[Arktwo] These Days are Different

[Bruce Beach]

A half dozen people
have sent me the news item today
(certainly not US MSM news)
about a Russian General
asking the UN Security Council
to intervene in supposed plans
by Bush
to bomb 20 designated targets
in Iran
at 4:00 a.m. on April 6th.

Gee -
I wish people could be
more specific.
Anyway -
numerous such news items
floating about these days.

Another example -
and from what is often
a more reliable source.

http://tinyurl.com/3ynwc9

And then -
there was the poll -
in which I wasn't eligible
to participate -
but slightly over half
thought Bush will bomb
o/a the new moon of April 17th.

Lots of political pundits -
many of them fairly main stream -
think April -
for a variety of reasons:
good weather -
forces in place -
deteriorating political situation in US and Israel -
present US and allies arms readiness -
increased Hamas / Hezbollah arms build-up with delay -
Blair's ending term in the UN -
whatever their reasons -
but -
we never know what might set it off.

The kidnapping of 15 British
sailors and marines -
doesn't appear to have been a trigger.

Neither does the US
starting this morning
its largest naval exercise
in the Gulf
since the invasion of 2003.

"U.S. Navy Cmdr. Kevin Aandahl said the U.S. maneuvers were not organized in
response to the capture of the British sailors — nor were they meant to
threaten the Islamic Republic, whose navy operates in the same waters.

French naval strike group, led by the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, is
operating simultaneously just outside the Gulf.

Overall, the exercises involve more than 10,000 U.S. personnel on warships
and aircraft making simulated attacks on enemy shipping with aircraft and
ships, hunting enemy submarines and finding mines.

Aandahl said the U.S. warships would stay out of Iranian territorial waters,
which extend 12 miles off the Iranian coast.

Makes me wonder -
how the US would feel
about say -
a gigantic Russian task force
having war maneuvers
12 miles off the New York City coastline
or the Washington, D.C environs.

"What it should be seen as by Iran or anyone else is that it's for regional
stability and security," Aandahl said. "These ships are just another
demonstration of that. If there's a destabilizing effect, it's Iran's
behavior."

Yes,
I am sure New Yorkers and Washingtonians
would feel that a big Russian fleet
twelve miles away
would be
"for regional stability and security,"
and that it would make them feel
real secure.

http://tinyurl.com/2zypxm

---------------

I sure hope -
that the Iranians
don't treat the British captives
any worse than the US treats its captives
in Abu Gharib or Guantamino.

You just can't be sure
that they will follow
Bush's prescriptive of:
DWJWD -
"Do What Jesus Would Do".

Jesus said:

(Matthew):

5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,
and hate thine enemy.

5:44 But I say unto you,

Love your enemies,

bless them that curse you,

do good to them that hate you,

and pray for them which despitefully use you,

and persecute you;" -

and I am sure that was
Bush's, Cheney's and Rumsfelds policy -
in the above named locales.
Yep, kill them with kindness.

-----------
The followers of Islam -
are supposed to actually follow
the teachings of Jesus also.

Moreover,
Muhammad told them to be kind
and courteous
to their guests -
so I hope that the Brits
will find that Iranians
even excel Bush in that practice.

-----------

Great Spring weather here.
Eight of us were working on Ark Two on Sunday.
Yesterday, CATherine the Great
lit for the first time in eight years.
(The shelter was welded shut
by the government -
for much of that time -
so we hadn't been able to do maintenance).

Percy II (the Perkins)
is operating just fine
at 75KW -
but the CAT was always our main machine.
We do have,
altogether -
13 generators.
Two diesels, two gas,
and 9 mechanical.
(The latter can be run by
wind, water, or even bicycles.)

We hope to bring CATherine
fully back on-line
on Thursday -
with the arrival of four new brushes -
for her exciter.

Next restraining factor
is a backup grinding pump
for the septic holding tank
that pumps up to the Type IV
commercial septic tank
(like used in Motels)
that the government insisted that we put in.
Can't complain about that.

In fact -
can't complain about the many, many things
the government made us do -
in what were often misdirected efforts
to place what they hoped were
insurmountable obstacles in our way -
and to shut us down.

If it wasn't for them -
we wouldn't have:
the four big air intake towers
(we were trying to be inconspicuous -
but they insisted that we have
the winter weather cover.)

We wouldn't have had
the excellent rear exit that we have.
(We were making do with the original one
from the initial 1980 shelter.)

We wouldn't have had
the ten foot high fence
with barbed wire on top and bottom -
(they would have flipped out -
if we had put it up on our own).

We wouldn't have the watch towers
at both corners -
(same situation -
but they ordered us to build storage sheds
and to remove construction materials
from inside the shelter -
so we took advantage of the opportunity -
and built the storage in that way.)

Item after item -
in the way of equipment and supplies -
came about in this way.
Oftentimes, most usually -
I felt -
"Oh my,
what a hurdle and burden
they are placing on me -
but each time -
it worked out to our benefit."

The eight years -
that the shelter was shut -
was truly a benefit also.
It would have been a great burden otherwise -
to go down and check it each day -
and a constant battle
in keeping thieves out.
(Our enemies always spread rumours
that we had large supplies of weapons there -
when in fact we had none -
and consequently crooks were always
looking for arms).
Even welded -
they still broke in -
on the last occasion -
a year ago December -
using a cutting torch
to get through the steel door.

But anyway -
that is now past.
The government ordered me
not to let the media
take pictures of the inside of the shelter -
and I don't make any big thing
about our doing maintenance on it -
and that is the way it has been now
for over a year -
and the way that I hope it will continue.

I pray daily -
that the Lord keeps me in step -
with His intentions
about the upcoming events.

I can't tell you how blessed I feel.
In point of fact -
to me -
one of the greatest signs
that it is about to happen
is the way everything is
now coming together.

I always think -
if I had some amount of money -
what I would do.
But -
those are just my ideas -
and the Lord knows of what we need.
I am too often one of little faith.

Nevertheless,
I do buy a lottery ticket each month.
I am reminded of the saying of Jesus -

Matthew 17:27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the
sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when
thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and
give unto them for me and thee.

So -
I don't want it to be said -
that I didn't look in the fish's mouth.

Some readers berate me -
for being so far in debt.
A good Christian,
I am told -
would pay off all his debts.
To die otherwise -
or to go into a nuclear war
owing people -
is stealing from them.

Does concern me.
And I don't know how
I would ever get even with the world -
but on the other hand -
I am equally concerned
about leaving any stone unturned.

If I failed
to gather and use
every possible resource
that I could -
and some people died or suffered horribly
for that reason -
where I could have otherwise helped them -
I think that would be the greater sin.

Others will judge me.
And God will judge me.
But -
I don't even know how to judge myself.
I am sure that I fall short on this -
and many other things -
but still I stumble on.
Or maybe not.

My wife often says -
(when she isn't angry at me)
how amazing it is
that so many things work out for me.

For each of us -
the Lord is our Shepherd -
and even though we know not
what is for good or ill for us -
He guides all of us -
on our way -
and when by our will we refuse to be guided -
He is ever trying to call us back to the fold.

Lord -
I hope that I am following Thy Voice.

We will all remember these
as being "the good old days".
But, in truth,
these are NOT the good old days.
Eventually, as humanity matures
it will look upon these as having been
the 'bad old days'.

In a more spiritually enlightened age -
people will look back in astonishment
at how one segment of society
could think they could justly live
in such luxury or security -
(and often in such immorality and materialism)
when so many of God's children
are deprived of basic freedoms
and basic needs for survival.

It is these injustices of the day -
where billions, nay trillions,
can be found to build and maintain
aircraft carriers and Weapons of Mass Destruction
and yet in those same countries
children can go to bed hungry at night
or without basic medical care.

Those who judge Beach
in his desire and effort
to build a better world -
may well be right -
as they castigate him
for not being a Christian -
or having what they call socialist tendencies -
or advocating a New World Order -
and no matter what fault the may find of him -
I am sure God in His Justice -
would find even greater faults -
but I thank God -
that in His Mercy -
He doesn't reveal them all to me -
because I am sure that I couldn't stand
to bear to know them.

So now -
here we stand before God -
inadequately spiritually prepared
for those great and terrible events
that are prophesied to take place.
And verily we know -
that we truly have no shelter -
but in God.

How I long -
that others would come and help me prepare -
for the Great Day of Wrath -
and to help usher in
The Great Day of the Lord.

Soon the cry will go up -
throughout the world -
"How is THIS night different -
from every other night?"

But this too -
will Passover -
or pass away.

Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org