Schedule:
Reading Time – CHECK – Reading "The Ruins"
100 Push Ups – CHECK
100 Sit ups – CHECK
50 Pull ups – CHECK
2 mile bike ride – CHECK (sort of - I rode for about 45 minutes with Carmen up and down the street. I don't know how far it actually was.)
33% of my school work – CHECK
Blog – CHECK x2
Friday, May 30, 2008
Iraqi Crusade
http://www.opednews.com/articles/U-S--Soldiers-Launch-Campa-by-Jason-Leopold-080529-335.html
Since the beginning of the War in Iraq, I have argued that it was necessary to go in and remove Saddam for any number of valid reasons. I always looked with “conspiracy theory” eyes those that claimed we went to Iraq for oil or religion. When I was there, a barrel of oil was WELL under $100. Now, its well over $100. Gas prices were painful at almost $2 / gallon, now… ouch. So, if we were there for oil, we’re doing a crappy job.
Now, I read that article above and see that SOME Soldiers think it IS about religion and are taking tracts and witnessing on patrol. Really? “Witnessing on patrol.” That means that we have Soldiers in Iraq, more than one or two, possibly a whole Division, that is taking Bibles and witnessing materials on patrol and trying to convert the Iraqis. Talk about the wrong thing to do. How can we even claim that its not about religion anymore when Soldiers are walking down the street, with automatic weapons, telling people about the “good news” of Jesus? This is EXACTLY like the Crusades and it needs to stop ASAP. This will only prolong the war and muddy the waters about WHY we are really there.
For the record, the Pentagon claims no responsibility for the witnessing and says it didn’t know anything about it. I believe it.
I think this is just one unit, or group of Soldiers “trying” to be good Soldiers AND good Christians. Too bad one has nothing to do with the other – especially on patrol. Shouldn’t they be watching rooftops or searching for bad guys instead of handing out Bibles and pamphlets? Are these Soldiers on a combat patrol, or are they disciples witnessing? If they are Soldiers, they should act like Soldiers. If they want to be disciples then they should drop the body armor, drop the weapons, and trust god to protect them while they witness. But, the truth is, they don’t trust their god THAT much. They trust him well enough to go out in armored vehicles with machine guns and grenade launchers covered in 40 pounds of armor, but I bet none of them has enough faith in their god to go without it. Ok, maybe a few do – but I bet that would be short-lived – so to speak.
Bottom line: Trying to convert people during a war, on the battlefield, is a Crusade and makes it a religious war – for them.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Patriotic Exercises
Your Rights –
When the founders of the country were trying to gather together the individual states into one country, they drafted a beautiful Constitution. Two groups argued over it because one side said that it gave the Federal Government too much power and that a government with ultimate power would eventually turn into a tyranny. The other side wanted a strong central government because they saw how the loose grouping of States formed by the Articles of Confederation didn’t serve to protect and join the individual states well enough. In order compromise, the first Ten Amendments to the Constitution were drafted to keep the rights of the people alive in the eyes of the government – they are the Bill of Rights.
The problem with both the federal government and the Bill of Rights is that the government, all governments – like children – will always push the boundaries, testing their limits until they find where they can advance no further. The Constitution is the be all and end all of the powers of the government. If it isn’t it there – it isn’t SUPPOSED to be able to do it. But, like a child, the government has gone well beyond the limits imposed by its parents (the Founders) and continues to push itself out – growing and growing, sucking up power like a black hole.
The people are supposedly protected by the Bill of Rights. However, unless the people force the government to abide by those rights, they are useless. Rights are like muscles and if they are not flexed, they atrophy until they have no power. It is up to the people to exercise those rights and to keep the government in check by doing so. Everyone KNOWS what their rights are – theoretically – but few choose to make the government abide by them. Let’s look at the Bill of Rights real quick:
Amendment I [Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, Petition (1791)] – Many of us DO stand up for this right when we write our blogs and talk about politics and religion and we choose to believe what we want to believe. We hold this right to be the most important of our rights with good reason. Without it, we have no voice.
Amendment II [Right to Bear Arms (1791)] – This right is very controversial because some people think that the right only applies to militias or National Guardsmen, but the founders seems to have been pretty clear that this was an individual right, not a collective one. The Supreme Court has agreed with the right of the individual. The importance of this right cannot be overstated. This is the right that protects the others – without it, the government can come along, strip the people of their rights and we’re back to tyranny. An armed populace is much harder to silence. Now, even though many people have this right, many do not flex it. Those who do are doing the work of the rest against a strong anti-gun community. Gun bans are unconstitutional, but they still happen. Guns have been villianized by the media and some sectors of the government. Guns don’t kill people, people do. I could leave my Glock on the kitchen table, locked and loaded, from now until the end of time and it would never, ever go off – much less kill anyone. However, I could take two people and leave them alone in a room and eventually, one will kill the other with whatever is available. Those who carry guns legally are rarely those who use them illegally. Those who carry in the open, with their gun exposed, may draw more attention to themselves, but they also draw attention to the fact that it is a right to carry a weapon publically and to not be intimidated by the fact that in many areas it has become “socially inacceptable” to do so. Guns used to be common sights across the country, but since the liberal mindset has taken over, the evil guns have been quietly hidden away, locked in cabinets and finally sold to some “gun nut” because they are rarely, if ever used. A complacent society that surrenders their right to carry firearms concedes the rest of their rights as well.
Amendment III [Quartering of Troops (1791)] - Not too much issue on this one right now. Most Soldiers have their own homes.
Amendment IV [Search and Seizure (1791)] – Many people surrender this right everyday when they allow their homes or vehicles to be searched without cause because “they have nothing to hide” or “its more convenient.” Police don’t have a right to search your car or person unless you have committed a crime and been arrested. You don’t have to let them “check your trunk.” Even at the WalMart we surrender this right when we let the kindly old man at the door check our receipts. Sure, its easier, but it isn’t their right to check your stuff. Once you pay for it, its yours! Walk away. Even if the little alarm goes off, you have no obligation to stop – and they have no cause to stop you. Flex your rights, start at WalMart. It doesn’t make you an asshole, it just makes you a concerned citizen.
Amendment V [Grand Jury, Double Jeopardy, Self-Incrimination, Due Process (1791)] – We were doing ok with this, until the Patriot Act. And that’s a WHOLE ‘nother blog. I’ll get to it, someday soon.
Amendment VI [Criminal Prosecutions - Jury Trial, Right to Confront and to Counsel (1791)] – Same as above.
Amendment VII [Common Law Suits - Jury Trial (1791)] – I think we’re ok here.
Amendment VIII [Excess Bail or Fines, Cruel and Unusual Punishment (1791)] – I think we’re ok here too. Some would argue that the death penalty is cruel and unusual, but that too is a long discussion.
Amendment IX [Non-Enumerated Rights (1791)] – This one means that ANYTHING NOT SPECIFICALLY GIVEN TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN THE CONSTITUTION doesn’t exist to it. We’ve let the government get so far out of hand that it’ll be very difficult to reign back in (until 2028).
Amendment X [Rights Reserved to States (1791)] – The states and the individuals have the powers not given to the federal government.
Ok, so, the moral of the story is – do you patriotic exercises and flex your rights.
Its a Wonderful Wife!
She is perfect for me! She takes care of all my needs and wants and goes along with my craziest obsessions. Everything I'm no good at, she is. Someday, I hope to be able to take care of her as well as she takes care of me. But, for now, I do what I can, when I can. It's feeble, but hey, I try!
Schedule:
Reading Time – CHECK – Reading "The Ruins"
100 Push Ups – CHECK
100 Sit ups – CHECK
50 Pull ups – CHECK
2 mile bike ride – CHECK
33% of my school work – CHECK
Blog – CHECK x2
Today, she made some weed killer with ammonia and some other stuff. I sprayed it around the garden and on the obnoxious plants in the area. Our garden is beginning to sprout. We have cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, beans, corn, and pumpkins all getting ready to pop out! The lilac bushes out front are doing great, look pretty and smell wonderful. It rained today after we were done outside and everything is soaking up the moisture nicely. She also made some fantastic mint brownies and we had some brownie sundaes while we watched the season finale of Lost. We also managed to brush Stormy out a bit. I swear we pulled more fur off her than she actually weighs. She defies the physics Law of Conservation of Mass. I could take enough fur off of her to make coats for all the starving kids in Africa. They'd still be starving, but they wouldn't be cold!
Schedule:
Reading Time – CHECK – Reading "The Ruins"
100 Push Ups – CHECK
100 Sit ups – CHECK
50 Pull ups – CHECK
2 mile bike ride – CHECK
33% of my school work – CHECK
Blog – CHECK x2
Today, she made some weed killer with ammonia and some other stuff. I sprayed it around the garden and on the obnoxious plants in the area. Our garden is beginning to sprout. We have cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, beans, corn, and pumpkins all getting ready to pop out! The lilac bushes out front are doing great, look pretty and smell wonderful. It rained today after we were done outside and everything is soaking up the moisture nicely. She also made some fantastic mint brownies and we had some brownie sundaes while we watched the season finale of Lost. We also managed to brush Stormy out a bit. I swear we pulled more fur off her than she actually weighs. She defies the physics Law of Conservation of Mass. I could take enough fur off of her to make coats for all the starving kids in Africa. They'd still be starving, but they wouldn't be cold!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Today's Accomplishments
Not a whole lot new today. Just got some tomatoes planted, some pumpkins growing and everything else is good to go. Did some fun shopping at Old Navy (got a nice sweat jacket - I love those things!) and Wally World - always an experience.
Schedule:
Reading Time – CHECK – Reading "The Ruins"
100 Push Ups – CHECK
100 Sit ups – CHECK
50 Pull ups –CHECK
2 mile bike ride – CHECK
33% of my school work – FAIL (but I DID get my books in the mail!)
Blog – CHECK x2!
I'm sore. All this "civilianizing" has made me weak and now, getting back to where I was sucks. Sucks sucks sucks. But, still must be done or else my next job will SUCK even more!
Schedule:
Reading Time – CHECK – Reading "The Ruins"
100 Push Ups – CHECK
100 Sit ups – CHECK
50 Pull ups –CHECK
2 mile bike ride – CHECK
33% of my school work – FAIL (but I DID get my books in the mail!)
Blog – CHECK x2!
I'm sore. All this "civilianizing" has made me weak and now, getting back to where I was sucks. Sucks sucks sucks. But, still must be done or else my next job will SUCK even more!
Still sluggy.
So, in order to get on track with things I need to do, I’ve set up a weekly schedule for myself. The important things on my list are these daily things:
1. Reading Time – 30 minutes of reading per day; I’ve got my time set for somewhere between 5-6pm.
2. 100 Push Ups – I spread them out throughout the day.
3. 100 Sit ups – Also spread out
4. 50 Pull ups – Spread out
5. 2 mile bike ride – right now the route is to Ambers school and back so she can learn the route and get used to riding on the road.
6. 33% of my school work – I get weekly assignments and if I do 33% a day (weekdays), I should theoretically be ahead on my school work
7. Blog – something, write SOMETHING.
Those are my main goals for now. Also, I add in something a little bigger to finish up sometime during the week. This week it was to mow the lawn (which I did on Tuesday). Next week it will be to clean out the vehicles.
For yesterday my accomplishments went like this:
1. Reading Time – CHECK – Reading “The Ruins”
2. 100 Push Ups – CHECK
3. 100 Sit ups – CHECK (102 actually)
4. 50 Pull ups –CHECK
5. 2 mile bike ride – CHECK
6. 33% of my school work – CHECK
7. Blog – FAIL
6/7 – not TOO bad
But I DID mow the lawn, fixed the sink, AND fixed the stove.
In other news, the Phoenix Lander successfully landed on Mars a few days ago. Go NASA! The purpose of the lander is to dig into the surface of Mars’ Ice Cap and search for water or life.
It looks like Florida and Michigan WILL have some say in the Democratic Primary – but they shouldn’t. Those states broke the rules of the party and shouldn’t be allowed to have their voices heard. Will a bunch of people be “disenfranchised”? Yes. But only from the Primary, not the General election. Why should state parties who knowingly and willfully break party rules get away with it? Does it affect me at all? Nope. But, I think it cheats Obama who FOLLOWED the rules and gave his word that he would not campaign in those states and didn’t. Hillary gave her word and DID campaign in those states – she cheated too. She should not profit through her cheating.
We got a new idea for a Geocache. We’re going to use a life-like fake bird we got at Michaels and put a micro container in it. Then we’re going to find a nice little park or somewhere like that with a tree and affix our bird to a branch. Also in the realm of geocaching, I found a USGS benchmark today while bike riding. I haven’t been able to find it on the Geocaching site yet. I’d attach a picture, but I’m not sure if it’ll work right.
Monday, May 26, 2008
See? Stilll a slug.
Even after having to rite about being a slug yesterday and all the ways I would NOT be /a slug in the future I still didnt make up for missing the post the other day. How hard is it really? Just put fingers on keys and let them go. It not like I was so busy doing other productive things that I didn't have time. I had plenty of time.
An my reward for not getting up this morning? Breakfast in bed! I guess its not all bad to be a slug. But, it only pays t be a slug when you have the best wife in the world - which I do - and therefore, the rest of you don't. So, forget about breakfast in bed, you slugs, and get to work!
But, because it is Memorial Day, I'll let you slide on the whole work thing. Speaking of memorial day, what exactly is the appopriate way to "celebrate" a holiday about remember those who have died for the freedoms we have? Beer? BBQ? Parties? Would all of those dead Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coasties and Marines really have wanted everyone to have so much fun to remember their deaths? Hell yeah they would! There isn't a military member out there that wouldn't rather be at a big party with friends and family rather than at some dreary cemetery somewhere, visiting a chunk of stone. You can remember the fallen from anywhere - might as well be living the life they died for.
In other news, the Mars Phoenix lander successfully landed on Mars, bring the success rate for landing on the planet up to 50%! The new lander doesn't move, its just a little research platform that will take soil samples, looking for water and maybe life. The other two Mars explorers are still alive and kicking as far as I know, but they have begun to show their age after living over five years beyond their life expectancy and cruising all over the red planet - off roading where no one has gone before. I'm jealous.
So, enjoy your time off, and be sure to have an extra drink or two for those who can't.
An my reward for not getting up this morning? Breakfast in bed! I guess its not all bad to be a slug. But, it only pays t be a slug when you have the best wife in the world - which I do - and therefore, the rest of you don't. So, forget about breakfast in bed, you slugs, and get to work!
But, because it is Memorial Day, I'll let you slide on the whole work thing. Speaking of memorial day, what exactly is the appopriate way to "celebrate" a holiday about remember those who have died for the freedoms we have? Beer? BBQ? Parties? Would all of those dead Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coasties and Marines really have wanted everyone to have so much fun to remember their deaths? Hell yeah they would! There isn't a military member out there that wouldn't rather be at a big party with friends and family rather than at some dreary cemetery somewhere, visiting a chunk of stone. You can remember the fallen from anywhere - might as well be living the life they died for.
In other news, the Mars Phoenix lander successfully landed on Mars, bring the success rate for landing on the planet up to 50%! The new lander doesn't move, its just a little research platform that will take soil samples, looking for water and maybe life. The other two Mars explorers are still alive and kicking as far as I know, but they have begun to show their age after living over five years beyond their life expectancy and cruising all over the red planet - off roading where no one has gone before. I'm jealous.
So, enjoy your time off, and be sure to have an extra drink or two for those who can't.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Slug
Yes, yes, I failed to write yesterday. I am a slug. Actually, I AM a slug as I haven’t done anything worthy to be called PT in months, many many months. I always plan to, but when the time comes, my slug-nature takes over and moosh, I remain a slug. I think tomorrow, I’d like to go for an early morning bike ride and take Amber along so she care learn how to get to her school for next year. And so we can see how long its going to take her to get there.
Yesterday was a good, busy day. We went shopping (Costco, Wal-Mart and Barnes and Nobel) for the weekly necessities. We also made a pit stop to the Jeep Dealership to pick up a Lifetime Warranty. Now, we don’t have to worry about it breaking down, ever. Peace of mind.
Now, I sit here in my jammies, watching TV. Very slug-like.
Yesterday was a good, busy day. We went shopping (Costco, Wal-Mart and Barnes and Nobel) for the weekly necessities. We also made a pit stop to the Jeep Dealership to pick up a Lifetime Warranty. Now, we don’t have to worry about it breaking down, ever. Peace of mind.
Now, I sit here in my jammies, watching TV. Very slug-like.
Friday, May 23, 2008
From Rain to Space Shuttles
It was a nice quiet day. We were supposed to get some good rain, but I’m a bit disappointed. Sure, it’s been drizzling all day, but I was looking for a torrential downpour. The rivers ARE at flood stage, so I suppose the lighter concentrations are best for the area, but still – I wanted something a little more dramatic.
We managed to get out of the house today – but no worries, it was only for a few minutes. We went and got Amber signed up at C.S. Porter Middle School. The people seem very nice and the school seems to be run well. It’s only about one mile from the house, so when she starts school next fall, I think she’ll be good to ride her bike to and from. She’ll be taking two electives and five other subjects plus a homeroom class. I think we’ve done well with the homeschool getting her ready for 7th grade. We talked to a math teacher and I suspect Amber is more advanced than she needs to be – but its better for her to be ahead than behind.
Tomorrow we’re going out to do some shopping, so that should be fun. I think I’m going to get the books I need from the University too.
Carmen and Emily as still doing great in school, learning a bunch and having fun. I think we should rename Emily to Ann, with a middle name of Then. She has a fantastic memory and remembers every detail of every little thing that happens to her at school. For awhile, at the dinner table, we asked everyone what they did during the day. We soon learned that was a mistake with Emily because we had the pleasure of reliving every event, from getting out of the truck “and then” going through the gate to the playground “and then” standing in line to get into the school… “and then” – at some point – she gets home, sits at the dinner table and we asked her what happened during the day. A loooooooong process. Today, I asked what everyone learned. Carmen learned how to be nice to people; Amber learned about Hillary, the assassination of RFK, McCain’s health issues (or lack thereof), and the Mars Phoenix Lander; and Emily learned about Lewis and Clark and their adventures – “and then” we all learned about them at the dinner table. She has great retention and it will serve her well – once she figures out that she doesn’t need to tell everyone else everything she remembers. Some, Good. All, not as good. =)
Bonus Question: Why are the Solid Rocket Boosters for the Space Shuttle the size they are?
We managed to get out of the house today – but no worries, it was only for a few minutes. We went and got Amber signed up at C.S. Porter Middle School. The people seem very nice and the school seems to be run well. It’s only about one mile from the house, so when she starts school next fall, I think she’ll be good to ride her bike to and from. She’ll be taking two electives and five other subjects plus a homeroom class. I think we’ve done well with the homeschool getting her ready for 7th grade. We talked to a math teacher and I suspect Amber is more advanced than she needs to be – but its better for her to be ahead than behind.
Tomorrow we’re going out to do some shopping, so that should be fun. I think I’m going to get the books I need from the University too.
Carmen and Emily as still doing great in school, learning a bunch and having fun. I think we should rename Emily to Ann, with a middle name of Then. She has a fantastic memory and remembers every detail of every little thing that happens to her at school. For awhile, at the dinner table, we asked everyone what they did during the day. We soon learned that was a mistake with Emily because we had the pleasure of reliving every event, from getting out of the truck “and then” going through the gate to the playground “and then” standing in line to get into the school… “and then” – at some point – she gets home, sits at the dinner table and we asked her what happened during the day. A loooooooong process. Today, I asked what everyone learned. Carmen learned how to be nice to people; Amber learned about Hillary, the assassination of RFK, McCain’s health issues (or lack thereof), and the Mars Phoenix Lander; and Emily learned about Lewis and Clark and their adventures – “and then” we all learned about them at the dinner table. She has great retention and it will serve her well – once she figures out that she doesn’t need to tell everyone else everything she remembers. Some, Good. All, not as good. =)
Bonus Question: Why are the Solid Rocket Boosters for the Space Shuttle the size they are?
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Troops Reductions, et al.
Troop Reduction Story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/23/world/22cnd-military.html?ref=middleeast
I think it’s interesting how many times we’ve “reduced” troop levels in Iraq. I can’t even count how many drawdowns there have been. And yet, the number of Soldiers in Iraq is virtually unchanged from 2002. Now, I think that the war was necessary at the time it was begun – based on the assumptions and facts on hand at the time. I DO think that Saddam was a threat to the United States and would have done something against us if we had not acted to remove him.
Ideally, the United Nations would have stepped up to the plate and enforced its own sanctions and ultimatums, but by not acting, it showed itself to be all bark and no bite. Saddam wasn’t stupid, he knew the UN wouldn’t do anything else to him. All the sanctions were worthless because many of the nations that agreed with the punishments against Iraq not only didn’t enforce the sanctions, but actively undermined them by continuing to trade with Iraq behind the curtains.
When the UN didn’t act, the duty fell on the United States and Great Britain to neutralize the threat.
Congress failed the country by not acting decisively in regards to the war. Congress should either have agreed to go to war and acted accordingly by declaring the war and moving forward, or it should have stood against the President and refused to declare the war. The United States is set up in a series of balancing powers meant to ensure nothing is done in haste. By taking the middle-road (a road which has no basis in the Constitution), Congress gave away its authority over the war. Bad Congress. Congress’ failure to be decisive resulted in a half-assed plan for what to do with Iraq AFTER it was secured.
Now, we need to take the situation we have and find the best way to resolve it. Iraq’s government needs to step up and take control which it won’t do. Just like when I was teaching my daughter to ride a bike earlier this week. I held onto the seat a few times to get her going and then I stopped helping her that way. She asked for it, but she needed to get going on her own. Did I know she would fall? Absolutely, it was expected. Would she get hurt? Yes. But, sometimes we have to get hurt in order to learn. Would she learn how to ride if I took her bike and rode it around for her? Nope. It’s time for the US to get off the Iraqi bike and start holding the seat. Once we hold it for awhile, then we can let go. Give ‘em encouragement and be there to bandage their owies, but Iraq needs to get on its own bike and ride down the street.
So, now that I’ve digressed, back to my original intent – who to vote for. First, if you really think you should vote for one of the candidates because of something I said about them, you probably shouldn’t vote. You should vote because you did the research on the candidates and figured out which one best represented your values.
Without further ado:
Hillary – You’re kidding right? No one in their right mind would vote for her. She’s crazy, egotistical, and way over her depth. If she is elected, it’s gonna be a rough four years. She’ll bring us closer to a socialist country and If you know what’s good for you – you don’t want that. She’ll screw it all up.
Obama – The best democrat running. He’s charismatic, convincing and sounds honest. None of those if a reason to vote for him – except maybe sounding honest. Even being honest may not be good because if he actually does what he says he will, the country will again be worse off. The democrats aren’t good for the country. They want to take from the richer people and give it to others – more than they already do. The riches of the country are available to all who are willing to work for them. In a communist society, the government takes from the rich and gives to the poor in order to make everyone equal. And it works, sort of. Even ends up being equally poor because no one wants to work for nothing – so no one works and no one gets anything. In a nutshell.
McCain – He seems ok, but he allows his religious and ultra-conservative side to dominate his decision making. I think he’s a little bit too conservative for my taste. He wants to use the government to right wrongs. That’s not the purpose of the government. The United States needs smaller government that costs less, does less, and by doing so, is better. When it comes to the federal government, less is always more.
Ron Paul – By far the best choice, but probably unable to win. He wants to bring the country back to the country as it was founded – one that follows and respects the Constitution and what it says – not what someone thinks it means. By returning to a Constitution based government, we could begin to recover from the problems we are having and return to an economically, politically and socially strong country. Some will say that a vote for Paul is “wasted” because he can’t win. Even if that were true, which it could be, the more people that vote for him the better the next non-Republican, non-Democrat candidate has to get into office. If we agree to only vote for the Democrats or the Republicans, we agree to be ruled in tyranny. Maintaining a non-two-party system is the only thing that will keep hope alive for the country. Even if Paul loses, the fact that he gets a decent percentage of the vote will encourage future “underdog” candidates to continue their campaigns and not quit just because they can’t win.
If you are undecided and don’t know who to vote for – take it from me – vote for Ron Paul. Don’t bother thinking about the election, the candidates, or what will be best for the country – just listen to the crazy guy who put some words on a computer screen – vote for Paul!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/23/world/22cnd-military.html?ref=middleeast
I think it’s interesting how many times we’ve “reduced” troop levels in Iraq. I can’t even count how many drawdowns there have been. And yet, the number of Soldiers in Iraq is virtually unchanged from 2002. Now, I think that the war was necessary at the time it was begun – based on the assumptions and facts on hand at the time. I DO think that Saddam was a threat to the United States and would have done something against us if we had not acted to remove him.
Ideally, the United Nations would have stepped up to the plate and enforced its own sanctions and ultimatums, but by not acting, it showed itself to be all bark and no bite. Saddam wasn’t stupid, he knew the UN wouldn’t do anything else to him. All the sanctions were worthless because many of the nations that agreed with the punishments against Iraq not only didn’t enforce the sanctions, but actively undermined them by continuing to trade with Iraq behind the curtains.
When the UN didn’t act, the duty fell on the United States and Great Britain to neutralize the threat.
Congress failed the country by not acting decisively in regards to the war. Congress should either have agreed to go to war and acted accordingly by declaring the war and moving forward, or it should have stood against the President and refused to declare the war. The United States is set up in a series of balancing powers meant to ensure nothing is done in haste. By taking the middle-road (a road which has no basis in the Constitution), Congress gave away its authority over the war. Bad Congress. Congress’ failure to be decisive resulted in a half-assed plan for what to do with Iraq AFTER it was secured.
Now, we need to take the situation we have and find the best way to resolve it. Iraq’s government needs to step up and take control which it won’t do. Just like when I was teaching my daughter to ride a bike earlier this week. I held onto the seat a few times to get her going and then I stopped helping her that way. She asked for it, but she needed to get going on her own. Did I know she would fall? Absolutely, it was expected. Would she get hurt? Yes. But, sometimes we have to get hurt in order to learn. Would she learn how to ride if I took her bike and rode it around for her? Nope. It’s time for the US to get off the Iraqi bike and start holding the seat. Once we hold it for awhile, then we can let go. Give ‘em encouragement and be there to bandage their owies, but Iraq needs to get on its own bike and ride down the street.
So, now that I’ve digressed, back to my original intent – who to vote for. First, if you really think you should vote for one of the candidates because of something I said about them, you probably shouldn’t vote. You should vote because you did the research on the candidates and figured out which one best represented your values.
Without further ado:
Hillary – You’re kidding right? No one in their right mind would vote for her. She’s crazy, egotistical, and way over her depth. If she is elected, it’s gonna be a rough four years. She’ll bring us closer to a socialist country and If you know what’s good for you – you don’t want that. She’ll screw it all up.
Obama – The best democrat running. He’s charismatic, convincing and sounds honest. None of those if a reason to vote for him – except maybe sounding honest. Even being honest may not be good because if he actually does what he says he will, the country will again be worse off. The democrats aren’t good for the country. They want to take from the richer people and give it to others – more than they already do. The riches of the country are available to all who are willing to work for them. In a communist society, the government takes from the rich and gives to the poor in order to make everyone equal. And it works, sort of. Even ends up being equally poor because no one wants to work for nothing – so no one works and no one gets anything. In a nutshell.
McCain – He seems ok, but he allows his religious and ultra-conservative side to dominate his decision making. I think he’s a little bit too conservative for my taste. He wants to use the government to right wrongs. That’s not the purpose of the government. The United States needs smaller government that costs less, does less, and by doing so, is better. When it comes to the federal government, less is always more.
Ron Paul – By far the best choice, but probably unable to win. He wants to bring the country back to the country as it was founded – one that follows and respects the Constitution and what it says – not what someone thinks it means. By returning to a Constitution based government, we could begin to recover from the problems we are having and return to an economically, politically and socially strong country. Some will say that a vote for Paul is “wasted” because he can’t win. Even if that were true, which it could be, the more people that vote for him the better the next non-Republican, non-Democrat candidate has to get into office. If we agree to only vote for the Democrats or the Republicans, we agree to be ruled in tyranny. Maintaining a non-two-party system is the only thing that will keep hope alive for the country. Even if Paul loses, the fact that he gets a decent percentage of the vote will encourage future “underdog” candidates to continue their campaigns and not quit just because they can’t win.
If you are undecided and don’t know who to vote for – take it from me – vote for Ron Paul. Don’t bother thinking about the election, the candidates, or what will be best for the country – just listen to the crazy guy who put some words on a computer screen – vote for Paul!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Little Things
The Lawn -
Yesterday I mowed the lawn. And it’s a big lawn. I used the riding lawn mower and cruised around for about an hour or so. The best part was going up the steep hill – its about a 30 degree incline and 30 feet long. On the way up, I leaned forward so it didn’t tip over, on the way down, I leaned waaaaaayy back for the same reason. The whole time, I kept thinking about the story I would have to tell (assuming I survived) if the mower tipped over. When I went to do the edges, I leaned to the left and right to keep from rolling over. I’m sure it was entertaining for the neighbors. But, nothing bad happened, so I have no story to tell.
Bike Lessons -
For the last few days, I’ve been teaching our youngest daughter (5-years old) to ride a bicycle. The first day, I had her start about ¼ the way up the grassy hill and she just worked on balance. When she fell, it was only into the (uncut) grass. Nice and soft. At first, she fell quite a bit. Then I told her that she was trying too hard to balance – that the bike WANTED to stay up and she just had to hang on. She was leery. Finally, I brought the bike near the top of the hill and, without anyone on it at all, I let it go. It rolled all the way down the hill and halfway across the yard, riderless, before tipping over. After that, she started to understand and let the bike balance itself. At the end of 30-45 minutes she was tired, but I pushed her on until she was able to ride almost all the way across the yard (150 feet or so). She did great for her first time without training wheels.
The next day I brought her up to the driveway and we practiced getting started. It was a little tricky and took some time before she understood that she need a little momentum to get started. We went out twice that day and worked on getting started. Once she had a fair handle on that, we moved to the street.
Once we got out into the street, I helped her get started a few times and we rode to the end of the block and turned around. On the way back, she lost control and nose-dived into the ground. When she fell, she went hands and face first – and started crying loudly. I was afraid that when she lifted her head, she’d have a bloody nose and be all scratched up. Luckily, her helmet hit first, saving her nose from certain doom. Her hands didn’t fare as well, but weren’t too bad. We went inside and got her cleaned up – that was the end of that lesson.
The next day, she did even better, she got started on her own and we rode to the end of the block, stopped, turned around and came back to the start point. We did that a few times until she crashed again, scuffing up her hand again – done for the day.
Yesterday, she managed to ride all the way to the end of the block, turn around (without stopping), and come back to the house. Then we went down the street (downhill) and practiced stopping. She went a little hard on the brakes, locking up the tires from a decent speed and went into the ground again. This time, it was just a jammed finger – but it did end the lesson.
Today, we did all of the above (outside of the grass) and she did some more turns and we went the whole time without getting hurt! Whoo hoo! Progress! I think that she’ll be ready for a longer bike trip by the end of next week.
School -
My new classes started today at the University of Montana. I’m taking a budgeting class for public administration and a political human resources management class. Should be interesting. I don’t much care for budgeting, because I’m sure it will have something to do with finances. I’m sure finances will have something to do with numbers, and I hate it when there is a definite right or wrong answer. That’s why I picked the Political Science field in the first place – there are no right or wrong answers, just a variety of opinions, and whoever can BS the best wins! So far, I have a 4.0 for my Master’s of BS.
Weather -
We’re supposed to get a bunch of rain tomorrow! I can’t wait, I need to find a mud puddle to get the Jeep into – it’s been a little too clean for a little too long.
Soccer –
No more soccer! All done! Whoo hoo! Now I need to put together some videos of the kids… maybe one for each, maybe just one for all – depending on how lazy I feel. So far, I’ve been so lazy that I haven’t even started anything. I did manage to send some pictures to the coach and some of the parents. Its something.
Finally, we can watch Jeopardy! again.
Yesterday I mowed the lawn. And it’s a big lawn. I used the riding lawn mower and cruised around for about an hour or so. The best part was going up the steep hill – its about a 30 degree incline and 30 feet long. On the way up, I leaned forward so it didn’t tip over, on the way down, I leaned waaaaaayy back for the same reason. The whole time, I kept thinking about the story I would have to tell (assuming I survived) if the mower tipped over. When I went to do the edges, I leaned to the left and right to keep from rolling over. I’m sure it was entertaining for the neighbors. But, nothing bad happened, so I have no story to tell.
Bike Lessons -
For the last few days, I’ve been teaching our youngest daughter (5-years old) to ride a bicycle. The first day, I had her start about ¼ the way up the grassy hill and she just worked on balance. When she fell, it was only into the (uncut) grass. Nice and soft. At first, she fell quite a bit. Then I told her that she was trying too hard to balance – that the bike WANTED to stay up and she just had to hang on. She was leery. Finally, I brought the bike near the top of the hill and, without anyone on it at all, I let it go. It rolled all the way down the hill and halfway across the yard, riderless, before tipping over. After that, she started to understand and let the bike balance itself. At the end of 30-45 minutes she was tired, but I pushed her on until she was able to ride almost all the way across the yard (150 feet or so). She did great for her first time without training wheels.
The next day I brought her up to the driveway and we practiced getting started. It was a little tricky and took some time before she understood that she need a little momentum to get started. We went out twice that day and worked on getting started. Once she had a fair handle on that, we moved to the street.
Once we got out into the street, I helped her get started a few times and we rode to the end of the block and turned around. On the way back, she lost control and nose-dived into the ground. When she fell, she went hands and face first – and started crying loudly. I was afraid that when she lifted her head, she’d have a bloody nose and be all scratched up. Luckily, her helmet hit first, saving her nose from certain doom. Her hands didn’t fare as well, but weren’t too bad. We went inside and got her cleaned up – that was the end of that lesson.
The next day, she did even better, she got started on her own and we rode to the end of the block, stopped, turned around and came back to the start point. We did that a few times until she crashed again, scuffing up her hand again – done for the day.
Yesterday, she managed to ride all the way to the end of the block, turn around (without stopping), and come back to the house. Then we went down the street (downhill) and practiced stopping. She went a little hard on the brakes, locking up the tires from a decent speed and went into the ground again. This time, it was just a jammed finger – but it did end the lesson.
Today, we did all of the above (outside of the grass) and she did some more turns and we went the whole time without getting hurt! Whoo hoo! Progress! I think that she’ll be ready for a longer bike trip by the end of next week.
School -
My new classes started today at the University of Montana. I’m taking a budgeting class for public administration and a political human resources management class. Should be interesting. I don’t much care for budgeting, because I’m sure it will have something to do with finances. I’m sure finances will have something to do with numbers, and I hate it when there is a definite right or wrong answer. That’s why I picked the Political Science field in the first place – there are no right or wrong answers, just a variety of opinions, and whoever can BS the best wins! So far, I have a 4.0 for my Master’s of BS.
Weather -
We’re supposed to get a bunch of rain tomorrow! I can’t wait, I need to find a mud puddle to get the Jeep into – it’s been a little too clean for a little too long.
Soccer –
No more soccer! All done! Whoo hoo! Now I need to put together some videos of the kids… maybe one for each, maybe just one for all – depending on how lazy I feel. So far, I’ve been so lazy that I haven’t even started anything. I did manage to send some pictures to the coach and some of the parents. Its something.
Finally, we can watch Jeopardy! again.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Wrong Religion in Iraq
I was going to save my religious commentary for another day, but this article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_quran_051808/ deserves to be addressed.
The gist of the article is that a Soldier was removed from Iraq for using a copy of the Quran for target practice. The only thing he did wrong, in my opinion, was to leave the Quran at the Iraqi Firing Range. If he had took his target back to his FOB, would this have even been an issue?
I am a firm believer in the tolerance of everyone’s religion or lack thereof. You believe what you want, I’ll believe what I believe, and if we don’t agree, I’m not worried about it. After a thorough period spent researching various religions around the world (including Islam, Christianity, and CFSM among others), it seems that there is just as much evidence to support all of them and absolutely no proof for any of them. Each has its own fervent following who “know” that they are right and have had personal conversations or incidents with their respective gods – except for the CFSM people, they actually do KNOW that their religion is just silly. I think most of the “personal” experiences are a result of chemical interactions in the brain that produce that sense of “presence” many people have with their gods. But, that’s beside the point here.
The point is, no religion should be respected any more or less than any other religion by a government organization – such as the military. If this Soldier had used the Quran, the Bible, and every other religious book out there for target practice, at least he would have been treating them all equally. So, if I go back, I’ll be sure to gather up all the religious texts I can for target practice. If the respective gods of those religions really care that I’m using their words to improve my aim instead of my soul, they’ll have to take care of it themselves. However, having said that, I don’t think any of the gods in question will bother to protect their Holy Words. Worst case scenario looks like I might just get a free trip home.
The bottom line on religion for me is that none of them has a lock on the truth. Each is an expression of a particular culture’s foundation in ancient mythology. Each story in each book was originally told or written to provide a moral foundation or example of how people should behave. From the dawn of time, people have searched for the “why” of existence. When nothing presented itself, they invented gods to give them something to look at besides themselves. From there, religion blossomed and spread and instead of being stories to teach morality, they turned into the “truth” and people used their gods and their beliefs to kill each other. Religion has been the bane of human-kind from the beginning and until people figure out how to let go of the idea of “magic” and accept reality as it is, we will continue to be doomed. If we never let go, religion will ultimately be the cause of the end of the human race.
And the rest of the universe still won’t know or care.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Making up for a missed day.
Ok, parson any typos - I'm getting used to my wife's awesome birthday present, an Asus EEE PC. The keyboard is small an it takes a bit to relearn where the keys are. But, now, I think I'm getting it,,, sorta.
Its warming up here and we're all suffering from snburn. The upstairs is a smidge hot and I havnt figured out how to get the AC hooked p in here yet. Al lteh windows are either sliders to the side, or they are crank open - neither of which is conducive to an in-window AC.
Today was a good, quiet day We took the kids to school and just hung out the rest of the day. Grandma left after the kids got home and all was well. The plants in the garden are doing well and are starting to sprout.
Carmen did much better on her bicycle today. She was able to ride to the end of the block and back a few times without help. Her biking day ended when she went down the hill and applied the brake too fast, causing her quick and somewhat painful trip to the road surface. She walked her bike back home with minimal tears. Much better than yesterday. I'll get to that later.
For now, I consider myself caught up. Good night.
Its warming up here and we're all suffering from snburn. The upstairs is a smidge hot and I havnt figured out how to get the AC hooked p in here yet. Al lteh windows are either sliders to the side, or they are crank open - neither of which is conducive to an in-window AC.
Today was a good, quiet day We took the kids to school and just hung out the rest of the day. Grandma left after the kids got home and all was well. The plants in the garden are doing well and are starting to sprout.
Carmen did much better on her bicycle today. She was able to ride to the end of the block and back a few times without help. Her biking day ended when she went down the hill and applied the brake too fast, causing her quick and somewhat painful trip to the road surface. She walked her bike back home with minimal tears. Much better than yesterday. I'll get to that later.
For now, I consider myself caught up. Good night.
Happy Birthday to me!
So I turned another year older yesterday - the big 31. Whoo hoo! Actually, it was a great day of presents, cake, ice-cream and more soccer games and sun than anyone should ever be exposed to!
As a birthday decree to myself, I decided to write something - ANYTHING - every day just to keep the words from clotting in my mind, and then I promptly DIDN'T write anything yesterday - failure on the first day! I guess if you're going to screw something up, its better to do it sooner rather than later!
I'm currently reading "The Ruins." I like to read the books before I see (download) the movie. So far (the first 10 pages) aren't as intriguing as I'd like, but as its a different author than I've read before - so it may take a bit of getting used to. I have a 10,000 books on my reading list, so I won't be running out anytime soon.
I'm working a number of projects - I'm going to put together videos for each of the girls' soccer seasons, another Jeep video, and I'm sure some other stuff that I'm just not remembering.
In the future, I'll be writing about the War with the Ants, Soccer season, Birthday goodies, Special Investigators, my school, kids' school, bike riding, Chantix, Playstation, Wii, Summer vacation plans, Girl Scouts, and updates on the kids and family.
So, stay tuned, more to come!
