaps put a little better.. If you do not have anything GOOD to say, say nothing at all.

And that is the way I see it!  What say you?

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