John McCain is slipping in the polls. What has happened? Or, perhaps, a better question to ask is, what did he do when he went up in the polls? That's easy. He went up in the polls when he sounded like a conservative in the Saddleback church debate moderated by Rick Warren in California. He went way up in the polls when he selected Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Lately, though, John McCain has reminded us of what we have long known about him: he is not a conservative. We need to guard ourselves against getting too emotionally involved with him, because, like President Bush, he will disappoint us time and again.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Vote "Yes" on Amendment 49
Unions are another arm of the Democratic party. Colorado's Democratic Governor, Bill Ritter, has made it possible for unions to collect dues directly from state employees' paychecks. Jon Caldera of the free market Independence Institute has offered an amendment to the state's constitution to stop this practice. Unlike the Denver Post, I usually do agree with Caldera. Like the Denver Post, I agree with Caldera's Amendment 49, which the Post says, "would stop politicians from collecting union dues that are used to elect and re-elect those very same politicians."
ACORN
Did you notice that the Democrats tried to insert funding for ACORN in the bailout plan? ACORN is a radical arm of the Democratic party. They have been registering voters for Obama here in Colorado throughout 2008. I had some experience with them this summer. I was looking for a job. I heard they were registering voters. When I took the foster children into the huge Denver Social Services building at 12th and Federal, I saw them registering welfare recipients to vote. They were always there with a large table, and people were signing up. I also saw them at a grocery store in the inner city, getting signatures on petitions for labor union-sponsored petitions, from welfare recipients standing in line to cash their checks on the first of the month. They were very aggressive.
I thought, that would be a fun thing to do, register voters, and be paid for it! So, I went to their office to apply for a job. I was up front with them, and told them I wanted to sign up people in the suburbs, closer to our farm. They said no, "We are only employing people to work in the housing projects and welfare offices." Can you believe the Dems were so blatant as to try to include massive funding for ACORN in the bailout plan?
You just know the next thing ACORN will be doing is taking van-loads of people to the polls on election day. Without ACORN, I believe most of the people they have signed up will not bother to take the initiative to get themselves to the polls on election day. I wonder how many vans will be purchased with taxpayer money!
I thought, that would be a fun thing to do, register voters, and be paid for it! So, I went to their office to apply for a job. I was up front with them, and told them I wanted to sign up people in the suburbs, closer to our farm. They said no, "We are only employing people to work in the housing projects and welfare offices." Can you believe the Dems were so blatant as to try to include massive funding for ACORN in the bailout plan?
You just know the next thing ACORN will be doing is taking van-loads of people to the polls on election day. Without ACORN, I believe most of the people they have signed up will not bother to take the initiative to get themselves to the polls on election day. I wonder how many vans will be purchased with taxpayer money!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Perspective
I recently met an 88-year-old man named Dave. Dave moved to Colorado from Southern California about five years ago. His nephew, a retired, single firefighter, told him he would take care of him here in Colorado, and, Dave says with grateful conviction in his voice, "he has"!
However, the story does not end there. Dave has a friend who is "only fifty" who calls him every Sunday without fail. She tells him how grateful she is that she has him for a friend, and how much he has helped her appreciate life. She tells him that he has helped her approach life much more positively, and she now has lots of friends, whereas previously she had none.
Dave was married for forty-eight years to a woman who was beautiful at every stage of her life. He showed me pictures from his wallet to prove it! One day, twenty years ago, they were out tending to yard work, when she said, "This is it!" She died right after saying those words.
Dave has other pictures in his wallet. He has several that show him standing next to the plane he flew in World War Two. He has several more of him standing next to the bread truck he proudly drove after returning from the war.
Dave does not like Colorado. The people here are too busy to talk to him. They are always hurrying around. He wants to go back to Southern California. He has a friend there who is only fifty.
However, the story does not end there. Dave has a friend who is "only fifty" who calls him every Sunday without fail. She tells him how grateful she is that she has him for a friend, and how much he has helped her appreciate life. She tells him that he has helped her approach life much more positively, and she now has lots of friends, whereas previously she had none.
Dave was married for forty-eight years to a woman who was beautiful at every stage of her life. He showed me pictures from his wallet to prove it! One day, twenty years ago, they were out tending to yard work, when she said, "This is it!" She died right after saying those words.
Dave has other pictures in his wallet. He has several that show him standing next to the plane he flew in World War Two. He has several more of him standing next to the bread truck he proudly drove after returning from the war.
Dave does not like Colorado. The people here are too busy to talk to him. They are always hurrying around. He wants to go back to Southern California. He has a friend there who is only fifty.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Recent Photos
Yes, I have had my camera with me to record the changing season and the miraculous sunsets.
Don't Doubt Him
Rush Limbaugh has made it as one of his purposes in life to study the thinking and behavioral patterns of people on the left. I believe he accurately summarizes what they are all about: power and control over the rest of us.
In the 1990s Rush first warned us about the "environmental whackos." Among other things, he warned that the SUV would be demonized. Rush was right. The news media always say "a person was hit by an SUV," not "a person was hit by a drunk driver." He saw through Al Gore's hysterical rants about man-made global warming. He showed us Gore's incredible hypocrisy, as Gore jetted around the world and lived in environmentally unfriendly mansions.
Rush was also right about the feminist movement, which was not about advancing women. It was about hating the fact that men were in positions of power and control. It was about advancing the idea that women should have the "right" to kill unborn babies. It was about debunking traditional values.
Now, Rush is warning us about how the left will use the financial crisis. He played the tape yesterday of Senator Chuck Schumer talking about how the "lowly mortgage" has brought down the financial markets. What? What about the irresponsible lending practices? What about the House and Senate banking committees, led by Barney Franks and Chris Dodd, blocking in 2003 and 2005 Republican efforts to set up a receivership corporation to handle bad debts? What about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, feathering the nests of politicians? No, it is us, the little guys, who are at fault for holding mortgages! Like SUVs, mortgages themselves will now be humanized and demonized, and be blamed for the financial failures, instead of looking at the effects of liberal government policies.
Yes, Rush says, it is the Marxist belief system that people on the left adhere to like glue. The problem, they think, is that too many of us are trying to own property. Too many of us are buying into the American dream, which the leftists thought they had banished long ago. Instead, we should all be realizing that we would be so much better off if we just let the government own all the property, and allow the leftists who control Congress and government agencies at all levels lay out for us the politically correct ways in which we are supposed to live our lives. They should own our property, not us.
As Rush often says, "Don't doubt me on this!"
In the 1990s Rush first warned us about the "environmental whackos." Among other things, he warned that the SUV would be demonized. Rush was right. The news media always say "a person was hit by an SUV," not "a person was hit by a drunk driver." He saw through Al Gore's hysterical rants about man-made global warming. He showed us Gore's incredible hypocrisy, as Gore jetted around the world and lived in environmentally unfriendly mansions.
Rush was also right about the feminist movement, which was not about advancing women. It was about hating the fact that men were in positions of power and control. It was about advancing the idea that women should have the "right" to kill unborn babies. It was about debunking traditional values.
Now, Rush is warning us about how the left will use the financial crisis. He played the tape yesterday of Senator Chuck Schumer talking about how the "lowly mortgage" has brought down the financial markets. What? What about the irresponsible lending practices? What about the House and Senate banking committees, led by Barney Franks and Chris Dodd, blocking in 2003 and 2005 Republican efforts to set up a receivership corporation to handle bad debts? What about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, feathering the nests of politicians? No, it is us, the little guys, who are at fault for holding mortgages! Like SUVs, mortgages themselves will now be humanized and demonized, and be blamed for the financial failures, instead of looking at the effects of liberal government policies.
Yes, Rush says, it is the Marxist belief system that people on the left adhere to like glue. The problem, they think, is that too many of us are trying to own property. Too many of us are buying into the American dream, which the leftists thought they had banished long ago. Instead, we should all be realizing that we would be so much better off if we just let the government own all the property, and allow the leftists who control Congress and government agencies at all levels lay out for us the politically correct ways in which we are supposed to live our lives. They should own our property, not us.
As Rush often says, "Don't doubt me on this!"
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Drumbeat of the Left
Arrogance and lust for power, the drumbeat of the left. Willian Staneski writes in the American Thinker about this neverending drumbeat. The politically correct leftists are always seeking to increase their control over the rest of us.
My favorite passage: "In truth, and in direct opposition to the drumbeat, each human being must be accorded his or her natural rights, individual sovereignty, and self responsibility to be in harmony with human nature. Each of us must have the freedom to succeed or to fail."
Read the whole thing here.
My favorite passage: "In truth, and in direct opposition to the drumbeat, each human being must be accorded his or her natural rights, individual sovereignty, and self responsibility to be in harmony with human nature. Each of us must have the freedom to succeed or to fail."
Read the whole thing here.
Abuse Directed at Conservative Women
Working outside the home now seven days a week, I have missed reading so many good posts. Michelle Malkin has written a powerful post explaining how liberals' hatred of conservative women is manifested. Malkin details here the four stages of the abuse: infantilzation, sexualization, demonization, and dehumanization.
Taxation, Altruism, and Patriotism
David Harsanyi was not impressed when Joe Biden tried to convince us this week that taxation was "patriotic". David does his usual persuasive writing here, putting into perspective the differences between coercion, altruism, and patriotism.
Harsanyi also has some interesting facts about who pays what percentage of taxes. For example, did you know that in 1980, when the top income tax rate was 70 percent, the share of income taxes paid by the top 1 percent of taxpayers was less than 20 percent? Now, with their tax rate being less than 40 percent, the top one percent pay nearly 40 percent of all income taxes.
Although Biden is a multi-millionaire, he has given an average of $369 per year to charity in the last decade. I agree with Harsanyi that it is your money, through the coercion of taxation, not Biden's, through altruism, that Biden wants to be patriotically redistributed.
Biden should be especially happy to know that taxpayers are now going to be coerced into paying perhaps as much as an additonal 1 trillion dollars in the government plan being worked out this weekend to buy up financial institutions' bad debt. Patriotism abounds!
Harsanyi also has some interesting facts about who pays what percentage of taxes. For example, did you know that in 1980, when the top income tax rate was 70 percent, the share of income taxes paid by the top 1 percent of taxpayers was less than 20 percent? Now, with their tax rate being less than 40 percent, the top one percent pay nearly 40 percent of all income taxes.
Although Biden is a multi-millionaire, he has given an average of $369 per year to charity in the last decade. I agree with Harsanyi that it is your money, through the coercion of taxation, not Biden's, through altruism, that Biden wants to be patriotically redistributed.
Biden should be especially happy to know that taxpayers are now going to be coerced into paying perhaps as much as an additonal 1 trillion dollars in the government plan being worked out this weekend to buy up financial institutions' bad debt. Patriotism abounds!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Proof of a Bad Economy
Did you see that Obama raised only $9,ooo,ooo last night in Hollywood? We must surely be living in a poor economy.
Hold Your Tube of Lipstick High for Sarah!
Monday in Golden, Colorado Sarah Palin spoke to a crowd of 5000 in a small horse arena, where we used to take our kids when we lived in Golden. On the front page of the Rocky Mountain News yesterday there was a picture of women in the audience. They were holding tubes of lipstick high above their heads and swaying their hands from side to side. I thought it was very cool.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Will the Holy Spirit Give Us The Gifts We Need?
The dominant media is all over Wasilla, Alaska, trying to find someone speaking in tongues. The pentecostal churches teach that the Holy Spirit may give a believer special gifts, and among those is speaking in tongues. If they can just find someone speaking in tongues, they believe that will discredit and ridicule Sarah Palin, who left the church five years ago!
Do you think it is working? Sarah Palin is a real threat to the elites, because she gets it. She identifies with us, because she is one of us. McCain's wisdom in choosing her has changed the polling results significantly. The Dems and their allies in the media are desperate. McCain's surge in the polls is continuing.
Sarah Palin has found a way to serve God by serving the people. The Holy Spirit will give her the gifts she needs. She believes that, and so do I.
Do you think it is working? Sarah Palin is a real threat to the elites, because she gets it. She identifies with us, because she is one of us. McCain's wisdom in choosing her has changed the polling results significantly. The Dems and their allies in the media are desperate. McCain's surge in the polls is continuing.
Sarah Palin has found a way to serve God by serving the people. The Holy Spirit will give her the gifts she needs. She believes that, and so do I.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Non-verbal Cues
Have you noticed how John McCain fidgets with his wedding ring finger while standing next to Sarah Palin? He did it again today at the 9-11 ceremonies, but this time he was standing next to his wife on one side and Obama on the other. Bad habit! Can't someone in his campaign explain that to him? Placing his right hand on his ring finger and moving it up and down the finger just looks bad.
I know, I probably have had way too much training on observing non-verbal cues. I find it fascinating to observe non-verbal behaviors and try to figure out if they mean anything. There is a former police chief from Rock Island, Illinois who makes a good living training law enforcement officers around the country to observe people's eyes when they are talking. If the eyes go down and to the right, it means one thing (lying?), and if they go up and to the left it means another, which I can't remember. Likewise for up and to the right and down and to the left.
One of the many things I like about Sarah Palin is that she looks an interviewer right in the eyes. Straight ahead, Sarah!
I know, I probably have had way too much training on observing non-verbal cues. I find it fascinating to observe non-verbal behaviors and try to figure out if they mean anything. There is a former police chief from Rock Island, Illinois who makes a good living training law enforcement officers around the country to observe people's eyes when they are talking. If the eyes go down and to the right, it means one thing (lying?), and if they go up and to the left it means another, which I can't remember. Likewise for up and to the right and down and to the left.
One of the many things I like about Sarah Palin is that she looks an interviewer right in the eyes. Straight ahead, Sarah!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
A Nice Moment
Yesterday I spoke with a cab driver who looked exhausted. He explained that it was Ramadan, and he was fasting. I asked him how long the fasting period would last. He answered, "one month." I said, "Look at me. How many people do you see?" He cracked up laughing. It was a nice moment.
Confronting Evil
With today being September 11, many of us are thinking about our enemy, the Islamic terrorists. However, I have Georgia and Iran on my mind, too. I am wondering who this Putin guy really is. I am wondering if we are about to make the same mistakes in Georgia as the democracies of the world made in the 1930s, when Adolph Hitler marched unopposed into the Rhineland, Austria, the Sudetenland, and Czechoslovakia. Is Putin similar to Hitler? If so, which of our current presidential candidates has the spine to stand up to him?
Hitler carefully studied the leaders of the world's democracies. Is Putin studying the democracies of Europe? Hitler realized their weaknesses and their inability to stop his quick, decisive actions. Then he attacked Poland from the west, while the Soviets attacked Poland from the east, and the Western press remained silent about the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the Soviet Communists. Norway was then seized almost effortlessly by Hitler; then Holland and Denmark.
Finally a man was elected in Britain who understood that negotiations with Hitler would be impossible and that Hitler was committed to total war. That man was Winston Churchill. Churchill and FDR had spines. The two men became close friends, and they both loved the people of the countries they led. They realized that evil men who were a threat to their countries must be confronted and crushed. They inspired their countrymen to fight evil, not seek to appease it.
George Bush realized that Sadaam Hussein was evil, and he crushed him. However, Bush has looked Putin in the eye and seen a friend who can be trusted. John McCain looked Putin in the eye and saw "KGB." Who is right about Putin: Bush, or McCain?
Will Americans elect the negotiator, Barack Obama, who sees "poverty" as evil, or the man who realizes that once a man is KGB, he will always be KGB? Will we elect a leader who wants America to self-flagellate, or will we have leaders like FDR and Churchill, who will stand up to and crush evil men like Putin, Bin Ladin, and Ahmahdinejad?
Hitler carefully studied the leaders of the world's democracies. Is Putin studying the democracies of Europe? Hitler realized their weaknesses and their inability to stop his quick, decisive actions. Then he attacked Poland from the west, while the Soviets attacked Poland from the east, and the Western press remained silent about the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the Soviet Communists. Norway was then seized almost effortlessly by Hitler; then Holland and Denmark.
Finally a man was elected in Britain who understood that negotiations with Hitler would be impossible and that Hitler was committed to total war. That man was Winston Churchill. Churchill and FDR had spines. The two men became close friends, and they both loved the people of the countries they led. They realized that evil men who were a threat to their countries must be confronted and crushed. They inspired their countrymen to fight evil, not seek to appease it.
George Bush realized that Sadaam Hussein was evil, and he crushed him. However, Bush has looked Putin in the eye and seen a friend who can be trusted. John McCain looked Putin in the eye and saw "KGB." Who is right about Putin: Bush, or McCain?
Will Americans elect the negotiator, Barack Obama, who sees "poverty" as evil, or the man who realizes that once a man is KGB, he will always be KGB? Will we elect a leader who wants America to self-flagellate, or will we have leaders like FDR and Churchill, who will stand up to and crush evil men like Putin, Bin Ladin, and Ahmahdinejad?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Whining: An Unattractive Quality
Do we really want a whiner as President of the United States? Have you noticed Obama's incessant whining? Maybe it is just a pet peeve of mine, because I have learned that portraying oneself as a victim only leads to self pity, which is never helpful to oneself or to those one comes into contact with. I always catch myself when I go in that direction, and I emphasize it with my children. If they can learn that lesson early, they will have much smoother sailing through life.
Sarah Palin has gotten inside Barack Obama's head. Joe Biden's, too. Less than a week after Sarah's remark about the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull being lipstick, Barack makes a comment about "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it will still be a pig." Even if he did not mean it as an insult to Palin, it is clear to me that she is on his mind, and he is having a hard time figuring out how to deal with this woman whose popularity with voters has caused his lead over McCain to evaporate.
Dennis Miller today said, "It is not the color of his skin, it is the thinness of it."
Sarah Palin has gotten inside Barack Obama's head. Joe Biden's, too. Less than a week after Sarah's remark about the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull being lipstick, Barack makes a comment about "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it will still be a pig." Even if he did not mean it as an insult to Palin, it is clear to me that she is on his mind, and he is having a hard time figuring out how to deal with this woman whose popularity with voters has caused his lead over McCain to evaporate.
Dennis Miller today said, "It is not the color of his skin, it is the thinness of it."
Studying Strange Creatures
Isn't it amusing to see the media, like a freshman anthropology class, scrambling all over Alaska to study these strange creatures who vote for Sarah Palin? Years ago Sarah attended a Pentecostal church. The media is really excited about that. Maybe there is a video they can dig up of Sarah speaking in tongues. No? Well how about a video of her killing an animal? No? Well, I guess we'll just have to interview an Assembly of God pastor where she formerly attended.
Talk about strange, this guy not only loves God, but he actually loves America! Did any one of these people ever seek to get an interview with Obama's pastor of twenty years, America-hating Jeremiah Wright?
Funny thing is, people like me will be all the more determined to stand with Mrs. Palin, the more the media attempts to ridicule her. So, keep it up, drive-by media hordes; all of us who are clinging to our guns and religion will only deepen our resolve to back the mavericks!
Talk about strange, this guy not only loves God, but he actually loves America! Did any one of these people ever seek to get an interview with Obama's pastor of twenty years, America-hating Jeremiah Wright?
Funny thing is, people like me will be all the more determined to stand with Mrs. Palin, the more the media attempts to ridicule her. So, keep it up, drive-by media hordes; all of us who are clinging to our guns and religion will only deepen our resolve to back the mavericks!
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Who Gets To Define Womanhood, Blackness?
Sarah Palin is surely in for an intense barrage from the left over these next two months. QP links to a wonderful post by J. Robert Smith in the American Thinker. Here are two of my favorite paragraphs.
Palin's womanhood will also be questioned, because it is the left which is licensed to define womanhood, just as the left is permitted to define blackness. And make no mistake, feminism is a subsidiary of the left.
By the left's definition, a pro-life woman cannot be a woman. A woman who seeks a family-centered society, not a government-centered society, cannot be a woman. A woman who celebrates traditional American values, and not the secular values of Europeanized liberalism, cannot be a woman.
A Very Personal Testimony
I lifted this video from Gayle's blog. It is less than two minutes long, but well worth our time.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Teen Pregnancies
Because of the media attention being given to Sarah Palin's daughter, the Rocky Mountain News reports these interesting statistics about teen pregnancy. In Colorado, on average, every 1.5 hours a teenage mother gives birth. 82 percent of teen pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned. 29 percent end in abortion. 14 percent end in miscarriages. Only 57 percent end in live births.
Preparing Children To Use Good Judgment
One of my favorite writers about family life is Betsy Hart, a Scripps Howard columnist. She wrote a column this week about how teachers in a suburban elementary school in the midwest gathered students in each grade to warn them about the dangers of Hula-hooping. I kid you not!
Hart asks, "Might we be instilling in our youngsters a culture of fear? Deny them opportunities to handle risk appropriately - or even inappropriately - and learn from such experiences? Could we actually be putting them even at more risk by not preparing them to use good judgment in the real world?" She concludes, "Are we harming our children by trying to do the impossible - protect them from life itself?"
Right after I read that column I spoke with a colleague at work. He comes from a family that practices good, traditional family values. He was diagnosed with ADHD as an early teen, and the family doctor prescribed Ritalin for him. It helped him focus, but it also kept him from sleeping at night.
Then, at age sixteen, a "friend" introduced him to meth. For the first time in his life he felt he could be successful in socializing with people. Meth gave him "ten times the high" he had been getting from Ritalin, which his parents had taken him off of when they learned that he had been experimenting with pot.
He loves his parents, and knows that they were just trying to help, when they took him to a doctor for his ADHD. Before the doctor put him on Ritalin, he had been anti-drugs. However, for him, Ritalin turned out to be the gateway drug that opened him up to trying other drugs. He is now 31, and has been sober for one year. He feels he has wasted fifteen years of his life.
Had his parents not taken him to the doctor, he might have stayed steadfast in his opposition to drug use. He would have had a hard time focusing, but maybe he would have developed other talents, like maybe become a musician. Maybe he would have learned to manage his ADHD, or outgrow it, at least partially. Please pray for this affable, bright young man.
As parents we try to make the decisions that we hope are in the best interests of each of our children. Sometimes, though, maybe the best thing we can do is to allow our children to be who they are, so that they can learn - often the hard way - and use their special gifts from God to make their own unique contributions to our world.
Hart asks, "Might we be instilling in our youngsters a culture of fear? Deny them opportunities to handle risk appropriately - or even inappropriately - and learn from such experiences? Could we actually be putting them even at more risk by not preparing them to use good judgment in the real world?" She concludes, "Are we harming our children by trying to do the impossible - protect them from life itself?"
Right after I read that column I spoke with a colleague at work. He comes from a family that practices good, traditional family values. He was diagnosed with ADHD as an early teen, and the family doctor prescribed Ritalin for him. It helped him focus, but it also kept him from sleeping at night.
Then, at age sixteen, a "friend" introduced him to meth. For the first time in his life he felt he could be successful in socializing with people. Meth gave him "ten times the high" he had been getting from Ritalin, which his parents had taken him off of when they learned that he had been experimenting with pot.
He loves his parents, and knows that they were just trying to help, when they took him to a doctor for his ADHD. Before the doctor put him on Ritalin, he had been anti-drugs. However, for him, Ritalin turned out to be the gateway drug that opened him up to trying other drugs. He is now 31, and has been sober for one year. He feels he has wasted fifteen years of his life.
Had his parents not taken him to the doctor, he might have stayed steadfast in his opposition to drug use. He would have had a hard time focusing, but maybe he would have developed other talents, like maybe become a musician. Maybe he would have learned to manage his ADHD, or outgrow it, at least partially. Please pray for this affable, bright young man.
As parents we try to make the decisions that we hope are in the best interests of each of our children. Sometimes, though, maybe the best thing we can do is to allow our children to be who they are, so that they can learn - often the hard way - and use their special gifts from God to make their own unique contributions to our world.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
"Wipe Out the National Debt!"
I just heard Dennis Miller say one of the most clever things I have heard in a long time. He pointed out that the Palin-Biden debate will be on October 2. He suggested that the debate should be on Pay T.V., and we could thereby wipe out the national debt!
Where Are Those Cotton Swabs?
You probably heard about yesterday's scientific news from researchers in Sweden. Shankar Vedantum writes in the Washington Post that the new research found that men are more likely to be devoted and loyal husbands when they lack a particular variant of a gene that influences brain activity. The gene variant, allele, is present in two of every five men. Women who live with men who do not have the variant are more likely to say their partners are emotionally close and available, rather than often being distant and disagreeable.
Our experience as foster parents taught us that biology - down to the level of individual genes - plays a huge role in who we are as human beings. We will not be surprised at much, as the young science of genetics reveals more and more about us and our fellow humans.
Of course, this is not to say that other factors are not important. Obviously, they are. However, I predict that genes are going to be increasingly acknowledged to have a prominent place among those factors that make us who we are, as more scientific research is conducted.
Meanwhile, I have a teenage daughter. Honey, where are those cotton swabs? She has a boy coming over tonight.
Our experience as foster parents taught us that biology - down to the level of individual genes - plays a huge role in who we are as human beings. We will not be surprised at much, as the young science of genetics reveals more and more about us and our fellow humans.
Of course, this is not to say that other factors are not important. Obviously, they are. However, I predict that genes are going to be increasingly acknowledged to have a prominent place among those factors that make us who we are, as more scientific research is conducted.
Meanwhile, I have a teenage daughter. Honey, where are those cotton swabs? She has a boy coming over tonight.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Go Get Em, Sarah!
Did you enjoy Fred Thompson last night? I sure did.
Tonight it will be Sarah Palin's turn. She has been viciously attacked by the organs of the left, and for only one reason: she is not one of them. If she were one of them, all of their articles and pronouncements would have been glowing. I want her to mow them down.
I have plenty of manure from alpacas, a horse, and goats, but I need extra clippings for my compost pile. Let them know, Mrs. Palin, that you do not intend to be anybody's victim. Stand up for yourself, because then you will be standing up for the rest of us, who share your values. Stand up for the promise of America, which is what the left truly hates. I don't doubt for one minute that you have what it takes to look them square in the eye and let them know what is coming in a McCain-Palin administration. Here's to the Mavericks!
Tonight it will be Sarah Palin's turn. She has been viciously attacked by the organs of the left, and for only one reason: she is not one of them. If she were one of them, all of their articles and pronouncements would have been glowing. I want her to mow them down.
I have plenty of manure from alpacas, a horse, and goats, but I need extra clippings for my compost pile. Let them know, Mrs. Palin, that you do not intend to be anybody's victim. Stand up for yourself, because then you will be standing up for the rest of us, who share your values. Stand up for the promise of America, which is what the left truly hates. I don't doubt for one minute that you have what it takes to look them square in the eye and let them know what is coming in a McCain-Palin administration. Here's to the Mavericks!
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Two wonderful moms
Our wonderful lab, Spirit, gave birth to eight labradoodles during the night. Five white, three black. How, you may ask, did she sustain her energy? My amazing wife, Colleen, got up early and milked Mia. Spirit enjoyed a half-gallon of smooth, creamy goat's milk, loaded with nutrients!
I cannot say enough about what a wonderful person I am married to. I love being with her. She is such a fabulous mom, so incredibly nurturing.
Monday, September 01, 2008
The Character of the Man Who Presently Occupies The White House
The Value of Service
Commentary by Lt. Col. Mark Murphy
354th Maintenance Group deputy commander
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- I learned a big lesson on service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia .
It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol, etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on time at precisely 4:30 p.m.--however, when he left less than two hours later, the President was 15 minutes behind schedule.
That's a big slip for something so tightly choreographed, but very few people know why it happened. Here's why.
On Dec. 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the outskirts of Baghdad . He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but when a fellow soldier became ill Shawn volunteered to take his place on a nighttime patrol--in the convoy's most exposed position as turret gunner in the lead Humvee. He was killed instantly with two other soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle.
I was thinking about that as my family and I sat in the audience listening to the President's speech, looking at the turret on the up-armored Humvee the explosive ordnance disposal flight had put at the edge of the stage as a static display.
When the speech was over and the President was working the crowd line, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member. She asked me and my wife to come with her, because the President wanted to meet us.
Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back into a conference room. It was a shock to go from a crowded, noisy hangar, past all of those security people, to find ourselves suddenly alone in a quiet room.
The only thing we could hear was a cell phone vibrating, and noticed that it was coming from the jacket Senator Stevens left on a chair. We didn't answer.
A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President Bush walked in. I thought we might get to shake his hand as he went through. But instead, he walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, "I wish I could heal the hole in your heart." He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and said, "Everybody out."
A few seconds later, the four of us were completely alone behind closed doors with the President of the United States and not a Secret Service agent in sight.
He said, "Come on, let's sit down and talk." He pulled up a chair at the side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He looked a little tired from his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were scuffed up from leaning over concrete barriers to shake hands and pose for photos. He slumped down the chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no longer the President - he was just a guy with a job, sitting around talking with us like a family member at a barbeque.
For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he talked with us about our son, Iraq , his family, faith, convictions, and shared his feelings about nearing the end of his presidency. He asked each of our teenaged sons what they wanted to do in life and counseled them to set goals, stick to their convictions, and not worry about being the "cool" guy.
He said that he'd taken a lot of heat during his tenure and was under a lot of pressure to do what's politically expedient, but was proud to say that he never sold his soul. Sometimes he laughed, and at others he teared up. He said that what he'll miss most after leaving office will be his role as Commander in Chief.
One of the somber moments was when he thanked us for the opportunity to meet, because he feels a heavy responsibility knowing that our son died because of a decision he made. He was incredibly humble, full of warmth, and completely without pretense. We were seeing the man his family sees.
We couldn't believe how long he was talking to us, but he seemed to be in no hurry whatsoever. In the end, he thanked us again for the visit and for the opportunity to get off his feet for a few minutes. He then said, "Let's get some pictures." The doors flew open, Secret Service and the White House photographer came in, and suddenly he was the President again. We posed for individual pictures as he gave each of us one of his coins, and then he posed for family pictures. A few more thank yous, a few more hugs, and he was gone.
The remarkable thing about the whole event was that he didn't have to see us at all. If he wanted to do more, he could've just given a quick handshake and said, "Thanks for your sacrifice." But he didn't - he put everything and everyone in his life on hold to meet privately with the family of a Private First Class who gave his life in the service of his country.
What an incredible lesson on service. If the President of the United States is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit with a family, surely the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving another person, and no one is so lofty that he or she can't treat others with dignity and respect.
We often think of service in terms of sacrificing ourselves for someone in a position above us, but how often do we remember that serving someone below us can be much more important? If you're in a leadership capacity, take a good look at how you're treating your people, and remember that your role involves serving the people you rely on every day.
Via Black Five
Commentary by Lt. Col. Mark Murphy
354th Maintenance Group deputy commander
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- I learned a big lesson on service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia .
It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol, etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on time at precisely 4:30 p.m.--however, when he left less than two hours later, the President was 15 minutes behind schedule.
That's a big slip for something so tightly choreographed, but very few people know why it happened. Here's why.
On Dec. 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the outskirts of Baghdad . He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but when a fellow soldier became ill Shawn volunteered to take his place on a nighttime patrol--in the convoy's most exposed position as turret gunner in the lead Humvee. He was killed instantly with two other soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle.
I was thinking about that as my family and I sat in the audience listening to the President's speech, looking at the turret on the up-armored Humvee the explosive ordnance disposal flight had put at the edge of the stage as a static display.
When the speech was over and the President was working the crowd line, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member. She asked me and my wife to come with her, because the President wanted to meet us.
Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back into a conference room. It was a shock to go from a crowded, noisy hangar, past all of those security people, to find ourselves suddenly alone in a quiet room.
The only thing we could hear was a cell phone vibrating, and noticed that it was coming from the jacket Senator Stevens left on a chair. We didn't answer.
A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President Bush walked in. I thought we might get to shake his hand as he went through. But instead, he walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, "I wish I could heal the hole in your heart." He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and said, "Everybody out."
A few seconds later, the four of us were completely alone behind closed doors with the President of the United States and not a Secret Service agent in sight.
He said, "Come on, let's sit down and talk." He pulled up a chair at the side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He looked a little tired from his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were scuffed up from leaning over concrete barriers to shake hands and pose for photos. He slumped down the chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no longer the President - he was just a guy with a job, sitting around talking with us like a family member at a barbeque.
For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he talked with us about our son, Iraq , his family, faith, convictions, and shared his feelings about nearing the end of his presidency. He asked each of our teenaged sons what they wanted to do in life and counseled them to set goals, stick to their convictions, and not worry about being the "cool" guy.
He said that he'd taken a lot of heat during his tenure and was under a lot of pressure to do what's politically expedient, but was proud to say that he never sold his soul. Sometimes he laughed, and at others he teared up. He said that what he'll miss most after leaving office will be his role as Commander in Chief.
One of the somber moments was when he thanked us for the opportunity to meet, because he feels a heavy responsibility knowing that our son died because of a decision he made. He was incredibly humble, full of warmth, and completely without pretense. We were seeing the man his family sees.
We couldn't believe how long he was talking to us, but he seemed to be in no hurry whatsoever. In the end, he thanked us again for the visit and for the opportunity to get off his feet for a few minutes. He then said, "Let's get some pictures." The doors flew open, Secret Service and the White House photographer came in, and suddenly he was the President again. We posed for individual pictures as he gave each of us one of his coins, and then he posed for family pictures. A few more thank yous, a few more hugs, and he was gone.
The remarkable thing about the whole event was that he didn't have to see us at all. If he wanted to do more, he could've just given a quick handshake and said, "Thanks for your sacrifice." But he didn't - he put everything and everyone in his life on hold to meet privately with the family of a Private First Class who gave his life in the service of his country.
What an incredible lesson on service. If the President of the United States is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit with a family, surely the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving another person, and no one is so lofty that he or she can't treat others with dignity and respect.
We often think of service in terms of sacrificing ourselves for someone in a position above us, but how often do we remember that serving someone below us can be much more important? If you're in a leadership capacity, take a good look at how you're treating your people, and remember that your role involves serving the people you rely on every day.
Via Black Five
A Labor Day Excursion
For our Labor Day adventure, we drove 90 miles north to get a new goat today. Her name is Mia. She is full of milk, and was living with 27 other goats on a raw milk farm. Some day we plan to join the Colorado Raw Milk Association. But, for now, we will learn the basics and enjoy the milk ourselves.
I do not have any pictures of the boys, because they met a new friend, who was teaching them how to launch grasshoppers in plastic bottles. You place the grasshopper in the bottle on a plank. You then raise a twenty pound log over your head and drop it on the plank, thereby launching the grasshopper about fifty feet in the air. I tried to get a picture, but the action was too fast.
This goat knew something was up, and wanted to be included in the adoption.
Getting ready to milk Mia.
We all got lessons milking Mia. Colleen couldn't wait, and was the first to squeeze.
We tried to feed this cute baby goat, but his rude companions always took the delicacies away from him.
Maybe you should not pet this particular animal, Sara.
Mia was not thrilled to ride home in the back of the van, and she voiced her thoughts at a level equaling the joyous sounds of the children.
Safely home, Colleen takes Mia to her new digs.
I do not have any pictures of the boys, because they met a new friend, who was teaching them how to launch grasshoppers in plastic bottles. You place the grasshopper in the bottle on a plank. You then raise a twenty pound log over your head and drop it on the plank, thereby launching the grasshopper about fifty feet in the air. I tried to get a picture, but the action was too fast.
This goat knew something was up, and wanted to be included in the adoption.
Getting ready to milk Mia.
We all got lessons milking Mia. Colleen couldn't wait, and was the first to squeeze.
We tried to feed this cute baby goat, but his rude companions always took the delicacies away from him.
Maybe you should not pet this particular animal, Sara.
Mia was not thrilled to ride home in the back of the van, and she voiced her thoughts at a level equaling the joyous sounds of the children.
Safely home, Colleen takes Mia to her new digs.
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