...as iron sharpens iron...

Some Quotes from Reagan

2009-08-08T18:46:00.002-05:00

These are especially appropriate in light of the direction we are going today.

'Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.'- Ronald Reagan

'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' - Ronald Reagan

'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' - Ronald Reagan

'Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. Was too strong.'- Ronald Reagan

'I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.' - Ronald Reagan

'The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.' - Ronald Reagan

'Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.' - Ronald Reagan

'The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.' - Ronald Reagan

'It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.'- Ronald Reagan

'Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.' - Ronald Reagan

'Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book.'- Ronald Reagan

'No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.'- Ronald Reagan

'If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.' -Ronald Reagan

RAW DATA: Top 20 Earmarking Senators in the $410 Billion Spending Bill - from FoxNews

2009-03-10T15:35:00.002-05:00

Who is the biggest earmarker of them all? According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., takes the cake, with 60 earmarks worth $123 million in the latest spending bill before the Senate.

But he's hardly alone. The budget watchdog group has released its latest list breaking down the earmarks, lawmaker-by-lawmaker, in the $410 billion bill set to come up for a vote by the end of the day. The bill would fund the government through the end of the fiscal year, with an 8.5 percent increase over last year and billions of dollars in pet projects.

Here's a breakdown of the top 20 earmarking senators and the value of their solo earmarks:

1) Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va. -- $122,804,900

2) Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. -- $114,484,250

3) Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo. -- $85,691,491

4) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. -- $76,899,425

5) Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. -- $75,908,475

6) Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska -- $74,000,750

7) Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa -- $66,860,000

8) Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. -- $53,133,500

9) Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. -- $51,186,000

10) Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii -- $46,380,205

11) Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. -- $39,228,250

12) Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. -- $36,547,100

13) Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt. -- $36,161,125

14) Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. -- $35,577,250

15) Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. -- $27,169,750

16) Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. -- $26,628,613

17) Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. -- $25,320,000

18) Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis. -- $23,832,000

19) Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. -- $21,952,250

20) Former Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. -- $19,588,625

Didn't Obama say something about no earmarks?????

A letter from your boss

2009-02-07T13:40:00.003-05:00

Well worth the time to read

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.

However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.

However, what you don't see is the back story.

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.

Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds.

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.

So where am I going with all this?

It's quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....

Signed,
Your boss

So I doubt this is a real letter from a real boss, but the sentiment is right on the mark. Why are politicians so ignorant?

The Media vs. the Pro-Life Movement

2009-01-23T19:40:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, an estimated 200,000 people marched on the Mall in Washington in protest on the 36th anniversary of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court ruling. The ruling has provided legal cover for the termination of more than 50,000,000 pregnancies in the United States over the past thirty-six years.

200 people gather to protest the war in Iraq and Katie Couric is there. 200,000 march to protest abortion and they get no coverage. I think we have seen this kind of news coverage before - in North Korea, Iran, Venezuela... Maybe the next "bailout" will be for mainstream media; or perhaps more fairly a buyout to turn them into state-owned media agencies. I fear the media's job of providing an avenue to facilitate government transparency is dead for the next 8 years.

(Also, note that Obama's reversal of President Bush's ban on providing aid to foreign organizations that support abortion went without mainstream media coverage)

Whether Democrat or Republican, this should scare you. Although my guess is that those that agree with Obama will not mind that information is being supressed.

Bye Bye Hard Earned Money

2009-01-23T19:37:00.000-05:00

During his private meeting with congressional Democrats and Republicans on Friday, President Obama ended a philosophical debate over tax policy with the simple declaration that his opinion prevailed because "I won."

The "I won" comment came after Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., said Republicans believed cutting income taxed would do more to stimulate economic growth than providing a $500 per person payroll tax refund for individuals earning less than $200,000. The president said, according to those present, that this was an important philosophical divide between Republican and Democrats and that it had already been settled -- and would remain settled -- because he won the election.

What a difference 4 years makes!

2009-01-23T19:31:00.006-05:00

Headlines On This Date 4 Years Ago:

"Republicans spending $42 million on inauguration while troops Die in unarmored Humvees"

"Bush extravagance exceeds any reason during tough economic times"

"Fat cats get their $42 million inauguration party, Ordinary Americans get the shaft"

Headlines Today:

"Historic Obama Inauguration will cost only $120 million"

"Obama Spends $120 million on inauguration; America Needs A Big Party"

"Everyman Obama shows America how to celebrate"

"Citibank executives contribute $8 million to Obama Inauguration" (So that's where the bailout is going!)

Nothing like fair & unbiased coverage of the news !!!

Automaker bail out

2008-11-18T19:03:00.003-05:00

I find it very funny (not ha ha funny) that the car companies are asking for money to help them stay in business and yet the United Auto Workers union is the ones bleeding them dry. In a country where nearly every worker has had to make sacrifices when it comes to benefits and pay, the UAW have better benefit packages than anyone and it is cleaning out the automakers. Even more hilarious is that the president of the UAW has clearly said that the Union will make no concessions. So either the government bails the automakers out or they close and all UAW employees lose their jobs. Yep, the UAW is certainly looking out for their members' best interests. So rather than restructuring some benefit packages (which far exceed almost all other non-union workers) which might cost each worker a few hundred dollars a year, the Union is willing to risk people losing their entire salary. To put it more clearly that's saving each employee about $500 a year against $40,000-$50,000 (or more) a year. Doesn't that seem a little shortsighted?

Obama's Plane - You Need to Know This

2008-08-05T20:41:00.005-05:00

Obama The Patriot - Removes American Flag From His PlaneBarack Obama recently finished a $500,000 total overhaul of his 757. And as part of the new design, he decided to remove the American flag from the tail...What American running for President of the United States would remove the symbol of his country? And worse, he replaced the flag with it with a symbol of himself...

Socialize oil in the U.S.????

2008-06-19T09:46:00.003-05:00

This is really scary stuff folks. America did not become the greatest country on earth because of socialism. Rep. Waters showed her true colors; and there are plenty more of her ilk trying to ruin this country.

What you won't hear on the news is that oil companies make approximately $o.o4 cents in profit on a gallon of gas. The government makes 18.5 cents per gallon of gas. Now, the government does nothing to earn that money, and yet happily take it - where is the public outcry on the massive profits the government makes on "big oil."

Where is your tax money going?

2008-04-30T22:26:00.000-05:00

The ink was barely dry on the “New Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007” when House and Senate leaders began looking for ways to circumvent or obstruct its earmark disclosure rules. CCAGW’s Earmark Reform Pledge aims to commit lawmakers to providing taxpayers with greater transparency and accountability for earmarks.

By signing the pledge, members of Congress agree to 10 provisions, including that they will:

fully disclose all earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit requests on their congressional websites;
not request any earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit provision that does not serve a federal interest and/or have a federal nexus;
not request any earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit provision that would be directed toward a specific private entity that was not requested by an agency; and,
support legislation that would end the linkage between campaign contributions and earmarks.

Senate Earmark Pledge
House Earmark Pledge

From 1995 to 2005, the number of appropriations earmarks grew nearly tenfold, from 1,439 to 13,997. It’s no coincidence that the proliferation of earmarks has corresponded with the debasement of the budgetary process in Washington. As the examples of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.) and Jack Abramoff illustrate, lawmakers and lobbyists trade in earmarks as their “currency of corruption.” If House and Senate leaders are truly committed to overseeing “the most ethical Congress in history,” they should be making it easier, not more difficult, to follow the money trail.

Please tell your Representative and Senators today to sign CCAGW's Earmark Reform Pledge!

Current signatories as of 3/13/08:

Senators Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)

Reps. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), John Campbell (R-Calif.), Tom Feeney (R-Fla.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Tom Price (R-Ga.), Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), and John Shadegg (R-Ariz.).

2008 Pork Book; Legislator's Pet Projects

2008-04-03T14:09:00.004-05:00

This is my feeble attempt at shedding some light on our government's spending.

Ever wonder why our “law makers” constantly cry for more money? Ever wonder why the deficit is out of control? Ever wonder why “lawmakers” continually vote against legislation that would prohibit pet projects? The Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) just came out with their 2008 Pork Book. This lists all of the “pet projects” senators and representatives hide in spending bills. For example, the MN state legislature just passed a 5 cent gas tax increase for transportation projects. This was represented in radio ads as critical to the future of the state. So the gas tax increase passed. Now the federal pork book comes out and the state of MN is receiving $76,841,800 in transportation related earmarks in 2008 alone. This is not standard federal transportation funding, these are pet projects put in by our federal reps. That $76,841,800 is spread out in varying amounts between 24 pet projects under transportation. Seems like a lot of money, huh? Well, MN has a total of 127 earmarks for a total of $268,294,892 in special pet projects, hidden away on other federal spending bills. And MN ranks 26th! The total amount of money spent on pet projects for all states for 2008 is $10,186,338,285. And the feds are licking their chops to repeal the Bush tax cuts so they can get more money for these pet projects. The arguments that these tax cuts only for the rich are bogus, don’t believe it or at least look into it for yourself before believing what you hear on the news. Remember one very important thing, any tax increase, whether intended to target the rich or not, will end up falling on the middle class. These “rich” people they talk about have teams of lawyers that can move money out of the taxable stream, you and I do not. How about taxing the big bad corporations that make those god awful amounts of money? If you increase their taxes, the cost will get passed on to the consumer; that’s you and me.

How do our Presidential Candidates stack up this year?
Hillary Clinton: 281 Pet Projects
Barack Obama: 52 Pet Projects
John McCain: 0 Pet Projects

Here’s a great example of one such project:
$3 million for "The First Tee," a program designed to teach the game of golf to young people. This was slipped into the Defense Appropriations Bill by House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D) of South Carolina. Though The First Tee has extensive corporate sponsors and individual donators, Clyburn said the program "will help make generals and colonels."

This was buried in the Defense Appropriations Bill!!!!!!!!!! I bet Mr. Clyburn has been more than critical of defense spending in regards to the war on terror; now he sticks a golf program in there and that doesn’t bother him?

Check out this site and look up your own state or representative:
http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homePage

Also, they have a survey that you can fill out. You have to give them an email address and zip code at the end, but no other info.

2008 CAGW Survey

This should be illegal! Next time you hear these senators and reps espousing their rhetoric on the need for health care for every one and social security going broke and how schools need more money, all so they can raise your taxes - remember this. This year alone there is 10 billion dollars tucked away for pet projects. Check your own state as well. MN has a nearly 1 billion dollar bonding bill this year for pet projects. The government gets plenty of our money, they just don't know how to spend it.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this. Maybe, if enough people get sufficiently fed up, something will get done.

Global Warming: Equal Coverage?

2008-01-08T18:16:00.000-05:00

Not So Hot

by Patrick J. Michaels

This article appeared in the American spectator on December 27, 2007.

If a scientific paper appeared in a major journal saying that the planet has warmed twice as much as previously thought, that would be front-page news in every major paper around the planet. But what would happen if a paper was published demonstrating that the planet may have warmed up only half as much as previously thought?

Nothing. Earlier this month, Ross McKitrick from Canada's University of Guelph and I published a manuscript in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres saying precisely that.

Scientists have known for years that temperature records can be contaminated by so-called "urban warming," which results from the fact that long-term temperature histories tend to have originated at points of commerce. The bricks, buildings, and pavement of cities retain the heat of the day and impede the flow of ventilating winds.

For example, downtown Washington is warmer than nearby (and more rural) Dulles Airport. As government and services expand down the Dulles Access road, it, too, is beginning to warm compared to more rural sites to the west.

Adjusting data for this effect, or using only rural stations, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states with confidence that less than 10% of the observed warming in long-term climate histories is due to urbanization.

That's a wonderful hypothesis, and Ross and I decided to test it.

We noted that other types of bias must still be affecting historical climate records. What about the quality of a national network and the competence of the observers? Other factors include movement or closing of weather stations and modification of local land surfaces, such as replacing a forest with a cornfield.

Many of these are socioeconomic, so we built a computer model that included both regional climatic factors, such as latitude, as well as socioeconomic indicators like GDP and applied it to the IPCC's temperature history.

Weather equipment is very high-maintenance. The standard temperature shelter is painted white. If the paint wears or discolors, the shelter absorbs more of the sun's heat and the thermometer inside will read artificially high. But keeping temperature stations well painted probably isn't the highest priority in a poor country.

IPCC divides the world into latitude-longitude boxes, and for each of these we supplied information on GDP, literacy, amount of missing data (a measure of quality), population change, economic growth and change in coal consumption (the more there is, the cooler the area).

Guess what. Almost all the socioeconomic variables were important. We found the data were of highest quality in North America and that they were very contaminated in Africa and South America. Overall, we found that the socioeconomic biases "likely add up to a net warming bias at the global level that may explain as much as half the observed land-based warming trend."

[S]ocioeconomic biases "likely add up to a net warming bias at the global level that may explain as much as half the observed land-based warming trend."

We then modified IPCC's temperature data for these biases and compared the statistical distribution of the warming to the original IPCC data and to satellite measures of lower atmospheric temperature that have been available since 1979. Since these are from a single source (the U.S. government), and they don't have any urban contamination, they are likely to be affected very little by economic factors.

Indeed. The adjusted IPCC data now looks a lot like the satellite data. The biggest change was that the high (very warm) end of the distribution in the IPCC data was knocked off by the unbiasing process.

Where was the press? A Google search reveals that with the exception of a few blog citations, the only major story ran in Canada's Financial Post.

There are several reasons why the press provides so little coverage to science indicating that global warming isn't the end of the world. One has to do with bias in the scientific literature itself. Theoretically, assuming unbiased climate research, every new finding should have an equal probability of indicating that things are going to be more or less warm, or worse-than-we-thought vs. not-so-bad.

But, when someone finds that there's only half as much warming as we thought, and the story is completely ignored, what does this say about the nature of the coverage itself? Somehow, you'd think that would have been newsworthy.

Patrick J. Michaels is senior fellow in environmental studies at the Cato Institute and a member of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

New Photos

2008-01-06T18:01:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I put put a new photos post up. Check them out here.

Army Unit, Civil Affairs Team Hand Out $10,000 in Micro-grants

2007-12-10T00:29:00.000-05:00

By Spc. Alexis Harrison, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Dec. 7, 2007 – Troops from Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, and a civil affairs team from 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion handed out $10,000 in micro-grant funds to an Iraqi small business and a home for mentally handicapped children.

Abdul Kareem Fasial, the owner of a small bakery in a Qadisiyah neighborhood, received $5,000 to go toward upgrades to what he called the best bakery in the neighborhood. "Cooperation made this all possible," Fasial said. "The soldiers made it very easy to get the grant, and I have no doubt that this will help me and the entire community."

Fasial and his small corner confectionery shop opened almost 30 years ago. He said his neighborhood has seen many rewards since the local leaders began working closely with the troops from 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, and others from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

"A lasting impact could be made if we endeared our Iraqi leaders to the cause," Army Lt. Col Michael Tarsa, the battalion’s commander, said.

The Dina Institute, which cares for mentally retarded children, also received $5,000, as well as several hundred pounds of rice, sugar, beans and other food. Tarsa said his troops have been to the institute several times to check up on the needs of Inam Jawad, the institute’s head caretaker, and her kids. After the first time they heard about the facility, they couldn't help but feel obligated to help, he said.

"We were drawn to the Dina Institute by the opportunity to help," Tarsa said. "They are a forgotten segment of society, and we knew we had the resources to help."

This wasn't the first time troops have helped the institute. But, it was the first time their help came in the form of money. Jawad said she will use the money to get caught up on employee salaries, medical supplies, and a few things to make the cold winter months go by a little easier.

Jawad thanked the troops and the council members who came to her aid a few months ago when all other channels seemed to fail. Word of the institute’s struggles traveled through channels and eventually reached Walid Taha and Nadia Al Ezzi, two prominent business people who work to help children in need.

Taha is the chief executive officer of a huge conglomerate in

Iraq

known as the Taha-Kubba group. This commercial juggernaut manages dozens of companies that are all based in Baghdad and have ties to several other countries.

Why We Serve: Army Major Cites Communication for Iraq Success

2007-11-27T15:28:00.000-05:00

By Gerry J. Gilmore

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2007 – An Army officer who commanded an infantry company in Iraq says enhanced communication with local Iraqis increased civic cooperation and boosted stability within his area of operations.

Maj. Cedric L. Burden, 32, deployed to Iraq in September 2005 for a one-year tour of duty. Burden’s unit was responsible for conducting security operations in an area about 18 miles west of Kirkuk.

“It was more like Dodge City,” Burden said of the situation when he arrived in Iraq, comparing his area of operations to the wild Kansas frontier town of America’s Old West.

Burden said he quickly realized that mission success would be predicated on gaining the respect and trust of the Iraqi citizens he and his soldiers were pledged to protect. The then-captain directed his troops to get out of their vehicles during patrols and walk among and communicate with local residents.

“It showed that we’re here for security, but we didn’t want to ‘bully’ them off their own streets,” he explained.

Getting to know the Iraqi people was a turning point, Burden recalled. “We went from people not even speaking to us, to having Iraqis knowing our names,” he said.

As relations improved, more Iraqis came forward with information that was used to disrupt insurgent operations, and instances of violence decreased, the Gary, Ind.-born officer said.

Burden, who wanted to be a soldier since he was a young child, also wants to tell speaking-tour audiences about the importance of supporting U.S. servicemembers. “It’s important to support soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen,” Burden said. “Freedom isn’t free, and someone has to do hard things during hard times.”

There “is no greater honor” than to serve your country in its time of need, the captain said.

Military service is “a noble thing to do, because it is being selfless,” Burden said.

More Good from Iraq

2007-11-21T13:30:00.000-05:00

This needs to make headline news...Not some of the other junk that makes
the news these days!!!

Like the Rosie/Donald war of words... Celeb weddings...who's not wearing
undies...e t c.

It's a tough, but heartwarming story...with a picture of John Gebhardt
in Iraq.

John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family
was executed. The insurgents intended to execute e the little girl
also, and shot her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was
cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and
moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down,
so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept
in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.

He is a real Star of the war, and represents what America is trying to
do.

This, my friends, is worth sharing with the WORLD! You'll never see
things like this in the news.

The American public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize
that what we're doing over there is making a difference. Even if it is
just one little girl at a time.

Good News From Iraq (yes there is good news if you do more than turn on MSNBC or CNN or the big 4 networks)

2007-11-21T13:27:00.000-05:00

Ramadi Unity Parade Marks Key Event in Iraqi Reconciliation

By David Mays
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2007 – A remarkable parade in Iraq’s Anbar province, openly attended by citizens from all walks of life, demonstrates that Iraqi reconciliation efforts are working, a coalition commander said today.

“Out in al Anbar, which you know has been a difficult area about six months ago: a total change,” Army Brig. Gen. Dave Phillips told online journalists and bloggers during a conference call from Baghdad. “When they say there is an awakening, I think that's almost an understatement.”

Phillips, deputy commanding general for the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, said he personally attended an event earlier this week that proved the awakening movement encouraged by Sunni sheiks is working.

“This past Tuesday, I went out to Ramadi,” the general explained. “The Iraqis came up with a concept of a Unity Day parade. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think Ramadi would host a parade which would be led with a band playing and then also young Iraqi boy scouts marching with flags, young Iraqi girl scouts marching with flags, followed by the fire department, the national police, the regular police, ambulances. Never dreamed I would see something like that.”

Increased security in Iraqi communities allows such open celebrations to take place, Phillips explained. To that end, the general said, he and his team have helped hire more than 13,000 new Iraqi police officers just in the past two months.

“We have more people signing up than what we actually have ability to hire,” Phillips explained. “And when I say ‘we,’ I'm referring to the Iraqis.”

Tomorrow, 450 Iraqi police officers will begin 10 weeks of specialized training led by Italy’s fabled Carabinieri force, the general said.

“The national police of Iraq are structured very similar to the Carabinieri in Italy,” Phillips explained. “The Carabinieri have nationwide authority; so do the (Iraqi) national police. They can deploy anywhere in the country, and they're a high-end police force that can transition very rapidly to almost light infantry. And so we saw the parallels there.”

In addition to the thousands of police applicants, thousands more Iraqis are volunteering to patrol their own neighborhoods as “concerned local citizens” the general said.

“Most of them bring their own weapons with them,” Phillips said. “They will work with the Iraqi police, and they will be responsible for guarding a block or a corner or some area. And they basically are auxiliaries. They help the police. They can't make arrests, but they are there as eyes and ears on the street, and they provide information.”

So far, more than 50,000 concerned local citizens have offered their services in and around Fallujah, Muqdadiyah, and Diyala, the general said.

“Some are paid. A vast majority are not paid,” Phillips said. “They're doing it because they want to see a difference in their community.”

It’s clear, the general said, that Iraqi citizens are making a difference in their community when they are able to openly celebrate as they did this week in Ramadi.

“When I sat there at the Ramadi parade, that evening I contacted my wife and told her that for one of the first times in a long time, I was very optimistic,” he said. “In the past, I was cautiously optimistic, but what I saw at Ramadi, to me, that was one of those days to where you realized you are witnessing something extremely special.”

Vick return to football?

2007-09-01T22:04:00.001-05:00

Why?

How many of us, if guilty of the same crimes, would be given our job back? He's a talented athlete. Okay, so what about a talented lawyer or accountant or doctor or teacher or pastor or plumber or electrician or anything else that really matters to society? Instead, something as worthless to the betterment of society as an athlete actually has a shot at getting paid millions of dollar after committing a despicable crime. Let me just say that I like athletics, I played them and I appreciate a great talent. But at the expense of acting like complete idiots, never. Why is it that the people who contribute the least to our society get paid the most and get the most chances to screw up? I commit a crime and my job is over. End of story. Perhaps we expect so little of them ethically and morally. And yet they have the most impact on the youth. How many young kids idolize a doctor or a police man. Not many...be honest, you know I am right. So the people we expect the least from ethically and morally (athletes, actors, musicians) are the people that have the most influence on the children in our society. If you don't see a problem with that then, sorry for this, you're stupid. I know there are a few of them that are good ambassadors to their profession, but please let's look at the big picture. Imagine for a second that a pastor plead guilty to dog fighting charges. Outrage! Call for his head! Yeah totally. But the same goes for anyone. If you think differently, stop and ask yourself why. Is the crime less serious because of who committed it? A police officer gets into a bar fight while off duty and beats another man to within an inch of his life. How about if it was done by an athlete or a celebrity. The crime is the same regardless of who commits it. Or would you like to tell the victim that the celebrity is going to get less of a sentence than if it was an average joe. All that being said, Michael Vick should not play football again. He had everything many people dream of and he threw it away. It was his choice and he needs to face the consequences.

Blogging?

2007-08-20T22:49:00.000-05:00

Not sure how much blogging I will do. It has been a long time since I last blogged and the spark has died a little. I would like to, but I have a lot of other stuff that I would rather do. Plus, a lot of what I have to say is pretty vanilla. I don't really get into politics anymore. Except that I hate the way our government can take more of our money anytime they want and spend it on anything they want without the slightest fear of consequences. And before you automatically think I am dogging George Bush, stop yourself. Put Hillary in there (or any of them) and it ain't gonna change. ...okay, I still have a little to say, but it's not stuff that I want to bother with because it is all in vain. You want some one sentence political gems? Okay, here's some juicy stuff to chew on:

Want to save social security? Stop the Feds borrowing from it to fund other programs (that's right, that's the reason there won't be enough money).

Want to get out of Iraq? Good, then get ready to move down to Africa cause you ain't seen nothing yet.

You want more money for our kid's education? Try getting the money into the classroom and to the teachers instead of the school administration.

There. That's all I've got.

New Pictures Up

2007-03-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

Few new photos at Flickr.

New Photos

2007-02-04T16:41:00.000-05:00

Just put up some new photos on Flickr.

The Horn of Africa

2007-01-29T17:38:00.000-05:00

Here is a great article from the Army website. It shows the efforts of the US military and its humanitarian outreach in Africa.

What The U.S. Hopes To Accomplish In The Horn Of Africa
The mission is unorthodox: Prevent the spread of terrorism by bringing humanitarian aid to Africa. The outcome is uncertain, but U.S. military officials say their work already is proving effective.
By Kate Wiltrout, The Virginian-Pilot
PART 2 OF 2
DJIBOUTI - As a Norfolk agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Rod Budd tracks down sailors suspected of crimes. Now, a continent away, he hunts bigger prey: terrorists.
Budd is gathering intelligence as the United States, already engaged in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tries to keep the Horn of Africa from becoming the next conflict. The Navy, which plays a largely supporting role in the current wars, is leading the military effort on the ground in the Horn of Africa.
One of Budd's main tasks is to create relationships with local chiefs and ask them to look out for strangers - or weapons - passing through their desert villages. Somalia is just a dozen miles away, and refugees flow freely across that unstable country's border.
Budd, who expected the investigative service to send him to Iraq or Afghanistan, acknowledged he's winging it in Djibouti, relying on instincts cultivated throughout almost 20 years in law enforcement.
"Our job in Iraq and Afghanistan - albeit much more dangerous - it's inside the wire," Budd said, meaning agents toil on bases behind security checkpoints. "Here in Djibouti, you have a chance to actually go outside the wire and maybe - maybe - stumble upon a golden nugget. The potential to actually do something is a lot higher here than in the other places."
His task is to get to know the people around him, observe suspicious behavior and encourage them to contact him if they see something strange.
"This is the same thing as a cop on the beat who wants to know what's going on," Budd said. "He makes friends with people, and they tell him things. It's just a unique place to do it."
One day in November, he took a short drive from the well-guarded fences surrounding Camp Lemonier, the U.S. military base, to visit a village elder.
Chief Ali Waberi sat on a cot draped in mosquito netting and told Budd how much the United States is needed in Djibouti.
"Our only hope is God, and you guys," he said through the interpreter, Jafar Jama.
Sunlight streamed through gaps in the wooden boards. Flies were so thick that the old man handed his visitor a homemade fan to chase them off.
Then the chief expressed his disappointment.
"When the U.S. arrived here, we had big expectations. For 100 years, we've been praying for Americans to come over here," Waberi said. "Fortunately, they're here today."
But, Waberi said, "it looks like the benefits are going toward the urban people rather than the villagers."
Budd listened politely to the chief's complaint, but making lives better for the local people isn't his primary mission.
Still, sometimes he'll bring a case or two of bottled water; other times, soccer balls for the village children.
Another means of currying favor for the American anti-terrorism effort: arriving with a military doctor to treat sick villagers. On this visit, the first question Waberi asked was: "Where is the doctor?"
A week or two earlier, the agent had brought along a physician to examine the chief, who dealt with chronic knee pain by thrusting a stick heated in a fire into his knee to release endorphins and mute the underlying ache.
The doctor had cleaned out the wounds around his knee and given him ibuprofen for pain.
No doctor this time, but Budd had a drop of good news: The chief and other elders from surrounding villages would soon meet with Camp Lemonier's commanding officer, who would hear their concerns and pleas for jobs, a critical issue.
The same day he visited Waberi, Budd made a stop in the village of Nagad. On his way back to the car, a young man he'd never met approached Budd. He told the agent the village needed to corral its goats and sheep. Could he help with that?
Budd introduced himself to the man, then offered a question instead of an answer.
"Do you understand what my role is?" he asked.
He had Jama, the interpreter, explain that he didn't have the authority to carry out favors like that, but he would appreciate residents staying alert and getting in touch if they saw suspicious activity.
Budd delivered the message gently, with a handshake. "We'll see you again," he said.
To the head of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees the African task force, the military engagement in the Horn could be a model for strengthening a country and building relationships to prevent the spread of terrorism.
"Dollar for dollar and person for person, our return on investment out here is better than it is anywhere" in the vast command, Army Gen. John Abizaid said during a visit to Camp Lemonier in May.
Humanitarian work makes strategic sense, according to the theory behind the task force.
Lt. Cmdr. Robert Kearney, a member of the task force's core staff in Djibouti, said the military hopes to reach people who are poor, hopeless and have no one looking out for them. It's important to get to them before they are recruited by terrorists.
"They found out in Iraq and Afghanistan that for every insurgent, it takes 20 soldiers" to control the area where a guerrilla operates, Kearney said. "And as you know, we're running out."
It's tough to tell whether the United States is winning this quiet war and preventing a full-blown conflict. Sometimes, the victories are small.
Mouusi Abi is an example.
Like half the working-age population of Djibouti, the 29-year-old father of two is unemployed. He lost his job with an oil company in March, but since September, he has stayed busy helping a group of Navy Seabees construct a school bathroom in his neighborhood.
Abi simply showed up one day, with passable English that allowed him to converse with the 10-man crew from Port Hueneme, Calif. He totes heavy bags of cement and mortar and shoos away children who ask the Americans for water or throw pebbles over the fence.
It isn't a paying gig, but Abi hopes his help might lead to a job on base. For the U.S. military, Abi is a success - for his loyalty, not his lifting.
Abi has become a fan - and defender - of the Seabees.
Motioning to the prayer tower of a nearby mosque, Abi said the imam there doesn't like Americans working in the area, and he made those feelings public.
So Abi and fellow members of the neighborhood council visited the imam.
"They help us, and they help our children," Abi said they told the Muslim cleric. They asked him to keep his opinions to himself, and it seems to have worked: Abi said they haven't heard anything from the imam since.
That kind of intervention is exactly what top brass wants from the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.
"We like to think that the activities we've done in these various nations have prevented terrorist activities," said Rear Adm. Timothy Moon, the task force's deputy commander. "Could we point to single ones we have stopped as a result of our efforts? No, we can't. I'm sure we have prevented something, but I couldn't put my finger on it."
Gains are gradual and can result from something as simple as helping Djibouti's young people connect with American culture through a language class.
For Yasser Toube, that connection comes on Sunday nights, when a van full of Camp Lemonier personnel drives down a narrow, garbage-strewn street to the Horn of Africa School of Languages, where Toube goes to improve his English.
He is the kind of man terrorists would be lucky to recruit - young, unmarried, bright. He speaks French, Arabic and English besides his tribal tongue. He, too, is unemployed, with a widowed mother to care for.
In a room about the size of an American bedroom, 12 students - two of them female - squeezed onto bright blue wooden benches on a hot November night.
The hallway smelled of urine. A fan hanging from a buckled, wooden ceiling whirred slowly, but the room was muggy and hot. The window was shut to stop curious children from peering in and giggling.
Five service members in civilian clothes came this night, including a Navy petty officer, an Air Force senior master sergeant and an Army major.
The discussion topic: a l-Jazeera's recent foray into English-language news programs and whether such programs are accurate and fair.
Their comments - about Western news outlets covering Africa from only a European or U.S. perspective, and criticizing al-Jazeera's grisly footage of Muslim casualties in Iraq and Palestinian territories - offered the American visitors some understanding of moderate Muslims who don't hate the United States but question the war in Iraq.
The students agree that English is the key to their nation's future - not French, taught in schools even since Djibouti gained its independence from France in 1977. T hey agree that the U.S. presence - in the form of Camp Lemonier - is helping Djibouti progress.
"Before the Americans came to Djibouti, it was like a dead zone," Toube said. "People were living in a very critical condition. But now there's two or three weddings every night."
"People are very happy.... They've begun building houses. They've begun to plan for their life and their future."
Still, this country has far to go.
At least in this classroom of Muslim students, Western ideals - not Islamic fundamentalism - have taken root.
"For Djibouti to be a free and prosperous nation," Toube said, "we need this kind of culture that teaches people freedom, teaches people to be open, teaches people to be democratic."
It's not just the military spreading that message in Africa.
The U.S. diplomatic corps is helping. That's why career diplomat Stuart Symington spent a year in Norfolk training top military officers to work hand in hand with U.S. embassies overseas.
Symington taught at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk last year before being named ambassador to Djibouti, where he's putting those lessons into action.
He summarized the mission of both the military and the foreign service officers at the U.S. Embassy, first in French and then again in English: "We can give you walls, and we can redo the roof and the air conditioning and paint the walls, but the only thing that really matters in this country is you, the parents and the students," he told local teachers at a continuing-education seminar in the capital.
"On peut ouvrir la porte, mais c'est vous de passer. "
"We can open the door, but you have to go through it."
The same November day, Symington traveled to the town of Goubeto to bestow middle school scholarships on 18 young girls - part of an effort to give 1,000 scholarships to girls across the country. Girls are often forced to quit school by families unwilling to have them travel f arther to middle schools.
"May the bright light that I see in your eyes today shine in your hearts and in your country," Symington told the girls after shaking each one's hand.
Despite hopeful words, there is no certainty American efforts will ultimately raise this struggling nation out of the hopelessness and poverty that attract terrorists.
Budd, the agent with the Navy's investigative service, worries that his friendly village visits spread false hope rather than defuse terrorism.
"Sometimes it gives you an empty feeling," Budd said while driving away from Nagad. "But you do what you can do. Everybody does their little part."
Budd, who will resume his job in Norfolk next month, believes in his mission. But he's unsure how the American effort will turn out.
"This is kind of like throwing a ball out there and seeing if anybody catches it," Budd said.
"There's no magic to it, just a matter of maybe - someday - it will pay off."

Great Blog

2007-01-16T13:06:00.000-05:00

My brother-in-law knows someone in the 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division Commandos. He passed their blog site on to me. They are currently deployed to Iraq and the blog site provides information on what they are doing over there. It's easy to listen to all that the media and politicians have to say, but perhaps you will go to their site and see what is really going on over there. I am sure this is one of hundreds of blogs from the different Divisions over there, but it's probably one more than most of you have looked at. Check it out:

2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division Commandos

24: The Real Deal?

2007-01-16T12:07:00.000-05:00

Anyone who saw 24 over the last two nights should take some of that to heart. It may be politically advantageous to denounce the war in Iraq or the War on Terror in general, but the hard truth is that if we don't finish our job in Iraq we will undoubtedly embolden the terrorist groups. The outcome of Iraq and the War on Terror will have lasting implications for generations to come. Anyone who disagrees is looking at the situation through rose colored glasses. Personally, I do not like to see our soldiers in harms way. Unfortunately that is where we are at this point. Perhaps if this had been addressed sooner, we would not be in such a fight. We are and we have to succeed. I don't think people who are against the war are bad people. They just want peace. What's wrong with that? The problem is that our enemy refuses to coexist. If they refuse to coexist then there is no peace. Everyone has some emotional attachment to the war, but relying exclusively on emotions will cloud the facts. Forget about WMDs, this is a much bigger struggle. We have a long road ahead and the terrorists know that Americans do not have the stomach for long conflicts and they are using the media to sway support for the war. In a lot of ways, they are more savvy at using the media than our own politicians. If you think Iraq is tough, just wait. Next stop Africa. The Middle East will seem like Grenada in comparison. It would be a shame to wait for things to start blowing up on our own streets before we realize the gravity of this.

Hebrew on Hold

2007-01-16T11:45:00.000-05:00

I am putting my study of Hebrew on hold for awhile. I am switching over to investigations for Customs (BCBP/ICE) as well as another agency; the name of the other agency is classified. What that means is long hours of study learning two big government manuals leaving little time for much else. I will no longer be working for OPM as our service for them has ended. Not sure of all the details, but I guess the details don't really matter. Oh well, onward and upward. It will be somewhat exciting to work for some different agencies, so that's good. The job is still in support of National Security and that is the most important thing.

Starting Hebrew

2007-01-03T09:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I started studying Hebrew yesterday. I think I am in for a long journey. It seems that everything has multiple meanings and each line in the letters of the alphabet or (Aleph-Bet) has a meaning. I am starting with the alphabet and yesterday I learned the first three letters; Aleph, Bet (or Vet) and Gimmel. I am using a free website called Hebrew for Christians (thanks Carol). It looks like a pretty indepth study, although, I am sure I will need additional training outside of just the website. Just studying the first three letters, I am fascinated by it. I only hope I can retain the discipline to keep up with it. My ultimate goal would be to read the Bible in Hebrew some day. I would guess I will have to be on a ten year plan before I reach that goal.

Currently Reading

2007-01-01T11:58:00.000-05:00

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

A biography of abraham Lincoln as well as his three opponents for the Republican nomination for President. Even though they were opponenets, Abraham Lincoln recognized the talents and skills and made them members of his cabinet once elected as President. So far this is a fascinating book about 4 men who had unsurpassed discipline and drive. It is also amazing to read about the close relationships these men developed with other men; men who they could share their inner-most thoughts, fears and dreams. The depth of their relationships goes far beyond what most people ever achieve today outside of their marriage. Some historians have gone so far as to hint at possible homosexual elements, but there is no evidence to prove any of those theories. I think most of these theories come from historians looking at these men through a 20th century bent rather than taking it in the context of the time when these men lived. Nonetheless, they had very strong and affectionate bonds with men they trusted beyond what anyone in our "enlightened" country can fathom.

I would bet that most people have never heard of William Seward, Salmon Chase or Edward Bates. These were the three men that were challenging Lincoln for the Republican nomination. I certainly had never heard of them. In the history of our country, these men would put most Americans to shame in their pursuit of knowledge and dedication to their own improvement and their families. Most of these men rose above significant challenges and devistating loses. Chase lost three wives and three daughters by the time he was 44 years old.

I feel as though I have only cracked the binding on this book and I have already learned so much. A letter Chase wrote to his sister sums up the fortitude of these 4 men.

"What a vale of misery this world is. To me it has been emphatically so. Death has pursued me incessantly since I was twenty-five...Sometimes I feel as if I could give up - as if I must give up. And then after all I rise and press on."

When you're down to nothing, God is up to something

2006-12-08T19:33:00.000-05:00

She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: "How is my
little boy ? Is he going to be all right ? When can I see him ?"

The surgeon said, "I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it."

Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer ? Doesn't God care any more ? Where were you, God, when my son needed you ?"

The surgeon asked, "Would you like
some time alone with your son ? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university."

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. "Would you like a lock of his hair ?" the nurse

asked.

Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.

The mother said, "It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. "I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom." She went on, "My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could."

Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car.

The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the
plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room.

She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She laid down across his

bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said :

"Dear Mom, I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say "I Love You"

. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know. Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD ! And guess what, Mom ? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told

Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom ? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'Where was He when I needed him ?' "God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children. Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool ? I have to give God His pen back now. He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure
the food will be great.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me.

Some new photos...

2006-12-05T19:57:00.000-05:00

A few new photos posted in the last couple of weeks. Check them out on Flickr.

2006-12-05T16:53:00.000-05:00

Prayer:

"Lord I ask that you set opportunitites before me; opportunities to reach out to those around me. I want to live a life that is worthy of you. Let me see you in places where others may not. Lord, make wherever I go Holy ground."

I love our troops

2006-11-02T11:07:00.000-05:00

This is just great!

John Kerry is such a boob. I don't care about political affiliation, he is a boob.

New Camera, New Pics

2006-11-01T14:24:00.000-05:00

Just got a new camera; the Nikon D80. Still trying to get a feel for the camera but have managed to get a few new photos up on Flikr.

UN well intentioned, but misguided

2006-07-20T10:58:00.000-05:00

As I listened to Annan speak at the UN today about the Israel/Hezbollah conflict, I agreed with a lot of what he said. He spoke about needed to get aid in to the civilian population, care for the displaced and work with the international community to create a lasting peace in the Region. All of those things are dead on. However, he is missing one very important point. Without the dismantling of these terrorist groups, the violence will continue. A call for a cease fire will only put off the inevitable; maybe for a few months or a few years, but it will not end. We have seen time and time again that these groups continue to operate unimpeded if they are left to exist. It happened in Iraq, it is happening in Iran and Syria. As difficult as it may be, if these groups will not voluntarily dismantle then they will have to be dismantled by outside forces. The same goes for North Korea. Within 45 minutes of the UN voting for the latest resolution, North Korea rejected it. They do not and will not play be the rules. I certainly understand the desire to avoid an armed conflict with any of these countries, but in most of these cases it is unavoidable. The UN continues to provide evidence that it cannot deal with these terrorist states.

New Photos

2006-07-15T20:27:00.000-05:00

I posted a few new photos today. All but one was taken just outside my back door. It is amazing to me how beautiful nature can be when I just slow down and take time to really appreciate it.

"I Hate People"

2006-07-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

I have actually uttered these words out loud several times in the last couple of weeks. I find myself sick of being around a society that promotes selfishness. People seem to only be aware of themselves with no concern or care for anyone else. My heart is truly starting to grow cold towards this world.

I have been hurt by those who I thought I could trust. I feel vastly unappreciated at work. My house has been on the market for 66 days with no takers. No one else knows how to drive. People don't say thank you when you do something nice for them. Most people just don't get it. Others seem to have no awareness that they live on a planet with anyone else.

These are just some of the thoughts that have been invading my mind over the last couple of months. I give people very little slack and I am becoming increasingly critical of others. By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit has convicted me to start seeking the Lord more fervently; both by getting into God's word and spending more time in prayer. I have started reading Romans again and I came across a verse that really shamed me because it is 100% true.

Romans 2: 1 "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."

First, I have no excuse to judge others since I am no better. Second, my heart should be filled with love for others rather than hate. I may not understand why someone can be rude or not say thank you or applauds deviant behavior, but it is not my place to judge them. My job is to show them Christ's love. That's a hard pill to swallow.

The other obvious pattern that shows up in my complaints is the constant turning inward to myself. All of my complaints are base solely on me or, at least, on my perspective of how things ought to be. It's no wonder I am beginning to hate people. All I do is focus on the negative. The truth is that I should be disgusted with my own human nature because that is the real problem. So now onward I go seeking God in prayer to soften my heart and help me to show Christ's love to others.

We Celebrate Deviance

2006-07-09T18:08:00.000-05:00

A quite a few stories caught my attention lately and I thought I would take the opportunity to return to the blogo-sphere. Unfortunately the post is not a happy one, but I write about what I see. Over the last few decades there has been a rapid decline in the appreciation of the upstanding, decent, kind and moral person in American society as well as the most of the world. This celebration of deviant behavior didn't start with Bill Clinton, but it certainly provided a catalyst for growth. I am still amazed at how, after all these years, many Americans have elevated Clinton due to his immoral behavior while in the Oval Office. I was further amazed that he is there is a public service type spot featuring Bill Clinton on Nickelodeon; a kid's network. He's not exactly the first person I would choose to be giving advice to children. Three other stories have caught my attention that further confirm this trend. I saw all of these reported on CNN.

R. Kelly, the hip-hop star, has been charged for allegedly having sex with a 14 year old girl. What's worse there is a video tape of it. In middle of all of this, his album came out recently and reached number 1 on the charts. How can there be this kind of following and support for someone accused of having sex with a 14 year old girl?

Kate Moss has been in the news a lot recently for her drug use and treatment. It has been reported that since her drug abuse has become public she is making twice as much money as before. Huh?

Finally, Lil Kim was released from prison a couple of days ago to a huge fanfare. The video of her release looked more like a red carpet event rather than a humbled walk from prison to her awaiting vehicle. It will be interesting to follow her career from this point. But I wouldn't be surprised if she saw a resurgence in her popularity.

Perhaps the reason I enjoy reading so much about the men of WW II and the times surrounding it is that the brave, decent men of our armed forces were celebrated for their contribution to this country. Now 8 out of 10 stories involving our military are negative. Meanwhile, we are bombarded with stories exulting the exploits of deviants and others who disparage the values that this country was founded upon. When will it stop? Perhaps it is too late to stop the inevitable slide into utter depravity. I certainly hope that we can turn things around in this country and go back to celebrating the good people in this country.

Busy

2006-05-23T12:25:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last, almost, month. We are busy trying to sell our house. Lots of stuff to write about, but very little time to do it. I'll get back to it - stay tuned.

New Photos

2006-04-21T16:28:00.000-05:00

A lot to say, but no time to say it. I'll get to it just as soon as life calms a bit. Spring has Sprung here in DC and flowers are in bloom. Check out the rest of the photos.

Clinton Cracks Jokes About His Past

2006-04-13T08:16:00.000-05:00

Clinton Cracks Jokes About His Past

That's real nice. This article is much more offensive to me than the title would initially suggest. He doesn't just make light of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, but his handling of military affairs as well. Not to mention he is cracking jokes while working on global disaster relief and AIDS/HIV programs. Further, this is what he says about working on the program:

"I don't mind working on boring topics. I like boring."

Nice to see he is taking such an interest in HIV/AIDS and global disaster. He also seems to wear the Lewinsky scandal as a badge of honor, referring to himself as, "the world's most famous sinner." Yeah, ha, ha, real funny.

Perhaps he has a better take on his national security stance:

"I always thought of Senator Fulbright and the terrible quagmire in Vietnam and how many times we sent more soldiers and found ourselves in a hole and kept digging because we didn't want to look like we were weak. So anytime somebody said in my presidency, 'If you don't do this people will think you're weak,' I always asked the same question for eight years: "Can we kill 'em tomorrow?""If we can kill 'em tomorrow, then we're not weak, and we might bewise enough to try to find an alternative way."

Eight years of putting it off until tomorrow. Well, your lack of action against bin Laden got thousands of Americans killed!!!!!!!!!! And what alternatives? You mean do nothing but have an affair with an intern? Or maybe tout an economy that was built on nothing but pure speculation? Maybe just hope it will go away? Or better yet, skip out of office and leave it to someone else. Or, perhaps, all of the above. Let's blame September 11th on the 9 months Bush was in office instead of the 8 years of Don Juan Clinton. I'm glad he can be so glib about it. His refusal to go after bin Laden with boots on the ground (troops) and his tying of the hands of the CIA is what allowed September 11th to happen. I know I have referred to this book before, but read the book Jawbreaker and you will see all of the obstacles the CIA came up against because of Clinton and his appointed roadblock, George Tenet.

This guy’s presidency was a joke; at least now he recognizes it as well. I wonder if the people who lost friends and family on September 11th can look back at his presidency with such a jovial attitude. I don't care if you worship at the house of Clinton or not. How can you not be offended by this?

Sen. Clinton Calls for 'Return to Fiscal Discipline'

2006-04-12T12:38:00.000-05:00

Sen. Clinton Calls for 'Return to Fiscal Discipline'

HA…HA…HA…HA…HA…HA…HA…HA…one second…HA… HA…HA…HA…HA…HA…HA…HA…okay, phew I needed that.
I think we have someone trying to set themselves up as a moderate Democrat for, say maybe, an election. Which one, I cannot tell, but something smells rotten. She's even boasting about her husbands presidency. Wow, she's got a pair I'll tell ya.

Immigration Proposals Spur Nationwide Rallies

2006-04-11T09:54:00.000-05:00

Headline : Immigration Proposals Spur Nationwide Rallies

Once again we see a rush to the immediacy America is so well known for when it comes to a call for protests. Big picture? What big picture? This country has to control its boarders for security. As far as I can tell this legislation still allows for legal immigration. It strikes me as odd that thousands and thousands of illegal immigrants are gathering in one location when they are here illegally. Seems like easy pickings for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. Of course, this is a problem of our own creation. Yeah, it's going to be a bit of a painful transition to get things right, but it needs to be done. It also shows how quickly people from a foreign land can buy into the "entitlement" rhetoric so pervasive in this country. I don't understand what is so difficult to understand. There are legal steps to take if you want to become a citizen of this country. If you don't want to go through the process then stay put. I someone robs a bank and doesn't get caught, should they then be entitled to ask that their illegal action be overlooked? Isn't that what we are seeing now? Someone came here illegally and now they want that to be overlooked and be given full citizenship rights. There is absolutely no logic to it. One common argument is that our economy would not survive because they do jobs that other Americans would not do for that amount of money. Would anyone care to look at the expenses they create through welfare, subsidized housing, free healthcare, free public education, etc? That's a lot of tax dollars and I would be willing to bet that not a lot of illegal immigrants are picking up their share off the tax burden to offset those costs. I think you will find that the tax money spent far exceeds the perceived increase in wages and costs. But, of course, that is the big, long-term picture and we here in America don't like that. I don't begrudge somebody the opportunity to come to this country. I just don't see why there is such a problem with doing it legally.

Iran Test-Fires Another 'Top Secret' Missile

2006-04-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

FOX News Headline: Iran Test-Fires Another 'Top Secret' Missile

At first I was concerned, but then I remembered that the U.N. is handling things with Iran. Phew! I am so relieved. For a minute I thought an antiquated, irrelevant world organization might be in charge of confronting Iran. Wait, what? Doh, we're screwed. I guess they will have to send a couple of their surface to sea missles down to Bahrain and sink a few of our ships before we push for stronger involvement. Of course, to the U.N., attacks on U.S. interests would not be any reason to up the pressure on Iran. Don't say we didn't warn you.

New Pics

2006-04-01T00:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of actual blogging over the last week. Work's crazy and we are trying to get the house finished so we can make the big move; for those of you keeping score, we're getting close. It's also been very nice outside and I have taken advantage of it and shot some more photos. As usual they are posted here - enjoy.

New Photos

2006-03-28T20:41:00.000-05:00

I had been meaning to do this for a long time but life just gets busy and, well, you know the story. I went into DC at about 5:30 on Sunday morning so I could start my "memorial" series. Once I get the series completed, I plan on framing them and putting them in my office. It was a great experience to be down in DC that early. There were virtually no people on the Mall and I got to see the sun come up over the capital and take picture without having to worry if people were wondering into my shot. I didn't get everything I wanted and I look forward to heading back down soon to finish up the series. The rest are posted on my Flickr site.

Abdul Rahman Update

2006-03-23T13:34:00.000-05:00

There may be new hope for Abdul Rahman. A Fox news article reports that the Afghan government is saying that Rahman may not be mentally fit for trial. It seems obvious that the Afghan government is looking for an excuse to let him go. Hey, it doesn't matter how he gets freed so long as he is freed. I can't help but wonder what kind of political backlash this will cause for the Karzai administration if the charges are dropped. You can bet that a whole host of Islamic leaders will be furious about it.

Will it be one and a half men soon?

2006-03-23T09:56:00.000-05:00

I was just doing a Technorati search on Charlie Sheen and came across a blog that proves just what I was saying about the inevitable ratings dive. Granted this is only one person making a statement against actors who are all of a sudden "credible", but it's bound to catch on. Way to go Bodie Specter!

Why, Charlie, Why?

2006-03-22T21:29:00.000-05:00

Charlie Sheen joins the ranks of the conspiracy theorists. I won't comment too much about it because what he said pretty much speaks for itself. Charlie did an interview with Alex Jones; who introduced him as a guy who, "really knows what's going on on the planet." Right there you know what side of the aisle Jones sits. Doesn't it seem strange that Sheen went on an ultra left-wing program to get out this extremely important, mainstream belief, on what "really" happened on 9/11? Oh, wait, that's the only place he would last more than 10 seconds without getting laughed off the air. Let's look at some quotes shall we?

""It seems to me like 19 amateurs with box cutters taking over four commercial airliners and hitting 75% of their targets, that feels like a conspiracy theory. It raises a lot of questions." [...]

"There was a feeling, it just didn't look any commercial jetliner I've flown on any time in my life and then when the buildings came down later on that day I said to my brother 'call me insane, but did it sorta look like those buildings came down in a controlled demolition'?"

"By remaining at a location [Booker Elementary] where it was publicly known the President would be before 9/11, he was not only putting his own life in danger, but the lives of hundreds of schoolchildren. That is unless the government knew for sure what the targets were beforehand and that President Bush wasn't one of them."

"It might lead you to believe that he'd [Bush] seen similar images in some type of rehearsal as it were, I don't know."

"We're not the conspiracy theorists on this particular issue.""

When I first heard this audio, I thought it was a joke. Seriously, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I wonder if the cast and crew of Two and a Half Men will have the right to sue Sheen for tanking the show and being the sole reason they all lose their jobs when the show is cancelled due to the inevitable ratings dive. You can't make this kind of material up. Maybe National Lampoon will pick up the movie rights to this story; it would make a great screwball comedy. I wonder if Charlie will play himself.
You can listen to the interview here.

Christian on Trial

2006-03-21T18:46:00.000-05:00

I came across a sad article today. There is a man in Afghanistan, Abdul Rahman, who is on trial for being a Christian. This is extra disappointing since America went in to Afghanistan, liberated it from the Taliban and helped install a more moderate government. However, under current law, it is illegal to be a Christian and the penalty is death. Please read this story. Perhaps this is an extreme interpretation on Islamic law by a radical group? Or is it the straightforward interpretation of Islamic law by a moderate Islamic government installed with the assitance of the United States? It's not the Taliban or another radical group. By Islamic standards this is supposed to be a moderate Islamic government. So why are people so quick to defend Islam as a peaceful religion (except, of course, for those rare radical terrorist groups)? If you read the quotes in the article from the judge and prosecutor, they seem to be acting as thought their hands are completely tied on the issue. There is nothing they can do because converting to Christianity is a crime in Islam, punishable by death. Period. Does that seem tolerant or peaceful? To who? Who could possibly think that is peaceful or tolerant? The easy response would be to call me insensitive or prejudice or intolerant or any number of names. All I ask is a simple question. Is killing a man simply for being a Christian tolerant? If you don't like the question or would rather not have to face the reality of the situation, that's fine and your choice. But don't get mad at me for simply asking it.

Michelle Malkin has been covering this closely. Check out these two articles. 1 2
John Martin has compiled some great perspectives on this issue.

Character

2006-03-17T08:31:00.000-05:00

I was watching TV last night (okay, flipping channels) and I came across this show called American Inventor. I didn't watch too much of it, but I saw a woman who invented/created a learning product after raising her mildly retarded son (I believe some people prefer mentally challenged, but these were her words so I am using them). In the interview part she said her main concern, while raising her son, was academic achievement since he was mildly retarded. All through his school years she was focused on helping him to achieve academically. Her son graduated high school; and on graduation day he was awarded the Character Award for his senior class. Using all she had learned raising her kids she put together a video (and I believe some other materials) teaching kids the difference between right and wrong. She said that almost all instructional/teaching videos for kids are focused on improving them academically. What she did was create a product that helped teach the foundation of Character. We live in a society where kids (and adults) are taught situational ethics. There are no absolutes in this arena in today's society. This is not a unique phenomenon, nor is it new to the history of the world. This was a pervasive theme in the Roman Empire (there are some scary similarities to the America of today and the Roman Empire shortly before its fall; more on that at a later time). I tend to believe that this temptation to use situational ethics either grows or shrinks considerably depending on the company. We are either encouraged or discouraged to use this approach in all situations in our life. There were many times in my youth that I was certainly encouraged to bend the rules by those who were in my circle of friends. At the time, I don't think any harm was meant by it. We probably just wanted something we shouldn't have or we wanted something without having to work for it (as I am looking over my own writing I see an attempted rationalization of the behavior -look back a couple sentences, I won't delete it). Whether we meant harm or not, harm was done. It established a pattern of behavior for me, when it came to making decisions, that I can still struggle with today. There's a great verse in Corinthians, it's in chapter 15 verse 33, Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." It's much easier to make bad choices when you surround yourself with people who encourage those bad choices. For those people who are just growing up and think that the actions of today have no long term affects, let me assure you that they do. You set up patterns of behavior that will last your whole life.

That brings me to the second group of people. For many years now, I have surrounded myself with people who encourage a more dynamic approach to life. With this group of people, there are absolutes and there are things that are absolutely right and absolutely wrong. These people hold me accountable and I them. I also trust these people intrinsically. Trust is a very rare commodity in today's society. Friendships and relationships are often superficial and held together only as long as is mutually beneficial to the parties involved. At the first sign of adversity all parties bail out. It's difficult to find people who are willing to be honest, straightforward and loyal. But when you do find them, hold on to them. They are a blessing from the Lord. They will stand with you and help make your life a life worth living.

The end is not always more important that the means. Sometimes the journey getting to the end can teach you much more than actually getting to the end. It is this journey that builds character. Character is not developed overnight. Character is developed slowly and, many times, it is developed painfully. We are a "NOW" society. We want character and we want it now; heck we want everything and we want it now. You know, if you throw away right and wrong, you may just rack up a pretty good list of accomplishments and lots of "stuff" that you can show off to others. But while your list may be a mile long, you character will be about an inch deep. Counter to society, I would rather have a list an inch long and character a mile deep. It’s definitely not the easy route and I definitely don’t make all the right choices. But with grace, the Lord’s strength and the support of the people God has placed in my life, I will continue to move forward and dig deep.

New Photos up

2006-03-14T20:59:00.000-05:00

I put up a couple new photos today. I spent some time in my laundry room, in the dark, trying to capture water droplets with no light but the built-in flash on my camera. I wasn't sure it would work out, but after a hundred or so photos I think I can start to put together a series. Very exciting indeed.

Lobby to a Better America

2006-03-13T10:57:00.000-05:00

Headline: Lobbying Reform Stalls in Senate

According to an article on Fox news' website, the Senate was inches away from passing a new, tough lobbying and ethics bill. Then came the Dubai port "scandal" (don't even get me started on the hypocrisy of this one) and the bill was tabled so they could deal with this port issue. Does anybody else think the Dubai port deal came out of nowhere? Of course, we are led to believe that this was some super-secret attempt of the Bush administration to sneak this deal through. Sorry, but turning over operations of government owned ports without anyone being the wiser seems a little difficult to do; especially without attracting a little attention. Here's my take. Everybody knew about the deal. Nobody really cared about the deal. Then came the real possibility of having free luxury vacations, cash "donations", expensive meals and "earmarks" taken away and all of a sudden we have an issue so urgent that we need to table the lobby reform bill. Oops, did someone accidentally leak the UAE info to the press? Yeah, that sounds about right. The House isn't doing much better moving this thing along either. I find it odd that a bill with such wide bi-partisan support cannot seem to get pushed through both Houses with ease. All the Senators and Representatives interviewed are pledging not to let this bill die. I guess I don't see how a bill with such wide support can slip to the back of the line. Furthermore, it's crazy that we even need a bill saying that our elected "representatives" cannot accept gifts to persuade them to vote a certain way. Republican or Democrat (Harry Reid would have you think otherwise), they all do it. This thing stinks to high heaven. Not to mention, this bill takes only one step towards a problem that requires much tougher legislation.

Happy Birthday Code-man!!!

2006-03-12T19:51:00.000-05:00

It's my nephew's B-day and I just wanted to give him a shout out. No question about it, he's an original.

Whaaaaat?!

2006-03-11T09:49:00.000-05:00

News Bulletin: Hillary Clinton is a power hungry politician!!!

My guess is that this is not a surprise to most people. I will give her (and Bill) credit for being masters of manipulation. We haven't heard much from Hillary in a while; I wonder why. Perhaps she is trying to whitewash her image to appeal to a majority of Americans. Perhaps she wants to show America that she is just like them and has their very interests close to her heart. Or...perhaps she is like many other politicians bent on power and will do anything to get it. In a recent article from Fox News, Hillary appears to be distancing herself from Wal-mart. Why is that such a big deal for a radical liberal? Because she was once on the Board of Directors and has said some pretty nice things about Wal-mart in the not too distant past. The problem is that Wal-Mart has come under some scrutiny recently for it's business practices; none of which have changed much since the company started but it is their turn again in the constantly revolving door of "big business" bashing. Trust me, if Wal-mart were to announce that they were giving away free Morning After pills and stopping the sale of all Christian literature and Bibles, Hillary's new campaign office would be located inside a Wal-mart store. Before you go and start thinking this is a big liberal bashing post, let me clarify. All I want is for people to know what they are dealing with. Are you more on the liberal side of aisle? Fine, but don't be a fool. You are being played. Hillary doesn't give a crap about the "average American" voter. She has the same tunnel vision that she has had her entire life - POWER. She used her 8 years behind dopey, loveable hubby Bill to position herself for her future. You think she was surprised and upset about the Monica Lewinsky incident? Why? Bill had been doing it for years with countless others women. But to her it was political gold. All she needed to do was play the contrite wife; the victim who chose to stand by her man. And most everybody bought it. In a way, I hope she does get elected president. Then we will see the true evil that she is capable of. Marxism here we come. For those of you who are Christians, take comfort if she becomes President. She will, most likely, push U.N. treaties through that bring us closer to a "world government". Sound familiar? You may want to peruse Revelations again. We may be going home soon!

Flickr Switch

2006-03-10T22:37:00.000-05:00

I have decided to move most of my photos to Flickr. It's a more enhanced site and draws a more artsy crowd. Plus I get to tag my photos and join groups and get creative comments from people who know way more about digital (and film) photography than I do. Please take some time and check it out. There are multiple links to get there.

Field Trip

2006-03-08T19:25:00.000-05:00

So this is pretty much where I was today. Don't recognize it? This isn't the most popular view of it, but one that we got to see a lot of after 9/11. This is the Pentagon. Being a supervisor, I don't get out in the field very much anymore, but today I scheduled a check ride that took me down to the Pentagon and Pentagon City. I was up before the crack of dawn since I was going to metro in and link up with one of my field staff in Pentagon City. I got dressed in my "agent" garb, which really consists of nothing more than a suit, and headed out. Now normally I work out of my "field" office (home) so my typical outfit tends to be a bit less formal. I also don't get out into the field very often anymore so I was looking forward to it. As I boarded the metro, I pulled out my book (Jawbreaker, see previous post) and started reading. I had to transfer in Roslyn and grab another train to my destination. I hopped on the train and before you know it we emerged briefly from the dark tunnel as the train comes above ground for a short distance. To my left I see the Washington Monument and to my right is Arlington Cemetery and I catch a glimpse of the Pentagon before we return under ground. And wouldn't you know it, it hits me. I'm living in Washington D.C. and I am on my way to the Pentagon. Now I've had to go there before and I used to work at the State Department and I have actually been on a security detail for Colin Powel and President Bush, but it's been awhile and I guess I tend to forget all that goes on in this area. A boyhood tingle of adrenaline kind of ran through me as I felt the inside pocket of my suit coat for my badge and creds. He I am, a guy from a town of about 3,500 in MN and I am on my way to the Pentagon with credentials and a badge from a federal agency - damn that's cool! Before I let this go any further, let me say that my job is not all that exciting, and I am not some super agent or anything, but why crush that feeling right away. As I got off the train, I looked around at the men and woman who accompanied me off the train and I looked at them in awe. You see, I know my job but I don't know theirs...they could be super agents! And that was good enough for me. I met some cool people today, with cool jobs (at least to me) at cool places. It made me realize something else. September 11th had a profound effect on me and it was a strong contributing factor for moving out the DC and getting involved in this kind of work. The overall purpose of what I do often gets lost in the mundane details of the everyday part of the job; I'm sure that even happens to super agents. We are trying to get set to move back to the Midwest and that has been my sole focus. But today reminded me that I have seen and experienced more cool stuff than I ever could have imagined growing up in a little midwestern town. For a second, I was almost thought of reconsidering the transfer back to the Midwest. Then I remembered the 24 hours a day 7 days a week gridlock traffic and came to my senses. I am going to miss it here, though.

Picture of the Day

2006-03-07T10:12:00.000-05:00

I know this picture has been on the web for quite some time, but it still makes me laugh. Enjoy!

Oscar Time

2006-03-05T18:32:00.000-05:00

Well tonight is Oscar night. Probably a little late to post a blog about it, but such is life. I guess some terms that may describe my mood towards the Oscars this year are cynical, disappointed, angry, fed up, and so on. I know Hollywood has been Hollywood for many, many years, but at least they would throw you a bone and nominate some worthy stuff mixed in with the art house garbage that nobody ever saw. There are 3 movies produced by the former president of EBay, Jeffrey Skoll (2 involve George Clooney. Which side of the political spectrum does he fall on again?). No surprise all of them are political, all of them are anti-anything resembling middle of the road and all three have some pretty hefty nominations. The films are Syriana, Good Night & Good Luck and North Country. First off, the best box office grab of the three was Syriana which made $49 million; that ranks 58th on the list of box office receipts for 2005. North Country only made $18 million; it didn't even make the top 100 of 2005. If you saw Norma Rae you can skip North Country; and it looks like that’s what a lot of people did since Norma Rae grossed $22 million in 1979. Lastly Good Night & Good Luck made only $30 million; 90th place for 2005. Now I know that very few true blockbusters have taken home the coveted Best Picture or Best Director nod, but that's because a lot of the time they are crap. This year, however, there were some pretty spectacular movies that were ignored. No Best Picture or Best Director nod for either The Chronicles of Narnia or Walk the Line. Allow me to draw a couple of obvious conclusions. First, the three Skoll films as well as Brokeback Mountain, Munich and The Constant Gardener have a political agenda. What are they? Well, Syrianna is trying to "expose" big oil, big business. North Country portrays men as knuckle dragging fools in an attempt to further neuter America’s male population. Good Night & Good Luck discusses the, admittedly, slightly paranoid efforts of Senator McCarthy's to root out communist sympathizers. The downfall of this movie is that, as a "historical" movie, it fails to adequately address the real dangers America faced at the time. It refuses to look at the fact that America was dealing with one of the most brutal dictators in Stalin. It also tells the tale of the heroic, ever struggling journalist just trying to tell the truth - right. One other note on this film is that, when casting this film, George Clooney said they couldn't find an actor in Hollywood that could play a character so despicable as Senator McCarthy; that's why, he says, they used the real footage. Of course, Brokeback Mountain portrays all conservative Americans as dreadful bigots and that those actually living a heterosexual lifestyle are fooling themselves. Okay that might be a stretch, but it's the next step, trust me. I don't force my lifestyle on anyone else, don't force yours on me. Munich uses moral relativism to put terrorists on the same plane as those who try and stop terrorists. Spielberg had no trouble showing Nazi Germany as barbarians. Why not Palestinian terrorists? I think you know the answer. Finally, the Constant Gardener takes aim at the pharmaceutical industry. While, I agree that is wrong to use humans as a large scale lab without their knowledge, it's really just more liberal rhetoric against big business. So what about the two films that got snubbed? Get ready to roll your eyes if you are anti-Christian or anti Conservative. God. Johnny Cash ended his life as a man chasing after God and we all know that the Chronicles of Narnia is the Gospel. Go ahead and keep rolling them and I will too when I look at the winners tomorrow morning. Didn't I mention it? Yeah, I won't be watching the Oscars this year. It must be bad if a college graduate with a Theatre degree and jobs in acting, scenic design and lighting won't even watch the Oscars anymore. I'll turn them back on again when it is truly about the art of making movies and less about forwarding an agenda.

Current Book

2006-03-03T22:34:00.000-05:00

This is the book I am currently reading. It's a very interesting look at the CIA's hunt for Osama bin Laden. Of course, at the root of all of the problems are political agendas that bogs down the operation from the get go. Not to mention the massive reduction of the CIA personnel assets during the 8 years of the Clinton Administration (I'm not trying to be too political here, that information is well known as well as being stated explicitly by the author in the book). It's a pretty good read so far; there are a quite a few passages that have been blacked out by CIA censors, but it still flows pretty well. It's definitely a good look at the many different resources and partnerships (some with rather shady characters) needed to run a clandestine operation. The extreme dedication it takes to be a clandestine agent for the CIA (or any other paramilitary operative or agency) is quite amazing. The author has a tendency to be a bit narcissistic, but I guess that could be expected of a person who can function for many years in a position like that. While their job may not be the most attractive or palatable in some cases, it's necessary to protect the U.S. I'm just glad they're out there.

Walk

2006-03-01T19:02:00.000-05:00

We went on our usual walk today after work, but this time I took my camera and we decided to get off the beaten path a little. We got to explore! It was just like I remember when I was a little kid. There were streams and fallen trees and mud and all sorts of good stuff. Here in the midst of the nonstop development of northern VA, we found some woods that were as of yet untouched by "progress". I loved exploring as a kid and today I was back at it like I hadn't missed a day; jumping from rock to rock to get across a stream, getting tangled in vines, crunching through leaves and twigs. Sometimes I don't even realize how hectic life can get until I take a moment and step outside of it. It was a rough day at work with lots of issues and a few fires to put out; I was grumpy and mentally exhausted. But a 45 minute walk through those woods and I was refreshed. I got my spirit back.

-a couple more photos from the walk here.

Light in a Dark World

2006-02-28T19:31:00.000-05:00

I was challenged today as I read Ephesians; particularly in regards to living as Children of the Light and spreading the Gospel. I am sure many of you know people who say they are Christians but there is very little evidence in the way they live their life to back up that claim. I know I have had moments that cause people to be suspect. This living as a light is a tall order and one that is very difficult to achieve. I can't say that it is any more difficult now as in any other time in history, but it ain't an easy time right now. The mere mention of Jesus in the public square and we hear terms like "fundamental" or "right wing." The curbside evangelist approach just doesn't seem like a too effective method today in America. So how do we reach out to an unbelieving, hurting world when so many people have such a quick and visceral reaction to Christianity? The easy answer is that we live a life that attracts people; that makes them ask themselves what we have that they don't. I believe this seemingly easy task is monumentally more difficult than it appears. I dare say it may be even more difficult going out to a street corner and proclaiming the Gospel to everyone who passes by. And I don't know too many people whose palms don't start to sweat a little at the thought of straight up, street corner evangelism. Here are some of the things Paul writes to the believers at Ephesus about living as Children of Light:

25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his
neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin": Do
not let the sun go down while you are still angry
29Do not let any
unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building
others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen.
31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,
along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Let’s juxtapose these teachings onto your everyday life, better yet take these standards to your place of employment. Piece of cake. I never get angry or gossip or speak ill of anyone at work. I am, of course, always compassionate and I am always being helpful and building people up. Wait...ohhhh, now I see why I need grace. Let’s add another layer or two. Let’s say people know that you’re a Christian. Now, on top of trying yourself, to grow as a Christian and be a better example of the Christian life, you have coworkers who are still of the world and cynical and angry and living lives in sharp contrast to a Christ-centered life…and they're watching you. They watch your every move so they can be there when you slip up. Maybe they will take the chance to throw out the ever popular, “hypocrite.” Of course it may not be as dramatic as that, but we are being watched. As we all know, we do not necessarily see the fruit of our labor in Christ right away. We have to cultivate and build and plant seeds. Well this holds true when we aren't following Christ’s example. When you are at work, is there gossip? Have you ever participated? I have. Have you ever joined in a bashing session about inept management or complained about compensation or made fun of a coworker? The effects may not be instant, but over time you will blend in with everyone else. No longer a light for Christ, but just another example of a "christian" with no evidence of Christ. We all make mistakes and that is the beauty of God’s Grace. You don't have to out-rightly protest a gossip session; sometimes walking away is powerful enough. Each time we live out Christ’s example in any of these, or many other, situations we have planted a seed. It may take time to grow, but it will grow. You may not even see the fruit of your labor, but trust that God will care for that seed and grow it even if you aren't there. When we go out in the world each day we don't have to scream the Gospel from the top of our lungs, but the Gospel of Christ should be deafening inside our hearts. It needs to be in order to drown out all the temptations we face in a day. Paul has a great visual of how we are to defend ourselves against these temptations in Ephesians 6:13-17; putting on the Armor of God.

13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to
stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with
the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the
readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take
up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of
the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God.

Maybe it's a guy thing, but man I love that image. Every day is a struggle and not every day will be a victory. But if we seek the Lord and seek his strength daily, we can make a difference; we can radically change the world.

Happy Birthday Sis

2006-02-28T08:15:00.000-05:00

It my sister's ?? birthday today (not polite to say age you know). She lives up der in Wisconsion ya kno. I'm sure if Wallace and Gromit ever decide to come across the Pond they would love to visit her because of the cheeeese. My sis is a great lady and a super mom. All the best to her on her ?? birthday! Love ya.

Random Musing for the Day

2006-02-27T18:31:00.000-05:00

If a peace activist goes to a war zone to protest the violence and gets captured and held as a hostage by the enemy (who incidentally will behead them no matter who they are or what their intentions), should the U.S. military go in and save them? Wouldn't that be like kicking the activist while they are down. After all, we would most likely have to use force to free them. Is that being very sensitive? Discuss.

Still Building

2006-02-27T15:13:00.000-05:00

I am still adding and tweaking and refining the site. Check out the new "My Photos" link.
Some are artsy (matter of opinion, I know) and some are just good clean fun. There are a few other links that I have added and hopefully more to come. It has been years since I even looked at
HTML so it is taking me 10 times longer than it should - but I'm getting there.

Disturbed Within

2006-02-24T19:20:00.000-05:00

I was reading in Psalms today and came across a passage I must have highlighted a couple of years ago. The passage is in Psalm 43.

Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
Then will I go to the alter of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.
Why are you so downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

If I am not mistaken in my (anything but exhaustive) study of the Psalms, the lament felt by the Psalmist was that of not being able to be at the temple to worship God. He felt that he needed to be at the temple of God in order to be in God's presence. It struck me in a different way, outside of the specific circumstances of the Psalmist. The passage that hit me was v. 5 "Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will praise him yet."
How can I be so easily discouraged with life? I have the eternal promise of heaven; the knowledge that I will see God face to face one day and see how God wove every day of my life together for his purpose. And yet sometimes all it takes to knock me off that heavenly pedestal is some mentally deficient driver who doesn't seem to notice the 700 other cars in the immediate area and decides to perform a death streak across all lanes of traffic for no apparent reason (no signal, of course). It's happened, more than once, and I can tell you living out Christ-like example is not my first inclination at that point. To go just a bit deeper than road rage, I find it is sometimes an easy and comfortable retreat into discouragement. Flipping through Psalms I can tell what kind of season I was going through by what is highlighted. "Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep?", "...do not turn a deaf ear to me...", "How long will you hide your face from me?" I wish I could say that I have since quit marking these passages, but alas I have not yet arrived. Once in a while I devote an entire prayer time to nothing but giving thanks for the blessings I have been given. After those prayer times it is impossible to see how my soul could be downcast. The Lord has given me so much to be thankful for. Nonetheless, there is no question that the trials, pain, despair and hurt that come into my life have a purpose. I have grown tremendously through the difficult times in my life. But perhaps the most powerful result of feeling that despair in my soul is the passion in which I seek the Lord. At no other time in my spiritual walk am I as desperate for the Lord's comfort and grace as when my soul is in despair. I may never fully understand why, in the midst of all of my blessings and the eternal promise I have been given, it is so easy for my soul to become downcast.

The last part of that verse, "Put you hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.", reminds me of a slow clap in some romantic comedy that starts with one person and then spreads to the entire crowd that has gathered or the steadily rising anthem as or hero delivers a speech that would bring the most manliest of men to tears. The Psalmist pulls himself up by the bootstraps and says no matter where I am God or what my circumstance I know you are with me and I will seek you and I will praise you again and my soul will rejoice once more. Amen!

My Backyard

2006-02-23T18:35:00.000-05:00

While researching this whole blogging thing, I saw some photos that inspired me today. Photography is a bit of a hobby of mine but I have never had to means to buy the really nice equipment - not that I would know how to use it anyway. The photos weren't of anything spectacular, just everyday people and things. It got me to thinking and so I stepped out into the back "yard" of my townhouse (all 200 some square feet of it) to do a series of photos titled "My Backyard". Here's a few of them:

That's a few in the series. It's not so much that I think they are great as the fact that I seized a moment of inspiration and was able to capture some things that I have never noticed in that backyard before today.

The Inaugural Post

2006-02-23T17:43:00.000-05:00

I want to avoid the enormous pressure one may feel when starting a new blog; the pressure to say something profound or present the blog's theme in some grand poetic statement. I have enough pressure in my life already and I don't need to pile on anything else.

So...I'm just going to start.

It snowed and then rained a little yesterday. I work at home and rolled up the roman shade in my office and watched the big flakes come down. There is a peace I find in watching snow fall that I can't really equate to anything else. It's like, with each flake, God is saying, "shh, rest." I get lost in it sometimes and I love it. It inspires me to search out moments of quiet and reflection that normally would get steamrolled by one of a million tasks that need my attention. But yesterday was good; I took that moment...and it was with me the rest of the day.