President's gutter language raised eyebrows

Gutter talk sounds odd coming from the "cool" President, but

It made all of the headlines yesterday when President Obama used gutter colloquialisms to express his frustration with the oil spill in the gulf coast. It's a documented fact that many of the president of the 20th century used very rough language in private conversations with their staff members, but it's rarely spoken in pubic, and definitely not part of formal presidential interviews in front of T.V. Cameras.

But the videos made it undeniable. Obama said, ""I don't sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar, we talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick."

It's now official. The nation's leader has given his endorsement to "a--" kicking, at least metaphorically. Instantly YouTube videos appeared, cartoons were generated, editorial columns were written and school children watching news channels in a thousand classrooms were wowed!

Earlier, this year, the vice-president spoke with his microphone open and whispered in the President's ear at a news conference "this is a big fu--king deal" after the passage of the health care bill. It too was widely reported; at least it was whispered and not official.

Once the president and the vice-president are seen in public using gutter language it won't be long before the public is desensitized and it becomes common place.

Obviously the President is frustrated over the BP oil spill; yet even in frustration restraint is required.

There is a bible passage that reflects this dilemma: "Isaiah 8:21 "Frustrated and famished, they try one thing after another. When nothing works out they get angry, cursing first this god and then that one, Looking this way and that,"

When we get upset and curse it shows frustration but doesn't solve problems.

There is an old saying, "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

Hopefully, we've heard our last bit of gutter talk from the President. If he continues, the public could very well get angry and start looking for "whose a-- to kick."

I spill, you spill, oil spills; who cleans it up?

I spill things sometimes, who cleans it up?

Occasionally, I spill things: a glass a water here, a can of soda there. Often not much damage is done except the time I spilled a can of Coke on my lap top computer. I once spilled spaghetti on my necktie, it dropped right off the spoon. A trash bag burst once and all of the contents spilled on to my wife's newly waxed floor. I spilled a whole glass of water once on the crouch area of my pants once; people stared because it looked as if I had wet myself. It was a big spot.

We all spill things, the question is: "Who cleans up afterwards?"

I usually grab a towel or whatever is available and try to clean up behind myself, but my wife says my efforts to cleanup only mess up more. She has to take over to get it done right.

When I spill something, it's usually small. What if I spilled something bigger?

In New Orleans there is a massive oil spill that is devastating the Louisiana Coast. An oil well owned by British Petroleum, Inc. (BP) exploded, killed many workers and is spewing over 210,000 gallons of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico. Birds, fish and livelihoods are being threatened. BP has promised to clean it up and pay everyone for their losses including the state and individual businesses and families.

Even that huge commitment is not enough at present because the oil is still spewing into the water and it appears to worsen daily. The complaints are multiplying.

When it's all over who will clean it up? Except for the lives lost, BP promises to restore everything. It may be too big a job for BP alone. Some want that government to take over and manage the recovery.

Sometimes we mess up in our lives. Like a giant spill we mess up everything. Like BP, we promise to make it all right but despite our best plans we can't stop the massive seepage everyday.

It's obvious that we need a higher power to take over and manage our recovery. We can't save ourselves from ourselves. We need God's help. He has the power to get the job done. We need God's power for restoration.

There is a bible passage that says, "Psalms 51:10-12 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."

That can of Coke that spilled on my laptop cost me about $1,500 to replace the unit. That's one spill that won't happen again.

My life spills costs a lot too; that's why I'm taking extra caution to insure that they don't happen again.