Global Warming VS Global Terrorism

Global Terrorism VS Global Warming


It is said that today we live in a global society. It is a true statement and it seems that two of the biggest problems we face today are global problems. Here I wish to examine which of these two problems we should be most concerned about. If you look at it from a left VS right political perspective then we know which side you probably come down on.


Global Warming.


Many Scientists agree we are currently experiencing a period of global warming. The crux of the problem here is whether it is a natural phenomenon or a man made problem. Many environmentalist groups are certain that this problem is caused by man’s use of fossil fuels and they are determined to disrupt our economy by trying to hinder peoples use of energy derived from those fuels such as oil, natural gas, coal, etc. They insist we are destroying the planet’s atmosphere with our greed and need for bigger vehicles like trucks and SUVs
or sports cars that use more fuel than the smaller more energy efficient cars they tend to drive. They want us to take steps that would certainly do damage to the economy in America in order to preserve the planet (in their view). Many on the other side of the argument disagree and point to science that leads to inconsistencies in their arguments. Many scientists whole heartedly disagree that man’s use of fossil fuels has a veritable impact on the earth’s atmosphere and our need for energy to run the systems that keep our economy moving is more important than their diaphanous theory that we (man) might be causing global warming.

The left has blamed just about every weather condition of late on their global warming theory and has taken and alarmist approach to try and scare the public into believing that the most dire consequences are in store for us all if we do not fall into lock step with them and follow their prescriptions necessary to save the planet and all mankind from certain destruction. One example would be the hurricanes we experienced two years ago, Katrina and Rita. Many of the global warming alarmists said that these were a result of our poor stewardship of the planet and we were in store for even more destruction in the next hurricane seasons to follow. However we did not have one single hurricane touch the US coast the following year and so far this year their predictions of wide spread destruction have been just as paltry.

Another example of their trepidation is that the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate and that the coastlines of our country and around the world will be submerged within decades if we do not stop our burning of fossil fuels. However it has been proven by scientists in Greenland that the temperature has been steadily decreasing there for the last decade or so and the glaciers are in fact getting larger.


Another bit of information that seems to slip past some of the more prominent media is that the temperature readings being used by the man made global warming theorists have come under scrutiny. It has been pointed out recently that many of the surface temperature stations that are monitored by the government, providing data to the global warming alarmists are returning bad data due to the location of the units themselves. The government has guidelines about where these monitoring stations should be and in many cases they are in violation of these standards which in turn returns bogus temperature readings causing the data to be askew. Here is a link to a web-site that points this out in detail.

http://www.surfacestations.org/


In conclusion the global warming phenomenon is something to be concerned about and monitored but the science behind it is not conclusive enough to determine if it is being caused by man’s use of fossil fuels or if it is just another cycle in the earth’s vast and powerful ecosystem which changes and evolves constantly. The people who want to try and raise taxes and cut our energy use by banning fossil fuels or the systems that use these fuels may well have a different agenda than what they pretend. The UN for example has embraced the global warming theories championed by Al Gore and his supporters. They want to take enormous sums of money from the richer more affluent nations and distribute it to the poorer less affluent countries around the globe. As we have seen with the UN in the past, corruption can run rampant when millions and even billions of dollars are at play and they very well may have the same agenda as the left whose global warming scare tactics are currently at their highest levels.


Global Terrorism


Now lets look at Global Terrorism. Just like Global warming it seems that many people come down on this subject differently. The political sides of the argument or Right VS Left have taken opposite stands. The right, lead by the Bush administration and some of it’s allies is heavily behind fighting what it calls a, “Global War on Terror.” Many on the left however seem to take a position that it is not as big a threat as the Bush team says it is and is more of a law enforcement problem than a military problem. In fact many of these folks believe we should let many of the terror suspects held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba go and bring any that need to be tried here to America and allow them all the civil liberties that our citizens are afforded. Most on the right of course vehemently disagree with this approach and want them to be dealt with as enemy combatants.

Most people who follow the news are aware that terrorism has been a problem around the world for decades. In 1983 over 240 US Marines were killed in a bombing in Lebanon, since then Americans and American interests and allies around the world have been attacked over and over again with terrorist style bombings and even more brutal forms of terrorism on individuals like beheadings. Just to name a few more in 1993 the World Trade Center in New York City was bombed by Islamic terrorists. In 1996, 19 Americans were killed in the Khobar Towers bombings in Saudi Arabia. In 2000 the Navy Vessel, USS Cole was attacked and 17 US Sailors ere killed. Of course the big one was 911 and that needs no further explanation. Here is a link to a web-page that outlines many more terrorist attacks around the world.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001454.html


Needless to say it is obvious we and others around the world are under attack by terrorists and Islamic extremists from the middle east and other Muslim nations around the world. This President decided enough was enough and has taken the fight to them and declared War on Terrorism. I can see no other way to describe this other than a Global War on Terror, considering the terrorists are striking not only here but all over the world where they want to bring their brand of war into communities and countries where the governments do not cooperate with their fundamentalist views. Although many on the left here in America want to say the “War on Terror” is nothing more than a bumper sticker slogan for the right wingers it is far more than that in the view of many if not most Americans and others around the world.

The final question here is which do you find to be the biggest most urgent problem to deal with today?

Is it Global Warming or Global Terrorism?

Global Warming - Again

I read an editirial in the USA Today that set me off. Here is the link to it.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/06/god_goes_green.html

Now of course I just had to respond!

First of all you have to accept the left's premise that global warming (GW) is caused by man to swallow this malarkey. I don't and millions of others do not either.

There are a few points to cover here.

First that the human race is like a cancer on the earth. I can see why some folks would look at it that way since they consider mankind as a pariah anyway but I have come to realize that it is not true. We have advanced tremendously since we came to be and the technological society we have become is learning to live in harmony with mother earth to some degree. We do have a long way to go but America imparticular has done wonders in cleaning up pollution in the lakes, rivers and oceans as well as the air. There are many countries who have a much longer way to go in that respect but in time they can be persuaded to do their part.

The earth is a BIG organism we are but a micro-organism compared to the earth itself and all the other parts and pieces that make up the entire Eco-system including insects, plants and other animals as well as climate and atmosphere. The truth about GW is that we do not know for sure if we have any real impact on it or not and it may well be nothing more than the earth's own built in way to evolve and survive, heating and cooling itself from time to time. Floods, droughts, fires and bad weather on this planet are just normal for the earth. We happen to get in the way of these occurrences because we like to build our houses and business in areas that are prone to these types of natural phenomenon. The left likes to use their associates in the media to hype this stuff up and make it look as if we are on the precipice of disaster each and every day. Why? Because they want your MONEY!

Second let's talk about religion and the earth for a minute. Yes God owns the planet and he has graciously allowed us to live on it and use it for our needs while we are here. So we in turn should be good stewards of the resources. In fact I think many religious people are, especially evangelical Christians. Despite the fact that this clown thinks we are pretty much all Republicans out to destroy the planet for our own greedy purposes many of us are willing to sacrifice and try and do our best to not pollute and to live in a clean safe environment free of toxic chemicals, hazardous waste and other pollution. Just because we do not subscribe to the notion that our cars and SUVs are killing the planet and we are not driving Priuses, riding bikes everywhere and wearing hemp clothing does not mean we all hate the planet and want it to die!

In fact I have read that it takes more pollution causing energy to create a Prius than it does a Hummer, mainly due to the large batteries in them that are made in Canada. Here is some detailed information concerning the left's most prize, environmentally efficient automobile, NOT!

Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius. As already noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the 'dead zone' around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles. The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius' battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist's nightmare. "The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside," said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper. All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey to make a hybrid doesn't end there. The nickel produced by this disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China to produce 'nickel foam.' From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery. Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars and more like a farce?

So does that make you greenies feel better about your carbon footprint? I know where I would like to leave my carbon footprint!

Just ask Red!

Now let's look at the compact fluorescent bulbs they have been trying for years to get us to use. Did you know that some of these bulbs contain mercury? Guess what, mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and it's especially dangerous for children and fetuses. Yes and when you dispose of one, or God forbid break one suddenly you have a hazardous waste situation on your hands. One lady in Prospect, Maine found this out the hard way and when she called the Dept of Environmental Protection, to ask advice on what to do, What did THEY do? They quarantined her house and it cost her over $2,000.00 dollars to replace one what used to be .99 cent light bulb before it was all over. How's that for energy efficiency?

In the end this guy admits that the science is confusing. That is his sly way of telling you that it has not been proven that GW has anything to do with what you and I do, there is not data to support that theory, it is only a theory at this point. The climatologists around the world disagree on this subject and many say our burning of fossil fuels has little or no effect on the atmosphere. For a little comparison there seems to be some scientific proof that there is global warming happening on Mars and the last I checked we were not there with our SUVs as of yet. Maybe someday though!

Also it seems that there IS proof that our planet has been through these kinds of warming cycles before and it was well before the industrial age. So that should give you pause to think about if we are causing GW or not.

So in the end yes, I believe God does want us to be good stewards of his creation. I like many other Christians try and do my part. That's why I do not trust or support most Democrats and many Republicans since they tend to lie like so many politicians do out there, yes I know many Republicans lie too but they will tell you the truth more often than a Democrat. The Dems want your money just like the Republicans but they will not be honest with you about how they are going to take it. They will make up stuff like (GW) and tell you we are causing all this havoc and claim that they need to raise your taxes to solve the problem that YOU created by driving your SUV. All the while they will be stuffing their political pockets with PORK projects amounting to millions and billions of dollars of wasted taxpayers money as they cry and moan that they need more and more money to fix the societal problems they have absolutely no intention on fixing!

GW seems to be their religion of choice at the moment and like some unscrupulous ministers they will preach to us about our tainting of the earth and how if we give up our cash they can try and fix what we have broken. The whole time they will not truly fix anything. They will keep the problem alive and well so that they can continue to fleece us for years to come.

Take the Social Security debacle. They have had plenty of time in the past twenty five years to fix that little problem but have they? No, and when the Republicans tried to push legislation through a few years ago to actually do something about it they stopped it dead in it's tracks. They do not care folks, they want to use these issues to keep blaming the other side and taking YOUR money!

The truth as I see it is that we must all use some common sense on this subject which seems to be sorely lacking in the above article and in politics in general, especially on the left.

What say you???

General rantings

Good morning!

I am up early as usual drinking coffee and reading news on the internet. I just wanted to make a few comments about life in general. I have always been a person who tries to be honest with people, I tell the truth and it often gets me in trouble. Especially where liberals are concerned. I have a friend who passed away recently (God bless his soul) who once replied to my negative email about Bill Clinton saying that he did not want to hear my opinion and for me to delete him from my email list. I have had similar emails from other liberals. It seems they just do not want to hear an opposing view. I don't get it. Is that not how we learn in life by listening to and evaluating both sides of an issue before we make up our own minds on the subject? I would hope that people whether liberals, conservatives or moderates for that matter would be a bit more open minded and learn to debate these issues with folks they disagree with and respect others opinions no matter what side they come down on.

No let me say something about Character and honesty. I will not name names but I have encountered some people lately in my life who are just plain dishonest. They seem like nice enough folks but they flat out lie and then do not seem to think twice about it. I do forgive them of course and will pray for them but it is all I can do to keep from really laying into them for their dishonesty and lack of integrity. What is it with folks who do not honor their word? I don't get it!

Well in truth I do get it I suppose. I know that many folks are under the influence of the great deceiver in this world today. They lie and cheat with giving it a second thought because Satan has a tremendous amount of influence over the world we live in. There is no two ways about this one. Most folks just simply do not uphold the teachings of Christ and the commandments God gave us all to live by and yes I mean in and outside of the Church. They live their lives in the world being a part of this culture ignoring the real truths that we as children of God should hold as the most important truths to live by.

Yeah, yeah I know many folks will say there he goes preaching again. Yet the truth is the truth!

Amen...

Global Warming? Really?

Greetings

I just read an article that compared Al Gore to Elmer Gantry who is a fictional preacher in an old movie played by one of my favorite actors of all time Burt Lancaster. Although I find the comparison interesting it is hard to picture AlGore as the character since Burt Lancaster was well Burt Lancaster and AlGore is well you know, he is not quite as handsome as ol' Burt was. Yet the Charlatan that was Elmer Gantry fits the persona of AlGore in many ways. It is quite obvious that he has managed to persuade many Americans with his movie (that I have avoided watching so far) that the world is about to come to a disastrous end due to man made global warming. Yet the truth is that many scientists disagree on his conclusions and this phenomenon we are seeing may be nothing more than a natural process of the earth's climate change. We as the human species and what we do very well could have no impact at all on the earth's very formidable climate apparatus. In fact many scientists say that the climate here on earth is so complex that they do not even begin to understand it all and how it may or may not effect global warming.

One thing that really makes me wonder about all this Global Warming talk is that I can remember when Time magazine published stories about the new Ice Age back in the seventies. How can we go from being nearly extinct by a new Ice Age to being nearly burned up by Global warming in only 25 years? Is that good science? I doubt it. I also understand now how politicians work and I know that environmentalists like AlGore like to take issues that they can peddle to the people like so much snake oil and use it to promote a hidden agenda. These people are tricky and because many Americans seem to fall under their spell for one reason or another they unfortunately are easily persuaded.

All this leads me to compare AlGore to another character played by Burt Lancaster in yet another great movie called "The Rainmaker" where he played a fellow named Bill Starbuck. WOW! What a great movie that was and like Gantry, Starbuck (and AlGore) was a fellow who rode around the countryside convincing people to open their wallets and pay him to do something he knew he could not do, make it rain. This comparison might be even better than the first since it has to do with the climate and he was obviously a BS artist much like our former Vice Perpetrator. If you love old movies this one is a must see, it had Katherine Hepburn as well and was one of Lancaster's best films! I could go on about old movies and Burt but I digress.

These predictions of doom and gloom have been happening since man was young and able to write about the earth. This is just another phase in men trying to fool other men into reaching into thier pockets and handing over the cash.. Mark my words, 30 years from now the left will have found another way to try and squeeze money from their supporters and this global warming farce will be a long forgotten memory...

Peace to you all!

The Move

Finally we are all moved in!

We bought a new house last month and picked up our belongings and moved it all over here over the Fourth. Thanks to some help by very good friends and my trusty van we have managed to get just about everything we owned moved over here and we are no longer living in East Charlotte. As much as I loved it there, the place has changed too much for my liking. No longer the peaceful neighborhood of my youth it was time for a change. Being only a pistol shot away from Eastland Mall you 30 year plus Charlotteans will understand why I had to leave.

Our New home is off Providence Road near the Arboretum. The shopping within a two mile radius is fantastic as well as the fact that I have at least three movie theaters within five miles of me now. The restaurants in the area are great as well. Many places to choose from and on top of that I am now less than ten minutes from Church! The proximity to all these will save us a ton of gas in the long run.

We almost feel like we are on vacation living here. The bedroom is nearly twice the size of our old one it seems and the master bath is awesome! We have less storage space in the house but we now have a two car garage so the trade off it worth it. We also have a HUGE walk in attic. I intend to put in a fan that will cool it off up there so maybe I can use it to make up for the lost storage space.

Anyway I will post some pics soon. I suppose we will be here for the next 15 or 20 years because I DO NOT want to move again! What a pain that was!!!!!

Peace to you all!

JD

Gone but not forgotten!

I have been gone, at least from these pages but I have not forgotten about the blog, completely anyway.

As I am starting to get back into my daily browsing of the internet news I am inclined to comment on some of it along with filling you in on some stuff going on in my own life as well.

First off we are moving this coming week. I am really excited about getting into our new house. I go into detail about it more later but I will say it is a much nicer house although about the same size as this one. It is in a far nicer neighborhood and closer to shopping, Church and many of my friends. I will miss this house but not the neighborhood or some of the neighbors. Although they are mostly nice folks most of them do not take care of their properties. The new place is quite different in that arena and we have some really nice looking houses on the block that should make our new home a much better investment in the long run.

Now the news: Iran is in turmoil and is rationing gasoline. The people are revolting and burning the gas stations. If they will just destroy the refinery Iran's economy will collapse and they will be over.

The immigration bill did not pass in the Senate, it was doomed in the house anyway but this is good news for America. I am glad to see the people coming together over this one and defeating this BAD piece of legislation.

My son just turned 21 and has joined the Navy. May God bless him and protect him is my prayer. Does this mean I am old?

The wife and I celebrated my Bday, Jason's Bday and the closing at Ruth Chris's steakhouse on Wed. night. WOW! That's a great steak!!!!!!


Later


JD

It's Official

Well I have really attained a goal here that I had been shooting for but it is still somewhat of a surprise anyway. I weighed in at 178 this morning down from 199.5 just 4 short months ago.

The secret? Well as you may well know I have been juicing for three months now. I have cut sweet tea and sodas from my diet and cut back on deserts. I also am eating less BBQ, french fries etc., and have had NO fast food in that same time period except some Chick Fila every once in a while....

I have also been working out daily and have only missed a day or two here and there the past few months. Some weights in the evening, bench press, curls, etc., and some push ups, crunches, stretching, and so forth each morning.

What a lifestyle change! I am feeling much better and looking slimmer too! Here is a picture below of me at my largest several years ago. Check out that belly! Looks like I could eat that fish whole!



I'll have to take a new picture for the slimmed down version...

We can all do it you know, it only takes some will power and discipline. If you don't think you have it, you must know that the real power comes from above, all we have to do is ask. Remember these words, Seek and you will find, Ask and it will be given. Just ask, sincerely and the power is yours!


God Bless you all and may you find yourself on the road to good health very soon!

Peace to you!

300 The Movie

I just returned from the movie 300. I saw it again tonight, this time with no children in the theater. I enjoyed it as much if not more this time around. What a movie! This is the epitome of a ancient war movie and the special effects blended with the acting, fight scenes and the subject matter have made this one of the best films I have ever seen. I am truly blown away by the story, with the history behind it, with the cinematography, special effects, acting and directing. This movie is a true example of what a film maker can do with an exceptional script, great actors and a crew of people who know what they are doing....

Now before you rush out and see this movie you have to understand that it is EXTREMELY violent. There is nudity and sexual situations. It is not for kids under 17 or is it for the faint of heart. This movie is for hard core action film fans who do not mind seeing blood and gore as well as some sex. I can deal with all of this if it is in the right context and not done just for the indulgence of a perverted film maker.

I grew up reading Robert E. Howard and other great story tellers who knew how to present these things in a story properly and this is along that vain. So if you are a Howard fan and enjoy writers like R.A. Salvatore, James Silke's "Prisoner of the Horned Helmet", Hercules and other similar heroic adventures you should really enjoy this movie....

It is one for the collection.




Have a great weekend and God Bless!

Still Juicing

Here I am about 50 plus days into my juicing experiment. What have I learned so far? Well I have lost close to 15 pounds. This change in lifestyle has worked for me. Of course you must consider I have dropped soda's and sweet tea from my diet and most deserts. I do splurge once in a while in that arena (deserts) but not often. Since I am still working out regularly I am adding a good bit of muscle to my frame. I suppose muscle is just as heavy as fat so I probably could have lost even more weight than I have. I am at about 185 right now down from 199 a few months ago.

I am not juicing twice a day as I had intended. I tried it and it just did not work with my schedule or lifestyle. I am trying to stick with once per day and now I am playing with the idea of moving my juice time to later in the evening. I am one of those folks who will get the urge to eat around 9:00 PM if I have and early dinner which I prefer. Then I put all that food (often a sandwich or a bowl of cereal) in my stomach and it sits there over night turning to fat. If I replace that urge to something substantial with a nice glass of fresh juice I think it will have a tremendous positive impact. I did it last night and I feel great this morning other than a headache from going without food for more than 12 hours. I will get used to it and I may add a banana to the equation in the future or some other fruit. That should also help with regularity.

It will of course take some experimenting and tweaking but I think I am on the right track here to continue my journey back to better health and to great shape. So far so good!

In the meantime go see the movie "300" and you will see the kind of body I am trying to build.


Good health to you and may God bless you, me and the USA!!!!

March 2007

Wow! It is nearly spring time again and I am loving it! It is probably about 60 degrees outside now if not more on March 10th and I hope this is the beginning of the warm weather. I know we have a history of one more cold spot during March but hey, I can be optimistic can't I!

Yesterday I went to see a movie called "300". It was breathtaking! It was Violent and bloody no doubt but it was the context of the movie, so I expected no less. I dislike senseless violence in a movie but when it is about a war I can deal with it. This was done by Frank Rich, written anyway. He also wrote "Sin City" which I thought was over the top in violence yet was still entertaining. This one was more to my liking since I am into ancient history and battles of this nature. I did some research on this historic battle and the movie was surprisingly very accurate historically from what I have read so far. I will do a little more study to see if it holds up.

Update!!! It looks like "300" has broken all March records for opening weekend. I am not surprised, this movie was brilliant in many ways and the story was extremely compelling. I am looking forward to seeing it again on the BIG screen before I get the DVD, this is a must to add to any collection of Gladiator style movies....

I will comment more on this movie after I see it again but I will give it a quick two spears up and rate it an 8.5 for now.

later....

Debate on Iraq and Terror

I have been in a constant debate for quite some time with a friend of mine who I call a Liberal. He claims to be a moderate but I see no real difference. Six of one, half a dozen.....You know the cliche.

Anyway our latest back in forth resulted in me sending him this email. I felt like posting it here today so anyone else who wandered by could read it.

Enjoy!!!!

Like a typical liberal your hatred for Bush unhinges you and your thought processes.

Perhaps you remember that the executive branch under Bill Clinton was the administration that first drew up the plan to remove Saddam. Regime change was our only solution to protect the middle east and America from his WMD. Every Senator who now bloviates about how Bush lied over WMD stood right up on the Senate floor and called for Saddam to be removed and went on and on about what a threat he was while Clinton, said almost the same exact things President Bush said before we went into Iraq.

You might also remember that Saddam ignored about 13 UN resolutions over a period of as many years that ordered him to give up all his weapons programs and fully disclose everything to the inspectors which he refused to do. After 911, the only safe and smart thing to do was to take him down since all the intelligence supported that fact that he either had or could make WMD at the drop of a hat. Keep in mind he had plenty of time in the run up to the war to dispose of, hide or ship his WMD to Syria or elsewhere.

With that being said, Iraq is the perfect strategic base of operations to deal with Iran so that probably was a dream for the military strategists who also knew we would have to deal with the Iranians since they have been trying to go nuclear. Now that we can squeeze them from both sides it really gives us a great opportunity to force that regime out hopefully without a full scale ground war. North Korea, Venezuela, and Iran will get their turn. We can only depose one murdering dictator at a time. Since we are on this subject why is it that you folks constantly complain about us taking out Saddam then turn around in the same breath and criticize Bush for not taking out these other nut cases?

The sad thing is all the anti war wackos in America are trying their utmost to replicate their glory days when they were able to stop the Vietnam war with their marches and protests. The 24/7 news cycle is a BIG help to them now and the fact that the MSM is made up of 98% liberals is also a HUGE advantage to the anti war pacifists.

The fact that Saddam was a brutal dictator and killed, tortured, raped and oppressed the Shiites and Kurds (300,000 or more) while building 50 Palaces for himself, his perverted murdering sons and the many Sunni's he kept under his wing, means nothing to you libs. You seem to conveniently ignore these facts while you spew your vile hatred for George W. Bush, the ONLY President with the courage to take a stand against the terrorism that has plagued this country and the world for the past 30 years or longer.

You folks do not seem to realize the threat that the Islamic Jihadists pose to the world and your country today. Your hatred for Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the others seem to leave you unable to think rationally on this subject at all! You never comment on the fact that in a four year ground war we have managed to kill tens of thousands of terrorist insurgents while only taking about 3000 American troop deaths which is less than we lost on the first day of the first battle of W.W.II. You seem to ignore all the Iraqi Kurds and Shiites who have stood up and thanked America for saving them from Saddam and helped them restore most of their country to a peaceful, prosperous place for the first time in 30 years. You seem to ignore the fact that Saddam was a contributor to the Palestinian suicide brigades providing 10,000 dollars to the families of those Arabs who would send their children to Israel or elsewhere to blow themselves up and take out as many Jews as possible. You seem to ignore the fact that in Iraq, 30 mins from Baghdad their was a terrorist training camp, Salman Pak, where jihadists routinely were trained to highjack American and European airliners as well as other terror related training.

It seems today all the left wants to do is criticize Bush because this war is not over yet or because he didn't plan for the insurgency. The plain and simple truth is; we have most of the terrorists in the world, concentrated in one central location in the Middle East, (NOT IN AMERICA) where we can use our military to kill them and you folks want to pull out of it and leave.

That just blows my mind!

I say lets keep them in the desert and continue to take them out for the next ten years if it takes that long. Each one we kill is one that will not be blowing up and innocent civilian in America, Israel, France, Spain, London or Bali. If we stay the course perhaps they will eventually run out of money or terrorists or at least the fortitude to fight us any longer.

If you would look seriously at history and the rise of Hitler you can see how the rise of the Islamic Jihadists is eerily similar to the that of the Third Reich. Hitler grew in power while Europe stood by and did nothing. Diplomacy did not work with him and it will not work with terrorists. Some folks in our government recognize the danger this poses to all of Western Civilization yet you folks on the left or middle or wherever the hell you want to put yourself just do not get it....

WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!

Put your disgust for conservatives and Bush away for the duration of this war and get on board so we can fight and win these battles. We must fight and kill these terrorists in order to survive. Do you want a nuke detonated on American soil? If we do not stop these people that will happen. Do you want a bio-attack in a major city? How about 10 cities at once? If we do not continually disrupt, disarm, displace and debilitate the terrorists in Iraq, Iran, Syria and elsewhere we will surely be attacked again. Stop the constant complaining and whining and stop your morale killing diatribes in the liberal left MSM! The troops need moral support and they are not getting it from YOU!

Honestly, I pray that my fellow Americans be they liberal, moderate, conservative or just plain ignorant about it all will see the importance of what we face in the middle east. We must all come together to win this war and stop the forces of terror in the world who have SWORN to destroy Israel, America and our allies....

God help us all!

Oh yeah and one more thing!

Have a nice day! (smile)

15 days

It is the15th straight day of my juicing experiment. I have to say this has been quite a life changing experience for me. What started out as another of my excursions into the unknown has become something that I have decided to incorporate into my lifestyle. Here are some of the benefits I personally have found thus far.

I have lost about 6 pounds
I have lost about 1 inch off my waist (maybe more)
I have lots more energy
My body and mind are rejecting bad foods
I am eating less meat and am off fast foods
I am drinking less sodas and sweet tea
I am drinking more water
Taking Bee Pollen every day
Eating at least one banana per day
I am getting my daily recommended allowances of Vitamins B, C, D and A
My skin is less dry than normal for this time of year
My stomach is not bothering me like it normally does
I am almost completely off the acid reflux medicine
The normal lethargic feeling I would have at the end of the day has disappeared
I am exercising more and daily
I have gained a good bit of muscle tone
My attitude is great!
My mind is clear and my health goals seem very reachable

Now I know that is a lot of positive feedback from juicing and it my sound a bit over the top but it is exactly on target. I have been out of shape for about 6 or 7 years and getting bigger each year it seemed, never really finding a way to commit to an exercise routine or diet that would stick but it looks like this one is going to work.

Here is what I am still eating from my normal lifestyle.

Chinese food twice a week for lunch
Chicken Marsala last night with all the trimmings and a glass of wine
Pop corn and a coke at the movies on Friday
Country style steak w/gravy last week for dinner
Breakfast including smoked sausage and hash browns once last week
Cereal and milk for breakfast or dinner a few times (Special K and Cherrios)
BBQ for lunch one day last week (with broccoli and apples instead or fries and beans)
Fried fish sandwich and Fries one day for lunch
Smoked Turkey sandwiches with mayo and chips for lunch and dinner once or twice last week

So you can see I am not depriving myself of the things I do like for lunch and dinner most of the time. However I am drinking water with these meals now instead of sweet tea. I also have cut most all of the soda out of my diet. I had the one at the movies and a few small glasses of JB/sprite the other night at the poker game but that is about it for sodas.

Now if I go hard core and really start cutting out some of this regular eating of mine at lunch and dinner and replace it with something less fat and more healthy I could probably double the weight loss and inches too but I am in no hurry. My goal is to do it slowly and just peel away some of the bad stuff from my lifestyle one layer at a time until I get down to a comfortable weight of about 185 or 180 and beef up my muscle tone a bit more especially in the mid section. The health of my insides is even more important as I want my kidneys, liver, heart, lungs and stomach in the best shape of all.

My current goal is to continue down this path of one glass per day until I hit 30 days and then kick it up to two glasses per day. That will in turn allow me to cut even more of the fat and excess from my diet. I will make sure to continue to get all the fiber I need from bananas and cereal as well as fresh veggies for lunch and dinner on occasion but much of my nutrition will be derived from my juicing, bee pollen and bananas.

Around the end of next month I hope to work on my first real juice fast. A short one at first, maybe two days. The purpose is to completely detoxify the body. I have been reading up on this and it is very good for the body to get rid of these toxins and replace your body's fuel with healthy and nutritious juice. The blood and all the major organs will be cleansed and detoxed. It is a good way to cleanse the spirit as well by spending quiet time praying, meditating or reading. There are folks who do this for 30 days but I am not that advance or do I even really want to go that far at this point. I will take this one small step at a time.

Well that is my progress report.

God bless you all and good luck on your own journey back to good health!

Wanted: Alive or Dead

Just a small twist with word play there to grab your attention.

My topic is not terrorism, well maybe it is really, terrorism of the body! We as a population have been ingesting such terrible foods and drink for so long it is nothing short of terrible for our health. Even though some of us live to be 80 or 90 (a smaller percentage even past 100) the larger majority of folks in this country are obese and will drop dead in their sixties if they make it that long!

Did you know that the human race is actually supposed to live to 120 or 140 years of age? Due to our bad diets and all the toxins we live with it is a rarity indeed for a human to live to be 120 although there are recorded cases of it.

Most of this early death today is due to obesity, toxins in cooked food, chemicals, pesticides, etc. Here is a quote from an article I found on the web from a press release from the University of Pittsburgh.

During the past 20 years, obesity rates among U.S. adults have skyrocketed with 30 percent of adults 20 years of age and older over 60 million people now categorized as obese and 9 million as severely obese. Over the past 25 years, the percentage of young people who are overweight or obese has more than tripled.

Need I say more on that subject. Well I have found a weapon to fight off this monster and it is called juicing! Of course if you know me you know I have been doing this for a few months now off and on and my last two blogs of course are dedicated to the subject.

I am at about day 10 of regular daily juicing now and I feel great! I am working out daily too and that is a result of my higher energy levels and my more focused mind. The psychological aspect of knowing I have this healthy juice in my body makes me want to eat better and exercise more.

Now to the main topic. Live Juice Vs dead juice.

One of my friends told me he was having a V8 each day now instead of sodas which I think is fantastic! Yet don't celebrate too much. If you in turn get a juicer and replace or add to that V8 some live juice (you will forget all about the V8 once you have tasted live juice) it would be so much better for you body!

Here's why.

When you choose live juice you get all the live enzymes that go with it. These live enzymes are what the body uses to rebuild and repair cells! In other words dead foods or heated, cooked or pasturized foods and juices have had all the enzymes along with much of the other nutrients, killed by the heating process and is not nearly as nutritious for you body.

While grape juice, orange juice and a V8 are much better than coffee and soda all day it is not nearly as good as fresh juice made from carrots, apples, celery, etc... When you get the live juice it will make your body feel live and energetic again! Dead food and juice is just that, (mostly DEAD) and your lethargic body will not respond to it like it will to live juice.

Here is a link to a lengthy article that goes into detail about live food vs dead food. It is more centered around food than juice but you can learn a lot from it.

OK, I am NOT an expert by any means but if you are curious go on the web and look it up. Here are some links that might help you.


http://www.healingdaily.com/juicing-for-health.htm

http://www.rawveganbooks.com/

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/benefits.html

And one more thing!

If you want a juicer try Ebay, the books can also be bought used on Amazon.com!

God Bless you and Peace be with you!

Good luck on your journey back to good health!

The Juicing continues

It is about day 8 now since I started shooting for a daily dose of fresh juice. After a couple of months of juicing off and on a couple of days per week I finally have gotten serious about it. I am feeling real healthy and good about this experience. I have also been taking 1000mg of bee pollen with my juice. I had a glass of juice with a light dinner yesterday and it went down quite well. Although I have lost a few pounds and will probably lose more I am not really focused on that aspect of this new diet. It is more about quality of my health than the quantity of what I weigh.

I am working out daily and have been increasing my routines, adding new exercises and some additional weights to my curling bar and dumbbells. I will have to dust of the bench soon in the basement when the weather warms up. Right now the dogs sleep down there so I can't deal with the smell but I will evict them come spring time into the back yard and clean it all out so I can start using the bench press. For now my weights upstairs will do just fine.

My wife is sharing in the juicing experience with me and she is really enjoying it. She encourages my quest for good health and is an excellent partner in this. One great benefit I have found is that I do not need my acid reflux medicine every day now. I just went six days without a pill and that is the first time I have been able to do that in over 5 years. I am really happy about it. Once I get more of the bad foods out of my diet I may be able to get off the Nexium once and for all.

I still like to eat Chinese food about two or three times a week and drink coffee in the mornings. These are really bad for my stomach but I will wean myself off the bad stuff slowly over time. I have cut tea and sodas to a bare minimum. I now have water with my lunch each day instead of sweet tea. I stay away from cola most all the time now and have not been to a fast food restaurant but once or twice in that past couple of months. I also have cut BBQ out of my weekly lunch routine. I have only had it once this month and I went to a BBQ restaurant last week and ordered grilled salmon. That is will power! (grin)

We have pretty much gone all organic with our juicing. After doing much reading I have found it is recommended by most all the experts and it only makes sense. Too many pesticides and chemicals in regular farming of the fruits and veggies. They tend to soak it up through the roots and it becomes part of the juice as well as sticking to the skins. Organic is so much healthier!

I just had my glass of Carrot, Apple, Celery and Ginger juice and I can feel the tingle as I type. It is almost like a head rush! I am shooting for two glasses a day by next month. One a day this month will do. Some of the guys I have read about do six glasses a day! WOW, that is a lot! Not sure if I will get that far with it but who knows what the future may bring.

I am in the market for a bigger juicer with a more powerful motor. I have found that many of the newer models get a lot more juice from the fruits and veggies than the one I have is capable of doing. Ebay is a great place to go for this and Amazon.com is the best place to go for books on the subject as well.

Next blog I will talk about fresh juice Vs store bought juice...

Have a great day and be healthy in mind, body and most of all sprirt!

God Bless

Juicing is For Life!

Juicing fad or fate?

I saw a commercial on TV many years ago and was intrigued when the man was selling a machine that looked like a food processor but he called it a juicer. He claimed that the juice was like a fountain of youth and that it was delicious. If you drank this stuff it would fill you with energy and blah, blah, blah.

I was skeptical since I have been bombarded with infomercials over the years with everything from the pocket-fisherman (which I once had) and the Ginsu Knives (which I always wanted). I was snooping around the cabinets one day at home and lo and behold I found a juicer my wife had brought with her when we were married. I cleaned it up and used it a few times and thought it was pretty good. I talked to some friends about it and kept seeing Jack Lalane on TV making juice and looking real healthy and strong in his eighties. Of course he is the picture of good health so I now started getting more curious. I began juicing about once or twice a month on the weekends when I would really try and get up and exercise and eat a healthy meal. A good friend of mine and I were discussing it one day and he too had a juicer but he said it was a pain to clean up after juicing and he just didn’t want to go through all the trouble very often. I knew he was right so we both just kept doing it once in a while mostly on weekends.

Late in 2006 I decided to try and get back into shape and eat better. After being embarrassed by my large manboobs I had had enough! I started buying more veggies and fruits and set the juicer up on the counter permanently. My goal was at least once a week then I decided twice a week. Well today I am shooting for every day now, sometimes twice a day!

I have found that juicing each day gives me a huge boost of energy and most of all it fills my body with live enzymes and all kinds of pure vitamins, minerals and nutrients. The benefits to the human body that come from juicing are tremendous! It acts as a detoxifying agent by causing the colon and liver to expel toxins that tend to build up over time after eating bad food and drinking sodas, alcohol and coffee for so many years. It also rebuilds cells since the live enzymes are the basic building blocks of the cells in your body. It cleanses the blood , lungs and kidneys. It is also said to help eyesight, skin and hair be rejuvenated. There is so much more to write about juicing I could go on and on.

Fortunately for me my good friend Jeff is also enjoying juicing as much as I am and we constantly challenge each other to juice each day. It is fun and so good for you I am hoping to keep this up and make it part of my life. The health benefits are enormous and will provide so much goodness for me and anyone who does it, I see it as a no brainer at this point. God made us to enjoy all this fresh food, not cooked and pasteurized food so when we go back to what our bodies were designed to be fed we are allowing ourselves a chance to heal and get back the vitality we were always suppose to have.

I am also working out again with weights and exercises like crunches and push-ups. I did not have the energy to do that before I started juicing regularly. I am well on my way to being back in good shape and in good health again for the first time in a decade. I hope my story can provide some information and inspiration to you to do the same thing.

My new motto is “Juicing is for Life!”

Tim & Dawn

Greetings and Salutations!

I have been up most of the night unable to sleep after attending the funeral service for my old friend Tim Rhyne yesterday. Tim, a strapping young fellow all of 46 years old was far too young to die. I suppose the good Lord needed a smart and savvy warrior up in heaven to prepare for an Epic battle of Supergalatic proportions. Tim was definitely they guy to help with the preparations for that.

Tim was a guy who had lots of friends and most of them were there yesterday. Many of us went back to his house afterward and had a celebration of sorts with Tim's brother Lyle and his wife Dawn along with a few other family members including Tim & Dawn's (not to be confused with Lyle's Dawn) kids, Dallas and Megan. Dallas was constantly amazing everyone with his playing the drums in the air as his fingers slapped against each other sounding like he was really beating an invisible drum while beautiful Megan was very busy running around with her friends and cousins and also reading some of the many letters her classmates had written to her.

Ray, Mark, Drew and I were hanging around with Lyle, Dawn, June, Marti and others sharing stories about Tim and looking at old photo's of Tim and Dawn's wedding and vacations. Captain Morgan was there and I think Sonic Man was also present somewhere. Of course Dawn passed away only about a month ago also of cancer and again much too soon for someone so young and beautiful. It is a sad tale no doubt and She is missed terribly too. I wish I had a picture of her here on my computer but I do not.

I myself feel lucky to have known them both. Although I was in no way Tim's closest or best friend. Hell at times he did not even like me I am sure. Yet we did go way back and there was a time in our lives, long ago, when we spent so much time together he was like one of my brothers.

Tim was a unique individual, as Mark was saying yesterday he was truly one of a kind, nobody else like him. God broke the mold I suppose on this one. Tim will be missed by so many people but he will never be forgotten. His Timizms will also carry on with each one of his friends.

Squibber, Sclib, Gibby, Baby Rhino, all great nicknames by the way. He was here with us so briefly now it seems but while he was here he made a tremendous impact on all those around him. Especially me. I always admired the guy and felt good knowing he was around somewhere even if I did not see him that often anymore.

Farewell brother Tim, may your days in heaven be long and peaceful.

Warm vacation in January

Greetings Folks

Janet and I have booked this resort for a week in January of 07 and it looks like we are not going to be able to make it. We are going to try and sell this week to someone who would like to get away from it all. We have not been to this resort yet but I have linked to it so that you can check it out. Most all of the places we have vacationed at through RCI have been very nice, upscale resorts. This is an Oceanfront room.

Jan13 thru Jan 20... 1 bedroom with kitchen, 1 bath, Queen bed & sleeper sofa.

If you are interested in buying this week of vacation we will take $650 for it. That gets you 7 nights at this resort. Check in and check out is on Saturday. Hollywood Florida is between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. There are several casino's in the area with horse racing too.

If you booked this straight from the Resort website it would cost 1,468.00. If your not interested but might know someone else who is, feel free to forward this along to your friends and family.

http://www.ramada.com/Ramada/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=13027&brandInfo=RA

Thanks

JD & Janet Pearce
jdddd@hotmail.com

New Links

Just a quick note to take a look at all the new links I have added.

If you like John Wayne, Bruce Lee, Elvis Presley or Charlie Daniels your gonna love these web-sites I have linked to. There is other good stuff there too like bible.org I use it all the time in my research for my bible study groups.

So check it out and enjoy your weekend!

By the way here is a picture of me and my buddy for you to enjoy too!

Thanksgiving message 2006

Once again we come to the time of year to give thanks to God for what we have, who we are and all that we cherish in life. What am I thankful for today? I am so very glad to tell you!

First and foremost I am thankful to God and his son Jesus Christ for my mortal life and for my eternal life given by the grace of God and the sacrifice made on the cross. The faith I have is also a gift I am thankful for as it is what allows me to believe in the everlasting life promised to us by Christ.

I know many non-believers in the world and there are far too many of them, who think we, the people who follow Christ and worship God are just a bunch of nutty zealots. However, the one thing I would say to them all is that this faith fills the void in our souls. When we live in the world there is an emptiness within us that we try to fill with worldly passions. Sex, booze, drugs, entertainment, money, and stuff will never make you happy or fill that void within your soul. I have found that only God fills that void in me and my cups now are overflowing with joy!

Praise God!

Yes friends I am truly a thankful man for my story is much like yours I am sure. Living in a world where I did not know God was a lost world for me. I stumbled around blindly and made hardly any progress in life getting hurt every time I turned around and finding myself clawing my way out of some deep pit of sin an despair. When I finally came to God and gave my life up to Christ, surrendered all my worldly power, submitting that I can do nothing without him, I was truly reborn. Now I am a different man. Sure I may look the same and even sound the same but if you dig a little deeper you will find I do not behave the same or think the same as I did before.

My needs and desires have changed for example. I no longer crave the all the worldly treasures that I once did. I can now take it or leave it and it means nothing to me. Now does that mean I will sell all my belongings and live in a shack? No, not at all, I still want to live a comfortable life and have nice things but my life no longer centers on the pursuit of these things. Now I am focused on constantly improving. I want to improve my relationship with God first and foremost then my wife and family. I want to be a better father, friend and co-worker, I want to be a better business man and customer. I want to be a better neighbor and a better Christian. The Lord gives us the desire to be a better human being and to work hard at being someone who is helping others, in and out of the Church here on earth. The Church meaning the body of Christ or all his chosen. We are called to be his hands and feet doing his bidding while we are here, spreading the word of his glory and helping our brothers and sisters, yes including the faithless and the non-believers along the way. Remember Christ said he was here to save those who needed saving not the righteous men, as illustrated in, Luke Chapter 5:

"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

I am very thankful for his love and what he has taught me about sharing my gifts. It is all his anyway he just lets us have some to use while we are here. If we use it wisely he gives us more. Now does this mean everyone who is rich has been blessed by God? No I think not. Remember Satan has rule over the earth so he loves to use wealth as a tool to get some folks to do his bidding, so do not be mistaken on that matter.

If you are a true believer you will find your treasure in heaven but if you are a good steward here on earth you will also be able to partake in the bounty here as well. If you are not a believer I pray that you will pick up a Bible and read God's word. Once you do that you will become curious and want to know more. This will be the first steps on your journey to find peace with God.

Peace be with you as you journey towards the light of the world. Once you reach that light and accept Christ (who is the light, the truth and the way) you will find that your heart will be filled and your soul no longer empty.

May the blessings of Christ be with you all today and each day until his glorious return!

Amen.

Lost Lore EBook Update!

Back in February of this year I posted a blog about finishing up a project I have been working on for a loooong time.

Actually over fifteen years in the making if you mark the very first short story I ever wrote as the beginning of this project. I really only started putting this thing together a few years ago after I decided I had enough material for my own anthology. After having several stories and poems published in various other anthologies I decided why not just put my own together and now here it is.

So, I am finally ready to really put a finished product our there for you folks to take a look at. I did send out a few copies before but it was rough, unedited and without artwork. I am very pleased with the way this came out as an ebook considering I did it all myself and it was mostly by trial and error. I downloaded most of the software I used for free. I am still not exactly sure how I did it but it finally started falling into place the other day while I was playing around with it in my MSWorks word processing program and found a way to get the art in there and save it to my .pdf file without losing it.

I have not found an outside publisher as of yet so I am self publishing it for now. I still have some copywrite issues due to much of the artwork inside being borrowed from the web, (smile) so I can not sell this work but can give it away until I get my own artist to illustrate it for me then I may try and sell some.

In the meantime I hope you find time to read some of the work within. I had some help with the editing by my good friend Alan Woods, I appreciate his efforts. The Cover art was done by a nice lady named Alistar Fall, I found her on the web somehow and she was extremely patient with me when I kept asking for changes. I think she finally had enough of me and moved on but I was able to change the colors too get the effect I wanted for the most part. I want to thank her for bringing the concept I had in mind to life for the cover. She was terrific!

I have posted a note in the links section of this blog that will give you access to the ebook as well as the title of this blog page itself! You will need a .PDF reader to open it. I converted it into an Adobe Acrobat .PDF file which is pretty standard on most Windows based PC's. Once you open it it is best to click the "fit in window" icon on your reader to scroll through the book and see the artwork and how it is all laid out. Then when you want to read it you can enlarge it as much as you need to be comfortable for your own eyes. I will add an additional link to it here as well.

Lost Lore from an Ancient Future

I would love to get some feedback on this so feel free to post comments here in the blog or email me directly.

Enjoy your Sunday and Gob Bless you all.

JD

GOP Defeat

What does a GOP defeat mean for Conservatives?

To begin with this was a defeat for the GOP, not conservatism. From what I have read so far this morning the conservative agenda is alive and well in America. Our main guy “Tom Tancredo” on the illegal immigration issue won by a handy margin in Colorado. Gay marriage bans won in 3 states and imminent domain was squashed as well. The conservative agenda in fact does not correlate well with the GOP agenda in many cases but since the alternative to the GOP is the DNC we have no choice but to stick with the horse we rode in on or “elephant” in this case. If you consider that many of these house races were run by ‘Blue Dog” Dems posing as conservatives you can understand why this nation is truly a conservative nation with real family values. If Dems have to act like conservatives to win then that obviously speaks volumes.

Being the eternal optimist I have to say that this defeat is a good opportunity to wake up the GOP and force them to recognize why they lost. It seems that their open border agenda is a big part of it, many conservative voters may have walked away from this one and the GOP also failed to gain the independent votes needed to retain control in this contest. The Iraq war may be a big issue for some folks out there due to the constant hype and 24/7 negative reporting by the OLD media or MSM and the coverage of the scandalous behavior of some Pubs (Republicans) no doubt but I have to believe it was just as much the borders and the outrageous spending that defeated the GOP on this one. When Republicans govern like Democrats they will loose support from the conservative base.

On thing is for sure, my simple mind cannot process the War in Iraq being a reason to vote for Dems since their policies will cause us to loose this war all the while we are capturing and killing terrorists by the thousands over there after deposing Sadaam and sentencing him to hang. We have done this all the while freeing over 20 million people from the bonds of that tyrannical regime who brutally killed millions over a 30 year rule. If we did the same thing in Darfur we would be hailed as saviors but letÂ’s not go off on a tangent here. The fact that the GOP has managed to keep terrorists from hitting us again with the Patriot Act, the NSA surveillance program, and the offensive tactics of fighting the jihadists in Iraq and Afghanistan are all positive things in my eyes. I think the big screw up here is the fact that the Pubs did not force the closing of the borders and crack down on illegal immigration within months of 911. This to me has always been a big problem and hit hard at the credibility of the Bush administration.

One thing is for sure millions of Americans are FED UP with politicians in Washington in both parties and see the entire political process as a sham. The government does not seem to be working for the people at times but working against us. The Dems claim to be for the poor but their policies have kept the poor in the same poverty stricken, inner city neighborhoods by giving them hand outs instead of teaching them to work and move up and out of the projects. The Pubs on the other hand have not learned how to govern as true conservatives and keep trying to placate everyone instead of doing what it takes to protect our borders, cut spending and stop all this PC nonsense and win this war.

They are fighting an uphill battle no doubt sine the vast majority of the media is on a 24/7 jihad of itÂ’s own trying to defeat conservatism wherever it exists and the GOP has not figured out how to combat that enemy as of yet. The rise of the NEW media is having itÂ’s own impact but it is not nearly as powerful as the OLD media or MSM as I call them. Someday perhaps that foe will be vanquished but until then it will be like going into battle with 50 pound boots and a 100 pound rifle.

I do know this, The Lord works in ways we cannot comprehend at times and this must be one of them. I am sure there is a hard lesson to be learned for the GOP and I hope they wake up and smell the napalm on this one. If not, they will surely get pummeled again the next time and in this seriously dangerous world we live in today it could mean life or death for the USA.

Election Day

This is one of the most crucial elections I can remember in my lifetime. With it being a mid-term election that makes it even more astounding since most mid terms are yawners since there is no Presidential race to get the folks really revved up and motivated. This one is very different. Now I am a partisan political animal who follows this stuff daily all year long. So I know it is different for the normal Jane or John Doe who could care less about politics. I hope that some of those folks who really do not follow it or really care nothing about it just stay home because it is dangerous for an uninformed voter to vote in my humble opinion. However if they do by chance go to the polls today it is likely they will vote Democrat. Why? Because the Old Media or MSM as I fondly refer to them, has done nothing but support Democrats and Bash Republicans for so long most of the regular folks out there have been brainwashed into believing George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and most House Republicans are nothing more than hellish demons who want to molest your children and dominate the world, all while they are taking gobs of cash from Exxon and Haliburton under the table and doing there very best to fry the planet with complete global warming as their true and ultimate goal.

Does this sound a bit extreme to you? It should but if you watch CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC and read the NY Times and about 250 other liberal papers out there this would pretty much sum up what they say about the Bush administration and the Republicans in general.

The truth is that the MSM is no longer a viable source of news. It is nothing more than a propaganda machine for the Democratic party doing it's utmost to get all Democrats elected in each and every election. The problem is that the vast majority of the country is conservative and these liberals just can't or won't admit it. If you look at the red and blue map of the country you can see it plain as day. Why do you think the rise of conservative talk radio has been so indomitable over the past 10 years or so? Look at the success of FOX News. These came about and shot to the top of the ratings due to the complete and utter collapse of sanity and fairness in the MSM. The pundits of the MSM are still so arrogant that they will not admit talk radio is anything more than entertainment but they better wise up before all their profits dry up and blow away. They are destined to become the fringe news if they do not open their news departments up to a more conservative POV and try and serve all their potential customers with fair and balanced reporting. For more proof of my claim here I read a story this week that stated that out of all the stories done by the MSM in the run up to this election 77% were favorable to Democrats while only 12% were favorable to Republicans.

How's that for leaning left? Click here for that report.

If the Dems do not win this election by a major landslide it is a prophecy for the future demise of the Democratic party and their lackeys in the media. With all the power of the MSM at their disposal it looks like the Conservatives will still put up a very good fight in this election. Trouble is looming for us all if the Dems do win but it is even more telling for the liberals that they can't beat us hands down with all their buddies in the media pulling for them 24/7.

As you can see many of the Dems are running their House races as conservative Democrats, they know you have to be conservative to win in fly-over country and in the south but will they govern as conservatives if elected? I say no. Their liberal party leaders like Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean, and John Kerry will not allow it. Pray for a miracle my friends because if we can beat them at the voting booth today that would mean the end of the Democratic party as we know it and the MSM will have to change it's tune or it will sink along with their liberal brethren .

In the words of a once great liberal Icon, Dan Blather, I bid you good luck and farewell with one final word, "Courage".

Vacation Bliss

My wife and I just recently returned from a weeks vacation in the Shenandoah Valley Virginia where we spent seven nights and six days in what I like to call paradise. It was difficult to come back to Charlotte after spending so much time away in a place that was 180 degrees opposite from where we normally spend our time. We also went to Washington DC, a place I have wanted to go forever. We really enjoyed that visit too if you leave out the fact that I walked my feet off going from our hotel down to the Museums and visiting all the sights in that town. Needless to say it was a vacation to remember and we took many pictures to prove it.

One place we saw that was really cool was the Ford Theater where Abraham Lincoln was shot. We actual sat in that very same theater and watched a two man play that was really well acted. We also saw the bedroom in an apartment across that very same street where the former President died. It was a thrill to be so close to such a historical place.

We of course had to go to the Smithsonian. It turns out that there are about six or eight museums in that area. We focused on two of them, the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum. Those two kept us busy for hours. Now I was warned by several people not to drive into Washington but to take a tour bus. Of course I choose to drive and it was no big deal. We parked at our Hotel parking garage and never used the car until we left. Then we managed to find a parking place near the Vietnam Memorial Wall and roamed around a few mores hours until we had to go. It was not the hassle I was lead to believe it would be.

Meanwhile our resort was a place called Massanutten in Harrisonburg Virginia. It was a large ski resort with a huge water park (indoor) and all kinds of amenities. We intend to go back again in a couple of years. The condo was nice and we had a great view since we were on the side of a mountain. There was so much to do there we only got to experience about half what they had to offer. It was one of the best trades we have ever made with our timeshare. We also spent one day visiting Luray Caverns and driving on Skyline Drive. That too was awesome.

I’ll leave you with some of the best pics.

Grace Britt

You know there is nothing like a Grandma. I have one that just turned 90 and my son Jason and I traveled down to Spartanburg to visit with her and all the gang who also gathered there to celebrate. Grace Britt or "Granny Britt" as she is affectionately known, lives in Northern Ga. with my uncle and aunt (Franky and Sandy), Bless them both for that! Most of my other relatives live in Georgia too and I of course was born and raised in and around Atlanta. That is another story for another time, just wanted to give you a little background.

My mom and sister live in or near Spartanburg so we all met there for a big dinner at a nice seafood restaurant. It was good to see aunts, uncles and cousins as well as my own immediate family. Many of these folks I only see once a year at our family reunion which we have been doing for over thirty years now, a major miracle in itself I would say for any family. We are blessed no doubt. Anyway it was a good times and I took quite a few pictures, some of which I will try and post here.

Finally I want to say this about Granny Britt. I have her in my mind and heart always, she is that warm feeling deep inside me that creates a sensation in my heart that can only be described as true unconditional love. I have memories from childhood that are good and bad but when it comes to Granny Britt she is the only person I can think of that conjures up nothing but good things in my mind. For me, next to our Lord and Savior, she is the true definition of Grace.

Here are some more pics, enjoy!.

Love Log Cabins!

How I would love to own a Log Cabin.

I have always had a desire to own a log house or cabin every since I can remember. My wife and I spent the weekend in one this past, for our 7th wedding anniversary. We had a very nice, peaceful, relaxing weekend. It rained a good bit and it beat down on the tin roof like a million tiny drummers.

The mountains around Asheville, NC are full of these little vacation getaways and for a small fee you can rent one for a weekend or longer. We hope to go back and do this again each year until we finally buy one for ourselves to escape to and perhaps rent out to others for them to enjoy. What a life it must have been in years past to live out in the wilderness with no cars, TV's, computers or airplanes buzzing overhead. Only the sounds of the critters that lived near you to pierce the night air. It was hard to sleep due to the change in sound from the city to the country.

Our anniversary was one to be remembered and we took a few pics of the cabin and the surroundings. I'll post a few here if I can get them transferred to this computer.

Farewell and a long life to you all...

Iraq, United we Stand?

It seems that today one of the greatest dividing issues in America is the War in Iraq. Many Americans feel that we should not be there and that we have focused too much of our energy on Iraq and not Afghanistan. Perhaps the latter part of that statement is true yet if you look at this battle from a Macro perspective I think you come away with a different POV.

First, I have heard many say that we should engage the radical elements of Islam in a diplomatic way. Talk to them, try to understand why they hate us and work in a humane way to change their minds. Many on the left say this is they way to deal with the terrorists and if they do not respond we should arrest them and put them on trial here in America. Of course they also want to give the terrorists the benefit of the rights afforded Americans under the US Constitution. This will not work and is a dangerous approach.

Now take a look at what President Bush is doing. He is trying to plant the seeds of democracy in Iraq which is in the heart of the middle east. If he is successful in this extremely difficult task those seeds could grow and spread across the entire region. Once that happens you may see the radical elements of Islam shunned by their own people and discarded into history as the fanatics that they are much as the Nazi's were after the fall of the Third Reich.

Unfortunately this quest is one that will take many years, perhaps decades to complete. If we are to change the hearts and minds of the people in the middle east we must radically change the way the people are governed in that part of the world. Democracy is the best chance of bringing about that type of change. When people taste freedom they want more. When they experience the financial benefits of capitalism they also want more. We can bring these elements to the middle east with the plan that Bush has in place but it will take patience and hard work along with the sacrifice of Americans and our allies.

Remember the sacrifices made in WWII. We lost about 200,000 soldiers in that conflict. Yet America saved the world from a lunatic and his perverted vision of molding the world into something he had declared was God's will of a Nazi rule. This current struggle is eerily similar to that bleak time of our history. The Islamic fundamentalists want to mold the world into their perverted view of what their God wants. They want to subjugate us all into Islam or slavery to Islam. If not then we die, that simple.

President Bush has decided that if we plant the seeds of democracy and freedom in the middle east it is the best and brightest chance of spreading change throughout that region. It is the only hope for the world to defeat their radical view of dominating the west. If we can unite the worlds free peoples to rise up with us and help in this endeavor we may have a chance of stopping the forward push of the Islamic maniacs and their carnage. Keep in mind the radical Muslims have declared that Osama Bin Laden himself has marked Iraq as the place where the deciding battle for Islam against the west is being faught.

Once democracy takes hold and spreads perhaps a more moderate government will emerge in these areas and education will change as well as the poverty that grips the common folks. If they have jobs and can provide for their families they may have a reason to live instead of martyring themselves for money. If kids are taught to respect America in their schools instead of the hate that is taught now, then in a few generations the whole attitude of the people might become friendly towards the west.

Yes this is a tough struggle and will be a long one but if we unite it will make it easier for our side to win. Think about it and decide which side you want to be on if the battle comes to your neighborhood.

Can we win this war? You bet, but we will have a better chance if America unites behind it's leaders to fight it together.

9-11 2006

I am home this morning watching all the coverage on 911. I have watched the replay of the Twin Towers being hit and coming down and the Pentagon on fire after the plane slammed into it, as well as the plane downed on the field in Pennsylvania. I had a chill as I remembered how I felt that day watching it for the first time.

I watch this on the heels of watching the movie last night called "The Path to 911" and it really gives you a new perspective on the years leading up to that terrible day. Most of us regualr citizens really had no clue that our government was already aware that Osama and his minions had declared war on America. We went about our business and enjoyed the bounty and abundance America provides without really being worried we would be attacked by suicide bombers in jetliners. Now that I have seen this movie I see that it was there being plotted and planned as we vacationed, worked, went to the movies and out to eat, never imagining an event like 911.

So what do you do five years later? Do you keep sniping and laying blame Right vs Left, Conservative vs Liberal, Democrat vs Republican? Or do we find a way to unite the country and fight a common enemy?

I think we all know the right answer to that question but can we unite and put our differences behind us? Will the power brokers in Washington lay down their rhetoric cannons and pick up an American flag and march together towards a solution? Can they stop their own pursuit of personal power long enough to defend America?

I hate to think what will happen if they do not.

I will pray for all our leaders, both Red and Blue staters. I hope they can get their priorities in order and stop the blame game long enough to save America from a nuclear or bio attack from the lunatics that want to destroy what we have here in the USA.

I hope you will too.

God Bless America!

Censorship

Today's Topic - Censorship


It seems that our former President William Jefferson Clinton is a bit uneasy about the upcoming Mini Series called "The Path to 9/11". In fact he wants it banned and not shown on TV at all.

I remember a couple of years ago a movie that was released in theaters that made the Republicans and President Bush look incompetent and somewhat responsible for 9-11 made by Michael Moore. I did not here anyone from the Bush Whitehouse call for it to be banned or not shown. In fact the writer/director/star was heralded by the Democratic party and was an honored guest at the Democratic political convention that year with a prestigious seat right next to Mr. Jimmy Carter.

Freedom of speech is our first right under the constitution. We allow folks to protest our government, burn our flag and go to colleges around the country calling America an evil capitalist pig of a country, many say we deserved 9-11 and worse. We do not censor these folks, we let them speak and then allow the capitalist market place to do it's own kind of natural censorship.

So should we then not allow this filmmaker to show his movie that gives a point of view that calls into question the actions of a certain President and his administration?

What say you America?



Here is a letter from the Clinton legal team to the ABC/Disney producers of "The Path to 9/11".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Dear Bob,

Despite press reports that ABC/Disney has made changes in the content and marketing of "The Path to 9/11," we remailn concerned about the false impression that airing the show will leave on the public. Labelng the show as "fiction" does not meet your responsibility to the victims of the September 11th attacks, their families, the hard work of the 9/11 Commission, or to the American people as a whole.

At a moment when we should be debating how to make the nation safer by implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, "The Path to 9/11" calls into question the accuracy of the Commission's report and whether fabricated scenes are, in fact, an accurate portrayal of history. Indeed, the millions spent on the production of this fictional drama would have been better spent informing the public about the Commission's actual findings and the many recommendations that have yet to be acted upon. Unlike this film, that would have been a tremendous service to the public.

Although our request for an advance copy of the film has been repeatedly denied, it is all too clear that our objections to "The Path to 9/11" are valid and corroborated by those familiar with the film and intimately involved in its production.

-- Your corporate partner, Scholastic, has disassociated itself from this proect.

-- 9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean, who served as co-executive producer on "The Path to 9/11," has stated that he raised concerns about the accuracy of several scenes in the film and that his concerns were not addressed during production.

-- Harvey Keitel, who plays the star role of FBI agent John O'Neill, told reporters yesterday that while the screenplay was presented to him as a fair treatment of historical events, he is upset that several scenes were simply invented for dramatic purposes.

-- Numerous Members of Congress, several 9/11 Commissioners and prominent historians have spoken out against this movie.

-- Indeed, according to press reports, the fact that you are still editing the film two days before it is scheduled to air is an admission that it is irreparably flawed.

As a nation, we need to be focused on preventing another attack, not fictionalizing the last one for television ratings. "The Path to 9/11" not only tarnishes the work of the 9/11 Commission, but also cheapens the fith anniversary of what was a very painful moment in history for all Americans. We expect that you will make the responsible decision to not air this film.

Sincerely,

Bruce R. Lindsey
Chief Executive Officer
William J. Clinton Foundation

Douglas J. Band
Counselor to President Clinton
Office of William Jefferson Clinton

Random Thoughts on a Friday

I can remember younger days when we practically lived for Fridays. Especially in school but even after that. Now it is not such a big deal but at 45 I still enjoy knowing I have my weekend ahead of me to relax, go to the movies or work around that house a little (very little). hehe

I have my business set up to where we do not work on weekends so I can still take advantage of the opportunity to be lazy. We do travel often so that also gives us some mini vacation time too. We like to go to the beach now and then or visit relatives, maybe drive up to the mountains and look at log houses. (we love them)

Of course our dream is to buy a piece of land in the mountains and build our dream house (log house) and spend our golden years sitting on the porch watching the sunrise or set, drinking coffee and working in the garden. Have a couple of horses and some dogs running around, maybe a goat or two. Yep I said it a goat!

Life is good here in America where a boy from cabbage town can grow up without finishing high school, start his own business and make a good enough living to make a dream like that come true. My wife comes from a different kind of upbringing but her dream is the same as mine. She is a bit more educated and was raised in a more middle class world but we are a lot alike in our dreams. We both want to live a laid back lifestyle, not the party people but the stay home and watch football kind of people.

Let's hope the bad people in the world do not stop us and millions like us from achieving these dreams.

I just hope I live long enough to see it all happen. I go back to the cardiologist today for another round of tests to see how well my heart and all the arteries feeding it are holding up. So far I have had the stress test, ultra sounds, EKG's and MRI's. NO results yet (except the EKG, it was normal) I suppose I get those next week. I should finish up all my testing today with a couple more ultrasounds on my legs and neck. All you liberals out there can just hold your breath to see if one more conservative is going to bite the dust.

Truthfully I am not really concerned. I know who holds the key to my eternity and I am not afraid of dying in fact I welcome it. This old world can be cruel at times and I have had my share of it. I will gladly relinquish the bonds that hold me here and move to the next life. It will be much, much better. Yet if I am destined to stay here and deal with the devil a while longer I will enjoy the fight and take what it gives me until that final day comes. Praise God!

Well no political comments today, SURPRISE! Although I do have a few in mind I will wait until another time.

Farewll my friends.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your laborday!