Tuesday, December 23, 2008

...And To All, A Good Night!

There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day.-Alexander Woollcott


The snow FINALLY melted in front of our house. This is the desert; snow isn't meant to be part of the landscape here. Our house has a northern exposure which taught us a valuable lesson for future home buyers: a home should face south. Our neighbors across the street haven't had ice or snow in front of their homes since 24 hours after the snow stopped falling. The front of our home, however, rarely saw the sun in the last few days; days passed with very little melting occurring on our side of the street. We are happy to report that the front of our house is currently ice free. Let's hope the weather keeps it that way.

We have heard that the front of our home in Utah is packed with snow and that we can't even drive up to the garage. But we think some kind-hearted souls in the community are going to clear a path for us so that we can spend some time there during the holiday. Thank you to the kind-hearted soul(s).

We will be away from the blogsphere until the first week of January. While we spend time with family and friends and receive and give gifts, we are mindful that the season exists because a small baby boy was born in a manger of hay over 2000 years ago. There would be no hope, no peace, no guiding star in the sky if not for the birth of Jesus.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Then They Came For Our Guns...

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." ~ Thomas Jefferson

As you may remember, during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the City of New Orleans ordered law abiding citizens who legally owned guns to surrender their weapons to the City, leaving the citizens unprotected against the thugs who were using the chaos of the hurricane to loot and ravage the city. Guns were confiscated, sometimes by force, by the New Orleans' police department and the National Guard. The National Rifle Association (NRA), to which we both belong, filed a lawsuit against the city over the unconstitutional confiscation of lawfully owned fire arms. The NRA prevailed in their suit and a permanent injunction has been issued against the city, the mayor, and the police chief. Under the terms on the injunction, New Orleans agreed to cease and desist confiscating lawfully-possessed firearms from all citizens and to make an aggressive attempt to return any and all firearms which may have been confiscated. This may prove difficult since the police refused to issue receipts for the weapons they confiscated; however, the NRA has promised their support to ensure that all of the weapons confiscated are returned to their owners.

One would hope that the ruling by the court in this case as well as the recent Supreme Court ruling that the second amendment guarantees an individual’s right to bear arms would put to rest the question of the legality of citizens to own guns. However, with Obama set to take office on January 20, our second amendment rights are still on the chopping block. After the Supreme Court agreed that the second amendment guaranteed individuals the right to own firearms, Obama said, "There is an individual right to bear arms, but it is subject to common-sense regulation…” Barack Obama will take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution and during his campaign, Obama’s ads declared that he is for gun rights; however, based on his past words and deeds, we fear that the second amendment will very soon be under attack. Obama’s cabinet picks are left-over anti-gun personnel from the Clinton cabinet. A December 17 post on NRA’s website by Wayne LaPierre entitled “Nothing to Fear?” raises some issues that every American should consider.

"Barack Obama says gun owners have 'nothing to fear' from his incoming administration. But instead of simply promising he won't support new gun-control legislation, which would actually mean something, gun owners get empty statements of support for 'common-sense gun safety laws.' Is a 500 percent increase in taxes on firearms and ammunition a common-sense gun safety law? What about a ban on Right-to-Carry? A ban on the most popular sporting rifles in America? These are just some of the laws Barack Obama has supported in his short political career. Millions of American gun owners disagree that these laws have anything to do with common sense, and that's why they're exercising their Second Amendment freedom now. They're afraid they may not be able to do so as freely or fully in the future. Given President-elect Obama's rhetoric versus his record, gun owners have every reason to be concerned."

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Darn That Global Warming!

Two days ago we posted about the snow that the west side of the Las Vegas valley received. We didn't get any of that snow at our house, but yesterday the whole Las Vegas valley got snow--lots of snow. The news reports are saying that Las Vegas received three inches of snow and Henderson (where we live) received six inches of snow. We've lived in this part of the country for many years, and we've never seen it snow here like it did yesterday. It was beautiful, but folks in these parts don't know how to drive in the snow, so that was a little treacherous. Below are some pictures from our snow day.

Jonas getting ready to play in the snow



The front of our house. This picture was taken last night while the snow was falling.

Looking down our street - taken this morning. Sandy was wearing her slippers standing on the sidewalk in front of our house when she took this picture. She was praying that she didn't slip and fall. She's very good at that--she practices a lot.

The snow fell steadily all day and into the night yesterday. The Clark County School District even canceled school for today. Kids all over the valley rejoiced--moms groaned.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Who's Going to Bail Us Out of the Bailouts?

Socialism, here we come....

In a supposed effort to "save" the economy and American jobs, the government is moving this country towards socialism as they cry "the sky is falling, the sky is falling." Maybe it is; certainly we're in difficult times. But it's not the government's job to fix it; nor does it seem that any of their fixes are working.

This isn't a fairytale and we're not Chicken Little. It doesn't matter how bad it gets, and it's going to get bad, the government needs to keep to the business of governing and leave business management alone.

The below articles expand on this theme:

http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/12/17/postponing_reality?page=1

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/auto-bailout-drives-us-towards-socialism/

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

There's snow in the desert. Yesterday was a wet day in Las Vegas. Parts of the valley saw rain while the northwest part of town saw snow. Snow in Las Vegas isn't that common, especially the kind that sticks to the ground. It makes for treacherous driving, because no one in Las Vegas is prepared to drive in snow. However, the mountains surrounding the valley are very pretty today. The picture below is of the football field at Centennial High School.


We realize that this will look like no big deal to those of you from places where it really snows, but since we live in the desert, it's somewhat of a big deal to us. The link below will take you to an article and photos in the Las Vegas Review Journal newspaper about the unusual snowfall:


This link is to the Las Vegas Sun newspaper:

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Cutie Pies & Not So Much

Sandy's 13-month old grandson, Jonas, is such a sweet little guy. He usually listens when he's told not to touch something, and he even helps with household chores.

However, sometimes there's a temptation that is just too great to resist.

Our Christmas Tree is now on the endangered species list and is being protected by (ironically) Jonas' baby gate.

But, back to politics. Earlier this week, we commented on how corrupt our elected officials have become. Matt Towery wrote an excellent article today on this very subject. He explains that some of our elected officials have an attitude of entitlement, so when they're approached by lobbyists bearing gifts, the elected official's ego tells him that he is deserving of the gifts. Thus begins that slippery slope of the elected representative being beholden to lobbyists and special interests. Please click on this link to read the entire article. http://townhall.com/columnists/MattTowery/2008/12/11/why_more_and_more_politicians_are_rotten_to_the_core

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Selfishly Irresponsible

Are we really going to allow the government to intervene in EVERY part of our lives? Here's a really out-there thought -- why don't we be responsible for ourselves? See link to an article and the article below it:

http://www.theacru.org/acru/lawyers_associated_with_aclu_allies_seek_damages_for_people_accepting_mortgages_they_could_not_pay/

Obama Outlines Plan to Put Every Child Online (PC World)
Posted on YAHOO! Tue Dec 9, 2008 9:37AM EST

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has outlined an ambitious plan to give every child in the U.S. access to the Internet and to connect the nation's hospitals with "cutting edge technology."
The items are part of his plan to generate or save 2.5 million jobs over to the next two years and boost the flagging economy. They were outlined in his weekly video address posted on the Change.gov Web site.

"It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption," Obama said. "Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they'll get that chance when I'm President -- because that's how we'll strengthen America's competitiveness in the world."

He also pledged to modernize the nation's schools, make them energy efficient with new heating and lighting systems and put new computers in classrooms.

He also plans to put Internet connections into schools, libraries and hospitals. The latter is part of a plan to connect the healthcare industry.

"We will make sure that every doctor's office and hospital in this country is using cutting edge technology and electronic medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year," he said.

What was missing from the address, which also touched on improving energy efficiency in public buildings and investing in physical infrastructure like roads and bridges, was how he plans to pay for the improvements. That may become clearer in the coming weeks when more details are promised.

Where is this money coming from?

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Politicians & The Games They Play

We pointed out in an earlier post that since Obama was elected, we need to keep our eyes on the soon-to-be-in-place government healthcare. We’ve also commented on how detrimental government-run healthcare would be for this country, citing that how this same system has failed in England and Canada. Now, evidently, the media have determined that there is a “consensus” for government intervention on healthcare. It would appear that our elected representatives are blind, deaf, and dumb to their constituents and to the events occurring around the world; however, we believe their refusal to take heed has to do with their desire for power. The more programs the government can control, the more our representatives can flex their political muscles. Please click on link below for full story.
http://www.galen.org/component,8/action,show_content/id,71/blog_id,1126/category_id,0/type,33/

So the governor of Illinois wants to sell Obama’s senate seat to the highest bidder. We fear that the number of corrupt elected officials in this country outnumber the honest ones. Not only are they out for ill-gotten financial gain and fame, but they’ll do anything necessary, including circumventing the law, to secure the political climate that suits them in order for them to reach those goals. We commented on this previously in our October 12 post entitled Modern-Day Highway Robbery. The link below will take you to an excellent article about political games. http://townhall.com/columnists/JerryAgar/2008/12/08/political_games

Friday, December 5, 2008

Harry, Harry, Harry

We live in Nevada. Harry Reid is one of our senators. (Heavy sigh). We hope to change that when he comes up for reelection in 2010. Just for giggles, let's reminisce about some of the things Harry has said and done over the past few years.

Just a few of Harry's quotes:

"...this war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything..." ~ Thanks for your vote of confidence, senator. I'm sure the troops fighting for your freedom to make that asinine remark really appreciated your loyalty. We've noticed Harry hasn't said much about the success of the war in Iraq.

"President Bush is a loser." ~ This quote was said to a group of high school students at a school here in Southern Nevada. Guess who really sounds like a loser.

“In the summertime, because of the high humidity and how hot it gets here, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol.” ~ We really take exception to this remark, since this past summer we were tourists in Washington D.C. And could he be any more arrogant?


Things that make you say hmmmm...

Nevada's Lt. Governor, Brian Krolicki (republican), announced several weeks ago that he was thinking of running against Harry Reid in 2010. Coincidentally (for the gullible), Mr. Krolicki has been indicted by a grand jury for misappropriation of funds for the handling of some scholarship money from when he was the state treasurer. Edie has had some experience with grand jurys, and she's convinced that a ham sandwich could get indicted by one. Mr. Krolicki made the comment that he thinks this indictment is politically motivated. Ya think? We hope that the Nevada GOP is doing an exhaustive search to find a republican candidate (in the event that Mr. Krolicki doesn't run) to go up against Harry in 2010, because we Nevadans are more than ready for a change. Now that's change you can believe in!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

A Political Circus

Obama gets his own holiday. It doesn't happen to fall on April 1st, does it?

http://www.nbc13.com/vtm/news/local/article/alabama_county_makes_honors_obama_with_a_holiday/49335/

A little good news: On Tuesday, December 2, Saxby Chambliss, Republican U.S. Senator of Georgia, won re-election. This election occurred after senatorial candidates in Georgia received less than 50% of the vote -- Georgia requires that a candidate wins by more than 50%. So a run-off election was conducted on December 2. We are relieved that Senator Chambliss won. His re-election as a Republican prevents the Democrats from having the 60 votes they need for a filibuster-proof senate. Thank goodness, because Harry Reid's idiocy shouldn't be allowed to run unobstructed -- we're just trying to stop his idiocy from painting all Nevadans as stupid, but Harry's not helping our fight.

Another article defending the Mormons involvement in California's Prop 8:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/12/its_time_to_speak_out_against.html

A great article by Thomas Sowell about Freedom and the confused thinking of the left:

http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/12/02/freedom_and_the_left

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

What Happened to We The People?

Yesterday we wrote about the attacks that have taken place against the Mormon Church because of their stance on marriage being defined as between one man and one woman, and we posted links to a couple of good articles on that subject. We read another good article, written by a Jewish Rabbi, on the same topic. The link below will take you to that article.
http://www.lawatchdog.com/RabbiShifren-WeAreAllMormons112008.html

We’ve stated several times how important it is to be informed about politics and about the Constitution of the United States, so we will be prepared and armed with the necessary knowledge to fight for our rights that are being threatened daily. Walter E. Williams wrote an article today for Townhall.com that details how ignorant “we the people” have become about basic civics.
http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2008/12/03/ignorance_reigns_supreme

We love this country and realize how important it is to be vigilant everyday in fighting for the rights for which our founding fathers fought. The main weapon we need in our arsenal is knowledge, so we’ll be aware when our rights are being threatened. The more we become informed, the more we’ll realize that we’ve been slowly losing our rights over the course of several decades. Read up on the history and the making of our country and compare that with current events and then stay informed. Contact your elected representatives as soon as you’re made aware of yet another piece of legislation that will slowly usurp our freedoms.

The government will continue to sanction and legislate away our rights in the name of political correctness, hate crimes, and terrorism. Don't let them scare or shame you into giving away your right to choose. This article is titled "How Democracies Perish" about a British man who was detained by police for nine hours because he spoke out against the government leader. It can and will happen to people in the United States, too: http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/12/02/how-democracies-perish-british-edition/

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

First They Came For the Mormons...

An Ugly Attack On Mormons

Regular readers are aware that we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka The Mormons. Speaking only for ourselves, since we are not official representatives of the Church, we believe that people are free to decide the type of living arrangement that they choose, and we believe in equal rights for all people, including civil unions and other legal steps that would allow unmarried partners insurance and death benefits. However, we also believe that God intended the sacred covenant of marriage to be between one man and one woman. Opponents of California’s Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman, have not only attacked the Mormon Church verbally and in writing for their beliefs, but have also vandalized Church buildings, and in one instance set a Book of Mormon on fire and left it on the doorstep of one of our temples. They are also questioning in the court system the tax exempt status of the Mormon Church. Ironically, 70% of the black community voted yes on Prop 8, but we have yet to see any backlash against them. Other Christian churches also supported a yes vote on Prop 8, but the Mormons are taking the brunt of the hateful rhetoric from those who supported a no vote on Prop 8. Jonah Goldberg wrote an excellent article on this topic for the Los Angeles Times today. The link below will take you to that article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/la-oe-goldberg2-2008dec02,1,5061334.column

Another good article on this same topic was written by Kathryn Jean Lopez for the November 26 issue of Townhall.com. The link to that article is below:

http://townhall.com/Columnists/KathrynJeanLopez/2008/11/26/mormons_in_the_crosshairs

Monday, December 1, 2008

This and That

We celebrated Thanksgiving at our home with friends and family. Sandy's granddaughter was able to fly from North Carolina to be with us -- we're always happy to see her. Thanksgiving was nice but it seems that we spend hours cooking and then cleaning up for about 30 minutes of eating. Not sure about the wisdom of this practice, but we do enjoy the leftovers.

As we get nearer to a new year and a new president, here are some things to watch for in 2009:

~Universal healthcare

~More bailouts

~Harry Reid is going to re-introduce an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants.

~U.S. troops may be deployed inside the United States as part of homeland security. The federal government is constitutionally not allowed to deploy troops on their own people. The only troops who can be deployed within the states are National Guard troops, and they can only be activated by state governors. If the federal government begins to deploy federal troops inside the United States, we will all need to take a stand and fight against it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/30/AR2008113002217_pf.html

~Change you can believe in. Didn't Obama run his campaign on making changes and getting away from the old Washington way of thinking? This article is by Democrat Strategist, Kristin Powers http://www.nypost.com/seven/12012008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/theyre_ba_a_ack_141654.htm

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

When we look out our windows, we see surroundings that have been familiar to us for many years. Sure there are some new buildings -- businesses have come and gone, the Las Vegas Strip has torn down some old hotels and added many new ones -- but it's still the same dry, brown Nevada desert where only sagebrush and cactus can grow and is crazy hot in the summer and mildly cool in the winter. The overall landscape and vistas haven't changed; they're the same as they were forty years ago when we were growing up. Sometimes it's nice to be surrounded by familiar things, especially when the rest of the world is becoming unrecognizable.

Now change isn't necessarily a bad thing. Some things need to be changed. That's why there are term limits to some political offices -- to force us to tune in to our politicians every once in a while and realize that we can't vote blindly for the same person again. And some people get too used to the political scenery and keep voting for the same person over and over, never really looking close to the ground and seeing the weeds that person is leaving behind. So sometimes change can be good.

Some changes, though, are nonsensical and mind-boggling. We're seeing some of those around us right now.

When we were growing up, our dad was very adamant that he would have little to no debt and that he would have a strong savings account. He never thought that the government would intervene in his personal economic woes, nor did it occur to him that he should ask for their help -- and back in the good ole days, the government would have never stepped in to provide that help. He mowed his own yard, fixed his own appliances, and made sure his car was serviced on time. He did all that because he knew that he was personally responsible for his family, his belongings, and our future.

Joe the Plumber became popular during this election cycle because he had the nerve to ask Senator Obama a question about increasing taxes. We are now finding out that his simple question encouraged several government offices to do background checks on Joe. A regular U.S. citizen asked a question of an elected official (someone who is supposed to be representing Americans) and his background and personal life were scrutinized beyond belief. Joe the Plumber's life received more scrutiny than Barack Obama's did. Would anyone have even cared about Joe the Plumber fifty years ago?

It's nice to be able to look out the window and see familiar sites, because when we turn on the news and the internet the sites we see are so unfamiliar -- even frightening. People are being attacked for their beliefs, churches are being vandalized, and Christians spit on because they voted yes on Prop 8. Supposedly, voting yes on Prop 8 was a hateful act, yet it doesn't hold a candle to the hate acts being perpetrated by the opposition -- the very people who want us to love everyone and be politically correct. "You go first" is our reply to the demonstrators.

Voltaire is attributed with having said, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. ..." What happened to that world? Free speech is becoming a distant memory -- that's not a good change.

We're only one generation removed from growing up with a father who took responsibility for himself and his family. As we watch bailout after bailout be approved, we no longer recognize the country in which we were raised. Fiscal responsibility to fiscal irresponsibility is another change that we don't like.

Isaiah 5:20 states: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil." This is a change that we are experiencing now. Too bad.

Below is a link to an article that we completely agree with and wish we would have written:

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/clinging-to-my-guns-salt-and-light-bulbs/

Monday, November 24, 2008

Is This Fair?

The Fairness Doctrine

Liberal Washington, D.C., politicians have been threatening to reinstate The Fairness Doctrine. These threats and possible action are their way of silencing conservative talk radio, currently the only real means that conservatives get up-to-date political information. Because talk show hosts are able to quickly get information to the public, they are a threat to the liberal agenda -- citizens calls to Washington shut down the capitol building switchboard when talk radio announced that a vote on immigration was pending.

We are adamantly opposed to a fairness doctrine. First, it's an infringement on our right to choose what we will listen to. Second, why would anyone let the federal government decide for us what's fair? When did they become the authority on what's fair for us? Washington's approval rating is, at best, in the teens and they want us to believe that they know what's best for us. Third, if we have a fairness act on public radio, then we demand that the same be granted for public school. Every time evolution is taught in school, equal time needs to be given to creationism. Fourth, does re-instating The Fairness Doctrine include MSNBC? Because no news agency is more one-sided than MSNBC, the liberal news network.

It seems obvious to us that Washington is limiting their attacks to conservatives. Why? Because conservatives are the ones who consistently pay attention to what Washington is doing and try to actually stop the feds from enslaving us with their regulations. We fight against their attempts to lead us like lambs to the slaughter. If The Fairness Doctrine once again begins to rear its ugly head, we need to fight for our right to free speech (this includes free listening) and stop the feds from taking away our choices.

The below link is to an article regarding The Fairness Doctrine:

http://townhall.com/columnists/WilliamRusher/2008/11/24/beware_of_the_fairness_doctrine

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Signs Are All Around Us

We have a book by Cleon Skousen titled "Prophecy and Modern Times." We have been reading through it this weekend and were struck by several prophecies of the last days before Christ's second coming -- some of them are happening now.

Mr. Skousen originally wrote his book in 1939 -- he died in his 90's just a couple of years ago. So this book was written a long time before the current politicial and financial scenes began to take shape. We wanted to share a couple of passages from the book.

"The Lord does not reap down a nation until it is altogether ripe unto destruction. It is not the purpose of God to destroy nations but to build them up. He desires to bless, not punish. Nevertheless, God will not be mocked, and when any people begin to glory in their wickedness--to subvert and destroy the work of the Lord--then he has no alternative.

"As in the case of Rome, the decline begins in that hour when the cross currents of national life begin to ebb and flow with a rapidity wholly baffling to the ingenuity of human leadership; and because a wicked nation will not submit to divine leadership they soon become their own worst enemies. Because of distrust, jealousy and unholy ambitions among the people themselves, the very structure of their civil government soon threatens to collapse.

"It is at such a time that the people begin to lose confidence in their system of government. A crisis is precipitated by the populous demanding a change. This is a typical evolution of events in a nation which is sick at heart and will not admit that its growing lethargy is the result of poison issuing from within its own members."

Please note the bolded, italicized sentences. Notice how it correlates with our recent presidential campaigns and election.

The following is a portion of a talk given by Heber C. Kimball regarding the last days before Christ's return:

"A spirit of speculation and extravagance will take possession of the Saints, and the result will be financial bondage."

This is exactly what we're seeing happen on Wall Street, where the greatest financial speculation occurs.

We've said it before, but it bears repeating: it's time to build your ark. Have food and emergency supplies on hand. www.beprepared.com has several options for both food and emergency supplies. The dehydrated food has a shelf life of 15 to 20 years and is not expensive at all.

In addition to physical preparedness, we need to also be spiritually prepared. Store up your faith now through scripture study, prayer, worship, and repentance. The well of faith we store now may be the only spiritual drink we have to draw on during the coming disasters and trials.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Understanding the Constitution

If you want a better understanding of the Constitution, we highly recommend “The Making of America” by W. Cleon Skousen. He delves into the history leading up to the Constitution and also focuses on the Constitution itself. Skousen analyses the text of the Constitution comparing it with statements made by the founding fathers. This book is definitely a must read. When we first read this book, we discovered just how far the United States of America had strayed from the foundation upon which it was built. Thus began our passion for politics.

On a nonpolitical note, we also have a passion for the proper use of the English language. The link below will take you to an article that will make you laugh as well as shake your head in disbelief.
http://www.baltimoreexaminer.com/opinion/columns/michaelolesker/The_sad_sad_state_of_college_English.html

Along those same lines, we took this picture of a sign hanging on a restaurant in Green Valley.

Heavy sigh. It looks as if the sign proofreader needs to brush up on his spelling skills.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

CPR for America

The Republicans lost the majority in Congress in 2006; and now, after the most recent elections, the Democrats are very close to having a filibuster-proof Congress, depending on the outcomes of the elections in Minnesota and Georgia. Why have the Republicans done so poorly in the last two elections? We believe one of the reasons is that they’ve abandoned their core conservative values, one of which is fiscal responsibility. And it’s not just the Republicans in Congress. During the last two years, President Bush has signed spending bills as if there were an unending supply of money. There is a definite disconnect between the Republicans elected into office and the voters, and the voters displeasure was reflected at voting booths across the country. Unfortunately, compared to the Democrats, the Republicans are penny-pinching misers. Since our elected officials refused to listen to the voice of the people, we watched helplessly as Congress approved a $700 billion dollar bailout with apparently no rules attached. Now there are talks of more bailouts for corporations and also talks of helping people with their mortgages—loans for which they shouldn’t have been approved in the first place. Where does it end? Where do we draw the bailout line? What makes one corporation more deserving than another? Do we bailout the auto industry when their CEO’s are fiscally irresponsible; i.e., three CEO’s flying in three different private planes to testify before Congress that they need money?

Below is a link to an article that shows just how disconnected the members of Congress are regarding taxpayers’ money.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=81485

We need to hold Congress’ feet to the fire. We encourage everyone to write their Congressmen and demand that they stop the fiscal bleeding.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Here Come the Feds

Dancing With the Stars

Cody Linley and Julianne Hough exited DWTS last night. That was what we guessed would happen. It's down to the final three: Warren Sapp, Brooke Burke, and Lance Bass. It should make for a pretty good finale as they all have had some great dance moments on the show.

The Oxymoron of Government Healthcare

We knew it would happen eventually in a Democrat-controlled federal government and it looks like government-controlled universal healthcare will be on the table early next year. If they are able to push through this legislation, we can all say good-bye to the care part of healthcare. And the only part of health that will be available will be poor health (for more information and examples of government healthcare, please see our post from August 5).

This article explains what's coming:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/17/AR2008111703214.html?hpid=sec-nation

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Dancing & Government Control

Dancing With The Stars

We weren’t able to watch Dancing with the Stars in real time last night, because we were at a gun class; however, we taped it and watched it this morning.

Lance and Lacey did very well last night. It was definitely their best effort thus far this season, and the judges concurred. Brooke and Derek’s first dance was not their best; in fact, the judges lambasted them. Brooke missed a step at the beginning of the dance and couldn’t recover. Their second dance, however, was very good; and the judges were pleased. Cody and Julianne’s first dance was definitely not up to Julianne’s standards, but their second dance was much better. Warren and Kym are entertaining, but Warren’s dance technique isn’t the best. Brooke and Lance should definitely be in the finals next week, and it’s a tossup between Warren and Cody as to which one should be eliminated tonight.

Controlling a nation’s economy means controlling that nation’s people
November 17, 2008 by J. D. Longstreet

The title to this article was taken for one of Ronald Reagan’s speeches. It is as true as truth gets. Ronald Reagan, the icon of the conservative movement in America, understood the fundamental truth of the Founding Fathers of America.

The Founding Fathers of America understood that a strong central government would never work in a republican form of government, the form of government they gave the American people. They knew that. They had just declared the independence of Americans from the “strong central government” of King George of Great Britain. They understood that for Americans to thrive and become a great nation of great people the government should provide one thing… freedom. They knew the American government should provide security from any20and all enemies that presented a threat to the freedom of the American people so the American people could make the seeds of liberty grow and flourish.

Meeting in Philadelphia in 1776 they labored to create a constitution, the bedrock foundation of this nation, dedicated to the idea that the people would control their own destiny, not the government, that the people would make or break this experiment in democracy, not the government, that the labors of the people, known as business, would be free to create and manufacture, to sell, and to create wealth and keep that wealth or distribute it as they chose, not the government.

The constitution is as simple a governing document as has ever been written. It was drawn up to protect the people of this country from its government. Our Founding Fathers had just turned their backs on government, which had insinuated itself into the lives and businesses of its colonists to the point that those colonists rebelled and said: “No more!” With the constitution, the Founding Fathers put in writing the limits of the new American government.

For the past 232 years the constitution has been a fly in the ointment to the political left everywhere on earth. When a people yearning to breath free, anywhere on the globe, look for a way, for a pattern, for directions on how to set up a non-repressive government, they turn to the US Constitution. There must be a reason. There is. Because it works!

Today, however, Americans themselves are ready to toss the constitution overboard and cling to a government, drunk on power and ready to do exactly the same thing King George did, insinuate itself into every aspect of the American people’s life. So bent on desecration of the constitution are they, that 52 % of the American voters cast their ballots for a man who has declared his allegiance to creating a strong central government, which will take away the freedoms, the liberty, our forefathers fought, bled, and died to give us. They have declared their overwhelming willingness to toss the democratic form of government in favor of a socialist form of government, which will guarantee cradle to the grave security. They voted “yes” to exchanging liberty for security. They voted to turn their backs on all the heroes of American history to follow in the footsteps of the Pied Piper of Socialism the now President-Elect of the United States of America.

Again, let’s turn to Ronald Reagan for clarity. In 1964 Reagan said the following:“It’s time we asked ourselves if we still know the freedoms intended for us by the Founding Fathers. James Madison said, “We base all our experiments on the capacity of mankind for self government.”

This idea? That government was beholden to the people, that it had no other source of power is still the newest, most unique idea in all the long history of man’s relation to man. This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves. ”

Reagan went on to say: “The Founding Fathers knew a government can’t control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing.

About financial security, Reagan had this to say: “There can be no security anywhere in the free world if there is no fiscal and economic stability within the United States. Those who ask us to trade our freedom for the soup kitchen of the welfare state are architects of a policy of accommodation.”

Reagan wound up this jewel of a speech by saying the following: “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.”

The question I would ask today is… have we done all we could do? It seems to me the 700 billion dollar bailout of our financial markets should be filed under “Controlling the people by controlling the people’s economy.”

As I view the America the voters of this nation created on November fourth, I am inclined to say that, indeed, we have, just as Reagan warned, sentenced our children to a thousand years of darkness.

Monday, November 17, 2008

The Battle Rages

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. ~ Ronald Reagan

The Communist Party USA has written articles and made statements regarding their expectations of an Obama presidency. The link below will take you to an article that outlines their political aspirations and how they believe Obama is the person to deliver this country into their hands.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=81204

Glenn Beck was talking today of visiting five states this past weekend promoting his new book, The Christmas Sweater. He said that at every single stop at least one person told him that he/she was from the former Soviet Union and with tears in his/her eyes, Glenn was begged to not stop talking about what is going on in our country today. These former residents of the former Soviet Union know what's coming--they've seen it before.

Don't fall asleep at the wheel, America. Stay alert, watch carefully, and be prepared to fight. Our freedom is at stake.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

The Lord is My Light

Some time ago we arrived at our home in Utah to find that the screen door at the front entrance to the house had been caught by the wind and twisted so much that it was lying in an almost horizontal position against the house while still being connected to the frame with one fastener. It is our practice to make sure that all doors are locked and the screen door tightly latched before we leave the home. But, apparently, we either failed to properly secure the door, or someone came to the house and left the screen door ajar. Whatever the reason, the damage was done – and it extended to the door frame. Since we don’t possess the necessary tools or knowledge, we couldn’t remove the door or fix the frame. All we could do was put an object on the porch in front of the door to prevent further damage and to let visitors know that entrance to the house was not available at that portal.

Since then we have used the two doors on either side of the house to go in and out. It has been a little inconvenient to not have access to the front door, but we’ve managed without it; though we have commented several times that it would be nice to open the door and have access to the light it would bring. We reluctantly confess that during this time the entry way on the inside of the house became a nice place to store toys and boxes. It became a conveniently inconvenient space.

Last weekend we finally had the front doors replaced. We were able to get a storm door with a deadbolt so that we can prevent a similar attack on the door in the future. We learned that we needed extra precautions in place against forces of nature that are capable of twisting and mangling metal – and we also needed to put barriers in place in case a human unintentionally leaves the door unlatched and exposes it to the harshness of the outside world.

Sometimes we forget to tightly secure our own defenses against adversarial winds. Prayer, scripture study, standing in holy places, worship services, etc., provide that extra lock against adversarial forces. Satan blows through, looking for people who haven’t secured their latches – allowing him to pick them up and twist and mangle them to the point that it’s beyond their ability to fix. And, instead of seeking out the Carpenter who can fix the problem, we are slow to seek repairs, often letting the clutter of doubts, insecurity, procrastination, and denial block the repairs that need to be made. Instead we work around the problem, making adjustments because of the inconvenience and obstacles that are preventing our spiritual progress.

It was wonderful to get the door replaced. We no longer have to work around the problem of having one inaccessible door. The new door can be opened wide to allow the sun to shine through.

In the case of the door, repairs were delayed because of opportunity, time, and money. When we decided that it was finally time to make the repair, we made the time, found the opportunity, and budgeted the money.

The repairs to our spiritual broken doors shouldn’t be so difficult, but they usually are. It’s not easy to admit that you were so easily caught up in the adversary’s storm and it s hard to believe that we can recover from the mangled mess that’s left. But the Son’s light can shine through us again if we are willing to acknowledge and move the clutter we have built to hide the problem.

That’s why Jesus suffered for us, so that He can be the light when all we feel is darkness. He opens and repairs doors that seem inaccessible. And we can be left brighter than we were before.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Forewarned is Forearmed

The link below is to a YouTube video that was posted before the election. However, the information in it is still valid.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk9GwXJNM2c

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Armies of God vs. The Armies of the Adversary

We recently read that Obama has on "Internet Army" whose responsibility it is to monitor the Net and go after anyone who writes negatively about him and also target those who oppose him. We got a little taste of these kinds of tactics during Obama's campaign when a group of lawyers who support Obama threatened to sue anyone who spoke or wrote disparagingly about him. These reports are very chilling. We've written before about our constitution hanging by a thread, and we see more evidence of the powers-that-be trying to snip that final hanging thread. Below is an article that should send chills up the spines of those who love this country and its constitution.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=80829

Obviously we are in perilous times--political, economic, and spiritual. We've also written before about the need to build your own ark. The link below will take you to an excellent article written by Thom K. Hall, certified financial planner, entitled "You Need Your Own Ark to Protect from the Coming Economic Storm."

http://www.ldsmag.com/moneywise/081113storm.html

Both of these articles are necessary reading to prepare us for what's coming tomorrow. First, we need to make ourselves politically aware, so we can keep pressure on our senators and representatives to fight policies that will take our country further away from our constitution and closer to socialism. Second, we need to get our houses in order for the coming storms--storms about which we have been warned for decades.

We feel a sense of urgency as we watch the events unfolding around us. The time for fence sitting is past. It's time to become involved.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The Stars and the Communists Dance

DWTS

We were out of town this past weekend but were still able to watch Dancing With The Stars on Monday. The competition is tightening up. The stars were required to perform a 15 minute solo (sans professional dance partner) during one of the dances competition (each couple performs two dances). There were some very good performances--we really liked Warren Sapp's jive solo, but we weren't crazy about Maurice Greene's solo. The cape work he did was nice, but there was no foot movement at all. Is swinging a cape around considered dancing? After watching all of the performances Monday night, we decided that our vote for the couple to be eliminated went to Cheryl Burke and Maurice Greene. Last night was the results show, and sure enough, Cheryl and Maurice were voted off the dance floor. The remaining couples left to compete in the semifinals next week are Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson, Brooke Burke & Derek Hough, Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer, and Cody Linley & Edyta Sliwinska. Brooke Burke & Derek Hough are the couple to beat.

Election Results Have the Communist Party Swooning

On November 10, Bob Unruh posted an article for World Net Daily that outlines the Communist Party USA's exuberant gushing over Obama being elected president. It also provides another connection between Obama and the Communist Party. Click on the link below to read the entire article.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=80663

Friday, November 7, 2008

Complacency vs. Freedom - It's Time to Choose

"Our great Constitution has been beaten and torn until now it hangs by a single thread, and that thread is our franchise to vote." (Ezra Taft Benson, 1976, Freeman Institute, Provo, Utah)

On November 4, Californians voted on Proposition 8, which is a California State ballot proposition that would amend the state Constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The majority of the residents of California voted to pass it. Three lawsuits have been filed on behalf of the several anti Prop 8 groups to nullify the vote. Whether you were for the proposition or against it, the people voted and passed it. If the courts throw out the people’s vote, our constitutional rights are gone. This will set a precedent for other states to do the same thing. We will no longer be a government of the people and for the people. This country is already on the fast track to socialism, and the courts interfering with the rights of the people’s voice will hasten our country’s descent. As we’ve said before, Heaven help us.

It is past time for “we the people” to stand up and fight. We posted yesterday the names of the members of Congress who will come up for reelection in 2010. It is imperative that we do our homework and exercise our “franchise to vote” to ensure that our elected officials will lead this country out of the quagmire into which we are headed.

For those who think that all is well, shame on you for not understanding the Constitution and shame on you for not knowing why the founding fathers wrote it the way they did. Your ignorance will be your downfall—don’t take the rest of us down with you.

A quote that resulted from World War II is also significant for our time:

"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.” ~ Martin Niemoeller, Lutheran church leader who opposed the Nazis

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We will be out of town for an extended weekend and will not have Internet access. We'll post again on Tuesday.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Moving On

Dancing With the Stars

Last night Susan Lucci was voted off of Dancing With the Stars. It was time. She just didn't have the heart for it that is apparent in the remaining candidates. Now we get down to tougher choices. The remaining few are all good, though Brook Burke is still the best.

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"A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." ~ Bertrand de Jouvenel

An Excellent Thought...

The following is a post from the United Kingdom's The Telegraph:

"I have to say that I feel really sorry for the poor of America, black or white. I also feel sorry for those middle class people who, feeling it would help the less well off, voted for BHO. America is no different from any other country when it comes to these situations. BHO is no different from any other left wing or Socialist Politician in these situations. He is now “in power” and will realise, pretty swiftly, that this power is very limited. It is very simple really, Socialism does not work. People vote for it because in an ideal world helping those who are disadvantaged is a laudable and desirable thing to be doing. In an ideal world, the wealthy and the wealth creators would altruistically shower their wealth on the poor. Indeed, it would be their raison d'être. In an ideal world, the poor would consist of those who are genuinely unable to look after themselves or their families and so require such help. We know this is not an ideal world. We know that a great deal of the people who want the State to support them do so because they cannot be bothered to do it for themselves and feel they are owed something.

"We know that some are no more than envious, wanting the trappings of success without putting in the effort. These people are more the enemies of the less well off and the disadvantaged than any capitalist or banker or right wing Politician. It is they who prevent any real progress in helping the poor because they taint everyone with their grasping ways. Our society is based on a work ethic and it is a natural thing for those who make the effort to begrudge passing their earnings onto wasters and slobs. Sadly, that means the truly deserving suffer. There is a great willingness among reasonable people to help those who need it. But when it comes right down to it, it never happens because the Right cannot deal with the disease because politically they are being B******s and the Left can’t do it because they are unwilling to deal with the spongers.

"So nothing, really, will change. The best example of all this is the UK where Socialist Governments come and go, each time promising to sort it all out. Each time, they leave office having thrown bundles of tax payers cash at it to virtually no effect, except that they always trash the economy thereby making it even worse for the people they purport to help. So good luck America! We in the UK are looking at you and wondering how you could embark on an experiment that has already been tried in this country and palpably failed. We will be suffering for years to come. Welcome to the club!"
Posted by PaddyBoy on November 6, 2008 1:08 PM

Trying to Move On

In light of this week's election results, Edie's new motto is "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."

We can't change the results of this week's election, so we need to move on from here. Truthfully, John McCain was never our first choice for president -- he's certainly no conservative, but at least he had a history of making decisions and a military service record of which to be proud.

President-elect Obama has promised to be bi-partison and work with both sides of the aisle. At this point, it doesn't look good. The choices he is making for his White House staff are very left-wing liberals who have never been interested in the opinions of the other side. So we are not having a good start and Obama hasn't even taken office yet.

The one thing that we know for sure is that we will fight for our rights. The right to choose for ourselves was given to us by God, and we will not mock Him or make light of His gift by giving up easily.

We do have a question for anyone from Pennsylvania. Why would you re-elect John Murtha? He has called you names and clearly doesn't care about you. From the outside looking in, it appears that you are in an abusive relationship with him. He calls you names and you believe the fault is yours and run back for more abuse. We find this very confusing. We certainly believed that he was on his way out of office.

In an effort to now move on from this week's election, we will focus our efforts on the senate election in two years. Below are the senators up for re-election in November 2010.

Alabama - Shelby, Richard (Republican)
Alaska - Murkowski, Lisa (Republican)
Arizona - McCain, John (Republican)
Arkansas - Lincoln, Blanche (Democrat)
California - Boxer, Barbara (Democrat) California, please vote for her opponent.
Colorado - Salazar, Ken (Democrat)
Connecticut - Dodd, Christopher (Democrat) He's one of the leaders of the current financial mess.
Florida - Martinez, Mel (Republican)
Georgia - Isakson, Johnny (Republican)
Hawaii - Inouye, Daniel (Democrat)
Idaho - Crapo, Mike (Republican)
Illinois - Obama, Barack (Democrat)
Obviously, this seat will be filled by someone else, but the seat may be up for election.
Indiana - Bayh, Evan (Democrat)
Iowa - Grassley, Chuck (Republican)
Kansas - Brownback, Sam (Republican)
Kentucky - Bunning, Jim (Republican)
Louisiana - Vitter, David (Republican)
Maryland - Mikulski, Barbara (Democrat)
Missouri - Bond, Christopher (Republican)
Nevada - Reid, Harry (Democrat)
Our state! We'll do everything we can to get his opponent elected.
New Hampshire - Gregg, Judd (Republican)
New York - Schumer, Charles (Democrat)
Seriously, New York. We realize you'll pick a liberal, but could you please pick a different one.
North Carolina - Burr, Richard (Republican)
North Dakota - Dorgan, Byron (Democrat)
Ohio - Voinovich, George (Republican)
Oklahoma - Coburn, Tom (Republican)
Oregon - Wyden, Ron (Democrat)
Pennsylvania - Specter, Arlen (Republican)
South Carolina - DeMint, Jim (Republican)
South Dakota - Thune, John (Republican)
Utah - Bennett, Robert (Republican)
Vermont - Leahy, Patrick (Democrat)
Washington - Murray, Patty (Democrat)
Wisconsin - Feingold, Russell (Democrat)

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Floods Are Coming...

"The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." ~ Norman Thomas

While the results of yesterday's national election are still ringing in people's ears, we want to encourage people to open their eyes to the floodgates that have been opened. If you haven't already, it's now time to build your ark.

The one statement that Joe Biden made in the last few months that has any truth to it is when he advised people to mark his words -- Barack Obama would be tested as president with an attack on this nation. We agree. Please make sure that you have food, water, and emergency supplies on hand. In the event of a nuclear attack, you should have plastic sheeting and duct tape in your home. By covering your windows and doors with plastic, you can save yourselves from all but two of the known chemical agents.

Many Americans have become selfish and lazy -- that was really the issue on the table in this election. It has been a little over forty years since John Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." We have now reached the point where we have Americans voting for a president because they believe he will take care of them. They want welfare handouts, universal health care, and government housing. Be careful when you vote for change -- you might actually get it and it may not be what you thought.

The American people had the opportunity to vote for a real hero, a man who has shown the world that he will fight for freedom and that he will stand up for them. Instead they voted for a man whom they believe they can mold into their form of a hero. Their wail of disappointment will be heard throughout the world when his mold of plaster cracks and the true Obama oozes out -- the one who only knows how to vote present and rarely does anything heroic.

Nancy Pelosi stated in a press conference this morning that "we will discuss issues in a bipartisan way." That ought to be interesting because she hasn't done it yet. John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton stated "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." No political party should have absolute control. But that appears to be what the next two to four years are going to be. William Pitt stated, "unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it."

To say that we are nervous about the future of this country is an understatement. But let us not forget that "we the people" still have the right to free speech. Let's make sure that we use it before it's also taken away from us. Christians and conservatives need to strengthen their spine and stand up for their rights before they wake up and find out that their freedom to choose has been taken away.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Dance Charisma vs. Political Charisma

Dancing With the Stars

With the elimination of the weaker contestants, Dancing With the Stars is now seeing a tighter contest. The next person to go should be Susan Lucci -- she just doesn't have the passion that's needed to be among the final contestants.

Cody Linley was at the bottom of the judges scores, but we have to give him a break because his usual partner, Julianne Hough, is out of the contest right now recovering from surgery. Cody had to dance with a different partner with whom he had no previous contact -- a disadvantage at this stage in the event. He still did a pretty good job and we hate to see him go home without another opportunity.

Brooke Burke received a perfect score for her dance with Derek Hough. She is outstanding and will probably win it all as long as voters vote for the most qualified contestant and aren't swayed by someone else's charisma (oh, wait -- this sounds like another election that's going on right now).

The contestants were split into two groups to perform team dances. The first group was good, but the second group was outstanding. It's amazing how these people are able to learn one and two dances in just a few days time.

Due to election coverage tonight, the DWTS results show will not air until Wednesday night. Which is the bigger nail biter -- who will be President or who will be eliminated from DWTS? Unfortunately, we'll probably be more disappointed in the choice of President.

A Letter To the Editor

Letters To The Editor - Richmond Times
Monday, Jul 07, 2008 - 12:09 AM

Beware Charismatic Men Who Preach 'Change'

Editor, Times-Dispatch:Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30 I celebrate my independence day and on July 4 I celebrate America's. This year is special, because it marks the 40th anniversary of my independence.

On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba and a few months later I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.

I've thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.

When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said "Praise the Lord." And when the young leader said, "I will be for change and I'll bring you change," everyone yelled, "Viva Fidel!"

But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I'm back to the beginning of my story.

Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? Would we? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America?

Manuel Alvarez Jr. Sandy Hook.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Twas the Night Before Elections...

Vin Suprynowicz wrote a very good article for the Las Vegas Review Journal newspaper. It was published in yesterday's paper and gives food for thought about both presidential candidates. To read the article, click on the link below:

http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/33714474.html

We don't know to whom we should give credit for the following poem, but the author is darn clever.

'Twas the night before elections
And all through the town,
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise,
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys

They had come for my wallet,
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money,
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink

He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart;
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!

'On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi'
He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight,
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think
On this one final note:
IF YOU DON'T WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Laws and Morals

Robert P. George (born 1955) is McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, where he lectures on constitutional interpretation, civil liberties and philosophy of law. He also serves as the director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. He was educated at Swarthmore College (BA), Harvard Law School (JD), Harvard Divinity School (MTS), and New College, Oxford (DPhil). At Oxford he studied under John Finnis and Joseph Raz. Formerly, he served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and as a fellow at the U.S. Supreme Court. He currently serves on the U.S. President's Council on Bioethics. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He serves on the editorial boards of Touchstone and First Things magazines, as well as several academic journals. (The above information was taken from Wikipedia.)

Professor George spoke at BYU on October 28, 2008, which is being broadcast this week on the BYU station (Cox Cable channel 352). BYU hasn't posted the text of the speech yet, but we did find an article that Mr. George wrote entitled "Law and Moral Purpose." This article includes a lot of the same information in his speech at BYU. The article is lengthy but well worth reading.

http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=6101

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

And Exhaustion Wins...

Good Things to Know When Visiting Disneyland

Underwear is optional.
Swimwear is also optional, no matter what size you wear.
Hair can be any neon color you like.
Hair can also be cut close to the scalp and bleached blonde with black spots.
Three inch platform tennis shoes may be worn.
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Our day started out with breakfast with several Disney characters. The breakfast was a little pricey, but worth it to see the kids interact with Minnie Mouse, Captain Hook, Chip and Dale, and others.
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Isaiah & Jonas with Minnie Mouse


It was another long and exhausting day (see pictures below), but well worth it to spend time with our family and enjoy Disneyland through the eyes of children.
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Jonas catching a few winks

Camille and McKenna resting up for the second half of the day

And we'll do it again tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

A Day In Pictures

Okay, so we're exhausted. Tonight's post will be mostly pictures.

Our sister-in-law, Jill, and our nieces, McKenna and Camille, with Minnie Mouse

Sandy's grandson's Kobe, Isaiah, and Jonas with Mickey Mouse


Sandy's daughter-in-law with happy baby, Jonas

Maybe we'll have more energy tomorrow. Until then...

Monday, October 27, 2008

The Happiest Place on Earth

For more than a year, several members of our family have been planning a trip to Disneyland. It's an old cliche, but time does pass swiftly, because one year and several months later, here we are in Southern California ready to meet our family in the morning for three days of Disneyland.

The trip here from Southern Nevada was rather quick and easy. It seemed quicker than previous trips here; perhaps it's because we traveled to so many places this summer in so little time. This trip seemed like a breeze in comparison.

For the most part, the trip was uneventful. We left desert, drove through desert, and arrived in desert, so not too much scenery change. But there were parts that reminded us of our trip to Canada. At one point, we looked in the rearview mirror to see a bus riding our bumper, seemingly completely oblivious to the two empty lanes on either side of us.

We also passed several police officers on the sides of the freeway and, again like Canada, they are there more as freeway adornment than as an actual impediment to speeding traffic. Fortunately, their lack of pursuit for traffic violators helps the environment by not adding to their carbon footprint.

Tomorrow we will have plenty of pictures to post as well as commentary on our day at the Disneyland parks. We will be with two nieces and three of Sandy's grandchildren, all under the age of eight--the nieces have never been to Disneyland. We will also be with our sister who hasn't been to Disneyland for forty years. It will be a big day for one and all.

We're going to try to keep our blog entries politics free for this week. It just depends on how many Obama signs and/or commercials we see. However, we are thankful for the Obama bumper stickers and T-shirts as they identify the intellect of their owners. We are on the same page as comedian, Bill Engvall, when referring to less-than-bright folks, he says, "Here's your sign."

Stay tuned...

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Ezra Taft Benson & Quotes For Today

Below are more quotes by Ezra Taft Benson, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President Eisenhower, and the 13th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

“I testify that wickedness is rapidly expanding in every segment of our society. It is more highly organized, more cleverly disguised, and more powerfully promoted than ever before. Secret combinations lusting for power, gain, and glory are flourishing. A secret combination that seeks to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries is increasing its evil influence and control over America and the entire world.” (Ezra Taft Benson, during the very same time that the world was celebrating the collapse of communism I Testify, Ensign, p. 87. November 1988.)

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“There is one and only one legitimate goal of United States foreign policy. It is a narrow goal, a nationalistic goal: the preservation of our national independence. Nothing in the Constitution grants that the president shall have the privilege of offering himself as a world leader. He is our executive; he is on our payroll; he is supposed to put our best interests in front of those of other nations. Nothing in the Constitution nor in logic grants to the president of the United States or to Congress the power to influence the political life of other countries, to ‘uplift’ their cultures, to bolster their economies, to feed their people, or even to defend them against their enemies.” (Ezra Taft Benson, America at the Crossroads, August 30, 1969.)

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“It is time, therefore, that every American, and especially every member of the priesthood, became informed about the aims, tactics, and schemes of socialistic-communism. This becomes particularly important when it is realized that communism is turning out to be the earthly image of the plan which Satan presented in the pre-existence. The whole program of socialistic- communism is essentially a war against God and the plan of salvation—the very plan which we fought to uphold during ‘the war in heaven.’” (Ezra Taft Benson, Secret Combinations, Conference Report, October 1961.)

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“In the war in heaven the devil advocated absolute eternal security at the sacrifice of our freedom. Although there is nothing more desirable to a Latter-day Saint than eternal security in God's presence…Today the devil as a wolf in a supposedly new suit of sheep's clothing is enticing some men, both in and out of the Church, to parrot his line by advocating planned government guaranteed security programs at the expense of our liberties. Latter-day Saints should be reminded how and why they voted as they did in heaven. If some have decided to change their vote they should repent—throw their support on the side of freedom—and cease promoting this subversion.” (Ezra Taft Benson, Secret Combinations, Conference Report, October 1961.)

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“But our civilization and our people are seemingly afraid to be revolutionary. We are too ‘broadminded’ to challenge what we do not believe in. We are afraid of being thought intolerant, uncouth, ungentlemanly. We have become lukewarm in our beliefs. And for that we perhaps merit the bitter condemnation stated in Revelation 3:16: ‘So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.’“This is a sad commentary on a civilization which has given to mankind the greatest achievements and progress ever known. But it is an even sadder commentary on those of us who call ourselves Christians, who thus betray the ideals given to us by the Son of God himself.” (Ezra Taft Benson, Conference Report, October 1960.)

Saturday, October 25, 2008

The Political Titanic - There Ain't Enough Life Boats For All Of Us

On The Brink of Disaster

"All your hard work has put Barack Obama on the very brink of making history, and it has put our Senate candidates in an incredible position to win a filibuster-proof majority. If we do our job over the next nine days, the effects will be felt for generations."- New York Senator Chuck Schumer, 10/25/2008

Boy howdy! We need to do our job and make sure that doesn't happen. If nothing else makes you run to the polls, that should do it.

Clinging to Our Guns...

Obama has several commercials running touting his support of the second amendment and gun ownership. That isn't what his record shows. Below is the link to an open letter from Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearson regarding Obama's history in the Illinois Senate.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-15-2008/0004904149&EDATE=

Friday, October 24, 2008

The World We Live In & The World To Come

Published today in the Washington Post is an excellent article written by Charles Krauthammer and entitled "McCain for President." The link below will take you to this article.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102302867_pf.html

James Dobson from Focus on the Family has written a "Letter from 2012 in Obama’s America." It's rather lengthy, but well worth reading. See link below:

http://focusfamaction.edgeboss.net/download/focusfamaction/pdfs/10-22-08_2012letter.pdf

Thursday, October 23, 2008

The New Journalism & What's New In Greeting Cards

Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist who wrote an article in which he discusses the current state of journalism.

http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081017light.html

We bought a birthday card yesterday at Target for the sole purpose of sharing it with our blog readers. We wish we would have designed this card.
This is the front of the card:

And this is the inside of the card:


Since we didn't design it, the graphic belows gives credit to the company that did.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Dancing, Character & Judgment

Dancing With The Stars

And Cloris is still dancing. We just don’t get it. Who is voting for Cloris Leachman? She wasn’t even in the bottom two last night. Toni Braxton was voted off—she wasn’t the best dancer, but she wasn’t Cloris either.

Character

On his website, John McCain effectively compares Obama’s rhetoric against his record and offers the documentation to back it up. These are just a few of the misrepresentations (lies) that Obama has made regarding his record. It seems to us that Obama is willing to do or say anything to get elected.
HTTP://WWW.JOHNMCCAIN.COM/RHETORICVSRECORD/

Judgment

Much has been said about the judgment of Barack Obama. The following article addresses this issue. It was written by Victor Davis Hanson for the National Review Online. Obama’s judgment and associations are a major concern. It is our belief that folks associate with those whose belief system mirrors their own. Heaven help us if he wins this election, because only heaven can.

“‘He [Obama] said they have not spoken by phone or exchanged e-mail messages since Mr. Obama began serving in the United States Senate in January 2005’” (New York Times, 10/3)

Why in the world was Barack Obama still communicating on the phone or via email with Bill Ayers up until 2005 — when in 2001 Ayers gave widely publicized interviews claiming he had no regrets about the bombing, indeed regretted that he had not done enough, and did not necessarily have any remorse either about his Weathermen career?

Ponder that: the possible next President of the United States, well after 9/11 and in the climate of hourly worry over terrorism here at home, was still friendly and communicating with an associate that had to abandon his book tour due to popular outcry, and was widely quoted as absolutely unrepentant about his terrorism. That is a damning indictment of his judgment — among other things — and it is no "smear" to raise the issue.

Indeed, there is a disturbing pattern here. Obama's once-close radical Chicago associates are never jettisoned out of principle, but only at the 11th-hour when they became impediments to Obama's political career. Thus Wright is defended throughout his racist rantings, until he makes the unfortunate decision of bringing that hatred to DC's elite nexus at the National Press Club — and only then is immediately dropped, as Obama resigns from Trinity Church. Ditto Ayers. What made Obama cease communications with Ayers was not the latter's radicalism (indeed Obama facilitated it by serving with Ayers to dispense millions to questionable organizations), nor even Ayers' boasts in 2001 of having no regrets about trying to blow up government buildings. Instead, 2005 coincides with Obama's ascension to the Senate and the plan to begin running for the Presidency — and thus Ayers, like Wright later, became expendable. Ditto Rezko, Pfleger et al.”