"Senator Joe Lieberman — he skipped Iowa — he's now devoting all his energy to losing in New Hampshire." —Jay Leno
"General Wesley Clark has spoken out both in favor and against the decision to go to war with Iraq. In fact this weekend in South Carolina, he’ll debate himself." —Jay Leno
"The big winner last night in New Hampshire — Senator John Kerry. He won 39 percent of the vote, which is pretty good, and begs the question, why the long face?" —Jay Leno
"Lieberman did well in the exit polls. Every poll said he should exit. ... He came in fifth. The man skipped Iowa and moved to New Hampshire. Even Seabiscuit is going, 'Lieberman give it up.'" —Jay Leno
"The rumor is Lieberman may be suspending his campaign. He said he's going to pool all his remaining resources and just play Lotto. The odds are better." —Jay Leno
"Kucinich got one percent of the vote. And the sad part is there's a three percent margin of error. That means Kucinich could actually owe votes." —Jay Leno
"In New Hampshire, Dennis Kucinich went on a ten-stop bus tour and finally the bus driver said 'Look pal it's the end of the line, you gotta get off. You can't ride the bus all day.'" —Jay Leno
"The big surprise — John Edwards came in second. He was very eloquent; he said we have two America's — one for the rich and one for the poor. Today President Bush said, 'Why don't you become president of the crappy one.'" —Jay Leno
"Howard Dean finished in third — his lead lasted about as long as Britney Spears' marriage." —Craig Kilborn
"Yesterday in the Iowa caucuses, Dennis Kucinich got only one percent of the vote. Apparently Kucinich knew he was in trouble when he saw a sign that said, 'You must be this tall.'" —Conan O'Brien
Good news for Democratic hopeful Joe Lieberman. According to the polls, he just pulled ahead of mad cow disease." —Craig Kilborn
"Speaking of Democrats, Dennis Kucinich — the bachelor — he is actually looking for a wife out on the campaign trail because he's single. He said he is looking for a dynamic, outspoken woman who knows something about health care. And today President Clinton said 'Be careful for what you wish for.'" —Jay Leno
"Real movement in the Kerry campaign now. His poll numbers are moving, donations are moving, endorsements are moving. The only thing not moving is his hair." —Jay Leno
"In his big victory speech last night, Senator Kerry said that he wanted to defeat George Bush and the 'economy of privilege.' Then he hugged his wife, Teresa, heir to the multi-million dollar Heinz food fortune." —Jay Leno
"During the Democratic presidential debate Howard Dean started off by apologizing to the crowd for having a cold. Then John Kerry apologized for once having a cold while serving his country in Vietnam." —Conan O'Brien
"John Kerry was the big winner in Iowa. Ted Kennedy introduced Kerry as the 'comeback kid.' That used to be Bill Clinton's name — because every time he would come back to a city, he would find out if he had a kid or not." —Jay Leno
"These campaigns are getting so nasty. They are going through people's old taxes, coming up with these old quotes. Today, somebody released footage of John Kerry throwing apples at Dorothy. To me he just looks like the tree from 'The Wizard of Oz.'" —Bill Maher
"Ted Kennedy is endorsing John Kerry and I'm wondering, do you really want the endorsement of a guy with a Bloody Mary mustache?" —David Letterman
"John Kerry is recovering nicely after having prostate surgery. But the doctors did tell him it would be several months before he could be sexually active again. All the other Democratic candidates have been very supportive. Joe Lieberman called to wish him the best. The Rev. Al Sharpton called to offer prayers. Former President Bill Clinton called Mrs. Kerry and asked if she was lonely." —Jay Leno
Common Soldiers With American deaths in Iraq now surpassing 500 and several thousand others seriously wounded, news accounts are painting the picture of the 21st century's common American soldier.~ Roger L. Vance
Friday, January 30, 2004 "A day in the life of....babysitter dad." Don't tell mom....the babysitter's Dad!
Did you ever just have one of those days? I'm sure the person that first used that phrase must have been babysitting. Babysitting is not my favorite thing. In fact I can think of about 500 other things that are more my favorite.
Maybe I should clarify. It's not that I don't like spending time with my 10 month old son, I do. He brings me joy and a smile to my face. Like today when I was listening to music, he started dancing. Okay it was more like a jig but it was cool. He's also in that stage where he is saying words but only parts of words and they sound cool too, like when he calls his truck "uck." We're still working on hemi.
But you have to know something about me to know that my life isn't perfect. I mean if people would just follow me around, I'd be like a thousandaire. Ok, I'd be broke. But you would see some interesting things, the majority of which are just little frustrations that add up to a culminating hair pulling, blood curdling, expletive laden scream. Maybe not expletives but substitutes. Worthy substitutes.
You see my son has been blessed by our Heavenly Father with exceptional bowels. Not just any bowels mind you, timed bowels. That's right, bowels that know when daddy's babysitting. There's no greater alarm clock than a crying baby with a poopy diaper. Can I say poopy? So, still groggy, I stumble in his room to change him. Of course it's not the nice little pile like it is for mommy. No, mine is blown out the back. All over the clothes.
So I change his clothes and put on what mommy has laid out for him to wear, which incidentally, has a million buttons in the legs. Yeah, thanks. Now he's doing the jig again.
Well, things are okay from then on out until about, oh an hour later! That's when little Truman decided to drop another bomb. Same kind, same place. Let's do this again shall we? So when I get done buttoning his outfit, it's lunch time already.
Yay. Mommy left us soup......oy. During lunch I can see it on his face. He's formulating his next bombing. At this point I'm thinking I should just hold him over the toilet and wait. Can't we call a truce and end all this senseless bombing? People are dying from the smell.
After lunch it's time for a nap. He needs one too.
Any further decisions will just have to wait until the Secretary of Defense gets home.
Thursday, January 29, 2004 Let's hope Bush has more red states than me. I suck! Lewis and Clark would not be happy with me. It looks like I haven't explored past the Mississippi river. If you would like to send me past it so I can see more of the United States, email me your credit card number.
The media have begun the process of anointing Sen. John Kerry our next president. The stories of his likeness to another John from Massachusetts — Kennedy the president — are now sprouting like daffodils during the spring. The relaxed humor is being talked about, the war experience in Vietnam likened to former President Kennedy in the South Pacific and PT 109. The candidate, we are assured, has gravitas and foreign and domestic experience, and will reach out and be friends to Old Europe. The meanness of the Bush administration will be but a fleeting memory once Mr. Kerry and his liberal boys get a hold on Foggy Bottom and the five-sided puzzle palace once known as the Pentagon. Anyway, that's their story and they're sticking to it. There is one very big problem. The story is baloney. .... During the height of the Cold War, Mr. Kerry opposed the entire strategic modernization effort proposed by President Reagan — the Peacekeeper, B-1 and B-2 bombers, the Trident submarine and D-5 missile — even though his Democratic colleagues Sam Nunn, Al Gore, Norman Dicks, Sonny Montgomery and Les Aspin, for example, sided with Mr. Reagan. He supported the nuclear freeze, which would have placed U.S. nuclear forces in permanent obsolescence just as the Soviet strategic nuclear forces were becoming most formidable. Mr. Kerry opposed the deployment of the INF missiles in Europe that Mr. Reagan successfully achieved. The ground-launched cruise missiles and Pershings based in England, Germany, Holland and Italy turned out to be one of the turning points of the Cold War, and hastened the end of the Soviet empire. Mr. Kerry was not only wrong on this critical issue, but opposed the non-strategic modernization of the defense budget as well. The purchase of additional C-5 airplanes by Mr. Reagan turned out to be critical to rescuing U.S. allies in trouble later in the decade — and Mr. Kerry was opposed to that as well.
Mr. Kerry says he stood up to Mr. Nixon on Vietnam. Well, since Mr. Nixon inherited a war the two previous administrations had no idea how to win or were unwilling to even try, and since Mr. Nixon's war plan was to how to withdraw American troops, and since Mr. Nixon did in fact withdraw U.S. forces from Vietnam quite rapidly, what was it that Mr. Kerry believes he stood up to Mr. Nixon about? Did Mr. Kerry oppose Mr. Nixon on withdrawing forces from Vietnam, or was the senator telling us that what he wanted us to do was surrender?
Kerry is not all he's cracked up to be, he's just cracked up. Just like all the rest of them. The one who wins will be the one who can make people forget the easiest and the fastest. I'm not buying it. Of course, I was never really in the market for it.
"That flag belongs in a museum. It is a flag of the past," said Clark, pointing to the flag and drawing the loudest applause in his speech on continuing King's fight for equity in education, justice and jobs for blacks in America.
The retired four-star general also said his 34 years in the armed forces gave him the leadership skills to become president of the United States.
"I fought for the freedoms of every American regardless of race, creed, color, religion, sexual orientation or any other discriminating factor and I am not going to stop now," Clark said.
You mean like the freedom to wave a flag? any flag?
"This is not a day that you wave a flag of Confederacy and wave a flag of racism," Sharpton said.
Sharpton is an idiot and has probably never cracked a history book. For almost 100 years the American flag stood for racism as slavery was acceptable throughout that whole time. Ask a native american what the US flag represents to them? I still wave it with pride even though it may not represent the same thing to everyone. What about peace loving democrats? They don't seem to be defending their own flag, only going after others. And if you compare the south to Nazi Germany one more time so help me....
If we continue to provoke emotions over what sundry things represent to variegated people we will continue to be a divided people...exactly what the democrats want. Not what Martin Luther King wanted.
Listen everyone who's still paying attention. If you are a Southerner, this is what they think of you in the south. The first issue that always comes up is the flag. They don't have a clue about how to get in touch with southerners that's why they can't win any states here. Not everyone flies the confederate flag (or at least the battle flag :) but we take offense that there is nothing else on anyone's mind and it is only incitement to immediately enter a state and start dividing everyone...all in the name of unity.
DUSHANBE / BUDAPEST (ANS) -- Authorities have launched an investigation into the killing of a Baptist pastor and missionary in the northern Tajik town of Isfara, a region known for its devotion to Islam, ASSIST News Service monitored Thursday, January 15.
Forum 18 News Service (F18News) quoted the head of Tajikistan's Baptist Union, Aleksander Vervai, as saying that Monday, January 12 intruders "burst into the yard of the church armed with automatic weapons and shot Sergei Besarab through a window."
He said Besarab was shot while kneeling in prayer. "When his wife Tamara rushed in from another room, he was already dead," F18News reported.
Monday, January 26, 2004 Does money make the world go round?
Saw this at Deinonychus antirrhopus Check out his blog if you like politics or economics. He got the information from Donor profiles at Opensecrets.org You can view the full list of donors there along with pretty little donkey and elephant icons for the two parties.
Top 10 donors (Amounts in 1,000's)
Organization
Total Amount
% Dem
$ Dem
%Repub
$ Repub
American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees
American Federation of Teachers (14) - Strongly Democratic
UPS - (20) - Leans Republican
National Assn. of Letter Carriers (22)/American Postal Workers Union (83) (represents USPS) - Strongly Democratic
AOL/Time Warner (27) - Leans Democratic
FedEx (28) - Leans Republican
Verizon (30) - Leans Republican
Microsoft (33) - on the fence (contributes 40-59% to both sides)(I find that hard to believe)
Blue Cross (39) - Leans Republican
MBNA(57) - Strongly Republican
Walt Disney (69) - Leans Democratic
**A few observations: -Not surprising, the big supporters for Democrats are organizations that represent Human rights, the NCEC, and anything remotely related to labor unions or industrial labor. Big supporters for Republicans seem to be organizations related to financial, health, gas corporations like chevron/exxon.
-Also interesting to note is John Edwards affiliation with the Assn. of Trial lawyers of America, who he has championed in his speeches as taking on big corporations. Of course Edwards has also been highly outspoken on Lobbyists and special interest groups in Washington. In case you're wondering, that's what this list is. Hmmm....
The woman who proposed striking the names of Confederate leaders from two Hampton schools has dropped half of her petition, saying she's gained new perspective on the character and legacy of Gen. Robert E. Lee.
"By looking at his own words, you really can see he was a good, honorable man," said Erenestine Harrison, author of the petition. "The things that changed my mind about Robert E. Lee, I really had to look deep."
Hollywood - The RIAA has filed lawsuits against 24 individuals for illegally downloading files of RIAA member and spoken word artist Osama bin Laden according to documents obtained by Broken Newz. The lawsuits ask for compensatory and punitive damages in the amount of $150,000 for each illegal download.
"While we understand that Mr. Bin Laden is a controversial artist," said Prunella Witherspoon, chief counsel for the RIAA, "Nevertheless, copyright protection pertains to ALL creative artists. Mr. Bin Laden's taped messages to his followers definitely fall within the purview of the 1979 Copyright Act and we in the RIAA mean to protect his legal rights."
My daughter, like many children, loves Elmo. He's been with her for as long as any of us can remember. Not just cute and lovable, but he also sang to her when she squeezed his stomach. However, time waits for no man or monster. And as time went on, Elmo grew weaker and weaker in his singing. My wife and I knew that it was eventually going to be a sad day for all.
Then, on a cold December morning - that sad day finally came.
As is customary, Elmo was taken to the coroner's office for post-mortem investigation (Maybe in the back of our Polly-Annic minds, we thought that there might even be a way to bring him back). My daughter wanted to be present for the autopsy, and against our better judgment, we allowed it.
Al Jazeera television has released another Osama Bin Laden video, this one clear proof the Al Qaeda leader is alive, as it deals in a direct way with current headlines.
In the approximately 12 minute video, Bin Laden expresses consternation that Michael Jackson may have joined the Nation of Islam, on the grounds that "someone like him could easily make Muslims look weird, threatening, crazy and dangerous. We don't need guys like that."
Spokespeople for General Wesley Clark lashed out agains both Republicans and some fellow Democrats who say he has waffled on Iraq. Their candidate, they say, has not wavered one bit on the issue--most Tuesdays.
Music is one of those things that plays a key role in growing up. As most of us look back at our lives we can think of a song or two that really stands out. Or maybe you are taken back when you hear a song. The blogger idol contest on the 80's reminded me of this. All the memories that I read from all the blogs, which were many and what was one thing that was mentioned that all of them had in common? Music. Hearing a song invokes the kind of sensory memories that are just as strong, if not stronger than smell, sight and touch. The songs are different for everyone because it depends on where you were at in your life when you heard it. Maybe it's journey or maybe U2. Maybe you just identified with the message or you just liked the tune. It doesn't matter.
My struggle is that you are taught growing up that all rock music is wrong, or at least I was. I never really had another alternative except country music, which is generally more accepted by Christians, particularly in the south. (something I don't understand).
So if it's wrong, then why is it wrong? Is it because of the lifestyle of the singers? What about the lifestyle of the actors we see in movies? Is it wrong because of the content? Again, what about the movies we see? They are only different mediums but aren't both for entertainment? Or is all music supposed to be non-entertainment/worship? As I see it there are only those 2 categories: entertainment and worship. Why does attending a movie not incur the same wrath of Christians that a rock concert would? Movies only fulfill the entertainment category; I don't think anyone would argue with that.
I find it a little humorous that time seems to inoculate the music that was once supposed to be evil. Countless adolescents were forbidden to listen to Elvis because of the "rock and roll," yet now it is classic and he is adored by all. It is getting to the point where Journey, U2, Richard Marx and others from my day are becoming classic rock. So what am I supposed to tell my young people? Just wait a few years and it will be okay, but now it's wrong?
I don't get it. I'm not prepared to tell them that. I'm not prepared to tell them it's okay either. I've heard their music. It's not okay. I know that because music is used in church and that there are good alternatives, we should listen and promote Christian music. But I'm sure many would argue that the CCM business needs as much reform as the other industries. Don't get me wrong, I am not writing to support rock music.
I'm just searching for an answer so that I can lead my youth to have mature Christian lives. But I want to lead them realistically. I want to lead them honestly. I want to lead them confidently.
One important factor in all of this is: are young people generally mature enough to make sound decisions on music or even movies? From my experience, they certainly are not when it comes to movies. I don't think music is any different. What do you think?
Youth group was pretty good tonight. We go out to eat once a month after church and on that night I usually show a movie clip and give a lesson. Tonight was Bruce Almighty. The lesson turned out much better than I had anticipated and with no credit to myself. God has a way of doing that, at least from what I have learned. He takes our half-hearted, feeble attempts at Bible exposition and turns them into insightful truths that can penetrate the hardest of hearts.
The passage we studied was Judges 6 and the story of Gideon. The clip was when Bruce Nolan was fired from his job, beat up for helping a homeless guy, called God a mean kid who ignored him and then drove down the road seeking a sign. Of course the signs were there but he ignored them. A lot like Gideon did. A lot like we do.
God was gracious to give Gideon a sign, after all, he lived in a tumultuous time. But when Gideon received the first sign, he wanted another. When God showed Him the 2nd one with the fleece, Gideon sought yet another one. And again, God answered.
As the product of God's promise to fulfill the sign for Gideon, the fleece represented all the confidence Gideon needed for faith.
This shows an apparent lack of faith in my mind by Gideon in what God was going to do. If God says He will do something, do we really need a sign or signal from Him? No, yet sometimes He is still gracious and patient enough to give one.
The question is, do you find your confidence in signs or in your faith? Do you find yourself asking God for more reasons to believe or is His Word alone enough? And what do you think God wants the answer to that question to be?
I think we already know.....it's a fleece-less faith.
So let me get this straight. If you have a name or a website name that is close to a major company, you could get sued and/or possibly win a settlement? Why didn't I think of that?
If you can think of some others, let me know. Let's stake our claims now before big business takes over. In the case that any of the above links actually works, well, you heard it here first.
Man leaves marijuana at security checkpoint - Washingtontimes.com DES MOINES, IOWA — A man going through a courthouse metal detector emptied his pockets, tossing a small bag of marijuana into the security tray, authorities said. When Clyde Lamar Pace II realized what he had done, he tried to flee. But he ran the wrong way from Polk County deputies into a locked revolving door. Mr. Pace, 18, first tried to retrace his steps, then ran through the building before he was stopped by deputies at the locked door. Mr. Pace was arrested for drug possession and resisting arrest. The arrest caused him to miss a scheduled hearing on charges of drug possession and driving violations filed after a traffic stop last month.
Now that I've had a chance to read them all, I would like to add a few more to the list of my favorite 80's entries (In no particular order). I won't attempt to rank them but they are definitely good enough for a top 5 but since I already have 5 I have left myself in a difficult situation. Oh just read them. This was great. I found a few blogs I may add to the roll. Thanks Darren! (He's probably asleep by now.)
My Blogger Idol Top 5: ( I may change as I read more)
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them all, but these are the raddest ones. Check em out doood:
1. joshua.michael - He saw Rad, that's all I need to know. 2. sunburned - Two words: truffle shuffle. 3. what in tarnation?!?!? - TV, Cartoons and toys. 4. Pischina - because getting married in the 80's takes courage. 5. ganns - Great TV list.
Honorable Mention - Christop and his glo worm - His love of Dino Riders moves him down some. :)
The 80's. Well, I hope we're talking about the decade otherwise I really have nothing to say. It would figure though. I am always doing the assignments wrong. The thing about the 80's, herein after referred to as the decade, is that all things seem to be connected. I'm not sure if that is how it is now. Maybe it is and I just don't notice.
. . .I woke up in the 80's and it was Saturday morning. I poured me a bowl of King Vitamin and sat down to another morning full of cartoons. Yeah, it's time for Plasticman. My cartoons don't mean anything. They didn't provide any insight into who I was. With cartoons like Fat Albert, The Littles, Pink Panther and Richie Rich, I certainly hope not. Especially watching the demonic little smurfs.
. . .My TV shows weren't any different. You would never have known I was a white kid in the south. I looked forward to What's happening ("Ooh, Dawayne, you in trouble."), Different Strokes, Sanford & Son ("Big dummy"), the Jeffersons (Weesie) and the White Shadow. Which isn't a white show, even though it sounds like it. And what about Dukes of Hazzard? No, wait. That was a southern white kid show. But still, who didn't dream about Daisy? I remember when Knight Rider replaced the Dukes. What a sad day.
. . .In the afternoon, after a morning full of cartoons and King Vitamin, I went over to my cousin's to play computer games. He always had the best. He had the best computer...a Tandy SX, I had an EX. He had the best atari...a 5200, I had a 2600. We played Atari games like Enduro, He-man, and Pitfall. We played computer games like Ultima, King's quest and Leisure suit Larry, which was the first game that I can remember that would have been rated M. It was a poor man's version of GTA.
. . .We gained great things from 80's media. Like memorable lines which were quoted over and over at length. "Nanoo, Nanoo" (Mork & Mindy), "I love it when a plan comes together" (A-Team), "Perkins: I did it again, didn't I?"(Lobo), "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."(The Incredible Hulk), "Don't be ridiculous."(Perfect Strangers) We also learned about diversity. A Sarcastic alien(Alf), spoiled rich kids(Silver Spoons), politically diverse families(Family Ties), Mr. T's inability to fly(The A-Team). The first reality show, "That's Incredible," great theme songs "Great American Hero"(I know you all still know the words).
. . . The 80's gave us alternatives. Didn't like the transformers? There's the Deceptecons. Didn't like Cabbage patch kids? There's the Garbage pail kids. . . . The 80's taught us about fitting in. They gave us The Breakfast Club, which unfortunately wasn't about food. Sixteen Candles, Teen Wolf, Weird Science and Better Off Dead. . . . The 80's taught us about fear. Fear of sleep (Nightmare on Elm Street), fear of little creatures and lack of resposibility (Gremlins), fear of Aids (I thought I had it and I hadn't even had sex yet), fear of broken bones (Joe Theisman's leg) and fear of death (Challenger explosion). . . . The 80's taught us how to dress. We learned to peg our pants and that socks weren't necessary. Swatches were cool too. . . . The 80's gave us A-Ha and their song "Take On Me."
. . .There's a mystical aura about the 80's that I can't explain. I'm not talking about a new age Enya thing, but something about the 80's intertwines with everything else. The movies, the music, the events, the trends, the technology....it all connects.
Maybe it's because when I see Red Dawn, I think of the Cold war. When I see U.S. Olympic hockey I think of the boycott. Maybe it's because when I hear Christopher Cross, I think of General Hospital. When I hear Cyndi Lauper, I think of the Goonies. (Which incidentally was the first movie I saw at the theater.) When I watch Karate Kid II, I think of Chicago. When I think of crushes and lost loves, I hear Lionel Ritchie singing "Hello? Is it me you're looking for?" or "Islands in the Stream," Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton or U2 and "I'll wait for you." When I watch wrestling, I think of Dusty Rhodes and the Rock and Roll Express. When I see Tom Cruise or Bill Murray I think of Top Gun and Ghostbusters. When I go on vacation I think of Clark W. Griswold and cousin Eddy.
When I play golf I think of Caddyshack. When somone says "Police," I think the words "Every Breath you take." When someone says think of a stupid song that you can't get out of your head, I think "Red, Red Wine." (Congratulations, you will be singing it the rest of the day. Don't worry, no one else knows the words either.) Maybe it's because when I hear someone speak of Journey, I don't think of my life, I think of the musical group. When someone talks about heavy metal I think of Guns and Roses (Sweet Child o mine), Def Leppard, Motley Crue and AC/DC. When I hear about the greatest music videos I think of Michael Jackson...unfortunately.
But that's just me. Come to think of it, maybe I never went to sleep.
"Sin is incurable by the strength of man, nor does free will have any validity here,
so that even the saints say: 'The evil which I do not wish, this I do.' 'You are not doing the
things which you wish.' 'Since my loins are filled with illusions,' etc."
You are Martin Luther!
Yeah, you have a way of letting everyone know how you
feel, usually with Bible quotes attached, and will think your way through the issues, although
sometimes you make no sense! You aren't always sure of yourself, and you can change your mind about
things, something you actually consider a strength. You can take solitude, especially with some music.
As I reported to the courthouse for jury duty, I don't know what I expected. I don't go to the courthouse often. It's probably better. That means I am staying out of trouble.
Not having any prior experience with being on a jury, I don't really know what I expected. I suppose I have watched too much TV or News reports but I expected a Godless building stripped of all vestiges of what was once a country founded on God. With news stories like the removal of the ten commandments fresh on my mind, coupled with crusades by the ACLU, I had serious doubts that there would be visible reminders of God. However, one of the first things I noticed was numerous stacks of Bibles.
Bibles? What was the court doing, having devotions? Not quite. Of course the Bibles were for swearing in.
Swearing in huh. So what are we swearing? That we will tell the truth.
But how does using a Bible bring more weight to that action? Because there is no greater promise. I swear to God that I will tell the truth.
Not grandma's grave, not scouts honor.
Were there a higher power than God, we would swear to it. But there is not. And those who lie after swearing to the Creator of the Universe that you will tell the truth, will pay the consequences.....ones that will not be measured out by any earthly court.
Don't get me wrong. The courtroom was hardly even an ignoble version of the most humble of church sanctuaries. Nor was there prayer or praise. But it was nice to know that whether they know it or not, the courts of our land still answer to that Higher power that they deny exists. They even swear by Him. And that is somewhat comforting.
Ok, it's not what you think. He's only 10 months old so there isn't any hair growing on them. However, he took his first steps this week. What a wonderful thing to watch. It is a lot more fun than that walker he was pushing around. He should have gotten a ticket from the baby police for hit and run with that thing. He was always running people down with no regard for their safety.
Now he is taking small steps at a time and I think we've figured out the secret to getting your little one to take those first steps: snickers. That's right, pure sugar baby. You can wave, holler, jump, whatever, but pull out a snickers bar and he takes off. There has to be an ad campaign in there somewhere.
Saturday, January 10, 2004 I Have the winning ticket!
Forget about that whole episode in Ohio with the lottery, I am the one that has the winning ticket. That's right, I received it in the mail last week. I didn't even enter to win, I was just chosen. How special am I?
What do I win? Well, instead of going to work this week, I get to go to our local courthouse and sit all day long. Not only that, they will give me $12 a day! Can you believe it? Me neither.
All the finalists will then come together and choose to possibly send the person of their choice on a special, all expenses paid vacation to the local housing unit near the courthouse. What a nice state we live in, allowing us to make important decisions like that.
Insults Unpunished: Broomstick One . "I found out via The Command Post that the soldiers in Iraq called the Blackhawk helicopter Hillary traveled in 'Broomstick One' during her tour of Iraq. Gotta love 'em."
The sacrament of marriage is under attack like never before. Our popular culture is reducing marriage from eternal love to a temporary business merger, an elongated slumber party, with adults playacting at junior-high style "going steady." When the going gets tough, no one hangs tough. Marriage is no longer a commitment. It is merely the legalization of infatuation, which, when followed almost immediately by irreconcilable differences, can be voided.
The pinup for play-marriage this week is pop tart Britney Spears, who simply will not go away until we buy her lame CD "In The Zone"
During her interview with Pop Tart, Jessica said she forgot her datebook, and asked what day it was. The reporter pointed to a newspaper on the table, and said she could find out by looking at the paper.
No, I cant, Jessica responded. It's yesterday's paper.
Jessica said her favorite pop star other than herself is Britney Spears. I envy her strong mind. She decided to get married and then she did, while other women would still be wishy-washy about it. She's like Joan of Arc. Once Joan decided to build it, she went ahead and did it.
But Jessica thinks she's smarter than Britney. She spent only 12 years in public schools. I got a better education, because I stayed there for 15 years. One elementary school teacher was so impressed with me that I had her three years in a row.
After being on the receiving end of numerous attacks from his Democratic rivals throughout the weekend, Howard Dean had reason to be optimistic today when a new poll showed he could become the next president of the United States -- if enough people get totally plastered before voting.
A 39-year-old Triangle man was with his family at a Saturday afternoon screening of "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" at the AMC Theater when the people behind him were making a lot of noise. Police Sergeant Kim Chinn says the man asked the people to keep the noise down.
A while later the group became noisy again and the man turned around and asked them to keep the noise down.
Chinn says one of the people slapped the soda from the man's hand and put him in a head lock and began beating him.
The Cincinnati Post reports Roarie Golder asked Hamilton County Judge Patrick Dinkelacker if she could use Monopoly's famous "get out of jail free" card.
Judge Dinkelacker reportedly then called the sheriff's office which told the judge they don't accept the cards.
DES MOINES, Iowa - Federal spending was the topic and Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich came prepared with a pie chart to argue his point about a bloated Pentagon budget.
But although many listened to Tuesday's presidential debate, few could see the Ohio congressman's prop.
The debate was broadcast only on National Public Radio.
WHEN THEY were fund-raising, the Democratic candidates for president all claimed to be Jewish. Now that they are headed for Super Tuesday down South, they've become Jesus freaks. Listening to Democrats talk about Jesus is a little like listening to them on national security: They don't seem terribly comfortable with either subject.
Tuesday, January 06, 2004 Nice weather we're having ain't it?
Well, yesterday was so nice we turned our heat off. I was beginning to forget about winter and my hope for snow with the recent warm trend. I had visions of a spring habitat full of vegetation, only without the allergies.... like hobbiton. But today it's like Mordor outside. Only without the eye and without gollum. Although my neighbors do carry a resemblance. Anyway, I wanted to work out tonight but I'm not as brave as Frodo. It's too cold. Forget exercise. Let Mordor win today. I'll destroy the ring another day. Good thing the fate of the world doesn't depend on me. I guess I can't complain, at least it's not like those poor people in Minnesota. Although, I don't feel real sorry for them. They had to know how it was when they moved. It's not Miami.
Saw this on jeremy's site and thought it was interesting. Here are some interesting searches done that somehow brought up my site. I'm almost afraid to list them.
Pirated PS2 ringgit online store ventilator error message on a hp need sex in Johor bahru naked girl medal of honor allied assault skin Johor bahru dvd pirate eowyn sim skin Ambercrombie and Fitch field guide online photos
Looks like that A & F post I did has attracted the wrong crowd. Glad to see I have some Malaysian fans but I think there may be some unhappy people when they get to my site. Oh well....
"If you know much about the Bible which I do, to see and be in the place where Christ was and understand the intimate history of what was going on 2,000 years ago is an exceptional experience," he said.
Responding to this comment, along with earlier statements that Dean has read the Bible cover to cover, a reporter asked the candidate what his favorite book from the New Testament is. He answered by citing Job, a book from the Old Testament.
"But I don't like the way it ends," he said. "Some would argue, you know, in some of the books of the New Testament, the ending of the Book of Job is different. I think, if I'm not mistaken, there's one book where there's a more optimistic ending, which we believe was tacked on later. Many people believe that the original version of Job is the version where there is not a change, Job ends up completely destitute and ruined. It's been a long time since I looked at this, but it's believed that was added much, much later. Many people believe that the original ending was about the power of God and the power of God was almighty and all knowing and it wasn't necessary that everybody was going to be redeemed."
About an hour after his comments, Dean returned to the reporters to admit that Job was in the Old Testament, not the New. Still, he said, he likes Job. "It's such an allegory," he said. "It sort of explains that bad things could happen to very good people for no good reason."
Asked again about his favorite part of the New Testament, he responded, "Anything in the Gospels."
What a great theologian Dean is. Wow. I'm impressed. Interesting that Dean compares himself to Job who was from the land of Uz, considered modern day Iraq. I don't know who should feel more insulted, Job or the Iraqi people.
The other night on the way home from the movies, my mind was bustling, still processing all I had seen. But my pensive mood was more than just re-hashing a great movie, there was something different this time. Something was driving me....something was moving me. So I ruminated over what it could possibly be that was generating this infrequent disposition.
And then it struck me, like the blow of a sword: passion.
Passion is defined as: a powerful emotion; boundless enthusiasm.
Inadvertantly, I had become so emotionally involved in the movie that I was now passionate about it. My emotions were overpowering. My enthusiasm was limitless.
I know what you're thinking. "It was just a movie." Yes, it was just a movie. But why do we attend movies? Why are we so captivated by music? Why are we so loyal to sports?
Because they move us emotionally. They empower us. They excite us. They inspire us. They explain the inexpressible and describe the unutterable. They involve us to the point that we unknowingly become passionate about them.
And so our crusade begins. A campaign to mirror the feelings of passion. A cause to convey to others the need to experience the same.
All the greatest dramas of life and all the greatest people, are great because they kindle in us unbridled devotion. They arouse in us a fervor to live life with powerful emotion.
But one thing I have learned....it is either there or it isn't.
Interesting to see many of the books I read in Elementary/High School on this list. I am not surprised that some of them have been challenged. But I guess we live in a sensitive world. The question is in what forum are these books being challenged? Public library? School library? There is no doubt about freedom of speech but I wouldn't want Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman to be required reading for my children. If you can't read the Bible in school because of it's "agenda" why would you be able to read this? However, there are some challenged books that contain literary value, books in which this generation has been stripped of because of our politically correct world.
Below are a few books that I read in elementary/High school as required reading. I don't remember them all and I'm sure some of them contain offensive things but I am surprised at some that made the list.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Forever by Judy Blume Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L?Engle Blubber by Judy Blume The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Lord of the Flies by William Golding The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Well, I've had this CD for months but never got around to putting it in the player. I am a status quo kind of guy. I don't listen to the radio I just listen to my favorites and every once in a while go out and buy a new cd. Rarely does a CD hit me right away. Usually it takes a little while for me to warm up to it. But these guys are awesome. Go to their site. This is my favorite song. It hit me hard.
Who Am I?
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth Would care to know my name Would care to feel my hurt Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star Would choose to light the way For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am But because of what You've done Not because of what I've done But because of who You're
Chorus: I am a flower quickly fading Here today and gone tomorrow A wave tossed in the ocean A vapor in the wind Still You hear me when I'm calling Lord, You catch me when I'm falling And You've told me who I am I am Yours, I am Yours
Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin Would look on me with love and watch me rise again Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea Would call out through the rain And calm the storm in me
I am Yours Whom shall I fear Whom shall I fear 'Cause I am Yours I am Yours
Song based on Psalms 52 and 139 and Ephesians 2 Lyrics by Mark Hall
. 
. 
. 
