The Deep Freeze

Closed for Business

2006-07-13T11:31:00.000-04:00

Folks, it's been a heck of a ride, but I'm shutting down The Deep Freeze. I only have so many hours in the day and I have so many things I want and need to do. I started this blog right after the 2004 election. I was really wrapped up in politics at the time and it was all that interested me. Since then I've gone sour. I've become disinterested. I think the turning point was Katrina. No, I wasn't one of those shaking my fist at George Bush for not personally being down there handing out water bottles the morning after. My outrage came about a few days later when President Bush promised $200 billion in recovery money, or enough to write every person in the state of Louisianna a check for $500,000. It was at that point I realized the modern conservative movement has been hijacked by feel good republicans that are hawks on defense but big budget spenders.

So I lost interest in politics and thus I lost interest in this blog. I'm informing you now because it isn't fair to those of you who spend 30 seconds of your life every couple days to check in here. If I ever choose to start up again, which may happen come 2008, I know where to find you all. And don't be surprised if you see me drop in to offer a comment or two here and there.

While I'm giving up this blog, I'm not giving up writing. I've just found a new topic to write about that I have always been interested in. I've started up a college football blog dedicated to Penn State Football. If you wish to check it out and start getting plugged into the college football blogosphere, please go to Hail to the Lion. Who knows. Maybe if I get enough recognition I can get that freelance writing gig Alisa always said I should pursue.

And with that, folks, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. Farewell and good luck to you all.

Has Man Lost His Backbone?

2006-06-30T09:24:00.000-04:00

This morning I was reading a column by Rich Tucker that got me thinking about man's history and future.

Ever since the beginning of recorded history, each generation has had great explorers. Men (and women) who put their lives on the line to "boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone before." In the beginning, they went over mountains to see what was on the other side. They crafted wooden ships to sail vast oceans and discover distant lands. Can you imagine the courage it must have taken for Christopher Columbus to load up three ships and sail into the horizon? Everyone told him he would sail off the end of the earth. But he was willing to take the chance. And for what? To bring back some beads and blankets?

Lewis and Clark took a crew of about 30 men with a few months worth of supplies and embarked on a multi-year journey to reach the Pacific Ocean. They fought off savage Indians, disease, grizzly bears and brutal elements just to create a map of uncharted territory.

In 1961, a 27 year old Soviet Major named Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the earth. A little over three weeks later, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, and the space race had begun. Eight years later, Neil Armstrong would step foot off of the Apollo 11 lunar module and uttered the words, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."

But these men were all in search of more than beads, blankets, maps, and moon rocks. What pushed and fueled all of these men was the human instinct to explore. To be the first to see (blank) or step foot on (blank). We are naturally curious creatures. Ever since man has walked the earth there have been brave souls willing to put their lives on the line in order to explore the unknown. But now I fear that has changed.

Ever since Neil Armstrong's famous step, man has lost the desire to push his limits. The Greatest Generation, as Tom Brokaw calls them, put a man on the moon. I can remember as a young child in the 1970's there was still a buzz about the space program. Talk was everywhere of putting men on mars and space stations and eventually leaving our galaxy. But then the baby boomers came of age and all that talk ended. We created a space station so our space shuttle would have someplace to go. We focused on putting up satalites so American's can get 300 television channels and commercial free radio in their car. It seems our space program became more about creating jobs and keeping congressmen in office rather than extending the reach of man into God's universe.

Americans have become afraid of risk. It's evident everywhere in our society. Nothing is worth dying for anymore. We expect our wars to be conducted with zero casualties. At the first sign of blood, half our country wants to bring our troops home. After the Columbia crash in 2003 it took NASA over two years to launch another space shuttle mission. Concerns from that mission have prevented any other missions since. NASA's budget last year was somewhere around $16 billion. We made one launch. Where is the money going? Museums?

Rich Tucker rightly points out that the problem is our government, but I think his solution of encouraging private exploration is incomplete. All of the early exploration programs I mentioned before were government funded. The truth is no private citizen is going to put his fortune on the line without guarantee of rewards. There aren't many rich guys out there that can fund a space program. And of those rich guys, there are even fewer with the cajones to launch themselves into space. The solution is a hybrid of government and private citizens. The push to explore must come from government. Government needs to set the goal but allow the private sector to innovate and reward those willing to take risks. I was pleased when President Bush set the goal to put a man on Mars by 2020. That is only fourteen years away. As Americans we should all unite and push ourselves toward reaching this goal.

Youz Want Dat Whiz Wit?

2006-06-12T13:11:00.000-04:00

Last week a story hit the local Philadelphia news and quickly went national. Owner Joe Vento of Geno's Steaks in South Philly put a sign up at the order window saying, "This is America. When ordering speak English."

Now if you're not from Philly you're probably asking yourself, "So what?" If some street food vendor wants to put a sign up making himself look like a bigot, what's the big deal? The big deal is that Geno's is a Philadelphia icon. Every tourist that comes to Philly has four things on their to do list.

See Independence Hall
See Liberty Bell
Run up the steps of the Art Museum, raise you hands in the air like Rocky and yell, 'Yo Adrianne!'
Get a real Philly cheesesteak from Geno's Steaks

On a side note it's ironic Geno's would be requiring customers to speak English considering nobody in South Philly speaks the language well. Ordering a cheesesteak at Geno's goes something like this:

"Can I get a cheesesteak please?"

"Whiz?"

"No"

"Youz want dat wit?"

"Yes."

To explain, you just ordered a cheesesteak with provolone (not cheese whiz) and fried onions (just 'wit' for short).

When the story ran on the local news, local talk radio picked it up and everyone quickly chose sides. Many people support Joe's decision to put up the sign and say it's about time someone said something. Not surprisingly, the Libs and illegal immigrant crowd came down against Geno. Many people who sympathize with the illegal immigrants are rational about the situation. The Day Without an Immigrant Coalition is simply saying they will take their business across the street to Pat's, Geno's rival. This is the correct attitude to have. If you don't like Joe's way of doing business, don't do business at Geno's. But other groups are going too far in their outrage.

Juntos, a local Hispanic neighborhood organization began setting up a protest by sending people to Geno's to order in Spanish. They may pursue court action if refused service. They equate this sign to the days of segregation when blacks couldn't sit at the counter and had to ride the back of the bus. This is taking things a bit too far.

But the thing that really bothers me is now the city is thinking of getting involved. City Councilman Jim Kenney has asked Geno's to take the sign down. He says Geno's is "an iconic institution and business, one that is that visible for many of our residents, for the region and the world." The problem is Geno's doesn't belong to the city. It belongs to Joe Vento.

I support Joe's right to hang the sign. It's his establishment. He's trying to make a point and our Constitution gives him the right to speak his mind. I also support anyone's right to call Joe a bigot and refuse to do business at Geno's. That includes the city if they choose to no longer promote Geno's as a Philadelphia tourist attraction as they have been doing for decades. That is their right and that's what free markets are all about. But if the city tries to do anything to put Joe out of business, like pulling permits or trying to inspect him out of business, I'll be extremely upset and disappointed.

Run Abu Run!!!

2006-06-08T09:11:00.000-04:00

Abu Musab al-Zarqaqi is dead. I guess he couldn't run fast enough in those New Balance sneakers. Upon hearing the news this morning I was struck with relief and joy. The Christian in me wants to say "May God have mercy on his soul." But today the Christian is outweighed by the sinner in me who says, "Burn in Hell you son of a bitch." Please, God, forgive me.

I'm already trying to think about how this is going to play out in politics and the media. On the Today show this morning I was pleased to see Senator Joe Biden exclaim this is "good news." But then he quickly went back to criticizing Rumsfeld and the war. I suspect the honeymoon may last until lunchtime today.

Where is Representative Murtha? I'm guessing he called in sick this morning. He has been saying for months we should pull out of Iraq immediately. If he had his way, Zarqawi would still be sneaking in the shadows. He would still be gathering support. He would still be recruiting young Muslims to attack us. He would still be seeking ways to harm America...to kill us. What say you now, Mr. Murtha? We probably won't see him on television for a month or so.

I suspect we'll see a little uptick in the President's approval rating. Maybe two points. Pundits on CNN will quickly point out this is a result of getting Zarqawi, but it is only temporary. They will downplay this event. They will point out Osama Bin Laden is still out there. Then they will go back to talking about Haditha with a little Abu Ghraib and NSA mixed in. Next week, things will go back to the way they were before the 500 ton bomb was dropped. C'est la guerre. But for today, is sure feels good.

Bad News for Libs

2006-06-07T09:08:00.000-04:00

If you read the mainstream media you would think the GOP is in shambles right now. The President's approval rating hovers around 35% in most polls. Just about every poll you can imagine says people favor the Democrats over the Republicans in Congress. Liberals are already planning their November 7 victory parties when they think they are taking back the House and Senate and finally get to impeach Bush.

But as Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend." Yesterday a House seat was up for grabs to replace the disgraced Randy "Duke" Cunningham in California. Republican Brain Bilbray defeated Democrat Francine Busby getting 50% of the vote in the process. This was supposed to be a tight race the Democrats were hoping to win and use for momentum to show the country has swung their way. But in the end, they couldn't pull off a victory in the bluest of blue states.

There's an old saying that goes, "Everyone hates Congress, but everyone loves their Congressman." If the Democrats intend to take one or both houses of Congress, they have to come up with some big ideas. And in my opinion, they aren't doing that. In 1994 the GOP swept into Congress on a platrom of new ideas called "The Contract with America." They proposed throwing out the old and starting with something new. It was a refreshing idea and they were rewarded for it. The key was it didn't appeal to one base consituency. It was a broad idea that was meant to appeal to everyone, and it worked.

The Democrats seemingly have no ideas, other than to impeach Bush. One day they vote for the war, then they are against the war. They vote for tax cuts, then they want to repeal them. They vote for No Child Left Behind, then they complain about it. They scream over gas prices, but they don't want to open up drilling in Alaska or the Gulf or relax environmental laws to allow more refineries.

Basically, their entire party platform can be summed up in three words: "We hate Bush." While most of the country may agree, it is not enough of a platform to sway voters from the GOP. People fear the unknown. They would rather vote for a guy they don't like but know where he stands rather than vote for a guy they like but can't figure out.

As the summer election season starts to heat up, I think we'll see the GOP close the gap in the polls. The GOP wins on all the issues and the Democrats know it. That's why they are "against gay marriage but opposed to an amendment." That's why they are "personally opposed to abortion, but can't let that affect their vote." That's why they "voted for the war, but not the funding for the war." That's why they think "we need to stop illegal immigration, but not build a wall or prosecute those who aid illegal immigrants."

The problem is issues aren't being debated right now. All we see are generic polls asking people which party they like best, which basically equates to an approval rating on the party in power. If a Democrat came out and said they were going to crush radical Islam, keep taxes low, appoint judges that respected and upheld the Constitution, and balance the federal deficit through budget cuts, I would vote for them. What the Democrats have to avoid is November 7 becoming a choice between the lesser of two evils. In an election like that, they will lose.

Elitism at its Best

2006-06-06T14:35:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, Senator Ted Kennedy's son, Patrick Kennedy (Rep.-RI) crashed his car in the middle of the night. He narrowly avoided hitting a police car before he struck a concrete barrier. The officer noted that Kennedy staggered when he got out of the car. He immediately claimed he was a congressman and he was late for a vote trying to take advantage of the claus in the Constitution that says a congressman cannot be arrested when in route to a vote. The sad thing was congress had adjourned three hours earlier. Before he could be given a field sobriety test, a commanding officer showed up, put Kennedy in the back of the cruiser, and drove him home. He was never charged with DUI, wreckless driving, or anything.

A few days after the incident, Kennedy admitted he was addicted to drugs, and admitted himself to a drug rehab clinic for a second time. Yes, it's good to be a Kennedy.

But as if that isn't enough, today Kennedy says if he is ever charged with a crime from the incident, he wants to be treated like he's black.

In an interview, Kennedy said he is prepared "in terms of bookings, in terms of mug shots, fingerprints, whatever they might have me do. It's what anyone else would have done to them if they were an African-American in Anacostia."

Take a minute and consider this statement. Is he suggesting blacks get treated worse than whites in our criminal system? Why distinguish "African-American". Is he suggesting blacks in Anacostia are criminals? Why not say he wants to be treated like anyone else and leave it at that? The answer is he is an elitist Kennedy. Say the word "criminal" and he pictures a black person. Plain and simple.

Sadly, it's too late to treat him like any other prisoner. That ship sailed with him in the back seat of the police cruiser. If that were you or I who smashed the car in the middle of the night, we would be hauled to the hospital for a drug and alcohol test. We would spend the night in jail, and then promptly be given a court date. We would stand trial, our lawyer would tell us to plead no contest and our drivers license would be taken away. If we couldn't drive, many of us would lose our jobs because we don't have chauffers and limos to get us to work like the Kennedy's do. So spare me with your "treat me like an average joe" routine. It's too late for that, buddy.

Picking Battles

2006-06-05T13:04:00.000-04:00

There is so much going on today in desperate need of immediate attention. Our borders are being over run with illegal immigrants. Our federal deficit is skyrocketing thanks to social programs like medicare, social security, education, and hurricane relief. We're fighting a war on terror against an enemy that seemingly gets smarter every day.

Yet the Senate picked this week of all weeks to pursue a Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage. I'm convinced the leadership of the Republican party has no idea what it's doing anymore. This makes absolutely no sense to me on so many levels.

On level one let's discuss how this goes against party principles. The Republican party is supposed to be the party of small government. The party that keeps government out of our lives. What the Republican party is doing is pandering to the Christian voter. But I don't want my government dictating morality on this level. And I'm a Christian. If Adam and Steve want to live together and play hide the sausage in their bedroom, I don't care. If they want to exchange vows and promise to be monogamous, good for them. If they want to lobby the state to give them the types of benefits the state gives other married couples, fine. But leave it up to the state, through legislature enacted by the lawmakers who were elected by the people, to decide. As a Christian, I know we all will have our day in court in front of God. Let Him decide who is righteous.

On level two, the timing of this bill doesn't make any sense. Why now? Is it because Will and Grace finally ended? Do they think the country is ready for this? Every political insider will tell you this amendment has no chance of passing. The Republicans are setting themselves up for an embarassing failure. Even bigger than President Bush's failure in pushing Social Security reform.

In pushing this amendment the GOP is trying to bring back the social conservatives they have lost in the past months over their fumbling of the immigration issue. While this will make the Pat Robertson crowd happy, the rest of us conservatives feel like we're watching a train wreck about to occur. The GOP is always fighting the image of being a bunch of bigoted good old boys. This foolish initiative will not help that perception. Every Republican Senator that votes or speaks in favor of this amendment will regret it come November.

MSM Bias

2006-06-02T14:34:00.000-04:00

The economy is booming along today, but you wouldn't know it by reading the mainstream media. Today the government announced that unemployment dropped to 4.6%. Here is how CBS News reported it. Take note at a few passages:

Job growth faltered in May, with employers boosting payrolls by just 75,000.

I thought any job growth would be a good thing. It's better than losing 75,000 jobs isn't it?

The report comes as President Bush is coping with low job-approval ratings.

Nice. Way to work that in there. Tie the President to this supposed "bad news."

Workers' average hourly earnings stood at $16.62 in May, a small 0.1 percent increase from April. That was smaller than the 0.3 percent rise economists were expecting and marked a moderation from a sharp pickup in earnings registered in April.

Last month they were worried about inflation getting out of control. Now they're complaining about wages not going up. You can't have it both ways.

Economic growth in the April-to-June quarter is expected to moderate as rising borrowing costs, lofty energy prices and a slowdown in the housing market take their toll on consumers and, to a lesser extent, businesses.

Oh my. More gloom and doom. We won't be able to afford to live. How are we going to pay our bills?

Oil prices, which hit a record high of more than $75 a barrel in late April, are now hovering above $71 a barrel. Gasoline prices have topped $3 a gallon in some areas.

I thought this was a story about job growth? Or should I say lack thereof.

The report also showed the average time that the 7 million unemployed spent searching for work in May was 17.1 weeks. That was up from 16.8 weeks in April and was the highest since February.

I always get ticked off when I hear this statistic. It implies that people are having a tough time finding work. In truth, not everyone that is unemployed is looking for work. For many people, the unemployment benefits are so good they wait until the unemployment runs out before they start looking. When my company was bought a few years ago and many of my co-workers were laid off, many of them did this. How long do unemployment benifts last? 14 weeks? And how long is it taking people to find work? 17 weeks? Hmmmmm

It's stories like this why I don't read and certainly don't trust the mainstream media for my news.

A Collective Sigh...

2006-05-22T13:24:00.000-04:00

In recent years, movie theater sales have been in a steady decline. This has caused a panic in Hollywood. The $200 million blockbuster hits are suddenly at risk of not returning their investment. As risk goes up, investments go down, and the film industry is in danger of going out of (big) business.

Then came "Passion of the Christ". It was somewhat of a savior. It proved that movies can make money when you make movies that interest people. But what bothered Hollywood and the other 30% of America that doesn't believe in God was that the Passion may start a trend toward more Christian movies being made.

Then this week "The Da Vinci Code" came out and Hollywood has breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Code made a whopping $225 million on opening weekend. So now Hollywood has figured out that movies about Jesus make money, but it doesn't matter whether those movies are pro or anti-Christ. Just as long as they are about Jesus.

This is going to start a disturbing trend. I fear we'll see even more movies that mock Jesus. They are already starting to put together Da Vinci II. As a Christian I think this is truly sad. But this is nothing new. People have been trying to debunk the Holy Bible for years. What bothers me is this is just another example of Christian values being attacked in America. Why don't we see any movies ripping the Muslim faith? Why don't we see any movies attacking the Old Testament or Jewish faith? Why not the Hindus? Why just Jesus? Could it be that Christ is the one truth and light in the world and that Satan knows it?

Blogger Sucks!

2006-05-22T13:10:00.000-04:00

Did I mention blogger sucks? I'm not sure what happened there, but my blog went blank for a month or so. Only way I could get it back was to change my template. So I lost all my customizations. I'll have to add all your links again. But it's good to be back.

Why Can't They Stay Innocent Forever?

2006-05-01T12:45:00.000-04:00

Last week I was in a discussion on a liberal blog about the new movie "Flight 93". At one point during the discussion I was asked how I plan to one day explain the events of 9/11 to my child, who is only 19 months old. I thought it was a great question worthy of its own post.

Nathan was born almost exactly three years after 9/11. I imagine he will probably be six or seven years old when he first starts asking about 9/11. I don't plan on bringing the topic up with him until he asks about it. But I'm not going to deliberately try to hide it from him either. He'll probably find out about it at school some day.

When the day comes that Nathan starts to ask about 9/11 I plan to explain it to him the best I can on a level his young mind can understand. I will tell him how many years ago the world took land away from the Muslims and gave it to the Jews. I will tell him that today the Muslims are angry and they hate the Jews, and by extention, they hate us because we support and defend the Jews. I'll tell him that three years before he was born, a group of Muslims stole some airplanes and flew them into buildings to attack us and our country. I'll tell him the people who did it were evil, but we shouldn't blame all Muslims for something a few jerks did.

It's going to break my heart to tell him these things because it will probably be the beginning of the end of his innocence. I imagine after I explain these things to him he will be terrified. It may be too much for a young mind to maturely process. He probably won't want to ride in airplanes. He probably won't want to go in tall buildings. He will probably panic whenever dad leaves to get on a plane and go on a business trip, which is often. You may ask how I intend to deal with the aftermath of this discussion.

The answer is Jesus and the Bible. I'm going to raise my son to understand there is good and evil in the world. He should know that there are people out there who want to kill him...kill us, because we were born in America and we worship Jesus. He will be told that we have nothing to fear, because God loves us and promises to protect us. He will be told that sometimes God does things that we cannot understand, like 9/11, but we have to trust that God's plan is good. Ultimately, we have nothing to fear. Jesus suffered and died on the cross so we wouldn't have to. Because of Him, we are forgiven of our sins and we can go to Heaven. Our time here is temporary and we should never fear death, because what awaits us after this world is greater than we could ever imagine. It is my prayer that he can understand these things, because if he can grow to be an honest God fearing man, I will have done my job as a parent.

Can't Get No Respect

2006-04-17T10:21:00.000-04:00

Back in the 50's, and maybe even into the 60's, people never referred their boss by their first name. It was always, "Yes sir, Mr. Johnson." "I'll have that report on your desk by Monday, Mr. Jones." People had lived and grown up through the great depression and two World Wars. They understood the need to manners and decorum in the work place. They understood the need to respect those in charge and execute their orders without debate and questions. They were simpler times.

In the 1970's the Baby Boomers came of age and started to dominate the workplace. These kids grew up in the age of the civil rights movement. They were raised to think everyone was equal. Mr. Johnson started going by "Larry." Mr. Jones now wanted to be called "Tom". Bob Dylan sang, "Even the President of the United States must sometimes have to stand naked." It was supposed to be a refreshing new age where nobody was any better than anyone else and everyone's point of view was valid and equal. We see today it has turned out to be a disaster.

In our society today, nobody pays respect anymore. People call our leaders idiots and baffoons. Business leaders are seen as greedy and uncaring even though they create jobs for the rest of us. We are programmed to think any law you feel is unjust may be ignored. Turning society upside down is allowable as long as you are protesting a social injustice.

Look around you. It's everywhere. The recent illegal immigration marches are a protest against society. These people do not like the law, so they feel justified in gridlocking entire city blocks to make their point. They disregard the laws of society because they feel society is unjust. And indeed, society lets them get away with it. There have been times in our country when these types of protests have been properly used. A few examples that come to mind are the Boston Tea Party and Rosa Parks. But now it is being overdone. Illegal aliens protesting OUR laws. Retired generals speaking out against the Pentagon and Rumsfeld.

Indeed, nobody cares about showing respect anymore. Now all we care about is getting respect. This is dangerous ground we are treading on. Without respect for our leaders and our laws, we are only a few steps away from anarchy.

Thoughts on Immigration

2006-04-05T15:57:00.000-04:00

The rumors of my demise are somewhat overstated. I'm still here. Work has been a real bugger lately with travel. And when I'm not on the road I'm trying to catch up on what happened while I was gone. But there is lots going on in the news lately that I want to comment on. But in keeping with my unwritten rule of one topic per post, I'll pick just one topic to comment on: Immigration. I realize I'm probably a week late in this, but bare with me.

The demonstrations that have been going on throughout the country just make me laugh. People who are in this country illegally are protesting against laws that would make it a felony to be here illegally. As one columnist said, "It's like a band of thieves getting together to protest anti-burglary laws." There's a big uproar over the proposal to build a fence across one third of the southern border. People are comparing the fence to the Berlin wall. The two are nothing alike. People conveniently forget the Berlin wall was built to keep people locked in. Ours will be designed to keep people out.

But anyone who suggests we need to lock down the border and keep people out is instantly being labeled a cold hearted racist. This isn't true. No conservative I know wants to see people starve and suffer. I'm all in favor of allowing more people into this country. But I insist they do so legally. Go through the process of becoming an American. Learn the language and history. Learn how our government works. Pay the necessary fees. Pay your taxes like the rest of us. If you're poor you won't have to pay any taxes anyway. Become a contributing member of society rather than just a leech of society. If you want to increase the number of people we legally allow into this country every year, I'm willing to listen to that argument.

The other thing that bothers me is these illegal alien protests have taken on an anti-American sentiment to them. People wave Mexican flags and signs protesting our country and our President. Like I've said before, America is becoming a Tossed Salad and that is bad for our country. We can't allow America to become a group of separate factions living on a common soil. If we allow that we will soon be no better off than the countries of the Middle East that are divided into tribes. Americans have to put their foot down and say if you want to live in America become American. Otherwise get out. If you think Mexico is better than America, go back to Mexico. If you think Europe has it all figured out, fine, go. If you think America discriminates and you'll never be given an opportunity to succeed, don't let the door hit you on the way out. The beauty of being free is you're free to leave. But if you're going to come here to take advantage of our economy then you have a duty to help sustain and support it by obeying our labor laws and paying your taxes.

Finally, I find myself wondering why this issue isn't a no brainer slam dunk for our politicians. We're talking about a minority group of people who don't even have the right to vote. So why do our politicians feel the need to be accountable to them? The answer is their children. What's at stake here is the political future of our country twenty years from now. While these illegal aliens will never have the right to vote, their children will. Any child born in the United States has the right to American citizenship. Do you think these kids when they grow up are going to vote for a party that wants to ship their parents back to Mexico? Or deny them a job? Do you think they will vote for a party that wants to give their parents amnesty? and a drivers license? and welfare? and social security? and educate their kids? and pay for their college tuition? That, my friends, is what's at stake here.

I Amaze Myself Sometimes

2006-03-20T16:34:00.000-05:00

Back in August when Cindy Sheehan was the media darling with her little camp in Crawford Texas, I predicted she would get a movie deal and Susan Sarandon would play the part of Mother Sheehan. Dang I'm good. I bet Fitch didn't even see that one coming.

Afternoon of Geocaching and History

2006-03-13T09:17:00.000-05:00

The weather was fantastic this weekend. The first really nice weekend of the year. Everyone was out jogging and riding their bikes. I decided to do some geocaching. So I did some research on the internet. Plugged some coordinates into my GPS and off I went.

Near my house, about 4 miles away, there is a cache called "From The Fields of Valley Forge". A virtual cache is a place where there is no buried treasure. It's just a place that someone wants to draw your attention to. Usually they are historically significant. I was expecting this cache to be located at Valley Forge National Historical Park which is about 3 miles south of my house. Much to my surprise, when I plugged in the coordinates for the cache it pointed north. So I followed route 23 north and came up on the site just north of Phoenixville, PA. Unfortunately, blogger is not cooperating with loading the pictures. I will try again on another post.

It was a modest grave site right along the side of the road. If you were in your car you would drive past it without thinking twice. Buried at this site are twenty-two soldiers from the Revolutionary War. There is a church across the street from this site that served as a hospital while the Continental Army was camped at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778. I probably stood there for fifteen minutes reflecting on these brave men. They died hundreds of miles from their homes with nobody to comfort them. Their families probably didn't know they had died for weeks. Yellow fever was rampant throughout the camp, so these men were probably infected and removed from the camp to isolate them from the army. They were probably cold and hungry. They weren't getting paid since the Continental Congress had no money. They were fighting for a belief. A dream that they would not live to see come to a realization. These were great men who should never be forgotten.

After paying my respects I headed south to Valley Forge. I had planned on visiting some of my favorite monuments while I was there looking for the cache. Since the cache was unexpectedly offsite, I was disappointed. So I drove down to the park to take a look anyway. One of my favorite monuments in the park is the Site of the Marquee. Once again Blogger is not cooperating with pictures. I'll try to upload it later on another post. It's a small attraction when compared to the National Monument Arch and Washington's Memorial Church. Picture a modest sized stone monument standing about eight feet tall. Almost like an obelisk without the point on top. It's sitting on the slope of a small hill in between a road and a bike path. Across the street from the monument are some woods. The tall trees dwarf the monument making it almost indistinguishable from the dozens of monuments throughout the park remembering the various regiments from the different states. But when you get up close, you can see this monument is different. Engraved on the monument is the following:

Site of the Marquee

On this spot General Washington erected his campaign tent (Marquee) when he entered Valley Forge December 19, 1777. He occupied this tent until December 24, 1777 when he moved his headquarters to the Potts house at the junction of Valley Creek and Schuylkill River.

This site always provides me with powerful images in my mind. Imagine General Washington leading his troops to Valley Forge on a cold December night in 1777. They had just suffered a loss to the British in Brandywine giving Philadelphia to Lord Cornwallis in September. They tried an offensive attack in October against the British at Germantown and again were pushed back. The army was defeated and demoralized. Winter was setting in. The men were naked, cold and starving. Many had come down with the fever. It was time to set up winter quarters. The men were ordered to build their own huts in four inches of snow with no shoes. The huts were drafty and cold with a blanket for a door. The roads were a quagmire of mud making it impossible to get supplies in. The men were forced to live off the land and forage for food. The winter of 1777 would be a harsh one. I can only imagine the despair in Washington's eyes as he set up his tent and saw the men he loved so much suffering just to survive against the elements.

Every time I stand at that monument and look out over the fields of Valley Forge I am filled with a sense of history and pride. I am astounded and in awe that I am standing in the footsteps of General Washington. Sometimes I wonder about the people who seemingly walk or ride past this monument to get their exercise. I wonder if they ever stop to read this great tribute. I wonder if they realize the significance of the place they let their dogs relieve themselves. I wonder if they care.

We must never forget.

South Dakota Bans Killing Babies

2006-03-09T09:11:00.000-05:00

Last week the South Dakota legislature passed and bill and the Governor signed it into law banning all abortions except in cases where the mother's life is in jeopardy. There is no doubt this law will be challenged in court since it clearly goes against Roe v. Wade.

What's funny is both sides of the political aisle are jumping up and down with excitement over this. Conservatives are hopeful their new additions of Roberts and Alito to the Supreme Court will overturn Roe. Liberals are hopeful this will put a final nail in the coffin to the pro-life movement by cementing Roe even further. The truth is we can't tell how this is going to play out. It will probably be three or four years of court battles, decisions, and appeals before this comes before the Supreme Court. A lot can happen in that time.

Justice Ginsburg can barely stay awake on the bench these days. Rumor has it her health and the health of her husband are not that great. And as Ann Coulter puts it, Justice Kennedy is one bad EKG away from stepping down. I could see Ginsburg staying on the court until she dies or until the democrats gain control of the Presidency or the Senate. Being a former attourney for the ACLU, Roe is near and dear to her heart. But the other liberal Justices, namely Kennedy, Stevens and Souter, I don't suspect harbor the same passion for Roe as Ginsburg does. I think these men are capable of walking away at any time and not really caring what happens in the world of politics. It's possible that in the next few years Bush may have one or even two more justices to appoint before the South Dakota law reaches the court.

The danger in all of this is if the Supreme Court should happen to overturn Roe, the shock waves will be damaging to the country. The court will be viewed even more political than it already is. The precident will be set that Roe will be in or out of effect based on which party holds power and makes the nominations to the Supreme Court. The only thing that will rid us of Roe forever will be a Constitutional Amendment.

Can We Please Change the Subject?

2006-03-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. Truth is I'm losing interest. The media has worn me down. I don't like reading the news or listening to talk radio anymore. It's all about Katrina, the NSA, high school geography teachers calling Bush "Hitler", gay cowboys, Arabs buying ports, Yale admitting terrorists, and the latest Iraq car bomb with some Gitmo mixed in. I'm tired of it.

The media in this country used to drive visions. They used to be the forum in which we debated the meaningful topics of the day. We used the media to form a vision and move forward as a country. Now all the media does is look to the past. I'm sick of it.

So I have some writers block. I can't get excited about what's in the media. And I don't feel like debating topics that nobody is paying attention to at the moment and I have already debated a hundred times. Where do I go from here?

Kudos to Dennis for his in depth three part series on the Kyoto Treaty. Check it out.
Part I
Part II
Part III

At least someone has the will to keep fighting the fight.
And here are my own thoughts on global warming.

Talking Sports

2006-03-06T10:39:00.000-05:00

Although we are a month removed from the Superbowl, the NFL is still dominating the sports world. The collective bargaining agreement between the players association and the owners is due to expire, and no extension has been signed. The heart of the issue is the players want more money.

Under the current CBA, teams split the revenue from ticket sales and television. That money is split evenly and applied to player salaries. Each team has a limit, called a "salary cap", they can spend on those salaries to keep the league competitive. But teams have found ways of making money without having to share it with the rest of the league, like parking fees and naming rights for the stadiums. The players are asking for a bigger piece of the pie to get some of that money. That is the hangup.

Seems to me they should be able to fairly split up the billions of dollars the NFL bring in every year in a way where everyone can make money. I have no sympathy for multi-million dollar athletes crying poverty. Sure, they are the ones who break their backs putting on the show, but it's the owners who put up the cash to fund the league. They take the risk with their money, and they deserve to profit from it. You play a game for a living and get to retire when you're 35 and I have to fund it. Shuddup! Just another example of how labor unions are destroying this country.

The other big story in the sports world is the World Baseball Classic. Unless you are a diehard baseball fan, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, so I will explain. Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud "The Devil" Selig has this grand vision of baseball being a global sport. So he dreamed up this tournament that would host teams from all the nations of the world. The problem is that MLB owners aren't too thrilled with their multi-million dollar assets going off to play in a preseason tournment with no meaning.

If the thought of your favorite player getting hurt in spring training bothers you, let me tell you don't worry. The WBC won't be around for long. Americans won't care. Sure, it will be big in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Japan, and Venezuela. But those countries won't fund it. America has to fund it. In order to do that, there has to be interest. And unless the American team does extremely well and wins it in the first year, America isn't going to care. Americans don't like international sporting events unless we win and dominate. I enter the television ratings on the winter olympics as exhibit A. Give the WBC two years. Two years of losing money and big named pitchers throwing out their arms and this whole thing will go away.

Wishing for Simpler Times

2006-02-24T10:33:00.000-05:00

Brent Bozell has an excellent column today titled, "Sex, Culture, and the College Student."

Lately I'm mindful and aware of how sex is portrayed in the media and our culture. Everything revolves around sex. There is Jessica Simpson selling Pizza Hut pizzas by seducing a teenage boy in front of his parents. Commercials for Viagra and Cialis during the Superbowl. Celebrities hooking up, getting married and divorced like they are buying new cars. Next time you're watching a sitcom in prime time with your kids, count how many sexual jokes you hear. The total will amaze you. And don't think it goes over your kid's head. Their minds soak it in and process it and the message they get is sex is cool, and if you want to be cool, you better have lots of sex. As a Christian male, I find it hard to keep my mind and thoughts pure when I'm being constantly bombarded with sex. Lately I have started asking my wife to change the channel when something raunchy comes on the television. I can't deal with it anymore.

As with most problems in our society, I blame the baby boomers. Their "sexual revolution" started this whole thing, and they have twisted society to conform to their sinful sexual desires ever since. They legalized abortion so sex could be carefree. They made sex jokes "cool." Sex has even been injected into our politics. Presidents are sleeping with the interns. Every Supreme Court and federal judge nominee has to answer questions about abortion and gay marriage. Baby boomers are creating new ways to stay young, look young, and hold their erections longer so they can keep having sex until they are in their 90's. Does this disturb anyone else? I mean, fine if you want to do all that, but do I have to see the comercials for it all the time?

I don't know how I'm supposed to raise my son in all of this. How is he going to listen to me when I tell him about the sinfulness and pitfalls of pre-marital sex while MTV shows teenagers sleeping around and changing partners more often than they change underwear? I am afraid my voice of reason will be drowned out by what is "cool."

Conspicuously Silent

2006-02-23T09:47:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed I haven't had anything to say on the deal to sell six American seaports to Dubai Ports World, a shipping company owned by the United Arabs Emirates. I've been trying to find out the facts on this deal before commenting, but I just can't get around all of the anti-arab rhetoric. I'll try to make some sense out of this based on what little I know.

On the face of it, this looks like a horrible breach of U.S. security. At least one of the 9-11 hijackers originated from the UAE. The UAE is one of only three nations that recognized the Taliban as Afghanistans legal government. And as Michael Smerconish pointed out in his radio show this morning, the 9-11 Commission reported that in 1999 the U.S. wanted to target Osama Bin Laden while he was on a hunting trip in Afghanistan. A member of the royal family of the UAE was on that hunting trip with Bin Laden, so the U.S. alerted the UAE. Within hours, the hunting camp was disbanded and Bin Laden got away. So clearly, the UAE is in bed with the terrorists which is much need for concern.

But we must be careful where this is going to lead. We cannot allow ourselves to go down the path where anything Arab is evil. Otherwise where will this end? What if an Arab company buys a German company that manufactures toxic chemicals in the U.S.? Should we stop that deal? Or what if an Arab company buys a U.S. energy company that owns nuclear power plants? And what about the British who are trying to sell their ports? Think we're making friends by killing their end of the deal and forcing them to take a lesser offer? Limiting ourselves to only doing business with only our close allies may prove harmful to our economy and way of life. Ronald Reagan said of the Soviets, "Trust, but always verify." There is something to be said for keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer.

Where do I stand on this topic? Truthfully, I don't care. I'm not letting myself get swept up in the rhetoric of the conspiracy du jour anymore. I'm tired of it. Whatever happens happens. I trust my government will do what they think is in the best interest of the country. But my prediction is the political tide will force a kill on this deal. Either way Bush is a loser in this. If he allows the deal, all his talk about standing tough in the face of terror goes down the tubes. Even if he kills the deal, he has waited too long. Now he claims he didn't know about it setting up the platform for him to kill it. But in his three day silence he has given the impression of being out of touch with what is going on in the nation. In addition, Hillary and Schumer have already flanked his right side on this. Bush cannot win. His only hope is to have Cheney shoot someone else to deflect attention away.

I'm Pro-Choice

2006-02-21T12:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I heard about a new program that is going to allow parents to pre-pay for their kids' school lunch and pick the foods their kids eat. Gone are the days when a high school lunch consisted of cup cakes, potato chips, and a coke. And no more buying a milk and stuffing the rest of your lunch money in your pocket for cigarettes. Now parents will have total control to make sure little Jimmy and Sally are eating their fruits and vegetables, or at least carrying them from the lunch counter to their table where they can promptly trade it or pitch it in the trash.

This is ironic coming from the crowd that says "kids will be kids" when it comes to sex. They're going to have sex anyway, the thinking goes, so we might as well give them a few hundred hours of sex education and hand out free condoms at the football games. But when it comes to Billy having a cookie at lunch time? We'll have none of that!

I would be more in favor of taking away the a la carte menus entirely. This parental monitoring system is almost comical in that we give the kids choices so the parents can take them away. If a parent is that concerned, can't they just pack the kid a lunch? Why institute a Big Brother System?

The problem with the lunch monitoring program is the fundamental liberal mentality that people are incapable of making intelligent choices so they need a higher authority to make their choices for them. Rather than educating and encouraging kids to make intelligent decisions, it's easier to just take their power of choice away. We are going to raise a generation of kids who don't know how to think for themselves. And what are they going to think when they see dad finishing off a bag of potato chips and a sixpack of beer watching the game and mom eats a box of ding dongs while watching her soap operas? When they get into the real world where they are the ones who decide what they are going to eat, they will naturally try and become addicted to unhealthy foods. Ask yourself this, what happens to a kid the first time they try alcohol? Answer: they get bombed because they have been told their whole lives they can't have it and now that they can they enjoy the high. Usually it takes a few years of binge drinking before a person realizes it isn't fun and it isn't good for you. Some people never come to that realization.

Schools have the responsibility to provide healthy options of foods for kids to eat. Parents have the responsibility to teach their kids nutrition and lead good examples. But taking away choice is not the answer.

Impromptu Thoughts

2006-02-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

I would love to talk about politics right now, but I just can't. I'm bored with it. In fact I'm so bored with it, I'm almost thinking about closing up this blog entirely. The news is all about Dick Cheney shooting lawyers in the woods, or Jihad cartoons, or the NSA "domestic spying program", or the bungling of the Katrina aftermath by FEMA. I'm tired of it. Nobody wants to discuss how we can make America safer or better anymore. Nobody wants to talk about taxes, education, social security, or anything. It's all made up scandals that nobody cares about.

So let's do something fun. Did anyone watch the Daytona 500 yesterday? What an entertaining race. My boy, Jimmie Johnson, drove the Number 48 Lowe's Chevy to victory lane capping off a great finish to an otherwise horrible week where he saw his crew chief suspended for cheating and having to start at the back of the field in the qualifying race. Great win, Jimmie!

I love NASCAR. I know I'm going to take some grief for saying that, but I don't care. It used to bore me until I found the secret. You have to have a favorite driver. When you have a driver you follow and cheer on, the whole sport takes on a different meaning. Suddenly there is more than just 43 guys driving in a counter-clockwise circle. There are teamates, allies, enemies, and villians. An extra second in the pits can lose you five spots of track position. 500 mile races become 500 page stories. It's a great way to fill up the Sunday afternoons until football starts up again.

Liberal Journalists

2006-02-16T11:51:00.000-05:00

Who'da thunk the Peoria airport would have wireless internet? Should make my 3 hour delay go a little easier.

I love Tony Blankley's column this week. The prestigious White House Press Corp is deeply offended that Vice President Cheney had the audacity to give the scoop on his hunting accident to the Corpus Christi local newspaper. So they started hounding the administration to put Cheney in front of a camera to explain what happened. So after three days of badgering, Cheney finally sat down for an interview. Now CNN is upset because he chose to do the interview with Brit Hume on FoxNews. I love it.

Since when does the White House Press corp have exclusive rights to receive and filter all information that comes out of the White House? Since when is it written in the Constitution that the White House Press Corp has a right to know everything? Since when is the Executive Branch under obligation to tell them everything they deem to be important?

The White House Press Corp has become a fraternity of liberal journalists. Their bias is so evident it is disgusting. Look at how they will not publish the cartoons of Mohammed, but new pictures of Abu Ghraib? Put them on the front page.

I don't blame the White House for treating them like the insignificant partisans they are. They deserve to be put in their place starting first with Helen Thomas. The First Amendment gives the press freedom to report whatever they want, but it does not grant them garaunteed access to every detail of the Vice President's hunting adventures.

This is News?

2006-02-15T18:48:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Peoria, IL. Sorry I haven't been blogging much. Like I said, there is much travel in my schedule to come.

Can someone explain to me why this is front page news? Why is Dick Cheney's hunting accident leading the headlines three days after the incident? You would think he was a regular Aaron Burr the way the media has been covering this. Of course Aaron Burr never went to prison for shooting Alexander Hamilton. If the liberals get their way, Cheney won't get off so lucky. They're so desperate to make a story out of this they have already started the cover up game. This is getting so old.

There are several reasons why this story is so sexy for the media. One, it's Dick Cheney, who liberals are convinced must be the anti-Christ. Two, Cheney was hunting. Three, it makes Cheney look like a regular mistake prone human. Four, Dick Cheney hurt someone. Five, there was a gun involved. Ask yourself this. If Dick Cheney were driving a car and had an accident and his friend was slightly injured, would we be talking about it like this three days later? I think not.

But I predict this story is not going away. It is going to take one of two turns. If Whittingham dies, there will be calls to charge Cheney with manslaughter. If he lives and recovers, the story will take another twist. The democrats will, if they are not already, start digging through Whittingham's life to look for dirt. Who does he represent as a lawyer? Where does he donate his money? How much money have his clients donated to Cheney's campaigns? The libs will dig and dig. And they will find something. He's a wealthy lawyer involved in politics. And when they find that dirt, they will try to smear it all over Cheney and try to hurt him by guilt through association. And of course then they will ask if Bush knew about it. When it happens, remember you read it here first.

The Lynching of George W. Bush

2006-02-08T08:22:00.000-05:00

You know why liberals are like school on a Sunday? No class.

Yesterday at the funeral of Coretta Scott King, instead of paying tribute and celebrating the life of a strong woman who stood beside her husband during his struggle for civil rights and later carried his torch after his death, Jimmy Carter and Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowry chose to take political cheap shots at George W. Bush. Then Bill Clinton got up and managed to get a round of applause for his wife by suggesting she will be the next president. Shameful.

I was raised to know there is a time and a place for everything. You don't crack jokes at funerals. You don't speak poorly of the deceased. You pay respect to the person that died. You pay respect to the family. You celebrate their life. You certainly don't use the pulpit and your eulogy to play politics. That is poor taste. I'm surprised somebody didn't turn around to Bush and say "You don't belong here". Seems that was all that was missing.

Their liberal supporters and George W. Bush haters are eating this up. Just read some of the comments in the link above. For liberals, it is justifiable to be rude and disrespectful as long as you make George W. Bush look bad. They view this as carrying on the Kings' message. This kind of stuff may play well with the Moveon.org and Michael Moore crowd. It will get lots of hoorays on DailyKos and The Huffington Post. But with the average reasonable American, who the MSM likes to call "undecided" or "swingvote", this is going to come off very bad. Combine this with the Dems lynching of Sam Alito in the Senate Judiciary Committee driving his wife to leave the room in tears, and their image is becoming one of fear, anger, and hate. We'll see how well that plays out in future elections.

To his credit, Bush and his father gave very eloquent speeches. And as speaker after speaker got up and turned the service into a political rally, they sat their with smiles on their faces and let it go. Because that is what people with class do.

A Letter from Senator Santorum

2006-02-07T15:27:00.000-05:00

About a year ago, I read in the Philadelphia Inquirer that Pennsylvania was the only state that did not deduct 401k contributions from earned income. Outraged by this, I wrote to my state and federal legislators, including U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, asking them to introduce legislation to put Pennsylvania in line with the rest of the nation in allowing 401(k) contributions to be made with pre-tax dollars. My state representative sent me an email from one of his staffers saying that since I was not registered to vote in his district (I had just moved to the area and had not yet registered) Mr. Big-shot-congressman would not be responding to my letter.

This was the letter that Mr. Santorum sent me in response (emphasis mine).

Dear Mr. Hubbell,

Thank you for contacting me regarding contribution limits for tax-preferred savings plans. I appreciate hearing from you and having the benefit of your views.

As you know, 401(k) plans and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are tax-preferred investment plans that are designed to encourage greater individual retirement savings. Though the specifics of individual 401(k) plans and traditional IRAs vary, these plans allow individuals to invest pre-tax income into different types of investment options, such as stocks or money market funds, to suit the needs of individual investors. These funds are exempt from federal (and most state and local) income taxes until the time those funds are withdrawn, meaning investors have a larger pool of assets with which to generate interest than if they had invested post-tax earnings. Also, plans offered by most employers include some form of company contribution, often through a dollar-for-dollar company match. Since these plans are intended to serve as a retirement savings vehicle, and not to promote general savings, restrictions are placed on how and when this money can be withdrawn.

At this time, no legislation has been introduced specific to percentage limits on contributions. However, should legislation specific or similar to your comments be introduced, I will be sure to keep your views in mind as I serve as your United States Senator.

Please be assured that promoting Americans' retirement security is one of my highest legislative priorities. As Congress continues to debate proposals to strengthen retirement savings, I will be sure to keep your comments in mind. If I can be of further assistance with this or any other matter, please feel free to call on me again.

Sincerely,
Rick Santorum
United States Senate

Now I'm not stupid. I know this was a form letter, but it would have been nice if it at least addressed my concerns. I didn't need an explanation of how 401(k) plans work. I already knew that. I don't care about contribution limits since I already give as much as I feel I can. I care about my contributions being made with post-tax dollars when Pennsylvania is the only state that does so. I adore Rick Santorum and I plan on voting for his re-election, but his response to my letter disappointed me. Clearly this is an issue that Pennsylvania lawmakers are aware of but choose not to address. I would encourage any fellow PA residents to make some noise on this.

What am I Waiting for?

2006-02-07T08:53:00.000-05:00

The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated. I was out of town last week on business and couldn't find time to post even though I had a plethora of ideas in my head. Actually posting is going to be spotty the next few weeks as I have much travel ahead.

Unbeknownst to most Deep Freeze readers, last Thursday was a big event. I'm not talking about Punxsutawney Phil, who by the way saw his shadow condemning us to six more weeks of winter. Curse you, groundhog, you wretched rodent! Why must you torment me so? No, last Thursday, like every Groundhog day for the past 32 years, was my birthday.

Birthdays are a time of reflection for me. Looking back over the past year not much in my life changed. I live in the same house with the same job. Everything today is pretty much exactly as it was a year ago. I don't like that. I'm getting stale. I need the mix things up. I would one of my proudest accomplishments this past year would be starting to exercise on a regular basis. I also feel like I have grown in my walk with the Lord. I am definitely more aware of my spiritual walk than I was a year ago.

I am now 32 years old. Over one third of my life is most likely over. I look back at what I have accomplished and I think it is good. I got a college education. I have a wonderful wife and a handsome son. I am actively saving for retirement and the kid's college education. I have travelled to some wonderful places. I have seen the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa, Michelagelo's David, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. I have walked the battlefields of Concord and Lexington as well as Manassas, VA. I have strolled in the footsteps of George Washington at Valley Forge National Park. I have been to New York City, Washington D.C., Houston, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Richmond, Boston, Pittsburgh, Orlando, St. Louis, Vancover, Calgary, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Cancun. I have also to been to some pretty secluded areas, like St. Marys Pennsylvania, Peoria Illinois, the Little Mississippi River outside of Perth Ontario, Jasper National Park and Banf in the Candian Rockies, Norfolk Nebraska, Darlington South Carolina, and Ghent Kentucky. Like the commercial says, I've been everywhere, man. And most all of this I have seen in the past ten years. It may not seem that impressive to some of you readers, but for a kid who grew up in the mountains of Pennsylvania where the past five generations of his family lived and died, it's not too bad. I feel like I got out. By all accounts I should be pretty proud of what I have accomplished so far. So why do I feel so incomplete?

I feel like there is much more I want to do. I want to learn to play the guitar. I want to start my own business. I want to be more involved in government. I want to make a difference. I want to stroll on the beaches of Australia with my wife. I want to kiss her on the Eiffel tower. I want to stand next to my son as we stare in awe of the Egyptian Pyramids. I want to buy a motorcycle and ride it to California and back. I want to feel fear as a pack of lions circle my vehicle on an African safari. I want to attend a Penn State football away game and bowl game. I want to make more guy friends I can hang out with, play some golf or watch the game. I want to ride as many roller coasters as I possibly can. I want to see Alaska. I want to see Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon. I want to see a grizzly bear in the wild. And the fact that I did not get closer to any of these goals in the past year bothers me. Our lives are slipping away one day at a time. What we do with them is our choice. Like Tim Robbins' character said in Shawshank Redeption, "A man has to either get busy living, or get busy dying." God willing, I will have many more years to work on this list because I'm not yet ready to get busy dying.

The Party of Cain

2006-01-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

I was reading an article about a rally DNC Chairman Howard Dean held yesterday in Indiana. Sometimes watching Liberals struggle to form their message can be quite comical. Notice at the end of the article on Dean where it says the DNC is trying to convince evangelical Christians that the Republican party is a "selfish" party. He even throws in a quote from Genesis 4:9 saying the first question anyone ever asked in the Bible was, "Am I my brother's keeper?" and vows the Democratic party will not forget "that".

Let's look at how utterly ridiculous this is. The passage Dean refers to is from the story of Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel were the children of Adam and Eve. Cain worked the soil while Abel tended the flock. Abel brought a bounty from his flock's firstborn as an offering to God. Cain took his time and offered God some fruit. God was pleased with Abel's offering and disappointed with Cain's. Filled with jealousy, Cain killed Abel.

God said to Cain, "Where is your brother, Abel?"

Cain responded, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

I'm not exactly sure what kind of analogy Dean was trying to make here. Is he saying this verse means we are commanded by God to be our brother's keeper? Is he trying to say the Democratic party thinks like Cain? I honestly don't get this analogy. All I see is Cain being dumb enough to think he can lie and mouth off to God. Perhaps in that sense this is a fitting verse coming from Howard Dean.

The Democratic party is befudded ever since losing the 2004 election to the "values voters." They think they can attract the evangelical vote just like they attract the union vote. Have your picture taken with some prominent leaders and drop a few Bible verses in a couple speeches and the mind-numb evangelicals will wonder why they ever voted for those evil Republicans.

They sell evangelicals short. They view us as mindless sheep simply following the shepard. It doesn't occur to them our faith defines us. Our walk with God guides us. But we are not stupid. We know the Bible and how to apply it. When democrats misuse Bible verses, they do themselves more harm than good.

Dean claims the verse he quoted was the first question in the bible. He is incorrect. It's not even the first question in Genesis 4 (God asking Cain where his brother was?). The first question in the Bible came much earlier. After Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, they realized they were naked and hid from God. God came into the garden and asked, "Adam, where art thou?" That was the first question. God seeking Adam. God wanting man to be with Him. I don't know where Howard Dean is in his walk with the Lord, but I know he says he is a follower of Jesus Christ. He has openly admitted he does not attend church, but claims he prays every day. I don't understand how anyone could claim to be a follower of Christ and not understand the need to worship and praise Him in His church. As an evangelical, it doesn't make sense to me. It also doesn't make sense to me how anyone who claims to follow Christ can favor abortion and gay marriage. This is why Dean does not have the support of the Christian vote. And until he realizes that it doesn't matter how many religious leaders he meets for photo ops. It doesn't matter how many Bible verses he recites. His attempts to sway us with smoke and mirrors will only serve to alienate us further.

The Road to Peace Just Took a Wrong Turn

2006-01-26T12:38:00.000-05:00

This week's Palestinian elections have played out into America's worst fears. Hamas, the terrorist organization devoted to the complete destruction of the nation of Israel, has taken power of the government.

This is a huge blow to the middle east peace process. It significantly weakens Mahmoud Abbas, the only voice for peace in the Palestinian Authority. Combine this with the loss of Ariel Sharon and the peace process that was looking promising a few months ago is now in shambles.

President Bush today put out a statement saying the U.S. will not deal with Hamas. With all due respect Mr. President, you have to. You were the one who said any deal for peace in the region must include a separate Palestinian state. You were the one who pushed for and praised democratic elections. Now that they haven't gone the way you would like, you can't pick up your ball and go home. Pat Buchanan warned you this was going to happen.

And don't look to the U.N. to sort this mess out. Your pal Kofi Annan put out a statement today congratulating the Palestinian people on their peaceful elections. You can bet he will recognize the new government.

No Mr. President, you don't have to invite Hamas to the White House to have tea in the Rose Garden, but you do have to recognize they are the newly elected leaders of the Palestinian government thanks to the elections you pushed for. You better recognize the fact that you helped set up this Palestinian state. And now the terrorists are running that state. They have funding, the ability to collect taxes and declare war which they no doubt intend to do. You would do best to engage this government right away and expose them as the ruthless killers they are. Make them go on record as being against the existance of Israel. Do not let them play their game of empty promises for peace while they secretly wage a war of terror against Jewish women and children on the streets of Tel Aviv. Do not give them time to organize a real army. No sir. Engage them and make them declare war so that Israel will be justified in destroying them. The next several months should prove to be interesting times.

See Also: GOP Bloggers, Blogs for Bush, and Fire and Hammer

Supporting the Troops

2006-01-26T08:42:00.000-05:00

This week the blog-o-sphere is a buzz over Joel Stein's editorial in The LA Times where he emphatically declares he does not support the troops. He accuses our soldiers of ignoring their morality. He calls them a bunch of dupes for falling for the lies of their superiors. While he admits we should not spit on the soldiers when they return from overseas, he says these people do not deserve a parade. Bookworm and Anne say at least he's honest.

I partially agree in that Joel is honest. But he, like the entire "support the troops but not the war" crowd, is not being completely honest with us. I think these people genuinely do support the troops. They don't want to see any of them die or harmed in any way. But what they leave out of their argument is that they also don't want to see the enemy die either. These people just hate war period. They don't want to see anyone die. They live in liberal land where no war is justifiable and all conflict can be resolved through negotiation. They believe if you must use war, then use the A-Team approach. Remember the A-Team? Tons of guns and ammunition in every episode, but nobody ever got shot. And certainly nobody ever died. The good guys just shoot at the feet of the bad guys until the bad guys lay down their guns and surrender. Somehow they make that work in Hollywood, but out on the battlefield where it's kill or be killed it doesn't fly.

I believe people like Stein and the Cindy Sheehans of the world are really stuggling with their own morality. Despite what Stein says in his editorial about "sometimes you get lucky and get to fight ethnic genocide in Kosovo", in his heart I don't believe he really thinks any war is justifiable. Especially if that war is fought by a Republican president. Saddam buried hundreds of thousands of people in mass graves. We are fighting an enemy willing to give their lives in the name of the destruction of Israel first, and western culture second. Yet he does not offer the soldiers in Iraq the same praise he bestowes on the men and women who leveled Kosovo from 30,000 feet to protect the very people (Muslims) who seek our destruction today. Clearly he is stuggling to explain what he stands for.

Or perhaps he understands what he stands for and he just doesn't like to admit it. Perhaps he thinks the terrorists have a point. Perhaps he thinks America is not the only hope this planet has to spread democracy. Perhaps he does not like democracy. Perhaps the thinks we (America) brought this war on ourselves. I respect Mr. Stein for admitting he does not support the troops. I would respect him even more if he admitted he does not support those who wish to destroy America.

My New Hobby

2006-01-23T09:34:00.000-05:00

Several months ago I read an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about a game that was a cross between hiking and scavenger hunting that was fast becoming a popular sport. In this game, people hide little treasure boxes all over the world. Other people seek out these treasure boxes by using global positioning satelite (GPS) coordinates they get off of a website. When people find these treasure boxes, they are welcome to take something from within, but the rule is you are supposed to leave something of your own in its place. The sport is called geocaching.

I thought it looked like an interesting hobby so I did some research which only got me more interested. I went to http://www.geocaching.com/ and I was blown away at how big this sport was. At the time of this post, Geocaching.com claims there are 229,133 active caches in 220 countries. Much to my surprise, by using their easy search engine I was able to find out there were four caches within a mile of my house. Although the caches don't really hold any significant treasure, the thought of visiting areas I would normally drive right past sounded fun. I like to get outside of my box once in a while. It also seemed like a good excuse to get out of the house and do some hiking while playing with a GPS.

Saturday I put new batteries in the GPS I got for Christmas. I printed out the data sheets from the geocaching website and loaded the coordinates into my GPS. Then I was off to do some caching. I told my GPS to find the first cache and it lead me to the park just over the hill along the Schuykill River. This park is a local historical site commemorating the lock system boats used to navigate the Schuyklill River.

I parked the car when it said I was 0.25 miles away and walked from there. It lead me over the Schuykill Canal and pointed toward a small hill. I walked near the hill and the arrow on my GPS pointed toward the top, so up the hill I went. My GPS was acting funny and the arrow wouldn't keep pointing in one direction. I think it had something to do with the fact I was on a winding trail walking up a steep embankment waving my arms around trying to keep my balance. I got to the top of the hill, probably a 60 foot climb, and started walking around the plateau. The arrow lead me to the edge of a cliff and said I had another thirty feet to go to get to the place I needed to be. I concluded the cache must have been at the bottom of the cliff. So down the hill I went. When I got the bottom of the cliff I easily found the cache tucked under a rock. There wasn't anything valuable inside. Just some McDonalds toys, stickers, and a few coins. Like most caches there was a pen and a logbook. I took some time to read some of the other entries then signed my own name. I TNLN. That's Took Nothing Left Nothing in geocache speak.

From the map on my GPS I knew the other cache was nearby. So I told my GPS to point the way...and it pointed back at the hill. "You got to be kidding me," I thought. So back up the hill I went. When I got to the top and caught my breath again, I found the cache stuffed under an old fallen tree. Like the first cache, there was nothing of any value in it. Just some tinker toys and a logbook. I signed the book and put the cache back where I found it.

Overall it was a fun experience. I got to see a local landmark I had never seen before, the canal locks. I got to do some hiking and climbing. And I got to play with my GPS. I wouldn't say I am completely hooked on this sport, but I do plan on seeking out some other local caches. Next week I am going to St. Marys, PA. I plugged in the St. Marys zip code into the search engine and found some caches up there in several places I recognize. If I get some time I will check them out. My job duties require me to travel a lot, which would put my in a unique position to help out with Travel Bugs. I'll be sure to keep you updated on my geocaching adventures.

Format Changes

2006-01-21T20:57:00.000-05:00

Due to the fact some people have demonstrated difficulty in keeping their comments limited to the post at hand and would rather attack the integrity of the author, I have been forced to institute comment moderation. If you make a comment and it takes a few days to show up, I apologize in advance. Please don't take it personally.

The Hybrid Buzz

2006-01-20T10:52:00.000-05:00

Did anyone notice when the Bush Administration announced a new tax cut for the rich last week? Probably not, because the tax cut was in the form of a deduction for people who buy a hybrid vehicle in 2006 which makes the environmental crowd dance with glee.

The Weekly Standard points out that hybrid cars are not all they are cracked up to be. Many hybrid vehicles are not living up to their expectations when it comes to fuel mileage. In fact in some cases hybrid vehicles, like the Toyota Prius, get fewer miles to the gallon than some regular compact cars like the Volkswagon Jetta diesel.

The Weekly Standard points out that these hybrid cars are not paying for the extra costs in their gas mileage. Edmunds.com did a study and found out the average price of gas would have to be $5.60/gallon over five years for a Ford Escape Hybrid to break even with the costs of driving a non-hybrid model. The break even number was $9.60 a gallon for the Honda Civic hybrid.

Due to the "improved technology" and high demand for these vehicles, the prices are highly inflated over the non-hybrid models. The only people buying these vehicles are the hardcore environmentalists. People aren't buying them to save money, although those who do buy them think they are.

The Standard points out the the average household income of a Civic hybrid owner ranges between $65,000 to $85,000 a year; it's more than $100,000 for the owner of an Accord. The median income of a Toyota Prius owner is $92,000; for a Highlander SUV owner $121,000; and for a luxury Lexus SUV owner it's over $200,000. Tax credits for these purchases can add up to $3400 with the owner getting a dollar for dollar benefit.

Now I'm all in favor of lower taxes, but I can't stand social engineering like this. At least with the Bush tax cuts, everyone in America who paid taxes got a tax cut. Yet the liberals labeled it a tax cut for the rich. This is truly a blatant tax cut for the rich that has suspiciously gone unnoticed by our liberal friends.

Put on Your Tinfoil Hats

2006-01-20T09:07:00.000-05:00

Well I was wrong. The appeasers didn't suggest we should listen to Osama Bin Laden's terms for a truce...yet. Instead, they jumped right on the conspiracy bandwagon suggesting Karl Rove made up the tape in order to boost Bush's poll numbers. They think this is all a rouse to deflect attention from the made up NSA scandal. They are dissecting the tape suggesting it was written in English and translated into Arabic.

These people just. Don't. Get it. They resent the fact that when the terrorists show strength, America supports the Republicans. Instead of looking at themselves and trying to figure out why America thinks they are weak on national security, they make themselves look like fools by suggesting the Republicans are planting this stuff.

It has been over a year since Osama put out a tape. Where was Osama during Plamegate? Where was Osama during Katrina? Where was Osama when people were questioning Gitmo? Where was Osama when the 2000th soldier died in Iraq? Where was Osama when Cindy Sheehan was camped in Crawford? If the Republicans were really using him in order to boost their poll numbers, don't you think he would have his own time slot on 60 Minutes right after Andy Rooney?

The Democratic party has nothing to offer when it comes to fighting terrorism. Their hope is to criticize and catch the President in a scandal that will lead to them gaining power in the next election. Then they will promptly bring all of the troops home and put everything back to the way it was on September 10, 2001 and tell us what a great job they have done in restoring the peace. For eight years we stuck our heads in the sand as Bill Clinton ignored one attack after another. We cannot allow that to happen again.

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin

Also check out Radioactive Liberty

Truce This!!!

2006-01-19T12:43:00.000-05:00

Well, well, well. Look who crawled out of his hole today. Osama Bin Laden has released his first public statement since December of 2004. In his statement, Bin Laden offers us a truce. God forgive me, I'm about to say some not-so-Christian things.

It's days like this I wish I were president. Whatever I was doing when I heard this announcement, I would drop it. I would casually walk out to the Rose Garden on the White House lawn. I would step up to the podium and give the following speech.

I have a message for Osama Bin Laden. I am willing to listen and consider the terms of your offer for a truce to the hostilities between our nation and your organization you call "Al Queda." Before I do so, I wish to consult with a few Americans. Specifically, I wish to consult with the 3000 men, women, and children you killed on September 11, 2001.

Since they cannot be reached for consultation due to the fact you killed them, I guess you can take your offer for a truce and stick it up your ass. No wait. Stick it up your ass and then you can go to hell!

Your promise that we can trust you because God "forbids you to lie and cheat" is a joke. Can you name me one truce between Muslims and Israel that has not been broken by the Muslims? No, you can't. Your word means nothing to me. I don't negotiate with terrorists. And by the way, if your God forbids you to lie and cheat, why doesn't he forbid you from killing innocent people? Do you think I'm dumb enough to believe your God tells you it's ok to kill infidels, but not to lie to them? C'mon. Gimme a little credit.

You say there are preparations underway to attack us? I think you're bluffing. You're like the 150 pound guy in the bar who threatens the 300 pound guy that you know karate. Your organization is in shambles. You got in the first punch on 9/11, but face it. America has been kicking your ass ever since. But if you think you can bring us to our knees, bring it on. Every time you make the headlines my poll numbers go up anyway.

If you want to end the hostilities, here's what you do. Crawl out of your cave. Find the nearest platoon of American soldiers. Surrender. After you do that, we will arrange for you to come to Washington where you can give a press conference in shackles declaring the Jihad to be over. You will order all of your Islamo Fascists to lay down their arms and surrender. These are the terms under which you can bring about peace. Only your unconditional surrender will suffice.

You're a punk. May God bless America.

Whew. That felt really good to let that out. I might have to play President more often.

Sadly, there will be those in this country who will criticize George W. Bush for not even considering Bin Laden's offer for a truce. The Howard Deans, John Kerrys, and Cindy Sheehans will be out there crying "Give peace a chance." The appeasers will make total fools of themselves. You watch. I will keep you updated as they come out of their holes.

Update: Check out Star Jones saying we should at least listen to what Bin Laden has to say. Unbelievable.

Double Standards

2006-01-18T13:56:00.000-05:00

In April of 2005, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist appeared at a conference of Christian conservatives to discuss the ongoing filibuster of President Bush's judicial nominees. During his speech, Senator Frist said, "We must stop this unprecedented filibuster of people of faith."

In response, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said, "Participating in something designed to incite divisiveness and encourage contention is unacceptable. I would hope that Senator Frist will rise above something so beyond the pale."

Really Senator Reid? Then how would you feel about Hillary Clinton speaking at a black church, on Martin Luther King Day, accusing the Republicans of running the House of Representatives like a plantation? A google search on "'Harry Reid' 'Hillary Clinton' plantation" turns up nothing two days after the event. Apparently Senator Reid has nothing to say on this.

This clearly demonstrates the double standard in the Democratic party. On one hand, when Republicans meet with Christian leaders, they are accused of violating the sacred "wall of separation" between church and state. Yet people like Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry get open invitations to speak from the pulpits of black churches across America, and nobody sees a problem with that.

Personally, I think politicians have no business talking in churches. I don't care if they are liberal or conservative. Everything that comes out of a politicians mouth is carefully orchestrated to sway voters. That kind of speech has no place in the House of God in my book. But the difference between these two cases is that Frist was not speaking from the pulpit. He was talking over national telecast to a lobbyist organization, the Family Research Council. Hillary was speaking to a church congregation in Harlem from the pulpit.

But what makes Hillary's choice of words so outrageous is the word plantation. Since making the remark, Hillary has poo-pooed it saying she was referring to the refusal of the Republicans to allow dissenting voices in the House. She is crying because the Republicans dictate what legislation gets voted on. I know you're relatively new to Congress, Madam Senator, so I will explain this to you so you can understand it. This is how the system works. The majority party decides what legislation comes up for a vote. That's not dictatorship. That is majority rule. That is democracy. If you don't like it, win some House elections and quit your complaining.

But beyond that, what makes the word plantation inappropriate in all of this is the hidden meaning in it. She said it to a congregation of African Americans...on Martin Luther King day. It was a statement, in the previous words of Harry Reid, "designed to incite divisiveness and encourage contention." Mrs. Clinton's intent was to ally the Republican party with the plantation owners in the minds of the black congregation. It was meant to instill hatred and contempt. Shame on you, Madam Hillary. I pray that African Americans across this country see through you scheme.

What Would You Ask For?

2006-01-16T13:19:00.000-05:00

I know, three posts in one day. I'm a blogging machine.

Yesterday we listened to a moving sermon in church that I have to share. The sermon was on Matthew Chapter 20 verses 29-34. In this passage, Jesus is walking down the street with a great crowd of people following him. They pass by two blind men who start yelling, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" The crowd told them to shut up, but they yelled even louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

At that, Jesus approaced the men and asked them, "What do you want me to do for you?"

The men begged for their eyesight back, and Jesus granted it to them and healed them.

The guest pastor who gave the speech painted a seering image in my mind. Imagine what these blind men must have felt. Imagine the Son of God, standing in front of you. You're blind, but you can feel the sun being blocked by his body. Imagine how awesome that must have felt.

Imagine if the Son of God were to stand before you right now and asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" What would you ask for? As I pondered that question in church yesterday, I realized how truly blessed I am. I have my eyesight. I'm in good health. While other people in the world stress about where their next meal is going to come from, I stress over whether I want pizza or steak for dinner. I have a roof over my head. I have a wonderful wife and a handsome son. I live more comfortably than I probably deserve.

The pastor went on to talk about other people he knew. One man was confined to a wheelchair ever since an accident he had as a teenager. One day the pastor was speaking with this man when he noticed the man had a sniffle. He suggested to the man he might want to go to a doctor and get it looked at. He suggested it might be allergies and he could get some medicine to take care of it. The paralyzed man responded with a completely straight face, "Oh no. Thank God, I don't have any medical problems."

Here was a man would could never walk again. He had no use of his hands. He had to schedule time to go to the bathroom, and needed help in doing that. But thank God I don't have allergies.

I'm reminded of a friend of ours who worked as a personal financial advisor. One day one of her clients, who made $600,000 a year, lost his job. He found a new job making $300,000, but came to her seeking counsel. He was very anxious and didn't know how he was going to make ends meat on $300,000 a year. He never set up a household budget before. The thought of selling his 7000 square foot house and the BMW never occurred to him. The point is, we all live to the maximum of our comfort level until we no longer realize how good we have it.

We take blessings from God for granted every day. Our eyesight, our health, our ability to go to the bathroom. We crave things we think will make us happy, but all they do is fuel our selfish desires to get more stuff. In this country we have the highest standard of living in the world. We want for nothing, or at least for nothing important. We live in a selfish society where we desire things we do not need in order to impress the people we do not know.

If Jesus Christ, the Son of God, stood before you today and asked you, "What do you want me to do for you," what would you ask for?

Free at Last!

2006-01-16T10:24:00.000-05:00

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day. Today is the day we pay tribute to this great man. I admire what Dr. King did very much. I have read his "I Have a Dream" speech several times and each time it still moves me.

I wonder what King would think of our American society if he were alive today. Would he be in favor of affirmative action? Racial profiling? Would he look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and call it "racial genocide"? Would he still be portraying blacks in America as the victims?

Or would he be critical of black fathers for failing to support the children they bring into the world? What would he say about the number of young black males who manage to find their way into a jail cell? Would he blame white America or black America for this?

Would Doctor King have reached a point in his life where he felt blacks were "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last" or would he be holding out for more? Would he be insisting not only that blacks should have equal opportunity, but they should have equal fortune? Would he be demanding that free healthcare and good paying jobs be birthrights for blacks? Somehow I doubt it.

But I don't want to take away anything from Doctor King. He was a brave and courageous man who did a wonderful thing in leading African Americans from the social oppression of the 20th century. We should all reflect on his contribution today. Here's to a great man. It's too bad his life was ended too short.

Reflections on Broncos-Patriots Game

2006-01-16T09:40:00.000-05:00

For those of you who may not know, I'm a huge Denver Broncos fan. I have been ever since John Elway beat Cleveland in "The Drive." So this past weekend was a big one for me as my Denver Broncos faced off against the two time defending Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots.

I'll admit, I was scared going into the game. The Patriots stuggled most of the year including a 28-20 drubbing they took in Denver. But this was a different Pats team. This one was healthy and on a roll. But as I watched the pregame shows, my blood started to boil. None of the commentators were giving my Broncos any respect. Everyone picked the Patriots to win, except for Shannon Sharpe who didn't count because he was biased being an ex-Bronco. Some of them were even talking about a rematch between the Patriots and the Colts next week. There was no respect being given to a team that went 13-3 and was playing on their home field where they had not lost a game all year.

The Broncos came out and took care of business beating the Patriots by two touchdowns, 27-13. Yet after the game the Broncos still could not get any respect. Everyone talked about New England and what they did to "lose" the game. They talked about the five turnovers the Patriots gave away rather than the five turnovers the Broncos forced. They talked about bogus pass interference calls. They said the Pats played "uncharacteristically", as if they would win nine out of ten times if the two teams played again. The post game press conference just displayed a lot of poor sportsmanship and whining by the Patriots. There was Bill Bilichick saying they didn't make the plays they needed to make. There was Tom Brady crying about how tough this off season was going to be. Nobody gave Denver any credit.

You can tell even the sports writers are upset about this weekend's turn of events. They were all pumped up for the battle of the two Golden Boys, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Now they get Jake Plummer and Ben Roethlisberger. Any truth to the rumor the two of them made a bet that the loser would shave after the game?

But this is nothing new for Denver. They have been doubted all year. Everyone picked the Chiefs or the Chargers to win the AFC West. While everyone was falling all over themselves trying to land Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy for an interview to ask them if they were going to go undefeated, Jake and the Broncos were quietly going 13-3 and beating some pretty good teams. Now they find themselves in the AFC Championships game, and there are still those who doubt. That's fine. Keep doubting. Mike Shanahan and the Denver Broncos like it that way.

TGIF

2006-01-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

It's Friday. I don't feel like blogging today so I'm going to be lazy. Please enjoy one of my favorite Bible passages, Psalm 23.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

This Psalm always gives me a sense of peace and joy when I feel like the world is getting me down. Have a good weekend.

Budget News

2006-01-12T15:01:00.000-05:00

Just goes to show you liberals are always wrong. They said Bush's tax cuts were going to throw the economy into a depression. They said the government will go bankrupt and the national debt will go through the roof. Last month the government posted a budget surplus with record high corporate tax revenues.

Perhaps it's time for another round of tax cuts?

Personality

2006-01-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

I am an ISTJ, although sometimes I lean toward being an INTJ. I'm pretty much split between the S and the N. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about? I'm talking about the Myers-Briggs personality types. I invite you to read my personality type I linked above. I dare say it is pretty accurate. You can take a sample test to figure out what you are here.

The "I" means I'm introverted rather than extroverted. I prefer to stay at home and enjoy a quiet evening with family rather than go out on the town. I feel more comfortable working by myself rather than in large groups.

I'm split pretty much 50/50 between the S (Senser) and N (iNtuitor) with a slight lean toward the S. I'm aware of my surroundings, but I'm not so locked in I can't see the big picture. I have a knack for seeing cause and effect. I can equally come up with new ideas as well as carry them out effectively.

The "T" means I'm a Thinker rather than a Feeler. I'm able to put emotions aside and focus on the facts. I don't sympathize well with others. My "I" combined with the "T" makes many people think I am cold hearted.

The "J" means I'm a Judger rather than a Perciever. I like order and structure. I'm the kind of guy who will plan his vacation down to the minute where a perciever would do whatever they feel like doing whenever they get there. I make quick decisions and stick with them. Percievers like to keep their options open in case something better comes along.

When you think about it, your personality type has a lot to do with which political party you affiliate yourself with. Now I'm not saying if you're a Senser you will be Repubican. Likewise, just because you are a feeler doesn't mean you are automatically a liberal. The fun comes in mixing together the different personalities.

Mix an Extrovert with an iNtuitive Feeler (my opposites) and you get a liberal political activist. This person is an idealist with a passion for helping people. Their extroverted nature would make them want to be a part of larger groups. If they are a Judger, they probably like to organize other people.

Take an Extrovert that happens to be a Sensing Thinking Judger and you have created a project manager. These people like to get things done. They aren't swayed by emotions. They focus on the task at hand. They can have a one track mind and be stubborn to change. Many people would say George W. Bush is an ESTJ.

So to review, if you are an ST, you're probably more likely to be Republican. If you're an NF, you're probably more likely to be liberal. An NT or SF probably falls in the middle somewhere. If you take the test, let me know where you fall. Maybe we can start our own little case study.

Paterno Responds

2006-01-11T09:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Joe Paterno was named Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. While meeting with the press, he responded to critics calling for his resignation. Paterno says:

"I'm not going to say anything about it. Most people know me. I am what I am. I had no intention ... it was taken out of context. Having said that, they have every right to do what they want to do.

"If my kids calls for it [my resignation], if my squad calls for it ... but when people don't know what they're doing are looking for publicity or trying to give publicity to their cause or looking for some sort of scapegoat, no, it doesn't bother me."

So there you have it. The 78 year old Italian kid from Brooklyn isn't going to back down from this fight. And I'm sure NOW won't back down either. I imagine they will protest the home opener in State College next year like they protested The Masters in Augusta a few years ago. They will set up a little picket line outside the stadium and harass the tailgaters. But much like their protest at Augusta, their protest at Beaver Stadium will fall on deaf ears in the sea of the Blue and White Nittany Nation.

Too Proud to Quit

2006-01-09T08:50:00.000-05:00

Prior to Penn State's victory over Florida State in the FedEx Orange Bowl, Florida State starting linebacker A.J. Nicholson was sent home from the game and not allowed to participate because a 19 year old female accused him of sexually assaulting her at the hotel the team was staying at.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno was asked to comment on the situation by the media in an Orange Bowl press conference. Paterno made some comments and now the National Organization for Women is asking him to resign over his comments. To review, in response to the reporters question about Nicholson, Paterno said:

"There's some tough -- there's so many people gravitating to these kids. He may not have even known what he was getting into, Nicholson. They knock on the door; somebody may knock on the door; a cute girl knocks on the door. What do you do?"

"Geez. I hope -- thank God they don't knock on my door because I'd refer them to a couple of other rooms. But that's too bad. You hate to see that. I really do. You like to see a kid end up his football career. He's a heck of a football player, by the way; he's a really good football player. And it's just too bad."

First of all, anyone who even remotely follows Penn State football knows this is going nowhere. The 78 year old Italian kid from Brooklyn doesn't care what people say about him. After only winning seven games in 2003 and 2004 combined half of the Penn State nation wanted him to resign. After the 2004 season the president of the university went to his house on a sunday morning and asked him to resign. And he is still there. After coaching there for 50 years, nobody is going to make this man quit on any terms other than his own. But enough of that, let's talk about NOW and Paterno's comments.

NOW is saying Paterno is making light of the situation. I don't see it. Sure, Paterno expressed sympathy for the kid who got himself into the situation, but he doesn't condone what the kid did. The fact is Paterno didn't know the whole story, and appropriately so, he didn't want to condemn a kid when he knows how much temptation these kids face when they aren't on the football field.

The problem with NOW's stance is they are willing to completely disregard a man's 50 plus year career in order to grab the headlines and bring down a prominent public figure. Over the course of his life, Joe Paterno has done a lot more good than this one comment could possibly cancel out. He has always viewed himself as a molder of men before he is a football coach. He insists his players attend class and get good grades. He insists they travel in business casual attire. He insists they be clean shaven and well behaved.

He takes inner city kids who would probably have little chance of succeeding in society and turns them into responsible men. It's impossible to tell how many men Paterno has saved from themselves. How many of his players would have turned into dead-beat dads, or drug dealers, or criminals if he hadn't offered them a scholarship and insist they get their degree? How many women would have been hurt by these men had Paterno not saved them? It's impossible to know, but I'm sure it's more than one.

Paterno has also been instrumental in building a college football program into a money making machine. The millions of dollars that Penn State football brings in to the university goes toward supporting non-revenue generating sports. Many of these are womens sports, like volleyball, swimming, tennis, field hockey, soccor, track and field, etc. Penn State football generates revenue that enables the university to offer scholarships to these women. In addition, Paterno headed up a philathropy campaign years ago to expand the university library. He raised over $14 million and kicked in one million of his own money. The university was so indebted to him, they named the new library the Paterno Library. And in that sense, Paterno has done more for Penn State, women and society in general than this one comment can ever take away from.

2008 Presidential Politics

2006-01-05T09:07:00.000-05:00

I hate talking about who is going to run for President in 2008 because I don't want to turn George W. Bush into a lame duck when he is only a quarter of the way through his second term. But it does make for interesting conversation so I will explore it a little bit.

On the democratic side, barring a major scandal I don't see anything denying Hillary Clinton from winning the nomination. John Kerry and John Edwards will give it a run. The two Joes, Biden and Leiberman will give it a go. But the Hillary train is already too big to stop.

The republican ticket at this point is a major question mark. Dick Cheney is not going to run. He's too old and his health is too poor, not to mention his poll numbers are horrible. This will be the first time in decades there will be no incumbent president or vice-president on the ticket.

If you listen to the media, John McCain already has the nomination. I think this is premature. McCain has pissed off the base too many times. He has been critical of the war. He is trying to tie the hands of the administration when it comes to interrogating terrorists. His "gang of 14" prevented a handful of judicial nominees from getting a vote in the Senate. While he might do well in a general election, the hard core conservatives who actually go out and vote in the primaries will not support him. He will do well in Iowa and New Hampshire, but come Super Tuesday he will get swept in the south.

Condoleeza Rice is another name being thrown around. She hasn't expressed interest in even running so far, but there seems to be enough support she may entertain it. While she brings an all star foreign policy resume, I think she has too many questions on the domestic side. What is her stance on Social Security? Tax policy? Abortion? Affirmative action? I think there are too many question marks and not enough of a track record to win the nomination, although I think she would make an excellent vice president.

Bill Frist has no chance. In fact I think he has damaged his chances so much he may even lose his leadership job back to Trent Lott in 2006. He has been ineffective in getting legislation passed. He has allowed spending to spin out of control. He allowed seven republican Senators to split from the party and join McCain's gang of 14. He can't even lead a Republican controlled Senate.

Mitt Romney, the Republican Governor from Massachusetts is also getting a lot of favorable press. This probably means his chances are slim. I don't know much about him, but being from such a heavy blue state I suspect he is socially liberal. I'm not sure how well he will do in the primaries, but I don't think he will do well in the south. It seems silly, but southerners just don't trust yankee politicians. Maybe Romney will surprise me, but I think he will have trouble relating to people in the south. Northerners always do. They end up looking silly waving ears of corn around in Iowa wearing an oxford blue dress shirt and wingtip shoes.

Chances are the Republican candidate is sitting in a governors chair out there somewhere right now. It's too hard for congressmen to get elected. They are easy targets for negative campaigning because you can always find some ammendment on a bill they supported that allows a strip club to be built next to school or something like that. So chances are a governor will get the nomination. If it's not Romney it will be someone else. I don't think Jeb Bush can win the nomination. It's too much Bush. The country is getting burned out on the Bush's and I think the Republicans are smart enough to know that. Maybe Jeb can run in 2012 or 2016 if he wants to.

Personally, my eye is on Newt Gingrich. Matt Towery has an article today explaining how this is a real possibility. Liberals will laugh at him, much like they laughed at George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. They will say he is unelectable. Too divisive. But Newt has become somewhat of a hero in conservative circles. He gets all of the credit for the Republican "Contract with America" that helped the party win back the House of Representatives in the 90's. He was a man with vision, even if you think it was misguided policy, and got that vision passed through legislation. If he decides to run, and all the time he has been spending in Iowa and New Hampshire suggest he will, he will be tough to beat in the primaries. I know he will have my vote. If he wins, watch out. You thought the liberals went crazy over George W. Bush?

What Have We Become?

2006-01-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

Like just about everyone else in America, I have been following the story of the 13 miners who got trapped 260 feet below the surface since Monday. My heart went out to the families of the small town of Tallmansville, West Virginia. I can't even imagine what that must have felt like waiting and hoping to see your loved ones again. Their hearts must have sank into their stomachs when they heard last night that one of the miners was found dead around 8 PM West Virginia time.

Then as I was watching the second or third overtime of the Orange Bowl shortly after midnight, the local news station ran a bulletin across the bottom of the screen saying the other 12 miners had been found alive. There in my family room I let out a silent "Praise God". I watched the rest of the Orange Bowl and went to bed.

When the television came on in my bedroom at 7 AM this morning, the pundits on FoxNews were outraged and demanding to know how the media could have screwed this up. (Yes, I have the television in my room programed to turn on to the FoxNews channel at 7 AM every morning.) Still half asleep from only going to sleep 5 hours ago, I tried to listen to what they were talking about. Soon I discovered of the 12 miners I went to bed thinking were alive, 11 were dead and the other was in the hospital. I was shocked.

I don't understand how this could happen. Every news channel last night was reporting the miners were found alive for over two hours. Nobody had the judgement to wait until the story was confirmed by officials. One channel decided to run with second hand information to "get the scoop." Once one channel went with it they all jumped on the bandwagon.

What have we become? What kind of society are we where we cannot trust our media to get the story right? When did it become more important to be first than to be right? If there is a major terrorist attack in my area with a dirty bomb going off, should I believe the media if they tell me to stay in my house? Should I believe them if they tell me to evacuate? I don't know what to believe anymore. These people are becoming notorious for getting the story wrong. Remember how we were destroying the Koran in Gitmo then we weren't? Remember how there were going to be tens of thousands dead in New Orleans then there weren't? Then of course there are the famous Dan Rather memos.

It will be interesting to see what the fallout from this will be. The media will blame the mining company for giving them bad information. I suspect we will see bastions of the old media blaming the new media for their behaviour. I suppose we will see Walter Cronkite lecturing Tim Russert on Meet the Press about how the media doesn't have time to check facts anymore because the blogs just run with things too fast. They will accuse Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity of bending the truth all the time taking away from the credibility of the mainstream media. And of course it won't be long before people blame Bush. I suspect we will see Jesse Jackson saying if those were rich people down there, Bush would have got them out. If there was oil down there, Dick Cheney would have had Halliburton drill a shaft in four hours. Next week I'm sure John Kerry will be calling for impeachment.

The media will do their best to come out of this smelling like roses. I get this image in my head of all the major news network CEO's sitting in front of Congress telling them they just ran the story the other guy was running. We'll never find out who ran the story first. Life will go on and these corporate news conglomerates will pat themselves on the back saying they were the first one to report the story was false. The families of the miners in West Virginia will be left wondering if they were victims of a cruel joke or a capitalistic society more interested in hording dollars rather than sharing information. Indeed, what have we become?

One for the Ages

2006-01-04T09:07:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the Penn State Nittany Lions for their triple overtime victory last night against the Florida State Seminoles in the Orange Bowl.

It was around 1 AM last night when the game finally ended. I don't understand why they start east coast games between two east coast teams at 8:30 PM. I know it's about the money and the sponsors and ratings and all that, but it just doesn't seem right. I feel sorry for all the little Penn State fans out there whose parents put them to bed at 10 PM. I can remember being sent to bed as a nine-year-old not being allowed to watch them beat Georgia in the 1983 Sugar Bowl and having to find out the next morning. But all of that is another post for another day. I'm an adult now and just like I threatened my parents, I can stay up forever if I want to.

Congrats to the seniors who had to endure through the last few disappointing years. They never gave up. They kept working hard. They never stopped believing. And last night they put Penn State back where it belongs, near the top of the college football scene. Seniors can look back and enjoy what they have accomplished. Underclassmen and coaches can enjoy a great season, but be ready to get back to work next week on those winter and spring programs. In college football, there is no off season.

I'm a little sleepy-eyed this morning. Not sure if I will have the energy to stay up and watch the Rose Bowl tonight. I'll try. Maybe I can sneak in a nap in the first quarter. But for this guy who bleeds blue and white when you cut him open, all is right with the world today.

New Years Predictions

2005-12-28T10:49:00.000-05:00

I hate these tag things. I almost never do them, but this one I think is cool so I'm going to do it. Why do I think it's cool? Two reasons. One - it's more interesting to me than those "Top Ten Weird Things About Me" memes. Two - I am the one who made it up.

I want to hear everyone's predictions for 2006. You can do as many as you like (I will do ten) about whatever you want. You can even steal some of mine. This is a very informal tag. You can post on your blog or just do it in the comments on this post. If you read this and you're not tagged, please feel free to comment. Also please do not feel obligated to participate or pass this on to other people.

So without further delay, here are my predictions for 2006:

1. Samuel Alito will be confirmed by the Senate. The Republicans will not have to resort to the "nuclear option."

2. Bush will have another Supreme Court vacancy to fill this year.
2A. Bush will appoint another white male.

3. The Dow will hit 12,000 despite energy prices continuing to rise and the trade deficit with China getting wider.

4. Congress will not reach a deal on the Patriot Act and end up extending it "as is" to the end of 2006 creating a colossal campaign issue for the 2006 midterm elections

5. The Repulicans will pick up five seats in the House and two more seats in the Senate.

6. U.S. Troop levels in Iraq will be below 95,000 in time for the midterm elections in November.

7. Bush will revisit Social Security reform with a renewed campaign blitz this summer putting the debate on the table for the midterm elections.

8. Another natural disaster will occur that rivals the tsunami and Katrina in media coverage and government recovery effort.

9. The New York Mets will win the World Series.

10. Senator Rick Santorum will overcome his double digit deficit in the polls and beat Bob Casey to keep his Senate seat.

For this I am going to tag blogawakening, alisa, bill, Fitch, bookworm, Simple American, and ORF. And yes, y'all can bet I'll be digging this out one year from now to see who was right more often than not.

Reverse Racism

2005-12-28T09:15:00.000-05:00

In 2003, four white men were fired from the Philadelphia School District and were relpaced by four African-American individuals. They claimed they were discriminated against by their female African-American boss. They sued the school district and won last week. A jury of 12 white individuals sided with the men and awarded them $3 million ($500,000 apiece) plus their old jobs back with back pay. This whole situation is a sad commentary on life in America, but it is what happened after the trial that pushes this story beyond the fray.

After the trial, the lawyer for the School District, Carl E. Singley who happens to be African-American, was riding the elevator with four of the jurors. During that elevator ride an exchange occurred between Singley and the jurors in which Singley called the jurors "a bunch of crackers." The jurors rode the elevator right back up and told Judge Harvey Bartle, who called Singley back into court within 30 minutes and verbally reprimanded him. To his credit, Singley admitted making the comment and apologized to the jurors likely saving his job and bar license.

I find it interesting in the article I linked above how the Philadelphia Inquirer called the court case an instance of "reverse racial discrimination" (paragraph 8). This three word phrase really sums up the common mentality in America. The phrase implies that discrimination by definition can only occur by whites against blacks. It suggests that when blacks in power favor other blacks it is "reverse" meaning it is abnormal. Discrimination is discrimination. As the attourney for the plaintiffs, Michael D. Homans, said, "You can't discriminate against anyone based on race - white people, black people, Hispanics."

Yet this happens all the time in America. If a company focuses on hiring more white people they are perceived to be racist. But if they focus on hiring more blacks and minorities, that's Affirmative Action. What is the difference? I can't see it. The line in the sand is blurry, but the double standard is so blatant it slaps me in the face.

What's sad and lost in all of this story is that the school district official, Kimberly Sangster, who was found guilty of racial discrimination, still has her job. The school district is still defending her. They plan to appeal this case at the expense of the tax payers. Mr. Singley says she is "the real victim" in all of this. And so the story continues. It appears nothing has been resolved in this case. White America is still evil while black racists get a free pass.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

to all my Christian friends. To all my Jewish friends, like Bookworm, allow me to wish you and your family a Happy Hanukkah. I will be taking some time off from blogging in order to be with my family during this Christmas season. I may find some time to drop a post or two, but don't expect to see any serious blogging until after the New Year.

In the mean time, for all of you Christians I challenge you to stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas. May I suggest after you open your presents and eat your Christmas dinner, you gather your family around and read the following passage from Luke Chapter 2:

1: And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2: (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3: And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4: And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5: To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6: And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7: And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8: And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9: And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10: And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12: And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13: And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15: And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16: And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17: And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18: And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19: But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20: And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. 21: And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

It is my prayer that all of you and your families be blessed with peace, love, and joy on this Christmas day through the grace and mercy of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas.

More NSA B.S.

2005-12-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

Here we are six days into the "Bush Spied...Libs Cried" controversy and already people are jumping on the "Impeach Bush Bandwagon." Every Democrat is running for the nearest camera to say Bush thinks he's above the law. Bush threw the Constitution in the trash can. Bush needs to answer for his crimes.

The problem is that these people refuse to acknowledge that the President has more responsibilities spelled out in the Constitution than just holding up the Fourth Amendment. First and foremost the president has the duty to protect the country as Commander-in-Chief. Sometimes these two tasks come in conflict. When you really examine the Constitution, you come to the conclusion that the Fourth Amendment isn't really even a duty assigned to the President at all. It is a granted right of the people. Violating the amendment itself does not constitute a crime. What is the punishment for violating the Fourth Amendment? Can anyone tell me? Is there mandatory jail time? The death penalty? When law enforcement violates the Fourth Amendment and makes an illegal search, does the police officer go to jail? No. What happens is any evidence the officer collects can not be used in a court of law.

So the worst that could have happened had Bush made an arrest as a result of this program is that the evidence they collected could not be used to convict someone. But that still isn't necessarily a bad thing. Suppose they heard someone on the phone plotting to blow up a chemical plant. They go take the guy into custody, sit him in the interrogation room and tell him they know of his plot. The guy goes to court and gets off because the NSA got the evidence without a warrant. Do you think that guy is going to go through with his plot to blow up that chemical plant or anything else for that matter? You think he doesn't know he's going to be watched pretty carefully? My guess is he'll be on the next plane back to Syria or Jordan to get out of the country. So while Bush may have violated his Fourth Amendment rights, he stopped a terrorist plot. That's a winner in my book.

But all this talk about laws and courts fails to grasp what we are really dealing with here. What we're dealing with is a foreign power trying to commit terrorist acts on American soil. I expect my President to do everything to stop that from happening. If that means listening in on phone conversations or killing the person dead in the airport, so be it.

Wikipedia Bias

2005-12-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

As some of you may have noticed, I like to use Wikipedia to get a lot of information online. For the most part it is a good source. It is an online encyclopedia that allows people to edit entries to include information they may know. I was doing a little surfing through it today and found some evidence of bias that those who use this source may want to be aware of. Follow me on a little journey here. Take a look at the following entries for the following U.S. Presidents. Don't bother reading the whole thing. Just look at the outline and some of the headlines. Pay attention to how much space is devoted to scandals and criticisms.

John F. Kennedy
Lyndon Johnson
Jimmy Carter
Bill Clinton

All for the most part seem to be pretty well done. They accurately characterize the presidencies of these men accentuating mostly the positive aspects of their administrations. The sections marked "Criticisms" are relatively short and don't go into much detail. Now take a look at this:

George W. Bush

This is an all out rip piece on President Bush. Note that the criticisms for the other presidents are lumped into one section. For Bush, these scandals aren't just lumped under one section. No no. For Bush, each "controversy" gets it's own section. They start right off with his military service. Of course there is no mention of Rathergate. Then we go into the section called "Substance Abuse Controversy." Scroll down to the section on Iraq and the bias just hits you in the face. Look at the captions under the pictures of Bush on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Both captions label his speech as "controversial". Scrolling down some more they manage to get a picture of Bush reading "The Pet Goat" to school children on 9/11 and states some criticizing him for not taking charge and walking out. Then we get entire sections devoted to Hurricane Katrina, Valarie Plame, and the Secret CIA prisons. Check back in a day or two and I'm sure somebody will have added the latest NSA scandal. Scrolling down some more they feature the Daily Mirror cover after the 2004 election that is captioned: "How can 59,054,087 people be so DUMB?" The only thing that amazes me is that they didn't manage to work Abu Ghraib into the article somewhere. Anybody who hasn't been paying attention the past few years and was reading this to learn about George W. Bush would think he was the worst president of all time.

Contrast all of this with the article on Bill Clinton, arguably a president who had just as many scandals if not more. Whitewater gets one sentence. Filegate gets one sentence. Travelgate gets one sentence. Chinagate gets one sentence. Pardongate gets one sentence. Lewinsky doesn't even get her own sentence, just an honorable mention in the section on his impeachment which is about 1/4 of as much space as Wikipedia devoted to talking about how much George W. Bush is hated outside of the United States.

Clearly Wikipedia is a biased source if you want to use it for political research. So bloggers beware. I suggest you use caution in selecting what information you pull from this site. By all means do not treat it as the final authority.

If You're Going to Throw an Uppercut, You'd Better Land It

2005-12-19T12:38:00.000-05:00

The Old Gray Lady is at it again. Last week The New York Times ran a story about the Bush Administration tapping phone lines without warrants in order to gather intelligence that may be useful in the War on Terror. The story sent liberals in Washington scrambling to the nearest camera like a nest of upset ants claiming Bush didn't respect the civil liberties of Americans. The headlines were ominous: Spying on Americans, Bush Defends Illegal Spying on Americans, Spying and Lying, The Constitution and Conservatism, and my personal favorite, Bush Vows More Eavesdropping just to name a few.

Over the weekend I tried to keep up with the story by watching the news and the political talk shows. Not surprisingly, the Republicans are trying to spin this to say Bush is only trying to protect America from terrorist attack while the Democrats are saying Bush has broken the law in violating Americans' civil rights. Congressional Democrats are calling for an investigation and I think it will only be a matter of time before the calls for impeachment start echoing through the capitol rotunda. Some of us are already jumping to conclusions.

Before I get into breaking down this story, I just want to note an observation. In the NYT story, they note they have known about this secret program for a year now and witheld printing it at the request of the White House. It makes me wonder, why are they reporting it now? Why last week? I think the answer is three pronged. One - the elections in Iraq last week were sure to give the President a small uptick in the polls so releasing this story would cut into that. Two - The liberal boogie man otherwise known as The Patriot Act was up for renewal last week giving this story extra significance and ensure it would get noticed in the headlines. Three - Times reporter James Risen has a book due to come out about Bush administration intelligence. Think he's going to sell a few more copies now that this story broke? All of that is interesting, but it is neither here nor there in the big picture.

Once again we're seeing the new George W. Bush at work. The old Bush would have denied the secret program or just tried to ignore it. This George W. Bush is fighting back. In his weekly radio address the President openly acknowledged the program and gave a very reasonable explanation for it. Coming out like this was brilliant. He immediately took the possibility of a coverup scandal off the table. Now we are forced to just argue the merits of the program. Bush spelled out how he has a duty as Commander-in-Chief to protect America from attack. At the same time he has a duty to uphold the civil rights of American citizens. Sometimes these two duties come in conflict and his job as President is to make tough decisions in these areas. After consulting the White House legal counsel and Congress, the President made the decision to go ahead and tap the phone lines in order to protect America. You know, it's not the first time a President has trampled on civil rights in a time of war. FDR imprisoned hundreds of thousands of Japanese during the second world war. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus during the civil war. The latter was challenged and upheld by the Supreme Court.

It's important to note that the line tapping only took place on international calls placed from people with known ties to terrorist groups. The FBI has jurisdiction to listen in on domestic phonecalls with a court issued warrant. Before 9/11, the NSA could only spy on foreign countries and had no jurisdiciton to listen in on domestic phonecalls. But after 9/11 Bush discovered no agency had the power to intercept calls to other countries that originated in America. He gave the NSA the power to do so in order to close the loop.

Liberals are already convinced this the beginning of the end of the Bush administration. They also said that about Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, Plamegate, and the secret overseas detention facilities. And of course they're still holding out hope that WMD's are going to bring this president down. But they should know by now that none of these scandals stick to Bush. It isn't because he is the Teflon President. It's just because these scandals have no meat to them. Liberals will cry and moan about how much of a liar Bush is, but at the end of the day, he fessed up and is being honest about the program which gives him enormous credibility with the American people. If the debate is framed to the American people in a way such that they have to decide if they would rather live under the threat of a terrorist attack in their home town or if they would rather have the government listen in on their weekly phone call to aunt Ethel out in Iowa, the democrats are going to lose. Bush is well on his way to doing that. But I would still like to hear a concrete example from the administration of where getting a warrant was not an option in order to truly put this so-called scandal to bed for good.

Even if this story does linger for a few months, it's not going to end in impeachment. Any reasonable person, and perhaps a few democrats, can understand that the President was only acting in what he felt was the best interest of the country. Nobody is going to hang him for that. The worst that could have come from this whole spying program is that evidence that was gathered would have been thrown out in court.

The side issue lost in all of this debate is how once again the liberal left in this country is so rabid with their Anti-Bush hatred that they are willing to devulge national security secrets and obstruct anti-terror legislation in order to harm our Commander-in-Chief. Today the President held a press conference where I understand he was absolutely furious with the New York Times for releasing this classified information. Rightfully he should be. Now a major weapon we used to fight the terrorists has been taken off the table. In his press conference today, Bush came out swinging again against democratic senators who are filibustering the renewal of the Patriot Act. My favorite line was directed toward the Senators of New York (Schumer and Clinton), Nevada (Reid), and California (Feinstein and Boxer): How will you explain how your cities and states are safer(when the Patriot Act expires)? WHACK!!! It appears the Democrats have missed with an uppercut and Bush countered with a right cross. They are on the ropes and their knees are buckling. Now is the time for Bush to go in for the KO. I love the new Bush so much more than the old Bush.

Fallen Eagle

2005-12-16T12:56:00.000-05:00

Like I've said before, sports often serve as a microcosm of life and culture here in America. Often more so in terms of racial relations than any other aspect of society. Sports have often served as some of the greatest triumphs and setbacks in the history of race relations. Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in major league baseball was a defining moment in the history of this country. He was the perfect man to be the first African American to break the segregation barrier because he was able to do so with pride and class.

But each step forward is difficult. Progress is often met with resistance. Although African Americans have been playing professional football since before the second world war, as late as the 1980's there was a common belief in the NFL that black players were not smart enough to play quarterback. It wasn't until the 1987 Super Bowl when Doug Williams led the Washington Redskins to a victory over the Denver Broncos that the myth was dispelled. Since then there have been a plethora of black quarterbacks to enter and compete in the league, although Williams is still the only African American to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory as a quarterback.

In some sense, there is still a misconception out there that black athletes just aren't as smart as their white counterparts. Black quarterbacks to this day are still fighting those stereotypes. Many people believe they cannot be effective passers. Many believe they are best utilized as scramblers (quarterbacks who run a lot instead of throwing) like Michael Vick and Randal Cunningham. This week that stereotype is being debated in bloody fashion on the pages of the newspapers in Philadelphia.

When Donovan McNabb was first drafted by the Eagles he was booed because his name wasn't Ricky Williams. But it didn't take long for him to gain the faith of the City of Brotherly Love. He electrified the crowd with his ability to will his team down the field. He led the Philadelphia Eagles to four straight NFC Championship Games and ultimately made it to the Super Bowl last year where they lost to the New England Patriots. One of his greatest weapons when he was first drafted was his ability to run with the ball. But as the years went on McNabb took a beating from all those scrambles and hits. He started running less and throwing more. Over the past six years, his number of rushing attempts have decreased each year.

Since being put in as the starting quarterback, McNabb has been considered the leader of the team. He has always been the team spokesman. He's always been the guy to pick up his teammates when things looked bad. But this year has been a horrible year for McNabb. Injuries have plagued him and his team. His star wide receiver has been banned from the team. Now there are grumblings that McNabb has lost his team in the locker room.

This past weekend, J. Whyatt Mondesire, President of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), wrote a scathing article about McNabb in the Philadelphia Sun Newspaper. In the article (sorry I could not find a link), Mondesire analyzes the drop off in McNabb's rushing production and concludes that McNabb is trying to fight the stereotype of the scrambling quarterback that is too dumb to run a passing offense even though McNabb has made no such claim. Mondesire accuses McNabb of "playing the race card" and selling out "by claiming that 'everybody expects black quarterbacks to scramble' (which) not only amounts to a breach of faith but also belittles the real struggles of black athletes who've had to overcome real racial stereotype casting in addition to downright segregation." Mondesire also attacks McNabb by calling him "mediocre at best" and went on to say "And trying to disguise that fact behind some concocted reasoning that African American quarterbacks who can scramble and who can run the ball are somehow lesser field generals ... is more insulting off the field than on."

McNabb responded to these comments in the Philadelphia Inquirer saying, "Obviously if it's someone else who is not African American, it's racism. But when someone of the same race talks about you because you're selling out because you're not running the ball, it goes back to: What are we really talking about here?

"If you talk about my play, that's one thing. When you talk about my race, now we've got problems. If you're trying to make a name off my name, again, I hope your closet is clean because something is going to come out about you ... I always thought the NAACP supported African Americans and didn't talk bad about them. Now you learn a little bit more."

Donny, Donny, Donny. I'm sorry you had to learn this lesson the hard way, but the NAACP does not look out for you just because you're black. Ask Clarence Thomas, Condoleeza Rice, Michael Steele, and Thomas Sowell. These are all prominent African Americans who the NAACP has either at one time opposed or refused to support. Their message is clear if you know how to read between the lines. They are not for the "Advancement of Colored People". They are for the uniformity of "colored people". You see Donny, they like to have all African Americans fit into one mold, or stereotype if you will. That way it's easier to control them. You broke that policy by starting to act more like a white quarterback in their eyes. Remember these are the same people who sanctioned an event where Oreo cookies were thrown at Michael Steele because he is a "black republican".

Normally the NAACP doesn't concern themselves with these types of issues. Normally they are too busy convincing African Americans they are disenfranchised at the polls and the white man won't let them go to college and make good money. The problem that organizations like the NAACP and Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have is with each generation more and more African Americans start to achieve the American dream and the scars of slavery and segregation heal a little bit more. As African Americans become more diversified and some of them start to make it in this country, others will start to wake up and realize they can make it too. People who embrace freedom feel a sense of self-governance and responsibility. People like this are less likely to look to social crutches like the NAACP. It's time the NAACP get with the 21st Century. For goodness sakes, the title of their organization still refers to African Americans as "colored people".

Winds of Change

2005-12-15T08:55:00.000-05:00

Just a few short months ago it appeared the Bush presidency was in shambles. His closest advisor was under investigation for leaking CIA information. The media was bombarding him with reports of dying soldiers in Iraq as the number approached 2000. The Hurricane Katrina relief effort was poorly handled. Republicans in Congress were openly speaking out against his Supreme Court nomination. Bush's approval rating dipped into the 30's. People were calling him a lame duck. People started calling Hillary "Madam President".

Since then there has been a change in this administration. There is a renewed sense of optimism. There is a spring in their step. The President has come out fighting. We should not be surprised since this is the man who got clobbered in the first presidential debate with John Kerry and came back to perform equally if not better than Kerry in the next two debates. This president has a knack for coming out of the corner swinging after getting almost knocked out in the previous round.

I think this president finally gets it. He is no longer pandering to the Democrats. He is finally acting like he won the election. He has finally realized that no matter what he does, 45% of the people in this country are never going to support him. So he has finally tuned those people out and has started to focus on his base and the moderates. And I for one say it's about time.

No more meetings with Democratic congressional leaders. For five years he invited Perlosi and Reid and Daschle to the White House to discuss legislation only to see them run to the nearest camera and bash him. No matter what he does these people will never come over to his side on any issue. So he has done the only thing he can do. He has bypassed them and taken his arguments directly to the American people. These past weeks he has given numerous speeches on the Iraq war again spelling out the necessity for our involvement. He has started taking questions from reporters and answering them honestly. The other day when asked how many Iraqis have died in the war he answered with a hard number, 30,000. The old Bush would have given some disclaimer about how unfortunately some Iraqis have died but estimates were uncertain. Yesterday, the President admitted that there were mistakes in the pre-war intelligence. He said as President he takes responsibility and he intends to see to it the intelligence mechanism of this country gets fixed. But while saying that, he also pointed out that taking out Saddam was a good thing and we still have work to do. And today that work is getting done as Iraqis come out in huge numbers to vote.

This president is once again starting to connect with the American people. History shows when he does that his poll numbers go up. While I don't put much faith in the poll numbers, politicians do. And when the president has high numbers, people are afraid to speak out against him and more inclined to go along with his agenda. This is bad news for the Democratic party who has sold their souls to the anti-war movement. If this President can harden American resolve to see this war out to completion it's going to be tough for the Democrats to overcome their poor judgement.

Culture Wars

2005-12-12T09:19:00.000-05:00

This Christmas season is unlike any I can ever remember. The "Christmas Wars" seem to be dominating the headlines. Non-Christians are attacking our sacred holiday by accusing us (Christians) of being intolerant and hypocritical. Much of this criticism is unfair. On the other hand, radical Christians are becoming almost militant in their insistance that stores recognize Christmas and encouraging Christians to boycott stores that dare to wish you a "Happy Holidays." In my opinion these people are lost in their faith and do us Christians a disservice.

There can be no denying that the Christmas holiday has been hijacked in this country. What should be a day set aside solely for Christians to reflect on the good news of Jesus Christ coming to save the gentiles from eternal damnation has been absorbed into our secular society and morphed into a day of family, mythical characters (Santa Claus), and presents. It's no wonder people get all stressed out over Christmas. They don't celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

If the alteration of Christmas had stopped there I could live with that. But it is starting to go beyond that. It's not enough that the seculars want to celebrate Christmas without recognizing the significance of Jesus Christ, they want to completely take over Christmas and prevent others from hearing the good news of Christ. Christmas trees become "Holiday Trees". Schools take "Winter Break" instead of Christmas break. Schools substitute traditional religious Christmas carols with "Frosty the Snowman", unless you live in Johnstown, PA. When you go to the mall to do your Christmas shopping, you are hard pressed to find a Nativity scene on display. Christ is being erased from Christmas in the name of tolerance.

Some people, some of them not necessarily Christians, are overreacting to all of this. Calls for boycotts of stores that wish you Happy Holidays are over the top. I suspect these people do not truly wish to spread the message of Jesus Christ. I get the feeling they are more interested in making money or getting political support from Christians. Brothers and sisters in Christ, beware of these people. They do not have your best interest at heart. Do not follow the man who says buy my book or vote for me in order to save Christmas. They are only trying to make you angry because they know passionate people act with their votes and their money. Don't fall for their games.

Non-Christians have to stop this notion of Christmas being offensive to all other religions. If the celebration of the birth if my Savior makes you feel uncomfortable, too bad. Deal with it. Tolerance means accepting other points of view without being offended. It does not mean keeping your believes to yourself for fear that someone else might not agree with them. Allow Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus without feeling like they are being insensitive to others.

Christians need to take the high road in dealing with non-Christians. We should not be offended by people trying to push Christ out of the public scene. This is nothing new to us. Jesus told us the world will persecute us for following Him. We have to shake it off, but continue in our faith. It's ok to wish someone a Merry Christmas, but if they retort back that they are Jewish or atheist, use it as an opportunity to witness for Christ. Wish them a Happy Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or New Year. We need to be accepting of other people just as Jesus was. Show respect for other religions, but don't be afraid to share the message of Christ and the birth of the Savior.

Sixty-Five Years Ago

2005-12-12T09:14:00.000-05:00

I realize this is a few days late, but here is a taste of history we should always remember and reflect on during this busy time of year.

Profiling for Pedophiles

2005-12-02T08:38:00.000-05:00

About a year ago, Mark Worsley got on a Quantas flight in New Zealand. He was traveling with his two year old twin sons. He got on the plane and took his assigned seat next to an eight year old boy. Shortly after takeoff from Christchurch the flight attendant approached him and told him he needed to change seats with the woman two rows ahead of him. When he asked why he needed to change seats the flight attendant told him the airline has a policy of not seating male passengers next to unaccompanied children. Mr. Worsley obliged the flight attendant, but as he sat in his new seat and thought about the situation, he started to realize that the airline had profiled him as a pedophile. The more Mr. Worsley thought about it, the angrier he got. He didn't want to cause a scene on the flight because he was aware you just can't do that in a post 9/11 world. But since the incident Mr. Worsley has been very vocal about the fact he felt he was discriminated against and he has contacted the Nation Party Political Correctness Eradicator, Wayne Mapp* to assist him in getting Quantas and Air New Zealand, which admits to having a similar practice, to change their policies.

Is this a situation of profiling run amuck? I must admit this is a tough one for me to reconcile in my head. I can see the argument for wanting to protect children from pedophiles. While the child is on that plane, they are the legal guardians and can be held responsible for anything that happens to that child. But at the same time I can understand why this man was upset. If it were me, I would probably feel a little embarrassed and angry myself. But after pondering it for awhile, I have come to my own conclusion that the airline has gone too far in this one.

I think profiling can be a useful tool when used properly by law enforcement officials. It is a fact that most terrorists tend to be muslim males of middle eastern decent between the ages of 25 and 35. But they represent a small portion of the American population, so profiling them makes reasonable sense to me. In contrast, these airlines have instituted a policy of profiling fifty percent of the population. When you are talking about such a large portion like that, profiling loses its effectiveness.

That being said, it seems like something that is easy for the airline to do. It doesn't really require any extra resources which pass extra costs onto the consumer. As long as they don't deny access to the plane to anyone, I don't see this as discrimination. Mr. Worsley is trying to turn this into a Rosa Parks type event, but I'm just not seeing that. But there are other things the airline can do to prevent children from being seated next to a sexual predator.

Mr. Worsley was put in a situation where he was made the center of attention on the plane and some people may have perceived that to mean he was a problemed individual. That isn't right. In this day and age, we can single out child predators more effectively than just assuming every male is a potential sexual predator. The United States has set up national child predator databases. Flight passenger lists should be cross checked against those databases and in the event there is a match the suspected pedophile should be seated as far away from the child as possible and the flight crew should be discretely notified to keep the person and child on close watch. The parents of the child should be notified that there will be a convicted sexual offender on the flight with their child and give them the option of choosing another flight. In addition, unaccompanied children should be seated with a flight attendant or other airline official. Beyond that, if the airline wishes to seat unaccompanied children next to female passengers, I don't have a problem with it. But when mistakes are made, all efforts should be made to handle the situation in a discrete non-offensive manner. In the case of Mr. Worsley, that didn't happen.

(* - How cool is it that the New Zealand National Party has a Political Correctness Eradicator? How do we get one of those?)

Democrats Think You're Stupid

2005-11-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), a distinguished Vietnam veteran turned congressman in the twilight of his career, held a press conference criticizing President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. In his speech, Murtha suggested it was time for the United States to pull out of Iraq. And a star was instantly born.

Murtha became the hottest "get" on all the pundit talk shows. Here was a Vietnam veteran and a "long time defense hawk" suggesting the war was going badly and it was time to cut our losses and get out. The anti-war movement had found their new Cindy Sheehan, only this one had some credibility. The media portrayed Murtha as the wise old man lecturing the incompetent draft dodging fool on how to run a war.

Republicans countered the Murtha movement by putting up a non-binding vote recommending the President withdraw the troops from Iraq immediately. The vote was defeated 403-3. So much for that. Murtha is still making the rounds calling for an end to the war, but his support has greatly diminished.

This entire chain of events stinks of politics. Nobody cares about what is best for our troops or what is best for America. People in Washington are only worried about getting re-elected. Republicans put up a vote with the intent of it being defeated. I'm not pleased with them playing politics with the troops and war policy, but I understand they were reacting and did it to prove a point. The point they were trying to make is that the Democrats think you are stupid.

The Democrats have been playing this political game the past several years where they mask their positions and hope you can't see their real intent. They understand they cannot say they favor gay marriage, because they know that everywhere it goes up for a vote it gets overwhelmingly shot down. They know they cannot say they don't want you to own guns because they know you will not vote for them if they do. In this case, the democrats desperately want President Bush to fail in this War on Terror because they fear Bush will secure the legacy of being tough on terrorism that Clinton could not achieve at the bargaining table. Presidents that create legacies benefit their party for decades. If Republicans are perceived as being tough on terrorism, the American people will never trust the Democrats with the keys to the military.

But they cannot come out and say they want Bush to fail because you will equate his failure with America losing. So they call Bush an idiot. They call him imcompetent. They call him corrupt. They say they support the troops, but not the war. Convenient since their last Presidential candidate contradicted this stance by voting for the war, but then voted to not support the troops by giving them the funding the purchase the supplies they now claim the Administration is not giving them. They do anything they can to talk a good game against terrorism without giving any credit to Dubbya. They suggest they could run the war better, while conveniently never providing their own plan. Then when one of them grows the courage to stand up and take a position, they all stand behind him until it comes up for a vote at which time they turn and leave him out to dry and suffer a 403-3 defeat.

The Democratic Party is void of morals. They have no message. No plan for America. No plan for the War on Terrorism. Their constant attacks on President Bush are getting old. Recently I was reading a liberal blog where the writer was talking about the need for the democrats to fight the Alito nomination. A telling line in his post was when he said, "(we have to) make the American people believe that (we) believe in something." Inadvertently he spelled it out perfectly. He doesn't propose that the democrats tell the American people what they believe in, rather he implores the Democrats to make the American people think they believe in something. People are tired of debating how and why we got into the war. America realizes that we're in it now and we need a plan. The Republicans want to get the Iraqis through the elections, train a sufficient number of troops to take over, and then bring our boys home. The Democrats just wish America would hurry up and lose so they can win the next election by default, but they can't tell you that.

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-23T09:10:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow most of us will get in our cars and drive a few hours to get to our parents or grandparents or aunt's house. We'll chat in an overcrowded kitchen where there are too many people and not enough chairs to sit. We will watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on television. We'll see Garfield, and Mickey Mouse. We'll look at other characters and wonder "what is that thing?" We'll snack and talk for awhile until a giant turkey is put on the table. We'll stress over where we are going to sit. How can we work it so everyone sits with their spouses and kids? We'll feel bad about putting Aunt Ethel out in the living room to eat at a card table sitting at a folding chair with the kids. Then we'll eat a dried up bird with cold mashed potatoes trying to make conversation with relatives you never see. When you think you can't eat anymore, someone will put a piece of pumpkin pie in front of you, and you'll manage to shove that down too. After dinner the men will move to the couch to catch the second half of the Cowboys and Broncos. Uncle Charlie will fall asleep in the EZ Chair. The women will move to the kitchen to clean up and share the latest gossip. Then we'll all give hugs and kisses and go home until next year. Did I pretty accurately describe your Thanksgiving day?

America has forgotten the true meaning of Thanksgiving. We have allowed it to morph into a secular holiday where we pay homage to a turkey and football. I suspect someone in your office today will even tell you to have a "Happy Turkey Day." The reason for the holiday has shifted from that of giving thanks to God, to the secular mantra of turkey, football, and family. Now, somebody will probably read this and quip that one can be thankful and celebrate Thanksgiving without believing in God. No you can't.

The very notion of being thankful implies that you have received something from somebody else. Somebody gives you something, you thank them for it. When you get something all on your own, or you make something for yourself, you don't thank yourself. If you are not thanking God, who are you thanking? Are you thanking yourself for all of the stuff you have collected? You cannot separate God from Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Day was celebrated by the Pilgrims to show their thanks to God for protecting them and providing for them in the new world. It was a demonstration of faith on their part. Some would call it foolish to waste a large portion of your harvest and bounty right before winter was about to set in on modern day Massachusetts. Not knowing what to expect and with little to protect them from the cold, it would have been wise to ration their food and plan for a long cold winter. But the pilgrims had faith in God that He would provide for them just as the Bible says. They acknowledged that all they had came from God and that it was His to take away at His pleasure. To show their thanks and trust in God, they took their small bounty and made a feast to be shared with the local natives. They also devoted much time to give thanks to God in prayer.

It is important that tomorrow we thank God for his many blessings. It is important that we take time and pray to Him. Just as God has given us His many blessings, we must also pass that mercy and generosity on to others. Do a good deed. If you know somebody who has nobody to share a meal with, invite them to join you. Be kind and helpful to the weak and give them something to be thankful for.

May peace and happiness be with you and your family on this Thanksgiving Day through the grace, love and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

What are the odds?

2005-11-22T13:53:00.000-05:00

We Report...You Decide

2005-11-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

Was this an accident?

How Did I Get Here?

2005-11-21T14:55:00.000-05:00

I love the little Site Meter link at the bottom of my blog. I gives me details about how many hits I get each day, but it also gives me other cool information about where people who read my blog live and how they found this blog. I just wanted to share some of the cool information I found and have a little fun. Here is some interesting things about the people who read The Deep Freeze.

Somebody from Hong Kong found this site by typing "Deep Freeze" into their search engine. I'm surprized how many people do a search on Deep Freeze. From what I can tell there is some software program out there called "Deep Freeze" that people are looking for.

Somebody in Egypt is looking for a "Hurricane A program for beating deepfreeze." It makes sense a hurricane would beat a deep freeze. Kind of like paper beats rock.

Somebody found this site by searching "michael smerconish is a jerk". I wonder when somebody is going to try to put two and two together and come to the conclusion that Michael Smerconish is in Philadephia, and Mike of The Deep Freeze is in Philadelphia....hmmmmm.

Somebody in Utica, Minnesota asked Jeeves "stink bombs ship now pay later". Really, when you have a stink bomb emergency, you don't have time to give your credit card number over the phone. Ship the damn things now. We'll figure out how we're going to pay for it later. I have often wondered why they didn't just have stink bomb drive-thru's at the convenience stores.

Somebody in Denmark wants to know how to stop deep freeze. We covered this earlier: a Hurricane apparently.

Somebody in Edmonton, Alberta Canada wants to know more about the concept of God. Stop thinking about God as a concept and think of him as your creator and savior and you'll be ok.

Somebody in Kentucky is looking for woperdaughters. I hear that's a big game sport in Kentucky. You get a burlap sack, go out in the woods and start going "Wop Wop Wop". When they come running at you you throw the sack over their heads and beat them with a club. Those suckers got some nasty fangs so you have to be careful.

Somebody from Bethesda, Maryland did a search for a philisophical view of mankind. In all seriousness, this pleases me when I see people searching for answers and they come across this site. Some people call that luck, but I call it Divine Intervention. It gives me even more determination that I am doing God's work here on The Deep Freeze and I have a responsibility to continue spreading God's word.

Somebody is looking for Rose Bowl tickets. If USC loses to UCLA or Texas loses to Colorado, I might be looking for some myself.

Somebody is looking for a deep freeze token gen. I don't know what a gen is, but I can assure you all gens you see are here because they earned it. There are no token gens.

Crack deep freeze - I don't know. Try a hammer?

Miami Hurricanes Football College - At least this person is honest in acknowledging that Miami is a football school. You know how you get a University of Miami graduate off your porch? Pay them for the pizza.

Finally, somebody in Morocco is looking for a free deep freeze professional. My services are always available for weekend parties, but I don't work that cheap.

More God vs. Science

2005-11-21T11:38:00.000-05:00

Two fascinating articles to read today by Vox Day and Suzanne Fields as a followup to our discussion on God and evolution. Please read them and comment.

I am pleased to see more people advocating the thought that there is equal room and place in society for God and science.

The Fight Against Wal-Fare

2005-11-21T09:42:00.000-05:00

In 1994 the Republicans swept into the national scene taking both houses of Congress on the tails of their new concept called "The Contract with America." It was a bold plan to spell out the conservative agenda to the American people and provide a vision for the future. One of the main points of The Contract was to significantly reduce welfare benefits to get people back to work and contributing to the economy and society. They were able to get welfare reform passed despite kicking and screaming from the democrats and two vetoes from President Clinton.

Since then millions of Americans have gotten off the welfare payroll and entered the workforce. While many of them could only land minimum wage jobs, this is still an improvement since they are doing something productive and are no longer being supported by tax dollars. This is a good thing for America, but it is bad for the democratic party who have always appealed to the poor and downtrodden promising them better government benefits. Don't get me wrong, welfare is a necessary program on a small scale. If you are a single mother who lost her job or is disabled and can't work, I'm all in favor of you getting assistance from the government. But when I saw a woman on Jerry Springer in the early nineties advising an expecting young mother to leave her husband because "you don't need him. You can go on welfare," I knew something was wrong with it. Too many people were using welfare as a government funded vacation program.

Now that welfare has been proven to be a failed program when instituted on a large scale, Democrats have to find something else to talk about. Since they can't attack welfare anymore, they are going after the next best thing, successful companies that employ minimum wage workers. This week there is a buzz in liberal circles about this new documentary called "Walmart-The High Cost of Low Prices." Over on The Huffington Post today there are no less than ten posts about this movie or Walmart.

Liberals are engaging America in a debate over Wal-fare. They have chosen Walmart to be their poster child in the fight to raise the minimum wage, spread unionized labor, institute a national healthcare plan, and promote affirmative action. I have not seen the movie, but from some of the discussion I have seen, I can gather some of the following criticisms being thrown at Walmart:

Walmart underpays their employees
Walmart uses foreign sweatshops to produce their goods
Walmart doesn't provide adequate benefits, like health insurance, to it's employees
Walmart discriminates against minorities by refusing them promotions
Walmart uses illegal child labor to keep costs down
Walmart doesn't pay overtime
Walmart works to keep unions out of their workforce

Now, I have a problem with argument numbers 2, 5, and 6 if they are true. While Walmart probably cannot be prosecuted for using sweatshops in foreign countries, it isn't ethical. Numbers 5 and 6 deal with breaking the law, and I do not support that. Argument number 4 is hard to prove, but show me a big corporation in America that isn't top heavy with white males. Just about every corporation can improve in the area of putting minorities at high level positions. As far as unions, no corporation is required to accept a labor union. If the employees decide to form a union, the corporation has a right to fire all of those employees and replace them.

The other arguments are complete bogus. Bleeding heart liberals always try to approach an argument by getting you to agree with one of their crazy assumptions. In this case, the assumption is that Walmart employees do not have a choice in working for Walmart. Their argument is based on the predicate that Walmart employees are slave labor who don't have the option to go someplace else. This is false. America is a free country. If you don't like your job, quit. If your job doesn't pay you adequate benefits, get another one. Nobody is forced into slave labor to work for Walmart.

Now, some of you bleeding heart liberals will respond with how cruel I am. You'll tell me these people don't have the skills to go out and get a job like mine. Before you do I will remind you one more time that we live in America. Nobody tells you you can't go to college. If you can't afford it, financial aid is available. The only excuse you have for not improving your life is your own drive and determination. Anybody can make it in America. I believe that.

In the interest of being fair and balanced, I have my own issues with Walmart different from the ones liberals are crying over this week. My problem with Walmart is that they dominate the free market. In an area like where I live, where there are literally hundreds of options for me to shop, Walmart doesn't have a big impact. This is why you don't see Walmart in Manhattan or other big cities. But go out to these small towns in rural American and see the type of impact Walmart has had on the community. Walmart drives the small business owner out of business with their "lowest price guaranteed" policy. In this policy, they offer to reduce their price to be 10% lower than that of the competition. Before long, all the mom and pop stores in these small towns go out of business and the only option for the local people is Walmart. Anytime you have a monopoly, that is bad for the consumer, and that is my problem with Walmart. But on top of the consumer argument, when Walmart drives out small business, that hurts employment. So in some of these small towns, not only does everyone shop at Walmart, but everyone also works at Walmart. Ask yourself, how is a community supposed to survive when everyone collects wages from one employer who is committed to selling them products with the intent of making a profit? They answer is they can't.

But other than that, I can't deny that Walmart supplies their customers with good products at low prices which is what the free market is all about. Anybody who doesn't like working for them is free to leave, so these people calling for Walmart to change their ways need to change their tune.

God vs. Evolution

2005-11-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

Some people think you can't physically hold a Bible in one hand and a science book in another and believe in both of them equally. In my dealings with people who do not believe in Christ, I find my theories about life and science are immediately dismissed once they discover I'm a Christian. I was debating a non-believer once who knew I was a Christian about intelligent design and I told her she had not proven her argument that man evolved from animals. I think I said something like, "I live in a scientific world, so you will have to provide me with scientific proof." To that she replied, "Since when did science ever mean anything to you?" At that point I reminded her I am a chemical engineer.

Why is it so hard to believe I can read the Bible and say, "Yes, I believe that" and then read a science book and say the same thing? Many faithful Christians become doctors, pharmacists, scientists, and yes, engineers. These people feel a desire to explore and understand the world around them, but they also see the world as God's creation. But just because God created it does not mean we cannot study it and seek to understand it.

To answer a question from Bill a few posts back, I do not "believe" in evolution. To "believe" in evolution would be to elevate it to the level of a religion. It would be like believing in thermodynamics or mathmatics. They are what they are, you don't "believe" in them. I think evolution is a credible theory to explain how man was created on this earth. I think it is possible that animals go through genetic mutations. Deer look a lot like horses. Lions look a lot like tigers. If a Doberman and a poodle can mate to make a dog that looks nothing like any other dog, then I believe that species can change and evolve over generations. Even in the human species, you can see that Asians look different than Europeans who look different than Africans. So I find it credible that over time man can change. Now how do I reconcile this with the seven day creation theory put forth in the Bible? I will try to explain.

I believe we tend to limit ourselves sometimes when we try to comprehend the awesomeness of God. We tend to tell ourselves "God wouldn't do that" or "I hope God isn't watching". We think of time in the context of our puny lives. To us, a year is a long time. The Bible says, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3:8) I mean, do we really think God keeps time by how often our puny rock spins around the sun? I look at the expansiveness of the universe and I find this hard to believe. So when I read Genesis 1, I read it keeping in mind that our concept of a day and God's concept of a day are two completely different things.

That being said, there are some things in Genesis that kind of agree with the scientific community's theories about how the earth was formed and man came to be. In Genesis, it says first God created light, the heavens, earth (a mass of water), land, plants, sea life, land animals, and then man in that order. While the scientific community believes this took more than six days, they pretty much agree with the order in these things came to be. So in my mind, I read what the science community has to say, and I read what the Bible has to say and I tell myself, "There must be something to this."

So when I hear people say God has no place in school or Christians have no place in the science community I get upset. We are part of this world and we want to understand how it works just as much as the next guy. All children eventually get around to experiencing death, and inevitably the question arises, "What will happen to me when I die?" People who shut God out of the answer to this question do their children a disservice.

But I get equally upset when I hear about Christians trying to keep Darwin out of the classroom. Many Christians, my wife included, believe the Bible to be infallible. In fact, the last time I questioned the accuracy of the Bible in this space, I got quite a lecture at the dinner table. They say if we do not believe the Bible to be 100% accurate we are saying God is not perfect. And to say God is not perfect is to say God has sin. And God cannot have sin, or else the entire Christian faith is turned on its ear.

It is hard for me to believe with absolute conviction that the Bible is 100% accurate. Although I believe the Bible is the Word of God, it was no doubt written by man. Through the centuries, the Bible has been translated from Hebrew to Latin to English. Now there are four or five versions of the Bible out there. Are they all 100% accurate? Impossible. While the men who authored and translated the Bible were guided by God in their service, they were still sinful men.

So I tend to focus on the underlying message in each passage rather than focus on timelines and symantics. I believe that God created the earth and man. I believe we are all sinful creatures doomed to a life of eternal damnation. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He died on the cross so that my sins may be forgiven. I believe that those who believe in Him and repent their sins will have everlasting life. As far as I'm concerned, that's all I need to know. In the big picture of things, evolution doesn't matter to me. It would be nice to know the truth, but if I don't, c'est la vie. So when you ask me was man created in one day or did he evolve over eons from a soupy goo of proteins and amino acids don't be surprised if I tell you, "I don't care."

Bowl Confusion Series

2005-11-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

My beloved Nittany Lions find themselves sitting at 9-1 and ranked fourth in the latest BCS rankings behind the University of Southern California Trojans, the University of Texas Longhorns, and the University of Miami Hurricanes who are ranked numbers one, two, and three respectively. If they win against the Michigan State University Spartans this weekend, they will win the Big Ten Conference and most likely a bid to the Federal Express Orange Bowl where they are projected to play Miami if they also win out.

Many will say this is a great year for a team that had losing records the past two years. While I am pleased with the progress the team made, I have the bitter taste of "what if" in my mouth. What if Penn State had not lost to Michigan in the last second of the game. What if we hadn't kicked to the kid who had burnt us earlier in the game on a kick return. What if Lloyd Carr hadn't lobbied the officials to get those two seconds back on the clock. Penn State could easily be undefeated right now and we would be in the running to play for the National Championship in the Rose Bowl. But because of that one fateful second in Ann Arbor, Michigan on a warm October afternoon Penn States hopes of a National Championship are dashed.

Few sports in America rival the popularity of college football. It is a glorious concoction of rivalries and tradition that few other sports can match. But for all of it's good points, college football falls miserably short in one area. It is the only major sport in America without a clearly defined playoff system. Sure, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is designed to stage a match between the best two teams in the country, and it will probably work this year in creating a matchup between the only two undefeated teams, but the system is flawed.

For some reason it isn't right that right now there are ten teams in Division I-A with one loss, and most likely none of them will have a chance to play for the title this year because USC and Texas will go undefeated. Who is to say that if Texas played Miami, Miami wouldn't win? Or that Virginia Tech couldn't beat USC? Why do we allow sports writers and computers to decide who the better team is? Why do we even play the games? Why not just compare 40 times and bench press numbers and vote on who we think would win? Why should Virginia Tech be denied a chance at the championship just because they lost to the now number three team in the country? It's just dumb that the championship isn't decided on a playoff tournament like every other sport including Div. I-AA and I-AAA football.

How could one of the most popular sports in America not have a playoff system you ask? The answer, like everything else, is money. The BCS was cooked up by the biggest conferences which make up about half of all the teams in the country, namely the Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East, Pacific 10, and Southeast Conference. It is a way for these schools to ensure that one of their teams will always be playing for the national title. The smaller schools can still get one of the "at large bids", but it is highly unlikely. The "at large" bid was just created to prevent the smaller schools from suing the BCS for conspiracy and unfair competition. This year Texas Christian Univeristy is 10-1 and most likely going to win the Mountain West Conference. They will probably go to the Pioneer Purevision Bowl in Las Vegas to play the number five team in the PAC-10, which will probably be California, Arizona State, or Oregon State. One of these teams will probably have five losses by then. Meanwhile, Florida State can win their conference with 3 or 4 losses and still go to a BCS bowl game.

Who cares about going to a stupid bowl game you say? Teams that go to bowl games get money for themselves and their conference. A team that qualifies for a BCS bowl game gets about $14 million last time I checked. Smaller bowl games also payout a few million, but not BCS type money. With college bowl money, the university gets to keep about half of the take and then splits the other half with the other teams in their conference. So even the team that finishes last in their conference and doesn't qualify for a bowl game can get a check for a couple million. Call it college welfare. Now $2 million goes a long way in a college athletic program. Imagine what $7 million can do. It can be used to support numerous non-revenue generating sports, like swimming, track and field, wrestling, volleyball, field hockey, ice hockey, etc. Several of these sports are womens sports which probably would not survive without this vital revenue. So the BCS not only creates an unfair advantage for the big conferences on the football field, it creates an unfair advantage over the entire spectrum of college athletics.

That's not fair. Why don't they change it you say? Call it short sightedness. The athletic directors of the BCS conferences like things just the way they are. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. But I think a college football playoff system would do wonders to create a level playing field as well as generate even more revenue. The answer is so simple I can't believe nobody has thought of it or is willing to try it.

Let's generate a playoff system with 16 teams to be played over a four week span. Right now there are 11 conferences in Division I-A. Take the winners of each conference and give them a playoff spot. This gives the smaller conferences their ticket to the dance. Now in my opinion, if you can't win your conference, you shouldn't be playing for the national title, but college basketball allows it so we will too. So for the five remaining spots, take five at large teams to be selected by a committee similar to the college basketball tournament. To qualify, a team must have at least 9 wins. This will give the independents their ticket. There is your 16 teams. The same committee that selected the at large teams will then seed the teams based on their own evaluation. Any team that gets into the tournament gets an equal check just for qualifying. In addition, each conference gets an equal portion of revenue from the sponsors and television rights to split as they see fit. From that point on it should be all about the game. No more pay for winning. This will ensure all of the conferences get a nice paycheck and the playing field is somewhat level.

But Mike, what about the pageantry and tradition of the bowl games you say? First of all, spare me the "pageantry and tradition" crap. You can't lecture me about the pageantry and tradition behind the Meineke Car Care Bowl or the EV1.net Houston Bowl. If you cared about tradition and preserving the purity of the game you wouldn't have renamed the Citrus Bowl the Outback Bowl. The bowl games just want to protect their sponsors and television contracts, i.e- their money. But fine, we're trying to work a win-win solution here, so we'll work them into the equation. Right now, college football supports 28 bowl games. It would take 15 games to have a 16 team tournament. Let's pick 15 bowls to include in our playoff and just rotate them with the traditional big payout bowls (Sugar, Rose, Fiesta, Orange) being the top tier bowls that would host the championship game as well as the semifinal games. The first and second round games would be given to other bowls. So you see we wouldn't have to give up the Autozone Liberty bowl afterall. And the other 13 bowls left out of the playoff picture could still host their games with the teams left over thus saving the "tradition and pageantry" of the MPC Computers Bowl.

A college football playoff system is needed in order to level the playing field for all college sports. It would benefit the student athletes, it would benefit the schools, and it would benefit the fans. It's debatable whether or not the sponsors would get hurt, but it's my gut feeling a playoff would generate more excitement which would translate into more money in the end. But most of all, my 9-1 Nittany Lions would have a better shot at make the championship game.

Global Warming Debate

2005-11-11T12:34:00.000-05:00

Apparently, global warming isn't the new phenomenon we think it is. According to this article, it was around 55 million years ago. Those dinosaurs should have been more responsible in their management of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases. The interesting thing is rather than driving hundreds of species into extinction, it actually fostered several new species into existence. But I don't think you will hear about this on the six o'clock news or at the next U.N. summit on global warming.

Viva la Vagabond

2005-11-08T23:46:00.000-05:00

I'm in Houston on business this week, but remarkably still finding time to post. Please be sure to check out my first post on Vagabondia entitled "Les Rues de Feu".

Weekly Prayer

2005-11-08T21:48:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Father God, for your many blessings. Thank you for my job, which gives me the means to support my family. My tithe is just a small token of what I owe. Everything I own I owe to you.

Father, forgive me for my sins. I am greedy and proud. Humble me. I thank you that your Son died for my sins. It is a gift I do not deserve.

Father, I pray for President Bush. I thank you we have a leader who seeks your counsel. Watch over him, Father. Guide him and give him wisdom to lead us in a Godly manner.

I pray for our Congressmen, Governors, Mayors and all elected officials. Fill them with your spirit and help them rule with kindness in their heart and justice on their minds.

Father, I pray for our troops. Give them strength and courage. Let them know that a nation of people prays for them. Protect them. And please, Father, end this war. Stop the bloodshed. Teach us and our enemies to love one another and stop the violence. I pray for the day Your kindom reigns and there are no more wars. What a glorious day it will be.

Father, I pray for our enemies. Help them see your love and turn from their evil ways. Help them see us as human beings rather than infidels.

Father, I pray for our country. Help us live by your Godly principles. Grant us peace and prosperity. But ultimately, may Your will be done. Amen.

Knowing When to Quit

2005-11-04T15:50:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else think this is sexy? Everyone is raving about her and how good she looked last night. Personally, I think she looks like a 47 year old hooker. Seriously, if you saw that walking down the street in any major US city, what would you think?

Goldwater Lives On

2005-11-04T08:26:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while I turn out to be wrong. That may come as a shock to some of you. Some of you probably think it is only once in a while that I turn out to be right. One thing about me though, when I know I'm wrong, I admit it. I don't put spin on it or try to repair the damage. And a few weeks ago, I was wrong.

I said the conservative movement in America was dead. I was wrong. It is alive and well and it is gaining momentum.

Right now it appears things are in complete turmoil for the conservative movement. The President's poll numbers are down. The recent hurricanes have led to unprecedented promises of federal aid for the victims. By the media's portrayal, the Iraq War is going poorly (even though I think the recent draft constitution and elections aren't too shabby). The President's Supreme Court Nominee had to withdraw her name in embarrassment. Tom Delay was indicted And on top of it all the White House is wrapped up in a media manufactured scandal over the pre-war intelligence. All of this suggests the conservative movement has no direction and is on the verge of complete collapse.

But hidden behind the recent headlines is clear evidence that conservatives still have the power to influence politicians and force their will. When Tom Delay said there was no more pork to cut from the federal budget, conservative budget watchdog groups quickly condemned the statement. Now the new federal budget in the Senate is laced with spending and tax cuts.

When the President nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, he asked conservatives to "trust me". When asked for her qualifications, we were told "she's an evangelical" as if we should all be reassured that she will vote against abortion. For true conservatives, this was exactly what we didn't want. For years we have been railing against judges who legislate from the bench. Nominating a judge that would legislate in our favor was a gross misread of the conservative position. The argument for true conservatives is not that abortion is murder. That is the argument of the religious right. For true conservatives, the argument is that abortion should be left up to the state legislatures to decide. So when they smelled a nominee who would simply outlaw abortion, they worked to correct the situation. Many prominent conservatives either openly spoke out against the nomination or silently witheld their support. As a result, the President was forced to withdraw his nomination and replace Miers with Alito, a proven conservative with a long track record of upholding the strict constructionist view of the constitution.

Adding to the strength displayed by the conservative movement is the complete implosion by the democratic party. Conservatives understand that political movements are created and fueled by ideas. Liberals have forgotten this. They seem to think their only options are to obstruct and undermine. Their stunt in shutting down the Senate this week illustrates how futile their position is. They have no plan. They have no ideas. All they can do is promise their best to stop the republicans. This is good for conservatives, but bad for America because right now we are only getting one side of the argument out there.

The mistake I made in declaring the conservative movement dead was assuming that President Bush was the head conservative. He is not. There is no head of the conservative movement. Conservativism is an ideology, not a political party or a religion. It is a way of thinking and a way of life. Conservativism is about freedom, equal opportunity, limited government and personal responsibility. These are ideas that people can identify with. It is bigger than any one person or group of people. It has grown considerably in the past years and it will continue to grow. Of this I am now confident.

The Smear Machine

2005-11-03T10:10:00.000-05:00

I hate politics. I really do. But oddly enough I can't stop following it. It's like watching a train wreck or rubbernecking to see an accident on the highway. I just can't look away. But what I see sometimes shocks me and makes me angry.

When President Bush nominated Sam Alito to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court, it took Chuck Shumer about 5 minutes to organize a press conference to say what a terrible pick he was. That was bad enough, but yesterday CNN ran a story calling Alito a draft dodger for joining the Reserves to avoid being drafted into Vietnam. There was absolutely no point to the story other than to make Alito look like a coward and get a few shots in at Bush and Cheney again.

Alito did nothing illegal. Nobody is saying he went AWOL like they claimed with Bush. It's not like he fled to Canada, or England. He realized he was about to be forced to join the military, so he did so on his own terms. He served his country admirably for 12 years in the military.

Nobody wanted to get drafted during Vietnam. It's not fair to judge people today based on what they did when they were 19 years old. Today if a soldier flees to Canada rather than participate in the Iraq War, they are called a "Conscientious Objector" in the media. But a man who served his country honorably during the Vietnam War is called a draft dodger. What's wrong with this picture? It's politics, and I hate it.

The New Vagabond

2005-10-24T13:05:00.000-04:00

Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you.
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you.
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore.
Strike another match, go start anew
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.

Bob Dylan (It's All Over Now, Baby Blue)

Bob Dylan started out as a folk singer. It was a way for him to pay the bills. For millions of folk music fans, he was supposed to carry the torch passed on from Woody Guthrie, who was on his deathbed in the mid 60's as Dylan came of age. But Dylan wanted to break out of the mold of the folk singer and wanted to explore new musical avenues. He started experimenting with electrical instruments. His folk music fans were outraged. They felt betrayed that Dylan was turning his back on the folk singing traditions of Guthrie. Dylan tried to appease his folk fans by mixing accoustic and electric instruments. He tried to be apologetic and asked for their understanding and support. It didn't matter. Wherever he went they booed when he broke out the electric instruments. Finally, Dylan had enough. After playing an entire concert with accoustic and electric instruments to a chorus of booes, Dylan ended the show by playing "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," the final stanza of which is quoted above. To get the full effect of the significance of the song, go back and read the verse again. When he finished the song he walked off the stage. Every album he made after that used electric instruments, and he never apologized again.

All of that has nothing to do with the following. I just think it's a great story that few people have ever heard.

The Indigent Blogger has invited me to be a contributor at Vagabondia. All I can say is thanks, and that he obviously knows talent when he sees it. I'm not sure what my new role is going to be, but I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts on his blog as well as continuing The Deep Freeze.

The Indigent Blogger has always impressed me with his knowledge and research skills. Anybody I have ever seen try to go toe to toe with him in a political argument quickly finds themselves burried under a mountain of facts and references. While I don't pretend to be nearly as smart as he is in laying out a detailed argument, I think I excel at putting life and society into a perspective few people see. I guess you could say I try to be the Bob Dylan of the blogosphere. In that way I think I will compliment him well on Vagabondia. So please visit Vagabondia and bookmark it as part of your daily reading. And keep tuning in here since I plan to continue The Deep Freeze.

Hey IB, how much does this gig pay?

Weekly Prayer

2005-10-24T10:18:00.000-04:00

Today, Father, I thank you for the life of my Grandmother, Anita, who passed away this morning. Bingo Gram, as we affectionately called her, was a special person. I thank you that she is now at peace and in your arms.

She lived a difficult life, Father, as you know. The last third of her life was riddled with medical problems that caused her much suffering. Finally, her pain is over. For that I am thankful.

I thank you for the opportunity I had to know her for the first 31 years of my life. I thank you that she was there to see me graduate from highschool and college. I thank you that she was there when I got married. And I thank you that she was alive to meet my son and her great grandson, Nathan. These past ten months were particularly difficult for her. I know that Nathan was one of the few things that gave her joy in her heart. For that I am thankful.

I need your strength, Father. I need to hold myself together to be there for my family. I know my mother is taking this particularly hard. They were very close. Please be with my family and give them the peace I have of knowing that Bingo Gram is in a better place. I know she is with you because I know she loved your son, Jesus. I can remember going to her house a child and playing on her organ. She used to play us songs like "Jesus loves me" and other hymns from church. Although circumstances in her life made it too difficult for her to attend church in her later years, I know she loved you. I could see Christ in her heart every day. And for that I am thankful.

Father, I pray that Sarah and I could be shining examples of your love and peace this week as we mourn her loss and celebrate her life. Let our family members see you in our hearts. Help them see that it is only through you that we can achieve eternal life and salvation. Use us to convey the good news of Christ.

Finally, Father, thank you for your son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven. It is only through your holy grace that we can escape death and achieve everlasting life. It is a gift we do not deserve. I thank you and pray for all of this in the name of your Holy Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

No More Bling Bling

2005-10-20T17:30:00.000-04:00

Like most Americans, I enjoy watching sports. They serve as a healthy diversion from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind. They provide an opportunity to forget your cares for a few hours. True fans like myself like to watch what goes on off of the playing field as much as what happens on the playing field. Sometimes the off field events are just as interesting as the games. Often we find sports serves as a microcosm of life and society. This week provided one of those examples.
David Stern, the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has instituted a dress code that all of the players have to follow when appearing in off court public events sanctioned by the league. No more headbands in press conferences. No more getting off the team bus with your baseball cap turned sideways. No more wearing retro jerseys while sitting on the bench. No more taking pre-game warmups with your headphones on. Players are expected to dress business casual which means slacks, sports jacket, no more gold chains, no sun glasses indoors, and no headgear. NBA now stands for No Bling Anymore.

The sports radio talk shows have been buzzing all week over this new policy. Many people are defending the policy saying Stern is just trying to improve the image of the league to increase revenue. Others say the policy is racist because it elevates white culture over black culture.

Anyone who says the policy was racially motivated is wrong. David Stern and the NBA are not in the social engineering business. They aren't even in the basketball business. They are in the money making business. This policy is all about money. A few years ago the NBA was on top of the sports world. Stars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Charles Barkley filled the seats with their spectacular play. But what made them appeal to the average American was their personalities. Off the court they seemed like nice guys. They wore suits before and after the game. They had smiles that made corporations line up to sign them to endorse their products. They didn't have tattoos, or piercings, or gold chains, or cornrows. These guys knew that in order to be successful they needed to appeal to white corporate America.

In the past several years since these players all retired, the image of the NBA has suffered. A new generation of players have moved in. Basically, Generation X has taken over. They want to show off their individuality. They have the Gen X attitude of "judge me on my results, not how I look and act." For Baby Boomers like David Stern, NBA owners, and other boomer fans who are now at the peak of their income earning potential, this is hard to accept. As a result, ticket sales have suffered. Television ratings for the past few NBA Championship series have been abysmal. As Commissioner, Stern had to do something. He realizes if his product is going to survive, he has to appeal to corporate America which controls the money.

The division created by this policy illustrates the problems created by multiculturalism. African American players see this as an attack on their culture which encourages individuality and self expression. When will people understand that different cultures can never be considered equal in a world where cultural differences are celebrated. By saying your culture is special, you are by definition saying certain aspects of your culture are better than other cultures. What people find harder to accept is the flipside of that argument. If there are superior characteristics to your culture, there must also be inferior characteristics to your culture. When these characteristics are pointed out, people tend to act with outrage and indignation. This is what we see acting out in the NBA this week.

Frankly, I agree with the policy. My company makes me adhere to a dress code. They have an image they want to portray. They demand their employees show a minimum amount of decorum and professionalism. I have no problem with that because everybody is subject to the same rules. The NBA is a corporation. The players are the employees. As CEO, Stern has every right to dictate the image his employees should portray to their customers, the fans. I lost interest in the NBA years ago after my favorite player, Michael Jordan, retired (the second time, not the first or third). Before that I watched the NBA on a regular basis. Now I see the league as a bunch of spoiled thugs with chips on their shoulders who make way too much money for playing a game. That's my perception, my paradigm. Maybe if the league can change my perception I will once again find myself watching games and buying their products. I hope they succeed. It seems like the time between the Super Bowl and opening day in baseball keeps getting longer every year.

Disturbing Trends

2005-10-19T09:56:00.000-04:00

My fellow Americans, I have stumbled onto a new cause for global warming. Compare these two charts. For reference, the first chart depicts global temperatures. Take a look. Note how the global temperatures are rising with a sharp rise in the past 20 years.

Now take a look at this chart that shows the rate of violent crime against males and females:

Notice how the crime rate has been steadily falling over the past 20 years in exact step with the rise in global warming. Clearly this demonstrates that peace and good will toward man is causing global warming. From this we can deduce that violent crime must significantly reduce green house gas emissions which are warming our planet.

Now that we know this, we must act. Go out and punch somebody today. Stabbing or shooting would be better. The crime trends suggest punching males may be more effective than punching females since the rate in male victim crime has fallen more significantly. We must hurry if we are going to save our planet. It may already be too late.

The Rural Party

2005-10-18T12:42:00.000-04:00

I think it's time we do away with the current two party system of Republicans and Democrats and divide the country on our true basis: that of Rural America and Urban America.

When you think about it, the division has been there since the beginning of our country. When they ratified the constitution, the larger states wanted representation in Congress to be based on population while the smaller states wanted equal representation regardless of population. The Civil War was a battle between the urban industrialized northern states and the rural agricultural southern states. Today we are split up between the red and blue states with red being rural and blue being urban. When it comes down to it, all of the differences between the two parties come down to the difference between urban and rural.

Urban people live in densely populated areas. They are exposed to more cultures and ethnicities and they have to tolerate them in order to keep the peace. They enforce political correctness in order to do so. Rural America tends to not be as socially diverse. As such they don't care as much about political correctness. Urban America incorrectly views this as being insensitive toward other cultures. In fact Rural American is not intolerant of other cultures, they just aren't exposed to them as much through no fault of their own, so they don't obsess over political correctness like Urban America does. And why should they? Where they live there is no need to.

Urban people are perceived to be more pro-environment than Rural America. Look at where they live. If I lived on the fifth floor of a highrise in Manhattan constantly bombarded with the noise of the street below and had to walk 20 blocks to Central Park in order to see a tree and escape the smell of car exhaust, I would probably think the planet was being destroyed too. But Rural America is quite beautiful, and the people who live there work to keep it that way. While they don't travel to protest Congress, the White House, the UN, or the G8 Summits, they care for and respect the environment on a daily basis. Rivers and streams in Rural America are full of fish and wildlife. Would you eat anything you pulled out of the Hudson River? If you could take a 10 minute drive and be in pristine wilderness that had not been touched since it was created, would you feel a sense of urgency to shut down the local factory that employed 50% of your town?

Rural America believes religion should have a prominent position in any community. Drive through any small town in the midwest or the south and you will see churches at the center of town. They believe the church community is the best way to help their fellow man. In Urban America, churches are viewed as exclusive and intolerant toward other religions. Organizations that accentuate differences must not be encouraged in order to keep the peace.

Rural America doesn't have many resources. Small towns may have three or four policeman total. They may have a small volunteer fire department and one courthouse at the county seat. Problems are often handled in house. Parents take an active role in the PTA, Cub Scouts, and other activities pertaining to raising children. There is very little dependence on government. There is an understanding among neighbors that everyone must respect and help each other. In Urban America, there are too many people to help them all. People develop hardened hearts toward their fellow man. Nobody expects their fellow man to come to their rescue so they turn toward the government to solve their problems. It becomes the job of the government to set up soup kitchens and homeless shelters. It's the government's job to make sure you have affordable housing and healthcare. They expect government to run the schools effectively. They depend on the government to make sure daycare costs don't get out of control.

The differences go on and on. If anyone can think of any others, please post them in the comments. It's time we stop using the political buzzwords "Republican" and "Democrat". Everyone throw out their voter registration cards and let's start the Rural and Urban Parties and call a spade a spade.

Treading Water

2005-10-13T11:18:00.000-04:00

I'm in a serious funk this month. These past few weeks have been crazy for me. I have been on the road it seems for two weeks straight. I spent six hours in the Cincinnati airport yesterday waiting for my plane to take off. Same old story with US Air. "Ground delay in Philadelphia." Story of my life. My plane finally landed in Philly at 9:30 last night. I carried my luggage on the plane so in 30 minutes I was in my car and on my way home. Night time road construction on the Blue Route made the normal 30 minute trip take an hour. I just wanted to get home, even if it was already too late to kiss Nathan goodnight. I pulled in the driveway and hit the garage door opener. There in my space was the collection of junk my wife dragged up from the basement to sell in the yard sale that got rained out last weekend. Guess I'll be parking in the driveway. Great.

I walked in the door to the dimly lit kitchen. There was the dog waiting at the door to greet me. She looked like she just woke up from a nap on the couch. Her eyes looked sleepy as she stretched and let out a yawn. Little did she know she was less than a day away from going to the kennel (or "puppy camp" as we like to call it.) The wife and Nathan were upstairs in bed, one of them fast asleep, the other waiting up for me. I tried to sneak in to see the kid, but he heard the door open and sat up in his crib. His tired eyes peaked at me through the bars on the crib. I think I startled him. He let out a whimper, so I quietly closed the door having only poked my head in. I listened to see if he would go back to sleep. Silence. Music to a parent's ears.

It was good to be home, even if it is just for a day. Tonight we go to the Foo Fighters concert at the Wachovia Center, then we get an 8 AM flight tomorrow morning for Nashville to go to a wedding in my wife's family. A plane ride on two hours of sleep with a one year old. On top of it all, the wedding is scheduled to take place right in the middle of the Penn State - Michigan game.

I do manage to have some fun on the road. I can't stand sitting in my hotel room, which is why I don't blog much when I travel. I prefer to spend time with the friends and co-workers I rarely see. Sometimes I just drive around the local areas to get a flavor for what life is like there. It always reminds this boy how much he loves Pennsylvania. Sometimes when I'm on the road I just go to the bar and watch the game on TV or something. Anything to get out of the hotel room.

I have just about completely fallen out of the news cycle these past few weeks. I don't catch the news much when I'm travelling. I might buy a USA Today in the airport to read on the plane. I can stomach the sports and money section, but after that the whole newspaper is pretty much garbage. There are so many pictures I feel like I am reading a newspaper for people with ADD. Many hotels only have CNN for news channels. A few minutes of listening to their pundits attack Bush is about all I can take.

Falling out of the news cycle has made me feel apathetic. I don't care anymore. I get the impression a lot of America feels the same way. Nobody is talking politics in the bars, restaurants, and airports I visit. I get the impression people are disgusted with the mud slinging coming from both sides. The two political parties have reached a stalemate. Politicians don't seem to want to tackle big problems anymore. It seems they just want to get elected so they can get their name on a big school, building, or bridge in their district before they start collecting their big pension and using the contacts they make while in office to get rich. Nothing major seems to be getting done. Everyone seems content to maintain the status quo. We're treading water.

Truthfully, I don't even care. I'm just focused on trying to make it in the world. I will still be involved in politics and supporting policies that try to keep government out of my life. In the end that's all I really want. Don't do me any favors. Don't ask me for anything, and I won't ask you for anything. Just leave me alone. But unless it directly effects me, I don't care. Don't bother me. I promise to take all responsibility for anything that happens to me and not point the finger if my house floods and George W. Bush doesn't personally fly the helicopter in to save me. Listen to me. I'm 31 years old and already becoming a grumpy old man.

WE'RE BACK!!!

2005-10-01T23:47:00.000-04:00

Hail to the Lion, Loyal and True Hail Alma Mater, with her White and Blue
Penn State Forever, Mother of Men (and women)
Fight for Her Honor, FIGHT! And Victory Again!!!

Penn State had an impressive 44-14 win over #18 Minnesota today. The game wasn't even as close as the score. This moves Penn State to 5-0 (2-0 Big Ten) and they will surely crack the Top 25 in the new poll tomorrow after almost a three year absence. For a man who has been a Penn State fan ever since he was old enough to hold a football, went to school at Penn State, attented evey home game of the undefeated 1994 season (we were so robbed!), and bleeds Blue and White if you cut him open...all is right with the world tonight.

Next week we play Ohio State. That will be our first real test of the season. I have my ticket. Tune in to ESPN at 8 PM and look for me in the sea of 109,000 people.

Weekly Prayer

2005-09-27T14:30:00.000-04:00

Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for the gorgeous weather we are seeing in Pennsylvania this afternoon. Thank you for the rain we had yesterday. Please send more.

Thank you for your mercy toward my friends, family, and co-workers that were in the path of Hurricane Rita. Thank for you for sparing their lives. Please be with them and everyone who was affected by the storm. Give them strength and encouragement as they pick up the pieces of their lives and move on. Bless those who have donated their time and money to help people they do not know. They are wonderful people doing your work.

Lord, show us your glorious plan for us. Shine your light upon us. Forgive us for our sins and our transgressions. Thank you that your mercy shines on us every day. We are the clay and you are the potter. Form us into jars and fill us with your spirit. Help us feel the joy of knowing you. Amen.

Philisophical Discussion Revisited

2005-09-26T08:48:00.000-04:00

We have some new comments on the Philisophical Discussion so I thought I would open it back up to debate. I like to check the site meter at the bottom of the page occassionally to learn about who is viewing my site and how they find it. I'm always surprised how many people find this site by typing "philisophical discussion" into an internet search engine. I'm also surprised how many people type "deep freeze crack" into their search engine. I'm not sure what that is all about.

Anyway, the fact that people are looking for philisophical discussion tells me there are people out there looking for answers. If this stupid collection of bytes and pixels I call The Deep Freeze helps them do that, then I want to encourage it. So I am going to put a permanent link to the Philisophical Discussion on the right side of the page. Please take the time to check it occassionally and comment as you feel led.

The Third Wheel

2005-09-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

Democrats are just giddy lately, don't you think? Bush has had an awful summer that saw the momentum on his social security plan sputter, Cindy Sheehan drum up new anti-war protests, and a botched hurricane response in New Orleans. His poll numbers are at an all time low near 40%. Like sharks in the water smelling blood, the democrats are in a frenzy to attack the President and rip him to shreds. Some say the Bush presidency is over only nine months into his second term. He's a lame duck. They think they have won.

Already people are looking forward to the 2008 election. I can't remember any presidential campaign starting this early. Nobody was talking about the 2000 election in 1997. Already people are starting to call Hillary Clinton "Ms. President." But Hillary is in a tough spot right now. She has been grooming herself for the Presidency ever since she joined the Senate. She quickly landed a seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and started making trips to Iraq to collect film and photos of her spending time with the troops. She knows a democrat cannot get elected on an anti-war platform. But her shift to the right has left a power vacuum on the left. Cindy Sheehan is evidence of that vacuum. People on the left are desperate for someone to cling on to. This week Al Gore has started ratcheting up the anti-war rhetoric. Some speculate the former Vice President may be making a run for 2008. This puts Hillary in the tough position of having to please the anti-war left while still appealing to the moderate Americans who are pro-war. What we are seeing is the splitting of the Democratic party.

Now before the Republicans start rejoicing over the democratic ineptitude, they should examine their own house first. Conservatives elected Bush to cut taxes, privatize social security, and balance the budget. The old country song used to go "One out of three aint bad." In this case, one out of three stinks. The neocons are disgusted with Bush's brand of "compassionate conservatism." This president has yet to veto a single spending bill. With no threat to their pork projects, Congress openly defies this president as evident by their total disregard for setting a cap on the transportation bill this summer. They openly went over the number the president threatened to veto, and this president signed the bill anyway. He has no teeth. Now Bush proposes spending $200 billion to rebuild New Orleans in a project the scope of which our federal government has never attempted. The neocons are outraged. The party is ripe for a split.

So what we have in this country is really four factions. We have the far left which hates the war and takes joy in seeing America being embarrassed in the eyes of the world because they feel it makes President Bush look bad. They favor a society that taxes the rich and gives to the poor. We have the moderate left that likes the social programs of the New Deal and feels government has a responsibility to end poverty, but they also think America must have a strong military presence and must confront terrorism openly on the battlefield. We have moderate republicans who are pro-war and think government has a responsiblity to help those in need, but should not foster a life of dependence. And then we have the neocons who are pro-war and think socially it is the job of the government to level the playing field, but after that it is every man for himself.

On both sides of the aisle politicians try to ride two horses at the same time. It becomes a game of trying to secure the radical base while appealing to the moderate wing. But the two radical wings are becoming so far apart it is creating a vacuum in the middle. I think America is ripe for a third party to swoop in and scoop up all of those moderates who don't agree with their radical base. I can see the moderate left joining with the moderate right to form a new party.

The problem is this new party will be still be called either Republican or Democrat. Our country is just set up for a two party system. It's too hard to change that now. The election laws are written so that it takes a large amount of organization to get on the ballot. New startup parties can't do it. And if they could, the mainstream media would not treat them like realistic candidates (where was Ralph Nader during the 2000 and 2004 debates?). That is the reality. The leader of the new party will have to come from one of the two existing parties. I envision a fundamental shift in the country like what we saw under Reagan and his "Reagan Democrats." The country was equally divided back then just a few years removed from the Vietnam war, facing double digit inflation and unemployment. The Reagan movement pulled the country to the right toward supply side economics and a strong military. The result was 25 years of unprecedented economic boom and the end of the cold war. Hopefully the new order can be equally successful.

Deja Vu

2005-09-22T13:42:00.000-04:00

Just a few weeks removed from Hurricane Katrina the Gulf Coast once again is bracing for a bitch named Rita. It appears that Rita is headed for the small coastal town of Galveston, TX.

I was fortunate back in March to attend a convention in Galveston. It was my first time there. It was a typical beach town, but unlike any I remember seeing here on the east coast. The town was very diverse in its demographics. The streets were populated with whites, blacks, hispanics and asians. But they all seemed to share a common bond in that they were mostly poor. The homes were modest and employment seemed scarce outside of the tourist industry. In the hotel I stayed at they prominently displayed old pictures of the Hotel Galvez which was built in 1911. The people of Galveston are extremely proud of their history, but there was a certain eeriness to the town.

Even though most of the locals are a generation removed, they still talk about the hurricane that wiped out the town in 1900 and killed twelve thousand people. There was no federal government to evacuate people. There were no 24 hour weather channels and weather services to warn people of the impending danger. Fishermen who had been out to sea reported there was a storm coming, but nobody could anticipate how ferocious it was. There were no school busses to evacuate people in large numbers. Everybody was left to fend for themselves. Most of them died. Those that were left rebuilt without any help from the outside. After the hurricane they built up a large seawall and elevated the entire city by 17 feet. It was a marvel of engineering.

The streets of Galveston had a strange feeling to them when I visited in March. The town looked like it has the potential to be a major tourist destination, but yet the streets were often empty and quiet except for the old trolley that still operates. It was as if the town was inhabited by the ghosts of the 12,000 people who died in that hurricane one hundred years ago. Many homes were boarded up and appeared abandoned. It is a small island, maybe only a mile wide at some points, so wherever you go you are constantly reminded about the devestation whenever you see the gigantic seawall. It serves as a constant reminder of the past as well as a warning that the city lies in the path of a major storm sure to hit the tiny island some day in the future.

All indications are that the future is this Saturday. On the news they are saying there is a mass exodous from Galveston today. I-45 looked like a parting lot this morning as people flooded the highway to take the only bridge off the island. After Katrina everybody is being cautious and evacuating early. Our elected officials want a second chance to show everybody they know how to do it right. But long before Katrina there was Galveston. Bob Dylan said, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." And the people of Galveston didn't need Katrina to tell them to get out of town.

The Final Frontier

2005-09-21T09:43:00.000-04:00

Oh no. It appears global warming is worse than we thought.

Weekly Prayer

2005-09-20T09:22:00.000-04:00

I have decided to start doing a weekly post I will entitle "Weekly Prayer." It will be a prayer between me and God that I have chosen to share with all of you. It will concern my thoughts on current events and our society in general. Occasionally I may include some personal requests. It will be a prayer from my perspective. Due to the personal nature of prayer, I will not be allowing comments on it. I'm not doing this for politics so I will not allow political commentary. It is not something that is meant to be picked apart. On the flip side, it is also not something that is meant to be applauded. The glory goes to God. Not me. So without further delay, here is the prayer for the week:

Father, thank you for your many blessings. I thank you that I have a loving wife and an adorable son. Thank you for giving me the means to support myself and them. Thank you for your everlasting love.

Lord, lately racism has been heavy on my heart. While interacting with people recently I have been accused of being a racist for comments I made concerning the victims in New Orleans. It hurts, God. I don't feel like a racist. I don't wish ill will on people because of the color of their skin. But maybe I am a subconscious racist, as one person called me. Maybe by not favoring social programs designed to lift people out of poverty I am unknowingly discriminating against people I know are a higher proportion of minorities. You know my heart, Lord. If I am a racist, help me see that. Open my eyes to see the hatred in my heart.

I have doubts about this country, Lord. Serious doubts. I look into my son's eyes and I wonder what kind of country we are leaving for him and his children. Help us, Father. Help us see your righteousness and turn from evil. Help us end the corruption in our government and hate in our society and base our country on your Godly principles of love, kindness, compassion, and mercy. But ultimately may Your will be done. Amen.

Leadership

2005-09-16T10:07:00.000-04:00

In criticizing President Bush's speech last night, John Kerry said, "Leadership isn't a speech or a toll free number."

Of course not. We all know that leadership is saying you have a plan and directing people to go read your website.

Hat Tip: Blogs for Bush

Conspiracy Theory

2005-09-16T09:49:00.000-04:00

This one is worthy of DailyKos:

What if Karl Rove came up with the idea to evacuate all those people from New Orleans to Texas. Think about it. New Orleans is a heavily democratic urban area in an otherwise rural (red) state. Thousands of people have been moved to Texas, a solid red state. Many of these people, according to polling data, are planning on growing new roots in Texas rather than go back. I haven't heard anybody promise these people transportation back to Louisiana. Let's review the effects.

Now New Orleans, a heavily democratic area, has been reduced in population increasing the chances of the state going to the Republicans in future elections. Those people that were removed were transplanted to a heavly red state where their voting block has been severly watered down rendering them rather ineffective in future elections. Do I smell a conspiracy? How long do you think it will be before the left picks up on this?

Compassionate Conservatism

2005-09-15T22:06:00.000-04:00

I just got done watching the President's speech live from New Orleans. I thought overall it was a good speech. He provided reassurance that the federal government will help those who have to rebuild their lives. That is what the country needs right now, especially the people on the Gulf coast. They need to hear that life will go on and they are not alone.

I thought Bush scored some major points when he talked about the inequality of life before the storm and how we have a responsibility to rebuild the community better than ever. He spelled out specific plans to promote home ownership and minority entrepreneurship. He showed he is a compassionate man who cares about minorities despite what Kayne West has to say. Unfortunately, I'm sure the left idealogues like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the left wing blogosphere will be out in full force tomorrow telling blacks not to believe him. It really is a shame the left will not allow minorities to give him a chance.

I am concerned as a conservative how we are going to afford a $200 billion reconstruction effort. A few months ago we were happy to see the federal deficit for the year coming in $200 billion less than originally projected. Now that is gone. If Mr. Bush ever gets done fighting wars and rebuilding hurricane disaster areas, he needs to tackle the federal deficit problem if he truly wants to leave a lasting legacy.

Update - 9/16/05 Other thoughts from the President's speech:

I wish this president showed more leadership sometimes. This is a trend with all presidents ever since maybe Reagan. Presidents don't ask the American people to do anything anymore except give money. All we heard last night was a bunch of promises about what the government is going to do. I come away this morning asking myself what can I do? I have already given money, but isn't there something else I can do short of getting on a plane and going to Louisiana to help rebuild? That's what leaders are for. The President had a golden opportunity last night to give the American people a simple list of things they can do like: donate blood, donate clothing and furniture to the salvation army, ration gasoline and conserve energy. He passed it up.

Leadership means giving direction and delegating tasks, not just throwing money at the problem. I suspect this president as well as most recent politicians are not willing to ask the country to sacrifice. I think they fear that if they ask America to tighten their belts and their purse strings a little bit they will be committing political suicide. Imagine how inspirational it would have been last night if the President had asked the American people to try to limit themselves to 10 gallons of gasoline a week beyond what they needed to get to work. Then to prove he just wasn't paying lip service he pledged to personally reduce the fuel consumption of Air Force One, Marine One, and his SUV convoys by 25% by cutting down on his travel. (Let's face it, does he really need to keep traveling to Iowa to talk about farm subsidies or Florida and Arizona to talk about Social Security? Or keep flying to Crawford every weekend?) Or what if he asked all Americans to set their air conditioning at 75 degrees instead of 70 degrees or turn it off all together and sleep with the windows open? These are simple things Americans can do and I would bet most Americans would be willing to do. Making simple requests like this would provide more leadership than saying "I have troops and money and everything is under control."

We're All Human

2005-09-14T21:36:00.000-04:00

While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But sometimes even the President of the United States
Sometimes must have to stand naked.

- Bob Dylan- "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"

In case you can't read the note, President Bush is writing a note to Condi Rice during their meeting at the United Nations that says "I think I may need a bathroom break."

Judicial Activism

2005-09-14T14:22:00.000-04:00

This just in from Drudge: A federal judge has declared The Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. I know we all know it, but here it is for review:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which is stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

I haven't had a chance to read the court ruling yet since it hasn't been posted. I'm curious to see what the judge has to say. I suspect he says it is wrong to call our nation a "Republic...under God." I will save my comments on the ruling until I can learn more. In the mean time I found this interesting bit on the history of the pledge.

*Update* - Drudge gets me all in a tizzy when he flashes that red and blue siren light. This is the case that was kicked out by the Supreme Court a few years ago when they ruled Michael Newdow could not sue on behalf of his daughter of whom he did not have custody. The Supreme Court effectively kicked the can down the road on that one. Now the case is back.

The federal judge in this case claims he was bound by the precedent set by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals a few years ago. Understandable. He cannot overrule a higher court than his. The case will now go back to the 9th Circuit. Unless they overturn their own precedent, which is highly unlikely, this case will be going back to the Supreme Court.

Ankle Biting Pundits via Michelle Malkin points out this bodes poorly for the Democrats at this time. It overshadows their message as Washington gears up for the biggest Supreme Court battle in decades. This ruling is going to remind the moderate public that certain judges want to remove God from all public forums, which is still vastly unpopular with the American people. Now the Democrats are going to have to appear as if they want to keep God in the Pledge, even though they don't. This will make it harder for them to oppose President Bush's nominees.

It Started with a Dream

2005-09-14T13:28:00.000-04:00

This past year I feel like I have grown considerably. Maybe it's my new job. Maybe it is being a parent (My son is one year old tomorrow. Shout out to the Nate Dawg!). Maybe it is this blog. Maybe I've just been listening to too much Bob Dylan.

When I started this blog I was a solid republican. I think too much so. I admit I was drinking the Koolaide. I started out wanting this blog to argue for the conservative agenda. Since then things have changed. I have changed. I realized I don't like to argue with people. I don't want to be a talking head for the Republican party. I want to exchange ideas. I want to go beyond the daily partisan bickering of Supreme Court nominees, hurricanes, the Iraq war, Karl Rove, Social Security, and taxes. I want to reach a consensus with people. I want to find the truth.

Lately I have had some writer's block. It's not that I don't have anything to write about. On the contrary, I think I have too much I want to say. My nineth grade English teacher used to tell us for really great writers, getting their thoughts down on paper was like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. The ideas come too fast for them to write them all down on paper. That is how I feel right now. I want to explore the inner-workings of our society and break things down. I want to provide a perspective to our society that everyone can agree with because I feel once we all agree on a common ground it is then and only then we can begin to reach compromise.

Unfortunately, to do that would take more than I have time to write in one day and limit to one post. I am considering splitting it up into multiple posts. Call them chapters if you like. Maybe this is the start of a book. The past few days I have been working on the outline in my head. It would encompass a history about how we got to this point, what the two sides of the aisle see as our current position, and what both sides of the aisle see as our future direction. It would touch on issues of economics, society, race, gender, and culture. My goal would be to provide an objective perspective on these issues with no spin. I'm not out to praise conservatives and criticize liberals. I'm seeking to understand both and to each provide an understanding of the other side. You can see how all of this is too big to put into one post.

My initial thoughts for an outline go something like this:

1. The World Through the Eyes of Liberals
2. The World Through the Eyes of Conservatives
3. How Liberals Came to be so Liberal
4. How Conservatives Came to be so Conservative
5. How Both Sides View Racism
6. How Both Sides View the Role of Government
7. How Both Sides View the Media
8. How Both Sides View yada yada yada...you get the picture.
9. The Truth. Hopefully by the endI/we will be able to conclude that the truth is neither liberal or conservative, but rather someplace in the middle. The final chapter will attempt to spell it all out.

Like I said, this is just a rough outline I'm working in my head. I may not even have time to put together something this massive, but I'm excited about doing it. So why am I telling you all this? I guess I want to warn you the pace of my posts may slow down. Maybe I will post each chapter in the sidebar and continue doing several smaller less in depth posts while I'm writing my book. Maybe I will start a new blog all together devoted solely to my vision and provide a link on this space with alerts when new chapters are posted. (That idea just came to me while I was typing and I like the sound of it.) Anyway, I'm interested in anyone's input. What are the topics you would like to see addressed? What advice would you provide? If I use your suggestions I will be sure to note you in the acknowledgements section in the back of the book if it ever gets printed, but don't expect any royalties. Write your own damn book, sucka!

Someone Explain This to Me.

2005-09-12T15:39:00.000-04:00

I don't know how anyone can claim George Bush is insensitive toward minorities and then sanction something like this Crescent of Embrace memorial in Shanksville, PA. How can anyone be so ignorant to not see the correlation between this memorial and the Red Crescent of the Muslim religion? Several Arab countries incorporate this into the design of their flags. This is the equivalent of the Cross to the Christian faith. I'm sure if they had designed a memorial shaped like a cross the ACLU would be filing lawsuit papers against the government to get it blocked. Conservatives are rightly outraged by this memorial design. I think liberals didn't take notice until they saw conservative outrage and decided to start supporting it out of spite. Now we see they once again side with the terrorists and prefer to give aid and comfort to those who wish to kill us rather than pay proper respect to those on flight 93 who faught valiantly on that September morning in 2001 to sacrifice their own lives to save the lives of those in Washington D.C. We have become so politically divided we cannot see past our own hate for fellow Americans. This is a sad time for our country.

Answered Prayers

2005-09-12T13:55:00.000-04:00

Almost two weeks after Katrina hit New Orleans it seems life is starting to get back to normal. Thank God, early indications on the death toll are not nearly as close as originally feared. Locals are starting to clean up and life is slowly getting back to normal. With each day the water receeds a little bit more and a few more people get municipal water, sewer, and power restored.

The Pittsburg Post Gazette reports the federal response to Katrina was not as bad as the media reported it to be. The National Guardsman he interviewed pointed out how the federal government cannot do anything until the state governor requests help which came late in the case of Katrina. And after that the military people and supplies cannot just be beamed in like a Star Trek episode. It takes days to mobilize the National Guard in calling people to duty, stocking supplies, issuing orders, and transporting them. In fact, the response to Katrina was faster than the reaction to past hurricanes Andrew, Iniki, Francine, and Jeanne. Some of the statistics and behind the scenes analysis in this article are quite interesting.

A Prayer For America

2005-09-12T08:58:00.000-04:00

Father God, thank you for the freedoms we enjoy in this great country. Thank you that we can live in a land of opportunity and peace where all men and women are free to pursue their happiness. It is only through you that we can enjoy such freedom.

We are a country that has lost its way and wandered from your will. We take the gifts you have given us for granted. We are selfish. We crave things we do not need in order to impress people we do not know. Sexual immorality has infiltrated and plagues our society. The world tells us it is ok to give in to our sinful desires. It is ok to want things. It is ok to give in to your sexual cravings. It is ok to lust after your neighbor's wife.

Have mercy on us, oh Lord. Forgive us. Humble us. Let us see that these things we desire cannot give us happiness. Give us the wisdom to see that the only true source of happiness in this world is through your love. Lead us from temptation. Help us to see our evil ways and turn from them.

I pray for our leaders. I pray that they would seek your counsel. May you give them strength and wisdom to do what is right in accordance with your will for I know your will is righteous and just. Give them the courage to fight against those that wish to destroy us.

I pray for the American people. I pray that you would guide them them in their daily struggles against terrorism. I pray you would be with those who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Give them aid and comfort. Let them know that you have a plan for us that we can trust because you love us. Give strength and encouragement to those who have answered your call to assist those in need. I thank you for these people, Lord. They are soldiers in your army of angels determined to advance the Kingdom of God. Bless their hearts for they are extraordinary people.

Thank you again for your many blessings. I pray that your will be done and that we as a nation would glorify you.

Amen.

Never Forget

2005-09-11T21:19:00.000-04:00

Where Have You Gone, Barry Goldwater?

2005-09-09T09:58:00.000-04:00

My friends, it is with deep regret that today I declare the conservative movement in this country has lost. Socialism has won. It has weaved its way into our society and can never be removed. Hurricane Katrina is what has brought me to this conclusion.

I read through the Constitution this morning with particular emphasis on the powers of Congress. Nowhere in the document does is say anything about the government having the responsibility to evacuate people in the path of a natural disaster. Further reading gives no indication the United States government has any obligation to help people affected by a natural disaster. Yet today the government is taking heavy criticism for not doing enough to get people out before the storm and not doing enough to help people after the storm.

As a society we have come to take it for granted that the government will always be there for us. Government will solve all of our problems. We no argue over whether the government should get involved, instead we haggle over what level of involvement the government should have. And it is not just Katrina this applies to.

To too many people it has become a self evident truth that it is the federal government's job to fund your child's education.

To too many people it has become a self evident truth that it is the federal government's job to fund your retirement.

To too many people it has become a self evident truth that it is the federal government's job to give you free healthcare.

These are just a few examples of what socialism has conquered in this country. But socialism is not resting. Its tentacles continue to reach and grab on to more parts of our society. Many people think the federal government has an obligation to make sure you have a good job, live in a nice house, and drive a nice car. Going further than that, there are those that feel the government has an obligation to regulate your behaviour. Tell you what to eat, not to smoke and drink, what you should watch on television, what kind of car you should drive. It is only a matter of time before these too become "self evident truths."

We now live in a country where one out of every six people works for either their local, state, or federal government. One out of six. That is about 50 million Americans by my rough estimate. Government doesn't produce anything. It has no major revenue source other than taxes. All government can do is spend. The more people we have working for the government, the less we produce as a nation. Eventually we will end up in a cycle where everyone works for the government. That is communism, and we all know how that experiment worked out.

Right now I do not have much hope for our future. These programs have become too popular. The conservative movement cannot argue to remove them without committing political suicide. All we can do is argue over how much to allot to them. We have lost. America will never be the same as it was 100 years ago.

But life goes on. I have come to accept the reality in which I live. These socialist programs are never going away. All we as conservatives can do is try to reduce their scope and watch our public officials to make sure our money is being spent wisely. Sorry for the downer.

Fair and Balanced

2005-09-08T09:48:00.000-04:00

Every morning I listen to Michael Smerconish in my car on the way to work. Mike considers himself an independant whose views tend to align with the Republican party more often than the Democratic party. I consider myself much the same way. While I agree with many of the policies of the Republican party such as limited government and hawkish defense, I also disagree with a lot of things the party embraces such as immigration policy and free trade.

In his column today, Mike spells out 26 truths that all reasonable people, republicans and democrats, should be able to agree on. It's a great list. Read it and see what you think. Ask yourself "True or False?" before you read each line. I find myself agreeing with every point.

I Am Not a Racist

2005-09-07T14:32:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I think some people still think we are living in 1962 when it comes to race relations in this country. The honeymoon period after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast lasted about 24 hours before people were calling each other racists.

Over the weekend I saw a news report on television where a reporter questioned a black woman who claimed she was on the roof of her house watching the rescue helicopter fly over her repeatedly without picking her up. The lead in to the interview suggested the woman's race may have been a factor. Many notable black leaders, including Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Mayor Ray Nagin have suggested that if New Orleans had been inhabited by rich white people, the federal government would have responded further. They have also questioned why more of the people in charge of the relief effort aren't black.

While I was doing a google search to collect my thoughts for this post, I came across a post by Kirsten Anderberg that suggests Katrina was actually a form of racial "genocide". She claims that the only people who deny racism in this country are whites. It is a clever technique Ms. Anderberg uses. Call all white males racist. When they deny it, question their credibility since they are white males. Either admit to being a racist openly or be convicted based solely on your denial. That's fair.

I am tired of hearing the Christian white male being equated with racists. I am a Christian white male, and I am not a racist. I would never discriminate against someone based on the color of their skin. But the common perception is that whites are just ignorant to their own behavior and discriminate without even realizing they are doing it. As a result, the actions of whites toward blacks are constantly viewed through a prism of racism in the backs of our minds. The white helicopter pilot is called a racist because he passed over the black family sitting on their roof in order to save the elderly white woman stranded in three feet of rising water in her car. Is that fair to him?

Usually I don't even think about race. In fact in my conversations with fellow conservatives, race is rarely discussed. We don't make conscious efforts to discriminate. On the contrary, we usually go out of our way to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. When we suggest the 1% of Americans that pay 50% of the taxes should get a break we aren't even considering race. We just see an unfair tax system. When we balk at the idea of state run healthcare race isn't a factor, economics and making sure people get the proper care are. When we ask to see identification at the polls it isn't to intimidate minorities from voting, we just want to make sure people don't vote twice or in the wrong district. We want everyone to play by the same rules on a level playing field which is why we react with shock, outrage and denial when we are accused of racism.

I will never forget in my old job as a manager when I hired an African-American. While I was training this guy we talked about our personal lives while we got to know each other. He had a high school diploma with some college and 10 years experience in the military. One day the topic of college came up and I will never forget what he told me. He said, "Mike, you just don't understand. My folk (blacks) just don't have the opportunity to go to college like your folk (whites) do." I told him I completely disagreed with that. Everyone has the opportunity to go to college these days. No college turns you away because of the color of your skin. The government doesn't say you can't go to college. Financial aid is available to everyone to make college affordable. If you don't go to college it is because you chose not to, not because you can't.

But that is what is wrong with our society today when it comes to race. Minorities are told the forces are lined up against them and "The Man" is determined to keep them down. Many people prey on this mentality. They tell minorities "The Man" doesn't give a damn about them. They tell them "The Man" wants to increase their taxes so "The Man" can make more money. They tell them "The Man" wants to prevent them from voting so they can't improve their desperate situation. They tell them "The Man" doesn't want to educate their children so the next generation of their family can clean "The Man's" toilets and wash "The Man's" cars.

Minorities soak these messages in and come to a conclusion. They figure the best they can hope for is complete dependence on the government. They think their only chance to get ahead is to hope for a minimum wage increase. They listen to politicians who tell them free healthcare supplied by Uncle Sam is the only healthcare they will ever qualify for. They think they have to apply for food stamps to feed their families. They never apply for better jobs because they think "The Man" will deny them of it. They believe their only hope for a comfortable retirement is a monthly social security check. They believe they are victims. They deny the freedom and opportunity of the American Dream applies to them. Their will is broken.

I submit that while slavery is dead in this country, the mentality of white superiority still lives on. In the 18th century slave owners used to mentally break the will of blacks by physically beating them in front of their families. They were put into a mental state to believe things were never going to change and the best they could hope for was the benevolence of their master. The owner was saying, "Life on the plantation is all you can hope for. Listen to me if you want what is best for you." Today is much the same, except instead of using whips to break their will, people use words.

African Americans in this country need to step back and look at their situation. On one side they have a party that says we don't care about blacks, but we also don't care about whites, hispanics, asians, or arabs. We care about Americans. And we want all Americans to live under the same set of rules which allow you to reap your own rewards for your own hard work and ingenuity. On the other side they have a party that says beware of "The Man." Only we can give you what you need. In other words they are saying, "Life on the plantation is all you can hope for. Listen to me if you want what is best for you." If blacks seek to find the true racists in this country, all they need to do is turn around and see who is holding the whip.

Grow Up

2005-09-06T16:15:00.000-04:00

I can't bare to watch the media coverage of Hurricane Katrina anymore. The horrific images of people standing in water up to their waste trying to salvage their few precious belongings doesn't bother me as much as how everyone is trying to spin this tragic event to get a political win out of it. This is my politically incorrect no spin take on the whole situation. We all need to grow up. We need to stop being republicans, democrats, conservatives, liberals, whites, blacks, hispanics, Christians, Muslims, and atheists. Right now we all need to be Americans.

No doubt our federal government failed us. The safeguards in place to protect New Orleans weren't strong enough to handle a catagory four hurricane. Today there are reports that officials were warned years ago this could happen. Nothing was done. But this shouldn't surprise us. Nothing important ever gets done until something like this happens. Big governments have big inertia. It is hard to get moving. And we can argue about where they are more effective, but if 7000 National Guard troops had been on this side of the Atlantic rather than in Iraq, it would unquestionably been a big help in the aftermath of the storm.

No doubt the state and local governments failed their people. In New Orleans hundreds of school buses were left sitting through the storm when they could have been used to evacuate people beforehand. In the aftermath the governor of Louisiana and the mayor of New Orleans were slow to institute martial law opening the floodgates (no pun intended) for looting, murder and anarchy.

So we have established the government messed up. Do we all feel better now? Did that solve our problems? No. Lost in all of this finger pointing is the people who need our help. Ask those victims who they think is to blame and most of them will say they don't care. All they care about is where they are going to sleep tonight and how they are going to feed their families. Now is not the time to pin blame. Now is the time for action. There are hundreds of thousands of people with no food, water, clothing or shelter.

Go visit the Salvation Army online or the American Red Cross and act rather than blame.

Disclaimer: I will not be contributing to these organizations. My company has many employees who work and live in the devastated area. I have never met any of them so I can not tell you their names, age, gender, race, or religious beliefs. Thankfully, all of them are safe and accounted for, but several have lost everything they own and have no place to live. My company is taking up a fund to help our fellow employees offering to match $2 for every dollar I contribute. I plan to contribute to that fund instead of the ones I linked to since it will maximize the effect of my donation.