Well, are we or are we not? Should we start stock piling flour, plant corn in the back yard, and steal the packets of sugar from restaurants? No one in politics or the media can seem to agree whether or not we are in a "recession". Regardless of what anyone wants to call it, times are not great and the future looks a little rough.
First, lets define "recession". I went to Webster's for this and he says a recession is "a period of economic decline when production, employment, and earnings fall below normal levels."
Sounds pretty much like what is going on, except for the earnings. The oil companies are publishing record earnings. This morning bp announced earnings 65% above last quarter. 65% up! No joke - I had to get gas today and the pump stopped at $75; convenient since $75 is my gas budget for the next two weeks - problem was it did not fill my tank up. Someone please explain how an employee making $7 an hour can support his family when one gallon of gas is nearly $4 a gallon. Public transportation is an answer for some, but most communities don't have that option.
I also heard yesterday that some of the cause of the inflated prices at the grocery store is the increased production of corn for ethanol. This has caused a ripple effect in nearly every aspect of food production directly because there is less corn being used for food and because many farmers are not growing wheat, choosing to produce corn (due to the government mandate for ethanol), so wheat prices are getting higher. Indirectly this is effect on milk, beef, eggs, and more because cows and chickens eat corn. Third world countries are also taking a hit, because corn and wheat are some of their staples and the providers can simply not afford to buy the grains.
Unemployment has hit a high, with manufactures (especially vehicle makers) having lay offs because sales are so low and other companies simply not being able to afford to hire due to increase costs else where.
Okay, so the state of our economy: people are loosing jobs and not being able to find others, gas prices are almost above minimum wage, food prices are getting higher, the housing market is down to the lowest it has been in 30 years, and most companies are reporting losses. Call it what you want, but it sounds kind of like what Webster was defining when he wrote "recession"
I have a suggestion. First of all, quit the bio-fuel, environment saving rhetoric, and dig some wells in Alaska. God gave us this planet and all of its resources to use. He governed man to be over the fish, birds, and all other animals. Drilling in Alaska, would provide immediate relief at the gas pump and create jobs. It would also make us far less dependent on other countries for our energy. I know there are downfalls including a breed of moose (mooses? meice?), but we need to do something. Consumers are hurting and if predictions are correct and gas reaches $5 a gallon this summer, there are a lot of other industries that will be hurting too (trucking, tourism, restaurants, any forms of recreation.......). I think our citizens are more important than some moose(s).
Don't get me wrong, I do believe that we should be good stewards of the land and that we should not just carelessly use resources without thinking, but I also believe that God is not going to allow the earth to last one moment longer than his plan, even if I do recycle my cans and plastic.
I would give some comment about what happens will depend on the election, but at this rate, we need to make some changes now, or the next president will have more on his (or her) plate than expected. Not to feed into the media drama, but another depression could be around the corner. Not like the great depression (I hope), but depressions generally follow a recession. (Depression - a period during which business, employment, and stock market values decline severely.) We are not too good for that to happen.
Come on George, this could be your chance to regain some confidence with the American people. Somebody, anybody do something!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
With Friends Like That......
Well, Rev. Wright is back in full force. The controversial former Pastor of Barack Obama had all but disappeared from the lime light due to security problems, but was back at the pulpit Sunday preaching to a Dallas congregation.
The media has sent shock waves by showing a clip from Rev. Wright's sermon, where he is making fun of democratic hero, John F. Kennedy. Probably not the best news for Barack Obama who has been compared to Kennedy and is highly thought of and supported by many members of the Kennedy family. Wright was mocking Kennedy's strong New England accent specifically the way he said the word "ask" in his famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." Not to stoop to Rev. Wright's level, but if anybody should make fun of the way someone says the word "ask", it should not be an African American. Let me "ax" you a question Rev. Wright.
I think that I have figured out just why Rev. Wright continues to be a thorn at the side of the Obama campaign. If Barack is elected President, it completely negates everything that Rev. Wright has been trying to preach. Having an African American president would be a huge disservice to Rev. Wright's "ministry" that portrays the black man as the mistreated, forgotten stepchild in the United States. If the country elects an African American to the position of Commander in Chief, the highest elected official in the country, it probably means that the majority of Americans don't have deep rooted resentment of the race and is probably a good indication that race relations are not as bad as Rev. Wright would have us believe.
I know that there are still very active KKK groups as well as Black Panther groups, but those groups are a dying breed and the general population has no need for any of that nonsense. Those groups are loud, but very much the minority, and they have little influence or leverage as to what actually goes on in the country.
Go away Rev. Wright. We have all had enough of you, well with the exception of the Clinton's and McCain's. You are helping them, but you are making everyone else sick!
The media has sent shock waves by showing a clip from Rev. Wright's sermon, where he is making fun of democratic hero, John F. Kennedy. Probably not the best news for Barack Obama who has been compared to Kennedy and is highly thought of and supported by many members of the Kennedy family. Wright was mocking Kennedy's strong New England accent specifically the way he said the word "ask" in his famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." Not to stoop to Rev. Wright's level, but if anybody should make fun of the way someone says the word "ask", it should not be an African American. Let me "ax" you a question Rev. Wright.
I think that I have figured out just why Rev. Wright continues to be a thorn at the side of the Obama campaign. If Barack is elected President, it completely negates everything that Rev. Wright has been trying to preach. Having an African American president would be a huge disservice to Rev. Wright's "ministry" that portrays the black man as the mistreated, forgotten stepchild in the United States. If the country elects an African American to the position of Commander in Chief, the highest elected official in the country, it probably means that the majority of Americans don't have deep rooted resentment of the race and is probably a good indication that race relations are not as bad as Rev. Wright would have us believe.
I know that there are still very active KKK groups as well as Black Panther groups, but those groups are a dying breed and the general population has no need for any of that nonsense. Those groups are loud, but very much the minority, and they have little influence or leverage as to what actually goes on in the country.
Go away Rev. Wright. We have all had enough of you, well with the exception of the Clinton's and McCain's. You are helping them, but you are making everyone else sick!
Just A Quote.....
Don't ask, I will not tell who said it.
"When the economy is bad, private universities have to do whatever it takes to make sure they make money."
Really. I thought so. I wonder what changes Harding and Freed-Hardman have made. I'll have to check on that.
"When the economy is bad, private universities have to do whatever it takes to make sure they make money."
Really. I thought so. I wonder what changes Harding and Freed-Hardman have made. I'll have to check on that.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Who's Your Daddy?
Can you imagine the daunting task of collecting DNA from nearly 600 people, photographing them, and then putting all the matches together? That is what the Heath Department in San Angelo Texas has been doing for the past couple of days.
Since no body seems to know what children belong with what parents from the FDLS compound, all individuals involved have been ordered to give DNA samples. It seems that the children at the compound call all women "mother" and all men "uncle". I guess that would prove confusing when a stranger asks a 4 year old who his mother is and he names three or four different women.
Reports are however that the testing results will not be available until June or July, ensuring that the children will stay in the states custody until then. That causes me to ask, where is Jerry Springer when you need him? When ever he runs DNA tests, he has results before the show is over. I'm sure that he would help. Someone should give him a call.
Most of the children have been placed in group homes, with some of the girls being placed in San Antonio. On the local news last night, one of the reports was live in the helicopter following the police escorted buses that were coming into town. She made a point of saying, "We know where the children are, but CPS has asked that we not reveal their location." What is that about? It is the old fashioned, "I know something you don't know...." How about, "The children have been placed at an undisclosed local location." That is all those kids need, a bunch of crazies driving around to all the local children's shelters looking for the "compound kids."
This is such an awful situation, I feel for all parties involved, but God bless those adults who went on the Today show yesterday. Their legal counsel should really not let them talk. I think they are hurting their case. It would be interesting to know what generation of this sect the adults are, but I would bet it was either second or third. They had obviously never been off the "ranch" and it brings to light the quality of education that the children are probably getting. I don't mean to be nasty, but wow. The women also seem as though they are in a daze, almost in a drug like haze. Scary stuff.
Since no body seems to know what children belong with what parents from the FDLS compound, all individuals involved have been ordered to give DNA samples. It seems that the children at the compound call all women "mother" and all men "uncle". I guess that would prove confusing when a stranger asks a 4 year old who his mother is and he names three or four different women.
Reports are however that the testing results will not be available until June or July, ensuring that the children will stay in the states custody until then. That causes me to ask, where is Jerry Springer when you need him? When ever he runs DNA tests, he has results before the show is over. I'm sure that he would help. Someone should give him a call.
Most of the children have been placed in group homes, with some of the girls being placed in San Antonio. On the local news last night, one of the reports was live in the helicopter following the police escorted buses that were coming into town. She made a point of saying, "We know where the children are, but CPS has asked that we not reveal their location." What is that about? It is the old fashioned, "I know something you don't know...." How about, "The children have been placed at an undisclosed local location." That is all those kids need, a bunch of crazies driving around to all the local children's shelters looking for the "compound kids."
This is such an awful situation, I feel for all parties involved, but God bless those adults who went on the Today show yesterday. Their legal counsel should really not let them talk. I think they are hurting their case. It would be interesting to know what generation of this sect the adults are, but I would bet it was either second or third. They had obviously never been off the "ranch" and it brings to light the quality of education that the children are probably getting. I don't mean to be nasty, but wow. The women also seem as though they are in a daze, almost in a drug like haze. Scary stuff.
The Clinton Camp Lives To See Another Day
By now you have heard that Hillary did pull out a victory yesterday in Pennsylvania and she has declared that she is the candidate to beat. So the race continues on with the next meeting May 6 in North Carolina and Indiana. Obama is favored to win in both those states and Hillary is already asking for a debate within the next two weeks.
I think that there has been plenty of debating and the last couple have just turned into mud slinging. Lets get on with the show. Obama is still leading leading the delegate count as he gained 70 delegates yesterday. Hillary's winning margin was only 10% so she only picked up about 80, still putting Obama a head by just over 100 delegates.
I can see Hillary's position, how the two are so close and how she truly believes that she will make the best president, but I also can see how frustrating it is to democratic leaders. The are getting restless for this to end so that they can put forth a focused attack on John McCain.
Changing the subject slightly, I had a great comment from a new reader on my last post, challenging the candidates to balance a budget.
Ok, so your last challenge to the candidates regarding the $41,000 budget is already answered. Look at they say Obama's campaign has been run fiscally in comparison to Hillary's. It's night and day. Obama gets small donations and taps the well over and over again. I heard he has $41 million in cash right now! That's amazing discipline, management, and strategy that puts him such a better footing than ANY candidate. Hillary, like you said, is in the big time red. Obama should point to that mismanagement of funds and poor strategy. I think how the candidates serve as the Executive of their campaigns gives a big indication of how they would serve as an Executive of the Government
I thought this was an excellent comment and it makes perfect sense. Hillary started with a huge amount of money and her campaign is, according to reports, about $10 million in debt right now. Obama on the other hand, got thousands and thousands of small donations, $25, $50, probably even smaller than that. He has obviously management his money much better, because as was commented, he is running with about $41 million in cash right now. Although Hillary has advertised that she has pulled about $3 million in donations after last night, that is just a drop in the bucket toward her debt and toward what she will need to compete in the next couple of weeks. Who do you want handling your money? I think this example makes it perfectly clear. Thanks for the comment!
I think that there has been plenty of debating and the last couple have just turned into mud slinging. Lets get on with the show. Obama is still leading leading the delegate count as he gained 70 delegates yesterday. Hillary's winning margin was only 10% so she only picked up about 80, still putting Obama a head by just over 100 delegates.
I can see Hillary's position, how the two are so close and how she truly believes that she will make the best president, but I also can see how frustrating it is to democratic leaders. The are getting restless for this to end so that they can put forth a focused attack on John McCain.
Changing the subject slightly, I had a great comment from a new reader on my last post, challenging the candidates to balance a budget.
Ok, so your last challenge to the candidates regarding the $41,000 budget is already answered. Look at they say Obama's campaign has been run fiscally in comparison to Hillary's. It's night and day. Obama gets small donations and taps the well over and over again. I heard he has $41 million in cash right now! That's amazing discipline, management, and strategy that puts him such a better footing than ANY candidate. Hillary, like you said, is in the big time red. Obama should point to that mismanagement of funds and poor strategy. I think how the candidates serve as the Executive of their campaigns gives a big indication of how they would serve as an Executive of the Government
I thought this was an excellent comment and it makes perfect sense. Hillary started with a huge amount of money and her campaign is, according to reports, about $10 million in debt right now. Obama on the other hand, got thousands and thousands of small donations, $25, $50, probably even smaller than that. He has obviously management his money much better, because as was commented, he is running with about $41 million in cash right now. Although Hillary has advertised that she has pulled about $3 million in donations after last night, that is just a drop in the bucket toward her debt and toward what she will need to compete in the next couple of weeks. Who do you want handling your money? I think this example makes it perfectly clear. Thanks for the comment!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
How Do Your Taxes Compare?
Americans filed their tax returns last week, some with a groan as they wrote checks to Uncle Sam and others with gleeful laughter as they planned how to spend their refund. Even our three remaining candidates filed their returns and although their income was much higher than my own, thanks to tax laws, it is probably safe to say that they paid a smaller percentage of their income than you and I.
So, what did they report and how did they file?
John McCain, who has multiple income sources from his senator's salary, his Navy pension, and royalties from his books filed separately from his wife, reporting a total individual income of $405,409 for 2007.
Barack and Michelle Obama filed joint returns combining his senator's salary, book royalties, and her salary to report $4.2 million dollars of earnings.
Bill and Hillary report that while she does have a salary from being a senator and royalties from her books and Bill has his former Presidential Pension (did you know that we taxpayers pay a pension to former presidents and surviving first ladies for the rest of their lives?), the majority of their income came from Bill's speaking engagements. What was that income? Oh, just $20.4 million. Not bad for two kids from Arkansas.
I think that I have made it clear in previous posts that I have no problem with individuals making a good living or having money, I do wonder how these people who are wanting our votes, can relate to those of us living on a budget. Do gas prices really mean that much to Hillary and Bill? Do you think that they will stick around New York this summer instead of going on a big vacation because of the price of gas? Do you think that the Obama's are considering buying a cow if the price of milk goes up any more? What about John McCain? Do you think that he has researched going to Canada for medical treatment or prescriptions because of the rising cost of health care?
I think it would be a safe bet to say that the candidates have not had to think about changing their live style because of rising costs of gas, groceries, or medication. but these are just some of the items that are hitting middle class Americans hard. Can these three individuals really understand what life is like on $7 an hour?
Maybe we could test them to see how good they really are. Okay, Hillary, balance this budget: Yearly household income $41,000 (average middle class family income), come up under budget for the year. Make sure you include transportation, housing, utilities (think she even knows how much the average electric bill is?), child care, health care, and if there is anything else left you have to feed your family too. Once everything is balanced, remind her that Christmas is in December, tell her that the kid breaks his arm in June, the car needs repaired in September and just for fun, have the air conditioner break, oh, say, mid August. What do you do with that Johnny boy? How about it Barack, can you make a change I can believe in here?
So, what did they report and how did they file?
John McCain, who has multiple income sources from his senator's salary, his Navy pension, and royalties from his books filed separately from his wife, reporting a total individual income of $405,409 for 2007.
Barack and Michelle Obama filed joint returns combining his senator's salary, book royalties, and her salary to report $4.2 million dollars of earnings.
Bill and Hillary report that while she does have a salary from being a senator and royalties from her books and Bill has his former Presidential Pension (did you know that we taxpayers pay a pension to former presidents and surviving first ladies for the rest of their lives?), the majority of their income came from Bill's speaking engagements. What was that income? Oh, just $20.4 million. Not bad for two kids from Arkansas.
I think that I have made it clear in previous posts that I have no problem with individuals making a good living or having money, I do wonder how these people who are wanting our votes, can relate to those of us living on a budget. Do gas prices really mean that much to Hillary and Bill? Do you think that they will stick around New York this summer instead of going on a big vacation because of the price of gas? Do you think that the Obama's are considering buying a cow if the price of milk goes up any more? What about John McCain? Do you think that he has researched going to Canada for medical treatment or prescriptions because of the rising cost of health care?
I think it would be a safe bet to say that the candidates have not had to think about changing their live style because of rising costs of gas, groceries, or medication. but these are just some of the items that are hitting middle class Americans hard. Can these three individuals really understand what life is like on $7 an hour?
Maybe we could test them to see how good they really are. Okay, Hillary, balance this budget: Yearly household income $41,000 (average middle class family income), come up under budget for the year. Make sure you include transportation, housing, utilities (think she even knows how much the average electric bill is?), child care, health care, and if there is anything else left you have to feed your family too. Once everything is balanced, remind her that Christmas is in December, tell her that the kid breaks his arm in June, the car needs repaired in September and just for fun, have the air conditioner break, oh, say, mid August. What do you do with that Johnny boy? How about it Barack, can you make a change I can believe in here?
It Is All In The Numbers
Today could be the final day for the Clinton campaign. If Hillary does not pull a huge victory in the Pennsylvania primary, there will be a lot of pressure for her to end her presidential campaign. Here's the math.
Today's primary has 158 delegates up for grabs. Hillary must pull at least 65% of those delegates to even have a hope of staying in the race. While current polls are showing both Hillary and Obama almost dead even, there seems to be little hope for her to pull off a large enough Pennsylvania victory, one that would allow her to have a chance to continue.
She is also out of money. Right now her campaign is running in the red, and unless there is a landslide victory, there seems to be little chance that her supporters will contribute any more funds to continue.
But what will she do? She has avoided that question for days now. Will she back away from the spotlight and pledge her support to Barack Obama or will she fight to the end and hope that the super delegates will ultimately decide to have her run in November? It could be any body's guess at this point.
Many democratic leaders are growing restless and wanting this part of the process to end so they can unite in their strategy to defeat McCain in November. There is no denying that McCain defiantly has the upper hand at this point by being able to focus solely on the November's election rather than continue to fight in each state for the primary. If Hillary does loose today, there will be enormous pressure from her party to concede.
She did seem to lean toward supporting Obama at the last debate when asked if she thought Obama could beat McCain, she answered a definite, "yes, yes, yes, " without elaborating, We would have expected her to follow up with something along the lines of, "He could beat McCain, but so could I and I would make the better president...." or at least talk about her experience verses Obama's to deflect the question, but she didn't. She admitted to the party that she believed he could beat McCain. To some democrats that's all that matters - not who the candidate is, but if they can win in November.
Could Hillary let the parties interest overshadow her own and throw her full support behind an Obama run? That looks like the smart thing if she wants to hold on to any political respect that she has left from her party. I'll be watching in the morning, but I wouldn't count her out yet.
Today's primary has 158 delegates up for grabs. Hillary must pull at least 65% of those delegates to even have a hope of staying in the race. While current polls are showing both Hillary and Obama almost dead even, there seems to be little hope for her to pull off a large enough Pennsylvania victory, one that would allow her to have a chance to continue.
She is also out of money. Right now her campaign is running in the red, and unless there is a landslide victory, there seems to be little chance that her supporters will contribute any more funds to continue.
But what will she do? She has avoided that question for days now. Will she back away from the spotlight and pledge her support to Barack Obama or will she fight to the end and hope that the super delegates will ultimately decide to have her run in November? It could be any body's guess at this point.
Many democratic leaders are growing restless and wanting this part of the process to end so they can unite in their strategy to defeat McCain in November. There is no denying that McCain defiantly has the upper hand at this point by being able to focus solely on the November's election rather than continue to fight in each state for the primary. If Hillary does loose today, there will be enormous pressure from her party to concede.
She did seem to lean toward supporting Obama at the last debate when asked if she thought Obama could beat McCain, she answered a definite, "yes, yes, yes, " without elaborating, We would have expected her to follow up with something along the lines of, "He could beat McCain, but so could I and I would make the better president...." or at least talk about her experience verses Obama's to deflect the question, but she didn't. She admitted to the party that she believed he could beat McCain. To some democrats that's all that matters - not who the candidate is, but if they can win in November.
Could Hillary let the parties interest overshadow her own and throw her full support behind an Obama run? That looks like the smart thing if she wants to hold on to any political respect that she has left from her party. I'll be watching in the morning, but I wouldn't count her out yet.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Well, Actually They Can.......
I thought that I was done with this whole ACU drinking mess and I had decided to move on, no matter what new comment was in my in box, but I guess I am just in the mood to respond to this one.
"Who has the authority to tell us what and what not to do? It is not the Church nor the University. Only God can do this. If the Almighty came today and placed a prohibition on Christian drinking, I would change my stance in a heartbeat, and I hope ACU would too. However, we simply do not have the authority to put words in God's mouth, and it's a very good thing we don't."
Wow! I am sure that I have never said that anyone has the authority to put words in God's mouth and I know that in my blogs at least, I have not really gotten into what the Bible says about drinking. If you must know, I don't believe that the Bible has forbidden anyone to drink, but I do think that God warns against becoming drunk.
Now, on to the authority question. You obviously have only read one of my posts to make a comment like that. Such a "me generation" statement. Only God has the authority to tell you what you can and can't do? Yes, God has the ultimate authority, but, there are other's in our world with authority and this attitude is what is wrong with our society: "Nobody can tell me what to do! Blah, Blah, Blah."
First to address the University. ACU is a private university so yes, if you go to ACU, they can tell you what to do and what not to do. Upon acceptance to the university, every student signs paper work that basically says they understand the rules and will follow them. If a student does not like the rules or policies and does not feel that ACU has the "authority" to have guidelines and rules, they can go somewhere else.
The United States also has rules and guidelines called laws. They make society livable for all of us. If someone breaks a law, they are subject to punishment. Elected officials and law enforcement have the "authority" to tell us what we can and can't do. That is the way our country works. Again, if someone is not happy with the laws of the country, there are ways to work to change those or they are free to reside elsewhere where no one has "authority" over them. I believe that if I am going to reside in the United States, I am going to have to follow the laws or face the consequences. I, like probably 99.9% of all citizens, have on occasion, broken laws (don't worry dad, the only one I can think of is driving too fast), but that does not mean the occasional Highway Patrol Officer did not have the "authority" to correct me and punish me.
"If there is anything we can learn from ACU's decision, it is that we cannot cling to the traditions that detract from what we should really be discussing. Our message is not one of don't (don't drink, don't fight, etc.)it is a message of do (do believe, do be like Christ, do drink responsibly, etc.). The blog is right, we do need to "stand for something," but it does not give us the authority to "stand against something" for which we have no right to condemn in the first place."
I agree that there are a lot of "do's" that are important in Christianity, but I also believe that we have to address the "don'ts" or a lot of people will miss out on the whole truth. There are a whole lot of "don'ts" in the Bible, and God did not put those in to be overlooked or overshadowed, but because he loves us and he wants us to have a good life. A trend in religion has been to make everything happy and loving, and while God is a very loving God, he is also a just God and people have to understand that there are consequences, eternal ones, for sin and disobedience. I think you must have a balance. To tie this back in, God does not forbid alcohol, just drunkenness, but have you ever heard about the snowball rolling down the hill? I don't know many college students who had just a casual glass of wine with dinner. I know about a lot evenings that went like this: the wine led to the beer at the bar, which led to getting drunk, which led to ..........you fill in the blank.
Parents can understand that you have to keep a couple of steps in front of your kids. Put the child safety locks on the cabinets before the kid finds the knives, teach them not to go into the street before they can even walk, pre-act instead of having to react. I think that is what some of the rules at ACU are about. It would be ignorant to think that some college students would not experiment with alcohol. The rules that ACU had did not stop this, but the school took a stand, pre-acted to something they knew some of the students would try, and had consequences when students were caught.
".......the Christian institution cannot be a prison for students whose parents cannot trust them...."
The few times that I thought of ACU as a "prison" were the times when I was doing something wrong. It was simply me not being able to admit that I was in the wrong. ACU was the innocent party when I was looking for someone to blame besides myself. No, parents cannot send their kids to ACU expecting the school to police their every move, although I know families who did just that. Those kids found each other and did what they wanted to anyway, and a lot of them did not return for a second year. The school stood strong and did not back down due to political or society's pressure to change.
"ACU should not be a daycare for college students, it should be a place where the student is prepared to be the "light on a hill."
I could not agree with you more, but having rules and guidelines do not make the school a "daycare", they make it a safe, Christian environment, where students can developer and grow into Christian leaders.
You said you are a "former wildcat". My bet is you have either just graduated or are still at the school. I might have said the same thing 10 years ago.
"Who has the authority to tell us what and what not to do? It is not the Church nor the University. Only God can do this. If the Almighty came today and placed a prohibition on Christian drinking, I would change my stance in a heartbeat, and I hope ACU would too. However, we simply do not have the authority to put words in God's mouth, and it's a very good thing we don't."
Wow! I am sure that I have never said that anyone has the authority to put words in God's mouth and I know that in my blogs at least, I have not really gotten into what the Bible says about drinking. If you must know, I don't believe that the Bible has forbidden anyone to drink, but I do think that God warns against becoming drunk.
Now, on to the authority question. You obviously have only read one of my posts to make a comment like that. Such a "me generation" statement. Only God has the authority to tell you what you can and can't do? Yes, God has the ultimate authority, but, there are other's in our world with authority and this attitude is what is wrong with our society: "Nobody can tell me what to do! Blah, Blah, Blah."
First to address the University. ACU is a private university so yes, if you go to ACU, they can tell you what to do and what not to do. Upon acceptance to the university, every student signs paper work that basically says they understand the rules and will follow them. If a student does not like the rules or policies and does not feel that ACU has the "authority" to have guidelines and rules, they can go somewhere else.
The United States also has rules and guidelines called laws. They make society livable for all of us. If someone breaks a law, they are subject to punishment. Elected officials and law enforcement have the "authority" to tell us what we can and can't do. That is the way our country works. Again, if someone is not happy with the laws of the country, there are ways to work to change those or they are free to reside elsewhere where no one has "authority" over them. I believe that if I am going to reside in the United States, I am going to have to follow the laws or face the consequences. I, like probably 99.9% of all citizens, have on occasion, broken laws (don't worry dad, the only one I can think of is driving too fast), but that does not mean the occasional Highway Patrol Officer did not have the "authority" to correct me and punish me.
"If there is anything we can learn from ACU's decision, it is that we cannot cling to the traditions that detract from what we should really be discussing. Our message is not one of don't (don't drink, don't fight, etc.)it is a message of do (do believe, do be like Christ, do drink responsibly, etc.). The blog is right, we do need to "stand for something," but it does not give us the authority to "stand against something" for which we have no right to condemn in the first place."
I agree that there are a lot of "do's" that are important in Christianity, but I also believe that we have to address the "don'ts" or a lot of people will miss out on the whole truth. There are a whole lot of "don'ts" in the Bible, and God did not put those in to be overlooked or overshadowed, but because he loves us and he wants us to have a good life. A trend in religion has been to make everything happy and loving, and while God is a very loving God, he is also a just God and people have to understand that there are consequences, eternal ones, for sin and disobedience. I think you must have a balance. To tie this back in, God does not forbid alcohol, just drunkenness, but have you ever heard about the snowball rolling down the hill? I don't know many college students who had just a casual glass of wine with dinner. I know about a lot evenings that went like this: the wine led to the beer at the bar, which led to getting drunk, which led to ..........you fill in the blank.
Parents can understand that you have to keep a couple of steps in front of your kids. Put the child safety locks on the cabinets before the kid finds the knives, teach them not to go into the street before they can even walk, pre-act instead of having to react. I think that is what some of the rules at ACU are about. It would be ignorant to think that some college students would not experiment with alcohol. The rules that ACU had did not stop this, but the school took a stand, pre-acted to something they knew some of the students would try, and had consequences when students were caught.
".......the Christian institution cannot be a prison for students whose parents cannot trust them...."
The few times that I thought of ACU as a "prison" were the times when I was doing something wrong. It was simply me not being able to admit that I was in the wrong. ACU was the innocent party when I was looking for someone to blame besides myself. No, parents cannot send their kids to ACU expecting the school to police their every move, although I know families who did just that. Those kids found each other and did what they wanted to anyway, and a lot of them did not return for a second year. The school stood strong and did not back down due to political or society's pressure to change.
"ACU should not be a daycare for college students, it should be a place where the student is prepared to be the "light on a hill."
I could not agree with you more, but having rules and guidelines do not make the school a "daycare", they make it a safe, Christian environment, where students can developer and grow into Christian leaders.
You said you are a "former wildcat". My bet is you have either just graduated or are still at the school. I might have said the same thing 10 years ago.
Friday, April 18, 2008
"Big Love" Deep In The Heart of Texas
By now, I'm sure that you have heard about the raid on the polygamist compound near Eldorado, Texas a little over two weeks ago. Every news program is covering the story, so the public has been forced to look into these people's lives and make their own judgement. I believe that officials have done an outstanding job of emphasising that the reason for the raid is because of the safety of the children and not because of the religious sect. The Texas Attorney General was on the Today show this morning and I was very impressed by the way he handled the questions he was asked. When the possibility of the phone call, that led to the raid, being a hoax was brought up, he answered that it did not matter if the phone call was a hoax or not, the children were believed to be in danger and that is the focus of the investigation.
The press keeps reminding us that CPS officials have not determined the identity of the 16 year old pregnant teenager who made the call for help from the compound. It should come as no surprise to them that no one has stepped forward. Would you? Those children have been brain washed from birth to believe that their situations were okay. They have been told that the rest of the world is the enemy and is only out to hurt them. Can you imagine what those children are thinking right now? They have been told that "outsiders" are dangerous. A big group of outsiders came into the only home they had known, packed them up and took them away. All of the "moms" that came with the children were sent back to the compound, and now a bunch of strangers are tucking them in at night, asking them who they are, who their parents are, and what their lives were like. Those children have no clue what their future holds, and that 16 year old caller, probably believes that she would be harmed if not killed if she were to be sent back to the compound and her identity revealed.
Regardless of how I feel about the religious beliefs of the FLDS members, the children deserve a safe place to call home. The compound was not safe. I don't know what kind of care the mother's gave the children. I'm sure that many were good moms who loved their children and I feel for their heartbreak. The crime here is that the moms stood by and allowed their 13, 14, and 15 year old daughters to be married off to men who were in their 50's and 60's. They allowed and probably participated in the teachings that told children this was fine and part of their lives. The mother's allowed "unruly" boys to be banished from the compound and left with no money, no education, and no training in a world that they knew nothing about. The mother's allowed their sons to be taught that women were nothing more than machines that produce babies and that any way that men treated them was acceptable.
The men, who can be described as nothing more than pedophiles, who have thus far been able to use their religious beliefs to defend their actions, need to spend the rest of their lives in a prison that breeds criminal who don't appreciate people who hurt little children. Grown men do not marry and produce children with little girls who are barely teenagers. It is not acceptable and the courts should come down hard on them.
The poor victims here are the innocent children, born into a lifestyle that is unhealthy and unacceptable for them to grow up in. These children, while probably sad and confused, will hopefully be given the chance to grow up in a normal, healthy environment. But here is the scary part. The Texas Foster Care system is not known for always being a healthy environment. It is completely overburdened and children are added to the system daily. In one swoop, 416 children were added in a single day. There are some great stories of children finding families and their lives being turned around, but there are also horror stories of foster children when things go terribly wrong. Send a couple of those kids down here to South Texas, we have room!
My prayer is that God has a whole army of guardian angles over these children and that none have to suffer any more pain.
The press keeps reminding us that CPS officials have not determined the identity of the 16 year old pregnant teenager who made the call for help from the compound. It should come as no surprise to them that no one has stepped forward. Would you? Those children have been brain washed from birth to believe that their situations were okay. They have been told that the rest of the world is the enemy and is only out to hurt them. Can you imagine what those children are thinking right now? They have been told that "outsiders" are dangerous. A big group of outsiders came into the only home they had known, packed them up and took them away. All of the "moms" that came with the children were sent back to the compound, and now a bunch of strangers are tucking them in at night, asking them who they are, who their parents are, and what their lives were like. Those children have no clue what their future holds, and that 16 year old caller, probably believes that she would be harmed if not killed if she were to be sent back to the compound and her identity revealed.
Regardless of how I feel about the religious beliefs of the FLDS members, the children deserve a safe place to call home. The compound was not safe. I don't know what kind of care the mother's gave the children. I'm sure that many were good moms who loved their children and I feel for their heartbreak. The crime here is that the moms stood by and allowed their 13, 14, and 15 year old daughters to be married off to men who were in their 50's and 60's. They allowed and probably participated in the teachings that told children this was fine and part of their lives. The mother's allowed "unruly" boys to be banished from the compound and left with no money, no education, and no training in a world that they knew nothing about. The mother's allowed their sons to be taught that women were nothing more than machines that produce babies and that any way that men treated them was acceptable.
The men, who can be described as nothing more than pedophiles, who have thus far been able to use their religious beliefs to defend their actions, need to spend the rest of their lives in a prison that breeds criminal who don't appreciate people who hurt little children. Grown men do not marry and produce children with little girls who are barely teenagers. It is not acceptable and the courts should come down hard on them.
The poor victims here are the innocent children, born into a lifestyle that is unhealthy and unacceptable for them to grow up in. These children, while probably sad and confused, will hopefully be given the chance to grow up in a normal, healthy environment. But here is the scary part. The Texas Foster Care system is not known for always being a healthy environment. It is completely overburdened and children are added to the system daily. In one swoop, 416 children were added in a single day. There are some great stories of children finding families and their lives being turned around, but there are also horror stories of foster children when things go terribly wrong. Send a couple of those kids down here to South Texas, we have room!
My prayer is that God has a whole army of guardian angles over these children and that none have to suffer any more pain.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Now, What Can We Learn From This.......
I think that I am finally calming down from my panic attack yesterday caused by my name showing up in the same article as Royce Money, but without my knowledge or consent. I guess I owe a thank you to all of the people who let me know, whether your comments were well intended or not. I am one of those people who believe that everything happens for a reason. I don't believe in random acts. There have been too many times in my life where I can look back and see how a group of seemingly unrelated events came together to make my life better in some way or to help me learn something. That said, I am not someone who just waits around to see what the purpose will be. I go out looking for it. So in my thinking over the past 24 hours, here's what I have come up with.
- Everything on the Internet is public. DUH! I knew that, but I have never posted kinky photos (I can hear a collective sigh of relief) and I have never written anything that was inappropriate or against what I believe and would stand up for. I also would never have believed that me, a stay at home mom (with a Master's Degree!!) from a small, south Texas town, would ever even show up in a Google search.
- I actually have developed some empathy for Hillary. NO! I have realized first hand just how easy it is for people to take a quote or a tiny piece of information and it can take on a whole new life. I think I knew this and that is why I (kind of) defended Barack on the whole Pastor Wright stuff. Now, granted, they decided to run for public office and the stars decide to be in the public eye. Although I made no such decision, I guess putting my thoughts on an online forum puts me out there. (Especially when I deal with current events and politics.)
So, I've learned a couple of things, I will move on. I do appreciate the comments attached to the last post and the few people who thanked me for what I said. I'll go back to talking about current events and people I don't know. It seems to be safer that way.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
First Excitement and Then Panic Sets In........
When I sat down at the computer this afternoon, I was just going to check my email. Nothing to blog about or so I thought. I opened my email and there were about 60 emails from people I don't know - only three had responded from my blog and the rest - how in the world did you get my private email address? It did not take me long to realize that I had many, many new blog readers and that was not a great thing. After the first blog, I was frantically going on to the Christian Chronicle website. It seems that a Google search brought the Chronicles online editor to my blog and I was quoted in the headline story.
I am still feeling a little nauseous and light headed, even after being assured that the online editor would remove the quote (she was very nice, but assured me that they could quote me without my permission. Could my legal representative respond...Chris?) Anyway, I am still shaking from anger, embarrassment, and humiliation. Thank goodness I had not posted naked pictures huh?
I have read most of the comments and I'm sure that you are reading the ones that were posted here, and let me assure everyone, I do understand what is going on at ACU. To reply to one person who suggested that, "maybe you should take a tour of the campus," I spent four years there. I am an alumni. I know a lot about ACU.
Almost everybody disagreed with me. Everybody seems to think that it is okay for ACU to change the standards and in my opinion, lower them, and why? To help the students and better educate them? No, you can educate people about alcohol abuse without lowering the standards of the University.
I am going to indirectly quote my preacher whom I think will be okay with that. This past weekend, he had an outstanding sermon about "Fast Food Religion". Just like Burger King, everybody wants to "have it their way." Some churches are catering to those people and we are weakening the church by allowing everyone to do what they want because it feels good. This sermon is exactly what ACU is doing. They are weakening the church and their stance by letting everyone, "Have it their way".
I believe that ACU is wrong for doing what they have done and for many other standards that have gone by the way side. I am sad, I am really sad, that ACU allows influences of the world to rewrite their policies.
I am still feeling a little nauseous and light headed, even after being assured that the online editor would remove the quote (she was very nice, but assured me that they could quote me without my permission. Could my legal representative respond...Chris?) Anyway, I am still shaking from anger, embarrassment, and humiliation. Thank goodness I had not posted naked pictures huh?
I have read most of the comments and I'm sure that you are reading the ones that were posted here, and let me assure everyone, I do understand what is going on at ACU. To reply to one person who suggested that, "maybe you should take a tour of the campus," I spent four years there. I am an alumni. I know a lot about ACU.
Almost everybody disagreed with me. Everybody seems to think that it is okay for ACU to change the standards and in my opinion, lower them, and why? To help the students and better educate them? No, you can educate people about alcohol abuse without lowering the standards of the University.
I am going to indirectly quote my preacher whom I think will be okay with that. This past weekend, he had an outstanding sermon about "Fast Food Religion". Just like Burger King, everybody wants to "have it their way." Some churches are catering to those people and we are weakening the church by allowing everyone to do what they want because it feels good. This sermon is exactly what ACU is doing. They are weakening the church and their stance by letting everyone, "Have it their way".
I believe that ACU is wrong for doing what they have done and for many other standards that have gone by the way side. I am sad, I am really sad, that ACU allows influences of the world to rewrite their policies.
Monday, April 14, 2008
You Have Got To Stand For Something....
There is an old country song that contains the lyrics, "You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.." That is the first thing I thought of when I was told at church yesterday morning to check out the Abilene Reporter News web site and look at Friday's front page. When I logged on, staring me in the face was the headline "ACU changes alcohol policy."
The article was not well written, in fact it was almost unreadable in some parts (that's the Reporter News for you), but as I read it aloud to David, I felt a lump in the pit of my stomach. The just of the article states that there will be a new policy for the 2008-2009 school year removing all sanctions for students of legal drinking age who drink off campus.
As we talked about this, we both felt sick and heart broken as we realized that this was just another step ACU has taken, allowing the world's standards to invade the Christian standards that the school was founded on. We have been gone for several years (is it really almost 10?) and so much as changed in those years. I think that I must feel like those "old-timers" (mom!) who remember when girls were not allowed to wear pants to class, and myself feel like an old timer when I think, "What is next?"
Since David and I left ACU, there is no curfew for sophomores in the dorms, they have lifted the ban on faculty social drinking, there are "chapel groups" all over campus instead of the entire student body meeting together three out of the five days a week, you can get chapel credit at night, there are housing complexes that house both men and women, the school allowed a gay rights group to hold a meeting, and now students will be allowed to drink off campus without consequences.
Maybe David and I are getting too old and conservative, but we have some really strong ideas about where ACU is headed and it really bothers us. In the past couple of years, ACU has not advertised record enrollment numbers and in fact, we have read where numbers of enrollment has dropped. Could these changes to be "more like the world", be based on politics and money, rather than finding ways to continue serving God and giving students a controlled, structured environment to learn to make decisions instead of giving them an open door to fall on their faces?
David and I were by far not model ACU students. We both made poor decisions, but I know at least for me, I stopped short of making horrible decisions because of the guidelines of the school (and because I knew that no matter what the school did, what dad would do would be 100 times worse!!). I am so glad that I had a curfew the first two years that I was in Abilene because I know that being required to be back "home", helped me make some of the tough decisions and gave me an excuse to not do some things. By the time I moved off campus as a junior (everyone had to live on campus the first two years when I was there), I had a job, I had gotten over that initial "FREEDOM", and I was much more prepared to make decisions that would take care of me. I am glad that ACU was looking out for my well being when I was trying out my wings.
Now, when I was 18, I would have said just the opposite. I rebelled at the thought of all that control the school had. I stood with the best of them and said, "The school can't tell me what to do!" As an adult now, and as a parent, I sometimes wish they had been stricter - maybe I would not have faced all of the heart break that came from my own stupid and selfish decisions.
I might have done fine at a school where no one cared when or if you came home or what you did. The temptations might not have seemed so good if they had not been forbidden, but I might not have. Only by the grace of God and ACU's policies did I come out as unscathed as I did.
I doubt that David and I are alone when we are very discouraged by the changing policies and the lowering of the Christian standards that ACU continues to act upon. I know that we are not the only alumni-parents who probably will not be encouraging ACU (who knows what they will allow in 15 years!).
ACU, you can change your standards and according to the dean of student life, "make the policy stricter in some ways..." (you are going to allow students to drink off campus - how is that going to be more strict??), but you are going to change the type of students who come to the university. You will loose what you have always stood for. Once you start giving in to the world's standards, it will not stop.
God doesn't change. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God's standard's do not change. The standards of a "Christian University" should not change either.
The article was not well written, in fact it was almost unreadable in some parts (that's the Reporter News for you), but as I read it aloud to David, I felt a lump in the pit of my stomach. The just of the article states that there will be a new policy for the 2008-2009 school year removing all sanctions for students of legal drinking age who drink off campus.
As we talked about this, we both felt sick and heart broken as we realized that this was just another step ACU has taken, allowing the world's standards to invade the Christian standards that the school was founded on. We have been gone for several years (is it really almost 10?) and so much as changed in those years. I think that I must feel like those "old-timers" (mom!) who remember when girls were not allowed to wear pants to class, and myself feel like an old timer when I think, "What is next?"
Since David and I left ACU, there is no curfew for sophomores in the dorms, they have lifted the ban on faculty social drinking, there are "chapel groups" all over campus instead of the entire student body meeting together three out of the five days a week, you can get chapel credit at night, there are housing complexes that house both men and women, the school allowed a gay rights group to hold a meeting, and now students will be allowed to drink off campus without consequences.
Maybe David and I are getting too old and conservative, but we have some really strong ideas about where ACU is headed and it really bothers us. In the past couple of years, ACU has not advertised record enrollment numbers and in fact, we have read where numbers of enrollment has dropped. Could these changes to be "more like the world", be based on politics and money, rather than finding ways to continue serving God and giving students a controlled, structured environment to learn to make decisions instead of giving them an open door to fall on their faces?
David and I were by far not model ACU students. We both made poor decisions, but I know at least for me, I stopped short of making horrible decisions because of the guidelines of the school (and because I knew that no matter what the school did, what dad would do would be 100 times worse!!). I am so glad that I had a curfew the first two years that I was in Abilene because I know that being required to be back "home", helped me make some of the tough decisions and gave me an excuse to not do some things. By the time I moved off campus as a junior (everyone had to live on campus the first two years when I was there), I had a job, I had gotten over that initial "FREEDOM", and I was much more prepared to make decisions that would take care of me. I am glad that ACU was looking out for my well being when I was trying out my wings.
Now, when I was 18, I would have said just the opposite. I rebelled at the thought of all that control the school had. I stood with the best of them and said, "The school can't tell me what to do!" As an adult now, and as a parent, I sometimes wish they had been stricter - maybe I would not have faced all of the heart break that came from my own stupid and selfish decisions.
I might have done fine at a school where no one cared when or if you came home or what you did. The temptations might not have seemed so good if they had not been forbidden, but I might not have. Only by the grace of God and ACU's policies did I come out as unscathed as I did.
I doubt that David and I are alone when we are very discouraged by the changing policies and the lowering of the Christian standards that ACU continues to act upon. I know that we are not the only alumni-parents who probably will not be encouraging ACU (who knows what they will allow in 15 years!).
ACU, you can change your standards and according to the dean of student life, "make the policy stricter in some ways..." (you are going to allow students to drink off campus - how is that going to be more strict??), but you are going to change the type of students who come to the university. You will loose what you have always stood for. Once you start giving in to the world's standards, it will not stop.
God doesn't change. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God's standard's do not change. The standards of a "Christian University" should not change either.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Hillary, You Might Want To Tell Bill To Move On....
Hillary has been highly criticized regarding her statement about having to "dodge bullets in Bosnia" when she was visiting there with her daughter several years ago, during Bill Clinton's term in office. The press went crazy trying to find footage of this, but came up empty handed, on the bullets flying anyway. They did find footage of her and Chelsea walking off an Air Force jet in Bosnia, very calmly, greeting people and shaking hands. Leave it to the press to find the actual Air Force pilot who flew them in. She backed away from the story, even making an attempt at joking about it with Jay Leno. The joke didn't work by the way - it would have worked had she not made the original comment herself, but she did, so it didn't.
Anyway, the press was moving on, digging up other stuff, when yesterday, her dear husband made a comment about it at a rally. He said, "She just made a mistake, she was tired, it was late at night." First of all, how do you make a mistake about whether or not you were shot at in Bosnia. I don't know about you, but I don't think that is something I would forget easily or confuse with another event - it is not like she has been shot at so many times. "Just another day at the office!" Second, Matt Lauer made the observation this morning on the "Today Show" that Hillary told the story not once, but three times, and two of those times were on morning talk shows. Can't you hear the conversation tonight at dinner, "Thanks a lot Bill, we had moved on, and you have to bring up the whole Bosnia thing again. Can't you just keep your mouth shut!"
This is not the only story that Hillary has evidently added details to for drama. She has also been criticized for one of her "sob" stories about insurance or lack there of. Recently she has been talking about a woman who could not receive care and subsequently died because she did not have health insurance. When the facts came out, it seems that the woman did have heath insurance and the hospital in question had did not deny her care, in fact they have no record of her ever seeking care.
Hillary really needs to start getting her stories straight. The Internet allows access to way to much information to try and "sneak" on past the American public. Wonder if she has ever heard the one about the boy who cried wolf?
Anyway, the press was moving on, digging up other stuff, when yesterday, her dear husband made a comment about it at a rally. He said, "She just made a mistake, she was tired, it was late at night." First of all, how do you make a mistake about whether or not you were shot at in Bosnia. I don't know about you, but I don't think that is something I would forget easily or confuse with another event - it is not like she has been shot at so many times. "Just another day at the office!" Second, Matt Lauer made the observation this morning on the "Today Show" that Hillary told the story not once, but three times, and two of those times were on morning talk shows. Can't you hear the conversation tonight at dinner, "Thanks a lot Bill, we had moved on, and you have to bring up the whole Bosnia thing again. Can't you just keep your mouth shut!"
This is not the only story that Hillary has evidently added details to for drama. She has also been criticized for one of her "sob" stories about insurance or lack there of. Recently she has been talking about a woman who could not receive care and subsequently died because she did not have health insurance. When the facts came out, it seems that the woman did have heath insurance and the hospital in question had did not deny her care, in fact they have no record of her ever seeking care.
Hillary really needs to start getting her stories straight. The Internet allows access to way to much information to try and "sneak" on past the American public. Wonder if she has ever heard the one about the boy who cried wolf?
McCain Suprises "Idol" Fans With Humor!
I have made a big effort to stay away from talking about pop culture for fear that if my readers found out about my addiction to "American Idol" and "Dancing With The Stars", they would somehow respect my political opinions less (if it is possible to respect them any less!). However, last night all three candidates did their part to raise funds for "Idol Gives Back", so I can combine reality TV and the presidential election! Who would have thought?
If you are not an "Idol" fan, for two years now, "American Idol" has held a telethon/fund raiser during the season for under privileged children around the world. Many stars show up, there is a lot of singing, the clips of African children that make you cry, you get the picture. Last year they raised over $75 million dollars and figures from this year are around $60 million so far. Last night, all three presidential candidates spoke out to encourage viewers to give and I can't believe that I am saying this, but John McCain was the most impressive, not because he had great, motivational things to say, but because he was funny - almost human like!
Hillary started off, looking slightly better than death warmed over, and talked about how good it is to help others and we can't really call ourselves Americans if we don't help.....yada, yada, you get the idea - nothing great. Disappointingly, Obama was not that much better. I mean this is his speciality - motivating and pulling heart strings. I felt like I should put wax in my ears before he spoke, like the mythological sailors did as to not be tempted by the sirens singing, but it was unnecessary. He mentioned how his daughters were fans of the show and it is important to give to change the world...yada, yada.
But in between the two democrats, we saw some actual republican humor. McCain started out by telling viewers that there was "really no difference between "American Idol" and the primary elections, except that voters in Florida and Michigan get a chance to be heard" HA! Then after a few worlds about the importance of giving - sorry, I didn't get the exact wording, I was trying to recover from his completely unexpected joke - he said more funny stuff! McCain said that he had to close because "he was going to work on his new immigration plan, so Simon better watch out!" (If you are not a viewer, Simon is the judge from England that no body likes because he tells the truth to the contestants, even when they sound terrible.) I don't know if he watches "Idol" or not, but if not, he has an awesome "Idol" advisor, because to come on with comments like that, made him not only relate to the average "Idol" watcher, but made him almost, for a second, likable.
Thank goodness for TiVo so I could rewind and hear this again. No, this is not going to change my opinion about him as our next president, but it does give me just a hint of faith that he might have some (and I use some very lightly) redeeming qualities. He still doesn't know if we are fighting the Sunni's or Shiite's in Iraq (which is important for our next president), but he does know who Simon Cowell is.
If you are not an "Idol" fan, for two years now, "American Idol" has held a telethon/fund raiser during the season for under privileged children around the world. Many stars show up, there is a lot of singing, the clips of African children that make you cry, you get the picture. Last year they raised over $75 million dollars and figures from this year are around $60 million so far. Last night, all three presidential candidates spoke out to encourage viewers to give and I can't believe that I am saying this, but John McCain was the most impressive, not because he had great, motivational things to say, but because he was funny - almost human like!
Hillary started off, looking slightly better than death warmed over, and talked about how good it is to help others and we can't really call ourselves Americans if we don't help.....yada, yada, you get the idea - nothing great. Disappointingly, Obama was not that much better. I mean this is his speciality - motivating and pulling heart strings. I felt like I should put wax in my ears before he spoke, like the mythological sailors did as to not be tempted by the sirens singing, but it was unnecessary. He mentioned how his daughters were fans of the show and it is important to give to change the world...yada, yada.
But in between the two democrats, we saw some actual republican humor. McCain started out by telling viewers that there was "really no difference between "American Idol" and the primary elections, except that voters in Florida and Michigan get a chance to be heard" HA! Then after a few worlds about the importance of giving - sorry, I didn't get the exact wording, I was trying to recover from his completely unexpected joke - he said more funny stuff! McCain said that he had to close because "he was going to work on his new immigration plan, so Simon better watch out!" (If you are not a viewer, Simon is the judge from England that no body likes because he tells the truth to the contestants, even when they sound terrible.) I don't know if he watches "Idol" or not, but if not, he has an awesome "Idol" advisor, because to come on with comments like that, made him not only relate to the average "Idol" watcher, but made him almost, for a second, likable.
Thank goodness for TiVo so I could rewind and hear this again. No, this is not going to change my opinion about him as our next president, but it does give me just a hint of faith that he might have some (and I use some very lightly) redeeming qualities. He still doesn't know if we are fighting the Sunni's or Shiite's in Iraq (which is important for our next president), but he does know who Simon Cowell is.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Babies Are Not A Punishment Mr. Obama!
A few days ago, the right wing press had a field day, when Barack described an unwanted teen pregnancy as a "punishment", when asked about abortion. He said that he "supports abortion because he would not want his daughters to be punished with a baby. " This completely broke my heart and has left a sick feeling in my stomach. I don't think that I was alone when I was really hoping that he had completely misspoken and would come back with some sort of apology or response, but as the days go on and nothing has been said from him, we are being led to believe that he said exactly what he intended to. Would he really feel that way if it was his grandchild?
Mr. Obama, as a father you should know that babies are not a punishment, whether born to a teenage mother or to a married couple wanting a child. Baby's are a blessing. End of story. While teen pregnancy and parenthood is not a good thing or something to be glorified, the baby, the innocent victim, is not a punishment. While I wish things in our society were different, never should we believe that a child, a new life, could in anyway, be someones punishment.
There are thousands of good homes for these "punishments" if teenagers would make responsible choices and place unplanned babies into the arms of parents who are aching for a child, but unable to have their own. There, punishment gone, no baby had to die.
Mr. Obama, as a father you should know that babies are not a punishment, whether born to a teenage mother or to a married couple wanting a child. Baby's are a blessing. End of story. While teen pregnancy and parenthood is not a good thing or something to be glorified, the baby, the innocent victim, is not a punishment. While I wish things in our society were different, never should we believe that a child, a new life, could in anyway, be someones punishment.
There are thousands of good homes for these "punishments" if teenagers would make responsible choices and place unplanned babies into the arms of parents who are aching for a child, but unable to have their own. There, punishment gone, no baby had to die.
Michelle Robinson Obama: What You See Is What You Get
Michelle Robinson was born on January 14, 1964 in Chicago where she grew up. She graduated from Princeton in 1985 with a degree in Sociology and African American Studies and then completed her law degree from Harvard.
Michelle and Barack met in 1989 when Michelle, who was an associate at the Chicago Law Firm, Sidley & Austin, was assigned to advise a summer associate from Harvard, Barack Obama. The HR manager in me sees big issues with this!!! The two were married in 1992 at Trinity United, the infamous Rev. Wright conducting the service. Malia Ann was born in 1999 and Natasha in 2001.
Even when Barack was elected to the senate, the two kept their home and family in Chicago, with Barack traveling home every weekend. In 2005, Michelle made this statement in the Chicago Tribune about the living arrangements, "We made a good decision to stay in Chicago to keep our family stable. There has been very little transition for the girls. Barack commutes a lot, but he is the grown-up." I really like this comment, because it tells me that the family is one of Michelle's focuses and the Barack's realize that the children must be looked out for first, long before the desires or goals of the adults.
Michelle has a long resume of public service jobs. After leaving Sidley & Austin in 1991, she became the Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development for the City of Chicago. Two years later she became the Founding Executive Director of Public Allies of Chicago, which is an organization that focuses on leadership training for young adults to develop skills for careers in the public sector. In 1996 she became the Associate Dean of Student Services for the University of Chicago and 9 years later was promoted to Vice President of Community and External Affairs of the University of Chicago Medical Center. During the past year Michelle has decreased her workload to about 20% to ensure that her family is taken care of and to be able to join Barack on the campaign trail.
She has emphasised that with the Obama's "What you see is what you get." She has received criticism for not always putting her husband on the pedestal that one would expect from a candidates wife. She has on many occasions, describe Barack as "just a man who can't get his socks in the hamper and who leaves the butter on the table after breakfast." You never know in politics if someone is being up front and is "real" or if they are reading from a script, but if Michelle has been "scripted" they have a really good advisor. To me, these statements make Barack real, not some unreachable figure head, above the average citizen. This is one of the reasons that I think he has been so successful, because this "just a regular guy" routine has made people feel involved and feel like they really know the Obama's. These words, also make Michelle more likable or more easy to relate to, especially for women. I can see average women feeling as though they are talking to a girlfriend about their husbands and how they can't get them to clean up after themselves. It seems to be working for them.
One of the biggest stumbles in Michelle's support came in February after the Wisconsin primary where she said at a rally in Milwaukee, "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are ready for a change." I along with millions of others have had a hard time swallowing this statement. I have a hard time believing that in her 44 years, there has been nothing that she could have been proud of in relation to being American. She has been able to get an education, she can attend church where she wants to, and she has been able to work in her community without any restrictions. I don't know any American who was not proud of their country after 9-11 and since the race card keeps coming up, I can't believe that Martin Luther King did not stir up any pride. Like all of the candidates and their spouses, things are said in the heat of the moment, and I feel like this could have been one of those times where she did not say exactly what she meant. Maybe not however, maybe she has not had any moments in her life when she was proud of her country. That would be really sad.
Michelle seems to be a smart, down to earth, family first woman, who could, if all of her qualities, prove true, be a huge asset to a president.
Michelle and Barack met in 1989 when Michelle, who was an associate at the Chicago Law Firm, Sidley & Austin, was assigned to advise a summer associate from Harvard, Barack Obama. The HR manager in me sees big issues with this!!! The two were married in 1992 at Trinity United, the infamous Rev. Wright conducting the service. Malia Ann was born in 1999 and Natasha in 2001.
Even when Barack was elected to the senate, the two kept their home and family in Chicago, with Barack traveling home every weekend. In 2005, Michelle made this statement in the Chicago Tribune about the living arrangements, "We made a good decision to stay in Chicago to keep our family stable. There has been very little transition for the girls. Barack commutes a lot, but he is the grown-up." I really like this comment, because it tells me that the family is one of Michelle's focuses and the Barack's realize that the children must be looked out for first, long before the desires or goals of the adults.
Michelle has a long resume of public service jobs. After leaving Sidley & Austin in 1991, she became the Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development for the City of Chicago. Two years later she became the Founding Executive Director of Public Allies of Chicago, which is an organization that focuses on leadership training for young adults to develop skills for careers in the public sector. In 1996 she became the Associate Dean of Student Services for the University of Chicago and 9 years later was promoted to Vice President of Community and External Affairs of the University of Chicago Medical Center. During the past year Michelle has decreased her workload to about 20% to ensure that her family is taken care of and to be able to join Barack on the campaign trail.
She has emphasised that with the Obama's "What you see is what you get." She has received criticism for not always putting her husband on the pedestal that one would expect from a candidates wife. She has on many occasions, describe Barack as "just a man who can't get his socks in the hamper and who leaves the butter on the table after breakfast." You never know in politics if someone is being up front and is "real" or if they are reading from a script, but if Michelle has been "scripted" they have a really good advisor. To me, these statements make Barack real, not some unreachable figure head, above the average citizen. This is one of the reasons that I think he has been so successful, because this "just a regular guy" routine has made people feel involved and feel like they really know the Obama's. These words, also make Michelle more likable or more easy to relate to, especially for women. I can see average women feeling as though they are talking to a girlfriend about their husbands and how they can't get them to clean up after themselves. It seems to be working for them.
One of the biggest stumbles in Michelle's support came in February after the Wisconsin primary where she said at a rally in Milwaukee, "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are ready for a change." I along with millions of others have had a hard time swallowing this statement. I have a hard time believing that in her 44 years, there has been nothing that she could have been proud of in relation to being American. She has been able to get an education, she can attend church where she wants to, and she has been able to work in her community without any restrictions. I don't know any American who was not proud of their country after 9-11 and since the race card keeps coming up, I can't believe that Martin Luther King did not stir up any pride. Like all of the candidates and their spouses, things are said in the heat of the moment, and I feel like this could have been one of those times where she did not say exactly what she meant. Maybe not however, maybe she has not had any moments in her life when she was proud of her country. That would be really sad.
Michelle seems to be a smart, down to earth, family first woman, who could, if all of her qualities, prove true, be a huge asset to a president.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Have I Been Too Ugly? Here Comes The Guilt.....
I am sorry if I have been to hard on the McCain's. They are probably very nice. As with all of our past and present military, I am thankful that John and his sons were and are willing to serve. I know that the organizations that Cindy supports are great and do great work. She has to be a "Super-Woman" to do all that she does, run her business, and take care of her family.
I just think that things that go on in people's lives and decisions they have made tell a lot about who they are and what they really think deep down. Even in college, when I was not making the best decisions of my life, I would never have dated a married man (he was legally married until a month before he married Cindy). I would not have stolen from my charity to support my addiction to pain medication.
I have made questionable decisions in my youth (I am still in my youth, although my decisions are much better) and but all of my decisions tell who I was and to an extent who I still am. Do I regret some of those, yes, as I'm sure the McCain's do too.
I am not attempting to have a gossip blog (there are plenty of those), only to let you know some of the things about the candidates that make an impression on me.
Okay - a little of the guilt of trashing the McCain's is gone! On to the Obama's!
I just think that things that go on in people's lives and decisions they have made tell a lot about who they are and what they really think deep down. Even in college, when I was not making the best decisions of my life, I would never have dated a married man (he was legally married until a month before he married Cindy). I would not have stolen from my charity to support my addiction to pain medication.
I have made questionable decisions in my youth (I am still in my youth, although my decisions are much better) and but all of my decisions tell who I was and to an extent who I still am. Do I regret some of those, yes, as I'm sure the McCain's do too.
I am not attempting to have a gossip blog (there are plenty of those), only to let you know some of the things about the candidates that make an impression on me.
Okay - a little of the guilt of trashing the McCain's is gone! On to the Obama's!
Cindy Hensley McCain: The Young, Beautiful Trophy Wife
(Although, the "trophy" must be getting kind of dusty, because he has kept her around for 28 years)
Cindy Hensley met John McCain at a military reception in Honolulu in 1979 (side note remember when McCain's divorce from his first wife was finalized? I'll tell you later). According to him, he fell in love that night and they were married on May 17, 1980 (Divorced finalized April 1980) in Phoenix where they still live today. The couple has four children: Meghan, born in 1984, a journalist, John IV who was born in 1986 who is an officer in the Navy, James, born in 1988, a marine, and Bridget born in 1991, who was adopted from Bangladesh.
Cindy lists her occupation as "educator, philanthropist, and Chairman of Hensley & Company (her family's business). She went to college at the University of Southern California where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Education and a Master's degree in Special Education. She taught special education for many years at Agua Fria HS in Arizona.
Cindy founded and ran the American Voluntary Medical Team, a non-profit organization that provides emergency medical and surgical treatment to impoverished children around the world until its was dissolved in 1995 after Cindy admitted to being addicted to Percocet and Vicodin that she took from the organization. Her husband says that was one of her greatest struggles first to rid herself of the addiction and later to admit her mistake. How kind of him.
Currently Cindy is the Chairman of Hensley and Company, which is one of the largest Anheusier Busch distributors in the nation. This is her family company and reports last week said that she is worth about $100 million dollars as head of the company. (Just a side note, in that same article, it said that she and John McCain have a very detailed pre-numptual agreement that secures all of her money. Smart move to her dad or who ever thought of this when she married John McCain. The odds were not in her favor..)
She also serves on the board of several organizations including HALO Trust, a non-profit dedicated to land mine removal and weapons destruction in war torn countries (I bet John helps her with this one, especially if he can be around the weapons before they are destroyed - "Guns, I like guns"), Operation Smile, a non profit that repairs cleft lips, cleft pallets, and other facial deformities of children around the world, and CARE, USA, which fights against global poverty of women.
In 2004, Cindy suffered a stroke, but was able to recover fully. (Guess she is lucky John stuck around)
Currently, she is staying active on the campaign trail with her husband.
Cindy Hensley met John McCain at a military reception in Honolulu in 1979 (side note remember when McCain's divorce from his first wife was finalized? I'll tell you later). According to him, he fell in love that night and they were married on May 17, 1980 (Divorced finalized April 1980) in Phoenix where they still live today. The couple has four children: Meghan, born in 1984, a journalist, John IV who was born in 1986 who is an officer in the Navy, James, born in 1988, a marine, and Bridget born in 1991, who was adopted from Bangladesh.
Cindy lists her occupation as "educator, philanthropist, and Chairman of Hensley & Company (her family's business). She went to college at the University of Southern California where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Education and a Master's degree in Special Education. She taught special education for many years at Agua Fria HS in Arizona.
Cindy founded and ran the American Voluntary Medical Team, a non-profit organization that provides emergency medical and surgical treatment to impoverished children around the world until its was dissolved in 1995 after Cindy admitted to being addicted to Percocet and Vicodin that she took from the organization. Her husband says that was one of her greatest struggles first to rid herself of the addiction and later to admit her mistake. How kind of him.
Currently Cindy is the Chairman of Hensley and Company, which is one of the largest Anheusier Busch distributors in the nation. This is her family company and reports last week said that she is worth about $100 million dollars as head of the company. (Just a side note, in that same article, it said that she and John McCain have a very detailed pre-numptual agreement that secures all of her money. Smart move to her dad or who ever thought of this when she married John McCain. The odds were not in her favor..)
She also serves on the board of several organizations including HALO Trust, a non-profit dedicated to land mine removal and weapons destruction in war torn countries (I bet John helps her with this one, especially if he can be around the weapons before they are destroyed - "Guns, I like guns"), Operation Smile, a non profit that repairs cleft lips, cleft pallets, and other facial deformities of children around the world, and CARE, USA, which fights against global poverty of women.
In 2004, Cindy suffered a stroke, but was able to recover fully. (Guess she is lucky John stuck around)
Currently, she is staying active on the campaign trail with her husband.
Carol Shipp: The Forgotten First Wife
Did you know that Cindy McCain is not John McCain's first wife? Most people don't. It is not something that the McCain's have gone into great detail about and very little is known about or can be found out about Carol Shipp, John's first wife.
John McCain met Carol Shipp while he was a student at Annapolis in 1964. Carol was a model and single mother who, according to some reports, lost her first husband in Vietnam. The two were married July 3, 1965. John later adopted her sons, Doug, an airline pilot, and Andrew, a business executive, and in 1966 the two had a daughter Sidney Ann, who is in the music industry.
John and Carol divorced in 1980, several years after John, a Vietnam POW, was released.
Robert Tembergy, author of John McCain: An American Odyssey, wrote about the two in his book, "If there was a couple that deserved to make it it was John and Carol. They endured nearly 6 years of unspeakable traumas with courage and grace. (talking about John's years as a POW during which Carol was involved in a serious car accident that left her partially disabled) In the end it was not enough. The conventional view is that John came home not to the Long Tall Sally of his prison imagines, but to a real woman, older, shorter, and crippled. Before long he began to stray."
Oh where can I begin? First of all, John McCain was probably not quite the stud he was before he was held for those five years either. Seems to me he had to go through extensive surgeries and therapy to recover from his injuries. What are the lines to those vows, ....in sickness and in health... According to everything I found, Carol remained a faithful, steady support for her husband in some of the worst circumstances I can imagine, but she just wasn't the hot model he left behind anymore. No, kidding! She had gone through five years of hell, waking up everyday not knowing if her husband was alive or dead, not even fathoming what was being done to him, raising three young children, not to mention, almost being killed herself in a car accident that left her partially disabled.
In Temberg's same book, Carol talked about the break up of their marriage, "The breakup of our marriage was not caused by my accident or the Vietnam was. It might have happened even if John had not been gone. I attribute it more to John being 40 and wanting to be 25 again more than anything else."
What a woman! I'm not sure I could be so kind, but after the passing of time, it seems like she has let go of any bitterness that she once might have had and you have to applaud her for that. My thoughts on John wanting to be "25 again"? Oh well, you are not 25. You have a wife and children and that is the way life is. Grow up, get over yourself, and face your responsibility.
I don't want to make light of the fact that John McCain was held as a Vietnam POW and went through some of the most horrific things that anyone could think of. I was talking to my dad about this several months ago and he told me about how much war changes people. He also expressed just how much something like being held as a POW for that length of time could make you a different person. I know he is right, I know even from the books I have read about the Iraq war and the things that those men and women see could only change the way you looked at things and felt about things. He talked to me about how the men who came back from Vietnam were entirely different people especially those who were held as POWs. But I ask myself, does that release them from their responsibility and commitments that were made before they left? I can't believe that it does. And in John McCain's case, he completely denies that his leaving was even due to the war as he talked about in his book, Worth Fighting For where he said, "My marriage's collapse was attributable to my own selfishness and immaturity more than it was to Vietnam, and I cannot escape blame by pointing my finger at the war. The blame was entirely mine."
He also commented in his book, Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life, "Today in our psychoanalyzed society, sharing one's secret fears with others takes courage. So does escaping a failing marriage." Um, so does sticking with a failing marriage and making it work. Actually I think sticking with something takes more courage than leaving.
Very little is known about the woman who was married to John McCain first. She has stayed out of the press and out of the spotlight, which probably means, she has stayed out of trouble and has lead a quiet, decent life. If anyone ever hears anything else, let me know.
John McCain met Carol Shipp while he was a student at Annapolis in 1964. Carol was a model and single mother who, according to some reports, lost her first husband in Vietnam. The two were married July 3, 1965. John later adopted her sons, Doug, an airline pilot, and Andrew, a business executive, and in 1966 the two had a daughter Sidney Ann, who is in the music industry.
John and Carol divorced in 1980, several years after John, a Vietnam POW, was released.
Robert Tembergy, author of John McCain: An American Odyssey, wrote about the two in his book, "If there was a couple that deserved to make it it was John and Carol. They endured nearly 6 years of unspeakable traumas with courage and grace. (talking about John's years as a POW during which Carol was involved in a serious car accident that left her partially disabled) In the end it was not enough. The conventional view is that John came home not to the Long Tall Sally of his prison imagines, but to a real woman, older, shorter, and crippled. Before long he began to stray."
Oh where can I begin? First of all, John McCain was probably not quite the stud he was before he was held for those five years either. Seems to me he had to go through extensive surgeries and therapy to recover from his injuries. What are the lines to those vows, ....in sickness and in health... According to everything I found, Carol remained a faithful, steady support for her husband in some of the worst circumstances I can imagine, but she just wasn't the hot model he left behind anymore. No, kidding! She had gone through five years of hell, waking up everyday not knowing if her husband was alive or dead, not even fathoming what was being done to him, raising three young children, not to mention, almost being killed herself in a car accident that left her partially disabled.
In Temberg's same book, Carol talked about the break up of their marriage, "The breakup of our marriage was not caused by my accident or the Vietnam was. It might have happened even if John had not been gone. I attribute it more to John being 40 and wanting to be 25 again more than anything else."
What a woman! I'm not sure I could be so kind, but after the passing of time, it seems like she has let go of any bitterness that she once might have had and you have to applaud her for that. My thoughts on John wanting to be "25 again"? Oh well, you are not 25. You have a wife and children and that is the way life is. Grow up, get over yourself, and face your responsibility.
I don't want to make light of the fact that John McCain was held as a Vietnam POW and went through some of the most horrific things that anyone could think of. I was talking to my dad about this several months ago and he told me about how much war changes people. He also expressed just how much something like being held as a POW for that length of time could make you a different person. I know he is right, I know even from the books I have read about the Iraq war and the things that those men and women see could only change the way you looked at things and felt about things. He talked to me about how the men who came back from Vietnam were entirely different people especially those who were held as POWs. But I ask myself, does that release them from their responsibility and commitments that were made before they left? I can't believe that it does. And in John McCain's case, he completely denies that his leaving was even due to the war as he talked about in his book, Worth Fighting For where he said, "My marriage's collapse was attributable to my own selfishness and immaturity more than it was to Vietnam, and I cannot escape blame by pointing my finger at the war. The blame was entirely mine."
He also commented in his book, Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life, "Today in our psychoanalyzed society, sharing one's secret fears with others takes courage. So does escaping a failing marriage." Um, so does sticking with a failing marriage and making it work. Actually I think sticking with something takes more courage than leaving.
Very little is known about the woman who was married to John McCain first. She has stayed out of the press and out of the spotlight, which probably means, she has stayed out of trouble and has lead a quiet, decent life. If anyone ever hears anything else, let me know.
The Other Half: A Short Series
Since politics has been fairly boring lately, I decided to do a short series on the candidates spouses. There have been some very lovely first ladies, some not so lovely, and some we could notorious. It is hard to define what makes a first lady. In the past 16 years, we have both ends of the spectrum starting with the "Hillary Clinton Type" and the latest being the "Laura Bush Type". Who do you prefer? I'll take a poll and discuss the results in a later post along with some of my favorite first ladies.
Anyway, the series will be short. I am leaving out Bill Clinton. I'm not sure if I hear groaning of disappointment or shouts of relief, but I think that everyone knows much more than they ever wanted to about Bill Clinton and from the readers that I know, few want him to be "first gentleman" (as if you could even put the words Bill Clinton and gentleman in a sentence together!).
I was going to try at first to just state the facts and leave my sarcastic, but sometimes humorous comments to myself, but what fun would that be? Anything that I come up with myself and my editorial comments will be in red.
I will start with Carol Shipp. Who is Carol Shipp you ask? Guess you will have to keep reading....
Anyway, the series will be short. I am leaving out Bill Clinton. I'm not sure if I hear groaning of disappointment or shouts of relief, but I think that everyone knows much more than they ever wanted to about Bill Clinton and from the readers that I know, few want him to be "first gentleman" (as if you could even put the words Bill Clinton and gentleman in a sentence together!).
I was going to try at first to just state the facts and leave my sarcastic, but sometimes humorous comments to myself, but what fun would that be? Anything that I come up with myself and my editorial comments will be in red.
I will start with Carol Shipp. Who is Carol Shipp you ask? Guess you will have to keep reading....
Friday, April 4, 2008
"There is no such thing as a pledged delegate...."
That quote is from our lady of the hour, Hillary Clinton. It is a far cry from earlier when she was raving about how many pledged delegates she had. Now we see, when the race is closing in and it seems that all the super delegates are jumping on the Obama train, that her tune has changed.
It is true that a super delegate can change his or her alliance at anytime until the National Convention, but for those who have made a public declaration, it would be unlikely.
You have to give it to Hillary though, she is not a quitter. Current popular vote delegate count shows Obama with a 134 delegate lead or about 740,000 votes. He raised $40 million dollars in March which is almost double what Hillary raised and he is outspending her on TV ads 5 to 1 in Pennsylvania. Is the Clinton balloon loosing air?
Hillary is still holding on to her "non-pledged" super delegate lead of 250 to 219. There are however 255 uncommitted delegates (although according to Hillary, they are all uncommitted). Recently some "uncommitted" Hillary supporter super delegates, most notable governor of Pennsylvania, have said that they would be very unlikely to vote for the candidate who did not receive the popular vote during the primaries.
Hillary, bless her heart, is hanging on like a trooper. As I struggled to stay awake and listen to her on Jay Leno last night, she seems to be loosing her edge. Although she walked out on stage to the music from "Rocky" we will see if she can hold on and be the "come back kid".
It is true that a super delegate can change his or her alliance at anytime until the National Convention, but for those who have made a public declaration, it would be unlikely.
You have to give it to Hillary though, she is not a quitter. Current popular vote delegate count shows Obama with a 134 delegate lead or about 740,000 votes. He raised $40 million dollars in March which is almost double what Hillary raised and he is outspending her on TV ads 5 to 1 in Pennsylvania. Is the Clinton balloon loosing air?
Hillary is still holding on to her "non-pledged" super delegate lead of 250 to 219. There are however 255 uncommitted delegates (although according to Hillary, they are all uncommitted). Recently some "uncommitted" Hillary supporter super delegates, most notable governor of Pennsylvania, have said that they would be very unlikely to vote for the candidate who did not receive the popular vote during the primaries.
Hillary, bless her heart, is hanging on like a trooper. As I struggled to stay awake and listen to her on Jay Leno last night, she seems to be loosing her edge. Although she walked out on stage to the music from "Rocky" we will see if she can hold on and be the "come back kid".
Obama's Church Receives Violent Threats
No Kidding! I couldn't have seen that coming!
Despite the fact that the Rev. Wright made a hasty exit with reports saying that he "retired", he seemed to have left his church high and dry to deal with the result of his hate and rage. While Rev. Wright has canceled all speaking engagements and virtually disappeared, his congregation is being pummeled with threats of violence both in writing and over the phone.
Hum, I don't know who Rev. Wright could have angered or offended with his racial remarks and hatred for American. Maybe 99.9% of Americans? Lets narrow that down a bit. His remarks about American could have offended anyone who actually likes being an American or is as the song goes "Proud to be an American." Not enough for you? Maybe when he said that "white people are an evil force that should be destroyed" some Caucasian individuals were slightly displeased. Side note - Pastor Pete, have you seen this in the Bible? Maybe the comment he made about "Jesus being a 'brother'?" If you find it let me know, chapter and verse, because I haven't been able to reference some of his comments. If that is not enough, maybe, just maybe some of Rev. Wright's own "brother's and sister's", intelligent African Americans might have felt some embarrassment about his comments.
I know as a white individual, I am neither proud or supportive of white supremacists or skin heads or the ever popular KKK. I believe the hatred and non-tolerance they preach is wrong, just as I believe the hatred and non-tolerance Rev. Wright preaches is wrong and his "black liberation theology" is part of a bigger problem of racial division and intolerance. The things that he preaches are no different than the racial division issues that plagued the 60's only this time the parties involved have switched places.
Now then, are the people who are placing these threatening phone calls and sending hate mail to the church justified because of Rev. Wrights actions. Absolutely not. These people (who probably call themselves Christians) are only adding fuel to a burning fire and are not acting as Jesus would. Let's use the popular "What Would Jesus Do" to look at this situation. First of all, Jesus would forgive. Jesus taught us to forgive when people do wrong or when they hurt us. Next, Jesus would embrace those who are hurting. That includes those people offended, the members of Rev. Wright's former congregation, and even Rev. Wright. Finally, Jesus would do everything he could to bring people together with love and tolerance for one another.
When we look at this situation we need to ask who it hurt the most. I think the answer is Jesus. I believe whenever someone spews hate and anger in the name of Jesus, it is so painful to him. It weakens all churches and gives people an excuse to not be part of a church. Maybe if love was shown to Rev. Wright and his former church, from all races, he could then understand what Jesus said in Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Despite the fact that the Rev. Wright made a hasty exit with reports saying that he "retired", he seemed to have left his church high and dry to deal with the result of his hate and rage. While Rev. Wright has canceled all speaking engagements and virtually disappeared, his congregation is being pummeled with threats of violence both in writing and over the phone.
Hum, I don't know who Rev. Wright could have angered or offended with his racial remarks and hatred for American. Maybe 99.9% of Americans? Lets narrow that down a bit. His remarks about American could have offended anyone who actually likes being an American or is as the song goes "Proud to be an American." Not enough for you? Maybe when he said that "white people are an evil force that should be destroyed" some Caucasian individuals were slightly displeased. Side note - Pastor Pete, have you seen this in the Bible? Maybe the comment he made about "Jesus being a 'brother'?" If you find it let me know, chapter and verse, because I haven't been able to reference some of his comments. If that is not enough, maybe, just maybe some of Rev. Wright's own "brother's and sister's", intelligent African Americans might have felt some embarrassment about his comments.
I know as a white individual, I am neither proud or supportive of white supremacists or skin heads or the ever popular KKK. I believe the hatred and non-tolerance they preach is wrong, just as I believe the hatred and non-tolerance Rev. Wright preaches is wrong and his "black liberation theology" is part of a bigger problem of racial division and intolerance. The things that he preaches are no different than the racial division issues that plagued the 60's only this time the parties involved have switched places.
Now then, are the people who are placing these threatening phone calls and sending hate mail to the church justified because of Rev. Wrights actions. Absolutely not. These people (who probably call themselves Christians) are only adding fuel to a burning fire and are not acting as Jesus would. Let's use the popular "What Would Jesus Do" to look at this situation. First of all, Jesus would forgive. Jesus taught us to forgive when people do wrong or when they hurt us. Next, Jesus would embrace those who are hurting. That includes those people offended, the members of Rev. Wright's former congregation, and even Rev. Wright. Finally, Jesus would do everything he could to bring people together with love and tolerance for one another.
When we look at this situation we need to ask who it hurt the most. I think the answer is Jesus. I believe whenever someone spews hate and anger in the name of Jesus, it is so painful to him. It weakens all churches and gives people an excuse to not be part of a church. Maybe if love was shown to Rev. Wright and his former church, from all races, he could then understand what Jesus said in Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
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