French men not producing as much sperm | Reuters

French men not producing as much sperm | Reuters

This Reuters link is for anyone interested in sexual science. Now I'm worried about my sperm count, although at my age, it doesn;t really matter anyway. -- Toney Atkins

SUPREME COURT TO EYE GAY MARRIAGE

http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/12/07/historic-cases-supreme-court-to-rule-on-doma-prop-8/

THE FISCAL CLIFF: WHAT IS IT ... REALLY?

I did not pay attention in civics class in high school. I failed a course in economics in college. My career in journalism taught me more than I ever wanted to know about politics and government. But even with a bachelor of science degree and decades later, I still find economic issues to be a bit confusing. The talking heads on TV news shows usually lose me when they talk over MY head in trying to explain the so-called "fiscal cliff" and how it impacts the U.S. and the world -- particularly the average citizen.

In searching for answers, I found a helpful link that I feel compelled to share with you:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/fiscal-cliff.htm

Toney Atkins
www.toneyatkins.com/

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE DEC. 21 APOCALYPSE?

The Mayan Calendar implies that the world as we know it will come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012. If you are reading this on Dec. 22 or thereafter, congratulations! You survived!

I found a link to everything you need to know about the Mayan prediction, how to survive the apocalypse, etc.

Check out: http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/2012-mayan-calendar.htm#mkcpgn=em2

Happy holidays!

Toney Atkins
www.toneyatkins.com/

Republicans Tout Bush Tax Cuts, But Extending Unemployment Benefits Would Support 400,000 Jobs

Republicans Tout Bush Tax Cuts, But Extending Unemployment Benefits Would Support 400,000 Jobs: pThe sticking point of the negotiations over the so-called “fiscal cliff” has been the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, which Republicans insist must be extended and President Obama and the Democrats insist must end. (Both sides agree on maintaining tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans.) Of course, the reason the fiscal cliff is [...]/p

Marijuana goes legal in Washington state amid mixed messages | Reuters

Marijuana goes legal in Washington state amid mixed messages | Reuters

Syria Chemical Weapons Readied For Use: Sarin Loaded Into Aerial Bombs Despite International Warnings

Syria Chemical Weapons Readied For Use: Sarin Loaded Into Aerial Bombs Despite International Warnings


SPREAD LOVE AND PEACE!
Toney Atkins
www.toneyatkins.com/
 

WHY I WILL NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN (Toney Atkins)

Defying Rick Scott, Florida Legislators Introduce Bill To Restore Early Voting Days: pLast year, the Republican-led Florida legislature slashed the state’s early voting period in half and cut out voting on the final Sunday before the election — a day when many African American churches turned out parishioners in high numbers. As a result, long lines were the norm for Floridians this year; some even had to [...]/p

Toney A writes: Limiting or putting obstacles in the way of voting in 2012 are a tip of the iceberg of the many reasons I will never vote for a Republican. How can Republicans consider themselves to be patriots of the United States when they attempt to obstruct the rights of all citizens, i.e., the right to vote? For the years that Obama has been president, the Republican lawmakers have done everything possible to prevent laws from passing that would benefit the disabled, all veterans, job-seekers who aren't expecting "gifts" from the government, the unemployed and who act in direct contradiction to the commandments in the Holy Bibles they raise. They lie to us; they hurt those who are already hurting. Meanwhile, the rich get richer while the middle class and the poor are snubbed. Republicans take advantage of the ignorance of people who get their misinformation from Fox News and know little-to-nothing about civics or economics, therefore being easily persuaded about falsehoods perpetuated about the nation's first black president and barely understanding the fear-mongering about deficits and, as one of my Southern neighbors calls it, the "physical clift" (fiscal cliff) that actually was created during a Republican administration. To all Republicans and to those who allow them to pull the wool over their constituents' eyes, I say: "SHAME ON YOU!" If there is not a major change in attitudes, my votes will go elsewhere, i.e., anyone who does not have an (R) beside his or her name.

Incoming Wisconsin Assembly Speaker: Amend The Constitution To Allow Voter Suppression

Incoming Wisconsin Assembly Speaker: Amend The Constitution To Allow Voter Suppression: pThe Wisconsin state constitution forbids nearly all laws that restrict the franchise. In its words, “[e]very United States citizen age 18 or older who is a resident of an election district in this state is a qualified elector of that district.” This is why two Wisconsin courts struck down that state’s voter ID law, and [...]/p

Police Groups Vie For Mandatory Collection Of All Private Text Messages | ThinkProgress

Police Groups Vie For Mandatory Collection Of All Private Text Messages | ThinkProgress

Republican Senator Demands ‘Very Painful Cuts To Medicare’

Republican Senator Demands ‘Very Painful Cuts To Medicare’: pOn Sunday, during an appearance on Meet the Press, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) reiterated his call for restructuring entitlement programs like Medicare, highlighting the “very painful cuts” he has proposed as part of a package to avert the fiscal cliff. Corker 242-page plan calls for a Paul Ryan-like proposal to transform the guaranteed Medicare benefit [...]/p

Young Americans Continue To Put Themselves At Risk For HIV Virus, CDC Warns | ThinkProgress

Young Americans Continue To Put Themselves At Risk For HIV Virus, CDC Warns | ThinkProgress

On World AIDS Day, Here Are Five Huge Advances We've Made To Combat The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic | ThinkProgress

On World AIDS Day, Here Are Five Huge Advances We've Made To Combat The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic | ThinkProgress

History of HIV/AIDS Slideshow: A Pictorial Timeline of the AIDS Pandemic

History of HIV/AIDS Slideshow: A Pictorial Timeline of the AIDS Pandemic

DEC. 1 IS WORLD AIDS DAY. HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY KNOW ABOUT THIS HEINOUS DISEASE THAT IMPACTS US ALL, EVEN THOUGH WE AS INDIVIDUALS MAY NOT HAVE IT! PLEASE CHECK OUT THE ABOVE LINK FROM WEB MD. -- Toney Atkins

Hangover Myths Slideshow: Hangover Cures, Herbal Remedies, Hair of the Dog, and More

Hangover Myths Slideshow: Hangover Cures, Herbal Remedies, Hair of the Dog, and More

Are you an instant millionaire? Dozens of others strike it rich in Powerball drawing, too - U.S. News

Are you an instant millionaire? Dozens of others strike it rich in Powerball drawing, too - U.S. News

U.S. lays out plan for achieving worldwide AIDS-free generation | Reuters

U.S. lays out plan for achieving worldwide AIDS-free generation | Reuters

Read all about it: Pope has not canceled Christmas | Reuters

Read all about it: Pope has not canceled Christmas | Reuters

New Yorkers Still Face ‘Significant Risk Of Serious Illness And Death’ In Wake Of Hurricane Sandy Damage

New Yorkers Still Face ‘Significant Risk Of Serious Illness And Death’ In Wake Of Hurricane Sandy Damage: pSuperstorm Sandy tore through the East Coast at the end of October, leaving significant damage and serious public threats in its wake — and now, a month and a presidential election later, some Americans still aren’t completely out of danger even though the news cycle has largely moved on. The New York City Health Department [...]/p

Ohio Secretary Of State May Be Illegally Tossing Ballots

Ohio Secretary Of State May Be Illegally Tossing Ballots: pOhio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) became the public face of vote suppression this year for his overreaching election directives, which restricted early voting hours and forbid election officials from counting legitimate votes. Though President Obama won the state, Husted has not halted his efforts. With two House races heading to a recount, Husted [...]/p

Extending Unemployment Insurance Would Create 300,000 Jobs Next Year

Extending Unemployment Insurance Would Create 300,000 Jobs Next Year: pWhile Washington obsesses over the so-called “fiscal cliff” — the set of tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take place at the end of the year — America’s unemployed are facing a cliff of a different kind. In January, the expanded federal unemployment insurance program will expire, cutting off benefits for millions of Americans. [...]/p

Black Friday Gun Sales Hit Record High

Black Friday Gun Sales Hit Record High: pGun sales reached an all-time high on a record Black Friday shopping day, fresh off an election where conservatives claimed Obama harbors a secret plot to take away guns. Firearm dealers swamped the FBI with 155,000 required background checks on Friday, 20 percent more than last year. The reasons why, dealers say, include a growing number [...]/p

Associated Press TWO TICKETS WIN POWERBALL

Associated Press

TWO TICKETS WON THE BIG POWERBALL JACKPOT. Click the link for locations ... neither at my house.

Norquist: Republicans Should Hold Federal Government Hostage Every Month

Norquist: Republicans Should Hold Federal Government Hostage Every Month: pAnti-tax activist Grover Norquist’s hold over Republicans has slipped in the past week, as several prominent GOP senators and one congressman have signaled willingness to break from Norquist’s strict pledge to never raise taxes. The debt ceiling fight in 2011 almost led to an unprecedented U.S. credit default because House Republicans refused to break from [...]/p

Infected and unaware: HIV hitting America's youth | Reuters

Infected and unaware: HIV hitting America's youth | Reuters

Bitter struggle over Internet regulation to dominate global summit | Reuters

Bitter struggle over Internet regulation to dominate global summit | Reuters

Christine Hayes: 5 Common Misconceptions About the Bible

Christine Hayes: 5 Common Misconceptions About the Bible

By Toney Atkins: What would you do if you won the nearly half billion dollar Powerball jackpot this Wednesday or any big amount in another lottery game?
Share your potential win, hopes and dreams at http://www.toneyatkins.com/id42.html . Your responses will help me write a story or commentary (or simply a single page featuring no comment from me but just the comments you write. If you have any lucky numbers to share, feel free to do so.
Thank you for your consideration, and I'm looking forward to hear from you.

That link again is:

http://www.toneyatkins.com/id42.html

STUDY: Medicaid Expansion Would Extend Coverage To Over 21 Million Americans At Modest Cost To States

STUDY: Medicaid Expansion Would Extend Coverage To Over 21 Million Americans At Modest Cost To States: pAccording to a new study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the Urban Institute, states fully implementing Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion would result in an additional 21.3 million Americans on insurance rolls while raising states’ Medicaid spending by less than three percent. Since the federal government will pick up most of the tab for [...]/p

Florida Republicans Admit Voter Suppression Was The Goal Of New Election Laws | ThinkProgress

Florida Republicans Admit Voter Suppression Was The Goal Of New Election Laws | ThinkProgress

Lottery Drawing On Wednesday Causes Millions To Chase Record $425 Million Powerball Jackpot

Lottery Drawing On Wednesday Causes Millions To Chase Record $425 Million Powerball Jackpot

COMEDIAN, ATHEISM, CHRISTMAS

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Does God Exist? Ricky Gervais Takes Your Questions - Speakeasy - WSJ

Does God Exist? Ricky Gervais Takes Your Questions - Speakeasy - WSJ

This link is related to a previous post. The really good stuff is near the end when Gervais is asked how he planned to celebrate Christmas as an atheist. Toney

‘Happy atheist’ Ricky Gervais rewrites Pat Robertson — MSNBC

‘Happy atheist’ Ricky Gervais rewrites Pat Robertson — MSNBC

MUST-READ LINK ABOVE, ALTHOUGH EARLY POST LEFT OUT SOME OF THE MOST MOVING PARTS. HOPEFULLY, THERE WILL BE A LINK TO THE FULL COMMENTARY BY LAWRENCE  O'DONNELL. -- TONEY ATKINS.

All kinds of news and commentary can be found at my nonprofit site, www.toneyatkins.com/ . Hope you will check it out. SPREAD LOVE AND PEACE!

Afghanistan War: U.S. Troop Presence After 2014 May Total 10,000

Afghanistan War: U.S. Troop Presence After 2014 May Total 10,000

P.S. Help boost my ego. Visit my nonprofit web site, www.toneyatkins.com/ . It doesn't make any money, but a swelled head, just knowing you visited, may give me more hair.

HOLIDAY MUSIC THAT I HOPE YOU LIKE

Do you hear what I hear? Your brain on Christmas music - The Body Odd

I'm sure we can all relate to the story at the above link.


MY RECOMMENDATION FOR CHRISTMAS LISTENING---

http://slacker.com/r/K2Bh8

I chose this online Slacker Radio station especially for you. Merry Christmas! -- Toney Atkins

MUSIC BASED ON MY OWN CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST, ALONG WITH NUMEROUS NON-CHRISTMAS HITS FROM THE ARTISTS WHOSE SONGS I SELECTED FOR THE HOLIDAY TUNES, ARE AT:

http://slacker.com/r/jj5qv

If you don't have a Slacker Radio account, just click on the "Play Station" button when the online station loads and it is FREE, with occasional and brief commercial breaks.

Texas Highway Pileup: Massive Car Crash Shuts I-10 In Texas; At Least 2 Dead

Texas Highway Pileup: Massive Car Crash Shuts I-10 In Texas; At Least 2 Dead

BLACK FRIDAY: I WONDER...

Is it true that many extreme right-wing Republicans are so upset about the election that they refuse to do any shopping on Black Friday? -- Toney Atkins

OBAMA WINS RE-ELECTION;

HUG A REPUBLICAN!

How The Worst Drought In Half A Century Is Causing Millions To Go Hungry

How The Worst Drought In Half A Century Is Causing Millions To Go Hungry: pMore than 17 million of America’s food insecure households could go hungry this Thanksgiving, and they might have a harder time finding a warm meal, as food banks that distribute to food pantries, soup kitchens and emergency shelters rely on ever thinning supplies. The shortage is a result of a severe, lingering drought that has [...]/p

My Way News - Americans to mark holiday with family, festivities

Thursday, November 22, 2012

My Way News - Americans to mark holiday with family, festivities

My Way News - Americans to mark holiday with family, festivities

(The following postscripted to this link by Toney Atkins:)
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND HOLIDAY SEASON! REMEMBER THE SONG, "GOD IS GREAT, BEER IS GOOD, AND PEOPLE ARE CRAZY." Many folks tend to go nuts this time of the year, especially when they get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive into heavy traffic to go Christmas shopping, vying for spots on the highway with school buses, people going to work or holiday events, to the movies or to bars and restaurants. Leave your life's frustrations at home and try not to take your problems out on fellow drivers. Patience on the highway can make for more peace on highways and even good will toward men -- and avoid wrecks or other accidents and encounters with the many, many law enforement officers who will be on the highways and byways during the holidays. They'll be watching for drunk and buzzed driving, drivers whose attentions are diverted by cell phones or other electronics, and definitely looking out to be sure you are wearing a safety belt. Being very simplistic, we can all have a happier holiday season by being more courteous and friendly wherever we are, and if we behave in a manner that we know would make Jesus' heart smile real hard.

Zing! MSNBC’s top 10 comebacks to use against the family conservative — MSNBC

Zing! MSNBC’s top 10 comebacks to use against the family conservative — MSNBC

DANCING TURKEY SHOWS YOU HOW TO GET IT DONE

HAVING A TOUGH TIME REMEMBERING HOW TO COOK THAT TURKEY? THIS DANCING TURKEY VIDEO SHOULD HELP.
http://laughingsquid.com/a-musical-video-recipe-that-features-a-raw-dancing-turkey/

Happy Thanksgiving!
Toney Atkins

************

SPREAD LOVE AND PEACE!
www.toneyatkins.com/

The Naughty List of Holiday Foods Slideshow

The Naughty List of Holiday Foods Slideshow

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Did Not Impact Armed Services Retention

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Did Not Impact Armed Services Retention: pThe repeal of Don’t ask, Don’t Tell took effect September 20, 2011, and according to the Defense Department’s retention report for fiscal year 2012 (October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2012), the repeal had no negative impact on retention goals. Over that year, all four branches of the armed services met or exceeded their retention [...]/p

CNN Host Exposes GOP’s Hypocrisy On Benghazi

CNN Host Exposes GOP’s Hypocrisy On Benghazi: pRep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) appeared on CNN Wednesday morning to press his case against U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, the target of Republican criticism for initially claiming that the Sept. 11 attacks on Benghazi were inspired by spontaneous protests to an anti-Islamic video. Burgess joined 97 House Republicans in opposing Rice’s potential nomination to replace Hillary [...]/p

Boehner Reverses Course, Promises To Repeal Obamacare Through ‘Oversight’

Boehner Reverses Course, Promises To Repeal Obamacare Through ‘Oversight’: pAfter President Obama’s decisive re-election, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) starkly admitted that “Obamacare is the law of the land.” Facing backlash from fellow Republicans and critics of the landmark health reform law, the Speaker’s office softened that stance, asserting that “full repeal” still remained the GOP objective. But with the Supreme Court’s decision to [...]/p

Obama’s Only Presidential Pardon This Year Went To The Turkey

Obama’s Only Presidential Pardon This Year Went To The Turkey: pAs is annual tradition, President Obama used his constitutionally granted pardon power the day before Thanksgiving to save one lucky turkey. But thus far, the turkey is the only recipient of a presidential pardon in 2012. Although the Constitution confers on the president the power to “grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United [...]/p

Hostess Gets OK to Begin Winding Down Business - DailyFinance

Hostess Gets OK to Begin Winding Down Business - DailyFinance

Hostess Bankruptcy: Mediation Between Union, Company Breaks Down

Hostess Bankruptcy: Mediation Between Union, Company Breaks Down

My Way News - New push for most in US to get at least 1 HIV test

My Way News - New push for most in US to get at least 1 HIV test

Denny’s Franchise Owner Scolded By Company CEO For Anti-Obamacare Comments

Denny’s Franchise Owner Scolded By Company CEO For Anti-Obamacare Comments: pAn owner of 40 Denny’s restaurants declared last week that he planned to add a five percent “Obamacare surcharge” to customers’ bills, earning him a rebuke from the chain’s CEO. John Miller, who runs the Denny’s corporation, rushed to clean up the mess left by franchisee John Metz, whose comments on Fox News Thursday set [...]/p

Top Three Things You Need To Know About The New Obamacare Rules

Top Three Things You Need To Know About The New Obamacare Rules: pThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a slew of important new Obamacare rules and regulations today, continuing a widely expected post-election effort to successfully implement President Obama’s landmark health care reform law by 2014. In a call with reporters, CMS and HHS outlined [...]/p

Five Republican governors reject state-run health markets | Reuters

Five Republican governors reject state-run health markets | Reuters

Indianapolis Home Explosion Now Homicide Investigation

Indianapolis Home Explosion Now Homicide Investigation

The Twinkie Hangs On: Judge Orders Hostess to Mediate with Union - DailyFinance

The Twinkie Hangs On: Judge Orders Hostess to Mediate with Union - DailyFinance

Arizona Gun Store Refuses To Sell Guns To Anyone Who Voted For Obama

Arizona Gun Store Refuses To Sell Guns To Anyone Who Voted For Obama: pThe owner of the Southwest Shooting Authority in Pinetop, Arizona is testing out a new business strategy: banning anyone who voted for President Obama from the store. Owner Cope Reynolds took out an ad in the local newspaper announcing his new policy, writing “If you voted for Barack Obama, your business is not welcome at [...]/p

TWINKIE-POCALYPSE:Treats On Sale For $200,000 Amid Twinkie-pocalypse Fears

Twinkies eBay: Hostess Treats On Sale For $200,000 Amid Twinkie-pocalypse Fears

CRISIS ALERT! FORGET THE DEFICIT. FORGET THE ELECTION. FORGET WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS. THE TWINKIE-POCALYPSE AND DING-DONG-POCALYPSE ARE HERE!!!!!!! CLICK THE ABOVE LINK -- IF YOU DARE! -- Toney A

Virginia GOP Official: Obama Will Go To Hell

Virginia GOP Official: Obama Will Go To Hell: pVirginia Republican party official Bob FitzSimmonds is by no means a fortune teller, but he feels confident guessing that President Obama is going to hell. In a Facebook posting, FitzSimmonds, who is a close associate of Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, speculated that Obama would live a long life but when he died at 90, [...]/p

Expanding Medicaid Would Save Florida $100 Million Per Year

Expanding Medicaid Would Save Florida $100 Million Per Year: pFlorida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has been an outspoken opponents of President Obama’s landmark health reform law over the past year. Back in July, he announced that his state would not be setting up a health insurance exchange or expanding the Medicaid program under Obamacare, even though his state has some of the worst rates [...]/p

Rockets Reportedly Target Tel Aviv

Rockets Reportedly Target Tel Aviv: pAt least two rockets have reportedly been launched from Gaza at Tel Aviv, one of Israel’s most populous cities, potentially marking an escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza militant groups. Though official reports suggest that the rockets landed outside the city, residents claim to have heard an explosion. The organization Islamic Jihad [...]/p

Denny’s Franchise CEO Threatens To Cut Employees Back To Part-Time Over Obamacare

Denny’s Franchise CEO Threatens To Cut Employees Back To Part-Time Over Obamacare: pEmployees at the 40 Denny’s restaurants and five Hurricane Grill and Wings owned by John Metz now have fair warning: their hours are getting cut back in January of 2014. To avoid having to provide health care for his employees, Metz — who owns restaurants in Florida, Virginia and Georgia — told Fox News today [...]/p

Obama Sandy Recovery: President Travels To New York To View Storm-Ravaged Areas

Obama Sandy Recovery: President Travels To New York To View Storm-Ravaged Areas

Superstorm Sandy continues to leave heartbreak and tragedy in its wake. Let us not forget all those who have been impacted and whose lives may never be the same. -- Toney Atkins

Dangerous Foods That Dogs Should Never Eat - WebMD Slideshow

Dangerous Foods That Dogs Should Never Eat - WebMD Slideshow

Israel kills Hamas military chief, 7 others in airstrike campaign, officials say - World News

Israel kills Hamas military chief, 7 others in airstrike campaign, officials say - World News

'All Options on the Table' as Israel Launches 'Operation Pillar of Cloud' | Common Dreams

'All Options on the Table' as Israel Launches 'Operation Pillar of Cloud' | Common Dreams

Five Common Sense Election Reforms That Should Be Implemented Before The 2016 Election | ThinkProgress

Five Common Sense Election Reforms That Should Be Implemented Before The 2016 Election | ThinkProgress

Wisconsin Lawmakers Seek To Arrest Officials Who Implement Obamacare

Wisconsin Lawmakers Seek To Arrest Officials Who Implement Obamacare: pEven though House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has acknowledged that Obamacare is the “law of the land,” nine state lawmakers in Wisconsin are hoping to ensure that President Obama’s health reform law won’t ever be implemented in their state. The group of Tea Party-affiliated Republicans is backing a bill that would arrest any federal officials [...]/p

Obama Rejects Boehner’s Fake Tax Compromise

Obama Rejects Boehner’s Fake Tax Compromise: pDuring his first press conference since he was re-elected, President Obama today criticized the tax approach that Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) and many other Congressional Republicans have proposed. Boehner and the rest of the GOP have recently suggested cutting tax rates, but raising more federal revenue via a combination of closing loopholes [...]/p

Romney Says Obama Only Won Because He Gave ‘Big Gifts’ To Blacks And Latinos

Romney Says Obama Only Won Because He Gave ‘Big Gifts’ To Blacks And Latinos: pMitt Romney is attributing his loss in the 2012 election to the “gifts” President Obama gave to minority voters, the Los Angeles Times is reporting. Speaking to donors on Wednesday, the former Massachusetts governor praised his own campaign, but speculated that Obama won because he was “very generous” to his base: Mitt Romney told his [...]/p

Rise of the Bacterial Superbug: Systemic Misuse of Antibiotics to Blame | Common Dreams

Rise of the Bacterial Superbug: Systemic Misuse of Antibiotics to Blame | Common Dreams

INFORMATIVE, RECOMMENDED SITE: Addicting Info |

Addicting Info |

INFORMATIVE, RECOMMENDED SITE! -- Toney Atkins

Trojan Vibrator Giveaway In D.C. Distributes 3,000 Free Sex Toys (PHOTOS)

TONEY ATKINS: WHAT I THINK ABOUT THAT: Trojan Vibrator Giveaway In D.C. Distributes 3,000 Free Sex Toys (PHOTOS)

Five Ways The Religious Right Imploded In 2012

Five Ways The Religious Right Imploded In 2012: pOur guest blogger is Jack Jenkins, a Writer and Researcher with the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative. When election returns began pouring in on Tuesday, progressives were quick to declare the election a resounding victory for President Obama, Democratic candidates, and progressive ideals such as marriage equality and the DREAM Act. A deeper look at [...]/p

Support For Repealing Obamacare Plunges To An All-Time Low

Support For Repealing Obamacare Plunges To An All-Time Low: pNow that President Obama has been elected to a second term, political opponents of his landmark health care reform law are beginning to concede that Obamacare is here to stay. And the general public agrees. As a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll reports, the majority of Americans don’t support repealing Obamacare. In fact, after the [...]/p

Two Million Americans Could Lose Unemployment Insurance In December If Congress Fails To Extend Program

Two Million Americans Could Lose Unemployment Insurance In December If Congress Fails To Extend Program: pThe expanded federal unemployment insurance program that provides benefits to millions of long-term unemployed Americans is set to expire at the end of December. If Congress fails to extend it, roughly two million Americans could lose their monthly unemployment checks. States provide unemployment insurance for the first 27 weeks after a worker loses his or [...]/p

IGNORANCE ISN'T BLISS: Residents Want To Secede From United States

TONEY ATKINS: WHAT I THINK ABOUT THAT: IGNORANCE ISN'T BLISS: Residents Want To Secede From United States

SUPERSTORM: REPUBLICANS, CHRISTIANS, LIARS by TONEY ATKINS

TONEY ATKINS: WHAT I THINK ABOUT THAT: SUPERSTORM: REPUBLICANS, CHRISTIANS, LIARS

Texas Megachurch Pastor: Obama’s Re-election Will Lead To ‘Reign Of The Antichrist’

TONEY ATKINS: WHAT I THINK ABOUT THAT: Texas Megachurch Pastor: Obama’s Re-election Will Lead To ‘Reign Of The Antichrist’

TONEY ATKINS: WHAT I THINK ABOUT THAT: Meet The Republican Governors Who Still Won’t Implement Obamacare

Meet The Republican Governors Who Still Won’t Implement Obamacare

OAKWOOD BAPTIST: PRACTICING WHAT THEY PREACH

BY TONEY ATKINS


CHICKAMAUGA, GA -- Oakwood Baptist Church in Chickamauga puts the Christ in Christianity.

Exercising its stated purpose of “loving God, loving people (and) making a difference,” Oakwood Baptist goes far beyond beautiful Sunday singing and sermonizing to spread the true meaning of Christianity by putting Jesus’ words and works into action in northwest Georgia’s Walker County and beyond.

I knew I was in the presence of a loving, wonderful spirit the moment I stepped into the lobby of the church building to have a meeting with church deacons when the multiplying problems of a crisis-filled year led me to seek help that I could not seem to find anywhere else.

Feelings of abandonment, loneliness and destitution were becoming all too common again since I had waded into the swiftly flowing and deepening river of my so-called “golden years.” Retirement from working two jobs most of my life was turning out to be not as I had expected and hoped for my 60s while rapidly approaching the even more uncertain age of 70. (My brain often teasingly deceived me into believing I was still young, but my mischievous body loved to remind me of an otherwise reality -- and it still has that tendency.)

"Murphy's Law" seemed to kick into high gear in July of 2010 when my foot missed a doorstep and I took a tumble onto a concrete walkway, further messing up an already suffering back, breaking fingers and spraining an ankle. A week later, a blood clot was discovered, and I was put on a blood-thinning medication to add to my repertoire of pill bottles in my carrying case. Then came physical therapy and a continuing battle with cholesterol and triglycerides and an appetite for foods that were dangerously loaded with both.

Things got no better in December when my car went out of control on a rain-and-ice-slick road, plowing directly into a power pole, totaling the vehicle and damaging my ego and sense of security behind the wheel. The seat belt, which I had always hated, probably saved my life, keeping my body from taking the full brunt of the steering wheel and my head from smashing through the windshield. Months were to pass before most of the physical pains went away, and some aftereffects still persist. God was definitely with me.

He was also there when a potentially cancerous growth recently appeared on my face and when hospital technicians found that I have a kidney stone that may be too large to pass naturally without a lot of serious pain. At this writing, the latter issues still have not resolved themselves.

Add to all that a deepening financial crisis. I suddenly had to find a new place to live in mid-2011 when a friend, from whom I had been renting a room and  sharing expenses, decided to turn his mobile home back over to the bank and leave because he said he simply could not afford it any more. Being retired and on a fixed income, I chalked up that development. I had to seek affordable housing and to make what I prayed would be only a temporary move into accommodations that I really couldn't afford.

Despite knowing that God was there, taking care of me the best He could, I became more and more despondent, depressed, full of self-anger and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness that I was doing very little to help Him to help me.

In mid-summer of 2011, I was spiritually led to Oakwood Baptist Church to seek any kind of help I could get. For the first time in many years, I was in a position of having to seek charity, and that was painful to my pride.

The church had been much smaller when I lived in Chickamauga as a young man, but apparently it was high on God because it had grown in size, membership and service to the community in comparison to what I remembered.

I felt the Spirit within moments of entering the doors. As I sat in the lobby, awaiting my appointment, one of the choirs was practicing and I had to smile. Long ago, I had sung in a choir. Long ago, I had felt the peace and joy that was welling up inside me. Several people passed, on their way to various activities. All smiled and offered greetings -- not because they felt compelled to, but because they wanted to. For a while, my anxieties were gone, seemingly meaningless. My fears were calmed. I felt good, physically and spiritually.

The deacons with whom I spoke reinforced the down-to-earth, “real people” atmosphere. Like Jesus, they were genuinely concerned about my problems. They didn’t preach at me. Foremost, they listened to me, they prayed with me and they helped me. God was in that room and everyone, including myself, was tuned in to Him.

Any doubt that I might have had about the power of the Spirit of Jesus, the Christ, was gone when I drove home, relieved that people cared, people helped.

The auditorium was packed for the Sunday services that I later attended. The ministers’ words rang true and the music and songs lifted me higher. The crowds smiled.

The church seems to be active seven days a week. I remain amazed at the number of ministries available to members and to the public, including missions to lead and encourage each other as the Body of Christ to go outside the church and be intentional in the area of relationship evangelism. This is performed through such actions as serving the community, as well as organizing short-term mission teams from Oakwood’s congregation.

Oakwood’s Ministry of Hope assists individuals and families in need of furniture and household items.

A church booklet points out that “life change happens best in community. When people gather in groups with a shared mission to pursue God; to love one another; or to serve others, God tends to show up and do amazing things.”  Oakwood’s Life Group ministry offers a variety of groups.

Celebrate Recovery, which meets weekly at both the Chickamauga and Germantown (East Ridge, TN) campuses, is the “perfect place to go to heal from life’s hurts, habits and hang-ups,” a spokesperson said.

Among other events and activities, Oakwood Baptist offers a children’s ministry, student ministries, a worship ministry, the Financial Peace University, a men’s ministry, pastoral care, a singles ministry, a recreation ministry and the Oakwood Christian Academy.

Oakwood is part of the Northwest Georgia Baptist Association with many ministries that Oakwood, along with 70 or so other churches, help to minister in Walker County and around the world, reader Don Taylor pointed out.

Oakwood Baptist also presents an annual Easter sunrise service in the area of Wilder Tower in the Chickamauga-Chattanooga Battlefield National Park between Chickamauga and Fort Oglethorpe.

Oakwood’s Chickamauga campus is at 115 Oakwood St., Chickamauga, GA 30707, with Bible study and worship services at 9:15 and 10:45 a.m. Celebrate Recovery meets every Friday at 7 p.m., with a meal at 6 p.m. The Gateway campus is at 247 Market Place Lane, inside the Gateway Mall, in Ringgold, GA (just west of Interstate 75). Sunday services are at 9:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. The Germantown campus is at 707 S. Germantown Road, East Ridge, TN, where Sunday worship is at 10:45 a.m. and Celebrate Recovery is Sunday at 7 p.m., with a meal at 6 p.m.

More information is available by calling (706) 375-5760 or going online to http://oakwoodbc.org .

 I have never been known to write unsolicited commentaries about a particular church, but I have to say it. The Lord is leading me to testify about Oakwood Baptist and part of what it does in Chickamauga and surrounding communities. It’s “old-time religion” for the 21st century, and may it continue to bless.

Yes, "Murphy's Law" (if it can go wrong, it will) still challenges me, but I  have rediscovered a very special and spiritual way to deal with it, thanks to the folks at Oakwood who practice loving God, loving people and making a difference.

I urge friends, relatives, enemies and other readers who would like to feel some Christmas spirit all year long to send charitable gifts to the Caring Missions fund to benefit the northwest Georgia area's needy at https://e-giving.org/GuestDonation_v5/DonatorPage.asp at Oakwood's web address or send checks or money orders to the Chickamauga church campus' street address listed above. Checks or money orders should be made to Oakwood Baptist Church, with the memo specifying Caring Missions.

You will be blessed as someone less fortunate than you is blessed. This is my personal recommendation, because I know it works.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Writer Toney Atkins was born and grew up in Chickamauga, GA. He accepted Christ as his Savior in the mid-60s. He taught fifth, sixth and seventh grade subjects at Chickamauga Elementary School between 1967 and 1971. He taught at North Rossville (GA) Elementary in 1971-1972, after which he moved to Florida to become a newspaper writer and assistant editor. After retirement, he currently lives in northwest Georgia and can be contacted at toneyatkins@gmail.com .

THANK VETS OF ALL WARS WHEN YOU CAN

NOTE: This is posted on several of my blogs, primarily because I believe it is important that we remember and thank the men and women who have given significant parts of their young lives to the military service of the U.S., particularly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, with World War II resulting, two decades later in Vietnam, and after the spectacular, unforgettable terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. that shocked the world and began the War on Terror.


LET OUR VETERANS KNOW THEY'RE APPRECIATED
By Toney Atkins
(c) 2009

On Veterans Day 2004, my late father was surprised and amazed when he opened his front door to discover several members of the church that he frequently attended.

That might not seem to be particularly noteworthy, except for the fact that they were carrying red, white and blue balloons, goodies, a card and a cake emblazoned with the words, "Thank You."

What I've been told is that tears were rolling down his face as the church members entered the living room. Each person in the group thanked him for the service he gave to his country, fighting in the European Theater during World War II.

My father was quoted as saying, "No one has ever said that to me before."

That day meant a lot to Dad, and I was to look back on it a year later as a kind of omen that he would not live to see another Veterans Day -- but he had experienced a very special one. In a telephone conversation afterwards, he only recounted to me that the people had performed the very kind and wonderful act.

Others in his neighborhood expressed the same sentiment during his last year. Some encouraged him to share his wartime experiences with a local television station that was making video diaries of area veterans, but he declined. He was a humble man who told me that he didn't do anything special and that he didn't feel comfortable doing a TV interview.

I was born during the war when he was overseas. He earned several awards for marksmanship and a purple heart for injuries he suffered. However, for some still unknown reason, he never wanted to talk about the war with me, so his history that he chose to share with some people was never shared with his only son. I only knew that he suffered horrible nightmares and occasionally terrible back pain that worsened with age. Watching a movie about the Vietnam War rattled his nerves and nearly sent him into a major panic attack, he told me about 20 years after that evening at the theatre. I had not been aware that it affected him.

I tend to believe that after the aforementioned initial encounter with expressions of appreciation and gratitude, Dad opened up more about his experiences on the battlefield, especially in Germany, to some neighbors, church members, friends and even to the employees of the funeral home, where he made his burial arrangements. The folks who shared this information with me said that he was animated and excited when he told those stories, and that the listeners were always enthralled. I wish I had been among them.

When the wars in Afghanistan after 9/11 and then in Iraq began, not knowing what conditions the troops would face or their trials and tribulations, Dad often said sadly, "I feel sorry for those boys," perhaps reflecting upon the dramatic changes he experienced between leaving a small Georgia town to train for a war and then fight it and the time he returned to the U.S. with many memories of occasional unspeakable horror, the screams of the wounded and the silence of the dead and experiencing injury himself.

For the sacrifice made by my father and many other fathers, young unmarried men and some women made in serving in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq, it shouldn't take much effort on the part of the average citizen -- who may never have seen a battlefield or known the terribly dangerous blasts of bombs or the deadly sounds of gunfire from an enemy except in a movie -- to be grateful for those sacrifices that keep freedom ringing.

Based on my father's reaction several years ago, I would like to suggest that each of us who has a family member who is a veteran of any war, a neighbor or friend who has served, make a special point on this Veterans Day -- and on other days as well -- personally thank that veteran (and this includes the young and not-so-young soldiers of today) for his or her life, courage and sacrifice. You may never know how important that such a gesture could be and how much it would mean, not only to the veteran, but to you as well.

My father, Charlie Jackson Atkins, passed away on Aug. 22, 2005, his 84th birthday. I'm thankful for those who loved and appreciated him and told him so. I wish that I had known him better.

God bless our troops, and God bless the United States of America in these troubled times.