Is this the kind of nanny that you want?

Here is story in today's news about Barak Obama's lost brother.
Barak Obama's 'lost' brother found in Kenya

George Hussein Onyango Obama, Obama's half brother, was found living in a shanty in Keyna.

Something about the brother of a very successful and wealthy senator living in abject poverty struck me as very wrong.

I am sure that there are unknown facts that would give a more balanced perspective to this story, but even so, the man's 26 year old brother is getting by on a dollar a month. He has to "take what he needs" to survive. He has been living this way for at least 10 years. That means that he was homeless and destitute at 16. A very different fate than his "American" brother.

A couple of bible verses immediately come to mind:

1 Timothy 5:8 "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."

James 1:27 "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world."

This story bothers me because it speaks of Obama's character, but it also bothers me because it speaks to his core beliefs.

As the leftist darling, he is running for the position of "nanny-in-chief." He will be expected to use the resources of the federal government to make sure that every person's need (womb to tomb) is taken care of by the state. This is a noble endeavor for sure, but what kind of nanny is Obama going to be if he will not even take care of his own brother?

If history is any indication, I think we all know who Obama is going to take care of.

More inconvenient truths

This article compares Algores house to Dubya's house.

Guess which one is the most environmentally friendly - by a HUGE margin.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/house.asp

I think that this is interesting because it highlights the fact that the leftist environmentalists have an agenda that (judging by how they live their lives) is very far removed from an actual concern for the environment.

I think that the agenda has more to do with crippling capitalism that it does about protecting the environment. For example, if you read the Green Party platform it is pretty much just a communist manifesto.

Things and people are not what they seem to be... are they?

Hillary is not done

Prediction:

Hillary Clinton will win the Democrat presidential nomination.

I don't know how. This is just a hunch, but she seems to be circling like a buzzard, waiting for Obama to make a mistake.

I would not be surprised if her people already have that "mistake" in the works.

I would not be surprised if Obama was suddenly too ill (or worse) to accept the nomination.

She did not give up her delegates.
She (nor her husband) have done much to support the Obama campaign.

She won a concession to have her name on the ballot at the convention.

She has asked her delegates to vote for her on the first vote - as a show of respect for all of their efforts - they want to be heard. The normal (gracious) thing to do in these circumstances is to ask your delegates to support the candidate that beat you.

I'll bet her minions are still trying to woo Obama delegates and super delegates into her camp.

She, her husband, and her daughter are all speaking at the convention. Why do the Clintons get more air time than the Obamas?

Hillary will try (is trying) to wrestle the nomination away from Obama.

That's my prediction.

What do you think?

Shotgun Healthcare

I just suffered the agony of paying some pretty hefty health care bills last month.

Fortunately, I have pretty good insurance, so the bulk was paid by the insurance company.

Interestingly, the amount of insurance premiums paid jointly by me and my employer is MORE than my total medical expenses for the past 12 months.

It occurred to me today that health insurance is really just a savings account - a savings account that loses money. Your statistics rich insurance company knows (on average) how much it is going to cost them to pay your bills. Double it, divide by 12, collect the monthly premium, and you have a business model.

If my employer would just pay me extra money instead of paying my health insurance premium I think we would both be better off. I could get some really cheap "major catastrophe" insurance and pocket the difference. When medical needs arise, I could either pay for or finance the costs - just like financing a car purchase (not that you should ever finance a car... but thats another subject). Having a baby? $150 per month for 36 months. Heart bypass? $450 per month for 60 months. If you don't pay, we repossess your heart (ok.. the system has a kink or two).

Charities and churches should handle the people that "fall through the cracks." I think it was Jesus himself who said something about "true religion" being taking care of widows and orphans.

What if I decide that I do not want to have health insurance AND I do not want to pay for my own medical bills? I have another alternative.

I could go to my nice neighbors and force them at gunpoint to "contribute" to my medical bills. I want them to feel like they are making a voluntary contribution rather than being robbed at gunpoint. Therefore, the choice of weapon is very important. What says "you are making a voluntary contribution" better? A cute little "Saturday night special" or a double barrel sawed off shotgun? Automatic weapons are definitely too bullyish... want to keep it simple. I just don't know... I am still working on this part of the theory.

Maybe a better idea is to appeal to my government. If I could only get congress and a willing McBama** to forcibly extract my neighbor's income under the threat of imprisonment... that would certainly feel more like a voluntary contribution than an armed robbery. Problem solved! None of my neighbors have to look down the barrel of a gun (unless they don't pay -but even then its a government gun and not my gun).

We can vote to take involuntary "contributions" from one American and then give the money that is "collected" to another (more deserving) American. Of course we can't present this idea as one group of Americans stealing from another group of Americans. We have to be a little less truthful than that. We have to make it sound more appealing.

How about "universal health care." That has a nice ring to it.





** President McBama - two candidates- two liberals - just different shades of brown.

Change you can believe in.

Have you ever been to Disney? I love Disney, but I get so sick of the "you have to believe in the dream" thing. The Magic Kingdom Princess show, the electric light parade... you just have to believe! I have never been real clear on what exactly you were supposed to believe in, but I know that you are supposed to believe with all your heart and your dream will come true. Just believe. Thats the gospel of Disney.

There is another character that is asking us to "just believe."

Believe in what?

Believe in change.

Believe what can be.

What will you change?

We're going to change the country.

I feel like I am going to pull my hair out listening to this guy. A great orator - but no substance. Just believe in the change!

I have no idea what he stands for or what kind of change he is advocating.

All change is not good.

This character seems to have a lot of Marxist (communist) friends and ties. Is THAT the change we are in for? He has the most liberal voting record in the senate - to the left of Ted Kennedy. Will his election be like Christmas morning for the extreme left socialists? I just don't know.

I must do some research. Find a tangible position.

From his web site:

"Obama believes the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated."

Finally, a change that I can believe in. Something of substance.... or should I say something involving a controlled substance....

I need to do some more research...

We are so proud

I heard that the "Atlanta Pride" festival was to be held at the AtlantaCivic center. There are so many things that Atlantans have to be proud of, I was sure this was going to be a huge event. There's the Braves, Georgia Tech, Coca Cola, Martin Luther King Junior, historic epics, architectural marvels, the arts, the theater, culinary delights, etc. It is a pretty long list.

As it turns out, this festival was about none of that.

What are we proud of? We are proud of what we do with our genitalia. Isn't that special?

We are so proud that there are people in our community that have sexual desires and sexual fantasies. We are so proud that there are people in our community that copulate without the bondage of a marriage contract. We are so proud that there are men in our community that put on dresses. We are proud that there are women in our community that look and act like men. We are very proud that there are people in our community that have had relations with both men and women. We are proud that we have men in our community that want everyone to know what they like to do with their genitalia. We are proud that these men have "come out" in the open to reveal to a breathless public what they do behind closed doors.

If I described to ANYone (except Lea Marshall) what I did with my wife this weekend, they would call me a pervert for talking about it public. We didn't even read Song of Solomon - I'm just talking about normal husband/wife relations. I would probably be fired from my job if I even joked about it with my students. If I talk about it in mixed company its harassment - and rightly so. No human should have to endure another human flaunting their sexuality.

Sexuality is a private thing between private people. It is right that most people keep it that way. When a person makes their sexuality a public spectacle, people are uncomfortable - they are harassed.

I felt extremely harassed for having to endure a week's worth of "pride" signage and imagery that is about nothing - except what people do with their private parts. I feel harassed for having to endure a week's worth images and language that are about nothing - except a person's sexual desires.

I felt harassed for being forced to view people in terms of their sexuality rather than in terms of their contributions to society. He's not just a scientist that cured cancer - he's GAY! Like the decisions he makes about what goes on in his underwear is the most important thing we should know about this person.

If you are LGBTorQ, I really don't want to hear about it. The only person that needs to know about your sexuality is your lover. My knowing where you like to put your private parts adds nothing to our relationship. I just want a good decorator. I really don't care what goes on in your bedroom. I just want to know that you know your way around a color wheel.

Then there was the parade. Let's march around downtown and let all our neighbors have a little peek inside our bedroom. Look neighbors! We're going to parade around in our underwear and tell you what we like to do with our private parts.

Isn't that special?

Aren't we so proud?

Memorial Day

On Memorial Day, I always get choked up while telling the kids about the men that died to make us free. We talk about the Revolutionary War, the World Wars, and other recent wars. I cry every Memorial Day when I hang my flag. I can't even finish my tribute most Memorial days without blubbering like a baby. The tears flow out of a grateful heart for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. My heart aches for the families that never saw their loved one again.

Today we did something unusual. We visited a Confederate Cemetery. Not everyone buried at this Tyrone, GA cemetery was a confederate soldier, but every soldier's grave was marked with the battle flag of the Confederacy. The cemetery was not quite neglected, but it was one of those almost forgotten places where the grass is a little long, and many of the tombstones are so old that you can hardly read the engravings. Many of the markers are leaning or cracked with age.

As we browsed through the markers we found that some of the soldiers were killed in action (KIA) while others made it home and lived long lives. All of them are heroes.

Just the fact that someone would be honoring these soldiers 150 or so years after their death was very touching to me. Someone has a list of names. Every year, the people on this list are memorialized with a little flag. These people are not in any history book and most accomplished no great standing in life. They just defended their families in a cause for freedom and their families are still honoring them 150 years later. To me, that makes them a hero.

I challenged the kids today to live their lives in such a way that their families would still be honoring them 150 years after they died. I challenged myself also. One hundred and fifty years later... will they remember?

Jonathan (10) found a tombstone that had been knocked down and broken into three pieces. He gently and very respectfully put the chunky base back in its place. Then he very meticulously placed the other two pieces on top of the first piece. I lost it. I think I managed to squeak out through my lumpy throat and watery eyes, "that was very respectful, Jonathan."

We stopped at the cemetery out of curiosity on our way to somewhere else. I was surprised at how moving of an experience it turned out to be.

Will anyone remember me or consider me as hero 150 years from now? I know that every Daddy is a hero to his children. But to his children's children's children? Now that is something to aspire to.

Are the Confederate soldiers heroes? Some people may not consider the soldiers in a losing cause to be heroes, but they are.

They are heroes because they defended their families and loved ones against an invading army. Many of them did not even know what they were fighting for. They just knew an army was invading their land and frightening their wives and children. They fought to protect the ones they loved most.

The ones that did know what they were fighting for are heroes too. They were fighting to preserve their way of life. They were fighting against a central government that was over-reaching its power. They understood that a government that governs least governs best. They were fighting for the right to govern themselves at the state and local level. No one in Washington DC has the right to tell us how to live our lives, raise our families, educate our children, worship our God, or run our business. The Civil War (or War of Northern Aggression) was not about slavery - except as it was a state's rights issue (the states should have the power to decide without interference from the Federal government) . Eighty percent of southerners did not even own slaves. It was a non-issue to most.

The situation was very similar to that in Revolutionary War times where a far away government was trying to dictate its will on a people without giving them a fair representation. But even if there was fair representation, the far away government was over extending its powers by trying to take powers reserved for the States (or the local governments) as their own.

The far away government succeeded and we are a weaker nation because of it. The level of government interference in the average American's life today is unprecedented in history.

The Confederate soldiers are heroes. Anyone who has fought to limit the powers of the Federal government is a hero of mine.

We honor their memory today.

Angry White Man

I think I resemble that remark...

From the Aspen Times..

There is a great amount of interest in this year’s presidential elections, as everybody seems to recognize that our next president has to be a lot better than George Bush. The Democrats are riding high with two groundbreaking candidates — a woman and an African-American — while the conservative Republicans are in a quandary about their party’s nod to a quasi-liberal maverick, John McCain.

Each candidate is carefully pandering to a smorgasbord of special-interest groups, ranging from gay, lesbian and transgender people to children of illegal immigrants to working mothers to evangelical Christians.

There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.

The rest of the article...

http://www.aspentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Dato=20080209&Kategori=ASPENWEEKLY06&Lopenr=198091324&Ref=AR&template=printart

Progressives

This election season, everyone is talking about change. We have to change the way things are done. You have to have hope...and change. There is no great detail about what the changes are. Just a promise to change seems to be virtue enough.

It reminds me of going to Disney World. The princesses sing "you have to belive." All your dreams come true if you only believe. Tinkerbell flys over, the fireworks go off and everyone goes nuts. My quesiton is, believe in what?

The current candidates seem to be very Disneyesque. You just have to believe in change.

WHAT?

I usually do not identify myself as a "progressive," because I do not agree with much of the change that "progressives" spout. However, it has occured to me that we all want progress. We all want change for the better (not just a change). If being a progressive is wanting to progress towards a better way, then maybe I am a progressive too.

However, it is sometimes necessary to make a u-turn if you want to make progress.

You missed your turn 10 miles back. What are you going to do? Keep heading down the interstate at 85 mph? Probably. You aren't going anywhere, but you are getting there fast. You are making "progress." It feels good. Lets change drivers. That feels even better! That place you wanted to get to seems less appealing now that you are MOOOOVING down the highway baby.

The problem is, that you aren't going anywhere. There is just a lot of activity and a lot of energy being expended.

Our country, our churches, our society is heading down a path. Where is that path taking us? Is it taking us to a place that we want to go? Did we miss our turn 10 miles back?

I think we did.

I think that we need to turn back. We need to get on a path that leads to the place we all want to go. Our country has a constitution that is not a living and breathing document. Judges are making interpretations that our founding fathers never intended. Our government has seized powers that are not granted by the constitution. Our tax system is unethical and unconstitutional.

Our churches have relinquished their moral authority in our society. The blood and the cross are hardly mentioned. People are not repenting because there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Our schools (and colleges) are becoming social engineering laboratories rather than institutions of learning.

As a conservative that believes in God, the Bible, and the US Constitution, I think that this country needs to make a u-turn back to the old time Religion. We need to make a u-turn back to the government that our founding fathers envisioned. We need to make a u-turn back to an education system that educates rather than indoctorinates.

Only by making a u-turn can we make the progress that we all want. A bright future for our children's children depends on us. The new progressives.