Blessings, and not being a prick about them

Happy Easter!  It's Sunday, April 8, 2012, its a weekend of miracles, and this is The Side.  There's one miracle that hit pretty close to home.

GOOD FRIDAY

  An F-18 Hornet hit an apartment building just over a mile from my Mom's house.  Its mentioned in the article that three people were unaccounted for.  They've since been accounted for and are fine.  The roads are still blocked off quite a bit, with police on the scene keeping traffic directed.  The area that got hit is maybe a couple miles from the beach.  Its a heavily populate area and with the warm weather and Spring Break here the tourists are already here.  The schools were all out for the holiday.  Many places were off work.

The middle of the day on a day in which the kids are all home from school and most folks have the day off.  A jet hits an apartment building.  No one dies.


Wow.


NAS Oceana, where the jet took off from, has been here since 1940.  That was back in the day when much of the area was farmland.  Since then the land has been heavily developed.  With the proximity to the ocean it became a desirable place to live.  Now we have many residents who complain about the noise from the jets.  I'm expecting there will be some grumblings about jets are taking off and going right over residential areas.  The fact of the matter is the residential areas have spread to surround the base over the years.  You here rumblings every time a jet crashes anywhere of "That could happen here."  "What are they doing to keep that from happening here."


There's no way to keep this from happening.  The last time this happened was 1986.  That's a helluva good track record, especially considering the frequency jets fly over the area.  Still, some people will be concerned for their safety.  My advice to them is to start looking for another place to live.  That base isn't going anywhere, and shouldn't have to.  It was here first.


Fortunately, the pilots were able to dump their fuel before impact, otherwise the destruction would have immense.  My town has a lot to be thankful for this Easter weekend.

EASTER!!

I like this holiday a lot.  Lots of family time.  Easy access to Peeps.  But it seems with any holiday there's going to be people bitching and moaning about it, because perish forbid we just calm down and let folks enjoy something.


On one side, you have the hardcore Christians that are against a lot of the traditions that have been associated with the Holiday.  The reason for the holiday is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Some folks have even just started referring to it as Resurrection Day as opposed to Easter.  So, the traditions that have their roots in the Pagan holidays but got absorbed into the Christian holiday are now a big no-no.

The Easter Bunny, coloring eggs, candy in a basket, etc. pretty much got pulled in to make the holiday more palatable to non-Christians.  They're harmless, and fun.  As a Christian, I'm not a fan of being so narrow mindedly centered on the religion that the fellowship gets neglected.  Fellowship is important.  Its what makes churches grow.  Its what supports the faithful.  Yes, teach about the Resurrection and give thanks, but let your kids have those chocolate bunnies and hunt some Easter Eggs.  Its fun and we could all do with a bit more fun in our lives.


Then there's the other side the coin, and that's the non-believers that take great delight in being douchebags about it.  To them, today is "Zombie Jesus Day", and it doesn't matter if its tasteless, they get a giggle out of it.  Having faith is something to be ridiculed to them, and mocked at every turn.  Its not enough to just not celebrate the holiday and go about their business.  They make their jokes, and it doesn't matter if some people find it offensive, because those people obviously need to learn how to take a joke better.


This of course isn't the case when they perceive any sort of offensive or violation to their lack of belief, then its time to grab the torches and pitchforks and scream about "Separation of Church and State", and quote Nietzsche to make themselves feel smarter and better about themselves.


Those people fail to realize that they're nowhere near as clever as they like to think they are, and that they'd get a lot more respect for themselves by respecting others.


So, once more: everybody calm down, and have a Happy Easter.


 P.S. Don't be a dick.

MUSIC!!

I really hate Contemporary Christian Music.  You want to hear the real deal?  Let's take it to the Delta.





Testify!


Hope everyone has a great Easter.  Enjoy it.  The Missus is still in Kansas, and continued prayers and well wishes for her mother are always appreciated.  Thanks again and see y'all Wednesday (hopefully).