FOOD!

Today was a long, tiring, hard day of stripping and waxing floors, so when I got home, I plopped down in my comfortable recliner and turned on the tube while I waited for my dinner to be delivered to me from an overpriced, but tasty steak delivery place. I surfed the channels until I ended up on the Food Network, Tivo would be well aquainted with this channel if I owned it. This evening, one of the regular hosts of a popular show was recounting her recent visit to England and France. It was an enjoyable diversion. The woman is a deep-fried southern woman, but I appreciated her respect for the culture and cuisine of her two host countries. It was funny to hear her speech, dripping with drawl in contrast to the distinct accents of the folks she interacted with. Paula, the Food Network host that to whom I am referring, spent a lot of time on the cuisine and the speciality food shops she visited. Her trip featured many. Now, I know that this was a show on the Food Network, so food was paramount, but I was struck by the fact that food never figured into my ideas of things I would focus on if I were ever to visit those two amazing countries. I am a history buff, so when I think of visiting Europe, I think in terms of history, food is only thought of in terms of what do I need to eat, not what food is here to amaze and delight me. After seeing this show, I plan on altering all my vacation plans to include some exploration of the food delicacies the places I visit have to offer. Right now, I want to take a cheese tasting trip...ANYWHERE. I love cheese.

Bon Appétit

Sometimes you just need to scream!!!

I have felt that way often over the last few months. My employees, my partner, my clients, my tenants, my life... ok, I guess you get the point. Life is not fun sometimes, in fact, there have been many times of late that I contemplated moving to the Ozarks and becoming a coon dog. I mean, a coon dog has a pretty good life. I would get free meals, a decent place to live. I'd have a special status in the local community, a place of honor among those men who consider shooting black rim- eyed varmints stuck up a tree a sport. What price would I have to pay for all this? Run around chasing the bandits of the woods until I run them up a tree. If I were a coon dog, that would not even be work, it would be fun!

Of course, then I come to my senses and say, "You'll never be able to be a coon dog, they have four legs and aren't fat." So I sit back and put my trials in perspective. It's then I realize that I have a good life and that life, while it is fun often, is also about trials, frustrations, and pain. They go together, fun and frustration. I also realize that some of the things that drive me to the brink of a primal scream are my fault, or at least partially my fault. I allow things to build to a breaking point, or my actions or inaction, leads others to feel that their behavior, the mind-numbingly frustrating behavior is just peachy-keen. If I want the behavior that sends my brain into overload to stop, I have to make it stop. I also realize that I am guilty of somethings that drive others to the brink and I need to be aware of that and stop that as well.

One final thought fills my head; God is in control of my life and He has a reason for what is happening to me. I need to stop beating my head against the bricks hoping that I won't feel any pain and ask Him what He wants or how He wants me to deal with the situations that I face. How can what I am experiencing and how can how I respond to what I am facing bring glory to Him.

Ok, so I don't need to scream anymore

(pssst. being a coon dog would still be sweet =) )

WORDS HAVE MEANINGS.
Yes, I know that sounds so lame, of course words have meanings, so why start a post with a lame statement? I start this post with that statement because so many people want to use words to scare people into following their political or ideological position. They want to use words incorrectly, disregard what a word actually means just like they disregard the facts.
Let me give you an example of what I am rambling about: AMNESTY. Do you know what it means? Here are a few definitions from various sources:
1). A general pardon granted by a government, especially for political offenses. (The American Heritage dictionary)
2). The act or an instance of forgiving (Houghton Mifflin Thesaurus)
3). In criminal law, a sovereign act of oblivion or forgetfulness (from Greek amnestia, "forgetfulness") granted by a government, especially to a group of persons who are guilty of (usually political) crimes in the past. It is often conditional upon the group's return to obedience and duty within a prescribed period. (Britantica Concise Encyclopedia)
4). The pardon of individuals or categories of people for the violation of law. (U.S. History Encyclopedia)
5). In law, exemption from prosecution for criminal action. (Columbia Encyclopedia)
6). The action of a government by which all persons or certain groups of persons who have committed a criminal offense...are granted immunity from prosecution. (Thomson Gale Law Encyclopedia)
I have used multiple definitions so one could not accuse me of cherry picking the definition. There is one other word that must be defined in connection to amnesty and that is the word 'pardon' Here is what the American Heritage dictionary say 'pardon' means:

1. To release (a person) from punishment; exempt from penalty: a convicted criminal who was pardoned by the governor.
2. To let (an offense) pass without punishment

Now that we are clear on the meaning, let me be concise: amnesty means someone is not punished for a criminal activity, they pay no penalty imposed by the government.
I am hearing the word 'amnesty' used in abundance in connection to the immigration bill currently before the US Senate. The problem I see is that the current bill imposes a penalty to anyone currently living in our awesome country illegally today. It also sets up strict guidelines someone here illegally has to follow in order to avoid even more penalties. Yet, I keep hearing that this bill grants amnesty to the 'horrible leaches on our society" that we call illegal immigrants. What the bill proposes, what most of those who support this bill or one very similar is that breaking the immigration law be punished. Both the fellow that walks across our border with no legal right to be here and the native Americans that lure these folks by the hiring them. This bill is many things, and proposes many aspects to the solution for illegal immigration. What it does not offer is amnesty.
So why do some of the very people who have read this bill and know what is proposes keep yelling "Amnesty" They do it to incite decent, law abiding citizens. They scare, threaten, mislead, misquote, and just plain lie.
I welcome honest debate about the flaws and potential failures of this bill, but I say, honest debate. Stop hollaring "Amnesty" This is not amnesty!

I started to post something here yesterday. I sat staring at the empty box where my profound, witty, insightful, intellectual post was supposed to be rapidly filling up the blank space. All I saw was white, no words, not wit, no insight. I closed the blog and went to bed. I was disappointed at first, then I realized, perhaps, I am not supposed to be witty, insightful, intellectual all the time. Ok, I am not witty, insightful, or intellectual all the time, but I wanted to give that impression. I did not want, actually still do not want a blog crammed with nonsense about the trivial aspects of my life. What I wanted was to be great, to appear great, to be recognized as some really awesome person. Now talk about pride AND self-delusion...lol. Last night gave me a harsh look at a side of me that I don't often see, a side I believe that is not reflective of my true and total personality, but it is a part none the less. I am glad I saw that and now I am glad that I am working on another of the flaws in my person. My daughter makes lists, lots of lists; lists of book she wants to read over vacation, lists of homework assignments and her plan for getting them all done, lists of chores and fun she plans to do on Saturday. I sometimes think she has too many lists, but I think I need to take a cue from her and draw up a few lists myself, ones that deal with areas in my life where I need to be better, areas in my life where God is not glorified.

Ok, I am now taking a rabbit trail, straying slightly from my main point, but this is a good rabbit trail...glorifying God. I always think about glorifying God in connection to either doing things overtly spiritual, like worshiping Him, praying, reading my Bible, witnessing, or to not sinning, not giving in to besetting sins, not being an example of how not to keep the Ten Commandments. Now, before I go on, I am aware that anytime we fall short of the glory of God, we are sinning, but I want to talk about things I do, or we do that do not bring glory to God, and in fact often detract from His glory, but that we don't zoom in on as SIN.
1). I am fat, not slightly overweight, not pleasing plump, not big boned, just plain, nasty fat. Ok, I wear it well, or so I have been told, but the fact remains, I AM FAT. I have thought that I need to lose weight, it would be good for my health, I would have more energy, I could wear cooler clothes, I would be able to do more activities, that I would make my daughters proud of me. The one thing I have never thought about, never considered until just the other day, is that I am not bringing glory to God because I am fat. Now, hear me out. Being skinny, or pretty, or handsome is not what a person needs to be to bring glory to God. God made us all different and His idea of beauty is far from ours. I believe even "ugly" people are beautiful to God. What I am taking about is that I made myself FAT, I am causing harm to His creation. I am saying to those around me that not only do I not care about the wonderful creation that God made, but that God can not do anything to help me bring His temple back to its healthy form. By remaining fat, I am not bringing glory to God.
2). I am in debt, not enough to cause a country to go bankrupt, but in debt. What that means is that I owe people(businesses) money. People either loaned me money, credit cards, items purchased on credit, etc. with the idea that would honor that debt and pay them back or they provided services that I agreed to pay for. I have not, or have not completely. Now, yes, there have been difficulties in my life that caused me financial setbacks, and there have been attempts or are on-going attempts to pay folks back, but I am still in debt. Now, some would say that owing a business money is not a big thing, that businesses expect losses, that they right it off, don't worry about it. I have been off and on working toward reducing my debt, but the reasons again were not right. I want to be able to buy things when I need them, I don't want to keep getting calls from bill collectors, I want to silence my critics who make negative statements about my money skills. These may all be good motivations, but I am a child of God. It is my duty to bring glory to Him and my financial situation is not doing that, in fact, it is really detracting from that. I am basically saying that either God does not care if I honor my obligations, or that He is unable to help me clear up these debts. By staying in debt, I am not bringing glory to God
I could go on and list a few more, but I think you get my point. I and by extension, we need to remember that everything we do is connected to bringing glory to God or not. I often lose sight of that fact which is why I do some of the really dumb things I do. I can't fix this, God can, and so I have started to ask Him to show me all the areas where I am falling short and asking Him to help me change them.
Want to join me? Just ask Him to show you Him and to show you you. You won't like what you see, but if you truly are one of His children and you truly want to bring glory to Him, you will do this. Let's help each other in this. Comment on this post with your struggles, your questions and join together in a choir that fills the heavens with glory to our awesome God.

The recent tragedy at Virginia Tech has raised a multitude of questions, observations and fears. I don't want to dwell on the myriad of things that are being hashed and rehashed by the "talking heads". I want to look at the man responsible for the death and devestation, Mr. Cho. I briefly listened to his rantings that he sent to NBC and was struck by the fact that what he was really describing is something that is a problem with America today: self-absorbtion. While he blasted the rich and the privileged ( and lord knows they often deserve it), what he was saying was "Look at me! I am important! The world should revolve around me!" I don't buy the stories told by his roommates and suitemates that they were great friends who always tried t0 engage him and were positive. Come on, one of his roommates said Cho told him he had an imaginary supermodel girlfriend who had a pet name for him. You want me to believe that he didn't get a little razzing? But the fact that he propbably was not on the top ten list of the most popular guys in school does not accountfor his rampage. He felt left out. He was not experiencing what he felt he deserved and so he lashed out. He was extreme, but that is what our culture teaches today. You are the most important person in the world and everyone owes you. Sorry, that is not true and the sooner we acceptthat, the sooner our country will be healthier as a nation.

Downtown; what do you see in your mind's eye when I say that word? I live in a small city, Greenville, SC. We are a growing city and one that is transforming itself from a quiet little southern town into a modern, sophisticated small market city.
I remember when "downtown" brought images of empty storefronts, drunks sleeping and urinating on the sidewalks, troubled teens cruising main street looking for some kind of trouble to get into.
Today, "downtown" is vibrant with shoppes, restaurants, art galleries, upscale condos, the hustle and bustle of people trying to be a part of the "scene" that is "downtown". I like many aspects of what has happened to downtown.
I was downtown tonight, working. I was not happy with the fact that I could not find parking, of course, I actually could have found parking, if I had been willing to pay $5.00 for about an hour's worth of work.
As I circled the blocks surrounding the building I was working in, I had an opportunity to make some interesting, ironic, funny, or just mundane observations:
1). The most recent controversy from City Council has been a smoking ban in bars and restaurants in the city, and Even outside in the immediate vicinity of the bar or restaurant. This ban was recently ruled unconstitutional. I bring this up to mention what I find to be ironic or funny. As I drove down Main st. I spotted a cigar store (funny by itself in light of the ban), and then 2 doors down a store with a banner that read, "Quit smoking classes every Monday"
2). I love "people-watching" and today was no exception. The people who were strolling, meandering, power walking, and even jogging downtown ran the gambit from new age hippies, to aging sports fans, from hip young professional couples to young couples desperately trying to look hip, from rebellious outsider teens and twenty-somethings,to straight laced conformists.
3). Speaking of jogging, what is the deal with these folks who jog in public, crowded places, esp. in areas where their jogging will be interrupted repeatedly by traffic lights and turning cars? I don't get it. I would think that jogging in these conditions would not be conducive to healthy exercise. Of course, it is probably conducive to drawing attention to one's self and getting props for being healthy.
All in all, my visit downtown was fun and I got paid. I need to do this more often, have fun and get paid for it, that is! :)

As we enter the melee that is presidential election time, I am searching for people committed to FACTS, not misleading sound bites. I want to put together a brief review of all the candidates for President. We have groups that spend time and money influencing people's votes by means of issue driven, or party driven partial truths, misleading "facts" and actual lies. What the American people need is a real look at who is asking them to vote for them. If you are interested in helping me out, contact me. I don't care what party you are in, or what party you vote for. What I what is people who are willing ot look at the facts honestly and report them clearly.

Ok, so I have not posted in over a year. What does that say about me?
Don't answer that question, I might not like your answer. Like many things in my life, this started out with gusto and then fizzed out. It is not like I suddenly stopped ranting, or ran out of opinions. I just stopped posting. I think I might try my hand at this again and see what happens.

So anything going on that warrents my ranting...hmm.. non-stop coverage of a dead, washed up model/actress and the leaches who wormed their way into her life. I am not going to waste my time ranting about the shear volume of scum that is her ex-boyfriend, lawyer/boyfriend and her "loving" mother, because that only feeds into what I am really steamed about. We are in the middle of two wars. We have a government in the throws of a political power struggle, with the lives our our young men and women in uniforms in the balance. The presidential election season is heating up. We have a couple of counties across the pond that are making threats or are being accused of making serious threats against us and our allies. What is the biggest story in 24hr cable news? Enough said!!

I am certain that somewhere in the elegant halls of musics finest and Hollywoods elite, that a concert is being prepared. Something like, Concert for New Orleans, or Save the Gulf Coast from Becoming a Wet Land. while I aplaud their lofty intentions, I have an alternative suggestion. The gods of music and the matinee idols should hols a press conference and announce that instead of a concert they are all going to pool their vast resources and any donations that they recieve. With these funds they are going to rent a fleet of buses and helicopters and deliver as many people from New Orleans that they can. They will take this caravan to some cities further inland, safe from the devestation. Once they arrive there, they are going to rent some hotels, not hotel rooms, but entire hotels and put the refugees up in them for as long as it is necessary. Then they will take them to the local Wal-Marts and Targets and K-Marts and sponsor a clothing shopping spree for these poor survivors. They will also encourage the local restuarants and grocery stores to donate gift certificates and groceries so the refugees can continue to eat. If we roped the tians of professional sports, this could be an amazing thing. If the fans of these folks are not moved by the milk of human kindness or the desire to be just like their IDOLS, perhaps the stars could send them an authgraohed photo in appreciation.
Just an idea, what do y'all think?

Did y'all know that a hurricane is coming? Well if you watched any of the 24 hr news channels, you would know it, of course, you wouldn't know how the war in Iraq or Afghanistan is going or that anything else is actually going on. I mean how long does it take to say that a bunch or water and wind is fixing to redesign the gulf coast?

Ok, can someone explain something to me? At 5:30 this morning, there were a half dozen or so, senior citizens at Hardees. Why? Do older folks have to get up at unnatural hours of the day and congregate at fast food restaurants? Is that what I will have to look forward to , MANY YEARS from now...lol. Before you say anything. I was at Harde's because I had just finished working. Trust me, if my middle-aged body had been in bed anytime before the rooster started crowing, you would be looking in vain if you searched fast food restaurants at 5:30am.

Ok, on a more serious note, I want to thank God and my mother for the way I was raised. I was blessed to have been shielded from the lure of drugs and alcohol. Having very little contact with those things as a kid and especially as a teen made it all that much easier to avoid falling into substance abuse as an adult. For the last two days, I have been doing some floor work at a women's reap center. I had a chance to talk, or actually listen to some of the women there. Most are so grateful for the reap. One lady said that if Serenity Place was not there, she knew she would have been somewhere high and strung out. Another woman told us that she had been addicted to meth for 12 years. Most of the women were under the age of 30, one was turning 21 Saturday. Many of them expressed how they couldn't believe what they had done to their bodies. Now clean, and working on staying that way, they could see that what sober people worked hard to avoid, like caustic chemicals, they had lapped up like sweet ice cream.

Well, I am heading to the bed. Talk to y'all later.

Discipline, now there is an interesting word. It has a variety of meanings, but the one that interests me is the one dealing with ability of an individual to consistently accomplish things. I have always been a person with ideas, plans, goals, hopes, dreams,..Ok, I think you get the idea. My problem has been implementing the ideas and sticking with them. My plans may be as simple as walking for exercise daily, but I tend to fall through on them consistently. Wait a minute, that means that I am disciplined in being undisciplined. That's not good...lol This is one of the areas that I am working on. I want the plans and ideas that I have that I know to be good things to succeed, which will require me staying the course. I struggle with the concept of letting go and letting God, because while I am certain that God can and will do anything He wants, I also know that He expects me to do what He wants, that I have to actually do it. I am the one who has to lace up the sneakers and walk out of the driveway and take that fitness walk, each day. So I am asking Him to make me understand and make me do it.

Cockroaches are really annoying. We are having issues with them at the complex where I live and work. Fortunately, the problem is not in my building. We had a couple of tenants that felt that their apartments were better suited as landfill and sewage plants and so lived in accordance with those ideas. One of the results, and believe me there were a number of nasty and unpleasant results, was an infestation of roaches. I am now firmly convinced that the old adage that roaches will be one of the few survivors of a nuclear explosion. A friend in the building being claimed by the roach kingdom told me that he warmed something up in the microwave and as he was taking it out a roach crawled out of the microwave. Gross!! We have had the building sprayed professionally twice, bug bombed it twice and have lain all manner of roach pesticides. We are losing this war. I am contemplating requesting that we resort to the ultimate solution... just start charging them rent. Maybe they will get fed up with the noisy neighbors and move on their own.

Ok enough for lame jokes. I will talk to y'all later.

I am now officially opposed to placards, sound bites and catch phrases. We are turning our country into a nation of non-thinkers who need the truth boiled down, finely sifted and pressed neatly into a thimble of information that doesn't make us think about anything beyond what celebrity is dating which other celebrity. We are faced today with such monumental issues as war(in Iraq, Afghanistan, and worldwide against terrorism); embryonic stem cell research and its underlying issue: when does life start; what direction will the law take as the highest court in the land is remade;and a host of other complex and thought requiring issues. Yet, we are bombarded with simple answers, hyped-up opinions, and partisan rantings. The American people need to demand that all this stop and that the FACTS be presented and we be allowed to thoughtfully consider each issue. Of course that will require the American public to actually care and be willing to do the difficult things, something that I fear we are ready to do.

Ok, so much for my soap box. Life is good. the monster ravaging my back seems to be losing his grip or interest in my back and not a moment too soon.

talk to y'all later.

A Visit to the Park

I went to the Falls at Reedy River Park today for a brief visit, a sort of scouting mission to find a really enjoyable place to relax, read and most importantly, write. The city has done a terrific job on transforming a once neglected and dangerous park into a welcoming haven of outdoor fun. Grabbing my attention as soon as I left Main Street were the flowers. The variety and intensity of the colors and the amazing fragrance of all the flowers provide the perfect invitation to spend time near the Reedy.
The park was abuzz with people today, all ages and races, each with their own distinct design for their afternoon in nature. I had no sooner left the bustle of Main Street than I was treated to a beautiful sight, the melding of nature and humanity. A young woman was having her bridal photographs taken and it was an amazing sight. Her elegant white bridal gown highlighted her scarlet hair and light dusting of freckles. The photographer was scurrying around her, using the Park’s natural beauty to enliven his shots of the joyous bride.
As I continued on my search of the Park, I passed an older couple sitting close to each other, but engrossed in their individual pursuits of recording the glories of nature they were observing: him, with a pencil on paper and her, using a brush and paints. I was struck by the fact that these two people were able to enjoy each other while also enjoying their personal hobbies.
A handful of children were relishing the cool relief and wet fun of the Reedy as their parents waded nearby, careful not to allow themselves to get too wet as they kept watch on their young.
What would a sunny summer day in the park be without the presence of young lovers and today was no exception. There were a number of lovers enjoying the fresh air oblivious to their companion park visitors.
One couple had their enjoyment interrupted, when an older gentleman, overheated from mid-day cycling, decided to partake of the Reedy’s refreshing coolness. The source of their discomfort was observing a skinny; wrinkly man wearing a rather small Speedo, his creased, sunburned skin was far from an appealing addition to the splendor of nature they had been enjoying.
The mournful cries emanating from a young woman sitting on a rock wall grabbed my attention. She was pleading with someone, a lover, I assumed, but she alone occupied the wall. My puzzlement faded when I spied the cell phone. This clearly was not the way to experience the Park on such a glorious day.
Two men and their dogs played a game of fetch, including the river in their playing field; at least the dogs included the Reedy. The men had them on extending leashes, so the spotted black and grey Labrador and the young Golden Retriever could go places the men had no wish to follow, like the cold water of the Reedy.
My tour of the Park took me beyond the limits of the city’s revitalized areas, leaving behind the cultivation and manicuring. No more flowers and well trimmed hedges graced the path as I neared the Church Street overpass. Even the smell changed, what had been floral and sweet was now urban and unpleasant, but I trudged on determined to find just the right spot. A mother and her teenage son greeted me as I crossed under the overpass. The ball cap the son wore barely contained the wild black mane that topped his head. He spoke to someone on a walkie-talkie as I passed; someone that was clearly trying to catch up with them. A mere minute or two after leaving them, I ran into the other half of the walkie-talkie conversation, another teenage boy, this one with a more manageable mane.
Finally I found what I had been hunting, my oasis; a small backwash along the Reedy. It butts against Church Street and the park path continues on its way finding Cleveland Park. As the Reedy turns right and then left again , it creates a small backwash on the right of the path, complete with a large smooth slab of stone, ideal for sitting and reflecting, especially under the tree that shadows a good portion of the rock. From where I am sitting I can almost block out all signs of civilization, especially if I let the rushing current drown out the traffic noise of Church street and I avoid looking to my left, where a large iron pipe crosses the Reedy and a steel walking bridge joins it. It helps also to ignore the occasional hiker or cyclist that can be seen on the path that tops the steep bank across the Reedy from where I am sitting.
As I sit here and relax, I let my mind wander, let it drift to the lands in my story and I am ready to write. I shut out the troubles and cares of my daily life and focus on Angus, Delmarf, Wemael and company. This is a good place to tell their story.
Occasionally I notice people, like the trio of coed nature photographers, and I am brought back to reality, but that is ok too. People often provide the building blocks of characters. Of course that is a discussion for another time. I will leave you today with a funny bit of graffiti I saw under the Church Street Bridge. On one of the support pillars someone drew a rat wearing a gas mask.

"I am still undecided." This is what a number of people have said in connection with the presidential race. Uhmm...there is less than a month until it will be time to actually vote for one of these guys or for someone else. The campaign has been going on now for over a year. During that year, the candidates have given speeches, held meetings, placed numerous advertisements in all the various media forms, and two debates between the major candidates have come and gone. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

I think that the folks that say they are still undecided are one of the following three things:
1). Decided voters that do not want to reveal their leanings
2). Voters(or possibly potential non-voters) that are not really listening or paying attention
3). too indecisive to actually cast a vote.

I believe that the majority of voters know who they will vote for and the rest won't make a difference.

Isn't politics a lovely game? Let's look at the latest bewildering move made by a political party.
In the Land of Lincoln, the Republicans are in trouble. It seems that the man who won the Republican primary had a couple of skeletons in his closet, and made the mistake of getting divorced, which led those skeletons out into the bright light of the news cameras. Jack Ryan decided that he would withdraw from the race for U.S. Senate. He states that the party leadership was not supporting him, and thus was making a successful campaign untenable. I think that he might have had an uphill battle with the rank and file of the party of family values when he got around to explaining his visits to sex clubs.
Compounding the Republicans dilemma is the fact that the Democrats have a real winner in this race. Barak Obama is considered to be "a rising star in the Democratic party and in our country. At least that is what all the news media drilled into the public's mind during and after his wonderful Convention speech. From all I have seen, Mr. Obama is an attractive candidate for the Senate.
One other factor is driving the GOP to a feverish decision, the election is almost here. There is little time to contemplate the errors of their previous choice and to consider what is in the best interest of the people of the state of Illinois.
Hold on, Grand Old Party, help is on the way! Riding to the rescue from his HOME in Maryland is the former ambassador and erstwhile presidential candidate, Alan Keyes. A man with impeccible Republican credentials, a paragon of traditional family values, a defender of the unborn, Alan Keyes has much to offer the state of Illinois. He has a clearly defined difference from the Democrat's choice, Barak Obama. Mr. Keyes is an outsider! Yes, this potential representative of the people of Illinois can bring the unique perspective of a Marylander trying to solve the problems of the beleagured people of Illinois.
Ok, I hope that by now, it is clear that I have a problem with Alan Keyes running for the Senate from Illinois.. I am aware that Illinois only requires that the Senate candidate be a resident when he is elected, but I feel that it is wrong for someone to represent the people of a state that they really are not a part of, whether they do it at the behest of their national party with at least the outward appearance of seeking the good of their constituents, or whether they do it to further their political career, as seems to be the case with the Senator from New York, Hillary Clinton. Both are wrong. Illinois need to be represented by an Illinoian(I hope that is what they call themselves) If the Republican party was unable to scrounge up a viable candidate after the fiasco of Jack Ryan, they should do two things. One, examine the way they choose candidates more closely, maybe they will avoid the egg on their face next time. Two, concede that seat to the Democrats. Ok, maybe I have a third point, focus on helping this country more and helping the party less. To paraphrase a former President's call, "Ask not what your country can do for your party, ask what your party can do for your country.

Ahhh, another love fest is almost here. The Democrats have just finished their love fest, now it is time for the Republicans. I find the conventions to be curious things. Large numbers of people gather together to praise a person and lift him or her onto a pedastal he or she really shouldn't be on. Some of the people present covet fiercely the limelight that they are forced to shine on someone that they personally believe is inferior. Of course there are always those smart folks that find a way to get at least a little of the attention on themselves, by wrangling one of the many speaking spots. Now these spots are supposed to be used to tell what a wonderful president the candidate will be and to shore up the main message that the party wishes to tell. While the speakers do what the party wants, they also insure that the pubic knows their name. And if they have really good speach writers, and at least passable speaking skills they look like the next best thing that party has to offer in the next state, or federal election. Then there is the matter of what message the party shows. Neither party highlights the aspects of their party that are the least palatable, they focus on the best they have to offer. They also repackage their agenda in the best light, stretching the truth most of the time. Of course, the opposing party is quick to point out this practice, while continuing to do the same thing. You know, everyone one is always complaining about the glut of lawyers in politics, I think that the most logical profession for a politician to start off in would be used car salesman. One of the best things about these love fests is the groupies. You know, the folks with the lights, cameras, microphones and studios. I hear news people talk about how it is their responsibility to be the voice of reason in this sea of political waste, but come Convention time, they seem to turn into 14 yr old boy band fans. Asking hard questions seems to take a back seat to critiqueing speaches and posturing whether a candidate's wife said a naughty thing. If they are not falling over themselves to fawn on the participants of the love fest, they act like the hard rock groupies who diss everything the boy bands do. I mean we either get news people who are swept up promoting, I mean reporting, the Convention, or we get news people trying to trash the Convention . How lucky we are. Just think, only 13 more weeks of the campaign.

Hey, everybody, grab your helmets, shields and swords! Marriage is under attack! This seems to be the battle cry today across our country, esp. among Christians. I have a few things to say on this subject. Let me get these couple of things out of the way first, so y'all will know my basic positions. I believe homosexuality is a sin. I believe that it is a choice, maybe not a simple one like which shirt to wear to work today, but a choice none the less. I believe that marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman.
Having said all that, I have a few problems with this whole, "save marriage from the queers" movement. First, how is marriage under attack simply because another group of people want to be married? Before you go ballistic on me, I understand that allowing same-sex couples to marry changes the very definition of marriage. I am not in favor of allowing same-sex couples marry, but it is not the end of marriage and what really appalls me about the whole "defense of marriage" is that with a divorce rate of around 50% for the last few decades, it would appear that marriage has been under attack from opposite sex couples for quite some time, with little fanfare to save it. Maybe if Christians spent their time helping to shore up the "correct" married couples, marriage might be stronger and could withstand the introduction of homosexuals.
Second, I believe that much of the motivation to oppose same-sex marriage and anything homosexual is the "ick factor." For most people the thought of homosexuality is disgusting, pure and simple. It is unnatural and we can't even think about it. This is natural. What is wrong is when Christians cloth their human distaste for homosexuality in a garb of spirituality. While God clearly condemns homosexuality, He does so in the same breath as He condemns adultery and pre-marital sex. Christians need to be honest in their reasons for their actions, and be certain that they are actually trying to be one with God and thus condemn what He condemns. Be sure that it is righteous indignation and not just human disgust that is moving you.
Third, I heard a pastor on a popular, Christian radio show the other day talking about the meeting he and his church had organized in Seattle on this issue. He made a statement that crystallizes what I see to be a major failing of Christians today, esp. in this area. He said, "We have brought God on board for our fight." Uhmm, aren't we, as Christians, supposed to be fighting His fight and not the other way around. Too often today, Christians have looked to changing the Government or laws to make society look more Christ-like, instead of looking to God and leading the lost to Christ, so they will actually be Christ-like. I believe that Christians today have lost their way. We feel that our lives would be better if everyone acted like we do or at least like we claim to act, so we try to legislate people to behave as Christians, even those who aren't Christians. Dr. Bob Jones Sr. is the example we should be following. He went all over the South preaching the Gospel. In many a place bars closed down, not just for the length of the revival, but permanently. He did not march in front of their doors, decrying the ills of booze. He did not pass laws outlawing drinking. He did not run for Congress to stop alcohol. He simply preached the Word of God and men got saved, women got saved and they no longer wanted the bottle, they no longer wanted to sell liquor to their friends and neighbors, hence the closing of bars. He looked to God to stop the evil, and did his one main job as a Christian-lead people to Jesus!
Finally, there is a move afoot to amend the U.S. Constitution with the purpose to "permanently define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. This is the wrong answer. The Constitution is not the place to change social problems. The only purely social change ever amended to the Constitution was the outlawing of alcohol, and that one was later repealed. This does not bode well for the "defense of Marriage" amendment. It too could be repealed at a later date. More importantly, this amendment would introduce into the Constitution a concept that is foreign to its very nature. It is the bedrock of our country's laws, but it is designed to deal with the fundamental, underlying principles that make all our other laws possible, turning it into a battlefield for social change will cheapen it and will backfire on those who endorse this measure, because then we have opened the door to all social change and one day, there will be those that are in the majority that will want to deal with the social "problem" of Christians.
Christians, if you want to do something to fight what appears to the ever declining state of our nation, stop looking to Washington for the answers and do what the Bible tells us to do, " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2Chron. 7:14 and "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all the things whatsoever I have commanded you..." Matt. 28:19-20a.

Happy Birthday, America

I can taste the dust. I feel it blister my eyes, and I have just finished the first chapter of "The Grapes of Wrath." I have never felt more a part of any story before. I actually have read about 3 or 4 chapters, and it isn't like I am reading a book as much as I am experiencing what these people are experiencing. Steinbeck has so completely captured reality and while the story is fiction, you feel like you are looking out a window on the life of the Joads and the rest of our country during this time period. The chapter where he talks about the banks being more than mere men is amazing in its power to describe what people felt then, and to some extent what we often feel today about government agencies and big corporations. I can't wait to read the rest of it, so I think I will go do that now.