Good Morning & God Bless To Everyone !!!
Today is January 2, the 2nd day of 2014 & there are 363 days left in the year where it is a pleasure to be in the work of our Lord here at:
For God’s Glory Alone Ministries !!!
As always, it’s a beautiful day here in Albuquerque. At 3:45 this morning it’s presently 22 degrees outside and a breeze brings our windchill down to 12. We’re looking for a high in the upper 40’s and we’re being given yet another day to bask in God’s glorious sunshine!
In great excitement I just want to say THANKS to everyone – Prayers Work my friends – last time I talked to Pastor Dewey yesterday I got a very good report on his precious pup Reno. While he obviously still needs a lot of post operative care all indications are that he’s recovering well which is good news. His appetite seems to be OK and he’s apparently following Dad around the house in whatever he may be doing and lies on Dad’s feet while he works! THANK YOU ALL so very much for your prayers and let’s keep them in our thoughts and prayers again today for safe and complete healing!
Today’s ‘History’ comes in a little bit of a rush so please forgive or overlook any typos I may have today. I’m off to the hospital for some follow-up testing from my cancer this last year but want to get this out to you all before I head out. I’ll be more careful with proof reading tomorrow.
So, What Happened Today In 1980:
United States & Russia Détente Ends
On this day in 1980, in a strong reaction to the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter asks the Senate to postpone action on the SALT II nuclear weapons treaty & recalls the U.S. ambassador to Moscow. These actions sent a message that the age of détente & the friendlier diplomatic and economic relations that were established between the United States & Soviet Union during President Richard Nixon’s administration (1969-74) had ended.
Carter feared that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in which an estimated 30,000 combat troops entered that nation & established a puppet government, would threaten the stability of strategic neighboring countries such as Iran & Pakistan & could lead to the USSR gaining control over much of the world’s oil supplies. The Soviet actions were labeled “a serious threat to peace” by the White House. Carter asked the Senate to shelve ratification talks on SALT II, the nuclear arms treaty that he & Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev had already signed, & the president called U.S. ambassador to Moscow Thomas J. Watson back to Washington for “consultation,” in an effort to let the Kremlin know that military intervention in Afghanistan was unacceptable.
When the Soviets refused to withdraw from Afghanistan, America halted certain key exports to the USSR, including grain & high technology, & boycotted the 1980 summer Olympics, which were held in Moscow. The United States also began to covertly subsidize anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan. During Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s, the CIA secretly sent billions of dollars to Afghanistan to arm and train the mujahedeen rebel forces that were battling the Soviets. This tactic was successful in helping to drive out the Soviets, but it also gave rise to the oppressive Taliban regime & Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terrorist organization.
In 1980, Jimmy Carter lost the presidency to Ronald Reagan, who favored a more aggressive anti-Communist foreign policy. Reagan dubbed the USSR the “evil empire” & believed it was America’s responsibility to save the world from Soviet repression. He dramatically increased U.S. defense spending & ramped up the nuclear arms race with the Soviets, whose faltering economy ultimately prevented them from keeping pace. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
Other Memorable Or Interesting Events Occurring On January 2 In History:
1492 – The Kingdom of Granada in southern Spain falls to the Christian forces of King Ferdinand V & Queen Isabella I & the Moors lose their last foothold in Spain;
1776 – The Continental Congress publishes the “Troy Act” resolution which describes how colonies should handle those Americans who remain loyal to the British & King George;
1788 – Georgia votes to ratify the U.S. Constitution becoming the 4th state;
1791 – Big Bottom massacre in the Ohio Country marks the beginning of the Northwest Indian War;
1811 – Senator Timothy Pickering, a federalist from Massachusetts becomes the 1st Senator to be censured when the Senate votes 20 to 7. He was accused of violating Congressional Law by publicly revealing secret documents communicated by the President to the Senate;
1863 – The Battle of Stones River ends when the Union troops of William Rosecrans defeats Confederates under Braxton Bragg at Murfreesboro Tennessee south of Nashville. The battle was a crucial engagement in the contest for central Tennessee & provided a Union victory during a bleak period for the north;
1890 – President Benjamin Harrison welcomes Alice Sanger as the 1st female White House staffer. Her appointment may have been an olive branch to the growing woman’s suffrage movement that had gained momentum during Harrison’s presidency;
1905 – During the Russo-Japanese War, Port Arthur, a Russian naval base in China, falls to Japanese forces. It was the 1st in a series of defeats that by June turned the tide of the imperial conflict irrevocably against Russia;
1923 – Former Senator from New Mexico, Albert Fall, now the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior resigns in response to public outrage over the “Teapot Dome” scandal. Fall’s resignation illuminated a deeply corrupt relationship between western developers & the federal government;
1942 – During WWII in the Philippines, the city of Manila & the U.S. Naval Base at Cavite fall to Japanese forces;
1942 – The U.S. Navy Airship Patrol Group 1 & Air Ship Squadron 12 are established at Lakehurst New Jersey. The U.S. Navy was the only military service in the world to use airships, or Blimps, during the war;
1962 – The Weavers, one of the most significant popular-music groups of the postwar era, saw their career nearly destroyed during the Red Scare of the early 1950s. Even with anti-communist fervor in decline by the early 1960s, the Weavers’ leftist politics were used against them as late as January 2, 1962, when the group’s appearance on The Jack Paar Show was cancelled over their refusal to sign an oath of political loyalty. The importance of the Weavers to the folk revival of the late 1950s cannot be overstated. Without the group that Pete Seeger founded with Lee Hays in Greenwich Village in 1948, there would likely be no Bob Dylan, not to mention no Kingston Trio or Peter, Paul and Mary;
1963 – At Ap Bac, a village in the Mekong Delta 50 miles southwest of Saigon, the Viet Cong inflict heavy casualties on a much larger South Vietnamese force. The Viet Cong down 5 U.S. transport helicopters killing 30 Americans;
1966 – In the Vietnam War, American troops move into the Mekong Delta for the 1st time;
1967 – In what is described as the biggest air battle of the war to date, U.S. Air Force F-4 Phantom jets down seven communist MiG-21s over North Vietnam. The Phantoms were flying cover for F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bombers, which were attacking surface-to-air missile sites in the Red River Delta. During this operation, Col. Robin Olds shot down one of the MiGs, becoming the first & only U.S. Air Force ace with victories in both world War II & Vietnam (“ace” was a designation traditionally awarded for five enemy aircraft shot down);
1971 – 66 football, (soccer), fans are killed in a stampede at a stadium in Glasgow Scotland while trying to leave the stadium;
1973 – In the Vietnam War, the U.S. admits the accidental bombing of a hospital in Hanoi North Vietnam;
1974 – President Richard Nixon signs the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act setting a new national maximum speed limit at 55 mph. The act was intended to force Americans to drive at a more fuel-efficient speed during an oil embargo due to the Israeli Yom Kippur War & other mideastern tensions;
1981 – Serial killer & so-called Yorkshire Ripper is caught by British police ending one of the largest manhunts in history. After 5 years, Peter Sutcliffe is spotted in a stolen car with a prostitute & was arrested;
2008 – Oil reaches $100 a barrel for the 1st time;
2009 – Media outlets report that a rare unrestored 1937 Bugatti type 57S Atalante Coupe had been found in the garage of a British doctor. The next month it was sold at a Paris auction for $4.4 million. The black 2-seater was 1 of only 17 & was owned by english surgeon Harold Carr who had died in 2007;
2012 – During military exercises in the Persian Gulf, Iran successfully test-fires 2 long-range missiles;
2013 – Use of Plastic bags in Mauritania in western North Africa is banned.
Now We’re Off To The Fun Stuff:
Today’s Funny Puppy Picture:
Today’s Inspirational Music Video:
Do You Hear What I Hear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDt84OSRahBRo&v=3zPaKwA7838&feature=player_detailpage
Today’s Word Of The Day:
Cesspool – is a pit or cistern, built to collect the sewage or other sediments from a house. It is commonly used to describe any filthy or immoral place.
Today’s I’m Too Big Doggie:
No Ralph; it’s time to go mop the floors! 
Today’s Patriotic Quote:
Today’s Crazy Law:
In Alabama: It is legal to drive the wrong way down a one-way street if you have a lantern attached to the front of your automobile. (I wonder if the wife will let me try that when we drive over to Florida later this year to see her sister?)
Today’s Crazy Thought:
If someone owns a piece of land, do they own it all the way to the center of the earth?
Today’s Funny Sign: 
Today’s Inspirational Image:
Today’s Christian Thought:
Until Tomorrow – GOD BLESS TO EVERYONE !!!