Jack of Hearts Christmas Message 2015

I was driving and saw the sun shining it’s golden rays upon the many sullen grey clouds in front of me and a storm off into the distance to my side when I had an epiphany.

We are constantly portraying that ‘our society’ is generally an all loving one where people are encouraged to be themselves, be individuals. We, as a society, take pride in giving the down trodden and minorities a soap box to stand on. We listen. We may not all agree with what we hear but we allow everyone the right to speak. I feel that the core of that is that we, as a society, hold great value in individuality and I also feel that we all shirk away from being sheep.

It wouldn’t surprise me if many people would be shocked but I have my own religious beliefs intertwined with my scientific beliefs. I don’t belong to a church or a sect and I don’t associate with anyone who sees things exactly the way I do. I’m not radical in any way, I’m just an individual. I believe that the core values from over 2000 years ago are good values to strive towards. I don’t believe that a dozen aristocrats back in the fourth century in the German city of Worms were given a free hand to pick and choose which values would become ‘Christianity’ and to then split into a myriad of churches who bicker constantly about which way is the correct way to ‘have faith’. That meeting made a foundation for Christianity based consciously excluding the full facts from the people by excluding most recorded testimonials of one man’s last year of life. Do you believe that a man existed and said some things? Then take all or nothing. If this interests you read the Gospels of Judas and Thomas and I don’t want to be a hypocrite so search ‘the apocrypha’. I believe that science can prove or disprove but, by definition, doesn’t offer hope. History shows humans need both.

So as an individual, one of almost eight billion, I live in the knowledge that each of my thoughts and beliefs can be disputed by others. I feel that I have fine-tuned the art of ‘playing devil’s advocate’ over the years. I understand that many people see this as either a weakness or a nuisance. I seek only your insight and love to be challenged. Whilst I may initially disagree fundamentally with some thoughts I am open to change if you can sway me. I have always succinctly described myself as a chameleon.

So you can roll your eyes, speak up or nod in silence. You may disagree but I just hope that you may uphold the ideal that I can say all this and you can have an opinion or debate at the ready. The way I see it, I am wrong all the time and so is everyone else, there are no absolutes in opinions. I don’t look for people who agree with me on most things to consider them a friend. I value each and every one of you and I hope that you know this in your hearts.

So in the spirit of keeping people alive by paying tribute to their legacy, much in the same way I still say Happy birthday to all my long dead relatives, friends are mentors:

Happy birthday Jesus!

This marks ten years of published and recorded Jack of Hearts Christmas messages. Hallelujah!

2013 and 2014 messages to be added in the New Year (Jan 2016)

Jack of Hearts Christmas Message 2012

Transcribed from FaceBook 24 December 2011...

Christmas Message from Jack of Hearts 2011
Another WOW year past. Have to acknowledge losses of great ones we will sadly miss but recall their grand memories.
Just going to tell it very straight this year- Incompetent Governments and so called ‘elected’ officials have done a terrible job of bad situation after bad situation. Last year I said “Bring Me An Ark” and we had Floods abound, this year I say “Bring Me ONE Competent Politician” I will even search globally...
Protestors may well have truly shaped the year but alas the media hype it up as if every arena as been bettered for the fact. The Hippie in me of old says “maybe?” but the ever mystic says “What about tomorrow?” Will all the citizens and economies of Libya, Syria, Russia, Egypt, Greece, Spain, England, Australia, Burma, China and the Americas be all the better in 2012? Short Answer ‘NO’...
There is no Long Answer available. We need to source at least ONE person who has the answers and in this democratic and communist world that person has to be a politician...
For 2012 I foresee not the end of the world but a large change to the way we embrace each other on personal and global interactions. Closing of borders and opening of borders...
Personally it’s been the year to finally get married. I am now the combined ages of my grandparents when they got married on 23rd December 1944. Hallelujah!
In Volcanic measures I wish you, my friends, all well. This years’ cryptic prophesy is in the Countries above.
Ciao
The Jack of Hearts

The 2010 Annual Christmas Message

2010… What a year!

Last years Christmas Message contained these words- “Wait and see what Mother Earth has for her immediate and rumbling response…” held true with earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions in many places which spread across the entire year and cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Horrific mining tragedies only tempered by the inspiring triumph of human over the Earth in Chile and China. Many of the affected areas and countries are still in a similar state of disrepair and despair as they were when these natural disasters happened (some many many months ago) so offer them a thought this Christmas and perhaps a donation if you can spare it. Hopefully this year’s message has some hidden and more positive truths.

A very hot topic in the echelons of power has been ‘Wikileaks’ in the last year. Will it continue? Does it have steam? Is it a flash in the pan nobody wants? The same questions asked each year since 2006. What do you think the answers are then…. Certainly fair to say that nobody in a position of power, financial or political (as if they are mutually exclusive!) who is used to being viewed from the outside will appreciate having their secrets exposed. Much like the many sports stars that face this conundrum on an all too regular basis thanks to the easy access of the internet.

In light of this I will pose a few items for you to ponder. Think back to these past masterpieces-

1949- Nineteen Eighty Four (1984), George Orwell, Big Brother…

1951- Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, The Fireman…

1931- Brave New World, Aldous Huxley, The World State…

Are we to believe that Wikileaks has taken the position of the Big Brother all seeing, all knowing and therefore a bad thing we need to expunge from society or is the reverse true that those being exposed represent Big Brother?

Are we to believe that those being exposed for their actions and words should be entitled in turn to take the position of The Fireman and delete all written and recorded truths about them on the basis that they are embarrassing, volatile and have real potential to create political nightmares that may affect the world citizens in far reaching ways?

Are we to believe that as citizens of earth that we are all a part of The World State and as such we should take responsibility for the actions of others and define what we as citizens want for our own future?

Freedom of speech and the ability to talk against the powers that be has been proven once again this year to not be a given right but more of a gratuitous gift that we do not all share. Large corporations and mere men and women have taken on noted world super powers in what shall surely be dubbed the First Great Privacy War of this century, more to come. Brain fodder for your consumption and digestion over this Christmas period.

May 2011 bring you all happiness and peace. 2011 has in store some rather big changes for yours truly so let’s see what next years message ends up at! Bring me an Ark, an Ethernet cable and a Red Apple or a Cherry…. :)

Jack of Hearts Annual Christmas Message 2009 

Merry Christmas, Happy Festive Season to one and all alike. Alike that’s what we all are. Sure we may have our differences of opinions, our ideology may vary a little bit or a LOT but we are all made up of the same core essence. Scientists tell you that’s silicon and theologians tell you that’s our inexplicable soul but regardless of the label you are just like me and I’m just like you. Sorry if you know me and that scares you a bit… I’m sure you’ll see my point though!

The past twelve months have been a passage of variables for us all. Once again we have seen losses- some personal and some devastating on a wider scale all of which are just as real as each other. There have been milestones passed and dizzying heights reached. We have also seen hope shine in areas nobody dare consider five years ago.

Whilst terrorism is realistically unstoppable so long as there are minds open to suggestion and voices of hatred the past year has seen some frontiers of terrorism slowed and even ended such as in Sri Lanka- our hopes go out to the citizens regardless of their political standing in the past and may they all move into a harmonious time in the tentative decades ahead.

Afghanistan enters a new phase of her history over the next twelve months and there is a new fostered hope on the ground within the Afghan citizens and also the combatants. May that take a step to the next and better cycle in the coming years.

Climate Change has been one of the biggest talking points for some time shown by the ever increasing push from world citizens for their governments to make a realistic and actual accord. Copenhagen failed to that end but made some small headway. Wait and see what Mother Earth has for her immediate and rumbling response…

Wishing every one of you and your family, friends and colleagues alike all the best and safest holiday season. May 2010 bring you wealth in moderation lest you overindulge, love in abundance to ensure you do and health to see you through to 2011…

2008 Christmas Message- December 24th 2008

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka, Cheery Ramadan!

Well here we are again! Another year has transpired and we reach the traditional festive season of Christmas. Another Jack Of Hearts Christmas Message awaits...

Alas this year we are coming to you through the highest of technology and also being created through the lowest technological source available- a mixed bag but really, it's all about the words!

Firstly to review the 2007 years Chrsitmas message there is nothing to be said other than thankfully many of our hopes were met, we still move forward into the next year-

An open thought is that this past year has been, yet again, a much better year than the last all round. Of course there are exceptions and we must acknowledge that once again there have been many great people pass before their time. This isn't to say that they were necessarily famous in the wider community but alas they were people that made a real difference to the way we think, the way we feel and the way we interact.

We have seen some terrible events transpire amongst our greater world and many of these events, unfortunately, owe homage to the fact that we are still not acting as a truely global community and accepting each other as equals despite our obvious differences. Surely these minor, sometimes, larger differences that seperate us can also bind us?

Is it not fair to say that tollerance should be our, that is, everyone's goal for the coming year? I remind everyone somthing that you already know- we can only create real change by offering up our true selves and lead the way forth! Lead by example in the coming year- given this is not always the easy path but look forward to the future for our coming generations, I urge you all.

As for the closer region of Australia we have gone from drought to floods and this has devastated so many people and groups in our community it is impossible to list them. Although the rain is much needed it has destroyed crops, houses, industries and we can only hope that these rains settle to be a regular but forgiving event in the next year.

There has been of course a very drastic financial situation transpiring. Things are very hard at the moment and though it may seem more than enough to bare for some of you I say there is always another option and though you may be facing severe hardship in the coming months seek assistance from every government and charitable organisation there is to get you through these times.

Sincerely there is always another option, it may not have been favourable to you or someone you know six months ago but all we need as human beings is shelter, food and love. Reach out if you need to, nobody is looking down on you and everyone understands! If you find yourself needing any of these make a phone call or visit one of the many decent groups that our community has grown.

On this note I should acknowledge the great works over the last year of a handful of the many great charities- The Smith Family, Red Cross, Red Crescent, Salvation Army to name but a few.

So to put it all into one sentence for the coming year I ask that you all purvey the observance of tolerance and assist every person you know to also aspire to this end.

Au Revoir, for another year I shall hibernate into my reclusive cocoon whilst intermittently interacting, smiling and biting my tongue as I have asked you to do....

Jack of Hearts Christmas Message for ‘007

(transcribed from YouTube Video)

“Every year you get the Queens Christmas Message. Some of you have been getting the Jack of Hearts Christmas message for the last three or four years and this year as promised we’re going into the multimedia age so check your You Tube and your Facebook and, there you go, that’s where it is, not on your phone any more and not in the mail! So this year we’ve got to acknowledge a few charities, first of all Movember, Surf Live Saving Association of Australia because it’s their year, Salvation Army, Big Issue vendors- we can’t forget those guys doing a good job, Red Cross and Red Crescent and Amnesty International. Now, a few issues we need to talk about. Firstly it’s been a pretty good year, last year was pretty crap, lets face it, there was a lot to talk about, a lot to pick and worry about. This year there’s not so much of the bad stuff but it a bit worrying that the top 100 news stories on the internet this year are predominantly about gossip and entertainment news, famous celebrities doing something wrong. Surely you guys out there are interested in Current Affairs, what’s happening in the big picture, what’s happening in the world. Everything that we need to be worried about that is the future, the future of us, our kids, our grandparents, you know, everybody. So come on, get there, talk about it, look it up on the net, find out the truth don’t just take what’s on the news for granted, look into a bit further and find out the real story. So this year the Australian drought has pretty much broken, the only flip side is we’re probably looking at six months of storms so lets hope that the farmers get what they need but not the storms to destroy the crops, but after all, hey, doesn’t it really mean at the end of the day we’re all paying more money for food and the farmers out there, they’re having a hell of a lifestyle at the moment. Let’s hope that it’s much better for them. And the Australian Indigenous Communities, big issue this year, it’s always been a big issue but it’s always been ignored and just overlooked for centuries, no-one’s ever worried about it, this year the government and the opposition at the time have openly spoken out and said we’ve got a major problem, we’ve got some serious issues out there and we all know what they are.. or do we? Do you know what we’re talking about here? We’re talking about abuse in the community and we’re taking about wider issues of drug abuse and alcohol abuse and you know, kids not getting treated the way they should be. Is it really.. Whose fault is it? I mean let’s look into it the government has really let these people just slide by the wayside, it’s not good enough! Now Tanya Major, earlier this year at the end of August was on the Andrew Denton “Enough Rope” show and I urge you all to get to http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/ check out Andrew Denton’s interview with her and she’ll open your eyes to a lot of things, she’s a fantastic woman, young woman I should say, Young Australian of the Year.

Now we’ve also got the issue of drugs in sport in this country, is it really a big issue? It is because our kids are coming up, they want to do the right thing but they get a million dollars a year or half a million dollars a year, they don’t know what they’re doing. We need to see.. wait for it you’re actually about to hear these words… more psychologists in sport to speak to these kids and explain to them what’s expected of them and how to deal with the immediate rise to fame. They’re all affected by it but the future kids are gonna be affected by it too. It’s just to light this year because of a certain West Coast Eagles star and certain cycling stars but really, it’s world wide. I mean the Olympic medals being taken off a certain person. Don’t mention names but surely you guys know who I’m talking about?

Another issue- Pakistan a State of Emergency and Marshall Law, well that’s really a major issue. It’s civil liberties just being stripped away from the people but for a good reason or is it just so that one person can continue his reign over the country a little bit longer? Now, President Musharaf is actually saying that we are going to have free and honest and fair elections early next year. Well let’s just hope that comes true and let’s just hope the international community stands by, overlooks the elections and we do get fair elections. If he gets in, that’s fine, as long as it’s a fair election, that’s what we want, that’s what the world needs. Fair, Honest, Elections, everywhere. Not just first world countries, not just the U.S. America, Australia, not just Brittain, we want to see it in Pakistan, Iraq, every country of this world.

Guantanamo Bay. There’s still 355 people being held at Guantanamo Bay. In the last 6 years there’s been 755 people taken there and 400 released, predominantly without charge. We’re expecting to see about sixty to seventy people actually charged at the end of the day. Civil liberties, once again, I mean, come on.. if you’re not gonna charge these people, how long does it take to interrogate them and get something out of them? Do they really know where Osama Bin Laden lives? I think by now we’ve proven that none of them do. It’s quite possible that some of them are terrorists but if you’re only expecting to charge about 60 to 70 out of 755, 400 of whom have already been released, come on guys, the worlds watching and the worlds disgusted. Do the right thing and give every single one of them a fair trial, charge them, they go to jail, whatever the consequences are or they go free, that’s what you need to do.

Of course there’s also a new federal government in Australia at the moment, we’ve got Kevin Rudd, Labor, he happens to sit in my local area so that’s a pretty good thing for my area, we’ll never see him again I guess probably a bad thing for us but.. is it a good thing for this country? He’s already announced that by August 2008 there will be no more Australian troops in Iraq, there will be in Afganistan and he says that’s a different case as did John Howard, predecessor to him and it is a different case. It’s gotta be treated on a case to case basis. Iraq.. troops out by August 2008 is that enough? Let’s see. Also Work Choices laws that he’s vowed to overturn by the early New Year so February, March hopefully we can see some movement on that because that is the main reason that this man was elected to Prime Minister of this country.

We’ve already brushed on the top 100 stories of the year being piffle and rubbish and drivel, well as I say guys you’re on the internet, you’ve seen this so just get out there for crying out loud just read some really interesting news stories. Just go to CNN and Nine MSN, dig deeper, don’t just take one source every time, always delve and prod and look around. This country has one major newspaper for each state and they’re owned by a handful of people ie two or three people. And then you get your subsidiary newspapers, your local newspapers also owned by the same people. It’s just, it’s insane that you take that for granted, if you read something in the Age, the Australian, the Courier Mail then that’s fine but if you are interested in the outcome of this story look it up on the web. Go to some obscure websites, look in the conspiracy theories. Does it mean they’re true? No, not necessarily but at least you’re looking and least you’ve got an informed opinion instead of just one other persons opinion and you been told what to think because that’s pretty much what happens.

Basically it has been a pretty good year 007. Next year, let’s see. 2006 was pretty bad so hopefully we’re looking forward to a better 2008 and the way to get this to be the end story is we want to see peace and understanding through talks. Everyone just show a bit of compassion. You’re neighbour, be he Arab, be he Jew, be he Aussie, be he American or be he whatever religion it doesn’t matter talk to your neighbours, talk to your friends, everyone, that’s the big community, that’s everyone. The U.N. and the local people in your own street. Don’t just shun them because they look different or they speak different. Befriend everyone, it’s the Aussie way and this year it’s pretty much an Aussie message as opposed to every other year when it’s been on the global issues, this year we’re going on the home front.

As a last thing I’d like to say this is a shout out to Jean Osborn. 84 years going strong. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for her. Thanks a bunch! Catch ya later!”

The Jack of Hearts Annual Christmas Message for 2006

(Transcribed from original SMS text message 24^th December 2006)

2006 has offered hope around the globe not withstanding loss and devastation in the many wars being fought. North and South Korea sitting in talks of union- sports now but remember how apartheid ended? It began with rebel sportsmen which encouraged politicians. Hope is now realistic for peace on many fronts. The Middle East has had a quiet year compared to every other before. Iraq will prove to be the new frontier to find world peace- may Bush et al make the good moral decisions. Australia has had drought, bushfires and legends pass on but we bind together in hardship, mateship. 2006 has truly been an all round better year than 2005 and if the humanity in us all prevails, 2007 shall follow in kind. Peace and good will to you all may the new year bring love and joy to you and yours. Amen!