Yeah, He's The Common Man

I know I addressed John Edwards and his actions on Memorial Day, but I think he deserves a little revisiting. Mr. Edwards is talking a lot about "Normal Americans" and railing against the super rich. Sounds good doesn't it? Well, it might if he weren't about the most out of touch person that you could ever imagine. John Edwards lives in a huge, 30,000 square foot mansion right across the road from some normal Americans who live in a trailer park, and they will all tell you that he doesn't know anything about them, or the things that are important to them. He also pays $400 for a haircut (you know, just like every other average Joe you meet on the street). Now, I'm not going to get into his stances on the issues and such, but when considering anyone to throw your support behind, take a good hard look at what they stand for, and if you can really live with it. I'm betting that if you take a good hard look at John Edwards, you'll find you can't. This guy makes Hillary Clinton look like a normal person... well almost. On another note, I'm sure you'll find that this Presidential race is going to drag on for a long time, I mean, here we are, still 8 months away from the Primaries, and it's already everywhere. I will try not to obsess about it here in my blog, but since it is very important, you can expect to see me putting my 2 cents in from time to time.

A Case For Creation

Perhaps you've heard about the opening, this week, of the new "Creation Museum." It is an effort to show people how scientific evidence shows creation to be the truth. There has been a lot of controversy about this opening. There are some saying that this museum is dangerous, because it ignores science, and could confuse children, and make them think that evolution is not true. Well, the truth of the matter is that believing in creation is not ignoring science, it is taking a different look at it. One of the biggest arguments that is made against creation is the age of the Earth. According to the Bible, the Earth is about 6,000 years old, while, according to science, it is several billion years old. As odd as it sounds, they are both right. Just as God created Adam as an adult, from the first moment, he had the appearance of age, the same is true of the planet, and the rest of the universe, God made it all with the appearance of age. Just as God did not make Adam and Eve as infants and wait for them to grow up, He also did not make the Earth as a newly formed planet, and wait for it to "grow up." This is why science shows the earth to be older than what it really is. The fact is that science has not been able to prove evolution, just that scientists have decided to accept it as the truth, regardless of what the truth really is. You see, it's not really about finding the truth, it's about taking God out of every possible aspect of life. As one of the founders of the museum pointed out, if people realize that God did indeed create all of us, then he owns us, and we need to live according to his rules. This is one of the biggest reasons why people don't want to think that God had anything to do with it, if they admit that God exists at all. I also heard someone ask the other day why we can't just compromise and say that God started it all and then it evolved, the answer to that is, because it's not the Truth. We believe what the Bible says, and the Bible says "In the Beginning GOD created the Heavens and the Earth." And, of course it goes on to tell us how the rest of creation went, and like it or not, honest science will show this to be the Truth.

Let's Try To Have Some Class

Yesterday was Memorial day, and, as I pointed out, was supposed to be for remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. But yesterday, Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards decided to try to use the day to make political hay. He said, basically, that we should use the day to call for the withdrawal of forces from Iraq, and called for his supporters to protest Memorial Day parades, with signs about getting out of Iraq. Now, I don't have a problem with him campaigning on getting us out of the conflict in Iraq, if that is what he really believes is the way to go, then that is what he should say. He also made a valid point about the Bush administration, and some other Republicans, calling anyone who disagrees with the administration war policy, unpatriotic. I have been saying that right along. Just because someone thinks that what is being done is wrong, or that it just isn't the best course of action, doesn't mean that they are not patriots. Of course, there is a line, which a lot of people, and a lot of organizations that John Edwards is associated with, have crossed. They have gone from calling for a new course, to saying that the USA is the force of evil in the world, and other such bunk as that. But regardless of whether you agree with his message or not, the fact of the matter is that trying to use Memorial day to make a political point is tasteless and shows a complete lack of appreciation of what the day is all about. And asking your supporters to protest Memorial day celebrations shows a complete disregard for the thousands of Americans who have given their lives over the course of centuries so that we can all have the freedoms that we currently enjoy. So, Mr. Edwards, and all the rest, go ahead, speak your minds, but please, try to show some class. Now, under the heading of: "Who cares what they said!??!" Enough about Rosie O'Donnell!! She is out there on the lunatic fringe, so why is the media shoving the garbage that spews out of her mouth down our throats? I don't get it. I don't care what she says, I have heard enough to know that she is nothing more than a far left loon mouthpiece, and I for one would be thrilled if we never heard another word from her, or about her. She is ignorant, and so we should ignore her. Period.

Memorial Day

I'm not going to talk today about the history or the origins of Memorial Day, I just want to take a moment to remember those who have served our country in times of war. Many have given their lives over the years to ensure our freedom, as well as freedom for others the world over. There are also many who have gone to serve, and come home again, and worked the rest of their lives to provide for their families, and hopefully, make the world a little better place for all of us. My wife's grandfather was in World War II, and my Uncle Happy (Harold, but everyone calls him Happy) was in Korea, while Uncle Tuffy (Ervin) and Uncle Buzz both went to Vietnam. Thank God that they all came back in one piece. Too many others were not so fortunate. I looked back at my family history in High School and found those of my ancestors who fought in the Civil War, and even all the way back to the American Revolution. Today is a day to remember the sacrifices that men and women have made in the service of our country, and to say "Thank You" for the freedoms we all enjoy because of it. We can't know for sure how differently history might have played out if we hadn't defeated the Nazi's and the Japanese Imperialists in WWII, but it's a pretty safe bet that the USA might not have survived in such a world. So, to all who have served, and to all who have died, Thank You!

Happy John Wayne Day!

OK, so I know that it's not an official holiday, but today does mark the 100 year anniversary of the birth of a boy named Marion. No, seriously, 100 years ago today, John Wayne was born, his given name was Marion Robert Morrison. When his parents decided to name his younger brother Robert they changed his middle name to Micheal. He earned the moniker "Duke" at a young age, and clung to it, for obvious reasons, preferring it over Marion. The first few movie roles for which he received any credit at all billed him as "Duke Morrison," but very early on in his career a Director decided that he needed a manlier name, and John Wayne was born... so to speak. The Duke was very picky about the roles he chose to play. He refused to be cast as a villain, preferring instead to always be the hero. For decades he as been the very image of the big Hollywood tough guy. He is the only deceased actor to make the list of America's favorite actors (in an annual poll), and even now, 28 years after his death, he still makes the list every year. This year he came in at number 3. He was in a lot of movies, most of them as the star. From early successes like "Stagecoach" to his Oscar winning performance in "True Grit," and on to his final role as a dying gunfighter in "The Shootist," John Wayne was always larger than life. He is remembered by many for calling others "Pilgrim," but there were other lines that he used far more often, such as "That'll be the day!" and "Not hardly." Nobody could deliver a tough guy line like the Duke. I'm going to put in some great quotes from some of his movies here: From True Grit: "You do and you'll feel as though a thousand of brick had fell on ya!" "You do that and I'll Kill ya!" "I aim to kill you in one minute Ned, or see you hanged at Fort Smith at Judge Parker's convenience!" (Ned's response) "That's Bold talk for a one-eyed fat man!" (The Duke again) "Fill your hand you sonuvab**ch!" From Big Jake: "Anything goes wrong, anything at all, your fault, my fault, nobodies fault, I'm gonna blow your head off, it's as simple as that, no matter what else happens, no matter who else gets killed, I'm gonna blow your head off, do you understand me?" "Next man says that to me I'm gonna shoot!" "And if I find out you followed him, I'll hunt you down and kill you, every mother's son of ya." From The Cowboys: "I'm 30 years older than you, I've had my back broke once and my hip twice, and on my worst day I could beat the h**l out of you!" And last, but not least, from The Shootist: "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on, I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them." May we never forget, The Duke!!

Precious Memories

Looking back over my life so far, there have been lots of good times, but there are things that stick out in my mind. My dad had a bad heart, he had a pacemaker for over half of his life, and was on total, permanent, disability from my earliest memory. His health went through good times and bad. One of my best memories of Dad happened during one of the good times. It was during one of my summer vacations during high school. Mom had taken the car and gone to work, and it was at some point before I got my car. Dad and I had lunch, and then got to thinking about how good some ice cream would have been right about then. Well, of course, the country store that was 50 yards from our front door didn't have what we wanted, so we walked the two and a half miles to the country store in the next town over to visit the Ice Cream stand that they have there, and then enjoyed our cones on the walk home. That has to have been the longest single walk I ever took with my dad, and what a great time we had. Now, a long walk with Dad may have been a very rare event, but some of my best memories with Mom are of the many long walks we took together. A three mile walk with Mom was not at all uncommon. We would talk, and we would sing, and we would walk. Picture the two of us walking down the road singing hymns at the top of our lungs, on key, off key, who cared, we had a great time. Sometimes we took the dog, but mostly he slowed us down. Mom still loves to go for walks... it would probably be good for me too. Then there was the time Grandma and I walked to the top of the hill behind her house, no small task for a woman in her late 70's at the time, as it was a big hill. I guess what it comes down to is the memories we build when we just take the time to do something together, when we're not in a hurry, and just spending time together.

Funeral For A Friend

Last night my wife went to the funeral for one of her dearest friends. It was a very unexpected death, complications from food poisoning from the looks of things. She was just 47 years old. They met at work, and became good friends, and not just at work, but they did things together also. The Funeral, she says, was nice enough, as these things go, but it's always hard when the person who is officiating didn't know the deceased, although they did open the floor for friends and family to speak, so that always makes for a nice service. It's always hard when you lose a friend, but when it is a total shock, as it was in this case, it can be very hard to accept. Mirtha, my wife's friend, was on vacation in New York, visiting her son, and other than smoking, her health was just fine. Amy (my wife) was going to see her when she got back last Friday afternoon. Friday morning, while Amy was getting the kids ready for school, the phone rang, and it was Mirtha's brother, who was with her in New York, telling us that she had died the night before, just minutes before they were going to be getting into the car to come home. By the time the family realized that she was in serious distress, and called 911, it was too late. The grief will always be there, and be real, but the memories of the good times can bring some comfort. I know that this has been a sad post, but it has also been a sad week. Amy, you will get through this, and Mirtha, you will be deeply missed.

Cut the Cable

For those of you that do not watch the TV show "Lost" that's OK, just bear with me. On last weeks episode, they came up with a plan to contact the outside world and get rescued from the island. They had found a Satellite phone with the pilot of a crashed helicopter, but something was interfering with the signal. They were told that it was being jammed (I won't get into by whom, as that is a long story) from an underwater station. They knew where the station was because they had found a cable on the beach, and followed it to the station. So the plan they came up with was for someone to go to the underwater station, swim down, and risk their lives to turn off this signal. I'm sure it was supposed to be a very dramatic part of the show, but for my part, I looked at my wife and said, "Why don't they just cut the cable?" I mean a signal couldn't penetrate that much water with enough power to override a satellite phone across the entire island, so the controls must have been coming from the underwater station, along the cable to somewhere on the island. Instead of risking someones life, they could have just cut the cable from the relative safety of the beach. I couldn't help but think how often life is like this. Something happens, and we come up with complicated plans to try to make things right again. How often could we just take a step back and think about it for a minute, and maybe, instead of complicated plans, that so often go wrong, we could just cut the cable.

Shrek the Third

Took the kids last night to see "Shrek the Third" and had a great time. My daughter, Mikayla, thinks that it is the best of the Shrek movies so far. My son, Joshua, thinks that all three are the best... maybe it's not the greatest idea to ask a three year old. I thought it was a great movie. I would have trouble saying which of the three is the best, as I have enjoyed all of them so much. I like the fact that they take the time between movies to come up with something really good, and don't just bang them right out to try to capitalize on the popularity. I'm not going to get into what happened in the movie, since there may well be people reading this who have not seen it yet. As far as I'm concerned, go see it, sit back and enjoy, you'll be glad you did.

Leaving a Legacy

Time to jump right in with both feet. I have heard President George W. Bush called the worst President in US History, and I'm sure that if you watch the news very often, then you have heard that as well. I have also heard others voice this less strongly, saying that his legacy is tarnished. While I would be in, at least, partial agreement with this second part, it's not for the reasons that most others have said it. I think that when future historians look at W's legacy, it is going to have very little to do with Iraq. When viewed in the stark light of history, by honest historians, I think that the Iraq debacle will be seen as something that President Bush really, and truly, felt had to be done. I don't know for sure if future generations will agree or disagree with the decision to go into Iraq in the first place, and they will almost certainly see that the operation was terribly mismanaged by the top levels of the Government, and indeed that does land on the Presidents desk. Even still, I think that they will see that the war against global terrorists had to be fought, and that this is the battlefield upon which he chose to confront the enemy. To clarify, I call this the war against global terrorists because it is impossible to fight a war against an idea, which is what a war on terrorism is. Even if we were to kill every terrorist in the world today, new ones will rise to take their places, the best we can hope for is to cripple their networks and severely damage their ability to carry out their plans, and thwart their dastardly deeds. This is a laudable goal, and must be done. But I digress. What I actually wanted to talk about is the reason why I think that the Bush legacy is tarnished. I don't think President George W. Bush will be remembered as the worst President in US history, but he will not be remembered well. However it will not be for the things that he tried to do, even if those things are seen as a failure. His legacy will be tarnished because of all of the things that needed to be done that he didn't even try, or that he did a little something with, but nothing meaningful. First, let's look at education. The education system in the country is in terrible shape. I know that he did try the "No Child Left Behind" strategy, which was an abysmal failure, though still claimed as a great success by the administration, and nothing has been done since then to try to fix what is wrong with our education system. I think that what needs to be done is to put together a commission, made up of teachers, parents, and unfortunately, Politicians from both sides of the isle, and have them look at what the other countries of the first world do in their schools, not to copy them, but to see what idea's they have that could be implemented here in order to make education better for all students. The Bush plan should have been called "Every Child Left Behind." Next, let's look that the health care crisis that we all hear so much about. Health care is in crisis in this country, the cost of it is outrageous. We don't need a plan for the government to take over health care for all of us, or even to pay for it (let's remember where the Government gets all of it's money... from us!!) but we do need regulation in place to keep costs lower. Lawsuits do need to be limited in order to lower costs, but that is only a small part of the problem, and if lawsuits are indeed limited then we need another way to hold doctors and hospitals accountable for their actions. We do now have prescription coverage for seniors, which is better than nothing, but in reality is just a showpiece to be able to say, see we did do something. Of course, we are paying for that too. And, let's not forget about immigration reform. We do have a bill before congress at the moment, but it's likely to do a lot more harm than good. Bush has never been serious about curbing illegal immigration, or securing the borders, which doesn't mesh well with his image of being a great homeland security President. Don't get me wrong, I am a great fan of legal immigration, but our borders need to be secured, and any non-citizen, in the country legally or not, who commits a crime, of any magnitude, needs to be sent packing. There is no easy answer to how to handle the 12 million illegals that are already here, since we have spent decades not enforcing the law, which, by the way, is called anarchy, but we first must secure the borders, and stop more from coming in. Open borders will destroy our country, period. In summary, there are many problems in the world that need to be dealt with, and cannot be ignored, but there are many issues, only three of which I've touched on today, within our country, that have been ignored. This, I believe is what will damage the Legacy of our 43rd President.

My First Blog

Well, I guess I should start by saying that this is the first blog I've ever done. I decided to call this blog "Thoughts, Commentary, and other various ramblings" because I am quite likely to use it for a wide variety of topics. Some days I might want to talk about politics, some days it might be faith or religion, and other times, it could be family, or just anything else that happens to pop into my head at any given time. A little bit about myself: I am a Christian husband and father living on Florida's sunny Space Coast. Politically I consider myself a free thinking conservative. I think that the free thinking part of the label is likely the most important part, as I don't automatically fall in line with whatever the current conservative field has declared to be it's position. Sometimes I feel very strongly about the positions that I put forth, and sometimes I just like to toss things out there to see how they sound once they have been said out loud, and also to see what other people might think of them. I welcome open, honest, intelligent debate, and despise personal attacks because someone disagrees with a certain point of view. Also, I hope that no one feels the need to tell me that what I have said is just my opinion. I think that should go without saying, since this is my blog, it would be pretty silly for me to give you someone else's opinion. I hope that whomever decides to read this blog finds it to be fun to read, and at times, thought provoking. I welcome any comments from anyone with any point of view, I just ask that it be kept civil, and avoid personal attacks, because that just isn't right.