Roc's Perch

In The Land of Lillaputia It's Hard to Find Giants

2012-02-03T17:27:00.002-07:00

The political "silly season" is in full swing. Republicans, Independents and a few Democrats are in the process of choosing the candidate that: a) they think would be the best choice for president, b) the candidate that has the best chance of defeating the current president (Barak Obama in this case) or c) as in the case of the few Dem's. that slip into the REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES, vote for the candidate that will, in their mind,  lose to Obama. Why we let Independents and temporary Republicans - Dem's in sheep's clothing - choose our candidate is beyond me.  I believe the best answer to making the right choice for our nominee is to vote for the one we most want to place in office. As my wife said this morning (yes she is still my wife and gratefully so) "we make the winner". Choosing the candidate who is the most "electable" is granting to oneself a foresight that is not available to us mere humans. Part of this thinking is brought about by listening to political pundits who espouse themselves as experts.  These "experts" (the republican establishment for one) who actively work to elect a nominee that is more moderate, are of the belief that we cannot draw in the votes of independents which are vital to winning the White House. This has given us candidates such as Bob Dole and John McCain (yeah, real winners there). These establishment types were dead set against Reagan getting the nomination, but now they want to jump on the Reagan band wagon and are often quoted as having been a supporter of Reagan all along.

Everyone with a hint of conservatism are now looking for the next Ronald Reagan. The problem is, their will never be another Ronald Reagan. Heck, even Ronald Reagan wasn't Ronald Reagan before the office made him the great leader that we so fondly remember. Even in office, Reagan had made his fair share of mistakes; mistakes we now choose to forget or to deemphasize. The hard truth is none of us are great until that time we need to be great. The office of President of the United States of America is unlike any other job in the world. It makes great men out of ordinary people. This is why I put large emphasis on the moral fiber of whom I choose.  It is not easy to determine the moral fiber of a candidate and we all have baggage.  I dare say that few could undergo the scrutiny that our candidates are put through without looking bad. That scrutiny gains more intensity with the advent of time and technology.

I have chosen to vote for Rick Santorum, in part for his stance on unpopular issues. This indicates to me that he has the fortitude to do what he says he will do. I also believe that he will have the strength of character to change course if he finds that he has led us in the wrong direction.  I am comfortable in voting for three of the four Republican candidates (with the notable exception of Ron Paul). However, I could not support any of these men for king. Thankfully, we do not need to choose an autocrat. This is the genius of our founders, knowing that people are fallible and susceptible to corruption.  Balance among the three branches tempers the impact of choosing the wrong candidate.

So here in the land of ordinary people (Lilliputians), we will have to give up looking for giants and do the best we can to raise our kids to be of giant character and to elevate our standards so that when the time comes we can find amongst ourselves tomorrow's leaders and today's banner bearers.

Contradiction......Really?

2011-07-09T03:03:00.000-06:00

The proceeding clip is an interview of Eric Sapp by Thomm Hartman. Both are liberal and their goal is to persuade conservative Christians that, one; you can not espouse the philosophy of Ayn Rand and Christianity since Ayn Rand was an Atheist and, two; the selfishness of conservatism flies in the face of Christ's admonition to care for the poor and the hungry.

Make no mistake, Ayn Rand was an avowed Atheist, she had nothing good to say about religion. Does her stance on religion diminish her philosophy of individual freedom vs collective bondage? Is her description of those who would assume power through government coercion "for the sake of humanity" (she called them moochers-an apt name) any less valid? I can make distinctions between her view of religion and the points she makes in the political arena, as I am sure that you who read this can. Let me point out the hypocrisy of Eric Sapp. Although I'm sure that he would disavow this point, the philosophy that he espouses is rooted in the teachings of Carl Marx, also and avowed atheist. He reserves for himself the ability to selectively pick and choose what he believes from whomever but we can only choose one belief or the other?

Another point made in this interview is the idea that we are selfish to try and keep the government from taking our earnings because it is a contradiction of Christs admonition to feed the poor and care for the needy. At no point in the interview did they make the distinction between private charity and government largess. Private donations to worthy causes far out pace donations made by the government.

I would like to ask these two gentlemen, How can giving to someone, someone Else's money not be considered theft? If monies are taken from an individual unwillingly and then given to someone, deserving or not, how can this be considered charity?

Be on the lookout for this kind of thinking because it will soon be in a church near you. I highly recommend that you, dear reader pick up a copy of Atlas shrugged and /or, if you get the chance, see the movie "Atlas Shrugged" Part One. You will be shocked at how close to today's reality this work of fiction is.

I'm Back, Will Anyone notice? Did anyone notice my leaving?

2011-07-08T03:24:00.000-06:00

Uh...... Hi,

In case you hadn't noticed, I had deleted my blog but I missed it so much that I had to un-delete it and once again muddle through with my bad typing and grammar skills.

I've missed you few who read my blog and I apologize for my absence.

I do not have a good excuse for my leaving and I have no excuse for returning but such reasons I have, I will share with you.

Fear is the biggest reason, I fear for what this country, and worse what we citizens, will have to endure in order to bring our nation back from, what I believe is, the brink of disaster. What has stopped me from speaking out could best be described as "deer in the headlight syndrome".

Low self esteem also has stopped me from writing what I have wanted to write. Their are so many voices out there who so eloquently espouse the message of conservatism, who am I to muddy the waters with my not so eloquent blog?

On a personal note, My wife and I, after seventeen years of marriage will soon end said marriage. I'm still living in the same house with my wife and my fourteen year old daughter. As you can imagine there is a lot of strain and things at home are not so comfortable. I soon hope to go back to over the road trucking. Of course the collapse of my marriage means that I will no longer have my editor which adds to my feelings of having inadequate writing skills.

I am hopeful that the few of you who read my blog will find their way back and we can start up again where we left off but even if no one reads it I am at a point where I feel the need to continue writing for my own mental health.

Of Teachers and Ayn Rand

2011-02-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

I have a favorite radio talk show host, his name is Mike Rosen. His show is on locally from 9 am to Noon. Fortunately he is also on the web and archives his shows. http://www.850koa.com/pages/mikerosen.html

Since I have finally figured out how to embed videos, I thought that I would embed some of the relevant things in his archives.

First up is a doctor standing on a corner in Wisconsin, signing sick notes for protesters. Unethical maybe?

Next up, A little reality check for those "teachers" protesting in Wisconsin

Third : A better trailer for Atlas Shrugged

and finally a movie clip from Atlas Shrugged

At first blush you might not think that the movie clips and the Wisconsin protesters have anything in common unless you are versed in Ayn Rands work. Than you know that what she considered the enemies of freedom are connected in most fiendish ways. Of course being a Mormon Ayn and I separate company on religious views but knowing something about her background, I understand why she was an atheist. Still, her writings have as much relevance today as they did in her time, maybe more.

It's Time

2011-02-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

Who is John Galt?

Part 1: April 15 in seven cities including Denver

Not So Simple

2011-02-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

Of the myriad reasons why I would not want the job of President of the USA, among the top would be foreign policy. There are very few times a president can point to a solid political win in the foreign policy arena. President Reagan brought down the Soviet Union but Gorbachev was given the credit, even though the last thing Gorbachev would want to do is destroy his own government.

The situation in Iraq seems to be stabilizing.  We know this because the major media outlets ignore it. Afghanistan is still a mess, but let's not forget that we went in there because there was a real threat to us from the major controlling party (the Taliban). Were mistakes made in these examples? You bet. There are always mistakes made in such major undertakings, which makes my point that whatever is done, there will always be room for criticism.

Most of the time, unlike the examples above, there is not a clear win or loss when dealing with other countries. This is most certain when dealing with countries in the Middle East. There is only one stable Democratic nation in the region, Israel. Any other nation we have dealings with in the Middle East, with the current exception of Iraq and maybe Turkey (although that is not too clear) will be monarchies or theocracies and all to often the ruler will be a despot.

The current uprisings in Egypt look all to familiar to us old enough to remember the "youth movement" that toppled the Shaw of Iran. The similarities are very frightening and the criticisms directed at our involvement in both instances could be carbon copied. The value of hindsight is infinite and it is easy to be critical when one excludes the value of what might have been gained from such foreign entanglements. There are plenty of examples where our nation's foreign policy efforts have gone awry and we have been left with a less than desirable outcome.  Nonetheless, doing nothing and becoming isolationist has it's pit falls, as well.

In the case of Egypt, let us look back at how and why we became involved.  In 1979, Egypt's ruler Anwar Sadat signed a peace treaty with Israel. To help foster this peace between our ally, Israel, and Egypt we entered into normal relations with Egypt, including giving of aid. In the years since, we have continued to give aid and we have helped to train their military. Their military is now among the most respected in the world. In 1981 Anwar Sadat was assassinated and Hosni Mubarek became president. The troubles in Egypt today are as a result of a suspected rigged reelection of Mubarek as president.

In the tradition of Middle East monarchs and despot presidents, Sadat and Mubarek have been brutal to their people. Dealing with them and others of the same ilk has not always been very palatable but has netted us a stable peace for Israel for the last thirty years. This peace has allowed Israel to become a major power and stabilizing influence in a region that is not known for its stability.  Since the Egyptian military has been trained here in the U.S., we have been able to impress upon them a way of life that they may not have known existed. It is this influence that, hopefully, will lead to a peaceful outcome in their current struggles.

While an advocate of freedom, we cannot be blind to the fact that the demonstrations in Egypt have been organized by groups that are not friendly to Israel or the U.S. and will ultimately enslave the people of Egypt in the way that Hamas has in Palestine. It would be tragic if the Democracy that the Egyptians are seeking turns out to be only one election, as it has occurred in both Palestine and Iran (Iran does hold elections, the way the Soviet Union used to hold elections, that give you only one choice and plenty of pressure to vote the right way).  There is not much we can do to prevent this and I fear for the Coptic Christians that make up ten percent of the Egyptian population if the Muslim Brotherhood manages to gain power.

My hope for the Egyptians is that they will establish a just government and their military is the best chance for that hope. If not, Israel will once more have to contend with another hostile Islamic state on their border and the peace that we have helped to foster for thirty years will come to an end.

Promise Kept............Finally

2011-02-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

As you might note, The following is a Christmas story. A little late, you might ask? Yes, I promised my wife that if she posted this story I would post it as well. Okay, I forgot.......So here it is, enjoy.

The Christmas Cardinal

For quite a while now, Jay's been encouraging me to post my Christmas story that I wrote to go with a gift I gave. Though I love to write and am working on a teen novel, being unpublished to date makes me fickle about my talent. However, he gives me some great support. So, I'm following his advise (I'm sure he'll pass out when he reads that).

The Christmas Cardinal

My grandmother was always an avid bird watcher. The yard of her house and her entire porch was filled with bird feeders to attract them. She loved to tell about the beautiful cardinals that had been her favorite since she was a child in Illinois. However, after she and my grandfather married, he moved them to Wyoming and she hadn’t seen a cardinal in all the years she’d lived here. Still, she told my brothers and I about the male’s scarlet feathers and black masked faces. She explained their spectacular red color symbolized hope and was a reminder for us to focus on our faith, their plumage a representation of the blood of Christ shed for the redemption of mankind.

As a writer, she often told us stories she had created herself as if they were fact, so to this day I cannot say if this particular story was truth, legend or her own tale.

A young man chose to leave his home and set out to see the world. He traveled far and wide, learning about new cultures and environments, learning a number of languages and skills from different parts of the world. Wherever he went, he tried to find some common reminder of his homeland. After many years, he grew homesick and decided he would return to see his family. In those days, there were no cars or trains, no public transportation. One had to get from place to place on foot or, if he were lucky, a horse. But as he had amassed no great fortune, it was his fate to travel on foot. As he arrived within miles of his home, a great blizzard blew up and he could scarcely see his hand in front of his face. He thought he would never find the little cabin in the woods where he knew a warm fire and loved ones would be. He trudged on, growing more and more fatigued and hopeless with each passing moment. He thought he might try to build a shelter, but the force of the storm was so great, he was certain he would freeze to death should he stop for even a moment. As he felt the last bit of his strength wane, he caught a glimpse of red in the corner of his eye and looked to see a majestic cardinal flitting in the tree just before him.

“Lead me home, little bird,” he cried out and thought for certain the cardinal looked directly at him as it began to move forward, from branch to branch. “What have I got to lose?” he thought to himself and began to follow the bird. This went on for some time, his burden of exhaustion lifted by the familiar sight of a beloved creature from his homeland. But in time, his body simply began to give in to fatigue. Just as he once again began to give up all hope, the smell of a wood burning fire reached his nostrils. He tried in vain to see ahead, but the heavy snowfall was too thick. The bird continued forward and so did he, knowing now that if he were not close to his own home, he was surely close to someone’s and there he would find shelter. Soon, he was close enough to see a rough outline of a building, though too obscured by the snow to determine anything familiar about it. As he was about to step up on the small porch, the bird rested in a branch of a tree beside it and the door to the cabin swung open. Out stepped an old man and woman and he immediately recognized his own mother and father. The man fell into their arms and the family celebrated a long awaited reunion and a tearful Christmas Eve that night.

Last year, near this special holiday season, Grandmother passed away and although we still lived in a place where none of us had ever seen a cardinal, he came to her that very night and, my brother’s and I believe, led her home to her Heavenly Father.

The End

The ironic part of this story is that my sister-in-law mentioned that my own mother, as she lay in the hospital about to go to surgery, thought she saw a cardinal at her window (that no one else had seen). She was born and raised in Indiana where, indeed, there are cardinals and she is a bird lover. Now that she will be bedridden and both my parents journey toward the end of their lives, I guess a part of me hopes that when the time comes, her own cardinal will lead her home.

Posted by Kerri at 9:56 PM

2011-01-21T00:51:00.000-07:00

In case you have ever wondered what the rocslinger might look like I have a link to our pictures. Bonus points if you can spot my wife and daughter. Yes, thats my real hair, honest.Family pics.

LET THOSE WITH EARS HERE

2010-12-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

I know what your thinking. Doesn't the dufus know to use the word hear instead of here?
The answer is most vociferously no!

Why, oh why, does the written language have to be so dang difficult? When we speak we don't differentiate between here or hear, and yet the listeners understand what were saying, why? context that's why.

It might be a shock to you that I did not do so well in English during my formal years of education (Okay, it would not be a shock to anyone who has read my blog before). I didn't do so well in math either. What did I do well in, you might ask? Uummm.... in the one semmester of typing class I took, I got very good at disassymbling the typewriter and putting it back together before the teacher could catch me. I did okay at lunch.   Oh, and their (or is it there) was band. In my senior year of high school I spent four of my six classes in the band room......but I digress.

Back to the question at hand,  why is it so hard to write English?  You Brits are a bit tricky the way you throw in extra letters like u in words like labor and neighbor and how can you possibly justify saying worcestershire with just three vowels? Of course your not as bad as the French.  Back when I was driving over the road I asked on the CB if any one knew where versailles Indiana was. Having studied the french revolutioin I knew how to properly pronounce it but my fellow truck drivers (being one hundred percent American) were totally askance as to the township I was looking for, until I pronounced it the way it's spelled. Who ever heard of silent Ls and how does one get shree out of shreve, as in Shreveport?

Let's talk about punctuation, I swear that when I was a child their (or there) was only the period. Do you remember your father telling you that there (or thier) is no such word as can't? Thats because the apostrophe hadn't been invented yet. Okay I understand that the comma is very useful and if anything I now overuse it but when should I use parenthasies instead of comma's  (should I be capitalizing the names of these punctuation marks) and when do I use the colon or semi-colon?

I'm starting to think that their (or there) is and has been for some time a conspiracy amongst english teachers to keep the english language as confusing as possible. I dont know why they would do such a thing. Is it possible they envey the French? Certainly it looks as if the British are moving toward "French-ification" (a word for Randi to admire).

Perhaps I could convince someone to come clean and uncover the truth behind This trend of befudduling our language.

Or maybe I'm just crazy.

A Chrismas Poem (Don't Worry it's from my Daughter)

2010-12-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

Their are some things I do well, some things I do OK at and some things that............let's just say I'm grateful to my daughter for her love of Christmas and her talent with the written word.

If I do not write again before the "great holiday" I leave you with this poem from her and wish everyone a very merry Christmas.

A Christmas Poem (a little early, mayhaps?)

Silver bells ring with music so clear,

Across the country for all to hear,

And as their music plays so comes the snow,

The clouds gray compared to the white below.

Silver snow as the moon shines to the ground,

Silver snow falling without a sound,

And in the silver is the gold,

Rich with love and with courage, bold.

Silver ring the bells and silver snow falls,

And the cheer of winter ever calls.

December is the best month of the year,

Whether there or whether here.

Some have snow and some have none,

Some have holidays but that's only some,

I welcome winter with its cheer,

It's the best time of the year.

Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah all,

From greatest great or smallest small,

Somehow there's a feeling in the air,

That makes everyone want to share.

Smiles to strangers and hugs to friends,

Kisses under mistletoe; traditions never end,

Lord's birth or just giving,

This shows life is worth living.

With Out a Net; Will You Still Respect Me.

2010-11-20T17:42:00.001-07:00

It has been a year and six months since I first started this blog. I now have seven people who are not ashamed to say that they follow me (the seventh is my best friend who I quilted into following) and three more who comment regularly. I have loved sharing with you who read all my opinions and ideas. I especially love the give and take we have in the comments section. Thus said, for reasons I don't care to discuss I will no longer have my wife edit my blog. When the idea of writing a blog first hit me (between the eyes, yes it did hurt) my wife told me that with my lousy punctuation and inept spelling I would not garner respect, I may not get respect even with a well edited blog, was my comeback. I find writing difficult, it does not come second nature to me although it has been good for my own personal growth and my typing has improved.

I write this to ask you dear reader if I should continue writing my blog? It is with some trepidation that I continue. The written language is not one of my strengths.

I am not above fishing for complements, so tell me what it is you like about my blog if anything.

If you like the commentary on this blog than I recommend Atomic Pop and The Water Cooler, both kindred spirits of mine and astute commentators.

Keyne's Died Sixty-Four Years Ago......Can We Finally Nail Down His Coffin Lid?

2010-10-28T16:17:00.003-06:00

When Barack Obama says that most economists agree with the policies that he has put into effect, he is talking about Keynesian economists. In the thirties, Maynard Keynes and Friedrick Hayek were debating the effectiveness of government intervention in the economy. The stimulus package of last year is what Keynesian economists advocate to kick start an economy. There is supposed to be a multiplier effect involved when money is dumped into the economy by the government, ie: people who receive money from the government spend the money boosting other sectors of the economy. Why this has never worked is that the money the government infuses into the economy is backed by debt, creating more debt, inflating our cash flow making the dollar worth less. Picture two Keynesian economists in a deep hole with a shovel (the hole being our debt). The Keynesian with the shovel says, "We need to dig our way out of debt". The other Keynesian says, "Dig up, stupid". Just as the two with the shovel can not dig their way out, the government has failed every time it has tried to get us out of debt by making more debt, to include President Roosevelt's New Deal. I know that most of us have been taught in school that the New Deal policies helped to bring us out of the Great Depression. The fact is that the rest of the world was coming out of the depression while the U.S. was still mired in a sluggish economy due to the policies of President Roosevelt. Flash-forward to now. After a year where we have amazingly huge debt spending geared to revive an economy in collapse, mostly due to bad home lending practices (the unintended consequences of government interfering with private loan companies and some greed thrown in for good measure). Can we all see that these ridiculous debt spending policies don't work? Can we finally agree that the best thing that government can do to help the economy is to get out of the way and stop spending money that we don't have? Or are there still people that would trust the politician more than themselves? Yes, there is a role for government. It is there to protect us from unscrupulous people that would endanger our financial and personal well being. But, to make villains out of whole sectors of social, political and financial persons and institutions, the way our "beloved" President has, is on its face, absurd.

Politics IS NOT a Four Letter Word; Ignorance........Might As Well Be.

2010-10-10T17:30:00.000-06:00

I first started this blog last year with certain ideas in mind.

1) I wanted an outlet to share with others the concepts, opinions and ideals that I have formulated after listening for many hours to talk radio hosts across the country.

2) I wanted to be a participant in the "war of ideas" that helps to shape our culture, our society and our nation.

3) I wanted to demonstrate how politics in Washington (and to some small extent the various state and local governments) affect our daily lives.

4) I wanted to convey the importance of being involved in politics.
I am grateful to all those who read my blog on a consistent basis and I am especially grateful to you who take the time to comment. I am not at all certain that this post is even addressed to you, as I know that you are active and informed. Perhaps my regular readers can take encouragement in the preceding words and perhaps there will be those who stumble upon this post that will take my message to heart.

I have often heard people say they do not wish to "be political" or that politics is not something that they're interested in. I say that politics is human nature. It is the process that we use to get along with others. The politics of DC are just an extension of how we interact with our neighbors. Often people are afraid to express their view point or ideas. People find it easier to share their preference of skin cream or shampoo than to tell people who they will vote for and, more importantly, why. While it is important to have clean hair and soft skin, I think it might just be more important that we are informed and that we inform those around us. Who we choose to represent us in our "representative government" is a decision that has long lasting reprecusions. Too often have I heard the complaint that they're all bums and crooks. To that complaint I ask how did all those crooks get into office and more importantly how do they stay in office? I believe that it is the responsibility of the American populace (those of age to vote ) to be well informed on the issues before stepping into the voter booth and pulling the lever (okay, I think I just showed my age by saying "booth" and "lever" but you get the idea). I'm not egalitarian enough to say you should vote if you're not voting for my candidate. I would just as soon you stayed home or didn’t mail in your ballot, but since I know that you'll vote for your guy no matter what I say, than I just ask that you are as informed as you can possibly be.

Since our government is supposed to be run "by the people" we all are combatants in the war of ideas. This should be a civilized war where we treat those who disagree with us respectfully, but still try to convince them that our argument is right or be intellectually honest enough to be swayed by theirs. As Rush Limbaugh has eloquently stated, "Ignorance is our most valuable commodity". Speaking up is our best defense against ignorance, including our own. It is too easy to sit on the sidelines and think that what we have to say does not matter, but not having everyone involved has cost our nation dearly.

MY DAUGHTER CAN WRITE CIRCLES AROUND ME, THATS A GOOD THING

2010-09-25T02:38:00.000-06:00

I wish I could write like my daughter. This is what I found on her blog today.

I Believe
There are times when we will feel like we are nothing.

Unimportant.

We don't matter.

I went through a phase recently, and I honestly felt like nobody cared. But don't believe it.

The lies that your mind concoct will never be true. You are important, you matter, and there's always somebody who cares. The undeniable truth is that each and every one of us is important.

Imperfect things that we are, we will hurt, and be the cause of hurt, and wonder why. But don’t doubt we’re here for a reason. We will learn, and we will change, and we will scream and hope and pray, but our circumstances are our circumstances. Sometimes they are as unmovable as a mountain, and at others as easy to move as throwing a tiny piece of rock.

This is where we all are, tangled in the delicate threads made by a master’s handed, breaking and being woven again, irreplaceable one-of-a-kind treasures haphazardly tossed in the half-hearted net called ‘existence’. Pain and joy, hope and fear, all mixed together in a gentle balance, falling apart with ease in the face of chaos, yet the chaos makes it stronger the next time.

Such is us, struggling on the path of life. Hardships throng around us, occasionally breaking through our carefully-built yet so easily broken defenses, but we build them up and are stronger. And our strength gives us new opportunities, new chances, maybe even a whole new life.

We will want to give into the current to sweep us away. We will want to leave the path completely, free ourselves of the pain. But what will happen? Tears will be shed, opportunities will be lost, and the suffering we were so desperate to leave will occur with those around us.

Believe. With all your heart, believe. Learning to love is the hardest thing, but loving gives the most chances. When you are hurting, remember that there are those hurting more than you. Do not take comfort from such a fact, but accept it, understand it, and then try to do something to change it. This is where the beauty in each one of us lies.

We are all so drastically different. Yet male or female, dark-skinned or light-skinned, we share much in common. We feel the same pain whether physically or emotionally, we breathe the same air, and we bleed the same blood. Why can’t we love, too?

I am far from perfect. I try so to remember all the good things I have, than completely forget them when I am angry or hurting. But if you have a roof over your head, family and friends, clothes, are you not lucky?

Are you not lucky enough with family and friends?

We each are important. We each matter. So try, try, try, and help me to try, to learn to love. We may never reach perfection, but we will have changed. Hopefully it will be for the better. Learn and grow, ebb and flow, such a cycle, a circle, a place to belong! But remember. Remember, always remember.

You are important, and I believe.

Hypocracy Exposed. Do I Feel a Static Build-Up?

2010-09-24T03:49:00.000-06:00

The Daily Show exposes union hypocrasy.

Further evidence that the poles have flipped. Very entertaining clip.

John Stewart gets it right.

WHY IT'S NOT A GOOD THING TO MESS WITH MY "OL' LADY".

2010-08-28T15:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, it's happened again. Either the poles have flipped or something else bizzare has happened. My wife has once again strayed from the "ranch" and has written a political post. She takes on someone from the left who calls those of us who oppose the building of the "ground zero Mosque" , bigots. I try not to argue with my wife. Why? Because she is a master at taking someone apart with words. Don't believe me? Check out this argument. The guy didn't stand a chance.

Soooo, what would you like to see? A recipe for Chicken Divan or pictures of my kid?

Yeah, okay, I had to comment on her blog. The following is what I had to say; I'm just glad that we were on the same side:

Hey Hon.
The phrase I used is the "liberal two step" (I think it was coined by Jon Caldera). This argument you had with the guy would go round and round until it would be stretched beyond all recognition. Let me just point out that calling the people who are opposed to the mosque being built at Ground Zero bigots does not refute their argument. Look into what is happening in Europe. There are huge Muslim communities who's leaders are calling for Sharia law to be imposed on the Muslim community. Mosques have been built on ground taken by Muslim empires (as christians, let us not forget where the Dome of the Rock sits at this very moment). While I agree that the Islamists willing to fly planes into buildings are a minority, there is no one who can say how big that minority is. No one can say how many Muslims agree with the sentiment of the radical Islamists. Very few Muslims speak up in opposition to these radicals for fear of retaliation. No one has been able to find out just who is to fund the building of the Mosque. If it is to be the Wahabist Muslims of Saudi Arabia, then there is just cause to oppose the construction of this building. I know that I am not a bigot. What I am is somone who loves his country and I do not want to see it destroyed by enemies from inside or out.

Senior Moments

2010-08-22T17:38:00.000-06:00

Senior Moment #1:
I received my paycheck yesterday at 4:30 a.m. I came home at 7:00 a.m. and proceeded to do some chores around the house. Not until 2:00 in the afternoon did I remember my paycheck, at which point I had lost track of it and I am furiously looking for it. When my wife sits at her computer at 9:00 p.m. that night and pulls out the keyboard tray, the check show up, sitting right on the corner. Why said check was there? No idea. I don't even recall being in that vicinity.

Senior Moment #2:
Because we are in the process of moving from a townhouse into an apartment, we have to downsize from a king size bed to a queen in order to fit into a smaller bedroom. We had a Select Comfort queen size bed stored away in our crawl space. Yesterday, I was bringing up the bed to check on it's usability. I found all the parts except for the remote controls used to control the airflow into the bed. Normally, at this point, I would call my wife to ask if she might know where it is but this time I decided to take the initiative. I searched the crawl space and the area where I had laid out the bed and even the boxes that the bed had been stored in. I couldn't find them anywhere. When my wife got home she, of course, finds one. We continue to search for the remaining remote for the next couple of hours until we give up because I need to get some sleep before I go to work that night. While I'm sitting in the bedroom, I finally take a look at the remote my wife found and realized that this remote has controls for both the left and right sides of the bed. I call down to my wife and ask her if, perhaps, there is only one remote for the bed. She gets this exasperated look on her face as she calls up that yes, perhaps that is the case.

So, there are some questions that come to my mind.

Should I be glad that I'm not the only one in the family having these senior moments and that I shared an endearing experience with my wife? Or should I be frightened that I can't always rely on my wife to save me from myself?

Should I be concerned that these two senior moments ran concurrently or does it mean that I may be "moment free" for a longer period of time?

Is it possible that the AARP cards that I have been getting in the mail are not a mistake, but rather an omen?

I am SO looking forward to the second half of my life.

Does the Ostrich Feel Safe Up To the moment That He Feels the Teeth of the Lion on His Rump?

2010-08-08T16:08:00.000-06:00

There are two things you should know about me. One: I am a political junkie. Two: I have depression. The political junkie thing you have probably figured out in the first five minutes of reading my blog. I hope my depression has not shown through in my writing as easily as my political addiction has. When I say I have depression I don't mean I get a little weepy when watching sad movies. I'm talking about a debilitating disease that occasionally makes me want to pull the covers over my head and not come out.  Ever Again.    I'm writing this not to gain sympathy (feel for my wife and daughter, if anyone), but so you will understand the advice I was just recently given and why it may be sound advice.

Most of the time I'm fine. Through medication and support, I am generally a happy person. But at times, because of circumstances or if I forget to take my medication, I find myself in a funk. A few weeks ago, just such an incident happened. I won't go into detail but let's just say it was bad enough that it got the attention of my bishop. After the incident, my wife and I met with him. After some discussion of career moves and possible training that I might pursue, the subject of talk radio came up.  My bishop's advice was that I should stop listening to talk radio for a time. It's good advice and if the roles were reversed, I might give that same advice. But I don't think I can follow it.

At any other time, I would be happy to pull out my Yes CDs or a little Toad the Wet Sprocket, or listen to a little jazz or just set my radio to only music, but right now, our nation is soon to go through perhaps one of the worst times that it has ever gone through and I cannot avert my attention. You might think that I'm exaggerating the dangers that we are facing, but let me ask you some questions. How do we pay a debt that is half a million dollars per person and growing?  And what happens if we don't pay it? What happens if radical Muslims get hold of a nuclear device? And what is our federal government doing to protect us, other than suing the State of Arizona for trying to do the job that they refuse to do (ie: defending our border)?  Who is going to protect us from a government that insists on what kind of light bulb we have in our lamps, how much water pressure we have in our showers, how well our toilets don't flush or what products or services we must buy, including our health insurance?

With everything that is happening in our world today, I cannot just ignore it and bury my head in the sand.  Someone, well meaning, said to me, "There is nothing you can do about the evil that is happening in Washington DC or the rest or the world, so just let it go". The whole purpose of this noble experiment we call the USA is for us to have self determination. We, the people, have been asleep at the switch. But it is not too late to change that and that is one of the reasons for my blog. In order to write my blog or to take part in the political process, I need to be informed.

As you can imagine, current events and depression do not mix well and, of course, I can not just look away and pretend that I and mine will be okay. For one thing, our economy is in shambles.  I think purposely.  And I am now making half the income that I used to make due to a loss of career.  The last two years have been the hardest of my life and to pile on, I have just found out that our mortgage lender has approved our loan modification for, get this, three dollars less a month than what we were paying previously. So you can see that the bishop's advice would be good for me to follow. What he doesn't understand is that my psyche (I said psyche not psycho) is just not wired to look away and pretend that everything will be okay. Just because our country has come back from the brink before doesn't mean it will again.

Okay so much for the bad news. Now let's concentrate on what there is that we, as the people of the greatest nation ever to grace the face of the earth, can do. The first thing is to recognize who the true enemy is. As a conservative, it is easy for me to point my finger at liberals and the current democratic leadership. Obama and the leaders in Congress are not without fault and let us not forget the excessive spending and the betrayal of President Bush and the Republicans in office two years ago.  As much of the blame as we can place on politicians, they are not the true enemy.  In Paul's epistle to the church in Ephesus, he spelled out who the true enemy is and what is needed to defeat them.

Ephesians 6: 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

If you are a fan of Glenn Beck you may recognize this approach. For truly (yea verily in Bible lingo), if this nation is to come back from the brink, it will be the changes in us that will make the difference as stated in the Old Testament.

2 Chr. 7: 14

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

I would not be able to deal with what is transpiring today if it were not for my faith in God and the belief that what happens is because of his love for me.  I may not, and often do not, understand why I have to go through the troubles that I have, but I will believe in what Paul and other witnesses of the Christ have written. I would not want to live in today's climate without my faith in a loving God.

Pardon Me, But May I Brag On My Daughter?

2010-07-21T16:44:00.000-06:00

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you would know that I am very proud of my daughter. Below is a poem I just found on her website.

Butterfly Depths- story-intro

A rose. He is closed, the petals tight. But as days pass, slowly he widens. He is a wheel now, blood-red and beautiful. Simple form, but it is elegant.

A butterfly. She flutters her wings and lands on the rose, still. Her wings are partially opened, and partially closed, a midway between the two.

A noise. It rocks the rose, and the butterfly flies away. The rose is alone again, but he knows that a butterfly will come soon.

For though butterfly depths are small, they make a great impact.

She's thirteen. I can only imagine how well she will write when she has gained some of life's experiences.

Here's another poem:

Texas Update: Homesick Poem

The world passing,

Just a blur.

Tears I cry,

Never have cried before.

There may be beauty,

But I'd never know,

Because the ones I love

Left now for more.

But a blue sea white with foam,

Past the forest, under the gold,

Through the desert, beyond my know,

That's not close to how far I'll go.

Cold skies gray with rain,

Golden sunshine just cries pain,

Though a heartbreak I do hold,

The way is clear; I must go.

Tomorrow, maybe, will be the day

I make my way home.

No more tears, no more fears,

Tomorrow, maybe, I'll be home.

I'm a tad biased, so if you agree that she is talented, you could go to her blog and encourage her. I'm sure she would appreciate it and it might keep her off the streets as she grows older.

Media Bias at its worst

2010-07-17T15:14:00.000-06:00

I am always amazed at how people can sense the bias that is shoveled out to us from the dominant mainstream media but will still use the evening news or the paper that is delivered to their door as their source without skepticism or without checking other sources. Critical thinking is in short supply in this country and is one of the reasons why I write my blog. I do not want my readers to take anything I write at face value. I try to supply sources that support my viewpoint so that you, dear reader, can study for yourself and form your own opinion whether it is simular to mine or of a divergent nature. That stated, I give you the following link as an example of how inundated we are by half truths and blatant lies by those media outlets that hide their agenda: The Dennis Prager Show

If you take note that while Dennis Prager is an excellent talk show host and commentator, there are several points in this article that can be questioned. Though Dennis makes an excellent point as to the type of biased sources that are used, there is nothing in his article that refutes the claim the mainstream media is making about our healthcare, except for one ad hominem statement that we are ranked as tied with Cuba. Don't misunderstand me; I believe that our healthcare is the finest in the world and anyone who studies this issue fairly will come to the same conclusion. My main point is that one source is not enough to draw a fair conclusion and that you need to be critical of all sources.

Leadership

2010-06-12T03:16:00.000-06:00

Today I had a small epiphany.
For the last two weeks I have started riding my bike. I was having a hard time getting started, so I asked someone at church to ride with me. I have tremendous respect for my new riding partner and it is not because he agreed to ride with me. He is one of those people that you see in major church callings that you think you could never do.......ie: stake presidency, high priest group leader, etc. A true leader with exceptional values. I won't use his name so I don't embarrass him since he is humble and sincere to boot. Held in high esteem and fourteen years my senior, I am slightly intimidated by him but being intimidated has never stopped me before. For the two rides that we have ridden previously, I have held off on the pace. I tend to ease up and stay along side riding partners who do not ride as hard as I can, letting them set the pace. Today my compadre asked me to take the lead and set a faster pace. I did and he kept up just fine. We got the workout that we both needed.

Today's bike ride taught me some valuable lessons about leadership.

First, it is difficult, if not impossible to lead from behind. It is difficult to sometimes leave our charges to their own devices, but it is a necessity to achieve everyone's goal. "John" (I will call my friend, John) needed to be pushed and I needed a harder workout. If "John" had never said anything, we both would not have gained what we needed.

Second, the best leaders are terrific followers. I have a hard time respecting any one who can give orders but cannot follow orders themselves. It seems that too many of the members in congress are of the ”do as I say, not as I do” club. My respect for "John" has been vindicated by his placing me in the lead on our bike rides.

Third, leading means stepping out and sometimes being on your own for a season. So many of our political leaders are known to legislate by how they read the polls. President Reagan, when faced with a poll that was against what he thought was the right thing to do, was known to say that they needed to better inform the American people.

Fourth, you can never know when the mantle of leadership will fall on your shoulders. This is why it is a good thing to be as prepared as possible. The ultimate goal of a good leader is to develop the leadership potential in his followers. American soldiers are known for their ability to carry on after their commanders are killed or injured where other troops are stymied by the loss of command. The LDS church is excellent for teaching leadership. The training starts early on when primary children are asked to give talks. Sacrament is passed by our young men (ages twelve and up) and responsibilities are given to kids as leaders in their age groups.

Fifth, the key to effective team work is the interpersonal relationship between the leaders and followers. Trust needs to develop among team members, especially between the leader and his followers. The leader needs to know that he can trust in his team to get done what is needed to be done. Team members need to know that their leader is moving them in the proper direction with the right vision.

Sixth, an effective leader knows the skill level and talents of each member of his crew. As obvious as this may sound, it doesn't take much thought to come up with examples of bosses and supervisors who often operate blind because they have no idea of who it is they're managing.

In conclusion, my bike rides with “John” are going to be valuable to me both on the physical and philosophical plane. This may be because I tend to learn on the fly.

Strange

2010-06-04T07:38:00.000-06:00

While reading the blogs I follow, I started reading my wife's blog and did a double take. I felt as though I had somehow flown through a black hole into an alternate reality. A reality that had my wife writing the political junk which would inversely mean that I do the personal interest writing. Come to think of it, just recently, I did write about my childhood. Hmm; if I start posting recipes, please send for help.

To be fair, my wife has written political posts before but it has been a long time. Anyway it's a good post and I urge all of you to click on the link below and read it. It saves me from having to comment on the described incident.
getting-bad-rap

The Commander in Chief Goes AWOL

2010-06-03T18:32:00.002-06:00

Warning, Obama rant in progess.

Monday, Memorial Day, bbqs, picnics and ~~horseshoes~~ basketball. Yes, Obama has his priorities straight. Why should he bother with that age old, worn out, tradition of laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Maybe he should have asked some of his troops; a general or two maybe. The tradition of the Commander in Chief laying the wreath has been long held. It shows respect to the soldiers he commands.

Who the heck is running his protocal department? Early in his tenure, he gave the British Prime Minister a gift of twenty-five movies on DVD (in the wrong format for Great Britian). A snub in comparison to the gifts The Prime Minister gave Obama. Just lately, he's returned a bust of Winston Churchill, a gift given to Bush. Clearly a snub. Of course, Obama has the right to decorate the White House in any style he likes (within reason) but I would imagine there's enough room in storage for the bust. It did not need to be sent back. In March, our "esteemed" President walked out on Isreali Prime Minnister Binyamin Netanyahu who was at the time a guest at the White House. What is it about this man that he snubs our allies but bows to our potential enemies?

It is bad enough that alliances that have been fostered for years are under threat of being torn asunder by these callous snubs, but when the President snubs the Armed Forces, it becomes personal. I served in the ARMY straight out of high school. I felt honored to have been a part of our nation's defense. I was in the ARMY when Carter was in office and morale was low. Then Reagan became President and I saw the military transformed almost overnight. It was Reagan who gave us the effective fighting force that we have today. As bad as Carter was for our military, it must be ten times worse for those serving under Obama. I am ashamed and embarrassed by our President, as well as concerned for our country. Thankfully, people are starting to wake up (even democrats) and ask where this President is taking us. Let us pray it is not too late to right the ship.

Now and Then

2010-05-25T19:07:00.001-06:00

My daughter lacks for very little, if anything. She has the love of her parents. She makes friends easily. People in the church think she is someone special. We are ready to take her to hang with her friends or whatever planned event she needs to get to. We just recently bought her a laptop. She owns a Nintendo DS. She has the benefit of satalite tv.   If there is anything we can afford to get her (that will not harm her) we will get it. You could say she is spoiled (her mother's fault, of course) and yet there are times when I feel for her.

I grew up in the sixties. My childhood was simular to the movie, The Sandlot, except I and my freinds were not as focused on baseball. Football was what we lived for. The best time for football was immedietly after dinner when we would meet and play in the cooling evening for as long as we could possibly stay out.  There was a park at the end of the block, three houses from mine. That park is still there except somehow it seems to have shrunk. There was a ditch that ran through the middle of the park (now it's a small culvert). My friends and I would challenge each other into jumping across the wider parts of the ditch.  Bordering the park on the east and west were bullrushes and marsh. We would place scrape wood in the rushes making trails and collecting cattails.  My childhood was filled with endless summer days out. My parents weren't concerned about their children being abducted, unlike what parents fear today. If I had no chores, they were more than happy to have me out of the house. Gone after breakfast, not to be back before dinner and then back out for football.  If I was offered dinner by my friends parents, then even better. My friends and I were explorers.  We wandered anywhere we could about the neighborhood. We caught gardener snakes and frogs. We were daredevils; riding bikes across a narrow bridge one hundred feet in the air (or so it seemed), jumping off the top of huge gravel piles to end up sliding hundreds of feet riding a roaring avalanche of fresh gravel. If we had any change, we would go four blocks from my house to the neighborhood grocery store where we bought licorice whips and candy bars. We rode our bikes two miles to the nearest swimming pool. We would futilely try to drain the pool with the best cannonballs we could muster When in the middle of summer we became bored, we became inventors, inventing games that Calvin and Hobbes would be proud of.

In the fall, when school started, we would walk or ride our bikes. I took the school bus once and could not stand it. Today we drive our daughter to school.

I wonder if the world was safer when I was a child or if we were just more naive.  With expanded media coverage, I think our eyes are open to the reality of how dangerous our world really is. Or has it actually become more dangerous? Either way, I and my wife will not risk our daughter's well being. There are tradeoffs, of course.  My wife and I have a much closer relationship to our daughter than I had with my parents. In time, Rachel will find her freedom as she grows into adulthood. I asked her if she felt she had a happy childhood and she looked at me as if I was a crazy man (I thought she knew that was a given) and asked me why I would ask such an obvious question. As parents we do what we need to do to raise our children. My parents must have felt that it was important that I learned early how to deal with independence. My wife and I feel that we need to shelter our child a little while longer so that she will be able to grow into the amazing woman we see peeking out of her young face.

The Message?

2010-04-17T06:57:00.190-06:00

Imagine that you are the parent of nine children. Three children are three years of age, three are nine and three are sixteen, seventeen and eighteen, respectively. Now imagine that your children get to vote for who their parents are.  The opponent who is running against you has several credit cards and has promised to use those cards to supply the three and nine year olds with almost anything they want. The teenagers will have to work to help pay off the debt. Given these circumstances, would you, as a loving and caring person, be voted in as their parent?  It is understood that sometime in the future the debt of those credit cards will have to be paid by the kids. The teenagers would realize that this is not a good situation and would more than likely vote for the more responsible parents. The three year olds would believe your opponents when they told them that they are "entitled" to all the candy they can eat and that it is wrong that you insist on a bedtime. The election outcome may pivet on the nine year olds. What would your message be?

The situation described above is similar to what conservatives who run for office face. One third of the electorate will vote Republican, one third will vote Democrat and the other third will decide the outcome of the election. We have recently had Republicans who have shifted left to gain office. They have bought into the notion that they must promise to give things in order to get elected. Conservatives will never win in a contest of desirable outcome. We see that these outcomes are not possible. We also see that the debt incured by promising welfare entitlements is bankrupting the country. Sharing the wealth that other people have earned is a disincentive to those earning it, thus crippling the economy. Not to mention it is just wrong to give to other people someone else's gain.

Given this situation, can a conservative who remains true to his principles get elected? Can someone run on the idea that we need to scale back on the "give away" programs run by the Federal government? An example of what is run by the feds that could be more effectively handled by the states is the Department of Education. Ronald Reagan tried to eliminate this department that he called "Carter's boondoggle". He was met with fierce opposition by the very powerful teacher's unions.  We, as a society, have become so used to how much the Federal government is in are lives that there is real fear in losing our security net  (regardless of the tremendous waste that we all know occurs in Washington).

There were two people who were able to get elected to the office of president that did not promise a laundry list of goodies. One said, "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what can you do for your country." This was followed up by, "My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." The other said, "Goverment is not the solution to our problem, goverment is the problem". In spite of the messages (or maybe because of them), they were both very popular. It gives me hope for this country that Ronald Reagan and John F.Kennedy could talk of a vision for our country that did not consist of our goverment taking care of us and still get elected.

When I talked to my wife about my "nine children" analogy, she was quite certain that she would be elected as their mother.  When pressed, she explained that she could convey, even to the three year olds, the ramifications of their decisions.  Upon further reflection, I believe that she is right.

One obvious reason is the bond between parents and their children.  Their is a bond that we share as Americans, as well.  When I compare the words of Obama to those of Reagan, I notice that where Obama uses the word, "I", Reagan used words such as, "we" and  "fellow Americans". Where Obama talks of how America should be, Reagan spoke of America's greatness. There has never been a greater nation than the United States of America and that fact has to be part of our message.

We expect our children to act in a proper manner. I believe that we should expect upright behavior from our leaders as well as ourselves and America will respond to that message. We have lowered expectations for our leaders and they in return view us as the three year olds in my analogy. We complain about how crooked politians are and yet we continue to elect them. Is it for the goodies they promise us? They certainly think so. Our message needs to be that there are expectations for both the electorate and the elected .

Sincerity is the key ingredient in the making of our message. Good parents know that they need to be honest and direct with their children as well as consistent. One reason President Reagan was so popular is that the people could see that he actually tried to do what he said he would do.  One example of this was his budget proposals.  Every budget he submitted to congress was balanced, as promised. Speaker of the House at the time, Tip O'Neill, would declare Reagan's budget proposals "dead on arrival" refusing to take responbility for cutting spending.

Where my analogy does not fit is in the fact that we want as little government involvement in our lives as possible.  Yet it is the goal of good parents to raise their children in such a manner that they will become independent adults. If liberals raise their children in the way they run the government, I can't imagine their kids ever leaving home.

Hey! I'm Up Here.....Someone Please Talk Me Down

2010-04-06T16:24:00.000-06:00

I grew up attending an unafilliated Protestant church. Before the Left Behind books came out, I was steeped in apocalyptic speculation. The Book of Revelations still remains one of my favorites of the Bible (this should give you tremendous insight into my charactor). I have noticed that the LDS church doesn't seem to focus a lot of attention on future biblical prophesy. They rightly focus on preparation for whatever happens. I am not complaining about my new found church.  I am trying to prepare you for what I am about to write. You see, I have this annoying habit of putting together future scenarios in my head, stringing together facts and events and trying to fit them into biblical prophesy.  This, by the way, is one of the things I do that drives my wife nuts.  I am not saying that I am a prophet or have any greater insight than anyone reading this and, odds are, I am totally wrong, but it's nice having a blog where I can put down on paper (so to speak) what I speculate.
One Final Warning: you are about to enter into my version of the twilight zone, read it at your own risk.

Since reading about the Antichrist in the Bible, I have an innate distrust of anybody in a leadership role who has charisma. Of course, this makes it dificult for me to trust anyone in leadership since charisma is one of the prerequisites to being an effective leader.  Speculations on who the Antichrist is has been the game of Christians since Christ last left the earth. I remember when a friend's mother thought it was Ronald Reagan when he was president. Her reasoning was that his three names all contained six letters (his middle name was Wilson). I considered it for about three minutes and than dismissed it because it was, after all, Ronald Reagan - the last good president we have had (I place him as one of the three greatest). Letters in a name is one interpretation of the six-six six riddle; but another interpretation that I have heard is that it cannot equal seven ( the number of perfection) no matter how many times six is repeated.  How this would apply is that the Antichrist would be a person portraying himself and his agenda as perfect or close to perfect but never able to be perfect. At this point, I think you, my very savvy readers, are catching on to what I'm saying. Perhaps you have had simular thoughts.

Okay enough beating around the bush. I think President Obama might (emphasis on might) be the Antichrist. Now that I have finally put that out to the public at large, I truly feel as if I'm up a tree in the center of crazy town.

Here's my reasoning:

A) The charisma thing.  It amazes me how people are taken by his charm and how eagerly they look past all his flaws. He has very little political experience. The people he surrounds himself with are leftest to the extreme and yet a country that is supposedly centrist elected him to the highest office.

B) Although he has such little experience, he comes off as arrogant. In and of itself, arrogance would not be indicative of the Antichrist but it lends credence to my idea of the assumption of perfection.

C) There has been some dispute about his having been born in this country.  Okay, I know there are many people born outside of America and they can't all be evil. I wonder about the possibility ( and this is a stretch but, hey, it's my brain - you have no idea how scary it is to live in my brain) that Obama could have been born near the original location of Babylon.

D) The UPC bar codes that are on many of the products we buy start with, have in the middle of them, and end with the numbers six, six, six. The mark of the beast is ready and could easily be used to ID the population at any time. The reasoning for using this form of ID is in place.  It involves the control of money.  If we were to get rid of paper money and simply use debit cards, money would be harder for terrorists or other unsavory charactors to obtain.  Of course, cards can be stolen.  But if chips were to be planted in either the forearm or forehead, as referenced in The Book of Revelations, it would be nearly impossible to steal.

E) Okay, this is a real stretch but bear with me. The Mayan calender is scheduled to make its big change in 2012. It's possible that the Mayan's are decendants of the Lamanite's. Is it possible that the Mayan calender could be inspired by our God?  Truthfully, I don't know, so I leave it for your scrutiny.

Now that we have plumbed the depths of my addled psyche (now you can relate to my wife) let's step back and gain some perspective. Every generation since Christianity was founded has thought that they were in the last days. It's quite possible that the seventh seal has been opened recently (earthquake's could be our clue), but even so, it could be up to a thousand years before Christ returns.

I have questions about Mormon beliefs regarding the last days. Most Protestants believe in a rapture (the catching up of Christians) before the Tribulation. It is speculated that the rapture creates the disruption that brings about the changes necessary for what is foretold in The Book of Revelations.  I know that we are to meet in Jackson County, MO where we will be protected from the tribulation period. Is it possible that the calling up of the Saints and the rapture could both occur?

Let Freedom Ring...........................Loudly

2010-03-24T10:34:00.000-06:00

Since I started this blog nearly a year ago, I have noticed a trend developing in the subject matter of my posts (ramblings, musings, out and out nonsense..... you decide). I don't think I intended to focus so much attention on just the federal government. Clearly there is plenty to write or complain about within the State of Colorado and there are human interest strories that I could give my two cents worth on. I think there are a few reasons for my compulsion to cover national government events. One:  I'm comfortable with the subject matter. This is due in part to the fact that most of the media that catches my interest is of the goings on in our nation's capital. Two:  People are closer to the state and local governments, so I feel that they are more informed and don't need to hear me blather on about things that they know all to well. I do not mean to say that you three (or am I up to four?) people who put up with my ramblings are uninformed.  Quite the opposite.  I  am grateful for those of you who regularly comment.  You are well informed and I love sharing with you my opinions. And my wife is thrilled that I have an outlet so she doesn't have to constantly be harangued. Three:  And most importantly, I feel that the greatest threat to our freedom comes from our own federal government.

We, the American people, in our desire for security, are trading in our freedom - this monstrous health care bill is the biggest assault on civil liberties we have seen in our lifetimes.   The dumbing down of the populace has had a deleterious effect. Civics classes are almost non-existent in the public schools and let's not even go into the drivel that is taught as history.

Today we have the tools to turn this trend towards socialism around and, let me be clear that socialism is an anathema to freedom. With the advent of the internet, we have unbelieveable access to information and it is information that is our greatest weapon against the enemies of our great nation.

A well informed electorate is the cure for what ails us,  That and God is the only thing that will turn our nation back to it's former greatness.

A History Lesson - The Legacy of Argentina

2010-03-04T12:56:00.001-07:00

The following is from an Email I recieved. As far as I know, the history is correct. Of course, the conclussions are debatable but the parrelels are frightening. The author is unknown.

A History Lesson....Cry for Me, Argentina

In the early 20th century, Argentina was one of the richest countries

in the World. While Great Britain 's maritime power and its far-flung

empire had propelled it to a dominant position among the World's

industrialized nations, only the United States challenged Argentina

for the position of the world's second-most powerful economy.

It was blessed with abundant agriculture, vast swaths of rich

farmland laced with navigable rivers and an accessible port system.

Its level of industrialization was higher than many European countries:

railroads, automobiles and telephones were commonplace.

In 1916, a new president was elected. Hipólito Irigoyen had formed

a party called The Radicals under the banner of "fundamental change"

with an appeal to the middle class.

Among Irigoyen's changes: mandatory pension insurance,

mandatory health insurance, and support for low-income

housing construction to stimulate the economy. Simply put,

the state assumed economic control of a vast swath of the

country's operations and began assessing new payroll taxes

to fund its efforts.

With an increasing flow of funds into these entitlement programs,

the government's payouts soon became overly generous.

Before long its outlays surpassed the value of the taxpayers' contributions.

Put simply, it quickly became under-funded, much like the United States'

Social Security and Medicare programs.

The death knell for the Argentine economy, however,

came with the election of Juan Perón. Perón had a fascist

and corporatist upbringing; he and his charismatic wife

aimed their populist rhetoric at the nation's rich.

This targeted group "swiftly expanded to cover most of the

propertied middle classes, who became an enemy to be

defeated and humiliated."

Under Perón, the size of government bureaucracies exploded

through massive programs of social spending and by

encouraging the growth of labor unions.

High taxes and economic mismanagement took their inevitable toll

even after Perón had been driven from office. But his populist rhetoric

and "contempt for economic realities" lived on. Argentina 's federal

government continued to spend far beyond its means.

Hyperinflation exploded in 1989, the final stage of a process characterized

by "industrial protectionism, redistribution of income based on

increased wages, and growing state intervention in the economy."

The Argentinean government's practice of printing money to pay off

its public debts had crushed the economy. Inflation hit 3000%,

reminiscent of the Weimar Republic . Food riots were rampant;

stores were looted; the country descended into chaos.

And by 1994, Argentina 's public pensions -- the equivalent of our

Social Security -- had imploded. The payroll tax had increased from 5% to 26%,

but it wasn't enough. In addition, Argentina had implemented a

value-added tax (VAT), new income taxes, a personal tax on wealth,

and additional revenues based upon the sale of public enterprises.

These crushed the private sector, further damaging the economy.

A government-controlled "privatization" effort to rescue senior's pensions

was attempted. But, by 2001, those funds had also been raided by the

government, the monies replaced by Argentina 's defaulted government bonds.

By 2002, "government fiscal irresponsibility induced a national

economic crisis as severe as America 's Great Depression."

In 1902, Argentina was one of the world's richest countries. Little more than a hundred years later,

it is a poverty-stricken country, struggling to meet its debt obligations amidst a drought.

We've seen this movie before. The Democrats' populist plans can't possibly work

because the government will bankrupt everything it touches. History teaches us that ObamaCare and

unfunded entitlement programs will be utter, complete disasters in the future.

Today's Democrats are guilty of more than stupidity;

they are enslaving future generations to poverty and misery.

And they will be long gone when it all implodes.

They will be as cold and dead as Juan Perón when the piper must ultimately be paid.

This is a very good perspective on where we are headed
unless we very quickly change that bunch of idiots in Washington !!!

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

Unconstitutional Charity?

2010-02-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I asked what government programs could be considered unconstitutional; and even if they aren't, should we consider keeping them regardless? The argument breaks down to how the constitution is viewed. One side believes that our government was founded by men inspired to create an exceptional form of governance dedicated to maintaining freedom through the ages. The other side views the constitution as a "living document " that changes with time to fit into an ever-changing society. I believe that our nation's founders were men inspired of God and that the Constitution is sacrosanct and that the federal government should do only what is enumerated in this exceptional document. Since the 1930s through today our government has spent phenomenal amounts of money to improve our society. What is often overlooked is the power gained by Congress and presidents; they are essentially bribing the electorate with their own money.

I recommend that everyone read the following link, an excerpt from the book The Life of Colonel David Crockett written by fellow congressman Edward S. Ellis. Ellis tells of a bill in Congress that would pay money to the widow of a military veteran. Davey Crockett stood in opposition of said bill and because of Crockett's speech the bill was voted down. When Ellis asked why Crockett would oppose this humanitarian gesture from Congress, he told of an encounter with one of his constituents who was going to vote against him in the next election because of Crockett's vote on an earlier bill (a bill that would pay to reconstruct a widow's house after a fire). The reason this constituent would be against this outpouring of good will is illuminating and instructional.

In the speech that Crockett gave in opposition to the bill, he offered to pay a week's salary to start a fund for the widow. No other congressman would put up their own money. It is far too easy to spend other people's money and without personal commitment, how can it be considered charity?

Original Intent?

2010-02-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

During the town hall meetings last year, it was asked of our representatives and sentators, "Where in the Federal Constitution is it written that the government should run our health care system?" This is a valid question, a just question, a question that is overdue in the asking. What begs to be asked is what other programs have been started and run by the Federal government that is not enumerated by the Constitution? Arguably, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and hundreds of other programs, subsidies and mandates are not in the purview of the Constitution. Would we be better off if these programs did not exist? Are there programs that would best be run by the Fed that is not enumerated in the constitution? I will share my viewpoint in my next post, but I wanted to hear from others first.

2010-01-15T05:20:00.001-07:00

Sponsored by the Independence Institute

Rally @ the Capitol to Exempt Colorado from Obama Care!

When: January 19th @ Noon

Where: West steps, Capitol building

Why: To defend state's rights against Obama Care!

Speakers: Jon Caldara, President of the Independence Institute, Representative Cindy Acree, and more to be announced later!

...It's good to remember that the states created the federal government and not the other way around. As Obama Care becomes closer to reality, we in Colorado have the right to say "No." This is a chance for freedom loving people from across the state to come together and send the Colorado General assembly a simple message: Defend Colorado against Obama Care in the legislature, or we the people will do it at the ballot...

At the rally, we will be introducing language for a ballot initiative to amend the Colorado Constitution to excempt Colorado from Obama Care. We need to send a very strong and unified message to lawmakers that while we want them to say yes to defending Colorado, we are also ready, willing and able to move forward with the citizen initative process should the legislature fail us.

In Praise of Womanhood

2009-12-08T01:12:00.351-07:00

Who can find a a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life
                                                                                            Proverbs 31:10-12

Women are the heart and soul of our families and our society. They are the civilizing factor of our culture.

I read a book written by an Afghani woman who was in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over.  The discriptions of how women were mistreated are beyond belief and heartbreaking. If the Taliban are allowed back into power, Afghanistan will be hell for their women and will not progress beyond the stone age.

In Saudi Arabia, women who have been raped will be stoned and accused of seducing the rapist, allowing the rapist to go free. The subjugation of women is in keeping with Wahabism (a radical version of Islam), the state sponsored religion. The only reason Saudi Arabia has any riches is because of the involvement of American companies in drilling for oil.  The majority of the population live in abject poverty.

It is no surprise that povery and moral bankruptcy coincide with the mistreatment of women.  In America, we recognize the rights of women and are blessed for it. In good marriages, spouses tend to complement one another.  Where one spouse has a weakness the other spouse has strength. In general, women tend to be better at nurturing and communicating. This is not to say that the roles between the genders are clear cut or that men do not serve a vital role in both their children's lives and the enrichment of society. Ideally, the best situation is that families are made up of both a man and a woman, but that cannot always be the case and I honer the single parent that is forced to take on the task of raising their childern alone. In this modern age, many women have felt the call to leave their traditional roles as housewife (I know I sound as if I haven't left the twentieth century but bear with me) and are in bussiness, politics, the workforce. They are leaders, laborers and, at times, they are the breadwinners of their families.  In these new roles, relatively speaking, they bring with them to the rest of society the same things that made them of value to their own family. Could I vote for a women for president? If it were the right woman, in a heartbeat! Our wives, our mothers, and our daughters deserve our love, regard and respect. If we should ever forget this, then our culture will suffer to no end because they are the daughters of the Most High God.

Proverbs 31: 10 -31 has always been one of my favorite Bible passages.

13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

14 She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

15 She ariseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household are clothed with scarlet.

22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Please Pardon the Inconvenience

2009-10-28T01:10:00.001-06:00

The previous two posts did not have a comment section. Please leave your comments below; please. You wouldn't believe how frail my ego is.

Dear HR Department, Get A Clue

2009-10-24T21:04:00.000-06:00

In this past year of unemployment, I have been through the gauntlet of HR screenings by various and tawdry companies. My least favorite of these tactics is what they call the survey or personality profile. My distaste for this form of punishment stems from when I first came across it in the nineties when I was offered employment by Greyhound Bus Lines. I had the job. I just had to take their "personality profile". I was told to answer the questions as honestly as possible. After I was done and my answers were faxed to some psychologist somewhere, I was told that I did not fit in the "parameters" of their stupid test and, therefore, they could not hire me. I tried to find out what it was that I answered wrong, but I was just given the "parameters" answer. I have come across this thing often in the years since and I have never gotten a job from any company that has used this psychological trickery. What annoyes me most is the questions on these things seem to try and deduce what your level of honesty and work ethic are. I believe I am an honest person and I work hard for my paycheck, so what is it that a personality profile or survey or whatever you call it tells them about me?

Flash forward to the present. I have just finished another one of these "character defect detecters" and I would be offended by the questions if they weren't so patently stupid. The survey consists of 128 questions which ask me such probing things as whether I agree that it's okay to take some things from the office. Let's think about this; I'm going to tell a prospective employer that I think it's okay to steal from him. Hmm....Yeah, that's smart. Question 32, 46, and 88 ask if I agree or disagree with the statement, worded in different ways, that you only work to the level that you think is adaquate for your pay and no harder. Uh, what boss wouldn't want you if you answered to the affirmative. The question that got to me was number 124. Do you agree or dissagree that you read well enough to do the survey. I might understand it if this was question 5 or 6 but question 124? I dont get it. Of course, I could not resist and answered that I disagreed. Hey, it's not like I was going to be hired anyway.

One hundred twenty-eight questions that could be boiled down to about ten that I can't imagine would trip up any individual into revealing anything they wouldn't want revealed. I'm at a loss as to how these tests separate the chaff from the wheat and how is it that I am always the chaff.

Oh No, Not Obama Again.

2009-10-24T20:49:00.000-06:00

Yes. Sorry.
I started this blog, in part, to go more in depth than just the personalities that are in the political arena, to explain and explore the reason and motivation behind politics and politicians.  It seems like I have done my fair share of criticising our President. This is because he so perfectly represents the culmination of what scares me about extreme leftist policies.  Obama campaigned as a moderate and is now governing as a far left liberal (very nearly a radical).  If you don't believe me, just look at the people he is surrounded by.  Van Jones, Cass Sunstien, Reverend Wright and Bill Aryes are just a few examples of the extemists that have shaped and formed our President's values and beliefs.

What has amazed me is how Obama (a gifted campaigner and speaker) can get away with saying one thing in a speech and than say the opposite in the next sentence.  I realize that the choice for president this last election was not good ( basically it was between liberal and liberal light) and it is this problem that I would like to address.  I do not believe that 51 percent of the American electorate is desirous of the direction that our nation is headed.

I believe that because of our busy and distracted lives, we (myself included) have neglected our responsibility of being involved in the process of governance. While it is true that we have a representative republic, it is still a nation "of the people for the people and by the people". We, in the past, have complained about our representatives but have done little to change who represents us. If we vote in general elections and our choices are the lesser of two evils, then it is we who are at fault. As I write this, I chastise myself for not being more involved. I now vow to change this. This change means being involved in the party on the local level, taking part in shaping our candidates of the future. Because who knows?  The dog catcher of today may very well be the presidential candidate of tomorrow.

What Moves the Heart and Stirs the Soul!

2009-09-28T16:10:00.000-06:00

I remember as a child in school being taught that our nation was special. We were taught to take pride in being an American, that the freedoms that was guaranteed to us by our constitution was bought at the high price of the blood of our patriotic forebearers. It was impressed upon me that some day I might have to defend this country that I so dearly love. These are the ideals I grew up believing and I believe them just as strongly today. We live in an age of cynicism and deceit where people are often ridiculed for holding to the ideals that the founding fathers of our great nation held to be "self evident". It is true that our country does not always govern by the edicts set forth in the constitution. How could slavery have existed in a nation that held to the notion that "all men are created equal"? How is it that an eviction order of the Mormons was signed by a governor of Illinois? This nation is not perfect. Mistakes have been made and people have been harmed, but far more good has come from this "noble experiment" than ill and we still hold to our ideals. Ideallic life is not possable when dealing with fallable people, but life without holding to ideals would be a bleak and unbearable existance.

Listening to Obama's speech to the UN this week made my stomach turn. To the world, he does not speak of the greatness of the nation that allowed him to reach the pinnacle of his career ( president of the nation that he shows nothing but comtempt for). He tells the world that in the eight months of his ~~reign~~ presidency, change has taken place and that we are a better nation than before. He must believe that he truly is the messiah of our nation (his arrogance and hubris is palpable, almost an entity unto itself). Does he truly believe that this nation has only just now come into its greatness and moral direction because he has now taken the stern? How can he so easily dismiss all those great Americans before him? If asked, I'm sure he would deny the charges I have just laid out, but how can anyone who pays attention not see him as the liar that he is? How can anyone support this man? Unless, of course, you have the same goal in mind; the same impossible goal of utopia for all at the expense of individual achievement and personel freedom. Just remember, my fellow Mormons, that this is the same promise that Lucifer gave at the great premortal meeting - that none shall be left behind. I just ask this question: how important is the Lord's gift of free agency? Keep watching and listening to our president, than ask yourself - how much value does Obama give to your freedom? If you pay attention, I think you just might come to the same conclusions that I have come to.

Jane Curtain, Please Come and Play, I promise I'll be Gentle.

2009-09-16T04:53:00.241-06:00

9/12/09 Has come and gone and I could not be more proud of the people who participated in protests across the nation, especially those who took our message to Washington DC.  The network news agencies and newspapers that lean left reported, "Washington marchers to number in the tens of thousands" while the London Telegraph reported closer to a million.  There is no doubt that the dominant mainstream media is in the tank for the left and Obama in particular.  I observed this media bias in 1981 when I saw the sneer on Peter Jennings' face when he had to report that laser weapons research had produced some positive results on account of President Reagan's "Star Wars Initive".  I will never forget how Jennings looked, as if he had just swallowed a lemon whole.  Media bias since then has become increasingly more obvious.  Any stories that would place the current administration in a poor light, the mainstream media (what Rush Limbaugh has coined as the dinosaur media) will not cover. Thank God for alternative media outlets! At the same time, stories of Republican wrong doings are treated with great aplomb.

I, on occasion, will listen to left-leaning talk show hosts (about an hour at a time is all I can handle). I find that listening and reading the opinions of those that oppose my point of view helps me to solidify, justify and, once in a while, readjust my opinions and arguments.  It is astounding the lengths the other side will go to discredit us.  They call us racist.  They label us as a "fringe group" and say that we do not represent a very large section of the populace.  Even when staring at numbers of protestors that put their pro-Obama support marchers to shame.  One critisim a local talk show host leveled was that the right protested about imaginary problems while the left protested about real things such as war.  He was challenged by a caller that talked about out of control spending, to which the host conceeded, but dismissed it as if it was one small problem and one that didn't rise to the same level as an "illegal war".  Besides, it was the Bush Administration that started the spending spree.  It is true that it was Bush who started it, but for Obama and Congress to continue this policy of spending our kids future in to oblivion is like firemen dumping gas onto a burning house.

What I would like to ask those who read my blog is how would you defend our side to said talk show host's charges of "imaginary problems" (be respectful)?  I know this is like explaining why the sky is blue or grapes are sweet, but it will be a good way to strengthen your opinions and give you an excersize in critical thinking.

I will attempt to play devil's advocate (don't worry "Jane" I'll be gentle) unless there's a liberal lurker that would like to come forward and argue the other side (you would be more than welcome and appreciated as long as you're respectful).

Please Stop Trashing My Ethics.

2009-09-08T01:10:00.005-06:00

I hate litter. I find it hard to think well of anyone who can drop trash while within 50 feet of a trash can. I throw Frisbee's to my dog in an area we refer to as The Bowl (it's an indented lawn area in our townhouse community). There is a bus stop on the east side of the bowl where people waiting for the bus find no problem dropping their trash into our bowl area. I spend ten to fifteen minutes just picking up trash every time I take my dog out to play. It rankles me to no end the disrespect these seemingly callous bus riders show to me and my neighborhood. I now have a dilemma and it is this: Recently, I had a job at a truck stop where part of my job was picking up trash. I find it easier picking up trash when I'm paid for it. In fact, I find it's my zen moment (a simple mindless task I can do while zoning out and thinking of the higher meaning of life or, in actuality, what I'll eat for lunch). Ethically, I think it's irresponsible to litter but would I have had a job if no one littered in the truck stop? Imagine how many jobs would be lost in a society where no one littered. This got me thinking. What if we lived in a world where people took responsibility for themselves and respected one another? We would have no need for the police. Security guards would go the way of the dinosaur (a job that I currently hold). Where would a good portion of America's wealth come from if our weapons manufacturers had no reason to build weapons? If neighbors were to take care of their less fortunate neighbors, what would a whole army of welfare workers do? Speaking of army, what about the armed forces? How would they feed their families if they were not paid to defend our country? Do you see what a moral dilemma this train of thought has brought me to? I would like to see the elimination of the negative elements of society but what will I and others do for work? Perhaps we need the liberal ideology of the authoritarian taking care of people less capable so that we can all have a place in society.

I have a confession to make that I am not at all proud of. Since I lost my job in October, my family and I have been on Medicaid and food stamps. I feel somewhat the hypocrite being on the dole and preaching the negatives of big government. It gives me pause to think that I might be wrong about the attributes of smaller government and the bettering of the individual. Could it be that when drawn out, we as a society need our less than desirable elements to function? Could it be that we need a central authority to manage our lives, to make sure that society does not crumble from its own success?

Before you think that I've exchanged my "dark side" membership card for a more "enlightened" vision please read on:

What I have presented to you in the preceding paragraphs is what is known as a false dilemma. If there were no litterers, people who now spend time picking up trash would be freed to pursue greater interests. If there was no reason to build bombs, if there was no need to drop bombs, buildings, homes, and lives would not have to be rebuilt. If we did not need police, security guards, armed forces, welfare workers, etc.... There is no telling the potential that would be unleashed in the pursuit of positive, constructive and life affirming achievements by those who are freed from the need of having to protect society.

Time and time again we have been warned that modernization would cost us jobs and swell the ranks of the unemployed. Henry Ford put most buggy whip manufacturers out of business but spurred on unprecedented economic growth. I remember hearing how computers and robots were going to create havoc in the nations labor pool. The unions were so frightened by this that they fought against modernization of any kind for years. In case you haven't noticed, robotic systems and computers are everywhere and we have had low unemployment rates throughout the eighties, nineties and into the twenty-first century.

If this is not yet an axiom, than I will claim it as mine. Only positive results can occur from the elimination of negative influences or the positive achievements of man; thus saith Rocslinger.

Consider the fact that archaeologists find civilizations buried underneath one another. Most societies are dragged down from their greatness by the erosion of morality and the growing influence of a selfish and corrupt population. Each time there is a downfall of a civilization, the next one has to start from scratch. Imagine if there were no downfall; if we could continue from generation to generation going back for thousands of years? Is it possible that we might be a star faring race by now; or that we would know so much more about the human genome that we could unlock greater potential in ourselves (maybe I wouldn't be fat, old or balding; I'm just saying.......)?

False dilemma's are a politician's bread and butter. Beware the man that tells you there is a crisis and an immediate need for your money. Or the man that says you need to change your behavior to save the planet, especially, if he's unwilling to set the example. Look out for a president that says that we must totally dismantle our health care system, right now, or millions will continue to suffer. If we want to continue to be a great nation, we must train ourselves to look past the immediate and consider what unintended consequences can be wrought by responding to the false dilemma's so often presented to us by those who's motivation is less than stellar.

Does it Matter? Part 1

2009-06-23T12:58:00.024-06:00

Sunday in priesthood meeting I gave my blog url to one of my friends. He said he would read it but warned me that he hated politics. He further explained that everyone has their opinion on what is best - smaller government or larger government - and that you can't change a person's mind. I understand the sentiment; I really do. It scares me that he might be right.

Barack Obama was elected by an ignorant electorate who was looking for government to take care of them. As I have tried to explain in a previous post, government cannot take care of us. The cost monetarily and the restrictions on our freedom are too great. If we cannot educate the populace, we cannot bring people to the understanding that we have elected tyrants that will seize the day by capitalizing on giving us what we think we want. We the people have always been fickle when it comes to who we put in office. For the longest time, the electorate could be broken down into thirds; one-third who would vote Republican, one-third voting Democrat and the final third would decide the outcome. This was especially true in this last general election. The Republicans, having betrayed the values of President Reagan (smaller government and fiscal responsibility), have begun a rift that is threatening to shatter its political base. The group polled as independent has grown while both republican and democratic parties have shrunk. I am concerned that this splintering effect will further give political power to a plurality of people that will once again vote themselves other people's money and will give up freedom for comfort and security. My question to you, the three people who read my ramblings, is: Does it Matter?

Does it matter that we have put a man in executive office that has no regard for the law? When restructuring Chrysler to sell to Fiat, the Obama administration helped put together a deal that would pay the union members a higher percentage of the sale price than those of the secured bond holders (you know, the guys who paid extra to ensure they would be first in line if the company should go bankrupt, which it did). This was in direct violation of bankruptcy law. When the court case was passed to the Supreme Court, rather than work to change the deal, the Obama administration wrote a letter to the Supreme Court asking them not to hear the case. What scares me is that somehow that letter was heeded. Another example of Obama's wanton disregard of the law is when he fired Inspector General Gerald Walpin. Most presidential political appointments serve at the behest of the president, but there is a law when it comes to inspector generals that the president has to give sixty days notice and give cause to congress before said firing. One might give Obama the excuse that he or anyone of his staff didn't know of this particular law. The only problem is that he co-sponsored this law in his short stint as a senator. Instead of working within the confines of the law, the Obama administration went out of their way to smear the good name of Gerald Walpin, accusing him of being senile. But why, oh why, is congress not doing their job and stopping this egregious use of power.

Does it matter that a growing number of Americans, to include myself, feel disenfranchised and powerless? Conservatives are not prone to demonstrations. We don't make a living hanging out in the streets as protesters. We're usually not that good at it. You would think that the media, congress and the President would stand up and take notice when the "Tea Parties" sprung up from grass roots conservative efforts. The main stream media cast aspersions on the party attendees, the congress ignored them and the President said he didn't know what was happening. Isn't it telling that much smaller protests get results when people want congress to do something (in most cases spending money or forcing other people to spend their money) but when we protest for congress to NOT do something, like not spending money, they ignore us and call us radical.

I ask in all sincerity, What do we do?

What I found in my Email; Why I have such "faith" in the government making my cars

2009-06-22T09:17:00.005-06:00

Dr. David E. Cole is the Director of the Center for Automotive Research(CAR) and a Management Partner at the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM). Dr. Cole has worked extensively on internal combustion engines, vehicle design, and overall automotive industry trends. Dr. Cole received his B.S.M.E., M.S.M.E. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.-------------------------------------------------------------------------(From a senior level Chrysler person) Monday morning I attended a breakfast meeting where the speaker/guest was David E. Cole, Chairman Center for Automotive Research (CAR and Professor at the Univ. of Michigan. You have all likely heard CAR quoted, or referred to in the auto industry news lately. Mr. Cole, who is an engineer by training, told many stories of the difficulty of working with the folks that the Obama administration has sent to save the auto industry. There have been many meetings where a 30+ year experience automotive expert has to listen to a newcomer to the industry, someone with zero manufacturing experience, zero auto industry experience, zero business experience, zero finance experience, and zero engineering experience, tell them how to run their business. Mr. Cole's favorite story is as follows: There was a team of Obama people speaking to Mr. Cole (Engineer, automotive experience 30+ years, Chairman of CAR). They were explaining to Mr. Colethat the auto companies needed to make a car that was electric and liquid natural gas (LNG) with enough combined fuel to go 500 miles so we wouldn't "need" so many gas stations (A whole othertopic). They were quoting BTU's of LNG and battery life that they had looked up on some website. Mr. Cole explained that to do this you would need a trunk FULL of batteries and a LNG tank at big as a car to make that happen and that there were problems related to the laws of physics that prevented them from.......The Obama person interrupted and said (and I am quoting here) "These laws of physics?" Who's rules are those? We need to change that. (Some of the others wrote down the law name, so they could look it up.) We have the congress and the administration. We can repeal that law, amend it, or use an executive order to get rid of that problem. That's why we are here, to fix these sort of issues." And these are the same people who are going to fix healthcare???

Due to a comment, I'm adding for future reference that THIS IS A JOKE!!!!!

The Open letter that I wish I Had Written

2009-06-17T14:57:00.006-06:00

Glenn Beck: The Letter

June 17, 2009 - 10:36 ET
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Sign the petition: An open letter to our nation's leadership

GLENN: I got a letter from a woman in Arizona. She writes an open letter to our nation's leadership:

I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?
Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.
Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when hewill rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

Why I Love Glenn Beck

2009-06-17T10:54:00.003-06:00

My Daughter; I Love Her But I Just Don't Understand Her

2009-06-04T08:47:00.004-06:00

Rachel is a very smart child who makes her parents proud ninety percent of the time and utterly frustrated the other ten percent. Her grades in school have slipped this last trimester and we (and by we, I mean my wife) have had to be on her all year to keep her grades up. If it was because she was being lazy and slacking off I could understand it (I wouldn't condone it, but I could understand it). It's the kind of student I was at her age. Well, no, not exactly. She does the work. She spends hours going through a mountain of homework most nights and the teachers all say that she is an exceptional student in the classroom. She does not do any sub par work. The reason her grades have slipped is because she somehow forgets to turn in her papers, even those she does in class. The last three weeks have been rough both on her and on us (and by us, I mean mostly her mother, which in turn upsets me, "'cause if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"). Most of her teachers have given her extra credit work in an attempt to bring her grades up. Not because her grades are poor but because she does A+ work but would be bringing in C's and B's if not for my wife's determination. My daughter is a nervous wreck with just three days left of in the school year.

I just don't understand how this can be an ongoing problem. How can you put so much time and effort into your work and consistently not turn it in? My question to the three of you who read this blog (actually two since my wife is not allowed to comment on this post) is how do I help her next year?

We're All Socialists Now? How did that happen?

2009-05-29T13:00:00.006-06:00

Does this seem to have happened overnight? Go to bed one evening a proud but poor American, wake up in the morning a proud American but part owner of some banks and a couple of car companies? Don't get too excited. I doubt that you'll be able to cash in on any profits. You will, however, get to share in their debt. Where have all the trillions of dollars that the government loaned in the last nine months gone? How does a government already seven trillion dollars in debt loan another three trillion dollars (that is just the debt that they show on the books)? How much is a trillion dollars? I remember when a billion was the huge number that people could not get there mind around. A trillion is nine hundred ninety-nine billion plus one billion. Another way to demonstrate how much a trillion is would be to lay thousand dollar bills one on top of another. In order to reach a trillion, the stack would be sixty-seven miles high. OK, we have a lot of people to spread that trillion around, so if we divide three hundred million into ten trillion you get...lets see...thirty-three thousand three hundred thirty-three dollars and thirty-three cents. That's not so bad (if some one wants to check my math I would be grateful). So what did you get for your thirty-three thousand? Bear in mind this does not include the unfunded liability (money that has not been spent but is already promised).

No one has ever spent their way out of debt. It just seems counter intuitive. How would you personally get out of debt? I try to work my way out of debt by tightening my purse strings (figuratively, I don't actually have a purse) and pay off my debt as soon as possible. And yet, we have in office people who tell us that we need to spend more. President Obama was asked the other day when the country would be out of money. His response was that we are already out of money. I nearly choked on my dinner when I heard that. What? We're out of money? Really? When did this happen? The truth is, we have been running huge deficits for years and as long as someone buys our debt, we are able to get by. Country's who have bought our debt for a long time are no longer buying as much (China, our biggest lender, is now only buying short term bonds). The Federal Reserve Bank is now buying our debt. I know that the Fed is supposed to be a private institution but its ties to the federal government are undeniable. An example of what is going on with the Fed buying our debt would be if you were to buy up your kid's Monopoly money and then go shopping. Monopoly is a great game but your grocer is not going to sell you Diet Dr. Pepper for Monopoly money.

Why do supposedly smart people put our country in this peril? The problem starts with the motivation of those in elected office. It is not that they don't listen to their constituents, it's that they listen to an uneducated constituency. A constituency that looks to the federal government to solve life's ills and inequalities. It is a belief system that is shared with the majority of the people in federal office in one form or another, including most of the remaining Republicans. This need to throw money at problems without trying to gage unintended consequences has been a problem since the founding of our country. It has been a balancing act since the days of Jefferson and Hamilton (the two of them had distinct differences on how to run our government ). When congress declares a crisis and rushes to get legislation passed, you can almost count on said legislation being bad, loaded with unintended consequences. Congress was designed to be a deliberative body who's function is more in line with preventing bad law then passing quick law.

There is the possibility that this race to spend so much money is a deliberate act to collapse the government so that a new governing body could arise from the ashes; one that would attempt to be a utopia and that would address so called "social injustices". This is a vision that I have heard was set forth by the founders of ACORN. President Barack Obama was a lawyer for ACORN. The Glenn Beck Show (radio and TV), as well as Bill O'Rielly have been investigating ACORN. It will be interesting to see where this investigation leads.

What is written above and in other posts on my blog are my take on current events, If the three of you out there who read this have differing opinions or something to add to mine, I would love to hear it.

2009-05-24T17:06:00.002-06:00

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Political!

Over twenty years ago, I started my career as a truck driver. When you drive for ten plus hours a day you become good friends with your radio. I started with top twenty radio stations but soon tired of hearing the same songs over and over. My mind would start to wander and I would have difficulty focusing on my driving. I started listening to talk radio and found that I could keep better focus on the road and drive longer with fewer breaks.

Talk radio back then was really lame. At the time they had a law known as The Fairness Doctrine. Radio stations would avoid controversial topics rather than attempt to maintain a balance of opinion as required by this law. It was impossible to give all sides of an issue and interviewing one candidate running for office meant you had to interview all the candidates running for the same office. Can you imagine a sponsor paying for the air time that included Joe of the "Raise-the-Country-On-Rafts-to-Float-It-South-So-Minnisota-Wouldn't-Have-Such-A-Harsh-Winter-Party" (however, George Norrie, of late-night radio fame, would probably enjoy interviewing Joe).

Some time within the first two years of my illustrious career, The Fairness Doctrine was repealed. I was driving for a company that was in the Chicago area and the local talk show hosts were becoming interesting to listen to. Unbeknownst to me, a talk show host was making a name for himself in the San Diego area and would, in a very short time, start this new format of being syndicated on radio stations across the nation. He was brash, self-assured, bombastic, entertaining and he would talk about things that most Americans could relate to. Rush Limbaugh would bring up items of news that main stream media would never report or they would do so reluctantly and with an obvious spin. I was hooked. Here was a form of media that was entertaining and informational; something that could keep my interest for hours.

In the intervening years, I have listened to numerous talk show hosts. I feel that I am one of the better informed people when it comes to issues of government. I do have my biases and I am not afraid to share my point of view to those who are willing to put up with me. The downside to this is that my poor wife ends up hearing my constant rants. This is why she has encouraged me to start a blog where I can rant away and others can choose to put up with it or not.

Disc Golf

2009-05-21T11:38:00.017-06:00

What does Disc Golf have to do with politics or current affairs? Not much, but it's my blog and I'll ~~cry if~~ write what I want to. Disc golf is a game I began playing twenty years ago when my nephews introduced it to me. There are courses all across the country and most of them cost nothing to play. The object, like golf, is to put the disc in the basket in the fewest amount of throws. Most sports stores carry golf discs or you can buy them online . On your next day off when it's warm and beautiful out, why not give it a try?

The Role of the Federal Government?

2009-05-20T11:52:00.008-06:00

The preamble The Constitution of the United States of America:
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Few Americans would argue about the need for our government to provide for the common defense and there are standards of justice that need to be established by the U.S. Government. Promoting of the general welfare and securing the blessings of liberty is an area of dispute among those who see the government as either a necessary evil or the answer to all of America's problems.

There are those who believe that rights are derived from God and others who believe they are disseminated from the government. If they are given to us from the government, I would worry because of the quixotic nature demonstrated by even the most stable of governing bodies. I would not want anyone fallible deciding what is right for me to do or not do. And is not all mankind fallible? I believe that rights come from an infallible God and it is the government's role to protect those rights and "promote the general welfare" of individuals by insuring that their rights are not unjustly taken from them.

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are there to guarantee all citizens the opportunity to pursue happiness, prosperity, and a full and successful life. It is the opportunity that is to be protected, not the outcome. You have the right to fail. It is not the government's role to save you from bad decisions or unseen circumstances. That is where faith in God and charity come into play.

No one should be protected from failure. In fact, the vast majority of people who are successful have failed several times and have learned from there failures. This current trend to save businesses from failure by government intervention is an attempt to turn our government into a socialist entity. This is dangerous and it will drag our country into an abyss from which we may not recover. There are several reasons that socialism does not work. One reason is the inefficiencies a government ensues partly because governments don't run on a profit motive. They don't have to make a profit to survive; they simply raise taxes or print more money. Raising taxes past a certain point diminishes returns and stunts growth in the private sector. The reason for this is human nature. People work for themselves and their families; businesses do not put money at risk just to have it taken from them by an ever greedy government. Printing too much money devalues the dollar and creates hyper-inflation.

Who is best at spending your money; you or the government? The next time you hear that something is too big to fail or that congress should spend our money to save someone, ask yourself if it is worth the price.

My Leap of Insanity

2009-05-19T14:24:00.003-06:00

Okay, my first post. So many thoughts went screaming through my head when I imagined putting this blog together but now, in reality, all thoughts have abandoned ship and left me to drown.

Let me try to put together the reason why I want to write this blog. First and foremost I am concerned for this country. I wish to add my voice to the discussion of what I believe is important in the political arena of ideas. I want to inform those who may not be the political junky that I am. I am willing to engage with anyone who is willing to discuss current issues thoughtfully and respectfully.

With this blog, I want to go beyond the veneer of the instant words of political operatives and their immediate actions to explore future consequences as well as the motive and method involved.

I am an unabashed conservative. What this means is that I believe in the individual, that the government is a necessary evil and best when kept as small as possible. When President Obama stated that the government was the only thing that could bring us out of this economic crisis, I could not have disagreed with him more. In fact, it was the interference of government combined with the greed of a certain few that created this mess in the first place. I believed President Reagan when he stated emphatically that government is not the solution, government is the problem. This is one of the issues I will go into further detail on in later posts.