It Made Me Think...

2011-04-05T15:30:00.001-04:00

From the National Fatherhood Initiative:

"You can't be the kind of father you want to be. You can't be the kind of father you wanted to have. You've got to be the kind of father your children need you to be."

-- Roland Warren, President of NFI

2011-02-03T23:06:00.002-05:00

Good Advice for Daughters (or anyone, for that matter)

A former co-worker posted a list he put together of 100 pieces of advice for [his] daughters, copied below as a mirror of good advice. While I don't quite agree 100% with all 100 (I'd swap coffee and clothing in #83), there's a lot of good here.

Practice being a good listener. Nothing will gain you more respect nor teach you more patience than to be an active listener. Look people in the eye and truly listen to them.
When you know more than the other person, don’t let on. It’s better to appear amazed by what they know than to seem like a know-it-all.
Be careful in choosing your friends. Often they will be your greatest source of support, even more than family. Be wary of their advice. Never follow blindly. Question your friends, and if they are truly your friends, they will respect you for doing so.
You do not need a man to validate your worth.
Love is a fickle thing, and I certainly cannot give expert testimony on the subject, but I do know this: honest communication is very important.
Bad things happen to EVERYONE. It’s how we react to them that matters.
Shun drugs of any kind. We should experience life unfiltered.
When you’re right, no one will remember. When you’re wrong, no one will forget. Deal with it.
Be suspicious of the motives of government and organizations. If it has a treasurer, think carefully before joining it. Our government, though manned by many well-intentioned people, is structurally flawed and morally unsound. There’s really little hope to change it. In fact:
Avoid politics. You’ll be happier just living your life and shunning partisan rhetoric.
Exercise regularly and make it a part of your everyday life. When you have nothing, when you feel like you can’t go on, physical exercise can pull you through many problems.
Study hard at two things: writing a coherent sentence and speaking in public. Once you’re in the real world trying to get a job, it’s not what you know that matters, but how well you can communicate.
Learn the rules of grammar so you avoid embarrassing mistakes. People judge us by the way we speak, and proper language is a lost art. Don’t make mistakes concerning “your” and “you’re”, “too” and “to”, and the like. Don’t be THAT person.
Find something that satisfies your creative urges. This is critical to happiness. If you can make a living doing this, all the better.
Refrain from killing any living thing.
When standing in line, let the two people behind you go ahead. Make this a habit.
Wherever you are, however much time you can give: volunteer.
Never fuss over housework. Obsession with cleanliness is a waste of time. We all end up in the same place – covered in dirt.
Don’t ever stay with a man who hits you. Or cheats on you.
Ask old people to tell you their stories.
No rich person has ever built anything. Every thing of wonder ever built by mankind was built by the lower class and working class. The Empire State Building was built by immigrants, the Great Wall of China was built by surfs and soldiers, and the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built by slaves. When possible, gather around the working class and find out how they accomplish amazing things.
Whatever you are spending time thinking about, you are becoming.
Have the courage to go to a movie alone.
Remember that harboring a resentment is like swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die.
Find a spiritual path that works for you and practice it. I’d suggest it have practical steps and tools that you can apply to your life. Blind faith, without practice, is not a spiritual path.
Happiness comes from inside YOU, not from external factors.
Learn how to do simple household repairs, this will save you lots of time and money, and give you something to with your idle weekends.
Read.
Don’t crack your knuckles or bite your fingernails in public.
Try never to borrow money, but lend it freely if you can afford to never see it again.
Match your belt and shoes.
Avoid caffiene.
Make sure to move away from your hometown at least twice.
If you must drink alcohol, never drink it at a work function.
Listen to the Beatles, Ray Charles, and Johnny Cash.
At their very core, there isn’t a bit of difference between the two major political parties in America.
If you’re entertaining company, don’t allow yourself to be distracted by “gadgets” – turn off your phone and other devices. Be PRESENT with the people you are with.
Learn to iron and enjoy the simplicity of it. You’ll look nice, too.
Surround yourself with people who are funny.
Don’t indulge in sex for just the pleasure of it. Have standards and discriminate.
Read Huckleberry Finn, Robinson Crusoe, and other classics that intrigue you.
When it comes to learning history, don’t worry so much about when and where and who, but learn why events occurred and what it means.
Never accept a job based on money. And don’t marry for it.
Be advised that much of our history is the story of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man. Racial and religious intolerance is a big deal, for example.
Never drive when you can walk.
When it comes to humor, leave people wanting more.
The simplest explanation is often the most likely.
If you become an aunt, be the aunt who always sends a birthday card.
Paying taxes is not patriotic. Neither is waving a flag or wearing a red, white and blue hat.
Speaking of that, symbols are generally bullshit.
Hold hands.
Speak up for yourself, because rarely will anyone else do it for you. But be humble.
The bigger your head is, the easier it is to fill your shoes.
If someone steals the credit, or you fail to get the credit you deserve, don’t mention it. Get over it.
Every once in a while wear pretty bows and ribbons in your hair.
When you kiss, touch a part of the other person’s face with your hand.
Travel as much as you can, especially when you’re young.
Don’t believe in conspiracy theories. They require coordinated effort and disciplined silence that most people don’t possess.
Shun television as much as possible. This will be difficult, but your mind will be better for it.
Learn two or three clean jokes that you can tell if you’re asked to make a speech or toast for any occasion.
In regards to speeches: be brief.
If the dorkiest boy in the class asks you to dance, politely thank him, and then dance with the poor fellow.
Recognize that just because people may have been in jail or prison, if they have paid their dues, they deserve a second chance. We all make mistakes.
Having said that, consult your mother and father before dating a felon.
Be advised that if you ever meet your heroes, you’ll probably be disappointed.
Rarely is anything crucial. When faced with a difficult decision, take time before acting. No harm in giving it another day, week, or month. Sometimes the best action is no action.
When in a serious relationship: commit.
Don’t burn bridges. You never know when you’ll see someone again.
Have the strength to ask for help. This is so important.
Build a reputation of being someone who can be counted on.
As soon as you can, when you start to earn money, have some of it automatically withheld and deposited in an investment account. Do this and you will be astounded by the accumulation of compounded interest.
Be prompt.
Don’t wear a lot of makeup.
Don’t look at people as if they are good or bad. We are all good and bad.
Don’t scream at or hit your children, a parent shouldn’t be feared. A parent should be a safe haven to a child.
Always do these three things for your children: open your home to them, loan them money, tell them the brutal truth.
Make loud sandwiches with crunchy things on them, like potato chips, celery, and fresh onions.
Avoid using the word “um” and other forms of lazy speech.
Speaking of that, there’s nothing wrong with a pause in conversation.
When you act like a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Don’t play video games.
When it comes to relationships don’t proceed based on arbitrary timelines. If it’s the right chair, it doesn’t take long to get comfortable in it.
Three luxuries it’s okay to spend money on: travel, clothing, and pastry. Three luxuries you shouldn’t spend a lot of money on: cars, gadgets, coffee.
Good: calling your mother and father once a week. Better: sending a handwritten note to your parents for no reason. Best: including your parents in one of your favorite activities.
Write handwritten notes, you’ll be remembered for it because no one else does.
Don’t be one of those people who hates to have your picture taken.
Once you think you’ve got it figured out, you’ve stopped living.
Give compliments – to people you know and to total strangers.
When you’re at a party and confronted with someone you just met, don’t ask “What do you do?” It’s a lazy question. Ask them what their favorite book is, or where they last went swimming, anything but “What do you do?” Avoid answering if someone asks you.
Don’t read beauty and advice magazines. Read the Beatitudes from Jesus, it’s in the Bible.
Love your sisters and brothers, someday they may let you live in their guest bedroom.
Try to make sure you have a few thousand dollars stashed away somewhere for an emergency.
Don’t cover hardwood floors with rugs.
For some stretch of time use public transportation. It teaches patience, reliance on others, and affords you a chance to see some interesting characters.
Apologize swiftly and move on.
If the person who loves you doesn’t have your back, move your back.
Take care of your teeth.
Avoid cliches: in written word, in speech, and in deed.
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.
Live every day like it’s going to be your last day, because one day you’re going to be right.

2010-11-10T16:07:00.003-05:00

Politician Buttons

From an article talking about elevator "door close" buttons and similar things that often do nothing, I found this user comment humorous:

my father calls the "walk" buttons at traffic lights, "politician buttons". I never understood the answer, and thus the joke, as a child... went something like this:
Dad: "why do you always press the politician button?"
Me: "why do you always call it a politician button?"
Dad: "because it does nothing."

Though I'd argue too many analogues of the "politician buttons" still do things -- like give people a "walk" sign while perpendicular vehicular traffic gets a green light.

2010-09-07T12:45:00.002-04:00

Capitalist Fortune Cookie?

Yesterday I cracked open a fortune cookie that read:

"A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well."

2009-08-14T21:36:00.001-04:00

Axelrod's Careless Myths Section (or was it?)

Apparently even Huffington Post is jumping on Axelrod for the poorly worded "myths about health insurance reform" section on his email the other day:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/blaise-nutter/axelrods-wh-email-truth-a_b_258634.html

Though some of them could also be conceived to be cleverly disguised ways of saying something in a way so as not to say what they really mean. Like this one:

7. You can keep your own insurance: It's myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.

Maybe he really does mean that "You can keep your own insurance" is a myth and that the full explanation would be something more like: "It's myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors [for the first couple years]. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices [at first], not eliminate them [until a few years down the road].

Or this one:

1. Reform will stop "rationing" -- not increase it: It's a myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.

Should the full explanation be: "It's a myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing" [because we'll just use different words that mean the same thing to describe it]. To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies [and put even stronger forms of rationing in their place]."?

2009-08-13T14:39:00.004-04:00

What I Do for a Living

Every now and then people ask me what I do. When I tell them I'm an IT Project Manager, they then want to know what my days are like. Usually something like this comes to mind:

I see somebody else has captured this feeling too:

(from http://www.code-muse.com/blog/?p=27)

Yes, it's been one of those days today...

2009-07-17T21:56:00.003-04:00

Turnberry Makes Like Buster Douglas

It was amazing to watch Tiger Woods struggle today in the British Open and miss the cut, something I imagine nobody thought possible just a couple days ago. Watching it reminded me of the night when I was a kid, together with my friends, watching the unstoppable Mike Tyson get knocked out by the unknown Buster Douglas. A couple sports moments that were virtually unpredictable. Hopefully Tiger fares better the rest of his career than Iron Mike did, however.

2009-07-17T15:14:00.003-04:00

Ma'am is OK Again

So it appears we're in the clear to resume calling Senator Barbara Boxer ma'am again...compare:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE_jGD5nZ6U

versus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT9YA-xCihk

Something tells me it's more than a preference for being called "Senator" rather than "Ma'am", but you make the call.

2009-07-16T21:34:00.002-04:00

Obama's Commandments

From the Patriot Update, with original here:

I. Thou shalt have no God in America, except for me. For we are no longer a Christian nation and, after all, I am the chosen One. (And like God, I do not have a birth certificate.) SOURCE

II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, unless it is my face carved on Mt. Rushmore. SOURCE

III. Thou shalt not utter my middle name in vain (or in public). Only I can say Barack Hussein Obama. SOURCE

IV. Remember tax day, April 15th, to keep it holy. SOURCE

V. Honour thy father and thy mother until they are too old and sick to care for. They will cost our public-funded health-care system too much money. SOURCE

VI. Thou shalt not kill, unless you have an unwanted, unborn baby. For it would be an abomination to punish your daughter with a baby. SOURCE

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery if you are conservative or a Republican. Liberals and Democrats are hereby forgiven for all of their infidelity and immorality, but the careers of conservatives will be forever destroyed. SOURCE

VIII. Thou shalt not steal, until you've been elected to public office. Only then is it acceptable to take money from hard-working, successful citizens and give it to those who do not work, illegal immigrants, or those who do not have the motivation to better their own lives. SOURCE

IX. Thou shalt not discriminate against thy neighbor unless they are conservative, Caucasian, or Christian. SOURCE

X. Thou shalt not covet because it is simply unnecessary. I will place such a heavy tax burden on those that have achieved the American Dream that, by the end of my term as President, nobody will have any wealth or material goods left for you to covet. SOURCE

Not sure I can add much to the above, other than that it does seem to be increasingly conflict-inducing to espouse and express the Catholic values I was brought up with. I guess having more left-leaning friends is a side-effect of spending many of my adult years in New York City before "voting with my feet" and heading south. How to explain to those who relate more to the above 10 than our Lord's 10 that taxation should not be a means to charity and murder is not a valid choice.

2009-01-20T19:17:00.004-05:00

Oprah Oops

So there was this:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-01-18-oprah-rosenblat_N.htm

How long until we have an Oprah Obama Oops? They can even recycle the last line of the article:

"I'm so tired of you being the whipping boy for this hoax, because he didn't just dupe you -- he duped a lot of people."

2009-01-20T19:11:00.002-05:00

Ideological? Who Me?

Glenn Beck sums up the misleading usage of ideological and pragmatic that we hear so much about these days:

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/20408/

How about some honesty...let's both present our ideologies, figure out where we agree and disagree, and work out a decent solution, rather than just belittling the other side. So many opinions deemed "evil" or "hateful" by the other side are just logical extensions of a difference in assumptions earlier up the chain of argument. Maybe if we unraveled each others arguments to understand them, we'd be better off than just conveniently labeling others.

2008-11-25T18:20:00.003-05:00

More Quotes

A wise assessment to remember in these trying economic times:

"A nation trying to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to pick himself up by the handle." -- Winston Churchill

The elitism is dripping off this one:

"I don't mean this will happen tomorrow, I know that the majority (of British people) are still opposed, but there is a period of consideration underway and the people which matter in Britain are currently thinking about it." -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081130204959.yq2a770m&show_article=1)

...and I thought "the people which matter" in a democratic society are the entire general population.

A few great quotes from our Founding Fathers, great men who if they were alive today would sadly be mocked and reviled as religious nutjobs:

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever." -- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 18, 1781

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors." -- George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789

"It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage, and such only, as he believes to be acceptable to him. This duty is precedent both in order of time and degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society. Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe." -- James Madison, A Memorial and Remonstrance, 1785

2008-11-11T09:49:00.004-05:00

-1 for Socialism

Another lesson on the pitfalls of socialism / nationalizing private business:

Fannie, AIG Struggling After Federal Takeover on washingtonpost.com

Though we could have predicted that by looking at history. How about we work on privatizing more government programs instead and letting competition work. Potentially painful? Yes. But the markets have a better chance of picking the best solution than the government, which seems to specialize in putting down layers of ineffective inefficiencies.

2008-11-05T14:21:00.002-05:00

Again With the "Rights" that Aren't Rights

Some good points from Thomas Sowell on gay "marriage" in this townhall.com article.

2008-11-05T14:18:00.003-05:00

Revive Reagan!

No, not Republicans that just say they're like Reagan, we really need somebody like this to emerge strongly in 2012:

Karl Marx is Not the Father of Capitalism on townhall.com
Inside Ronald Reagan on reason.com

2008-11-04T17:42:00.005-05:00

Problematic Permissive Parenting?

A liberal acquaintance of mine started a blog with a first post that I'm guessing (hoping) is somewhat tongue-in-cheek:

When you have kids every toilet in the house has yellow water in it and sometimes worse. Basically I have given up telling the kids to flush. I just go in behind them and do it.

Great, let's train our kids at an early age that somebody will take care of you and walk behind you to fix your messes all the time. Sure, it's hard and exhausting and frustrating, but if parents don't teach their kids how to behave, who will? First they don't want to flush the toilet, then they expect easy A's at school, then they don't want to fix their mistakes at work, then they'll expect the government to pick them up. Hmmm, then again, maybe those are the lessons liberal parents are trying to teach their children.

2008-10-24T15:13:00.002-04:00

What if 'SNL' mocked Michelle Obama?

There are lots of articles about the double standard in the media these days, but I particularly liked this one:

Patrick J Buchanan on WorldNetDaily

2008-10-22T13:43:00.002-04:00

Inconvenient (for Democrats) Truths about the Iraq War (and others)

This came as a forward in email and provides some good historical perspective...

John Glenn (DEMOCRAT) said this ----- It should make us all think a little:

There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq in January. In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's just one American city, about as deadly as the entire war-torn country of Iraq .

When some claim that President Bush shouldn't have started this war, tell them the following :

FDR (DEMOCRAT) led us into World War II. Germany never attacked us; Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost ... an average of 112,500 per year.

Truman (DEMOCRAT) finished that war and started one in Korea . North Korea never attacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost ... an average of 18,334 per year.

John F. Kennedy (DEMOCRAT) started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us.

Johnson (DEMOCRAT) turned Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost ... an average of 5,800 per year.

Clinton (DEMOCRAT) went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent. Bosnia never attacked us. He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

This one is a fact that makes me mad as hell.

In the years since terrorists attacked us, President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran, and, North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people. And the Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking.

But Wait, There's more.

It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno (DEMOCRAT) to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation

We've been looking for evidence for chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton (DEMOCRAT) to find the Rose law firm billing records.

It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick.

It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida !!!

Our Commander-In-Chief is doing a GREAT JOB! The Military morale is high!
The biased media hopes we are too ignorant to realize the facts.
But Wait ....There's more!

JOHN GLENN (on the Senate floor - January 26, 2004)

Some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of one man's explanation of why men and women in the armed services do what they do for a living.

This IS a typical, though sad, example of what some who have never served think of the military.

Senator Metzenbaum (speaking to Senator Glenn):
'How can you run for Senate when you've never held a real job?'

Senator Glenn (D-Ohio): 'I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the space program. It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my life on the line. It was not a nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank. I ask you to go with me, as I went the other day . .. to a veteran's hospital and look those men ... with their mangled bodies ... in the eye, and tell THEM they didn't hold a job!

You go with me to the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the widows and orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee .. and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their DAD'S didn't hold a job.

You go with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery , where I have more friends buried than I'd like to remember, and you watch those waving flags . You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you have the gall to tell ME that those people didn't have a job?
What about Metzenbaum? For those who don't remember During W.W.II, Howard Metzenbaum was an attorney representing the Communist Party in the USA .

Now he's a Senator!

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English thank a Veteran.

2008-10-14T14:08:00.003-04:00

Pro-Rape?

Given the moral relativism in our world, will this be the new "alternative lifestyle" and "right to choose" someday?

You're walking down the street one day with five friends and you see a woman being raped...
by Coffee Catholic

2008-10-14T10:04:00.003-04:00

Obama the Tax Man

Ahh, the old faux-retail-sale strategy...mark up the price $1.00, then put up a big sign saying $0.50 off and hand out coupons for $0.25 off...

My only question is, why didn't the McCain campaign make this ad? Or at least make this point during the second debate?

2008-10-06T16:07:00.008-04:00

Beck on the Bailout

Like many, I'm trying to get a handle on the bailout and the economic mess that led to it. Here's a synopsis that I like so far:

Glenn Beck: What happened?
Glenn Beck: What's Coming
Glenn Beck: What Can I Do to Prepare? (all 3 are good, but wow this one is awesome!)

And some more great thoughts on the state of the economy:

Commentary: Get ready for more economic trouble ahead

2008-10-05T22:55:00.004-04:00

Catholic Vote 2008

An inspiring video for Catholics as we decide who to elect president in 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqzMB-gA6Ro

And a guide to the most important issues:

Catholic Voters Guide

Watch. Read. Pray. Vote. Pray some more.

2008-09-05T19:59:00.002-04:00

Republican Convention Lines

Some lines I liked from the Republican National Convention:

"A government that gives you everything is the same government that can take everything away from you."
-- though Huckabee attributed it to Abraham Lincoln, it was actually Gerald Ford

"Don't confuse enthusiasm for capability."

"Change is not a destination just as hope is not a strategy."
-- Rudy Giuliani

...and one that's not from the convention, but that I was reminded of during Palin's speech, since she had used it earlier:

"A ship in harbor is safe. But that's not why the ship was built."
-- John A. Shedd (paraphrased)

2008-08-20T15:23:00.002-04:00

The Art of Conversation

A good article from CNN.com/Real Simple with some smart principles for good conversation:

1. The "yes...and" technique
2. Go with your gut
3. Make everyone else in your group look good

2008-08-17T09:31:00.004-04:00

Learning from Dogs

I don't own a dog, but couldn't help nodding my head reading a forwarded message from my aunt on the things dogs can teach us:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy,dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
Being always grateful for each new day and for the blessing you have.
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

2008-08-17T09:03:00.010-04:00

Babies Born Alive

Some links to discussion of Obama's pro-infanticide votes against "babies born alive" and his lies to try to backpedal on it. Are shifting excuses his idea of "change"?

WSJ.com
weeklystandard.com
humanevents.com
catholicnewsagency.com #1
catholicnewsagency.com #2
lifenews.com
redstate.com #1
redstate.com #2
youtube.com

2008-08-02T09:35:00.002-04:00

Teaching the Next Generation How to Live

My goddaughter sent me this essay in an email (though the email attributes it to Paul Harvey, it's actually from Lee Pitts's "People Who Live at the End of Dirt Roads". Too many people today don't learn to fail, think you get rights without responsibilities, and have some skewed impressions of fairness. Time for some tried-and-true lessons:

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.
On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy/girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life. Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.

2008-08-01T20:43:00.000-04:00

The 4 C's

I saw somebody describe themselves as being the 4 C's, and I guess it fits me too:

Christian (or Catholic, to be specific)
Conservative
Capitalist
Caucasian

2008-07-26T22:49:00.002-04:00

Isn't Barack Embarrassed of Himself?

Amazing that he can rip Americans for not learning a foreign language and for expecting people to speak English here in the US, and then he trots off to Europe and gives speeches in English in countries that have official languages other than English. Instead of calling him on his own words that he should be embarrassed for not speaking to the Germans in German and the French in French, the mass media just continues to fawn all over him. Fortunately I was able to get my weekly dose of Rush while driving around this afternoon and catch his bit of essentially going almost MST3K on his Berlin speech...it's hard to laugh out loud at the same time as you're getting angry, but that pretty much did it.

2008-07-25T17:35:00.002-04:00

Shuddering at Obama in Germany

A couple user comments on a NewsBusters post about Obama's speech in Germany:

Twilight Zone

July 24, 2008 - 23:56 ET by Lakewood Bob

Obama's speeches remind me of an episode of Twilight Zone where an alien comes to earth and promises the earthlings that their every care will be provided for. No more wars, no more struggles, and no more hard laboring. All the while, he carries with him a book entitled "Serving Man". An obvious indication of their desire to save humanity and have everyone live a contented life. Several ship loads of earthlings even left for a visit to the alien planet.

As it turns out, "Serving Man" was a Cookbook!! If Obama is elected, I believe we are cooked also.

__________

Me, too!

July 25, 2008 - 01:24 ET by i was just thinking

"Obama said he was speaking as a citizen" What about me? I'm a citizen. Can I go make a speech in Berlin?

"I know that I don't look like the Americans who've previously spoken in this great city." I thought we weren't allowed to talk about that. Wait a sec... is he talking about being black, or having big ears?

"...designed to make him look presidential." Because after all, it's really only looking presidential that's important, right? (By the way, why does someone "speaking as a citizen" need to look "presidential"?)

"His message: That as President he would bring the U.S. and Europe together." Well, THAT'S a relief, because he sure as hell won't bring the U.S. together!

"...this is our moment. This is our time." Read: "...this is MY moment. This is MY time."

"Barack Obama was due to visit wounded troops in Germany but canceled it
after the Pentagon told him that it would not be proper while on a
political trip." But...but... I thought he was traveling and speaking as an citizen, not a political candidate. Hell, now I'm really confused...

"He told them a lot of what they wanted to hear..." Let's all look surprised.

"In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our
world rather than a force to help us make it right has become all too
common." Just because they "view" us that way doesn't mean they're right. I view Obama as a pompous windbag. Does my view make me right?

"...part of the Obama pitch that his approach can heal the rifts with
America's allies in Europe and restore American prestige abroad." And exactly HOW would he do that? Oh, wait... he doesn't have to tell us how, all that's important is that he says he will.

(This is fun!...)

"To his detractors, it was presumptuous that a candidate for President would deliver a speech as if he were President." No, Charlie, that should be "to anyone with an ounce of common sense and half a brain in his head..."

"Not only have walls come down in Berlin-..." Obama says, "see? I can talk about walls, too!"

"...Senator Barack Obama today shared his vision for peace." ...vision, as opposed to an actual plan...

"It was that they were Presidents, Obama a mere candidate." A "mere candidate"?!?!? That's it, Jake... no more Obama exclusives for you! Blasphemer!!

"But I also know how much I love America." I'm certainly glad HE knows, 'cause the rest of us aren't really sure about it! And as the saying goes, you always hurt the one you love.

"And as for the people who came here today, many of them gushed about his speech." And I'm sure many more didn't gush, but we won't talk about that right now.

"My new messiah." My new messiah, filling the empty void that I call "my life". "Hey, Kool-Aid!!!"

2008-07-18T12:44:00.003-04:00

McCain Doesn't Know?

McCain doesn't know if Obama is a socialist: CNN article

Considering he has a further left voting record than a declared socialist and speaks about how we need more "shared prosperity" and that he's afraid of an "on your own" society...I'd say it's pretty much a textbook definition.

Beck on this topic here. I'll gladly share my prosperity with my neighbors, but I don't want the government doing it for me (Apr 15 doesn't feel like "give to charity" day to me) -- I'd rather they leave me "on my own".

2008-07-02T15:15:00.003-04:00

Think they deserve it? Yeah, they deserve it!

Thanks to Glenn Beck for posting this on his site and once again exposing what we're dealing with when it comes to Islamic extremism. See the full transcript from his radio show on this here.