Almost a White Christmas

I was shaving my head this morning, thinking everyone else in the house was still asleep when my 5 year old son yanked the bathroom door open and exclaimed, "It snowed. I was the first one to see it. It snowed."

We live in a place where snow rarely falls so a snow, especially on a day when there's no school, is a great blessing. Both of my sons bundled up and ran outside to play in the cold, white morning. Maggie, the dog was equally excited. She ran around the boys, chasing them and eating snow. The divine Mrs. L was outside with the whole crew, taking pictures and laughing with the boys. It was a beautiful sight.

Thank you God, for my beautiful wife. Thank you for my healthy, happy sons. Thank you for our warm house. Thank you for the glorious seasons and their respective delights. Thank you for the wonder and joy of a snowy morning.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

We started Eat Week at the office. This is a company tradition of dubious value. It begins with an email from Janice, coordinator of all things edible and part time receptionist. The email outlines the dates and times as well as the opportunities for involvement. Many employees bring food items that they've made and others, known collectively as the Rat Pack, donate money to a fund that buys sloppy joes or Subway sandwiches. The conference room, typically reserved for large meetings and Executive Management Committee reviews becomes a buffet. The Crock Pots and the chip bags and the platters cover the table. Somebody makes cheese dip. Somebody makes those little white chocolate covered haystacks of pretzels. Somebody makes a bundt cake, which lasts only an hour or so. All in all, it's a glutton's dreamland and a dieter's nightmare. Somehow, this smorgasboard is supposed to make us happier employees. By some Christmas-time miracle we're supposed to be transported by the banquet. It never happens. By 11:00am we're all suffering from the crash that follows a sugar rush or we're full of carbohydrates and cheese dip and we can't keep our eyes open. There's no Christmas magic here. Only a heavy feeling in our stomachs and an awareness that we are stupid enough to eat anything that's put in front of us, regardless of nutritional value or metabolic need. We're sheep in desparate need of a shepherd.

Oh yeah... that's what Christmas is really about anyway. Joy to the world! Our shepherd has come.

Everyone loves a good stoning

Hey! The bandwagon is driving past. You're going to miss it.

Target Stores will not be letting the Salvation Army bell ringers stand outside their stores this Christmas season. They have made the statement that they do not allow other groups to solicit on their parking lots and in order to maintain their integrity, they must not allow the Salvation Army to solicit Target shoppers.

You know what happened next. The Salvation Army went to the media to let the story be told. They villified Target and they claimed that they would "lose" $9 million this holiday season. The talking heads have jumped on the story and most (all of them that I have heard) are criticizing Target for their Scrooge-like stance.

I may be the only person who likes the change. My wife and I give to many charitable organizations. We carry packages of food and water in our cars to give to those less fortunate than ourselves. I've never given money to the Salvation Army. I don't disagree with them or their works. I just happen to give to other organizations throughout the year. Therefore, the bell ringers are only an annoyance to me.

I wish someone from Target would remind the media of the millions of dollars that they return to the communities where their stores are located. I wish Target would remind the media of the opportunities to give year round. I wish Target would boldly stand up to the mob that's ready to lynch them for this decision.

I'm not a huge Target fan. It's a store. Just one of a long list of places I'd rather not be, especially at holiday time. But, I hate to see the public following the media headlines, gathering up stones to throw at Target. (It's not just Target... Jesse Jackson, the ACLU, Al Sharpton are all skilled at blackmail and extortion and have done their share of inciting mob mentality before today)

The mob comes together and builds an amount of shared anger about the injustice done. Mostly, they're happy it's not them. It's easy to hold the anger at Target, a large, faceless corporation. It's easy to say "I'll never shop there again." It makes the public feel empowered when a victim, I mean subject of one of these witch hunts finally caves in to public pressure.

I suggest that the populace be rallied to give of their substantial means year round. Stamp out hunger. Save a whale. Protect Mother Earth. Fund the fight against AIDS. Put your dollars where your beliefs are everyday. Make a plan. Don't just drop a coin or two into a red bucket each Christmas. You've got more potential than that. Do something meaningful in April, May, August, October... not just December.

A New House

This new house is not like my old one. This new house is bigger than my old one. This new house is more prestigous than my old one. This new house is more, better, greater and finer than my old house. But it's not like the house I've been promised. The house I'm promised is with God. The house I'm promised is in a place where the imperfections have been replaced with perfection. The house I'm promised is not built of wood or stone. The house I'm promised is not of this world.

Dear God,
Let me remember that this house, the wood and the stone, will crumble and decay. Let me remember that I can have no vanity in the house of this world. Let me remember that I need to build up equity in the house that I will inherit when I leave this life. Let me remember that I have a place in your houses and an eternity in your courts and no earthly house or it's possessions can get in my way.

Erasing God

I just read a story yesterday about a public school's rendition of the Thanksgiving story. It's absurdity is shocking. In an effort to clean every mention of God or religion or prayer from a holiday established specifically for giving thanks to God the school has made the story almost unrecognizable. On one hand, the Thanksgiving distortion is being read to the students in spanish, so as not to neglect any culture but the religious nature of the holiday is being completely swept away. Is that deceitful ommission not discriminatory against Christians and those who wish to give thanks to God?

This goes well beyond separating church and state. This particular instance rewrites history. Have your children read George Washington's declaration of the holiday as it was originally established. And give thanks to God for all He has done for you.
If you don't believe in God... you're welcome to hold any opinion here in America... good for you. I will not force you to come to my church or to pray to my God. But let's not forget that it was God fearing men and women who established this country. It was God fearing men and women who wrote the documents that give you the freedom of (or from) religion and it was God fearing men and women who have consistently given their lives to ensure those freedoms. Don't belittle their sacrifices by denying their contributions. Don't celebrate Thanksgiving if it offends you.

In the world of political correctness will we forget that George Washington was a white man? Will we rewrite history so that some of founding fathers were women and minorities? Will we only remember the person who sewed the flag and forget Betsy Ross? Will we only remember the person who crossed the Delaware and forget George Washington?

A belief in God is woven into the fabric of this country. Freedom to worship God (or abstain from worshipping) as each person chooses to do so is granted so that this nation's government would not have the power to enforce one religion or the other. Forgetting that the men and women who were instrumental to her creation were also prayerful, religous, pious and godly would be bad history.

Insurgent's Publicist is Doing Great Work

There's a syndrome or an affliction of some sort known as "white man's guilt" that is best described as overcompensation in regards to all things racial. There seems to be a variation of this syndrome in America today in regards to all things Islamic.

A US Marine is shown by NBC shooting an Iraqi insurgent. Apparently, such an inconceivable atrocity (sarcasm, since it's in the midst of war) makes it newsworthy. This choice by NBC should be seen in contrast with their decisions not to air the multiple videos of Islamic terrorists beheading US and British civilians. This imbalance portrays the US Marines as cold blooded killers rampaging through the streets of Fallujah murdering any Iraqi man they encounter whereas the Iraqi insurgents (to call them insurgents is generous) are portrayed as freedom fighters, struggling to match forces with a vastly superior US military. That view of these current events is only possible when the complete context is ignored.

I can read a single sentence of any great book and you, faithful reader, will have difficulty identifying the author or the work. Let's not make that same mistake as we review these recent events in Iraq.

Saddam Hussein, with the help of his sons committed such gruesome acts against the people of Iraq that the memory of them and the videos of them make me physically sick. Let's recall the men being dropped off of three story buildings. Let's recall the arms being cut off with circular saws. Let's recall the tongues being cut out. Let's recall the hands and arms being broken with wooden poles. Let's recall the mass graves filled with men, women and children. Let's recall the poison gas victims lying burned and bloated in the streets where they fell. Let's recall the original Abu Ghraib prison, with it's rape rooms (built to hold women who were raped and then killed) and torture chambers where Iraqis were brutalized in whatever way a depraved Uday Hussein could invent. Let's recall the gold and marble of Hussein's many palaces as the children of Iraq starved to death. Let's recall the heroin, the pornography, the bundles of cash in those palaces as Iraqi children died because their water supply was contaminated and they couldn't get medicine for common diseases. Let's remember that the men who are videotaping themselves cutting the heads off of aid workers, contractors and civilians (working to make Iraq a better place) are Saddam's friends. These men, friends of Saddam want to make Iraq what it once was under Saddam Hussein, a royal paradise for them and a bloody, nightmarish hell for anyone that didn't agree with them.

Don't get misty eyed over these poor Iraqi insurgents. If they have their way Iraq will return to it's former "glory" and you can bet there are Iraqis who begged for a bullet in the head to end their misery in those "good old days." Don't be tricked into a new form of white man's guilt. We are doing good things for Iraq and for the world. Don't let (the media coverage of) one Marine's decision in the heat of battle make you believe that we are anything but the good guys in this world.

Welcome home. Thank you for your service, Marine

A US Marine is under investigation for the shooting of an unarmed Iraqi. A US reporter embedded with the Marines filmed the shooting of a wounded, possibly unarmed Iraqi. The video is available online, of course and has been shown, unedited by Al Jazeera. The usual voices are screaming about the US being no better than the Taliban, etc.

Give me a minute... oh yeah... the unarmed Iraqi was in a mosque (not saying his prayers) shooting RPGs and AK47s at the Marines. The Marine who is shown shooting the Iraqi was shot and wounded the day before the video was taken. The Iraqi was on the floor, leaning against the wall and was obviously wounded. The Marines had just lost one of their own when a hidden grenade exploded underneath a wounded Iraqi.

All the arguments about war crimes can go out the window. Frankly, I don't really care what the Geneva conventions say. The US is the only the country on this earth that even remotely follows the rules. In case you missed the last couple of wars, US soldiers who are captured are beaten, burned, tortured, denied food, denied medicine and publicly executed. Enemy combatants are usually (there are certainly exceptions) provided with first aid by US soldiers and flown away from the fighting in US helicopters and healed in US hospitals and given US medicine and fed US food and generally live better as POWs than they did before they began fighting the US. So, I don't have too much compassion for this dead Iraqi because I know what happens when the tables are turned. If this Iraqi had come upon our wounded Marine the Marine would be lucky to get a bullet in the head. So, don't lecture me about war crimes.

I don't want US soldiers losing the disciplines of trained soldiers. I don't want civilians to be raped, tortured and killed. I don't want to see US Marines beheading Iraqis who are chained and begging for their lives. I want our Marines to be better than our enemies. That's part of us being the good guys and them being the bad guys.

Now, what about this Marine? Pull him off the front line, remind of the rules that we choose to play by and then send him back into the fight. He could very well have saved his life and the lives of those around him had that wounded Iraqi been holding a grenade and just waiting for the Marines to get close enough. He could have saved his life and the lives of those around him if the wounded Iraqi had lived to fight another day.

These Iraqis are our enemies. They are trying their best to kill us. They will not hesitate to use a mosque as a gun turret, to use an infant as a shield or to use their last breath and a grenade to kill and maim Americans. They will proudly videotape themselves cutting off the heads of civilians, men and women who are working to bring running water, electricity and medicine to the Iraqi people.

The Marine in the videotape is in the midst of this life and death struggle. He understands war. It's brutal. It's ugly. People die in war. Today was not his day to die. Today it was the Iraqi's day to die. The Marine got one more minute, one more hour, one more day and maybe, he could come home to a wife who misses him and kids who cry for their daddy. He better find this country welcoming him home IF he gets home.

A couple of thoughts and I'm done... for today. The Marine commanders who lead these young men into battle have one ultimate measurement for a successful mission: NO DEAD MARINES. And finally a word from General Patton. "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."

One legged man wins butt-kicking contest

The time to write has been extremely thin lately. I've been working on a couple of projects at the office that are high profile, high value initiatives and have the attention of my bosses. I've been working on completing the sale of our house and the purchase of another house and all the "administrivia" that goes with each. It's been hectic.

Now, the close on our sale is scheduled for Monday. The close on our buy is scheduled for Tuesday. Sometime next week the people who buy our house are surely going to want us to get out of it so they can move into it. I'm still not sure when or how that's going to happen.

The divine Mrs. L and I are planning to load most of the contents of our house onto a truck tomorrow and Sunday. It's the perfect (sarcasm) weekend for moving... all our friends are out of town and the weather is supposed to be just above freezing with a 50% chance of rain. Yee haw.

I need to find out about having a fence built for Maggie, our dog pound treasure... I need to call about the truck... I need to talk to the seller...

Gotta go.

Welcome to Jesusland

Red states are being ridiculed by blue states in the wake of G.W. Bush's second win. The shrill voices of the losers have gone into uncharted territory as they refer condescendingly to the red states as "Jesusland." They are claiming moral and intellectual superiority in order to anesthetize the stinging wounds of losing to a man they consider an idiot, no doubt voted into office by millions of people who are ignorant at best, imbecilic at worst. The blue states have gotten busy disparaging the red states for being rednecks, cowboys, Jesus freaks, simple minded, blissfully ignorant, haters, bigots and generally too stupid to understand the subtleties of the international community and the nuances of silver tongued politicians like John Kerry.

I wish to remind those arrogant losers that without the Jesus freaks this country wouldn't exist. I wish to remind those arrogant losers that without the rednecks and the cowboys this country wouldn't exist. I wish remind those arrogant losers that if it weren't for the simple minded conviction that this country's needs must outweigh the needs of the international community then this nation would long ago have slipped into the impotence and irrelevance of the UN. I would remind those arrogant losers that the men and women in the desert of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan usually fall into the red state category.

If the blue states have their way, today or tomorrow or 10 years from now, they will make America in their image and it will not be a place I want to live because I believe in Jesus and I believe that the our nation is superior to any other and I believe that cowboys made this nation great. Oh yeah... I cannot understand the "nuance" of John Kerry, either. Where I come from, we refer to Kerry's "nuance" as bald-faced lies.

Democrats... hello?!

I've read two articles in the past couple of days that confirm my fears for my friends who profess to be Democrats.

First, I read Paul Krugman's article about Bush. He says that President Bush is a radical leader of a movement that hates America. He says Bush wants to tear down the division between church and state and got the evangelical votes to do it. He says Bush wants to eviscerate Social Security and Medicare. He says Bush didn't win in a landslide and that if it weren't for terrorists attacking our country on 9/11 Bush wouldn't have had a chance. He goes on to say that Democrats just didn't do a very good job of mobilizing their base. He suggests that Bush won because the gay marriage initiatives brought out the religious right. (Yes, this trash was printed in the New York Times.) The long and the short of the article is this: Democrats, do not stop what you're doing. Keep going down the path you've chosen. Don't change a thing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/opinion/05krugman.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fPaul%20Krugman

Second, I read Jane Smiley's article in Slate. It's called "The Unteachable Ignorance of Red States." The subtitle is "Why Americans Hate Democrats." It doesn't get any better. She says that essentially, Republicans have their brains sucked out and replaced by religious dogma. Once the critical thinking skills are given over to religious zeal then the big corporations can have their way with the zombie like remnants of thinking human beings. She then included bloodlust in her indictment of Republicans citing a recent example from 1856. Powerful work from Ms. Smiley. http://slate.msn.com/id/2109218/

I had hoped that the Democratic party would look long and hard at the situation in which they find themselves, having lost 5 of the last 7 presidential elections and continuing to slide into smaller and smaller numbers in governorships and Senate and House seats. These might be considered signs of dwindling relevance or of a failure to connect with the voting populace. Either way, it's not healthy. I hoped they would remind themselves of their core beliefs and see where it was that they strayed from the American public. But now, after a spanking of an election cycle, they choose to continue to push ahead toward gay marriage, abortion on demand, entitlement programs for everyone, subjection to the UN and a large scale redistribution of wealth.

Bush got 59 million votes and Kerry got 55 million. It clearly doesn't mean Bush got handed a mandate to do whatever he chooses. He's still going to have to work with Democrats and Republicans to make the best decisions possible for our country. My concern is that if the Democrat party keeps going the way they're going now, they will not be viable in the next election cycle and the 55 million people who believed that Kerry was a better candidate will not have any better choices. After all, as a Republican I believe strongly in a free marketplace and the laws of supply and demand, even in the marketplace of ideas. The vitriolic and condescending tone of the two Democrats above is not going to win any elections and does not serve the populace. Try again.

Osama, you lose

I hope that Osama Bin Laden and his thugs hear the message loud and clear. George Bush didn't just defeat John Kerry yesterday. The American freedoms that we know and love defeated fear and cowardice.

Osama made his videotaped threats just before the election in hopes that the American people would react like the Spanish did. He hoped that we would consider John Kerry to be a less risky President than Bush as far as our security and safety were concerned.

The American people have given George Bush four more years of the presidency in what can only be described as a tidal wave of voter turnout. More people voted than ever in our history. More people cast votes for Bush than for any presidential candidate in history, including the Reagan landslides. More Republican governors won their races. More Senate and House seats went to Republicans.

Osama, we don't want to die at the hands of Islamic murderers like you and your friends. We don't want to see anymore of our soldiers die in a foreign country. Because of this you thought that we would back down. You thought that we would choose the path of least resistance. You thought that we would let go of our ideals in favor of our comfort. You were wrong. America chooses to bring the war to you. America chooses the right way, not the easy way. Ultimately, you will die in a cave, stewing in your own hatred and America will remain the shining city on a hill proclaiming freedom for all.

You've taken several thousand American lives. There are at least 58 million more of us who will not rest until you are only a sad, brief paragraph in the history of the world.

Thank you, soldier.

War is hell. I didn't make up the phrase but I believe it. Everything I've ever seen or read about soldiers in combat bears up the point that war is a sickening nightmare of human suffering. War is a series of unbearable tragedies for the people who are merely trying to survive it.

Because of the toll of human anguish many people would never choose war. They may believe that war is evil. They may believe that sending young men and women into a war is unconscionable. They would not choose war, ever.

War is necessary. If a nation is to exist that nation must be willing to fight to maintain her sovereignty. This is true because the world is full of envy, jealousy, lust for power and all forms of evil. Evil exists and it motivates people to do horrible things. When evil people hold the reigns of power they make war necessary.

I would be glad if this were not true. I hate the thought of my friends, my sons, my countrymen losing their lives in a war. I hate the thought of the suffering and misery of the soldiers (even the enemy's). But I love my country more. I don't want to give even one life but if that's what is required then I'll give it. I understand that the sacrifices of the few make possible the great blessings of the many. My country still stands for freedom, opportunity, equality, liberty and justice. These are worth war.

Nathan Hale said it two hundred years ago when he said, "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country." In the face of evil that would work to undo all that my country holds dear we see the sacrificial warriors, the soldiers who stand in the gap and do battle on our behalf. Nathan Hale didn't create the idea behind his famous quote. He borrowed it from John 15:13 when John spoke of the original and best example of sacrificial giving. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Do Not Rock the Vote

Among the many truths I picked up in my brief stint in college was this little jewel: Stupid People Shouldn't Breed. It probably came from a bumper sticker or other highly questionable source of worldly wisdom. It's easiest to work into conversation when subjecting oneself to tv shows like Cops and Jerry Springer.

The actors and the musicians and the overpaid behind the scenes Hollywood big shots that have come out of the woodwork to press a political agenda have inspired another nugget of truth. Stupid People Shouldn't Vote. I know this will not be received well. Thank goodness no one reads my work or I'm sure I'd be deluged with hate mail.

Rock the Vote, Hip Hop Vote, Vote or Die, etc, etc, etc, have bought hours of tv ad time in an effort to get Americans to vote. Here's the first appeal to those groups from me... Stop wasting your money. Stop wasting your breath. If American's are concerned about the state of the union they'll find their way to the polls. They'll get involved in the organizations that lobby congress. They'll learn about the issues that affect their lives and they'll study the candidates who will hold power and influence.

If they are not smart enough to do this, please leave them alone. Ignorance is bliss. They'll be happier without this headache and they'll not screw it up for those of us that do care.

I don't give my five year old the power to make the decision about what kind of car I drive. He's not equipped for it. I could read the ads to him for all the cars I'm considering but a five year old is just not going to understand all the variables. If forced, I'm sure he would choose one car or the other but it would be based only on the looks of the car or the way the seat felt. That's much like voting for one candidate because that candidate has the best hair or has a hobby you share.

Once more, I'll make my appeal. Please leave the disenfranchised voters alone. Please leave the uninvolved twenty somethings alone. Please leave a little bit of complexity in the ballot and the voting registration. Don't make it too easy to vote. Don't make public announcements on the radio and tv about where the polls are located. Make it hard for us to vote.

I don't want the swimmers in the shallow end of the pool (wink, wink) making decisions that affect my life. Let them dull their minds with Jerry Springer, P Diddy and Drew Barrymore. Leave them to their blissful ignorance.

Maggie May and Florida Democrats

Well, we've come back around to the Florida electorate and their persistent inability to fill out a voter registration form or accurately use a butterfly ballot. We may have this problem with stupid potential voters in other states but we're already hearing about in Florida. We're hearing about it because the lawsuits have already been filed.

One of the lawsuits challenges a ruling by the Florida Secretary of State that threw out voter registration forms from new voters who failed to check a box on the form indicating whether they were US citizens.

Following the logic of this lawsuit, people who fail to accurately fill out application paperwork should still be granted car loans and college entrance. Why don't you see if Ford Motor Company will accept incomplete and inaccurate forms when you apply for credit? Why don't you leave a couple of spaces blank on the scantron test and see what kind of grade you get?

The Democratic party chairman, Terry McAuliffe has accused Republicans of (among many, many other ridiculous things) systematically working to disenfranchise voters who McAuliffe believes would vote for Democratic candidates. One of the elements of this systematic effort is that somehow Republicans are requiring voters to present ID (drivers license for instance) in order to vote. His argument is that this requirement illegally repels potential voters.

Yeah... right. I showed up at the voting booth and was ready to do my patriotic civic duty and cast my ballot but when the little old lady asked for my drivers license I just couldn't take it. She was clearly repressing me. I ran screaming from the grocery store and will probably never vote again.

Finally, I want to ask my friends who are Democrats why their party has such a low opinion of them. McAuliffe believes that the people in Florida who are too stupid to fill out their forms and too stupid to figure out the ballot must be Democrats. McAuliffe believes that the Republicans were all smart enough to bring their drivers license to the polling place and could (as the law demands) identify themselves with a form of government issued identification card when required. McAuliffe believes that if only the voting laws weren't so difficult to maneuver that these poor dim witted Democrats would have less fear, would feel less intimidation and would create a wave of underperformance on which Democratic candidates would surf into political office.

Americans, do you really want people who are too dumb to fill out their voter registration form voting for the president? Would you trust these people to inform themselves and to carve through the issues of the day and to extract from the many sources an opinion about who they wish to hold the most powerful office in the world when they can't seem to figure out a voter registration form?

Democrats have bragged that they have 10,000 lawyers standing by ready to file lawsuits in every voting district that they don't win. They have six rapid response teams of lawyers ready to file on a moments notice if Kerry sees a state going to Bush.

You can relax because the Democrats are working hard for you. If you're an idiot, they're sure you are going to vote their way and they are planning to make sure that your voice is heard. They don't have any faith in your ability to take care of yourself so they want to push the standards so low that my dog could successfully cast a vote. She's no Lassie, either. She's just a dumb, disenfranchised mutt from the pound. She must be a Democrat.

Was that a good one, daddy?

My youngest son, the REALLY blonde one, is quite the little athlete. I spent several hours yesterday kicking the soccer ball around with him. He had scored 5 of his teams 11 goals on Saturday and then Sunday we were out in the yard working on making him a better soccer player. This is not because I'm one of those sick fathers who desperately cling to their youth by living vicariously through their children and therefore, push their children to athletic and academic extremes. He, my young soccer player, was begging me to play. At one point I suggested we go in and get a drink of water. He wasn't willing to go in until I assured him we would come back outside and continue to play after we got our drink.

He bought himself a football several weeks ago and did the same thing. He begged to throw the ball. He is eager to learn how to take a snap, throw, catch, call plays, etc. In less than an hour he had mastered the spiral pass. He knew how to take a snap like a pro... not like the shotgun formation we all loved when I was a kid. He knew how to drop back into the (imaginary) pocket after taking the ball. It got completely dark and we came in the house but when his mother got home some time later he insisted that we go back outside and show her, in the dark of night, all that he had learned.

He's not some dumb jock either. He works hard at learning to read and tries very hard to understand the math that his eight year old brother is doing in school. He's funny, especially to the little girls at his school. He's gentle with those who are weaker than him and he stands up to the bullies in his class. Like his brother, he's an exquisite piece of work.

Thank you God for blessing my life with these two boys. Thank you God for making them so different from each other. Thank you God for giving them some of your own characteristics. Thank you God for the joy they bring to all around them. Thank you for trusting them to my care.

Freakin' Genius

My 8 year old son, a genius by my own unscientific measurements, asked me the other day what I would do first if I were the president. No, it's not your typical "drive to school" kind of question and it took me by surprise.

Anyway, I looked thoughtfully out the windshield and pulled on my beard and willed the coffee I was drinking to hurry it up and start making a difference inside my brain. I finally settled on an answer that satisfied my son. I explained that I would start spending more of our tax dollars on things inside our country and quit sending so much of our money to other countries. He said if he were president he would make a law that punished people who sold drugs by putting them in prison for the rest of their lives.

The greatest part of this was that we didn't argue with each other. Neither of us felt the need to cut down the other's view point. Neither of us chose to belittle the other's idea. We just gave each other the acknowledging grunts and nods that pass for communication between men and we went on to the next question about our favorite books, movies and songs. Not only is he smart, he's cool.

Thank you God for my sons. Thank you for giving them above average intelligence. Thank you for blessing them with sharp minds and healthy bodies. Thank you for trusting them to my care. Thank you for their excitement and wonder and joy at things that I sometimes take for granted. Please give me the patience, the wisdom and the desire to be a great father to these magnificent young men.

Father of mercies, hear our prayer

I just got an email from our friends who are moving to Thailand. They have chosen to take the message of Jesus to the Thai people. In order to do so, they will live in Bangkok and learn to live and work like their hosts. They are leaving behind everything familiar and will embrace a culture, a language and a nation that is nothing like their current home in the USA. As I imagined all the stress that they must be feeling as they put their belongings into a sea container and they apply for visas and they secure international driver's licenses I am overwhelmed.

I was getting a little bit worried about where my family might live if our house sells before we find another house to buy. Will we have to rent? Will we find a duplex? Apartment? Will we buy a house? Will we build a house? Will we live in the country? Will we live in the city?

I am reminded that I must trust in God. I must rely on the God that says, "Consider the lillies." I must rely on the God that says, "I know what I have planned for you." I must rely on the God that says, "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, would give him a stone?" I must rely on the God that has been faithful for thousands of years. I must stop trying to rely on my wisdom, which has been questionable for little more than three decades.

God, bless us with your peace. Fill us with the desire to serve you. Cleanse our hearts of any impure motives as we contemplate our decisions to sell and buy real estate. I want to see your face. I want to do your will, God. I want to die to my sinful desires so that I can live in your light.

Dude, look at my iguana.

Quite a bit has been written on the differences between cats and dogs. An equal amount of inked paper has been given to the differences in the owners of cats and the owners of dogs. Apparently, there are quite a few inferences about personality, cleanliness and overall intelligence that can be made about a person depending solely on which animal they choose to own.

What about me? I own a cat and a dog. I imagine that some authors would make further deductions about my personality based on the fact that I own both. I guess they might say I'm unwilling to choose. They might say that I lack introspective clarity. They might suggest that I am not the true owner of the cat because I'm not the one that chose her and brought her home.

I will not rehash the arguments about cats and dogs and their owners. I will leave that body of work unmolested. I would, however, like to point out that people who own lizards and very large snakes are all freaks. If you're reading this and you own a lizard (especially if you let it ride around on your shoulder or in your hair) please seek psychiatric help. Cold blooded animals were not intended to be cuddly friends with warm blooded humans. Call a doctor. Now.

Open Our Eyes, Lord

We were outbid yesterday on the house we'd been trying to buy. It seems like a curse right now but I'm certain it will turn into a blessing. I may be trying too hard to comfort myself at this point but I'm thinking about all the work that I'd have to have done to that house to bring it up to our imperial standards. But that may not be the blessing that God has in mind.

Many times I have made the mistake of using my standards to measure God's gifts. In other words, when I read God's promises to bless us and prosper us I believe that He means to give us money and houses and clothes and food. Maybe He does. Maybe He means that He will lead me to a place where I am more dependant on Him. Maybe He means that He will lead me to a place where I am a better spouse, parent, brother. Maybe God's ideas of blessings are somewhat more spiritual than mine.

God, I pray that your blessings will be poured out on me and my family. I pray that we will find ways to do your will. I pray that we will see your sheep and will be willing to feed them. I pray that our lives will bring glory to your name and that first and foremost we seek your face.

The Johns and The Magic Promise

I got a little frustrated by the politicians and their ridiculous claims and accusations so I took a little time off from listening to the news and writing about the issues that were being discussed. I'm back... and again, writing about the political landscape.

I got a huge laugh listening to and reading the words of John Edwards. Apparently, the (comedy) team of John and John are mystic healers. Apparently, when they take office they'll begin healing the lame and the blind. They may even raise the dead but as of today, they've not claimed this power. I'm sure they're saving it for the last week before the election. The question I have is... why are they not doing their healing now? Why not start today?

They say that their magic comes from stem cells. Stem cells are readily available in aborted fetuses and umbilical cords. I'm sure with their combined fortunes they can buy some of these wonder cells and get busy healing today and really cement their victory on November 2. Surely, everyone with spinal injuries and their families would vote for John and John if these two mystics healed them and made them walk again.

I guess the reason they didn't heal Christopher Reeve is that Mr. Reeve didn't have faith in their healing power. He said several times that he believed there was magic in stem cells but that magic would never give him the ability to walk again. Oh ye of little faith.

John and John are coming and when it comes to winning votes, no promise is too obscene or outrageous.

(I believe that John Edwards' exploitation of the publicity surrounding Christopher Reeve's death is at the very least callous and at worst sickeningly selfish. No limits of decency exist when a vote can be won and political power be restored to the Democratic Party.)

WWII and the War on Terror

I watched Edwards vs. Cheney last night. I like watching the debates for myself because the minute the debate is over the political operatives for each party begin claiming victory and calling their faithful to the Kerry and Bush altars for prayer. When the spin starts I check out.

My take is that it was a draw. Neither one clearly "won" the debate. Neither one flew off the handle and shrieked or screamed. Neither one mopped up the floor with the other. Edwards made good points as did Cheney. Great.

What I actually was thinking about (yes, my brain does this all the time) while I watched was World War II. I kept thinking about how different WWII would be if it were being fought today. Edwards insistence that things are going terribly in Iraq and Afghanistan seem ridiculous in light of the second World War. (Yes, I know there are very different circumstances in the War on Terror and World War II.) Our young men were being blown apart and shot and tortured and frozen on the other side of the world during WWII. Thousands and thousands of them each week came back to the states in coffins and thousands and thousands more were buried in allied countries. Thousands of our finest young men lost legs and arms and eyes. The grief of the individual families and the suffering of the soldiers did not override our conviction that the war HAD to be won. We had to win because we had been attacked on our own soil. We had to win because it was clear to most Americans that the world would not be the same if the Axis powers were allowed to fulfill their evil plans. War, in it's bloodiest, filthiest, most sickening reality had to be endured to protect the America that American's love.

On September 11th we were once again attacked on our own soil. The attackers, as you know were not wearing a uniform of another country's military. So, we can't just go to war with a country, as in WWII. We have to name our war and prosecute this war differently than WWII. But the fact that war, any war, will be bloody and horrifying and will cost young lives will not change. Americans who expect that freedom can come to Iraq or Afghanistan in a matter of months without bloodshed, without our enemies putting up a fight to the death, have completely unreasonable expectations. Our enemies, call them Al Queada or terrorists or Muslim extremists, realize that this is war. They have prepared to shed blood and to sacrifice everything, including their lives to accomplish their evil plans. We must realize that if they are allowed to succeed that America will no longer exist as we know it today.

It seems ridiculous to me that two men who wish to lead this country would be balking at 1066 (best count as of today) young American lives lost. If the existence of America as a free land, a "shining city on a hill", is what is at stake, what price would we pay? If the lives of our children and our grandchildren are what we are fighting for what could possibly persuade us to surrender? Not 1000 flag draped coffins. Not 10,000 flag draped coffins. If you can imagine a point at which you would withdraw from the war on this enemy than you do not understand what they wish to do to us. If you can imagine a point at which you stop fighting then you cannot know what this enemy would do to you, your children, your family.

I mourn every young soldier who gives his or her life to protect my freedom. I celebrate the sacrifice that those soldiers have made to protect my children and your children and our very way of life. They join a long list of patriots who have given their lives to keep evil empires from changing the world for the worse. Do not dishonor their sacrifice by surrendering to the enemy they opposed.

I know that there were Americans who did not agree with our actions in World War II. History has shown us that we did the right thing. There are Americans who do not agree with our actions in this war. It's not unpatriotic to disagree with this war. It's unaware. History will be written by the survivors of this war. Hopefully, that history will be written in English.

It's just one of those days

There are days, like today, when I'm so tired of hearing the arguments about Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein that I would be willing to bomb indiscriminately until Fallujah and Moktada al Sadr are nothing more than a smoking hole in the sand.

We've gone into a country where the rulers (not just the murderous Hussein clan, but their friends and families also) had absolute power. Life or death of an Iraqi citizen was simply a whim or a mood change for these men. The brutalities that the Hussein's videotaped are so revolting that the most hardened among us were nauseated. The heroin, the pornography that was found in their mansions are indicative of the depravity and the depths of the evil that they had attained. We see their followers are capable of the same type of atrocities as they behead chained prisoners.

Now, American soldiers are fighting these psychopaths in the streets of several Iraqi cities. American blood is being shed. American men and women will come home in coffins because of the evil empire that was run by Saddam Hussein. Today, be glad that I'm not the president. Because today, I would pull my fellow Americans back from Fallujah and tomorrow Fallujah would be no more. If another Iraqi city became the stronghold and the hideout for any of these murderers then that city would suffer the same glassy fate.

I'd rather drop American bombs than lose another drop of American blood. How long do you think it would take to get Iraq under control with that type of military response to the beheadings?

It's just one of those days.

Democracy, Coliseum style

In my previous career I commanded a substantial portion of a multi-million dollar operation. My peers and I routinely had almost daily meetings in which we played tug of war for employees, equipment and vehicles. The competition was a necessity as our performance against business plan was made public and depended heavily on our ability to control (I mean manipulate) labor budgets. Many times I wished that those meetings would be reduced to physical battles. I imagined the meeting room door being locked from the outside and the three of us fighting it out until only one man was left standing. That man got to use whoever he wanted, however he wanted and the other two guys had to make do with whatever was left.

I think Bush was thinking the same thing last night. He was looking across a stage at a man who has called him a liar, an idiot, a buffoon, and worse, accused him of taking the country to war for personal reasons. Bush was doing well to restrain himself. If he was imagining giving Kerry a kick in the groin, a quick fist to the throat and then kneeling on Kerry's chest, who can blame him?

Kerry, with typical campaign audacity, claimed that he, Kerry, would bring a new credibility to the presidency. Whaaaaa? He also claimed that he had held only one position on Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Whaaaa? Unbelievable. Americans by the millions, literally, watched the debate, watched the recap of the debate or read about it in the news this morning and are now considering Senator Kerry in a slightly more favorable light than they did yesterday. WAKE UP!

Kerry's claims are so ludicrous it's hard to imagine a response that doesn't start with, "There you go again."

I'm suggesting that from now on we utilize a Coliseum type approach to the debates. We give both candidates a sword and we release a lion into the room with them. If candidate #1 has told a bunch of lies about candidate #2, then #2 might not be inclined to help #1 if the lion starts to eat #1. If they've both been ugly then maybe they team up and kill the lion and then fight each other to the death. There are so many possible scenarios but only one outcome. Then the American people don't have to wait for a messy election (and the DNC lawsuits that are bound to follow) to know who's going to lead the nation. That's right, the last man standing.

A spoonful of sugar...

Sunni muslims killed and maimed again today with a car bomb. More Iraqis were killed than American soldiers. Iraqi women and children died in the street after the explosion set off by Sunni separatists.

How long before the average Iraqi citizen begins taking vigilante action against Sunnis? How long will the Iraqi populace tolerate this bloodshed? What kind of environment do the Sunnis believe they will inherit when the US is gone?

The Sunnis are making some terrible medicine and someday soon they will be forced to take a dose.

FSBO

We're selling our house... or more appropriately, we've put a sign in our yard, put an ad in the paper and are waiting by the phone for a call. Potential buyers will see our ad or our sign and call for an appointment to see our home. When an appointment is made, we rush around like crazy people stuffing any evidence of human occupation into cabinets and closets and under beds so that whoever comes to look at our house will see an empty canvas, upon which they can paint their own story.

This turns out to be very personal for us, the owners of the home. We have loved this home for 8 1/2 years. We don't lay our cheeks against the brick or the sheetrock and coo... but this house has been the base of operations for the most significant period of change in our young lives. The divine Mrs. L and I moved in when our first son was four months old. Since then we've added another son, a dog and a cat. We've entertained friends here. We've hosted family here. We've had birthday parties for the boys here. We've fought and yelled, we've cried and pouted, we've loved and laughed here. We're not overly romanticizing the role of the brick and mortar in these lives but it's a place of familiarity. Our boys don't remember anything else. Soon, God willing, they will have a new house.

I hope that the new house is infused with the character of our family. I hope that some of the sad moments that we experienced in the old house are left behind. I hope that the new place is a place of joy and laughter and happiness and togetherness for my family. I hope that it will be as dear to us, as a place of safety and comfort as the house we're selling.

God bless us with your peace. God bless us with a quick sale and painless closing. God bless us with the assurance that we are ourselves, regardless of where we sleep and eat. God bless us with roots that are deeper than concrete foundations and brick walls.

Monday Morning Quarterbacks

I notice that no one is rushing into Sudan to end the genocide that's going on right now at Darfur. The situation in Darfur is well known, documented and in need of correction.

I see that no one was willing to go into Iraq to end the reign of the genocidal Saddam Hussein. The man tested his biological and chemical weapons on an ethnic minority in his own country. The sickening pictures of entire villages full of dead Kurds have been widely available for years.

I see that no one was willing to go into Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Herzegovina) to end the genocide. I see that no one was willing to go into Rwanda to end the genocide.

What I mean is... no one was willing to go into these nightmares and end the killing UNTIL the United States committed to it. The UN can rant and rave in the building we gave them in NY but they can't wipe their noses without the United States paying for it and providing the soldiers, the jets, the tanks and guns to make it happen. The fact is, they can't even pass a resolution (a worthless document) against the slaughter in Darfur.

The UN is ineffective and frankly, should have been disbanded years ago. The nations that are party to the Geneva Conventions are unwilling to fulfill their commitments to intervene in genocide.

Certainly, some countries contribute when the US is going into one of these places. Some send soldiers, some send money, some send equipment but none of this happens until the US makes it happen. The primary power of the UN is the US. The primary loss of life happens to American troops. The largest expense is paid by the US. The bulk of the work is done by Americans. It would not happen without the United States pushing it.

So, armchair quarterbacks and backseat drivers... shut up. If you don't even have the guts to push the issues and commit YOUR resources to save innocent lives, don't gripe about the methods we use or the results we get. The sports metaphor goes like this: It's not your game. You can't throw the ball. You can't catch the ball. You can't run the ball. You can't score. You can't tackle. You can't even wear the pads and the helmet. Go back to your recliner and shut up. The men are on the field doing what has to be done.

The Kuran and the American Way

Please don't mistake the motive of the terrorists (who are beheading hostages) for hatred. It's not hatred. It's objectification.

In sermons and lessons delivered in Iranian and Saudi universities and mosques the Jews and Christians are called pigs and dogs and monkeys. In the Wahhabi (Sunni) version of the Kuran (rewritten for the state sanctioned version of Islam in Saudi Arabia) the Jews and Christians who do not become Muslim are sentenced to death, specifically beheading.

The original Kuran does not contain this direct statement against Jews and Christians. As a matter of fact, pious Jews and Christians are assured of their reward.
"Believers, Jews, Christians and Sabaeans-whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does what is right-shall be rewarded by their lord." Koran 2:62

This verse mentions Jews and Christians by name. Later they are referred to as "people of the Book" and again the Kuran notes that some of them "recite the revelations of God and worship Him..."

The original Kuran is unambiguous about the possibility of the peaceful coexistence of Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is the more modern bastardization of the Muslim faith that is intolerant and objectifies all who are not Muslim.

It is not hatred. Just like the racism that Hitler exploited this objectification of all non-Muslims is being exploited by those in power. Everything that is wrong with the world is blamed on those non-Muslims. We know, from our own American experience, this objectification makes it much easier for a rational, sensible person to overcome the natural revulsion that would prevent them from committing horrific murders.

This method has been employed by countries at war for centuries. As a nation, we are attempting to do battle only with the evildoers. We are trying very hard to keep from slipping into the racism that would allow us to indiscriminately kill every Iraqi or every Afghani. We are trying very hard to be nothing like the terrorists. We are striving to set a higher standard than our enemies.

As has been "the American way" for so long, we strive to be a nation of high ideals, even when they are difficult and American lives must be given to protect those standards. Apparently, the original writing of the Kuran also encouraged it's readers to differentiate based on behavior, not on race.

Coldblooded Killers

Recently, another videotape of the "terrorists beheading a hostage with a knife" variety has been released for the world to view. I've chosen not to watch any of these videos. The written descriptions are gruesome enough for me to be repulsed and sickened.

One more time, the hostage takers have shown us who they are. They have shown us their capacity for hatred, their capacity for violence and their complete disregard for human suffering and human life. One more time we have been given a glimpse of the opposite world view.

In America we are willing to fight and die to give freedom to those who are oppressed. On the other side of the world these sickening killers are willing to fight and die to take away freedom. In America we are taught to love everyone and be kind to others. On the other side of the world children are taught to hate those who are different than they are and that to kill a Jew or an American is no different than killing a pig or a dog. In America we give of our wealth, individually and as a nation, to help those less fortunate around the world. On the other side of the world the wealthy donate to those who would bring harm to America and her allies.

As always, the caveat is that not all Muslims hate and not all arabs are terrorists. However, for those that do hate, there can be no middle ground. There will be no peaceful coexistence. There will be no tolerance. They are sending that message very plainly, written in the blood of innocent workers.

To measure the depths of this hatred imagine yourself holding a knife and cutting the throat of a man whose hands are tied and who is sobbing, begging you for mercy. Imagine his blood and his screams fading away as he dies literally, under your knife. It is a horror beyond words, beyond comprehension. But it is the most eloquent description that those terrorists have given us of themselves.

Bless This House

Give us an eternal perspective. Let us see the temporary things of this world as tools to build your kingdom. Let us see the blessings you've showered upon us as a blessing we can further share with others.

Fill our home with your peace. Make it a place of rest, safety and righteousness. Make it a place where my children are comfortable. Make it a place where my children want to be. Make it a place of peace and comfort for my wife. Make it a place where we see our dreams come true.

Shower us in your blessings. Pour out your riches onto us as we seek your will. Please use our lives and our gifts to your glory.

Truth, a rare commodity

We've come to a time in our country when it seems that everyone is accusing everyone else of lying. Michael Moore accuses Bush of lying about terrorism and the war in Iraq. The Swift Boat Veterans accuse Kerry of lying about specifics of his service in Vietnam. Former Vice President Gore accuses Bush of deceiving us. The accusations fly both ways.

How is a citizen supposed to decide who to believe? The media is supposed to be the unbiased source of information for the citizenry. We, citizens, should be able to rely on the press to bring us the news as it happens. The press should not be controlled by the government nor should it be anti government. The press should not show preferential treatment to either side of any public argument. The press should not endorse one candidate or another, whether the race is for mayor or president. The press is supposed to bring the bare truth and that truth is supposed to expose the lies that may be told by someone who is biased.

What happens when the press shows bias? What happens when the press brings the news mixed with opinion? What happens when the press becomes the argument? What happens when the press violates the trust we've placed in them?

When the press no longer represents the solid, impeccable truth then the press no longer serves a purpose in this society.

Dan Rather and CBS have dealt a painful blow to the American press this week.

Twenty Eight Candles

Today is the birthday of my middle sister. She's six years younger than me.

She used to be a cute little girl with strawberry blonde hair. She was patient while her big sister bossed her around. She was so tender hearted. She thought I was cool, even when I wasn't.

She's all grown up now. She's married to a man I like. She's suffered terrible sadness in her life and she's not become bitter. She's also basked in great joy and awaits the birth of a son in only a couple of weeks. Most of all, she's still patient, sensible and gentle. She and her husband are a lot of fun to be around.

Happy Birthday and "I love you, Janice."

Know Your Enemy

Mohammed Atta's father, speaking on Saturday, September 11, made the outrageous claim that his son was an unfortunate victim of the Israeli intelligence agency commonly referred to as the Mossad. (actually it is the Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks) He claimed that the Mossad are responsible for crashing the two airplanes into the World Trade Center in the most famous of terrorist attacks. He then went on to call all Muslims and Arabs to retaliate for that loss of life. He said that if a plane crashed into the White House and killed President Bush and his wife and his two daughters that the martyr (we would call the martyr a terrorist) would certainly go to heaven.

Yes. You read that correctly. On the anniversary of the worst attack on the US since Pearl Harbor, the perpetrator's father blamed our Israli allies and called, once again, for more terrorist attacks on the US.

The following is my four point outline of the problem:
1. Muslim terrorists want us dead.
2. They will gladly greet their death to cause ours.
3. They will not stop until they are dead or we are dead.
4. They are not in touch with anything you or I would consider reality.

(I've added #4 since hearing Baghdad Bob make his ridiculous televised lies and Mr. Atta make his ridiculous claims that the Israelis are the real terrorists.)

Now for the disclaimer... not all Muslims are terrorists. I've personally been friends with Muslim Americans who fled to the US from Afghanistan during the 1980's. They were hard working, honest people. They struggled to maintain their culture in the melting pot of America. They did not wish to kill or destroy the nation that had welcomed them and allowed them all the freedoms that we enjoy.

So what do we do now? As with Hitler, there can be no space in this world where organized, homicidal, racial hatred is allowed to exist and fester unprosecuted. It must be attacked and destroyed or the world as we know it is in danger of being twisted and conformed to their malignant reality.

1994 CCA: Impotence in Action

The 1994 Crime Control Act (usually referred to as the assault weapons ban) expires today. It was originally written with an automatic expiration if Congress failed to renew it.

Hysterical editorials are predicting deaths by gunshot and gun crimes to skyrocket now that US citizens may, once again legally purchase all of these previously banned assault weapons.

The weapons banned were semi automatic, meaning one pull of the trigger fires only one bullet. Fully automatic weapons, which fire multiple bullets for each pull of the trigger, had been banned long before 1994. Recall the bank robbery in LA where the thieves wore body armor and fired hundreds of rounds out of fully automatic AK47s. Criminals are seldom concerned with obeying our laws (really?) and have been buying and selling all sorts of illegal weapons despite our laws.

The weapons banned under the 1994 CCA were defined as assault weapons by being semi automatic with a detachable magazine and possessing at least two of the following features: pistol grip, folding stock, bayonet mount, flash suppressor or a grenade launcher. True, as a hunter and sportsman I don't need a bayonet mount, flash suppressor or a grenade launcher but it's also true that none of those things on the list above make that weapon any more dangerous than the completely legal deer rifle I have in my closet. The banned weapons just seem scarier because they look like a military weapon. They are no more lethal.

Finally, because this law was passed in 1994 and these banned weapons had been sold legally for years there are enormous numbers of guns and magazines that were "grandfathered" and could still be bought and sold legally. So, legally purchased assault weapons, as defined by the CCA, were still readily available from most gun dealers, if only for a higher price than pre-ban.

There is an old saying about the ignorant mocking what they do not understand. In this case, the ignorant (people who don't know anymore about guns than what they've seen on tv) are susceptible to the deception of those who are turning this impotent law into a political weapon.

The criminals don't care, the law abiding citizens who own "grandfathered" guns aren't the ones committing crimes and only the gun dealers stand to benefit if the law is renewed. You and I stand a much greater chance of dying in a car wreck than being shot by a previously banned weapon.

Crime statistics (Dept. of Justice, FBI) show that murder by gun dropped in the three years following 1994. Taken by itself (as is being quoted by so many gun control advocates) that statistic might support this ban. What is not being quoted are the other crime statistics about murder with knives and with blunt objects which fell at approximately the same rate as gun murders. Perhaps, the most relevant statistic is that the percentage of murders by guns moved less than 2.5% between 1994 and 1997. There are far too many other factors involved to declare the assault weapons ban as having the slightest impact on those figures.

The final word is (it's my blog after all)... the finger on the trigger is what makes a gun fire a bullet. The hand holding the gun is what aims it at another person. I've had guns all my life and not one of them has ever killed a human being.

When I was 18... (embarassing anecdote here)

You learn early on in life that the best defense is a good offense. I heard Dan Rather being quizzed about these documents, now believed to be forgeries, upon which he based the story about Bush's National Guard service. Rather maintained his belief in the authenticity of the documents and dodged the question about where he got the documents by turning defense into offense. He said I don't think it matters where I got the documents (possibly forged)... what matters is the answers to the questions that these documents raise about Bush's service. Good job, Dan. You've learned the lesson well. Don't answer questions to which there are unfavorable answers. Dodge, duck, weave. Turn the ball around and get back on offense.

Almost an afterthought here but... since when does any Democrat care that much about a president telling the truth? Have they forgotten how they dismissed Clinton's continual lying?

Kerry's holding both sides of several key positions. Doesn't that constitute (what do you call "lying" nowadays?) misspeaking? or untruth? or deception? He's had to retract several of the stories of his own service as they were embellished beyond recognition. Remember his claims that he was in Cambodia on Christmas day? Ooops. He misspoke... several times in print and only when others on his own boat and his own diary contradicted his story did he have to retract it.

All that to say... who cares what happened 30 years ago? It appears that both men served and were discharged honorably. I hold positions today that I didn't hold when I was 18 and I am sure that both these men are the same. I did and said things that would embarass me if they became public but I don't do them anymore. I grew up. Let's look at the last 5-10 years as they have got to be much more relevant than the speeches of a young John Kerry or the attendance record of a young George Bush. I would suggest that those words and deeds of 30 years ago are not without value, only much less value than the behaviors of the last decade.

Remember the Cold War?

A large number of Americans believed that the Soviet Empire didn't really threaten the USA, despite the fact that they told us, on at least one famous occasion, that they would bury us. Cold war strategies dragged on and on and peaceniks across the nation didn't see any bodybags coming home and they believed that this military posturing was all a scheme to enrich the military contractors around the nation. They thought it was the perfect gig... there's no war but we've got to produce more and more sophisticated and expensive weapons technologies that never get tested in real life. The money pours into the pockets of the already wealthy Big Businesses that make jets, bombs and rockets.

Then Reagan came into office and was publicly ridiculed and mocked on the pages of newspapers around the country. After all, he was just an old washed up Hollywood actor that had slipped into politics in California. What did he know of political strategy and worldwide dynamics? Nothing. He spoke of right and wrong, good and evil. He spoke of America the generous, benevolent, bringer of freedom. He spoke of the Soviet tyranny, seeking to wrap it's Communist claws around the world. The message resonated with the Americans who continue to think in such terms. The message sounded like a return to a truth that had been so diluted by our culture that it had almost ceased to be recognizable. The mockers could not get enough of lampooning this old fool. Then, we found out he was right all along.

Now, we face another enemy. A jihad has been declared against the USA and all our allies. In other words, they want to bury us. Preferably after they behead, burn and mutilate our corpses. They are not even putting up the artifice of the Cold War. They want us dead and they preach it in their churches and they print it on banners and they sing it on the streets of dusty little countries all over the world. They are assured a place in heaven if they give their lives to take ours. The Soviets weren't that clever or that dedicated.

Again, in our country a leader is in place who calls it right and wrong. A leader is in power who makes plain that it's us or them and there is not room in our enemy's lexicon for a peaceful coexistence. And, like Reagan, our President is mocked and called a buffoon for expressing any moral clarity. He is called an idiot and a fool. The mockers are so enraged by this man that they will vote for anyone else. Some day, hopefully sooner than later, we will see that this President was right all along.

The war is on. When will we beat our plowshares into swords? When will we break out of our overstuffed, comfort worshipping, consumerism and see that there are warriors coming to kill us? (We don't mind war as long as it's not an inconvenience to us. Remember the Balkans? No American outrage there.) These fighters are not wearing the red and gold hammer and sickle. They're not flying MiGs. They're not even wearing uniforms. They're not building ICBMs but they are coming and they will not stop until they're dead.

Come to sunny Texas. The weather's fine!

I cannot understand the state of Massachusetts. First, they've voted for Ted Kennedy for the last 30 years. The consistency with which he's been re-elected pretty much says "Massachusetts stands behind Ted Kennedy." Second, they've voted for John Kerry for the last 20 years. Same thing as Kennedy, Massachusetts is solidly behind John Kerry.

Where are the good men and women of Massachusetts? Where are the business owners? Where are the God fearing, hard working, tax paying citizens? Are there so few of them living in this grand old state? Are there not anymore men and women who roll up their sleeves and get the job done, no matter what that job is? Where are the citizens who put Mitt Romney in office? Can the whole state be filled up with people who are most accurately represented by Ted "another scotch please" Kennedy and John "for it and against it" Kerry?

Those of you who are working, sweating, pouring yourselves into your businesses and bleeding for your dreams... keep on pushing. If Massachusetts doesn't want you, Texas does.

Dare Mighty Things

Maybe Pat Tillman did it for patriotism. Maybe he did it out of a sense of duty. I think maybe he did it because it was real.

We use the words survival, victory, defeat, battle and death to describe high school sports and tv game shows. Maybe Mr. Tillman chose to go to war because it was a real life and death endeavor.

Sociologists tell us that football (like almost all sports) is a highly stylized combat ritual. Maybe Mr. Tillman saw, in the light of a real war, the shallow, inconsequential nature of rich Americans sitting on their couches shouting profanity at their televisions while they watch paid athletes play out a colorful mimicry of combat.

The need for a life and death struggle is inside me. Maybe my great grandfather was a soldier and that impact on his genetic code is coming out in me. My grandfather fought in WWII. My father served in Vietnam. Next to that everything I've done in my life seems to pale.

I'm not so stupid as to say that I don't fear my own death or that I would go into battle and not be afraid but I seem to be more afraid of my own slow death over the next fifty years. I do not glamorize war, either. CNN coverage has reinforced the old adage that war is hell. I can however, understand the warrior's prayer for victory and if not victory, then an honorable death.

Maybe I just read too many of these quotes when I was a kid.

It is not the rich man you should properly call happy, but him who knows how to use with wisdom the blessings of the gods, to endure hard poverty, and who fears dishonor worse than death, and is not afraid to die for cherished friends or fatherland.
Horace (65 BC - 8 BC), Odes


Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919)

Psalm 19

I watched the sunrise over a golf course this morning. I just got to sit and watch the dim gray light slowly swell into a clear, bright white morning. The sun was a shimmering, nearly flourescent ball of red-orange. The dew drops were heavy on the grass. Birds flew around in the trees overhead and a lone rabbit, only a dark smudge on the grass when I sat down, loped around sampling the grasses and weeds. I drank my coffee and luxuriated in the glory of the outdoors.

Someday, I want a house in the country with a front porch view just like that one.

Cheney/Bush 2008

Dick Cheney patiently delivered a composed, dignified butt-kicking to John Kerry last night. Jonathan Last, online editor of the Weekly Standard called it Kerry's trip "to the woodshed." If Kerry ever had to debate Cheney (Kerry's people better not let it happen) I'm certain Cheney would pick Kerry apart like a seasoned, professional boxer meeting a complete amateur.

Prior to this convention we've seen so little of the President and Vice President campaigning. The TV has been full of Kerry-Edwards and their shrill diatribes against the current administration, their hysterical claims that terror threats are part of a Bush campaign tactic and their ambiguous promises to fix everything that is wrong in the world. Now, after three or four nights of this convention they're squealing about the negativity of the rhetoric. They've been throwing punches for months and now they took one on the chin and they're crying like little girls. What a contrast!

What are you looking for in a leader? I'm starting to think Dick Cheney and Laura Bush can run for President and Vice President in 2008. Not necessarily in that order, either.

They've got my vote.

Crying to the Choir

I recently read a description of the Democratic Party (as displayed in their recent convention) as a party of "studied, celebrated victimhood."

The phrase made me chuckle but I didn't think much more of it. Then I received my second email of the day from Mary Beth Cahill, Kerry-Edwards Campaign Mgr., soliciting funds. The following quote is from Cahill's letter:

"Drug companies count their billions while seniors count the number of pills they can afford. Halliburton counts its billions while our troops count the number of soldiers in their unit without body armor. The Saudis count their billions while we count the rising cost of gasoline. The friends of George Bush and Dick Cheney count their tax refunds while the average American counts the days until the next paycheck."

I continue to be amazed that those two (Kerry/Edwards) extremely rich, white, powerful men are able to sell the message of despair, the message that America is being run into the ground by those rich, white, power brokers of the GOP.

They failed to mention that Edwards is counting his millions while doctors struggle to pay their insurance premiums.

When I worked for Coke I sought business relationships with my customers that were mutually beneficial. I saw opportunities to build those contracts that made financial sense to both Coca-Cola and my customer. We called those a win-win situation. Victimhood doesn't allow for that. Victimhood necessitates that if someone is winning, someone else is losing. Victimhood also removes any responsibility from the individual.

Let's remind ourselves that Halliburton is employing thousands of people with those billions of dollars. Let's remind ourselves that drug companies are plowing back billions of dollars into research and development to find the drugs that will save our lives. Let's remind ourselves that the biggest tax cuts go to those who pay the biggest taxes. (And it has nothing to do with a friendship with Bush/Cheney... or Kerry and Edwards wouldn't have gotten their tax cuts.)

There is no nobility in laying in the ditch crying about your wounds. The nobility is in climbing out of the ditch, dressing your wounds and pushing on to the goal. I offer the following borrowed words from Mr. W.E. Henley.

"In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud: Under the bludgeoning of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed."

Democrats, please stop telling us that we're losers. Start reminding us that we have the strength to get up and finish the race, climb the mountain, kill the dragon. It will not be easy, but nothing worth accomplishing ever is. Remind us that America is a land of opportunity, not a land of uniformity.

It's good to be the King

If I were king for just one day...

people who didn't keep their commitments would be publicly flogged.
public servants would be more like servants, less like princes.
federal welfare would only help people who had a work history.
spoiled children would be put to work shoveling manure.
race/sex hiring or admissions quotas would be eliminated.
punishments would fit crimes.
business casual (jeans/boots) would be a national mandate.
unions would be abolished, laziness would no longer have a voice.
bacon would have a holiday all it's own.
I would have a new Ford truck. Yes, a crew cab diesel.

I think I'll close my office door and indulge this king fantasy some more.

Burn Down this Temple

Damn this self righteous anger.
Cut out this infected, selfish disease.
Numb all the pain that I cause in others.
Uproot the malignant, malevolent weeds.

Crush the head of the deceitful serpent,
Who whispers to me that it's all about me.
Burn down my narcissistic temple.
Leave me hollowed out, empty and clean.

Pour into me the blood of the Servant.
Fill the vessel full of the need,
To give of myself in humble service
As He, long ago, did so for me.

Michael

Sappy, but good

If you and a friend ever carry a bucket together you'll find that it seems as if your friend is carrying more than half. For reasons unknown to me (physics professors can probably explain this) sharing the load seems to reduce the total weight of the bucket.

Same thing with big tasks like moving. When friends move out of their house and they do it by themselves the task seems insurmountable. Yet, when eight or ten guys (and three or four pickup trucks) show up to help it's not long before everyone's standing around wondering what to do next because all the boxes and bags and furniture are loaded up and ready to go.

Help someone today. Take part of their load. Share the work. Share the burden. If someone helps you, show your gratitude. Simple as that... the world is better for your effort. Get to it.

It's the Law

I'm going to show my ignorance today by addressing something that seems very straightforward to me but I'm certain that I'm missing some delicate intricacies somehow.

Close our borders to illegal aliens.

People in other countries want to come to America for all kinds of reasons. Business travelers fly into this country by the thousands everyday. Great. Tourists fly into this country by the thousands everyday. Great. These people are legal aliens. Let them in. Screen them carefully and let them in.

I wish to close our borders to illegal aliens. These are the men, women and children who pour into this country by the thousands everyday by walking, driving and flying across our unbelievably porous borders. They are not here for a week to sell their products to American companies. They are not here to see the Grand Canyon and Yosemite and the volcanoes of Hawaii. They are here to work. Their country doesn't have the economy to support them. There isn't work for them in their own country so they come here. I can't blame the aliens for wishing to come here. There are plenty of people willing to pay them to do all sorts of manual labor. They are willing to work hard for very little money and therefore are an attractive workforce for those unscrupulous enough to hire them. All of that makes sense to me. Now for the part that doesn't make sense.

For some reason, these people who violate our laws by sneaking into our country have some political strength. Why? There is a legal way to enter our country and these folks have chosen to circumvent it and then our political leaders make all sorts of outrageous concessions to them. (PC notice: It's no longer okay to call them illegal aliens. Preferred term is undocumented immigrants.)

There are all sorts of estimates of the costs to our economy to let them stay. There are all sorts of estimates of the costs to our economy to remove their cheap labor. The cost is not the issue. The law is the issue. Year after year we have seen political pandering erode the laws that those panderers were sworn to uphold. Shame on us (lowly voters) for allowing it to go unchecked.

If the borders are to be opened then put it to a vote. Let the American people decide. If we have a law, enforce it. Close the borders. Punish those unscrupulous companies and individuals who hire illegal aliens.

Good news from Florida

Florida was recently pounded by a hurricane. You couldn't have missed it. Hurricane Charlie rolled up the west coast of Florida and destroyed everything it touched. It also brought out the best in some people and I have to write this down so that their kindness is not forgotten.

I heard the story of a Floridian who was buying blankets and diapers and all sorts of baby needs. (I'm not sure if it was for a hospital or some other group.) She stood in line at WalMart and someone asked her if she ran a daycare center. She explained that she was buying supplies for these babies and the people in line around her began handing her money to buy the blankets, the milk, the diapers. Several of the people who gave her money were rebuilding their own homes that were damaged in the storm but were moved to help.

I also heard this morning that the classified ads in Florida have picked up a completely new category. There are ads being run in papers in Florida for FREE homes. Lots of people own vacation homes in Florida where they spend only a portion of the year. They are offering their vacation homes free of charge to people who live in Florida while the storm damaged homes are being rebuilt.

I've also heard the stories of price gouging hotels and gas stations and I'm disappointed by the corruption of the human desire to help those less fortunate. When I hear about the giving, the sharing, the comforting and the "bearing one another's burdens" I'm reminded that people are carrying some goodness and kindness around inside them.

Find a way today to help someone who is in need.

Pot called. Says Kettle is Black

We've been given another example of Kerry's unbelievable hypocrisy.

We've heard him criticize Bush for taking too much time off during the days before September 11th and implying that Bush's awareness of the potential threat was incomplete due to his "time off." Then we find that Kerry skipped out on 78% of his Intelligence Committee meetings.

We've heard him tell Detroit auto workers about how much he loves his big Suburban and weeks later tell the Earth Day audiences that he doesn't really own any SUVs. He dismissively explains that the SUVs belong to his family and are therefore, not really his.

We've seen him recently decrying the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and sending lawyers to sue TV stations that run their ads and to persuade the publishers and the retailers to stop carrying their books. He made no attempt to quash the other private issue ads being run by MoveOn.org and others. He complained about the SBVT ads being paid for by a Texas millionaire. The MoveOn.org ads are paid for by George Soros, a Hungarian born billionaire.

We've recently heard him speaking to a church (frankly, it's amusing to hear him use words like "brother" as he addresses a primarily African-American congregation) and quoting a bible verse from James, a book in the new testament. Kerry, paraphrasing the book of James, said 'The scriptures say, "What does it profit my brother if someone says he has faith but does not have works?"' The scriptural point being that if a person really believes in the message of Jesus that person will necessarily respond by doing good works for others. Kerry's point was that Bush was all talk and no good works. Kerry's bold assertion that he has the faith and the works to prove it has been challenged by the IRS tax records.

Today I heard a comparison of Kerry's and Bush's income tax records. It seems that Senator Kerry and President Bush both made handsome incomes for the last 10-15 years. Kerry has been employed by the citizens of Massachusetts and has been making over $100K each year. Bush was a private citizen and then governor and made about $200K each year. He had one great year where he made about $600K. Here's the big difference between the two. Kerry's charitable contributions peaked out at $820 one year with several years where he made NO charitable contributions. Bush made charitable contributions of no less than $20K and peaked out at $31K.

Forget about the waffles for a minute and consider only the discrepancies between what he says and what he does. The fact that Kerry has any supporters at all seems to suggest that the population is more gullible than we'd like to believe and that Kerry's primary skill is "pulling the wool."

Limping along with the Yellow Dog

I'm so tempted to take the Yellow Dog (my '87 F150) to a car dealer and trade it in on a new one... it broke down on me again this morning. It's just a fuel issue that I could fix if I didn't have this full time job that keeps me busy... well, full time. Probably just the back tank needs to be flushed and cleaned and the fuel pump and switch need to be cleaned out.

How great would it be to have a shiny new truck sitting in the driveway tomorrow morning? A truck that would crank right up everytime I turn the key. A truck that would run without question for the next five years. A truck that would have a CD player and AC that would blow really cold. A truck that would stop smoothly and certainly. A truck that would ride smoother than the Dog does. A truck that I would feel good about letting my wife drive. A truck that was built within the last decade.

Oh well, enough fantasy for the morning. Got to get back to that full time job so I can pay for the repairs to the truck that I have (and love) and that has some fuel issue.

Old truck owners of the world... unite.

Lightning strikes

What do you offer to a man whose house is burning? What do you offer to a man that's watching the flames rush out of the attic vents and the smoke sneak out of the eaves?

I felt helpless as I stood beside my good friend this morning. Lightning hit the turbine vent and set the attic on fire while we were sitting in the playroom, having a cup of coffee and talking. Minutes later we're in the yard, rain soaking us and watching the smoke in the house get thicker and darker. No one was hurt and of course I'm grateful for that but now there will be months of living in a hotel, working with contractors, cleaners and the insurance company to get the house rebuilt. I can't really help with any of that either. I couldn't put out the fire, I couldn't stop the damage from happening and I can't rebuild the house for him.

When my sister lost her baby daughter her husband told me that all they wanted to hear were the words "I love you. I care about you. I'm sorry for your pain."

Well... my friend, my brother... I care about you, your wife and your girls. I love all four of you. I'm sorry for what happened this morning and I know it's not over yet.

Several observations:
The smoke smell stays in your skin for at least 12 hours.
After a house fire, everything else that day is pretty boring.
Objects do NOT need to be grounded to be struck by lightning.
Lightning certainly can strike the same place twice.
Firemen are wonderful human beings.

Kerry pleased, America is buying it!

My frustration with my fellow Americans has been enflamed recently as I've observed the presidential campaigning. My fellow Americans (about half of them according to most polls) would cast their votes for John Kerry if the election were held today. The fact that anyone could fall for his political positioning is amazing. He's somehow able to hold both sides of every position. Within the month of August he's spoken publicly for moving troops out of Korea AND spoken against Bush's decision to move troops out of Korea. This is only the most recent example of this man's willingness to say anything he deems necessary to win the favor of the audience to whom he's speaking. He's proud of his SUVs when he's speaking in Detroit and then ashamed of his SUVs when he's speaking at Earth Day. He's convinced that Iraq's WMDs are a threat and then when the war get's ugly he's feeling hurt that Bush told us there were WMDs in Iraq. He wants Bush to condemn the Swift Boat Vets for Truth as their ads rebut Kerry's claims of Vietnam heroics but does nothing to condemn Move On Pac as they run anti Bush ads comparing our president to Hitler. The examples go on and on. He wants to toss the coin if he can be "heads" and "tails."

My disappointment is not that a professional politician would turn out to be a waffler or lack any convictions. My disappointment is that we would swallow it. How can we see this man's daily statements and daily speeches and read his campaign material and not see the duplicity?

Wake up, America. You can't get away with that kind of double speak in your workplace, in your home, in your circle of friends. Your friends can't get away with being two faced. You'll call them on it the first time. If they happen to continue to be deceitful you'll weed them out of your life. Why then would you accept it from your president?

I want to learn

Learn to trust God. Learn to seek His will. Learn to submit. Learn to rely on His strength. Learn to be His vessel. Learn to rest at His side. Learn to break down the walls inside me and allow God to fill every room.

Patriotism

I guess I'm living in some rose-colored biosphere because things seem to be going well economically. I see plenty of businesses hiring people around me. I see companies investing in new equipment and new technology and expanding markets. I see people getting to choose between the job they have and the job they're being offered. I see people consuming goods and services in the stores everyday. This is my personal experience. I'm not talking about something I saw on the news.

I see on the news that Iraq is trying to hold onto their newborn democracy. I see that Afghanistan is no longer a theocratic house of horrors. I see that churches and schools and markets are open in Iraq. I see that Pakistan is rounding up terrorists and prosecuting them with a new found fervor. I see that Libya turned over their nuclear material to us. I see that the economies of most European countries is still expanding. I see that Japan's economy is still growing. I see that America's economy is still growing.

So why the anger? Why do I hear the complaints and the whining? Why are so many people in this country upset with the president? Why are so many people in this country ashamed of America?

I am proud of my country and proud of my American heritage. I was taught to take action even when no one else will join me. I was taught to stand up for what's right even when it's unpopular. I was taught to protect the weak and defend the innocent. I was taught that America is a country built on humble heroes, men and women who did the right thing when it cost them their fortunes, their families or even their lives. I was taught that to die with honor is far greater than to live with dishonor. These lessons didn't just come from my parents or my religion. These lessons came from my history, my American culture.

We're not perfect and our country is not perfect. We've made our mistakes. We've embarassed ourselves at times but we've admitted our mistakes, sought forgiveness and moved on. We've shouldered the load and carried it ahead. We've cleansed our shame with honor and heroism. We've strived for that ideal again and again and we do so everyday.

I will recommit myself to act honorably, to love mercy, to seek justice, to protect the weak, to defend the innocent and to make the world a better place. When I find the opportunities to do these things I will remember those Americans who modeled that behavior for me and will thank God for the country that has nurtured more heroes than any other.

My two sons... and their mother

Back home again after more than a week away. Feels great to sleep in my own bed, go to my own church, see my friends.

The boys started school today. The youngest is in Kindergarten now. He told us the other day that it didn't seem like he should be five years old now. How right he is. He sat at his little table with his friends this morning. Several cute little girls and my little blonde headed boy. They were all coloring pictures about their summer. He put his foot on the path, he began the journey through school. His mother was surprisingly, not crying. She may be sobbing in her office right now but at school this morning she was all smiles.

My first born was his great social self. He loves his public and his public loves him. We got to his classroom and his class was already writing a paper. Several looked up from their papers and spoke to their beloved. He slid into his seat and got right to work. Good man. He rode with me this morning. Just the two of us and he sat in the front seat with me. He asked if I remembered my third grade teacher. I don't. He asked if I remember my best friend from third grade. I don't. I had to explain that those people are important now but they might not be when he's in the fourth grade or the fifth or the tenth. He got it. He's really smart in that way. He's always been able to comprehend things like that.

There's no way to deny that I'm a father. Sometimes I feel like I got sucked into an episode of Quantum Leap because I don't seem equipped for this life. I feel unworthy of those two boys. No one should give me credit for them because I know what God gave them and what I've contributed since then and let's be honest... it's heavily weighted to the God side. The divine Mrs. L seems completely at home guiding them and seems to know what they need to learn at every stage. Between God and my wife I think they are going to turn out okay.

Oldest Friend

Oldest Friend

Lean against my shoulder.
Speak into my ear.
Look right into my eyes.
Assure me you are here.

Quiet me when I'm angry.
Comfort me in my fear.
Lead me when I wander.
Assure me you are here.

I'll ask for your opinion.
I'll listen and I'll care.
I'll quietly enjoy your presence
Assured that you are here.