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!

The Black Renaissance?

Earlier this morning I was reading an article by Thomas Sowell about basic economics. You might find it interesting so I will link to it here. As I was reading I began to think about some things I have read and heard lately and was prompted to write the following.

Thomas Sowell is one of the leading black economists and writers in the country. He has published more than thirty books on economics and other subjects. He graduated from Harvard even though the dropped out of high school and grew up in Harlem. He is currently a senior fellow at the Hoover institute in Stanford Calif.

Yesterday as I was listening to Rush Limbaugh's program, he had a substitute host named Dr. Walter E. Williams who holds a doctorate in Economics from the university of Los Angeles and has written many books as well. He is on the boards of several institutes including the Hoover institute in is widely known as a very smart and prolific writer as well as being a highly respected professor of economics at George Mason University in Virginia.

These are but two examples of highly successful black men from humble backgrounds who have lived through the 60's and prospered throughout their lives due to persistence and hard work. Dr. Williams was interviewing Juan Williams who is also a very successful black man, a senior correspondent for NPR and contributor on FOX news he has a highly regarded career as a journalist. Juan is known as a liberal Democrat yet he has written a book recently called ENOUGH! His book is in the vain of Bill Cosby's latest speeches where he has chastised the black communities in America for their behavior and lack of personal responsibility.

My point here with all of this is that I am seeing a trend in the upper and middle class of the black communities around America. They are recognizing that their lower income brethren are caught up in a self made stew of victimization and blame everyone but themselves attitude. This has been shepherded by liberal politicians and race baiters who have urged poor blacks and other races to depend on the government and not tried to foster personal responsibility in these communities. Many things have lead us up to this point in America, hurricane Katrina being a turning point in my view.

It is also my view that an unintended consequence of the recent invasion of America by illegal immigrants, mostly Latino (12 million or so) has put enormous pressure on the black communities since these illegals are taking jobs traditionally held by poor blacks and whites. Now blacks are being forced to go on the public dole or get and education so that they can take higher level jobs. Many are moving up into the middle class as they experience this move from working at Mickey D's to working at Wachovia or Bank of America. Once this happens and they start earning a middle class income they find out quickly what a large bite the tax man takes from their hard earned paycheck and they acquire a more conservative viewpoint concerning those that choose to stay at the bottom, living off of the government or (me, you and our new middle class black brothers and sisters). Some quickly take the attitude, if I can do it then so can they! Then they see the world from a new perspective.

I think (hope) we are seeing the beginnings of a renaissance in the black communities of America as more and more successful blacks speak out against the victim mentality that has been created and nurtured by liberal politicians here in America and around the world for that matter, for the past 40 to 50 years.

I say it is about time and I applaud those who are stepping up and making their viewpoints known.