I Am a Classical Liberal

A friend was on my Facebook page and saw that I consider myself a "Classical Liberal." He then sain, "I expected something more like Ronald Reagan conservative."

So I went ahead and explained to him in a nutshell what I meant:


Let me put it this way. When I hear "Reagan Conservative" I instantly think of massive, overbearing, intrusive government with a great big American flag plastered over the front of it. That is NOT me.

I am a classical liberal in the tradition of John Locke, many of our founding fathers (Thomas Jefferson in particular), Frederic Bastiat and Ron Paul. A classical liberal believes in the God-given natural rights of human beings to life, liberty and property; and understands that the purpose of government is to protect those rights to the extent that we as individuals can not efficiently do it ourselves. Crime is the forceful violation of another person's rights and the only legitimate circumstance to deprive a person of any of their rights is in response to their unlawful deprivation of another's rights. And in all cases, the punishment should match the offense plus with extra compensation to the victim. It is a very simple philosophy that leaves no room for large, overbearing government. And it is a philosophy right in line with our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It is worth pointing out that the Constitution only delegates 18 powers/responsibilities to Congress, then the Executive branch has the responsibility of faithfully executing those laws and the Judicial branch is supposed to watch and make sure all legislation fits within the confines of the Constitution and natural law. Very simple. If our federal government stuck to the Constitutional formula, it would be extremely small, in fact significanly smaller than any State legislature. Can you imagine that?!?! Oh, how far we have fallen!

In summary, as a classical liberal, I stand uncompromising in support of "the laws of nature and nature's God."


To learn more about classical liberalism, visit http://www.lbccs.org/.

Town Hall Meeting Becomes Violent

The following took place on 08-06 in Tampa, FL. Wow. The good guys were being loud and disrupting the congresswoman's propaganda meeting, so her union thugs roughly hustled them out. Notice how when the good people protest, they do not throw poop and urine and shout obscenities. We will definitely see more of this in the near future. Hopefully it will not have negative consequences.

The Defenders of Liberty... Wow!

Political Spectrum Quiz

My Political Views
I am a right moderate social libertarian
Right: 6.63, Libertarian: 2.76

Political Spectrum Quiz


And once again they get it wrong :-). They assume you can't be a true libertarian/classical liberal if you are strongly opposed to abortion. Truth is, if you are a TRUE classical liberal with a belief in natural law, you must be opposed to abortion. But most political spectrum analyzers do not bother to take that into account.

First Round of Layoffs

So we had our first round of layoffs today… ugh. Mark T, Charlie and Abby were let go. It was a sad day, a soul-draining day. At the beginning of the year we were told that the company was feeling the pain of the current economic conditions, and if things did not improve they would be forced to have some layoffs, but they would go by seniority. So I made a list and have been checking people off of it, watching as my name gets closer and closer to the chopping block. Four names are down, three more before me. Unfortunately for me, two of those names are pretty well locked in place, which means there is only one name before me. Either way, we have downsized significantly this year because of firings, layoffs, and people quitting. We started the year with about 31 workers, and 7 have left so far. So we are down 22.6% in workers, and therefore working at 77.4% of our original workforce. That is pretty significant, so they must be saving quite a bit of money. And at least three of those people were relatively well-paid positions.

So we will see what happens next. I started the day off with a lot of resentment about my job, and my bosses. But after the layoffs, I was suddenly so grateful for this job. I spent the rest of the day thanking God for it. It is incredible how resentment always crowds out gratitude. There is not enough room inside us for both. I want to hold on to gratitude so I have no room for resentment.

Thank You, Lord, so much for my job. Please fill me with gratitude. Your will be done. Amen.

Does this work?

I am writing this test post from “Windows Live Writer” and am very interested to see how it posts to my blog. Will it work?

We will see!

Who are the terrorists?

Karen Bass, the Speaker of the California Assembly said this on Saturday regarding those who speak out against higher taxes ("revenue" as she calls it):

"The Republicans were essentially threatened and terrorized against voting for revenue. Now [some] are facing recalls. They operate under a terrorist threat: "You vote for revenue and your career is over." I don't know why we allow that kind of terrorism to exist. I guess it's about free speech, but it's extremely unfair."

Click here to read the full story.

The Whole Premise Is Wrong

The President said today:

"I've asked Secretary Chu to lead a new effort at the Department of Energy focusing on implementing more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances... The first step we're taking sets new efficiency standards on fluorescent and incandescent lighting."

The government says we need to be "responsible." But is it being "responsible" when we are being forced to do it by the government? The government then says, "We will be saving you money by doing this [so don't worry about the fact that we're forcing your hand]!" I must point out, the whole premise of the President's argument is wrong. He wants to force us to use certain light bulbs (Yes, our government has its fingers so far into our lives that they actually are concerned about what light bulbs we are using). Our President works under the assumption that the government own us and therefor can tell us what we should and should not do, but for our own good, of course. In his eyes we are nothing more than servants to the greater good. Well, that is wrong. We are individuals who are responsible to our family and God.

We have responsibility for ourselves and cannot be forced to be responsible for the collective good. We were all created by God and given two arms, two legs, and one brain. We have the same capacity for decision-making and responsibility as our government officials. We use our faculties given to us by God to protect and provide for our families and make decisions based on what is based for them. God gave us that brain to make those decisions, and any government official who makes decisions for us (regardless of whether it is supposedly for our own good) is putting themselves above God by saying that He did not give us the necessary brain function to make the best decision. That is a dangerous place to be. These men see themselves as "supermen" as Bastiat would put it. God confounded the plans of the men at Babel who put themselves above Himself, and may He now confound the plans of these arrogant men who would do the same.

For Those Who Ask Why I Use Such Strong Language On My Blog

What I display on my blog is righteous anger. God puts leaders in place to punish those who do wrong and do good to those who do right. It's very simple. Illegitimate leaders are the ones who do not do that and God eventually always brings the house down on them. Obama's time will come, but in the meantime I am going to do everything in my power, whatever the cost, to preserve at least the smallest bit of liberty in this country for little Riley Joy. But how can you possibly stand calmly by as they consider whether or not to put children under Government supervision? THEY CAN TAKE MY DAUGHTER AWAY BECAUSE WE GIVE HER TOO MUCH RELIGION! They have already threatened to do that in Oregon! This is the time to be standing in the streets screaming with all that we have to try and wake people up to the fact that these leaders are putting themselves in the place of God! I have been studying our founders and what they were fighting against, and it can not help but make me angry as I see what this tyrannical government is doing. I HAVE READ THE LISTS OF GRIEVANCES THAT LED TO THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, AND IF OUR GOVERNMENT PASSES WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO AS WE SPEAK, OUR LIST TODAY WILL BE EVEN LONGER THAN THEIRS! It is time for NON-violent revolution! It is time to wake people up and change the system from within. We already have the foundation in place, we just need to chase out these rotten folk that are playing God with our families! One unmistakable part about our founders, though, is how deeply they loved God and stived to follow Him. They soaked everything that they did in prayer. George Washington (the "indespensible man") started every day with over an hour of prayer on his knees. That has really blown me away, and as our government wages war against the individuals and families that make this country great, I have been driven to my knees both in desperation and in remembrance of our founders. They absolutely could not have accomplished what they did without divine support, and almost every one of them acknowledged that with quote after quote. He gave us the priviledge of living in a country where we have a say in what goes on, and we will be responsible if we let it slip away without a fight.

Mind you, I watch my tongue when I am in public and representing LBCCS. But on my personal blog I will be brutally honest.

The News

So Michael Jackson has died... and I am sick of hearing about it. I heard first last night and went, "Oh, well at least we won't have to look at his face anymore." No sadness, I must admit. Now I just wish everyone would get over it! He was a freak, and now he is dead. No more story.

Our Tyrannical Government

I watched the ABC special interview with Barack Obama and his healthcare plans. This was my reaction:

What is wrong with this mas? He wants the government to control our healthcare! He says people are getting too many procedures done. That is true. But what does he plan to do FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL about it? He can say whatever he wants, but I DO NOT want a WASHINGTON BEAUROCRAT deciding which procedures I or my family members should or should not have! These TYRANTS have no right to make ANY decision for me.

Of course, this goes right along with the other freedoms our tyrant king is trying to wrest from us. As of yesterday, the administration made public its intention to push for ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights on Children treaty! Should that happen, the government would be the final authority on our children. Homeschooling will be virtually illegal (along with most private schools), the government will have the right to surprise inspections of our homes to check on how we are raising our children, and the government will have the final say when it comes to punishment and religion for our children (can't be pushing one single religion on a child or somethings). The moment this treaty is ratified, it becomes on equal level with the Constitution and therefore the supreme law of the land. And at that point we will lose all rights as parents. Some say, "Oh, well you are just taking this too far! Come on, you will not go to jail!" Oh yeah! What about in Europe now where parents are being thrown in jail because they refuse to send their children to public schools! What about in our own country where a judge recently used the CRC as justification to order parents to reduce the amount of "religion" they push on their child and told them how many times a week they are allowed to send their him to church!

And one more, the "Smart Grid." Our government is trying to get the power and technology to record from within our own homes what appliances we have on, what temperature we have our thermostats set at, how many lights we have on, how often we watch television and anything else they want to! This would be warrantless, of course. Can we really expect anything else from these tyrants? Then they say that it is for our own good.

LEAVE ME ALONE! STAY AWAY FROM MY HOME AND MY FAMILY! YOU HAVE NO MORE RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO THAN ANY PERSON WHO WOULD BREAK INTO MY HOUSE AND HOLD A GUN TO MY HEAD!

Where I Have Been

Hello world, I am back. Life has been busy and wonderful. Riley Joy is doing incredible new things every day and Hannah just blows me away taking care of Riley Joy during the day and still being able to have dinner ready when I get home. Work is fine, nothing special. Things are slow which makes the days drag, but the weekends still find a way to come quickly enough. Church is wonderful, I love Pastor David and the other members. I never thought we would actually be able to find a church that sought the Spirit but also held fast to the Scriptures. God is good :-). The May rain decided to come in June so we have been drenched the majority of this month but it looks like it finally is going to end. That is well appreciated, because our yard is piled high with half-finished projects that have been waiting for a nice weekend to complete. I need to finish two fences, put in three gates, break down a fence, trim the shrub trees... and the list goes on.

Now, I actually have been doing quite a bit of writing recently. I started a blogsite for the Liberty Bell Center for Constitutional Studies (LBCCS) and have been recording all of the goings on of the organization there. We try to educate through every single email and communication we send out. Even if a person just reads an announcement for upcoming events I want them to get something out of it that they can take away with them. So I have been putting quite a bit of time into our correspondence. Also on the website we have tons of resources for anyone interested. Everything from online books to online audio to informative current event sites. I hope anyone reading this will check it out. The address is:

http://libertybellccs.blogspot.com

So that is my life right now: Family, Work, Church and Country.

Natural Law

Why should you care about Natural Law? Well, it is the foundation of UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, HABEAS CORPUS, LIMITED GOVERNMENT, SEPARATION OF POWERS, CHECKS AND BALANCES, RIGHT TO SELF-PRESERVATION, CONTRACTS, THE FAMILY, RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS, THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION and much more.

When our country was created, all other nations of the world were under a legal system known as “Civil Law” which holds that the government is the ultimate law and any rights the citizens have are granted to them by the government. Our founding fathers knew that was wrong and instead built our government based on the radical belief that the government is not the ultimate law. Instead, governments are under the law, Natural Law. But what is Natural Law?

The enlightenment philosopher, John Locke, wrote:

The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions: for men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent, and infinitely wise maker; all the servants of one sovereign master, sent into the world by his order, and about his business; they are his property, whose workmanship they are, made to last during his, not one another's pleasure.

Natural Law acknowledges that people's rights come from the Creator, not the government. No government has the right to deprive a person of any one of their rights “unless it be to do justice on an offender” of the rights of others.

Samuel Adams referenced Natural Law when he said:

The natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life; second to liberty; third to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can.

And Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.

Author Richard Maybury writes:

After 1776, America became the leader of this movement to Natural Law. Countries that adopted a Natural Law viewpoint came to be known as the “free world,” of which America was the acknowledged leader. These countries also became the most prosperous, with the most job opportunities, the largest middle classes, and the most investment opportunities.

The United States of America was the first nation in the history of the world to align their law system with the “law of nature and nature's God” and became the most prosperous nation the world has ever seen.

Riley Joy as a UPS racecar driver?

I generated these at:
http://www.racing.ups.com/crewme/

They made me laugh :-) But just to warn you, they get scarier as you go down the list.

Me On Glenn Beck

I had the opportunity to be on the Glenn Beck Program on Fox News. It was my big moment on national television :-). I got some laughs, but our brains were not on the same track at the end. I was presenting the political spectrum as our founders saw it but he was presenting the scale as a means of making a certain point. Whatever. A friend told me later, "Did you really think you were going to make YOUR point on HIS show?" Yeah, I get it :-).

But boy was it fun!

Finally A New Entry

My brother Tyler implored me to get back to writing on my blog... so here I am. Life has been moving faster than the speed of light and things have been happening so fast and so much that my brain can not condense it into words. So what has been up?

Well, I went on the Glenn Beck Program on Fox News Channel a few weeks ago with some friends. It was a neat experience. He invited me up onto the stage for a demonstration. I was also able to get a few laughs from the crowd.

I have been getting more involved in the Liberty Bell Center for Constitutional Studies where I have now been made the Chairman. We have monthly discussion group meetings to discuss the Constitution and the beliefs of our founding fathers and how they apply to our country and world today. And on June 5 we are having our first LBCCS movie night where we will be watching "A More Perfect Union" which is an awesome dramatization of the Constitutional convention where they put together our current Constitution, the most incredible political document in history. I am excited about that. I have been working with a man named Paul Fiske who founded LBCCS and it is neat to pick his old, wise brain :-).

I have been doing lots of reading about economics and history... my usual.

Work is going fine, nothing special.

Financially we are strapped right now. The old woman Hannah helped died a week ago so Hannah is now without a job (and unable to start a new one with the baby coming). So I have been desperately trying to cut down our monthly bills and expenses so we have some money for food and gas (what Hannah was providing for). We will see how it all plays out. Both of our cars are out of gas until Thursday when I get a check.

Funfun.

I am tired also. Riley Joy is such a handful right now and because of all her new teeth coming in kept waking up last night in the middle of the night and singing and climbing on us. But even though I lost sleep because of her, just writing this down makes me smile. There is nothing in this world like having a child :-).

Racism... Again.

So a few weeks ago I was up getting my tea out of the microwave at work when I saw a paper posted on the bulletin board there. It was a picture printed off of someone's computer. The picture was of a large airplane that was supposed to be Air Force One. On the front of the airplane there was a picture of a monkey eating a watermelon and on the rear of the plane there was a picture of President Obama eating a watermelon and the caption said, "The Watermelon Express."

WHAT! WHO WOULD POSSIBLY THINK THAT WAS AN OK THING TO POST UP THERE! I am not a politically correct person and I enjoy stereotypical humor, but that picture was making two unmistakably racist references!

What is wrong with some people? Who would possibly think that was appropriate... or even funny?

Why we MUST focus on the state and local level

(I just posted this on the local We Surround Them message board)

I received the minutes from the meeting last Friday in my email today. I read through it and saw one piece that bothered me enough to want to bring it up. Under the topics discussed, the point was made that:

"Though our future leaders will start locally, we really need to focus on national issues. Things are taking place so quickly in Washington and that's the ball we really need to concentrate on right now."

That really toubles me. First of all, I do not necessarily remember this being discussed at all. At least a discussion on whether Federal issues should take precedence over local issues. I think we have been listening to a statist lie for too long. They believe that all power should be centralized in the federal government, a belief not supported by our nations founding fathers. As result, the federal government is now making decisions dealing with our everyday lives... and as result of this, the focus of political action has moved from the local and state levels to almost 100% on the federal level.

It is worth noting that the 10th Amendment to the Constitution states that "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

I think this is often overlooked by people. Unless the Federal Government passes an amendment, they have no Constitutional authority to tell us what to do on the state and local levels. We have seen San Francisco recently pass ordinances in direct opposition to federal statues, and though that was just outright beligerence on their part, they still have the right to do so.

The federal government is trampling on state, local, and individual rights, and while the fight in Washington is desperately important, we must remember that we still have the power of the Constitution on our side! We need to put local and state officials into office who will say, "ENOUGH! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO MAKE THAT DECISION FOR ME AND MY CONSTITUANTS!" Washington is too far gone right now to spend all of our time on it. We need to slowly chip away at it while (in my opinion) spending the majority of our time and energy watching and supporting local and especially state level politicians.

Life

Oh dear me, so much is happening right now. I will try and condense it into a short entry.

Garden:

We decided to start a garden. With the dollar poised to lose much of its value in the coming inflation, we all need to learn to live with far less than we currently do. One of our ways to prepare is planting a huge vegetable garden. We have basically turned our backyard into a giant garden. It is 22' by 22' which comes to 484 sq ft. Two weekends ago we broke ground and I dug up bushes and roto-tilled the whole patch. This last weekend I borrowed a friend's pickup and went and got two truckloads of compost from the local yard waste facility (free compost!) and spread it over the whole area. Then came the real work... mixing it in. I got the shovel and finished about 1/3 of the garden. I will just have to do the rest over the next few days. We have started our tomatoes, green peppers, eggplant and some other plants indoors so they will be ready to plant outside. On top of those, we will be planting colored peppers, zucchini, acorn squash, winter squash, sugar snap peas (we are starting those soon), cucumbers, pumpkins and herbs. I probably missed some, but it is a lot, and we are excited. Rather than call it a "crisis garden" like many are nowadays, we are calling ours a "Glory Garden" because we want to focus on God when we are working in it. I want our gardening to be a form of worship. I want the focus to be on glorifying Him, not trying to survive the current crisis.

We Surround Them:

On Friday we went to the local We Surround Them (9/12 Project) meeting. It was very neat. It is so nice to know that there are people who believe like we do. You would never know this from watching the news. I also made lots of connections with local conservative/libertarian politicians. I hope to become more involved with them and their organizations.

Why We Need to Arm Ourselves

I read an article today titled "Deadly Rampages Rack the Nation" and was not too surprised at what I found. I do not know about you, but it has seemed to me that there have been a lot more shooting around the country recently... and it is true. It is no surprise to me that as more people lose their jobs and disenfranchisement continues to grow, these shooting are spreading. We are bound to see more of it. So what should we do? These situations to could be averted or at least cut short by responsible citizens armed with guns. I love what Michael Badnarik (2004 Libertarian Pres. Candidate) said about capital punishment. He said when someone attacks him and he shoots them dead, that is capital punishment. Makes sense to me! Rather than restricting our gun rights, now is the time for the government to sit back and let the populace arm themselves in preparation for the extremely hard times coming.

I have armed myself and am probably going to start carrying everywhere I go. I feel it is nothing short of a moral obligation.

My Daugter Kissed Ron Paul

We often hear of and see politicians kissing babies. But how often do we see babies kissing politicians? I was watching part of a show on the internet and there were a number of guests discussing various topics and issues. At one point John Stossel can onto the screen. My 15 month old daughter saw him and leaned forward and went "mmmmwaaa" and planted a big kiss right on his face! Then she sat back and continued watching with me until Ron Paul came on. When she saw him she leaned forward and again, "mmmmwaaa" placed a big kiss on his face on the computer screen. It made me laugh. My daughter kissed Ron Paul and John Stossel... she has good taste :-).

Quote From "The Alamo"

I sat down to watch "The Alamo" last night and really got swept off my feet (in a good way). This particular quote from John Wayne's Davy Crocket really got me:

"Republic. I like the sound of the word. It means people can live free, talk free, go or come, buy or sell, be drunk or sober, however they choose. Some words give you a feeling. Republic is one of those words that makes me tight in the throat - the same tightness a man gets when his baby takes his first step or his first baby shaves and makes his first sound as a man. Some words can give you a feeling that makes your heart warm. Republic is one of those words."

Excerpt from "Federalist No. 9"

by Alexander Hamilton

"The definition of a CONFEDERATE REPUBLIC seems simply to be "an assemblage of societies,'' or an association of two or more states into one state. The extent, modifications, and objects of the federal authority are mere matters of discretion. So long as the separate organization of the members be not abolished; so long as it exists, by a constitutional necessity, for local purposes; though it should be in perfect subordination to the general authority of the union, it would still be, in fact and in theory, an association of states, or a confederacy. The proposed Constitution, so far from implying an abolition of the State governments, makes them constituent parts of the national sovereignty, by allowing them a direct representation in the Senate, and leaves in their possession certain exclusive and very important portions of sovereign power. This fully corresponds, in every rational import of the terms, with the idea of a federal government."

Wow. How far we have come. The appointment of Senators to the Federal government by their respective state governments was essential to preserving the state's rights. It was not just an afterthought, it was an essential piece of the Constitution and one of the key arguments used by Alexander Hamilton and others to convince the states that they would still retain their sovereignty even with a federal government in place. Any rational person can read these arguments by Alexander Hamilton and others and see why the Senate was designed to be the way it was! If only it had not been for that megalomaniac Woodrow Wilson and those rotten Progressives who were obsessed with power and had no respect for anyone other than themselves, we would not be facing many of the problems in our country that we are facing today.

Florida Trip

On Thursday evening we flew down to Florida to visit my family... and had a great time. Riley Joy was great on the plane (no meltdowns). We brought her car seat along and strapped it into the seat on the plane, so she was quite comfy.

Over the course of the weekend we talked, walked along the boardwalk, ate wonderful food, watched movies, visited their church and just hung out. It was refreshing and relaxing and actually somewhat energizing. I love my family so very much, I wish they were closer by. Riley Joy had a blast. Within hours of being there, she knew sho Grandad was and though she never picked up on what Grandma meant, she on multiple occasions referred to my mother as Nana. She she at least gets the concept :-). She is quite an incredible little girl. While my mother was cooking, Riley Joy would go in and throw up her arms to be picked up. At first my mother thought she just wanted a hug, but her heart was quite blessed when she realized that Riley Joy wanted to be held by her. Out of everybody, though, I think she was most comfy with my dad. He could pick her up at almost any random time and walk off with her and she did not mind. That is very, very unusual. Really, I can't think of anyone except Nana that Riley Joy is that comfortable with. Anyone really surprised? :-) Tyler and Jenna really seem to be enjoying homeschooling again (Tyler is technically in cyber-school) and I was so blessed to hear it. Homeschooling was the best thing my parents did for me and I am so deeply happy to know that they are appreciating it too.

While down there, we had a chance to visit Karis' apartment and it is really nice. She has made an excellent little home out of it. She is not working right now but hopefully she will get in gear and have one soon. We also met her boyfriend, Jason, and he seems to be a very nice person. He recognizes Karis' needs and supports her involvement in support groups and such... that was really good to hear. Though I am curious about his spiritual walk. Does he have the strong foundation needed to lead Karis if they would decide to get married? It would be comforting to know.

We left Monday morning and had a couple mishaps. The first was in line for airport security. We were moving slowly along and Hannah was putting Riley Joy in her sling when we got to the ticket checker. She looked a little impatient with us, so I dropped my bag and reached over Hannah to give her my ticket and ID so she could look at it while Hannah finished. Well, at that point Hannah took a step back and ran into my bag and lost her balance and crashed down backwards and rolled from her hip onto her back with Riley Joy's leg underneath her. Riley Joy was terrified and Hannah was worried she had hurt Riley's leg so they both burst into tears. I felt so bad but was glad that there were not major injuries. Riley Joy's leg was fine and Hannah's hip hurt but was not anything serious. Lesson learned. Do not rush, even in airport security. If I had though before dropping my bag before behind Hannah I would have set it to my side instead (the safer place for it). So that was the first mishap. The second was that we had to wait 40 minutes on the airplane before it took off (maintenance issue). Riley Joy did not like that waiting time and sensed people's frustrations. She got very restless and cried and kicked the seat in front of her (poor guy). We were able to walk her back and forth down the isle and let her run in the clearing near the center emergency exit and that distracted her for a while. We also read to her and let her play with books and watch her movie. But praise the Lord, once we took off and the cabin pressurized and the engines started, she drifted off to sleep and slept for two whole hours! She did not wake up until the descent and even then was in an excellent mood.

Once we reached the airport we had no problems getting our bags and I had no problem finding the car in the economy parking lot.

Overall, it was an excellent trip. Very nearly perfect except that we did nto get more time. I had such a wonderful time having deep, meaty talks with my parents and I wish they were around so we could do that more. There is definitely a different dynamic between talking face to face and talking on the phone of video messaging. My point: I miss my family already. Hopefully Tyler and Jenna will be able to get an excuse to come visit in the near future... we will see!

Thank You, God, for a wonderful trip :-).

"My Life Is In You, Lord"

I listened to this song today and thought about how I want this to be my prayer everyday.

My life is in You, Lord
My strength is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord
In You, it's in You

I will praise You with all of my life
I will praise You with all of my strength
With all of my life
With all of my strength
All of my hope is in You

My life is in You, Lord
My strength is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord
In You, it's in You

Golly Goodness :-)

We are down in Florida visiting my family and I just finished helping Hannah get Riley Joy ready for bed. Hannah is in nursing her down right now. But after I finished my part and Hannah started nursing her, I went to turn off the light. The light we were using is a touch sensitive light and everytime I turned it off, my wrist would bump it and it would come back on. Right as I finally turned it off for good, I saw Hannah looking at me, smiling at my clumsiness. Golly goodness I love her smile. I just melted :-). I love her so much!

Everyone Against Abortion, Please Raise Your Hand

Morality

I have only read one graphic novel before (Max Allan Collin's "Road to Perdition") and generally avoid them. But I became quite intrigued with the "Watchmen" after seeing previews for the new movie. So I decided to wade into the uber-violent and crass world of graphic novels once again to see what I could learn. It is the most acclaimed graphic novel of all time and one of Time Magazine's 100 best novels of all time. The storytelling is absolutely gripping and I am hooked. Thus far, the biggest theme of the book is morality. The author takes the premise of superheroes and uses it to ask questions about society and the morality of decisions our government makes. The different characters individually carry the set of characteristic of certain groups of people seen in the government, and as you watch them make moral decisions on a personal level, you see the bigger picture of what it would mean for the group of people in real life in government who make such decisions. Does that make sense? It is late and I need to get to bed. But during the pauses between my reading over the weekend, I have been pondering our government and the fact that they are MORALLY BANKRUPT. It is about time we sat down and had a real discussion about the (at the very least) questionably morality of their decisions. For example:

What is the morality of an outspoken pro-life politician (Sam Brownback) supporting a radically pro-choice pick for Sec of Health & Human services just because it will make it easier for him to win the governorship of his state in a couple years? What is the morality of our country saying they oppose torture and then using the Rendition program to send prisoners out to Egypt or other countries to be tortured so we don't have to do it ourselves? What is the morality in congressmen owning stock in certian companies and then awarding those same companies huge subsidies or mandating use of their products? (Think curly light bulbs) What is the morality of a tax cheat heading the congressional committee that writes the tax code and a tax cheat being nominated and confirmed to head the IRS? What is the morality of those same two individuals getting together and having a public discussion about the need to increase penalties on tax cheats! What is the morality of no-bid defense contracts with huge companies? What is the morality of our government passing a BAILOUT or SAVE THE ECONOMY bill that has THOUSANDS of non-stimulus related earmarks? Or what about the TARP program where we were told the money was going to be used to buy bad debt (a bad decision, mind you) and then once the money was authorized, use it to buy into huge corporations! Where is the morality in the government cozying up to mega-businesses and sacrificing small businesses and individuals? Where is the morality in a man defending his family in his own home with a gun and then being thrown in jail for it? What is the morality of our government telling us that they are doing one thing, while at the same time doing something entirely un-related behind our back? What is the morality of the government funding the destruction of frozen human embryos for research? What is the morality of politicians railing against smoking and then using the money from cigarrette taxes to fund our school system? What is the morality of the belief that anything is OK as long as it is for the greater good? What kind of moral code guides a modern progressive to go on and on about peace and rail against war while wearing a Che shirt? What about our government making up the problem of Global Warming so they can gain more control over our lives and businesses? What is the moral code that allows Michael Steele to suck up to Rush Limbaugh and then in a different situations dismiss him as "ugly" and "incindiery"? How can the Republican party say they are fighting for fiscal responsibility while being responsible for half the earmarks in congress?

The list goes on.

Ugh.

Who is willing to have this discussion?

Lots of Snow

Over the weekend the forecasters were calling for lots of snow... and they were right. We got nothing more than a dusting last night, but over the course of the morning we have accumulated 4+ inches. And the roads are not cleared yet! I just had to go to the Warehouse and boy was that an adventure. I was able to make it down with little trouble (crawling along EXTREMELY slow through the drifts), but coming up was nearly impossible. I am glad I made it. Coming up the side of the hill from the Warehouse there is one last big hump before it levels out, and while it was difficult coming up the majority of the hill, that hump was awful. I came to everything but a complete stop and just crawled with wheels spinning up that last 20 feet. Three cheers for maybe the first decent snow we've had this season and nobody bothering to clear the roads :-).

A Healthy Fear

Clint Eastwood is a great filmmaker and I have always enjoyed his movies. One of his most common themes is the corruption of government systems. I have to admit, many times I have watched his movies and then afterwords sat back and made excuses for the government programs or authorities that he just tore apart. In "The Outlaw Josey Wales" he exposed many of the injustices wrought on the South following the Civil War. In "Unforgiven" we saw the dangers of local law enforcement working for their own personal gain rather than for the people. In "Absolute Power" we saw how officials as high as the President can be seduced by their power into doing the unthinkable. The Franklin D. Roosevelt administration is labmasted in "Flags of Our Fathers" for their incredible propaganda program. We know that power corrups and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the older I get the more afraid I become of our government. I know that my mind is expanding because I am constantly questioning my beliefs and sometimes changing my opinions as I find truth. Well, while I in the past have made excuses for our big government, I am now seeing the importance of people like Clint Eastwood pointing out the extreme dangers posed by giving them so much power. We have seen the myth built up and propagated that the government is a good thing, something that is working for you to fix the problems in your life and make your life and standard of living better. Well, that is wrong. Our founding fathers knew that the government is something to be feared and that is why they made such a confining Constitution. Though even that has not been enough to hold our federal government in check. We need to have a healthy fear of giving President Bush all the power of the Patriot Act (a terrible name by the way, pure propaganda), we need a fear of our government's powerful propanganda network and the IRS. We need to watch everything they do to make sure they do not keep growing and taking away our liberties. We need to watch movies like these done by Clint Eastwood and not make excuses for our government, but instead watch them and learn that we need to fear our government and fight with everything we have to keep it from getting bigger and more intrusive. We need to fear this new administration trying to take away our gun rights, control our personal healthcare, second-guess our parenting methods and go so far as to mount satellite tracking devices on our cars.

Good job for Clint Eastwood and Ron Howard and all those willing to show the true dangers of giving too much power to the government.

The Sound Of Silence

As I started driving to work today, I decided to keep the radio and cd player off. I love silence, but it is often so hard to come by. I don't know what exactly it is inside me, but I often do not want silence, it scares me somehow. As soon as silence rears its head I quickly shatter it with noise, any noise, whether talk radio, audio books or sometimes music. But the strange thing is, I love silence. Why do I so often flee from something I love? There is nothing like curling up inside the warm fleece of silence to pray, or meditate, or just marinate in my thoughts. Silence is where my brain expands, silence is where the Spirit guides me into truth. Safely within silence my brain soars! My mind churns, I formulate my beliefs, write essays, solve problems! It is incredible what can happen with just a little silence. So I must make sure I set aside time for silence. I shall start a relationship with silence, court it on a regular basis, and just wait to see what happens.

Finding the Meaning In a Verse

A new believer friend joined me at the men's Bible study two Saturdays ago. Part of the homework involves us studying many verses and taking application from them. My friend was quite overwhelmed, so I typed this out quickly for him. My mother-in-law also suggested a few clarifications which I added.

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide
John 16:13 says the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth and John 14:26 says “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” In order to get the full meaning out of any verse or passage we need to begin by praying that God’s Holy Spirit will guide our understanding.

2. Read the verse

3. Find the immediate context
Find the beginning of the paragraph or smaller section that the verse is contained in. Read to get the immediate context.

4. Find the larger context
Is the verse part of a speech? Is it part of a larger thought or section? Find the beginning of the thought or speech. Read to understand the larger context.

5. Look up the key words
Which words stand out? Which words are key to understanding the meaning of the verse? Note, the biggest words are not necessarily the key words. Pick them out and look them up in Strong’s Concordance. Read other verses the words are used in to get an idea of how they are used. (http://www. blueletterbible.org/)

6. Put it together
Read the verse again with an understanding of the context and an emphasis on the full meanings of the key words.

7. Read any cross-references
Read any cross-references to gain additional insight into the topic.

8. Read any notes
Read the study notes at the bottom of the page to gain additional insights into the meaning.

9. Find the application
2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in right living. If we do not apply the verse or passage to our own life, we are not getting out of it all that God wants us to. Imagine the verse was written by God specifically for you. How is God trying to teach you, rebuke your wrongdoing, correct your thinking or show you right living? Do not over-think this. Often the simplest and most obvious truth is exactly what the Holy Spirit is trying to convey to you.

Rocking My Baby To Sleep

The room is dark, she looks around trying to focus. I drape her blanket over my shoulder and we sit down in the rocking chair and start moving

back and forth, back and forth

She pushes back and looks at a streak of light coming in through a crack in the window shades. She point and says, "Dat!" We rock

back and forth, back and forth

I pull her head down between my shoulder and collar bone, she relaxes. She moves her feet a little, pulls her head back, and then falls back into position. We rock

back and forth, back and forth

She relaxes, I feel her body melt into mine. We become one, rocking

back and forth, back and forth

The white noise surrounds us, enveloping all other sounds. Only the hum of the humidifier can be heard above it.

back and forth, back and forth

I check the clock, it has been thirty minutes. It sure does not feel like that long. We slowly stop rocking

back and forth, back and forth

I hold her close as I stand and carry her to the bed. I lay her down, she stays asleep. I gently push her blanket into her hands. I pull a pillow against her back.

She sleeps.

I turn on the monitor and quietly make my way out of the room.

She naps.

Excerpt From President Obama's Press Conference

02/09/2009

I said during the campaign that Iran is a country that has extraordinary people, extraordinary history and traditions, but that its actions over many years now have been unhelpful when it comes to promoting peace and prosperity both in the region and around the world; that their attacks or their financing of terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas, the bellicose language that they've used towards Israel, their development of a nuclear weapon, or their pursuit of a nuclear weapon -- that all those things create the possibility of destabilizing the region and are not only contrary to our interests, but I think are contrary to the interests of international peace. What I've also said is that we should take an approach with Iran that employs all of the resources at the United States' disposal, and that includes diplomacy.

...And my expectation is in the coming months we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table, face to face, diplomatic overtures that will allow us to move our policy in a new direction.

...So there are going to be a set of objectives that we have in these conversations, but I think that there's the possibility at least of a relationship of mutual respect and progress.

Excerpt from "Tuesdays With Morrie"

I am currently reading Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom and am really enjoying it. It is quite simply about... death. Some might think of death as a morbid subject for a book, but this book is anything but morbid. It is a very refreshing book. If I was to smash the whole book down into an anecdote, it would probably be, "To truly embrace life, you must first embrace death." Here is an excerpt of Morrie speaking:

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

Simple wisdom :-)

Changing The World

I had an interesting exchange with G (racist lady) today. We were talking about Glenn Beck's "We Surround Them" program which he is using to let people know that they are not alone in believing in the basic principles upon which our country was founded. It is built under the assumption that people are more likely to stand up for what they believe in if they know they are not standing alone. I mentioned how I thought it was a good thing and Gale said, "Oh, you think you will change the world, but you will not. You will just have a bunch of kids and be a father and end up doing nothing."

Wow.

Let me pose this question, "Is it more important to 'change the world' on a large scale or for a person to try in his everyday life to affect the world in a positive way?"

The latter is obviously a more reasonable goal for an individual, but I would say that it is also more effective too. If we had a whole world of people trying to "change the world" in huge ways, very little would happen. But if we had a world full of people trying to "affect the world in a positive way through their individual lives" the chances are that lots would happen.

What is my world? What makes up my individual life? My life is made up of my wife, children, extended family, co-workers, work, friends and church family. Now what if my life was devoted to raising good children who will affect their worlds in positive ways? Who knows what could come of that! And with my co-workers, treating them right and sharing the Gospel with them, who knows what could happen! I have already seen God use me to eternally change the life of one man at work! Who knows what else He has in store for me here? And my work, too. What I do here is incredible! We create instruments here that are used all around the world to glorify God. The music made by these is enough to bring glory to God, but all the more when a church uses it in their worship! That is a positive way that I am affecting the world. The same goes for my church family and extended family. If I am working to affect them in positive ways, I will make a difference, and a good difference.

Many people have "changed the world" through history and often in negative ways. Many others have spent their lives striving to "change the world" and accomplished nothing. I am devoting myself to affecting those around me in positive ways. That is how I will make a difference for good in the world, and who knows, maybe God will use these seeds to change the world on a large scale someday.

Pregnant Skin

Hannah has always had above-average skin, it is as near to perfect as normal people can have. But I have to say, when she is pregnant, her skin changes! It becomes even more soft and smooth and just plain perfect. It really blows my mind. That is a pregnancy side-effect I never heard about.

So here is my advise to women, don't bother getting all that stuff advertised on television to give you perfect skin... just get pregnant! Simple, isn't it?

:-)

The Elixir of Life

What is the cure to all of life ills? What can make a sad person happy? What works better on headaches that Tylenol? What is refreshing time and time again no matter how often you have it?

Coke.

Coke is the elixir of life and I do not know how I would survive without it. I don't have it very often but it is a joy every time I do. When I am down or not feeling good, Coke is the answer :-).

My Racist Co-Worker

So, I was up in Electronics Production a while back and heard my friends talking about the television show House. I love that show so I jumped into the conversation. A co-worker said, "Hey Ryan, so what about that ending, Foreman and Thirteen getting together. Wasn't that sick!" I asked what she meant and she said, "You know, white girl getting with a black guy... yuck! You should stick with your kind." My jaw dropped open in amazement. I had never had a friend before say something like that to me without being sarcastic! She continued, "My father taught us well. He said, 'If you ever start dating one of them*, I am gonna cut all your hair off!' One of my sisters did, and he really did it to her! Scarred her emotionally but taught her a lesson. And I told my children the same thing." I could not say anything after that because I was just so in shock that she actually believed that! Wow. That was an eye-opening experience.

I work with a racist.


*you know, those blackies

Workin' Girl

I am very proud of Hannah. She is doing so well at her new caregiving job. She is back working with M who she worked with until she got pregnant with Riley Joy. Her hours are from 6pm to 9pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She has been enjoying getting out of the house (though she still comes home regularly with a headache). Riley Joy and myself have been enjoying our special time together. We hang out in one room until she gets tired of it then we move into another room and play there. We watch some news and play with blocks or I shoot he with my Nerf gun and she brings me back the darts. Sometimes we roll balls or go to the store or share a snack.

There are all sorts of fun things for us to do and I want to relish every single moment of it :-).

Tax Frustration

I did my taxes on Saturday... and it was not as easy as I expected. In the past I used TurboTax and it was always a breeze... but not this time. I think it was because Hannah did not work last year and it put us in a lower tax bracket. But most of my frustration came from these insane contradicting questions they kept asking. For example, I was asked, "Were you required to pay estimated taxes in 2007?" I answered "No." Then they asked, "So what was the first month you started paying estimated taxes in 2007?" What! I just told you I did not pay them! My other frustrations revolved around the Earned Income Tax credit. Let me lay something out here, I REFUSE TO RECEIVE MORE MONEY BACK FROM THE GOVERNMENT THAN I PAY IN TAXES. That means I WILL NOT ACCEPT WELFARE CHECKS FROM THE GOVERNMENT no matter how little pay we receive! So if I would apply for the EIT credit (for which I am eligible) I would receive more money in my tax refund than I paid last year in taxes. That is not acceptable. And regardless it would also raise our chances for auditing significantly... which is something I want to avoid at all costs. We have been hounded for years over a small mistake in Hannah's 2004 taxes and now they watch us like hawks. And if we try and call the numbers they give to talk to them we get the message "I am sorry buy the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected." Wow. Should I be surprised, though? In the end they forced us to double-pay a portion of Hannah's 2004 income tax. But we have been flagged and the IRS is far too heavy an organization to deal with.

But I was able to get out of the EIT stuff and got my taxes successfully filed. Now time to wait for my refund.

Who Is Michael Steele?

Michael Steele has been elected the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, effectively making him the new head of the Republican Party. This is GREAT news for the Republican party. But why? Who is Michael Steele? I have been following him since 2004 when he said these words at the GOP National Convention:

"You see -- you see, [my mother] understood. She raised me to understand and appreciate some of the enduring principles that are important to all of us.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and incentive. And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they should do for themselves.

These are the beliefs of our Republican Party."

Wow, this is the man we have been waiting for!!!

The Truth About Inflation

Wow. This is a very important video and the key to understanding what is coming our way. Nobody is talking intelligently about inflation right now except Ron Paul and Glenn Beck. Everybody in the country needs to see this video. Our government is trying to hide this information from us! (Plus, those who have seen Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" will get a chuckle out of this)

Nasty Day

This winter has been very, very annoying. Rather than getting a few nice snows, we have instead this season gotten snow/sleet/ice mixes every time! It is just enough snow to make me feel too guilty to skip work and yet enough to make it sometimes extremely hard to get around... ugh.

We got another "wintery mix" last night and it is continuing today. Hannah wanted me to stay home, but Dan (who I was carpooling with today) asked what I wanted to do and I said we should go. I know he did not want to go (and his wife did not want him to either) but I am glad we decided to. I would not have been able to make it with my two wheel drive car.

I can not afford to use a vacation day and I can not afford to take an unpaid day off.

So here I am at work, looking out at the snow/sleet coming down... funfun. I wish I was home. I miss my Joys... but at the same time, I am glad I am here.

Monetary Inflation

What is monetary inflation? It is the "inflating" of the money supply through printing new money. So what is happening right now in our country? Well, companies are hurting and laying off workers, cutting down stock, and dropping prices shockingly low (80% off regular prices!) to try and get what they have out of their doors. And what is the government doing? Well, they do not want these companies to lose money, so they are printing money and pumping it into the country so there is more money to go around and save these businesses. This is good, isn't it? Nope. With businesses dropping production and yet tons more money being printed we are going to end up with too much money chasing too few goods. The basic laws of supply and demand come into play here and prices start going up. When waaaaay too much money is printed and the prices go waaaaaay up it is called hyper-inflation. This is what we saw in Germany after World War I where their money became so devalued that it became totally worthless. So, you think, "Our country would not be that dumb! They wouldn't possibly do something that would lead to a situation like that!" But unfortunately it looks like they actually are that dumb, because look at this graph of the amount of money that has been printed recently:

Letter From Pastor David

Our pastor sent us a handwritten note last week. It meant so much that he cared enough to do it :-)

1-13-07

Dear Ryan, Hannah & Family,

[It is] such a blessing to see you all in the fellowship. Michele and I look forward to getting to know you better as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

May He continue to bless you guys in every way. Here, there, or in the air, looking forward to seeing you soon.

In His Love,

Pastor David

Obama's First Week

So, what has Obama been up to this week? We all hoped he would move veeeeeery slowly on his progressive agenda... but he obviously is not. Lets see what he has done this week.

He signed an executive order that will close the Guantanamo Bay prison for terror prisoners. So where are these people going to go? He said he does not know yet. The problem is, they are not American citizens so they do not have Constitutional rights in our country and they are not uniformed combatants so they do not have rights from the Geneva Convention. So what do we do these terrorists!?! I for one do not want them being kept in my neighborhood.
http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5043:obama-orders-guantanamo-closure-interrogation-changes-&catid=23:topnews&Itemid=58

Signed an executive order ending tough interrogation methods (psychological torture). This was a sticking point for the Bush administration, we NEED to have the option to use these techniques! Has anyone seen "24" before? In a ticking time bomb situation we have to be able to use whatever methods necessary!
http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5043:obama-orders-guantanamo-closure-interrogation-changes-&catid=23:topnews&Itemid=58

He ended the ban on federal money going to global abortion groups.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/526953.aspx

He warned people to quit listening to Rush Limbaugh and other conservative talk show hosts... is the (un)fairness doctrine next?
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01232009/news/politics/prez_zings_gop_foe_in_a_timulating_talk_151572.htm

And lastly, the FDA Approved human trials for embryonic stem cell treatments. This was as far as we know not initiated by President Obama, but it is no coincidence that this is happening now rather than during the Bush administration.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE50M2U920090123?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Shooting

Joe took me out shooting Wednesday night! It was rough being away from the girls, but was great fun. He wanted to get me used to shooting before we used my gun (mine has a bit more kick). We started with a .38 special revolver, which was fun. I learned how to load and shoot it. I did pretty well with it. Then we shot a .45 Colt (not a Colt, but the same design) which was very fun. I loaded it and shot it and had my shots all together, but to the lower left of the center of the target. Then we used mine and it was really fun! It is a great size and easy to hold and shoot. Not having to cock it every time is nice too. I found it a lot more difficult to aim than the revolvers, but regardless was great to shoot. I definitely need to practice. Then before we left, Joe pulled out a .357 Magnum... WOW! That had a nice kick and a very loud sound. Joe shot it first and I was standing behind him. Every time he shot it I felt a shockwave hit my face. I shot it and boy was it neat... It just feels so darn powerful!

So tonight we are going to clean the guns (Joe has lead solvent) at Joe's apartment. I am excited to learn more about my .40 Springfield XD. And I am excited about the next time I go shooting. This first time was definitely fun, but I must admit that once I did try to load my bullets backward... but I will not be broadcasting that around :-).

My Political Views

I sat down and wrote out a quick summary of my political principles last night in response to my cousin (husband to cousin) Cesar who read that I was "conservative" and instantly assumed all sorts of wrong things about me. I wrote this to show him what I believe and show how absurd it is to try and stuff people into little stereotypical boxes.


Let me lay out for you my views. I could give you some labels but the meaning of those labels changes so often that they end up really meaning nothing. A conservative today is different from a conservative ten or thirty years ago just like a liberal or progressive is different from what they were a few years back. The labels change, but my principles remain the same.

I believe in "Natural Law" as opposed to "Civil Law" when it comes to my political philosophy. The concept of "natural law" is that our rights as humans to life, liberty, and property are inherently given to us by the Creator and nothing can change that. "Civil law" is the way of thinking that the government is the top and gives us our rights. The problem is that a government that gives rights can just as easily take them away. But the truth is, whether a government acknowledges our inherent rights or not, they still are our rights and that oppressive government is wrong to deny us them.

My political principles stem from my belief in our inherent rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of property and happiness. That is true liberty. But liberty can not exist where there is no order, and that is where the government comes in. We need government to keep order and protect our inherent rights.

Now, a person who takes another's right forfeits their own right to such.

For example, if a person takes another's earned property (cheats them of their right) then that person needs to be arrested and made to give back what was stolen. If that person would continue to take other people's property, he would forfeit his right to property and go to jail. Same with if a person should kidnap another (cheat them of their right to liberty), then they can be tried and thrown in jail and lose their right to liberty. We all have a right to life, but if a person takes someone else's life, they forfeit their right to life and can be tried and executed.

Our rights are our own and only we have the power to forfeit them. Any government who takes our rights from us unlawfully is a tyrannical government and deserves to be toppled.

Government's job is to protect our rights, and that is why the military and law enforcement is essential. The military protects our liberty from outside our borders and law enforcement protects our liberty from within our borders.

So that is my political philosophy in a nutshell.

So now lets talk about President GW Bush. Based on what many assume of me, I love him. But based on what I just told you about myself, what do you think I would think of him?

In a nutshell, I believe that our rights come from the Creator and it is government's job to keep order and protect those rights. Government should be powerful enough to protect those rights but small enough to not intrude on our personal lives. As did our founding fathers, I believe that the key to our country surviving is strong families, personal responsibility and accountability, knowledge, and virtue.

So what does that make me? I really don't have a party that represents me right now. I disagreed with GWB about 60% of the time (these last few years) and disagree with John McCain about 90% of the time and so far disagree with Barack Obama about 90% or more of the time. I disagree with conservatives for unrealistic and sometimes absurd illegal immigration policies and free trade that leaves our country more bound than free. I disagree with progressives on the sanctity of human life and the role of government. I end up on the scale somewhere between conservative and libertarian (if I must take labels). But rather than float around as an independent, I am going to do everything in my power to fix the Republican party and bring it back to its Abraham Lincoln roots.

Now what does the Bible have to do with these views? Virtually nothing. But the Bible does serve for me as a confirmation of the truth of common law and the responsibility of the government to protect the right and punish the wrong.

This is by no means a comprehensive study of my political beliefs, but it is a 20 minute quick survey of my political views. Is it really possible to put me in a stereotypical box? Nope. But do people try and fit me into them every day? Yup.

Waaaay too long

It has been waaaay too long since I have posted here. My mind is bursting with things which I want to put down, but lately it feels like such a chore and I have not been able to bring myself to do it. I have been reading a lot lately, but not writing. It is strange, they seem to trade off in my life, first I am into one and then drop the one and am in to the other. This surprises me, though, because I would assume they would go hand-in-hand. But here is the quick version of what has been going on my blessed life.

My best friend Marc from Texas came and visited from the 8th to the 12th and we had a pretty good time of visiting. I was actually pretty angry during most of it because of a terrible sinus infection that I got the day before he arrived. It is now almost two weeks since it started and is just now going away. I finished an antibiotic tody and hopefully it will be all gone by tomorrow. Marc has just graduated from Texas A&M and is going to be working for his father's company. He is a civil engineer. I have always wanted to have "people" to call when I have questions about anything, so now I have my "civil engineering guy" I can check with any time I have a question on the topic. Someday hopefully I will have a "guy" for everything. I love the concept of telling people, "Well, let me check with my [whatever] guy and get back to you." Ok, well I guess I would most like to have all knowledge and be able to answer authoritatively any question ever asked to me on the spot... but since that probably will never be so I will settle with having "guys" to talk to :-).

On the home front, Riley Joy is doing wonderfully and puckered her lips for the first time (for me at least) and kissed me a couple days ago. She has done the open mouth baby kiss until now... having a child is so incredible :-).

Hannah is doing well. She is very sleepy, but still functioning incredibly well. She is the most perfect mother I could have ever imagined for my children and she continues daily to blow me away. It is such a joy to have her for a wife and mother of my children :-).

I have been reading "Nighttime Parrenting" by Dr. William Sears and have really been loving it. He talks about how parenting does not stop once night comes. We have been striving to be 24/7 parents to our lovely daughter and it is defintitely paying off. There is nothing like having her relax completely in my arms knowing that she is safe and secure there. She trusts us 100% to meet her needs and we feed off that trust... once again I say, having a child is so incredible.

So, today is the big day. This morning change, hope, peace, joy, wealth and happiness are going to instantly flood our nation as Barack Obama is elected President! Ok, yes, that is sarcasm. But though I am scared of what he is going to do as President, I vow to support him to the fullest extent that I can. Regardless of what I think of him, he is going to be my President and I will give him the respect he deserves and respectfully disagree if he acts against what I believe is best for our country.

One one last note, for the first time in over ten years, I am going to have cable television. Well, satellite, but still the same thing. I got a small package without many of the common cable channels, but still with Fox News. That was the only station I was interested in (I despise television and do all I can to avoid it). I am getting a dvr with it so I will be able to record and watch Glenn Beck's new show. Yup, I am excited. It also has lots of family and childrens stations which I am sure Hannah will use (sparingly, of course) for Riley Joy. It will also be nice to finally be able to get the regular broadcast stations. We have made due with the local new station and PBS alone (all we could get though our bunny ears) for years now :-).

So life is good. God is good. All praise be to Him.

Creepy Dream

A few days ago I had a very creepy dream... hopefully not a sign of things to come. I dreamt I was at work and was on break, reading The 5000 Year Leap. A police officer was walking around the premises and glanced over my shoulder at what I was reading. He leaned forward to get a closer look at a particular portion and said, "Oh my, this is hate speech. You can't be reading and spreading this." and pulled the book from my hands. I said, "You can't do that!" but he then grabbed my bag and started riffling through the contents. I stepped toward him and said, "Hey! You have no right to do that!" and he calmly said to me, "Oh, I can't?" as he continued his search for supposed "hate" material. I was so in shock that this was happening that I just stood there, speechless.

And thus ended my dream. Creepy.

2008 Reading List

Over the course of 2008 I read the following books (from first to last):

John Williams: Messenger of Peace, by Janet and Geoff Benge
An Inconvenient Book (audio), by Glenn Beck
The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer
The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel
American Heroes (audio), by Oliver North
Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis
The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis
The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis
The New Strong Willed Child, by Dr. James Dobson
Against All Odds: My Story, by Chuck Norris
Rediscovering God In America, by Newt Gingrich
Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard Maybury
Abraham Lincoln--The Writer, by Harold Holzer
The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck

I read more books in 2008 than in at least the last three years before combined. I had always wanted to get back into reading, but for some reason could never seem to finish a book. I had the hardest time for a few years reading anthing at all. I would start a book and spend ten minutes on one single page! My eyes would just dart all over the page and I could not focus long enough to read anything. But God decided to give me back reading in early 2008... THANK YOU!!! I have always loved reading and I am so glad to be able to enjoy it again. This year I am going to read even more than last year... and I am so excited about it!

Sweet Dreams

Life is good. Riley went down easy around 9:15 and Hannah and I got some time to be together before she fell asleep. I held her and we talked about life, maturity, children, and Heaven. Now I am downstairs sipping my Sweet Dreams chamomile & mint tea while lapping up the sweet words of our nation's founding fathers and the philosophers who inspired them. Ahhhhhh... life is good :-).