Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2018 … One Day We “Will One Day Live in a Nation Where They Will Not Be Judged by the Color of their Skin but by the Content of their Character”

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY – 2018 … Because in the end, it is all about the content of one’s character.

On this MLK Day 2018, we once again join together as a nation and honor the message of Martin Luther King Jr.  We look back and reflect on “The Dream.”  Don’t let people tell you we have not, because we have come a long way as a people and a nation since the 1960′s. However, that is not to say we don’t still have a ways to go. I personally make it a point every MLK day to listen to the words of the slain Civil Rights leader and his “I Have a Dream” speech and reflect on what it means and where we are today with that dream. Today, we are a much better country and closer to Martin Luther King Jr’s dream. The United States of America has come a long way; however, the mission is not over. Recently we have been presented with the facts that black unemployment is at an all-time low. It can get even lower! “The Dream” is much like being a Christian or life in general. You don’t just all of a sudden say, okay, I have reached my goal and nothing more is needed. People are not perfect, they never will be. We strive to be good and follow Christian values. That does not mean we do not fail or fall short. Have we come a long way, yes. However, does that mean we have much more to do and always will. Don’t let negate noise get in the way of reality. Be a part of the continued Dream!

“I Have A Dream Speech” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have a dream that “The Dream” of Martin Luther King Jr. will be championed by real Civil Rights activists and not high-jacked by those for their own self-serving purposes and agenda and try to divide us as a country. To do so, to race-bait and to divide America whether you be a common American citizen, a pastor, a politician or a president does a disservice to Martin Luther King, Jr. and his “DREAM.” How I wish there was a true Martin Luther King Jr. alive today to champion the cause. We are closer than you think America, don’t let those that would divide us be victorious.

Full text of MLK Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech:

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

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And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

HAPPY NEW YEARS From SCARED MONKEYS!!! Wishing All A Happy, Safe and Joyous 2018

Scared Monkeys would like to wish all a HAPPY NEW YEAR – 2018!!!

We are wishing everyone a healthy, joyous, prosperous and successful New Year.  As we look back over this past year and remember it with fondness and sorrow, to the happiness we experienced and the sorrow for those we those lost. We look forward to making 2018 the best ever! May you all have a safe and blessed New Year!

 Auld Lang Syne – Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
And here’s a hand, my trusty friend
And gie’s a hand o’ thine
We’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne

U.S. Retail Holiday Sales Jump 4.9%, Biggest Increase Since 2011

HO, HO, HO … DONALD TRUMP, MAKING HOLIDAY SHOPPING GREAT AGAIN …

As reported at USA Today, U.S. year-end holiday retail sales rose 4.9% compared to the same period last year. The shoppers were out in force this holiday season as sales rose 4.9% from November 1 through Christmas Eve, easily beating the 3.7% from last year. Online retail sales rose 18.1% in 2017. THE TRUMP EFFECT: The rise in sales figures reflect the near record high consumer confidence, a strong jobs market, near DOW 25 K, unemployment fell to a 17 year low in October and with the passage and signing of the Tax bill, look for the economy to get even better.

Despite thousands of store closings this year, Americans supplied a final flurry of spending to give retailers their best holiday season sales since 2011, figures released Tuesday show.

U.S. year-end holiday retail sales rose 4.9% compared to the same period last year, a welcome gift to U.S. retailers amid new signs of consumer confidence.

Online retail shopping similarly increased 18.1%, while overall consumer buying during the holiday period set a new record for dollars spent, according to the sales report issued by Mastercard SpendingPulse.

“Overall, this year was a big win for retail,” Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president of Market Insights, Mastercard, said in a statement issued with the report. “The strong U.S. economy was a contributing factor, but we also have to recognize that retailers who tried new strategies to engage holiday shoppers were the beneficiaries of this sales increase.”

Although the report showed the 2017 holiday shopping season from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 was a winner for all retailers, the results differed by category. Retailers that succeeded tapped into:

Merry Christmas 2017 … JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD HAS COME … CHRIST, THE SAVIOR IS BORN!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2017 …. JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD HAS COME!!!

On this most blessed, joyous and special day we would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and to ask all to always remember the true reason for the season. As you are unwrapping presents, partaking in some eggnog, spending time with family, friends and loved ones, having your holiday feast and experiencing the joy of this day, always keep in mind the true reason for the season because  on this joyous day …  “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

May everyone have a joyous and blessed day!!! Enjoy some of the greatest Christmas songs of the season as these are the ones that are on the SM play list during the holiday season, among many others. God Bless!!!

Joy to the World – Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Luke 2:10-14:

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Angels We Have Heard On High – Andrea Bocelli & David Foster

Oh Holy Night – Josh Groban

Jewel – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Nat King Cole – Away In A Manger

White Christmas” 1954 Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye

The best of Silent Night – Christmas in Vienna

Christmas Songs on Steel with Black Rifle Coffee Company (VIDEO)

THIS IS A HOLIDAY CLASSIC … ENJOY!!!

The folks at Black Rifle Coffee Company provide some Christmas cheer. The reference to Ralphie and ‘A Christmas Story’ is priceless … “Ralphie, toy are going to shoot your eye with that thing!”