Baseball!

Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Devil Rays AAA afiliate) 

Last night, I had the opportunity to go watch the Durham Bulls play the Norfolk Tides in Durham. It was a perfect night for baseball. The temperature was about 80 degrees, the humidity was pretty low, and there was a gentle breeze blowing. I love being at the ballpark on a night like that. Unfortunately the Bulls got creamed. Their pitching wasn't up to par and a couple of massive homeruns really did them in.

Sadly, the minor league baseball season is winding down. I say, "Sadly" but the truth of the matter is that I have mixed emotions about the ending of the season. On the one hand, I love going to watch baseball. There is nothing in the world like going to the ballpark and experiencing the food, the smells, the sounds, and the chance to watch all of the people. The game also looks different from the stands. Of course, I rarely ever get to actually watch a game. Most of the time when I go to the park, I have company or family with me. Watching a ballgame with anyone else means that you are probably going to miss most of the game! However, that is something that I like about baseball. Most of the time, it is slow enough paced to allow you to interact with the people around you and still catch most of the highlights of the game - unless you are sitting in foul ball territory! Then you have to pay really close attention unless you want a Rawlings tattoo! When you actually do get to watch the game, there are so many subtle things that happen around the field that there is plenty to keep you interested.

On the other hand, my brother-in-law is a AAA minor league umpire. There are certain advantages to having a family member in the game. I never pay to get into a ballgame anymore. That is nice. But the down side is that he is away from my sister and their kids for weeks at a time. The end of the season is the chance that we have to all be together as a family again.

I may try to go and catch the last two games in Durham this season tomorrow night. The temperature should be moderate again and with it being a Monday I should be able to sit about where I want to.

It has been quite a journey for Dusty. I guess he has been doing this umpiring thing now for 8 or 9 years. When he started out he had to drive to every game using his own vehicle. Now that he is AAA things are alot better. They get to fly to most of their parks and the perks are much better than they have been in the lower levels.


My brother-in-law, Dusty Dellinger (the umpire) 

We are hoping that Dusty will get a shot at the majors in the next couple of years. The Umpires' contract negotiation comes up this year, and many of the AAA guys are hoping that there will be some new openings at the end of the negotiations. We can only hope. This past year, Dusty did Major League spring training and it looks like he may get another shot at that this Spring. I hope so. He didn't get to call any ML games this year, but will probably get his shot next year.

So as the season winds down I'm sad that my favorite spectator sport is gone for another 7 months. Fortunately I have college football to take its place! Anyway, here's to hoping that the off-season will bring good news. Good luck, Dusty!

John Kerry's Battles With Reality

For more great cartoons click HERE. 

I love the latest explanation of why there don't seem to be any records of Kerry's "Christmas in Cambodia."

John Kerry's presidential campaign claimed on Tuesday that his Christmas 1968 mission into Cambodia was top, top secret - and that's why there are no documents that verify the implausible claim.

Top, Top secret? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! GIVE ME A BREAK!!! Did his orders come in the bottom of a box of breakfast cereal along with a special decoder ring? That's funny.

Does this mean that Kerry has been leaking TOP, TOP SECRET information all of these years? If that is the case, doesn't that beg the question of whether a blab like him is safe to put in office where he will have access to far more sensitive information?

Another problem with Kerry's Christmas in Cambodia is the following:

...two of Kerry's crewmates who enthusiastically back his candidacy and who served with him on missions near the Cambodian border insist the crossing never happened.

Hmmm. Seems Mr. Kerry has some problems with navigation - at best. Do we want him to help us navigate our country through the dangerous new world that we find ourselves in? Not me. Of course, it seems likely that the problems are very similar to our most recent former President - problems with veracity.

It is sad that someone who has supposedly "served" our country as long as John Kerry allegedly has needs to convince America that he is a war hero. What is even more sad is that while President Bush signed over access to all of his military records without any fuss, John Kerry has refused to do so as well. If everything in that record were as sterling as he is trying to portray it, why not release all of it for the world to see? I smell fish. In the classic words of Shakespeare, "Methinks he protesteth too much." All of the grousing about his 3 Purple Hearts has begun to chafe some veterans too. Senator Bob Dole spoke out recently:

"I respect his record - but three Purple Hearts, he never bled that I know of," Dole told CNN's "Late Edition." "They were all superficial wounds....As far as I know he never spent one day in the hospital, I don't think he draws any disability pay. He doesn't have any disability. And he's boasting about three Purple Hearts, when you think of some of the people who really got shot up in Vietnam."

"I think Sen. Kerry needs to talk about his Senate record, which is pretty thin." Dole added. "That's probably why he's talking about his war record, which is pretty confused."

Severely wounded World War II combat hero Sen. Bob Dole questioned whether John Kerry deserved his three Purple Hearts on Sunday, and suggested that the top Democrat should apologize to his fellow Vietnam veterans for engaging in anti-war protests while they were still fighting the war.

According to John-John's own testimony, he is a war criminal. How do the terms "war criminal" and "war hero" work together? I'm having a hard time reconciling all of that. Is it appropriate for a war criminal to be the head of the most powerful military in the world? It's a pretty scary thought.

Anyway, I can't wait for the next explanation of Kerry's war record. It will have to be a DANDY to be better than the TOP, TOP SECRET excuse. What will they come up with next!?!

527s

I find the current debate about the 527 organizations laughable. These organizations allow individuals unlimited contributions towards the political candidates of their choice and they can't be controlled by the parties. Wasn't the McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform bill supposed to get rid of soft money contributions and make everything fair and equitable in the whole political arena? Wasn't the infringement of the First Amendment supposedly allowed so that things would be more balanced and so that everyone would play nice leading up to the election? Perhaps that was the intention, but the execution leaves alot to be desired.

Democrats really didn't seem to have a problem with the 527s up until someone decided to start running ads attacking John Kerry. Left wing 527s have attacked President Bush mercilessly for the past year, but that was OK because it was against the President. Now that the Swift Veterans have turned up the heat against the Democratic pretender they cry foul. I find that funny. It is about time the Democrats got a taste of their own medicine.

I also think that it is funny the way the Kerry camp is calling for President Bush to call for a halt of these negative ads against Kerry's military record. They demand that the President specifically denounce the ad that is hurting the Kerry campaign, but when asked if the Kerry campaign will denounce the MANY libelous and slanderous ads against President Bush, they shrug their shoulders and say, "We have no control over them." Here's a memo, sweet knees: the President has no more control than you do.

This just goes to show that politicians will never willingly cut their own throat. They may pretend to "reform" campaign finance, but what they actually do is end up opening up the floodgates. Instead of controlling soft money contributions they actually exacerbated an already out of control situation.

John McCain apparently got his panties in a wad over the whole Swift Vets ad. I'm sitting here thinking, "Couldn't you see this thing coming, John? You were the author of the bill, did you not know that this loophole was there?" Give me a break. If he was so concerned about the negative tone of the ads, where was his indignation when the President was being run down by the Democratic 527 machine? Where was his outrage at Michael Moore's outright lies? Sorry, John, but sit down and shut up.

Apparently the President has called Senator McCain about this fracas.

"I'm very appreciative of the president's effort to do that," McCain said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I want to emphasize if I could that we're not saying that 527s should be abolished. We're just saying they should live under the same campaign finance restrictions [as hard-money groups] because they are engaged in partisan activity."

Well, that's mighty nice, John, but explain to me why you didn't forsee this when you created a bill that is in direct violation of the First Amendment? This loophole was big enough to drive an aircraft carrier through. I wish the President would quit being so dang nice to these people who deserve a sound drubbing. I know he is trying to maintain the high road, but sometimes you have to just get down and dirty like Cheney did a couple of months ago. Too many people have been allowed to get away with too much: the Clinton's trashing of the White House and theft of public property, Chirac's arrogance, the "palestinian" cause, and the left's lies - all with no response.

McCain added: "I've said before I would like for the president to specifically condemn that ad, but the president has said John Kerry served honorably and also the president is now committed to acting to try to bring 527s into regulations that are appropriate."

John, before you throw the President under the bus could you make sure that there is a semi following closely behind it? I've disliked John McCain ever since he proposed that horrible piece of legislation.

The President went far further than anyone else has been willing to go in this debate. He denounced ALL of the 527 ads. What else does he have to do? He's already conceded that Kerry was a "war hero," when the facts seem to be telling a very different story.

The simple fact of the matter is that we are stuck with this nonsense at least for the duration of this ugly election cycle. I do appreciate what the Swift Vets had to say about the whole situation:

Mike Russell, a spokesman for the Swift Boat group, said Thursday that "we're going to continue doing what we're doing because this group is made up of more than 250 veterans who feel it is their obligation to tell the truth about John Kerry's military service."

"We're obviously going to abide by the spirit and letter of the law, but as it sits right now 527s are free to operate, and we're going to continue to do so," he said.

God bless 'em. Torpedo the SS Kerry and send it to the bottom.

Hello Again

Hey folks. Sorry I've been so slack lately. I haven't had a lot to write about and have also had some personal correspondence that I have needed to take care of. Last week I had 2 or 3 long emails to write and also wrote a very long letter. The letter took alot of time. It was a disciplinary letter, and those are never any fun to write. It was a pretty long one too. I wanted to take my time with it because I wanted to make sure that I was being very careful with my words. I also wanted to make sure that I had carefully considered the advice that I was giving. Hopefully it will be received well, however, I am doubtful that it has been. I would have heard back from the other party by now (I think) if they had been able to receive what I had to say. Oh well, I've done what I could do.

My Dad and I travelled to Boca Raton on Sunday for a sales retreat. It was a good time. I didn't think that they would allow me into the training sessions, but they did. That really prevented me from taking much time to look around while I was down there. We didn't have much time. We were only there for about 48 hours. I did get some good reading in while I was there, though. I finished up a biography called Boyd and started on bios on John Wesley and John Paul Jones. Both are well written, but I am having a difficult time connecting with Wesley or Jones as characters.

Florida really isn't my favorite place. Most of it is ghastly (to me) with a few really pretty places. I just don't get into scrubby undergrowth and swamp. It is just hard to beat North Carolina. If we had the beautiful water in NC that they do in Florida, you would have a hard time prying me away. I'll be heading back down to Florida in February and hope to get some diving in. I'd like to go over to Crystal River and dive with the manatees. It sounds like a pretty fun outing.

Since I have gotten back, the weather here has been gorgeous. It has been really hard to stay in the office! I guess that is also a contributing factor to my blogging delinquency. I have just been ready to get out of the office by the end of the day and take advantage of the gorgeous weather of our waning summer. That being said, I'm outta here! It is just too pretty to stay in the office any longer!

It's Working...

Folks who support my alma mater tend to have a great aversion to both the fans who support the University of North Carolina Tarheels and the university itself. OK, let's be frank. NC State fans HATE Carolina. Of course there is no love lost from the other direction either.

Well, in the great tradition of all great rivalries, NC State fans have modified the official words of their fight song, The Red and White, to include a rather spiritually incorrect imperative.

We're the Red and White from State and we know we are the best
With our hands behind our back we can take on all the rest
Go to h*** Caroline!!!
Devils and Deacs stand in line!
The Red and White from NC State. GO STATE!!!

It's actually quite impressive when you hear thousands of screaming fans belting it out...

Anyway...

It seems like the little imperative in our song is working all too well. I received an article via a Newsmax news service that I get by email that described continuing efforts by the University of North Carolina (BOO!!!!) to discriminate against Christians and Christian organizations on the campus.

You may or may not remember the edict that was passed down in 2002 by UNC administration officials requiring all incoming freshmen to read a book that explained muslim doctrine and included excerpts from the koran that put islam in a favorable light. Not only that, but each freshman had to do a book report on the idiotic book. Only after there was an outraged backlash from Christians, Rush Limbaugh, and other conservative civil rights groups did the puddin'-headed administration back down on the requirement to read the book, but they still required a "book report" explaining why the freshman decided not to read the book, if indeed they did not.

A year or two later, the university revoked its recognition of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF or IV) as an official student group on campus, because the organization required all of its officers to be Christians. This standard violated the university's anti-discrimination policy so IV was banned from being able to use university facilities for its meetings, etc. IVCF fought back with the help of an organization called Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). (You can click on the link to see an article regarding Carolina's latest act of persecution.)

Now, once again, the university is back to its old tricks. The target this time is a Christian fraternity called Alpha Iota Omega that was started at a church that I attended in Durham.

According to the article:

The Alpha Iota Omega Christian fraternity (AIO) at UNC contacted FIRE when, according to AIO leaders, the university suspended the group's recognition and froze its university account and Web access without warning.

This occurred after AIO objected to signing an agreement which would have prohibited the use of religious affiliation as a criterion for membership — because following such a policy would defeat the very purpose of having a Christian fraternity.

Unrecognized groups do not have official rights at UNC and may not reserve space on campus, apply for funding from mandatory student fees, or take advantage of a variety of other rights and privileges that all recognized groups enjoy.

Apparently UNC's administration didn't learn anything in its tussle with IVCF. Less than two years after being called on the carpet over repressing Intervarsity they are at it again with a much smaller group. I guess they figured that they could bully them since they have only a couple of chapters and no national alumni organization to support them financially. Oops! Carolina thought wrong. Again.

"A Christian group has a right to be Christian, a Muslim group has a right to be Muslim, and a Jewish group has a right to be Jewish," said David French, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). "It seems absurd that anyone in a free society would have to make this argument, but time and time again FIRE has had to fight for this constitutional right at universities."

"For more than twenty years, it has been the law that public universities must provide equal access to religious student organizations. These universities cannot condition that access on the adoption of nondiscrimination regulations that strike at the heart of the religious character of the group," said FIRE's French.

In July of 2004, FIRE wrote to UNC Chancellor James Moeser, saying: "UNC simply may not use its nondiscrimination policy to dictate how religious student organizations must deal with matters of faith. If UNC allows expressive organizations to exist at all on its campus, then it must allow religious organizations to exist, to select their own members, and to establish policies and practices in pursuit of their goals. No group can control the content of its message if it is unable to choose its messengers."

I know that I shouldn't be amazed at the audacity of the university, but for some reason I am. Here is an establishment that is supposed to be dedicated to the development of tomorrow's leaders and better citizens and they are resorting to Stalinesque thought control tactics. Where do they think they are? Cuba? Maybe China? Boys, if you hear caterpillar treads outside of the frat house, look out! Chairman Moeser has sent out the tanks to have his own little Tiananmen Square! How dare you actually stand for something! How dare you actually declare that there is an absolute standard!

Obviously, Senator McCarthy got stopped too quickly. All the communists left Hollywood and headed to the universities, where they have been spreading their socialism and communistic crap unimpeded for the past 50 years or so. It is no wonder that Chapel Hill is so messed up! It is no wonder that Senator Jesse Helms mused, "Why do we need a zoo in North Carolina? Just put a fence around Chapel Hill!" (my paraphrase) Truer words were never spoken.

(Sigh.) I guess I’ll have to go back to singing the OFFICIAL words to the fight song. They aren’t as much fun, but the modified words are obviously way too efficacious in allowing the devil to run amuck at North Carolina’s (and the nation's)oldest public university.

Friday!!!

Not that it means anything in my business, but it is finally Friday! It has been a long week. I guess it all started two weeks ago.

I have a friend that I have been corresponding with for the past several months, and we had been discussing inner healing from the various things that wound us throughout our lives. In the course of that discussion I was able to share the message of salvation. It was pretty neat. I was actually surprised by some of the things that I learned in the process.

For the first time I actually understood why Jesus could be raised from the grave. Yes, WB, God did it, but for the first time I understood why there was a waiting period. Actually there may be a few reasons for that. I know, I know, there were the prophecies, but I mean beyond that. What finally came to me is that Jesus could be raised from the grave after becoming our sin because His goodness, His perfection, was infinitely greater than the sum total of all of humanity's sin. It only took him 3 (or part of three) human days for the entire sin debt that mankind would ever run up to be paid in full. Selah... Pretty cool, eh?

This also helps to explain why Jesus had to be God. He had to be infinite to outstrip the sins of mankind. Theoretically (and it would only be theoretical) if someone could live their entire life sinless they would be OK with God and would be welcome in to God's presence (this is totally impossible for a normal human.) However, because they are finite creatures, not infinite, their goodness would be limited to themselves. Thus, the mission to rescue sinful mankind could not be accomplished by something finite. It would require an infinite sacrifice, and infinite goodness, to overcome the sins of the World.

I have also begun to understand the nature of the Gospel message. It really IS Good News. I have been pondering the question "What is the Good News?" for the past month or so and have been amazed at the understanding that I have begun to receive about this gift that we have received from God. I guess the best summary that I can think of from the scriptures is this:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities long ago destroyed. They will revive them, though they have been empty for many generations. Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards. You will be called priests of the LORD, ministers of our God. You will be fed with the treasures of the nations and will boast in their riches. Instead of shame and dishonor, you will inherit a double portion of prosperity and everlasting joy.

"For I, the LORD, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the LORD has blessed."

I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels. The Sovereign LORD will show His justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, filled with young plants springing up everywhere.
Isaiah 61 (NLT)

That sums it up pretty well. If you are sad He will make you happy. If you have been dishonored He will give you honor. If your heart is broken He will heal it. If you've been held captive He will set you free. And He's gonna make the ones who hurt the person who is the apple of His eye (i.e. you) PAY. (As the scriptures say, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.)

You don't have to be scared anymore. You don't have to be broken. You don't have to be ashamed. You don't have to be addicted. You can be totally free! This is the Good News that Jesus told us to proclaim. If that ever gets down into your soul, it'll make you get so happy that you just want to dance!

Why is it that so many Christians are terrified to share the Gospel? (I am not exaggerating here when I say that they are terrified to share the Gospel either.) It is because I'd dare say 95% or more of all Christians don't understand that the essence of Christianity is what I have just described for you. The message that everyone has ever heard is that if you don't get saved you're going to go to hell. Oh, and by the way you also have to give up alot of other stuff too and go around being holy all the time. Does that sound like a message that anyone in his right mind would ever want to share with someone that they cared about? Absolutely not!

Where is the Good News in the message "You're an evil worm. You deserve to go to hell. Fortunately for you Jesus came here and let us kill Him so you wouldn't have to go to go there. Once you receive His gift we have a great list of dos and don'ts for you to follow so that you can be a good Christian and so that you can be sure that you are saved and to make sure God doesn't change His mind about you and send you to hell if you screw it up enough."? I guess it is good news that you may be getting to avoid hell, but is that really good news? What about this life? It is pretty hellish sometimes. What about my messed up emotions and weird thinking that make me mess up over and over again? Is there any help for that?

I am finding that we have taken the complete wrong tack on this witnessing thing. The Good News is that God is nuts about us and wants to fix us. He wants to take away our fears and provide for our needs. He loves us far more than we could ever possibly conceive and the benefits of loving Him back are PHENOMENAL.

If we ever get the realization of the truth of the Good News message down into our hearts, they'll have a hard time shutting us up! It is really sad to me that the sharing our faith or preaching the Gospel or whatever you want to call it has just become another rule - another regulation - that we have to fulfill to be a "good" Christian. It is one other way that we are reminded from the pulpit that we aren't really cutting it. How different from what Jesus intended for us! The early Church didn't have an outreach program. They were just so excited about what Jesus had done for them and they were so excited about what was going on around them that they couldn't wait to tell someone about it. That is what God intended for us - a life of utter excitement and wonder at what He is doing for us, NOT another religion!

OK, so this is the stuff I learned from sharing with my friend. Quite a rabbit trail, but it was so good to me, I just wanted to share it here. I have always been reluctant to share the Gospel, but I am coming to realize that the main reason has been that I have not really taken the time to actually understand what part of the message is the Good News part! I am excited at this new revelation because it helps me to truly believe that what I have to offer them is, in fact, Good News.

Anyway, on the heels of sharing this stuff with my friend I immediately got broadsided. I had to work last Saturday playing secretary at my office (Nothing against secretaries, I couldn't accomplish anything without mine, but I totally am not into doing work without being paid for it.) I was in a horrible mood that got worse and worse as the day progressed.

I thought that it was just the effect of having a lousy attitude about my pro bono contribution to my office, but when the bad attitude extended to Monday, then Tuesday, and Wednesday I knew that something was amiss. It was so bad on Wednesday that when I went to bed on Tuesday night I already didn't want to get up on Wednesday. When I got up on Wednesday I still didn't want to get up. We had to tour our new properties on Wednesday and we had to see about 14 properties all over the county. By the time that I got out of the van I hated everyone and everything.

As my attitude continued to deteriorate through the course of the day I finally turned to prayer in desperation. I didn't know what else to do, but I knew that I couldn't stay in this evil state of mind. I asked God what I should do and the Holy Spirit prompted me to pray for God to cover me (spiritually) with the blood of Jesus.

(Sorry if this Christianese jargon doesn't make sense to you or if it sounds totally gross. Basically Christians call this "pleading the blood of Jesus over themselves." In Christian theology it is the sacrificial blood of Jesus that has paid for our sins and has washed us clean. It is His blood that has purchased our souls and has bound us in covenant with Himself. To be "covered by the blood" is to bring oneself back under the covenant that you made with God. It is to remind yourself, God, and the devil that you belong to God and that you are entitled to His protection and the benefits of being in covenant with Him. We are not asking to be drenched in the literal blood of Jesus. It is a spiritual thing.)

Anyway, as soon as I prayed that prayer (I didn't even speak the words. I just thought them in my mind.) I felt a warm, tingling sensation that began at the crown of my head and rapidly spread to the rest of my body. Within 5 minutes my attitude had TOTALLY turned around, and I have been back to my usual cheerful self! I'll store that one away for future reference! It worked GREAT!

So there is the stuff that I promised in last night's post. I have some other fun stuff to write about so I'll wrap this up. What a week!

Not Dead, Just Busy

Just a quick post to let anyone who checks this site regularly that I haven't died or moved to Alaska or the Outer Hebrides or anything like that. It has just been an incredibly busy week, which actually is a great thing considering that I am in sales! So, hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post a decent entry. There is a lot of really interesting stuff to share - cool insights about how Jesus was able to be raised from the dead, why He had to be God, and how to make the devil leave you alone! Hasta luego - it is already manana!

More Than They Bargained For...

According to an article on the Drudge Report (click here) a group of Jewish students visiting the concentration camp at Auchwitz were attacked by a group of three french men.

While on a tour of the museum at the Auschwitz death camp in Poland on Sunday, a group of around 50 Jewish university students from Israel, the U.S. and Poland were verbally attacked by a three-member gang of French male tourists.

"These students went out there to learn what is happening and unfortunately, they learned a more practical lesson than we would have liked," says Peleg Reshef, Chairperson for WUJS. "The fact that someone could say all of the things that these men said at the Holocaust museum at Auschwitz is unthinkable."

"But, we are trying to teach our students to learn from other cultures and to proud of who they are and I am proud to say that they stood up and said that they were proud to be Jewish, that they were proud to be Israeli and that they were proud to bear our national flag."

Anti-semitism has been on the rise throughout Europe over the past decade and is seeing a new surge even here in the United States. It is hard to believe that in such a "tolerant" world that such foolishness is still present, but it is.

If you are one of the muffin heads out there who doesn't believe that the Holocost happened, this should be plenty of evidence that it is more than possible. But then again, if you are dumb enough to deny the incontrovertible evidence that already exists regarding this historical fact, you are too dumb to be thinking on your own without parental supervision.

I guess it was a wake-up call to these students. It ought to be for us too.

Keyes Running for Senate

Alan Keyes has announced that he will accept the Republican nomination for Senate in Illinois. (Click Here.) He will be running against Barak Obama, the up and coming Democratic golden boy. Granted this will be a tough fight, but it would be nice if Keyes is able to pull off a win.

Keyes has run for President twice and having heard what he has to say, I have been impressed. He is a Christian conservative. The article that I read outlined his platform as follows:

Illinois Republicans say Keyes' race, education and conservative views are a compelling combination. Keyes opposes abortion and gay marriage, affirmative action and gun control. He has called for eradicating the income tax, and instituting a national sales tax instead.

Sounds good to me.

Of course Democrats are not happy about this arrangement:

"Twelve and a half million people in our state, and the Illinois Republican Party was unable to come up with one person to run for the United States Senate," said Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.). "Their selection process made it very clear that when it comes to the future of the Republican Party, moderates need not apply."

Funny, I'm guessing that the "honorable" Senator Durbin didn't level this criticism against Hillary Clinton when she ran for office in 2000. And it is also funny to note that the secondary criticism could be leveled against the Democratic nominees for President and Vice President.

Apparently, Mr. Keyes (currently a resident of Maryland) had criticized Mrs. Clinton for her carpetbagging ways in 2000, but perhaps she was able to change his mind with an argument that we haven't heard yet.

Regardless, Mr. Keyes is infinitely more qualified to fill this post than the Republican candidate that dropped from the race because of the allegations of his twisted sex life. I hope that Mr. Keyes will do well.

This Just Totally Infuriates Me

Apparently the Bush administration has agreed to let an European delegation "observe" our elections this November. Both Drudge and Newsmax covered this one today (click here) and (here).

I simply cannot understand how it is possible that anyone with as much sense as President Bush has consistently exhibited could allow this breach of US sovereignty. Don't get me wrong, I love the President, but this is absurd.

We simply cannot give the global community the notion that they can have ANYTHING to do with how we run our country. Clinton tried to give away our sovereignty to the UN over and over again, and Kerry and Edwards and every other liberal Democrat are saying "yes" and "amen."

Why would we allow countries that can't even take care of themselves to try to tell us how we should run our country. We've been doing it just fine for over 200 years!

Mark my words - the United States will one day have to fight a war against the UN to protect its sovereignty. One day, someone with a little savvy will get in control in the UN and will take advantage of the inches that we have given them and demand a mile. If you think taxes under our government can be bad, you have seen nothing compared to what the UN would do to us.

This one will incite a rare letter of criticism to the President from me. ...But he's STILL better than that goofball Kerry.

A Good One

Got this joke in an email the other day and thought I'd share it!

Father O'Malley rose from his bed. It was a fine spring day in his new Washington, DC parish. He walked to the window of his bedroom to get a deep breath of the beautiful day outside. He then noticed there was a jackass lying dead in the middle of his front lawn. He promptly called the US Senate for assistance. The conversation went like this:

"Good morning. This is Senator Kerry. How might I help you?"

"And the best of the day te yerself. This is Father O'Malley at St. Brigid's. There's a jackass lying dead in me front lawn. Would ye be so kind as to send a couple o' yer lads to take care of the matter?"

Senator Kerry, considering himself to be quite a wit, replied with a smirk, "Well now Father, it was always my impression that you people took care of last rites!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Father O'Malley then replied: "Aye, that's certainly true, but we are also obliged to notify the next of kin!"

What Do You Think?

John Kerry bothers some pro-Bush Marines trying to enjoy their supper. Most weren't able to finish... 

Here is a quote from someone who served on the Swift Boat under Lt. JG John Kerry during Vietnam. With testimony like this does Senator Kerry sound like someone that you want to lead our country in its most dangerous days since the Cuban Missile Crisis?

My name is Steve Gardner. I served in 1966 and 1967 on my first tour of duty in Vietnam on Swift boats, and I did my second tour in '68 and '69, involved with John Kerry in the last 2 1/2 months of my tour. The John Kerry that I know is not the John Kerry that everybody else is portraying. I served alongside him and behind him, five feet away from him in a gun tub, and watched as he made indecisive moves with our boat, put our boats in jeopardy, put our crews in jeopardy... if a man like that can't handle that 6-man crew boat, how can you expect him to be our Commander-in-Chief?

Apparently he doesn't instill any more confidence in the Marines that he met in Wendy's.

New Address for Kevin Rumsey

Nothing like a letter from home... 

My friend Kevin Rumsey (the chaplain's assistant in the Navy Reserves) is finishing up his training in California and will be shipping out to Iraq towards the end of the month after a brief leave to return home. His mailing address will be changing. The new address is:

RP2 Kevin A Rumsey
1/23 H&S Comp Chaplian Office
UNIT 41900
FPO AP 96426-1900

Please take the time to drop him a line from time to time. Mail from home is a big morale booster. Also, if you know someone who is serving overseas take the time to write to them. Even if you aren't in a hostile environment where people are trying to shoot you or blow you up, the culture shock of leaving America is very real and makes a significant impact on your ability to handle the situations that you find yourself in. A letter can really help brighten someone's day and make them not feel so alone. There's nothing like a good old fashioned piece of snail mail!

More On Terrorist Activities

The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas-a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.
- President Ronald Reagan

There was a really disturbing article that I discovered yesterday via the Hog On Ice blog that I frequent. It was written by a staffer from Women's Wall Street and describes an event that she experienced that would have caused anyone distress. The article was titled, "Terror In The Skies, Again?"

The things that WB pointed to on his blog have finally hit the mainstream media. I saw a report on Fox News this morning about the woman that was caught illegally entering Texas from Mexico via the Rio Grande.

This is a real world, real stuff, no bull event. It REALLY happened. If you can stand to read the description of what happened on that flight, I'm willing to bet that you would interpret what happened as an aborted terrorist attack. I'm sure that Michael Moore would be trying to spin this as Anglo-racist behavior - unless he had been there. I doubt that he would have been quite so smug had he been. Then, after he cleaned out his trousers, he would be spinning it as more evidence that President Bush had failed in his job.

I wish that I were making this stuff up. I really do, but the very sad and disturbing truth is that our world has changed, and, to borrow and improve on some of the Democrats' convention rhetoric, saying that there is no terrorist threat in our country doesn't make it so. I have been told that there have been at least 22 thwarted terrorist attacks on our country since 9/11.

Two thoughts on this change: first of all we need to continue to be vigilant in our day-to-day life. I don't mean to look for terrorists under every rock and around every corner. Let's not run around scared all the time! That's not living, and if we do that the terrorists have won. But we need to pay attention to the things that are going on around us and not dismiss things that seem out of place or out of the ordinary. The unthinkable may not be so unthinkable after all.

Secondly, we really need to turn to the only one who can protect us (God) and call upon His mercy and protection. Turning to God doesn't mean that we don't do other things, but it does mean that we make sure that He has our "six." Without His protection it is only a matter of time until the terrorists succeed.

We have to realize that this battle isn't merely against flesh and blood; it is also spiritual and is rooted in a struggle for the destiny of our nation. As the quote above says, bullets and bombs won't be enough. We are going to have to call out for some divine intervention to win this one.