Somnium of Sarcalogos

The Vacation...

2009-12-28T16:56:00.001-08:00

So I chose a bad time to come "back" cuz I could post once and then had to go to visit family with no internet.

Anyway, I thought it interesting that the thing that really stood out on this trip was the music. To kick things off we talked about the music we were going to take on the trip with us and were thinking back over what we used to listen to on long trips. We brought up Judy Rodgers and her old kids sing along cassettes and sang our way through every song we could remember.... kinda random and I know not really interesting but still....

At the reunion in Tennessee we had a house packed full of people and somebody would randomly start singin a carol and pretty much instantly all through the house people would pick it up and soon "Hark the Herald" was bein belted out by 25 voices young and old from various rooms. Then the carol (or verse of it) would end and everyone would go back to their cooking and movie watching and card playing. One of my aunts also brought along a book of carols and the history behind it and we who remained around the dinner table would sing them after hearing what we were actually singing.

Sunday morning was also kind of musically cool. We went to a good 'ole souther baptist church where we sang a wide mix of musical styles, but of course we sang "Go tell it on the Mountain" and "Beulah Land" in good southern gospel tradition.

So yeah... kinda lame but i thought it was kinda cool all the same that the most fun we had over that vacation was with the music and we aren't even a super musical family.

Christmas Tip #1: Packaging

2009-12-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

Ugh we love it at Christmas, the nice easy gift wrap that tears wonderfully and makes a satisfying rip sound like a school worksheet that you have finished with. But about that plastic stuff....

The packaging of electronics is twice as bad as the rest. First it is extra thick to protect the contents. Then they heat seal the edges and hone them and their serrations to resemble a steak knife, and crimp it to a 90 degree angle so several pairs of scissors must be broken on them trying to obtain the stuff you actually wanted inside (forcing you to go out and buy more scissors and stimulate the economy.. so its a good thing?).

If blood is not drawn at first attack, then you obviously aren't trying hard enough to get at what's inside and this may tip off to the giver that you are not overly enthusiastic about their gift. So be sure to always stab yourself on the devil's wrapping paper at least once and demonstrate your excitement.

Cleanup for these things is also somewhat difficult as the environmentally conscious celebrationist (<----Bushism?) does not know what to do with the plastic waste. Typically none of the plastic packaging that houses the goodies is nor marked with a recycling symbol and does not indicate its recyclability in any way. This is one for brighter minds than mine to figure out though.... so having raised that guilt inducing question.... g'bye!

The Return of the Jedi. The Return of the King. Return of the Living Dead. Return to Neverland. Return of Jafar.....

2009-12-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

So I'm back to blog. I don't know what I'm going to say, but facebook statuses and notes cannot communicate the huge quantity of emotion and passion that has built up over a semester. And so I shall continue writing and ranting and raving and hopefully motivate myself to think!

But Sheesh you people are prolific. 71 new posts and those are just the recent ones! I am sorry but *hits read all button* now I can start afresh and glory in your quirkiness and snarkiness and BRILLIANCE without feeling like I am days behind in a literature class.

2009-08-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

101 posts. A year and a half. Its over... Its kind of sad, but for a while this blog filled a need I had to express and try to stir up ideas for others, and now it doesn't fill that need. I don't have the mental energy to write anything worth reading anymore...

SO for now I have to say goodbye. It won't be forever, I know that. Keep me in your aggregators and every now and then I may pop in with something new, but for now, its time for no guilt and to move on with life. Thank you all for reading and please keep in touch with me still! Somnite@gmail.com and u can search for me on facebook using the same username, just please leave a note saying how you know me.

Well, farewell for the moment!!!!

Anthropological Observations

2009-06-29T05:54:00.000-07:00

I like that title.

So this is another post on racial issues, but it goes in a very different direction from my past posts.

A lot of this post is theory taken from a dissimilar situation and applied to the racial divide. I work dish room at a tourist restaurant in Lancaster County. The managers are extremely nice and friendly people and will often help us with our work. Most of the dishroom staff, myself included try to be sensitive to others who may have disabilities or handicaps and most of the workers have some kind of learning disability or handicap. Well, there is this one man that I work with frequently who we'll call Carl. Carl is a bit slow, and someone who you would say is "not all there." We get along and work together, laugh and joke when we are in a good mood but mostly just work.

Well, on several occasions we would have a very busy day at the dishwasher and at 10:00PM we would still be backed up in which case "John" one of the managers would jump on the dishwasher and start helping us. The odd thing is that as soon as John started working, Carl doubled his pace and they both started singing and laughing and joking. Several of John's jokes however were extremely insensitive and he poked fun at Carl's lack of intelligence. However instead of being resentful or angry or hurt, Carl loved it, and feels more accepted by having his differences poked fun at. Instead of denying that such a problem existed, John closed the gap and treated him like an equal that didn't have to be treated sensitively.

I wonder if the same thing is applicable in racial contexts. I have known many people of Asian-American descent, but the relationships have been a lot less strained and polite than those I have had with people of African American descent. Part of this I think is due to the respect that I think society often demands for people of one minority group over another. While we may be friends with Asian people groups, we must acknowlege and be cautious the African people groups. To this etent, racism most certainly is present in our culture today. Most of the Asian kids find their identity in their origins, but poke fun at themselves at the same time.

At college my one growth group leader was asian and we would always say "where is the asian kid" and things like that or poke fun at Asian stareotypes because it was a way to share something with them. It is somewhat akin to the hilarity we get from listening and debunking homeschool sterotypes.

Yet society blocks us from having this casual kind of relationship with african americans because we are to respect an not look down on them, when in fact all that is sought is a casual an light-hearted interaction.

That's all for now I guess....

This is your friendly reminder...

2009-06-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

... To not give out your address, DoB, or Social Security Information of the phone. My family countered a scam today.

A lady called saying that we owed $103 on a Wal-Mart credit card and asking if we would pay it. My mother of course said that she had no such card and never did. The lady said statements had been mailed, but could she please verify address. My mother gave the first line only. The lady was very hesitant to give any information or verify anything on her end, and asked my mother for her SSN and DoB. Upon which point momma said heck no! and asked for a phone number where she could contact someone and get things straightened out. At that point, the scammer hung up.

True story.

(yeah, I am feeling lazy again and am not signifigantly emotionally destraught over Obama's doings these days to write another rant... maybe in another day or two)

From the last post...

2009-06-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

I'm revisiting my last post referencing star wars, but taking it beyond just posting a link to the article. lol, I am actually going to be posting quotes and stuff with a link you can visit if you want context or more information. A warning though, when I post quotes, I will be leaving out bracketed sections which is the reporter's INTERPRETATION of what the speaker meant by a pronoun or ambiguity. I want to post it just as it is, so you can read it with same amount of offense, patriotism, or stupidity that the speaker said it with, not some spin put on it by the media.

-------------------------------------------------------

"What I have no interest in doing is running GM," Obama said. His only goal, he said, was to get GM back on its feet and then "to get out quickly."

Yet, the U.S. could end up holding the shares for some time.

Neither Obama nor his spokesman offered an indication of how long the government's involvement with GM would last. "I don't know that there is a timeline," said Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary.

This is intresting. So Star Wars! I'm thinking of Epsiode 2 when the senate votes emergency powers to the chancellor, and he runs things "reluctantly" and with prmoises of "turning power back over to the proper authority" as soon as the crisis has been averted. This while covertly doing everything to make sure that the crisis continues. Obama = Palpatine.

Why do I say that he is ensuring the crisis continues? Well, Obama just sold GM's Hummer line of vehicles to China. Godbye jobs, goodbye income for GM. GM can't make money, financial insecurity and more gov. control! Grats Obama, stage one is successful!

Stage 2: Enact tax policies that will either slash profits of major companies (forcing them into "bankruptcy protection" and government control) or force them to ship jobs over seas, causing further economic slumps and bankrupt companies to take over.

Stage 3: Declare regret at this and demand re-election on the grounds that any other candidate is just hungry for all the power over commerce that the office now holds. Oh, and be assured that future Presidents will have this power. Remember according to Liberals, "no timeline" means "forever." Just look at how they handled Bush and McCain's lack of timeline. They declared that "not timeline" meant "forever" and used it as grounds not to elect him. (Oh, btw, I want an Afghanistan timeline! Our soldiers still aren't home, they're just a couple countries east)

Alright, so future speculation asside, lets look at the here and now.

What are Obama's credentials that he should be running one of the largest and once the strongest companies in the U.S.?

-Law Schoold Grad. I don't care where it was. (but I do know, its just not a relevant fact in this post) Law degrees do not teach you economics or business managment, and no law school grad with ZERO company experience has what it takes to go right to the top and determine what is healthy for that company.

-Community Organizer. Basically a person with an agenda (not necessarily one that is beneficial to a large group of people) who gathers other people to his/her cause and makes a fuss about some issue or another. In short? a lobbyist who organizes other lobbyists who are demanding resolution to a local need or want, whether it harms others or not. Lobbyists were a huge part of the campaigns, with both parties declaring that they would not be run by lobbyists. Oops! Our mistake, we elected one of them! Ok, so lobbyist... not really qualified to be running major business in our country.

-Civil Rights Attorney. A lawyer is a person who ignores the facts or manipulates them for money. Most politicians were once lawyers. Yah, society has made a few election mistakes. However, In my opinion, Civil Rights Attornies are the worst of these. They are racists who get paid to be so and manipulate the facts so that other people look racist instead of them. Civil Rights attornies once had their beneficial place in our society, but not anymore, when the public lives in fear of being sued for all they're worth or losing their jobs, because someone called them a name they didn't like after being sworn at and degraded by the "victim." Damaging to the desirablitiy as president? Yes. But whether desirable or not, does this experience make him qualified for running a country or a big business like GM? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

- One Term not completed in U.S. Senate. (because of election he only filled four years) CEO stands for Senior Executive Office. Obama was for four years a LEGISTLATOR, not an EXECUTIVE. If he had been a governor, that would be ok, he would have had experience being in the role of a person making that kind of decisions, but not a legistlator! Sarah Palin would be more qualified to run GM than Obama (Her crdentials were equal in weight to Obama's, but somehow the VP needs more qualifications to be "a heartbeat away" than it does to actually be in the spot. She was also in an executive role as Governor for several years). Several sources site the margin that he was elected by to senate as a credential, as if it carries some kind of weight, but it is merely a testimony to the weakness of the other politicians that Illinois turns out, and the gullability of citizens of Illinois. It merely makes a statement about the constituency, no the qualifications of the man. FAIL! Not quite enough to make it acceptable for him to run GM.

"He has a strong obligation to ensure that there is a management structure in place that is making smart business decisions," Gibbs said. "Is the president going to thumb through engineering reports and each page of the annual report? No."

Now his secretary says that "oh, yes this is a responsibility, but its really not a big deal. Even if he does have a strong obligation (which he doesn't) to this company, as the CEO of GM, Obama does not have the obligation to fulfill those responsibilities of reading through the reports so as to know what is going on in the company. Then maybe he might actually be able to make informed decisions. Who knows? Give it a year, and we may see Oprah running the place, and turning out the latest cars instead of unfounded advice and feel good destruction.

Alright, so I've said my piece on this issue. I've thrown in my opinions, but there is a large amount of objectivity in them. If you disagree, I'd really like to know and read your comments, but please do not swear, call me names (or call me or my posts close-minded or bigotted). <--- these are grounds for deletion of your comment.

Here is the link to the article again if you would like to read the whole thing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090601/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_gm;_ylt=AnWf9Hi51QTZgOT4L6flM0ADW7oF

For the people using reader and other aggregators...

2009-06-02T08:31:00.001-07:00

there is a poll up

I hate to be repetitive but....

2009-06-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

Think Star Wars, episode 2....

The War is Starting

2009-06-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

A collection of terrifying realities. Here is what America voted for!

Goodbye transportation, cars are now made by the government.

Your homes are not your own, and you cannot practice your religion freely.

Openly racist and biased judges are picked based upon that racism and bias, to write new laws, where they think the old ones are not worth following. (disturbing quote in bold)

The fuel that they are requiring us to use and aggressively promoting is destroying our country.

After a promise to support Israel, administration breaks promise and continues to support policies that would ruin the country and ensure that more missiles destroy Israeli civilians.

I plan to explore each of these in a bit more detail, but this is how bad our country has gotten, and it will be getting worse!

Taxation Witout Representation!

2009-05-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

My family was just talking this over yesterday, as we were discussing how the little brothers were going to file for taxes on the money that they got for mowing the neighbor's grass. This really wouldn't be an issue, for some one like me who is a huge fan of upholding the law (if you dont like the laws, change them proper way, but if they aren't worth changing they are probably worth upholding and enforcing). The problem I find in this is that it is the same issue over which the Boston Tea party was stirred up, and the Revolutionary war came about.

See, the patriots of 1776 did not demand representation without taxes. They wanted representation with taxes as a fair and inevitable part of having a government, or the same state of no representation in parliment, but also no taxes, since people who are not considered citzens enough to vote are not citizens enough to pay taxes.

I think that same principle holds through today. Why should someone who is not old enough to vote be old enough to pay taxes? If they are not represented in congress or legislature, aren't they "un-citizen" enough to be free of taxes as well?

Not really lengthy and researched is this^ but it is a thought, that I think is worth considering.

Despite my claim to be law abiding though, I laugh inside whenever I pick up change on the street, knowing that this counts as income (according to tax code), and that I will never pay for it.

College students are stupid...

2009-05-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

... they are no lifers who do not have the time or even the leftover mental capacity to post on their own blogs or read their blogmates writing.

This is an announcement of a guilt free break until summer is underway and I figure out some way to restore brain function!

Wow....

2009-04-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

I usually hate and shun the things that the world makes popular. But maybe their misguided ideas and pride have stumbled onto something truly inspiring!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

**********

2009-04-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

It is SNOWING here. Groundhog lied. It has been 6 weeks. I want spring now. We cannot see the grass. I pulled my winter coat out of the storage bin where I put it on saturday. I am depressed. I am tired.

"I'm a Marshwiggle! I need the SUN!!!!!!"

For the first time ever....

2009-04-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

I can sincerely thank Obama and his administration. In light of my recent posts, I think maybe you can appreciate this very brief article posted on Yahoo News:

ASHINGTON (AFP) – Journalists based in the United States got a shock Thursday when they dialed a toll-free number to join a conference call with senior officials accompanying US President Barack Obama in London.

The number turned out to be a sex chat line inviting callers to use their credit card numbers.

"Do you have any hidden desires?" a sultry voiced woman asked.

"Well, do you feel like getting nasty? Then you came to the right place -- brought to you by the girls of Swank magazine," she said.

Reporters finally got through to the two officials in London -- National Security Advisor James Jones and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- when they gave up on the US "800" number and instead dialed an international number.

The White House did not offer an explanation when asked how it sent the wrong number in an email listing both numbers -- one for journalists in the United States and the other for those overseas.

"Lots of important issues to cover today!" Thomas Vietor, a White House spokesman, told AFP when asked about the mistake in a follow-up email.

When pressed further about the number, Vietor replied: "I haven't dialed whatever number you're referencing. Please call such numbers on your free time!"

Jones and Clinton were being interviewed about the NATO summit on Friday in Strasbourg, but the contents of the call cannot be released until 0400 GMT, in line with rules stipulated by the White House.

Ridiculous!

2009-03-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

Please not that this is not a rant against Obama's Aunt, Onyango. It is also not anti-Obama, this is a rant on media distortion and immigration and asylum procedures.

That this is even an issue shows how much of our countries law is a popularity contest, and how little justice is served. Recently I posted a link to an article about a former Nazi who they are considering deported; someone who they cannot prove is here illegally. The media is lobbying for his departure for some gain of their own, but now their heroic law abiding president's aunt has come up and they will do anything to keep her!

They argue that A) not many Kenyans seek asylum here. (implying that they are not an economic or social threat)

B) She needs to stay for health reasons they say because she has some neurological issue. hello! the woman walks with a cane, and pictures of this were the only proof cited in the article about such health issues.

C) She would become more of a celebrity in Kenya and would not be able to live normally. Yeah? So we ignore our countries laws, which our President has sworn to protect and defend, for political and public relations reasons. (not even public relations to our own society, its actually Kenyans who are to have no say in how this country is run)

The article does grudgingly admit the following "People who seek asylum must show that they face persecution in their homeland on the basis of religion, race, nationality, political opinion or membership in a social group. Onyango's reasons for seeking asylum have not been made public"

Sure, expect to blow it past the public as a secret and to protect her privacy. As if the media ever cared about anyone's privacy before this! I think it rather suspicious.

And I have somthing to say!!!!

2009-03-29T18:43:00.001-07:00

I was recently the recipient of a "major award" (*snickers and giggles*)

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their words.

I recently received this award from Q, although I cannot imagine why. Maybe because my persistence is seen in that I torture my precious readers even when I have nothing to say? Anyway, it is still rather exciting and quite a happymaking moment in my evening.

I snowed today. After a week of 58-65 degree weather, it snowed. That was upsetting, since I was supposed to do a landscape for class tomorrow.

And we all found this hilarious, but one of the guys on my hall hit a lampost today with his car, the one right in front of the dining hall. This was somewhat ironic, since lampost is the name of one of the girls dorms. So we shall forever say that Beta1South took out Lampost. It was also kinda funny since the car was fine. There was a small gray mark and one of the lights was cracked, but the base of the lampost was bent into a hairpin, the top was completely off and shattered all over the place, and the insides of the light spilled out of the broken casing.

This is the story of today.

Spring Cleaning

2009-03-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

MY layout is all fresh and clean now. I left the snow, just to be cheeky. I like the white layout, high contrast, easy to read. very nice overall. I lost my widgets, but I can't remember what I had on here, so its no big deal. If I won't miss it I might as well get rid of it anyway, right?

Anyway, I am somewhat sane tonight. Still not feeling like writing anything profound right now. I think it is the commitment of an hour or so to actually sit down and write something out without getting interrupted. Even writing this short thing, I stop and watch a youtube video, read a blog, check email, facebook, etc.... I need to focus on something. Coldcase is on. lovely.

AJ is here with me, and Jon. both working. I have no homework that I can really do except a five minute assignment due tuesday.

I guess I'll watch Cold Case then, so I can feel like I can focus on something. Anything!

Me is lame....

2009-03-26T16:07:00.001-07:00

And not just my grammar in the title. I haven't posted on here since the 11th. wow. I have a lot to say, but finding time to put it all down is hard. Actually, focus is the hard part. It is just so much easier to watch a tv show on hulu.com than it is to type and think most of the time. I struggle to answer emails too. Ah well, maybe in another week I will have something special to say.

How sad is this?

2009-03-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

Read this, or at least skim it, you'll get the general idea.

So we can deport a man for allegedly falsifying information almost 60 years ago, information which is still under dispute? We have no problem arguing for his deportation when he is too sick and old to travel. But we cannot deport young, healthy illegals who are pouring over our borders each day, clearly and defiantly illegal, rather than the man who they have to spend months proving is here illegally?

Don't get me wrong, I expect if he is violating the law that he should be deported, but peacefully and gently, while making allowances for his health, and only if they can objectively prove that he is here as an illegitimate.

This morning...

2009-03-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

I didn't forget! Really, I didn't! So I happened to be an hour late for church this morning and missed sunday school? But it was all my alarm, and it worked out really well. You see, my alarm went off and I thought I was hitting snooze, but must have turned it off instead, but it was ok, see. There were four of us that were all supposed to go in the same car. Tae's phone reset her alarms with the time change, and she woke up a half hour late, so she got herself ready and called AJ who had stuck his phone under his pillow when the alarm went off, before going back to sleep. Who then came in and woke me up. We raced to the showers and got ready in 20 minutes, then went to look for Nate who was just coming down the stairs and thought we were still going to be on time for sunday school because he had forgotten all about the time change. :) So, really I did not forget to change the clock!

People I Find Hard to Love (Part 3?)

2009-02-25T11:39:00.001-08:00

On my last post part of Jeanz response said this: "...then there are the ones who act one way toward a certain person for a day and then turn around and act very different(viciously so) the next. Sometimes this is through provocation(in some cases then, it is justified), but when it isn't, it can be very straining on their "victom"... But how do I (or you) deal with those kind of people?..."

This is another one of those types that I have had trouble with myself actually, but I did not mention it because for me it is resolved, or we are just going through a particularly long period where the dislike and attitude are suppressed. I think in my response to this, I will use an example and share about the experience.

Most of you probably know that I am a cheerleader here at college (yes, I am male). Well, on the squad is a girl who is very much a cheerleader. I mean in the way she talks, acts, hangs out with people, etc... I have no problem with this person really, but for some reason this person took a very intense dislike to me immediately after tryouts. I noticed that she disliked me pretty quickly, since she is not the type to hide feelings and live on. Of course seeing as the person is one of the reasons life on the cheer squad has been difficult and trying for me, I didn't hang out with her off the floor.

Then stuff happened and we were kinda forced to bond as a team, and suddenly any feelings of dislike towards me were gone and we were "friends." That lasted for maybe a month to a month and a half, during which time I tried to take and interest in her as a person, not just someone I was forced to work with, and she seemed to respond pretty well. Then something (I have no clue what) happened and suddenly we were worse off than ever before. I used the term "one way hate street" to describe it. And then suddenly things changed again, and we were working together. We weren't friends, but I was able to be friendly without here snapping back, or trying to undermine my place on the team. That's basically where we are right now.

Now, as to how I deal with it. How did I deal with it? I started by ignoring anything hurtful that they did or said and concentrated on "living above reproach"; making sure that I did nothing that would provoke. This didn't mean doing whatever they wanted to stay in their good graces, just fulfilling the expectations laid down by the coach as best I could and trying to cooperate when reasonable. I also avoided the person whenever I did not need to be around them. Kind of difficult sometimes with frequent practices, but I managed pretty well. I don't know if this is a good idea, because if the person gets the idea that you really don't like them for some reason, then they may tend to respond worse than they have been. I don't know if trying to talk to them and be friends with them was a good idea, considering the touchiness of the person. We were friendly for a bit, so I thought it might help, but I don't know if it would have continued if I had just left well enough alone, or if talking to them made things turn around. I just don't know on that one.

I do know that prayer has been absolutely necessary for my continued sanity over the last year as I deal with this person and all the other types. If you are dealing with a person like this, here's what I would say:

1)Be nice, and don't provoke, but avoid being a "suck up" at all costs. Don't let them control you and your emotions.
2)Pray for them and their attitude.
3) If 1 and 2 fail (prayer never fails though, and should be continued every day whether it seems to be working or not), maybe speak to them and ask them why they are treating you like this. I hate confrontation so this one would be really hard for me to do, and I never got to this point. I figured I could just deal with it for as long as I had to rather than risk making things worse.
4)If it is a friend that is being attacked, come alongside them and encourage them. If they are being put down by the attacker, then tell them the truth about how they are doing. Malicious attacks like I have experienced are usually lies, and even if we know it, it is helpful for others to tell us we are doing well. THANKS JENNA and STEPH!!!
5)Find characteristics in the person that are good. My cheerleader can inspire the team to do better and work to potential, and is amazing at doing her job on the team. She is able to help us all do our jobs better when she takes the time to tell us how to do it right and not just telling people they are no good. It is easier to love someone when you can look at the good in them and realize that they are a brother or sister, made in the image of God and that God put them there for a reason. Maybe some of the attitude could be something happening in their own lives and they really need a friend, or encouragement. Sometimes people who are snappy or hurtful are that way because they are going through a really tough time and need to make themselves feel better by putting others down.

That's what I got. I don't know how sound it is, but that's what I've been going through right now with these kind of people. Thanks everyone for your input and comments!

People I Find Hard to Love (Part 2)

2009-02-23T15:22:00.000-08:00

I guess this part is where I really am guilty and need to work.

Stupid People: No, not your definiton of stupid. I don't mean the people who are not smart or who just don't know a lot. I mean the people who have working minds just like anyone else, and refuse to use them, because they have either been trained not to, or are too lazy to bother. This is a rather broad spectrum, but I know I need to be more forgiving and just run with it. But they just plain annoy me. My dad refers to these people (not the same people as I think of, but this type) as Ignorant.

These are the people (mostly girls, but boyfriend/girlfriend will do it too) who will link arms across a sidewalk when it is snowing out and refuse to break their little chain when there are people walking in the opposite direction on the same sidewalk. I really don't mind when it is dry out and I can just step onto the grass, but when I have to walk in 6 inches of snow, just so they can hang on eachother.....
These are also the people who decide that the place to have lengthy conversations is in the only doorway into a room.
Stupid people seem to have a sense of entitlement too. If an area is your expertise, they EXPECT you to check their homework for them and even answer some of the questions for them. I don't mind doing it if someone needs help, but I will not assist them in cheating or check work that they were too lazy to even try at. If they won't work for it, they don't deserve the grade.

These people are also characterized by their dining hall ettiquette.
Chronologically: After chapel during the lunch rush, when the line to swipe the ID cards is 100ft out the main entrance, these people will go around to the other side of the building, go in upstairs, come down the steps and end up right in front of the scanner, where it is considered proper manners to let them cut, (unspoken rules, because the upper floors are a girls dorm). So while you are shivering out in the cold, these people who showed late (probably because of one of their lengthy doorway conversations) zip themselves right to the front of the line. (This is not so much stupid as just plain rude)
After scanning in, they will wander arond the dining hall for an extensive period of time, just kinda drifting from side to side, and making anybody who would like to pass them move around. When they have finally decided what they want, they will get in a line, then gradually try to move up as far as they can before finally getting to the food. It works especially well if they know you, because they will stand next to you and make a few pleasant remarks, then move up to the next sucker in line.
Now the rows of tables and chairs in the dining hall are rather close together, so it is rather important to be careful not to charge down the aisles and barrel into anyone, yet this is exactly what these people do. You may be halfway down a bottleneck with a full bowl of cereal, and here they come charging through the opposite end, not even trying to turn sideways as the pass, because after all that is your job.
After another lengthy conversation while blocking the dish conveyor their dining hall experience is over.

So that is the end of my rant. And I really feel bad about all this. I know that my descriptions in the first part were justification for treating people differently, it is no excuse for not loving them how Christ would love them.

I really want to be able to see everyone and love them without knowing anything about them, whether they are rich or poor, but too often I only think about loving the poor and needy and not about those people that I see every day who combine their various attributes to make sure I am praying for patience regualarly. A new Christian I was speaking with here said to me: "I have only been a believer for a short time, but if we are not all about loving people like He would, not matter what they do, then I think I've really misunderstood what this is all about." That was what started me thinking about all these things, especially since professing believers that I know fall into all of these categories. Even if I am not commanded to love the world, the Bible clearly states that "He who loves God but hates his brother is a liar and the truth is not in him."

Who annoys or makes you the most miserable? I think we need to pray for a changed heart for them, and clear perception and patience for ourselves.

People I Find Hard to Love (Part 1)

2009-02-20T15:37:00.000-08:00

I originally was going to entitle this post "People I Dislike," but changed my mind and decided to alter it to match my calling as a Christian and call it "People I Find Hard to Love." Originally this was also going to be one post, but it got very long, so I will do it in parts and finish it later, while I think more

I am not going to mention names or even specific cases in this post, just groups and types of people and I ask that if you read anywhere past here that you read to the end or the "parts," because you will probably have a pretty poor opinion of me from just reading the first half.

Its been a while since my last post, partly because of these people. They are the people that make my life miserable. Whether they should or not I will get to later, but here are a few groups that make life right now just tolerable.

Extreme Extroverts: I like extroverts. Many of my friends are extroverted and I love them. Some of them help me communicate better, others fill in the gaps where I really don't want to talk. Extroverts are great brainstormers for projects, and contribute a lot to small group discussions. I am talking about a different kind of extrovert however. Nearly all extroverts have a small piece of themselves that is introverted. On a scale of 1-10 they may be a 9. These people that I have trouble with are the ones who are a solid 10.
This really isn't a problem, except when you are alone with them, or in a group with them, or around them in any non-class setting. They hate silence. It is if they are incapable of existing in an environment free of talk. They will go out of their way to make conversation with anyone who will stay in the room or within talking range. ANYONE. People who are watching a movie, people with headphones in. People working on homework. People having a conversation with someone else. They will open closed doors and search for people to find this conversation. Now, I could understand if this was from loneliness, and I would stay and talk if I thought there was a need there for anything but empty meaningless talk. But these people have no discretion in their time choices or topics.
These people just won't quit either. You can drop hints, or say directly that you need to get back to work or that you are going somewhere, but to get them to shut up, you typically have to leave yourself on any minor excuse, even to go to the bathroom or something petty.

The second group of people that I have trouble with is the People Who I Feel I Need to Protect My Friends of the Opposite Gender From. This group is the one I find hardest to love. People who are crass. People who use frequent profanity. People who have a bad reputation for womanizing and flirting. People who are insincere, and especially those with girlfriends who meet all of the above descriptions.
I really don't feel an intense need to protect from these people, but it is always a nagging urge to push them away, to avoid them when I am around my female friends. I over-interpret every gesture and word, and fight the tendency to say bad things about them (but only what is true) to make the girls cautious. It worries me even more when these people tag along with me and my best friend just to be with our female friends. There are several people that do this. It is to the point where I will often avoid my friends to keep this kind of people separate from them. This kills me sometimes to do, but I really don't want them getting hurt, especially when they don't know the history and reality of these other people. This is probably my most legitimate dislike, difficult to love set of people.

The third group are The Pretenders. These are the people That go to a Christian College, but have no idea what it means to be a follower of Christ. These people are able to present themselves as spiritual people in group settings and in discussions, but to someone who actually knows them and observes them, it is obvious that they are Pretenders. These are often the people who seem to be the most secure in their faith, who struggle the least, who are the most knowledgeable about history and stuff, and sometimes up on the latest theological issues. But the desire for God isn't there , and the people who don't look cannot see it. The pretenders fool so many people and it is hard to know sometimes if this is a personal dislike for that person because they fall into one of the other categories, or if this is really something I am seeing as lack of commitment to their Christian walk. Can I trust my own perception enough to challenge them to step up? I don't know, right now I am just frustrated that these people are all around me and no one sees but me. (I conclude that no one but me sees them because I try to behave indifferent towards their spirituality while others praise their supposed growth)

To be continued......

Nothing in particular....

2009-02-11T21:48:00.001-08:00

It is late. I am waiting for my laundry to dry so I can put my sheets back on my bed so I can sleep. In the style of the last post: (and out of the lameness of having no time or mental presence to write anything else, even my speech for Friday...)

Loud music across the hall.
Turn it down now.
Keyboard loud tonight.
AJ to the left. Jon straight ahead.
Messy room.
Not mine.
Sheetless bed.
Tired.
Hungry.
Why?
Plenty of snack stuff.
Not right now.
Going to brush teeth.
Check laundry.
Random: Lancers Out!

Why?

2009-02-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

So I sit here. I really don't have much to say. There is a paper due Friday, so I'm at the coffee shop and .... not working. Worldview stuff. Helpful, yes, but kinda boring.

KM, KA, and AJ are here and we are just chilling while the K's wait for class to start. Thomas just showed up too.

I really really don't want to start writing. I don't want to read the stuff either.

I am chewing gum.
Phone sitting by my comp.
Aj singing.
Stop.
Crowd walked in.
Coffee smells.
Unfamiliar faces.
Friends!
Dry hands need lotion (not mine)
Party plans.
Profs coming.
Nice view.
Snow.
Winter.
Ick.
I want summer now!

Blogaversery!!!!!!!

2009-01-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

One year ago down to the minute this was posted. Huh, it really doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I talked about music in the church. (that was back on my old blog with the really hard to type URL) A lot has changed about my blog, along with me, but I'm just happy that I made it a whole year!

I am also approaching my 100th blog post which will be another rather large accomplishment for me, meaning that in one year, I will have posted a few notes short of once every three and a half days. And for me being such a slacker sometimes, that is quite a feat. Woot!

The Rest of that Day...

2009-01-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

So after the fact, I will tell you how the rest of that 18 below day went.

I headed back to the dorm to get more snacks, but finding no-one there, I assumed the worst and that they had evacuated the building due to the sprinkler system. So I sat in the lobby for another couple of hours watching still further episodes of cheesy TV shows online. I eventually got tired of this and went back to the dorm where I found people!

The water was finally back on so I could take a shower. But the amazing day did not end there.

That night, I was supposed to have practice with the Cheer squad. It was on the printed out schedule that we had. So I ventured out (By the way, my phone was dead, my car was dead, and it was still 18 below outside) on a 8 minute walk across campus to the gym. I waited for 10 minutes and no one came. So I figured that I must be at the wrong building and had read the schedule wrong. So I walked 8 minutes across campus to get to the Rec center, where the lady at the desk said "no team." So I figured everyone was just late and walked 8 minutes back to the gym. No team. So I decided to check the Rec Center again for myself. (there is true dedication combined with the stupidity of a jock) No team. So I decided that I would go to the gym one more time to check and then quit. So I did and found no team. And I ran back to the dorm and skyped one of the coaches (who only comes every other time and this was a night at home for her) who called one of my teammates and found out that no one had showed up for practice because they didn't know we had one. So I crashed.

My Day: 10:00AM - 12:00 PM

2009-01-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

So I decided I should continue this. It could be interesting.

I continue to sit here in the lobby as it approaches noon and I have just finished watching Bush's Farewell speech (no comment) and two episodes of "Legend of the Seeker" TV show (I am so commenting on that later positive and negative). I am considering going back to the dorm to find out if they actually have evacuated it, or if I am at least able to get in to make soup for lunch. But then I just remembered that I did not wash my dishes last night and the water is still shut off, so I would have to make due with fruit, granola bars and poptarts, or maybe oatmeal to go or snack crackers. Sheesh. Lazy me ruined lunch. Oh well.

I have the lobby to myself at the moment. *yawn* I don't know if it is worth going back to the dorms or not. I might just stay here and sleep. They did wake me up rather early this morning.

I want to shower!

My Day so Far 9:00 - 10:00

2009-01-16T06:52:00.001-08:00

I write from a remote location. I am a refugee from a cruel deprivations and fleeing the frigid world of no showers, toilets, and possibly no fire sprinkler system. Yes. It is a hard world.

Alright, so at 9:00 AM, one of the RA's knocks on my door, waking me up and letting me know that the pipes have burst. They had to turn off the water, meaning there will be no showers or toilets. They were not sure which pipe it was yet, but if it ran to the fire sprinkler system, we would have to follow protocol and evacuate the building.

Well, needless to say, as soon as I heard no bathrooms, I started making an exit plan, bundling up and making my way through a foot and a half of snow, huddled against the evil 18 degree below zero weather and the diabolical -25 wind chill factor. But I won. I survived the exposure and made it to the dining hall. So I sit in the lobby with my drinks and food and laugh at those who chose to stay behind. At least I have working toilets. :-)

Middle East and Me

2009-01-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

I got a response to my appeal, and Q suggested that I explain what I think on what's happening in the Middle East. Iraq was specifically mentioned, but I think I shall encompass Israel and Gaza too.

At the beginning, I thought that going into Iraq was a good idea, along with half of America. Really, what else were we supposed to do? We had been told that Iraq had WMD's and was planning on using them in war. Saddam himself let everybody think so, so logically, he was ok with whatever consequences may have come from his actions. Status Report: Intelligence says they have nukes. Saddam says he has nukes. Result: Bush (like any rational human being at this point) thinks they have nukes and responds accordingly.

If Bush had sat there and done nothing, and Iraq did have weapons, well guess who was in huge trouble with everybody when a couple million people get blown up. So we went into Iraq.

Now Bush gets all this flack because we went in and didn't find any WMD's. Bush lied to us they say. Well, Bush was lied to and he is really just the mouth that relayed it to us. What about the Intelligence agents who gave faulty reports to Bush? Was the president (who is stuck behind a desk reading papers) expected to know more about what went on over there than the people whose job it was to find out this information? Simple answer: NO.

Now in regards to what happened afterwards:

Mistakes which I partially blame Bush for, and thought he could have handled better came next. We stayed. I don't say that we should have pulled out right away, but we should have taken steps to build a stable government and pull out as soon as possible before the Dems started complaining about their pet projects being undefunded because of the war budget. I realize that this could take a large amount of time, but really when the country reaches the stability level in which we found it, that is where we needed to wash our hands and say "Enough. We fixed one of your problems and removed a progress roadblock, now its your job to move past where you were." I know it sounds harsh, but we spent millions upon millions and thousands of lives doing what Iraqis should have been doing themselves. We were building them roads and schools that our country needs.

So at this point I think the solution is to pull out. Now.

George Washington once said: "The great rule of conduct for us, in regards to foreign nations, is , in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connecion as possible. ~ George Washington 1796

I'd like to also explain a little bit of what I think about Israel and Gaza. At this point I do not think we should be involved other than in convincing the stupid UN that Israel and Gaza should be left to fight it out. The whole situation is ridiculous. Israel is getting bashed across the board because it is defending its people by fighting back. Israel gave Gaza to Hamas in 2005. Since then, over 6,300 missiles and mortars have come out of Gaza, and targeted Israeli civilians. This past Christmas eve alone there were 80. And Israel has waited it out without doing anything. Mostly because of international pressure not to harm the "civilians" living in Gaza. Really? Seriously? How many civilians does Gaza have to kill before Israel can retaliate and protect its own? Is the government of Israel responsible first to Gaza's civilians or to its own people? Hamas targets civilians. Israel only wants to target Hamas. GO FOR IT ISRAEL!!!!!!

By the way, if I left anything unclear or if you have any, feel free to ask any questions you might have. Remember, be respectful, and don't call me close minded because I have disagreed with your point of view.

Ahem.....

2009-01-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

Well, since profundity is not easy to spawn in this environment, I shall attempt at factual. Are there any political or social topics which someone would like to read a rant on? I have a rather long discourse on the electoral college already written, which I may post, but I was hoping for something fresh perhaps. Laws people wonder about, government processes, gossip, etc....

Also, I may swithc the wordpress soon so that I can password protect posts. Just a thought.

Whooo!

2008-12-30T10:46:00.000-08:00

Maybe I do have something to post afterall! I had forgotten about this. I would have posted sooner, but I know some of my readers rather well, and I know they would have followed these suggestions faithfully, causing mayhem and destruction. Here are some ideas for next year perhaps....

Copied from http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2008/12/ninja-stars-and-candles-remix-176.html.

Imagine if one night a year, your church held a special service and when you walked in, they gave you a Ninja Throwing Star. That would be a nightmare right? Just throwing stars stuck in hymnals and Bibles and legs as far as the eye could see. It would be a bloody mess. But it's not that different from what a lot of churches do on Christmas Eve when they give everyone hand flames.

Singing a few songs by candlelight is honestly a really beautiful experience, but it's also funny. The other 364 days of the year, parents work diligently to keep their children away from torches. We put covers on our electrical outlets, hide matches and lighters in hard to reach places and yell if they get anywhere near a hot oven. But on Christmas Eve, it's fire time.

Here are a few ways to multiply the fun of having a lit Christmas candle in a church setting:

1. Pretend it's the Olympic Torch.
I've always admired the guy that demands to be the last person clapping in church. While the rest of the congregation has gone quiet, he throws in one more clap, as if to say, "There, I put the punctuation on that clapping session. Done and done." But that guy has nothing on "last man standing" during Christmas Eve service. See how long you can keep that candle lit. Pretend it's the Olympic Torch. Be the last one standing in the aisle with a proud flame of "refuse to blow this candle out" while everyone else is gathering their coats. If someone asks you to blow it out, say, "We're out of fire at home, I need to save this."

2. Get the "Christmas Eve Service Candle" App for your iPhone and hold that up instead.
I don't know if they have this yet for the iPhone but if they don't, you're welcome, I just made someone a billion dollars. Think about it, they already have DVDs that make it look like there's a beautiful fire blazing in a fireplace on your television. Why not an application that flickers and shimmers like a church Christmas Eve service candle? Then, instead of a fire hazard, you could hold up your iPhone and sing by the light of your app. That's even better than Festivus.

3. Blow out other people's candles.
I don't think I have to explain this one, but I promise, it is delightful. My brothers and I turned this into an art, because you can't just come on out and blow it. You have to do this weird, breathe out of the side of your face, move in which you send a gust of wind with the accuracy of a sniper at someone else's candle.

4. Play with the wax.
In addition to melting your candle on the shoes of family members, it's also fun to see how long you can get the wax without it breaking off. You have to hold it at the right angle though. It has to be tilted enough to make it all pool like one of those stilagtitesdifficulttospellcor

rectly things in caves but not so tilted that the weight of the wax breaks it off.

5. Try to keep the candle.
As soon as that last song is finished, it's like the spell that convinced your parents it was OK for you to have fire in church is broken. And it's nearly impossible to keep the candle. Trick #1 was about keeping the fire, which sounds like a song Patrick Swayze sang in the 80s. I'm talking about keeping the actual candle. I never actually executed this move, it's like the holy grail of candle tricks. There are three people you need to watch out for: Your parents, the ushers and that guy with the box that collects them all at the end. I don't like that guy. I think all that power went to his head. He didn't just consider himself the "guy with a candle box," instead he was always kind of smug and seemed to think he was the "gatekeeper of flame."

Ho hum...

2008-12-30T10:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I am home, and that is not what I am ho humming about. Its just that I have not had a chance to post for a while. A household of 10 with one landline internet connection is not conducive to profound thoughts. I will probably have some post holiday thoughts posted sometime after the 12th which is when I will be back at school.

I really do feel rather lame for not posting anything.

For the First Time I have a Dream...

2008-12-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

I've never really had one before. I've never been completely selfish with my future, and looked at what I want to do. I know God has called me to a career where He wants me, and I know that I would enjoy it, whether it be politics or Graphic Design. Talking with someone the other night about her career goals, I realized that she had a plan, one that would make her happy, one that she could serve God in, but one that God might not lead her along the path to.

I want the same thing. I never really thought about what I want. I always thought about what God wants for me. Now don't get me wrong, I know that what God wants for me will be way better than anything I can ever dream of myself, but I think that realizing what I want will help me to let go of that desire and to accept the better thing that God has for me.

I don't really want to share what my life of choice would be right now. Maybe someday. I just thought I'd share some thoughts.

On second thought, here are some pictures that give a pretty good hint...

2008-12-14T22:33:00.001-08:00

Its been 12 days since my last post. Wow, a lot has happened. Can't share some stuff, because its still at the level of gossip, but I'm somewhat excited.

Finals are tomorrow. Yeah, 1:30 in the morning and I am sitting on my blog with study sheets next to me. Not looking at them. Darn public schoolers are just way too contagious.

Well, just thought I'd let 'yall know what's up. And give some sort of explanation for the lack of posts.

I go home for the first time this semester on thursday or friday.

Prayer Request

2008-12-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

I could really use prayer right now. There is a bunch of stuff going on here that involved people that I am close to, who might be leaving soon, which is bad enough, but the circumstances under which they are leaving make it 10 times worse. There are three of these people, and I go hit with it all within 12 hours, so its kind of a shock, and its especially difficult since this stuff is not common knowledge yet and I have to pretend that nothing is different and that everything is ok.

I have two papers due in the next couple days, which I tried to start this afternoon, but my head is in such a whorl that I just sat staring and the screen for 3 hours until dinner time. I need to be able to focus so I don't end up joining these people when/if they leave.

Thanks guys...

Some randomness from the night I decided to walk across campus....

2008-11-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

The air is cold and damp, and bodies are huddled against the chill of the breeze that flows around the buildings and trees. The air is heavy with mist, veiling the horizon. All the light from the lampposts and windows hangs in the air, creating a haze like in a dream.

The snow crunches under foot as weary students trudge up the walk to the Beta Hall. The simple cube of the building seems more imposing in the spectral glow emanating from the windows, highlighting the iron rails of the balconies and extending just far enough to rest on the ancient oak standing in the middle of the drive, clinging to the last brown remnants of summer.

Across the field the common, the bell rings at McClain hall, chiming nine o'clock, the last bells of the night, and sending the still clear resonance to hang, trapped in the mists, mingling with the light. The old steeple, shining white, is just visible in the murky night, as it pierces through the vapors that surround it.

And still further beyond that stands, Mount Memorial Hall, oldest of the buildings. Almost unlit, save for a few lamps among the cherry trees, the yellow limestone creates a sharp contrast to the grays of the air around it. To walk into the hall is to step into another century. The oak floors creak and groan and echo off the walls ominously. The hall is like a palace of old Europe with its stone carvings, and the artwork hung everywhere. The stained glass window, above the central staircase, always illuminated by a hidden light shines in its colors, the cross somehow inspiring me every time I see it.

I deleted my last two posts...

2008-11-21T04:19:00.001-08:00

Both the one on prayer and the one on worship. If you want to know the full reason why, email me at somnite@gmail.com for an explanation, since I really can't post it here.

Quick Update

2008-11-10T22:19:00.000-08:00

Becca J had commented that she didn't know about prop 8 and that it had sorta vanished.

Proposition 8 passed in the overwhelmingly liberal state of California, defining marriage as between one man and one woman. While I do not agree with the ethics of this CA constitutional amendment, I do applaud what I consider to be the morality vote of the populace. Sorry it took me so long to notice and respond to this, it may be commonly known to my readers already.

Please don't judge me.....

2008-11-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

I just couldn't help myself. Some things scream to be shared.

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

2008-11-06T15:10:00.001-08:00

This article is from Huntley Brown - he is a fabulous concert pianist from the Chicago area, a man of God, and a black man. I appreciate so much his reasoning for not voting for Obama. I have issues with Obama's experience and abilities as well, but this is absolutely how I think, only with some specifications on what I pray for for Obama (Which I add at the end).

WHY I CAN'T VOTE FOR OBAMA
By Huntley Brown

Dear Friends,

A few months ago I was asked for my perspective on Obama, I sent out an email with a few points. With the election just around the corner I decided to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of this before but it's worth repeating...

First, I must say whoever wins the election will have my prayer support.. Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments but I need to explain why I will not be voting for him.

Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christ follower) means He leads- I follow. I can't dictate the terms He does because He is the leader. I can't vote black because I am black; I have to vote Christian because that's who I am. Christian first; black second. Neither should anyone from the other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I won't be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I knew Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

In an election there are many issues to consider but when a society gets abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning to name a few, wrong economic concerns will soon not matter. We need to follow Martin Luther King's words, don't judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I don't know Obama so all I can go on is his voting record. His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the US Senate in 2007. < http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/ <http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/>> NATIONAL JOURNAL: Obama: Most Liberal Senator in 2007 (01/31/2008) To beat Ted Kennedy and Hilary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes some doing. Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen to America if he had four years to work with.

There is a reason Planned Parenthood gives him a 100 % rating. There is a reason the homosexual community supports him. There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, Hamas etc. love him. There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal judges to the Supreme Court. There is a reason he voted against the infanticide bill. There is a reason he voted No on the constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. There is a reason he voted No on banning partial birth abortion. There is a reason he voted No on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito. (These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial birth abortion. The same practice Obama wanted to continue.)

Let's take a look at the practice he wanted to continue. The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedures:
A. Guided by ultrasound the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps.(Remember this is a live baby)
B. The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
C. The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.
D. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors arethen opened to enlarge the hole.
E. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse.
F. The dead baby is then removed. God help him.

There is a reason Obama opposed the parental notification law. Think about this: You can't give a kid an aspirin without parenta notification but that same kid can have an abortion without parental notification. This is insane.

There is a reason he went to Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years. Obama tells us he has good judgment but he sat under Jeremiah Wright teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wright's sermons.. I wonder why now? Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and discipled him. A disciple is one in training. Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 - 20 "Go and make disciples of all nations." This means reproduce yourself. Teach people to think like you, walk like you; talk like you believe what you believe etc.

The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him? Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenets that said they have a

Commitment to the White Community
Commitment to the White Family
Adherence to the White Work Ethic
Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community.
Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

Would you support a President who went to a church like that? Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenets of Obama's former church. If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would have been marching outside. This kind of church is a racist church. Obama did not wake up after 20 years and just discovered he went to a racist church. The church can't be about race.

Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the whole world. A church can't have a value system based on race. The churches value system has to be based on biblical mandate. It does not matter if it's a white church or a black church it's still wrong. Anyone from either race that attends a church like this would never get my vote.

Obama's former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian James Cone, author of the 1970 book A Black Theology of Liberation. Cone once wrote: "Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. Cone is the man Obama's mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this? So what does all this mean for the nation?

In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one thing - judgment. Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king. First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 "Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do." Then God says 1 Samuel 1:18 " When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day." 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king."

Here is what we know for sure. God is not schizophrenic! He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so obviously many people are not hearing from God. Maybe I am the one not hearing but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture so I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama can you really look God in the face and say; Father, based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four Supreme Court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy. I could not see Jesus agreeing with many of Obama's positions. Finally I have two questions for all my liberal friends. Since we know someone's value system has to be placed on the nation, 1. Whose value system should be placed on the nation? 2. Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation?

Blessings,
HUNTLEY BROWN

My prayers for Obama: That he will be given the ability to keep our nation together and the wisdom to not give in to the pressures of foreign nations. That he will be thwarted in any attempts to pervert justice and liberate those who do. That he will come to a saving knowledge of Christ.

So its over... (strong terms, emotional ravings, and maybe some offensive stuff)

2008-11-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

I feel an exhausted sort of relief that its over, and a numb feeling all over knowing that we now have Obama as leader of our formerly sovereign nation.

I'm just sorry that racial bigotry had to win out and that racism had to get in the way of honest judgment. America has voted in a president who has no experience, supports the killing of unborn CHILDREN, who will sign treaties that give away our rights to the protection of our own government and place us and our children at the mercy of "world courts", who, with a democratic congress will spread socialism by taxing the rich until they are poor and setting up government run programs to do what responsible citizens should be doing and would be doing if they didn't see they could get a handout.

That's the way it is cold hard facts. We didn't need the first black president. We needed a man who could do the job and help our nation to survive without media coverup and lies while we are going through a tough time.

I am not going to move to England or Europe, or any country (believe it or not, I have the opportunity). I am going to stay and fight for what is right and not let a lazy bunch of whiners vote in a president who gives them free stuff. If there is no other result from this election, it makes me only want to fight harder to make a difference.

To sum it up in one sentence: I want to use bad words right now, but Jesus won't let me.

The Best Things in Life Are Chain Mail

2008-11-03T09:47:00.001-08:00

This is too true to be funny.

The next time you hear a politician use the Word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about Whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR Tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, But one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number: What does it mean?

A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child) you each get $516,528.

B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans your home gets $1,329,787.

C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012. How is this paid for??

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
Liquor Tax,
Luxury Tax,
Marriage License Tax,
Medicare Tax,
Property Tax,
Real Estate Tax,
Service charge taxes,
Social Security Tax,
Road Usage Tax (Truckers),
Sales Taxes,
Recreational Vehicle Tax,
School Tax,
State Income Tax,
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax,
Telephone State and Local Tax,
Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
Utility Tax,
Vehicle License Registration Tax,
Vehicle Sales Tax,
Watercraft Registration Tax, W ell Permit Tax,
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened? Can you spell ‘politicians?’

And I still have to 'press 1' For English.

Polls

2008-10-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

2 new polls up in the sidebar. Whaddayathink?

Why I am Against Prop 8 (but not for gay marriage)

2008-10-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well, sometimes I have problems keeping things respectful, and I am very opinionated, but here's my go at the issue, following the examples of Laini, hwalk (who commented on Laini'sm post), and Anilee.

First, I would like to point out that discrimination is not always bad. We essentially discriminate against criminals: murderers and thieves. We treat them differently. Now I want to be very clear that I have not drawn a parallel between homosexual couples and criminals, and if anyone takes this out of context, or tries to quote me, be assured that If I find out I shall spam and flame to my heart's content with no qualms. One thing I absolutely despise is distortion of what someone else has said like that.

First a little rant on morals: The whole "your discrimination is crude, unamerican and inhuman" is ridiculous. I'm going to discriminate. Who's going to stop me? Do you say that my discrimination is wrong and that I can't force my morals on someone else like that? Congratulations! You've just tried to shove your morals on me, but since no-one can tell anyone else that what they are doing in wrong, I'm free of any guilt you've just tried to place on me. Forgive me for being blunt, but that's dumb.

Now for the issue: I oppose Prop 8 not on the grounds that discrimination against them is unconstitutional, but because the government has no right to mess with "marriage" at all. Civil Unions are the government equivalent of marriage, and is all the government has the right to issue. The basic "marriage" license. Marriage, whether you believe it should be or not, is a church function. Not a religious function, but a church function. Whether it be Mormon, Protestant, Muslim, or Hindu, marriages are nearly always church affairs, with religious leaders preforming ceremonies. That is essentially how I would define marriage; a ceremony preformed outside the legal process and not for legal recognition, but for social recognition and acknowledgment. Government has no place in that. Government should not be deciding who has the right to be socially recognized or not. Government decides what goes into their own records and policies dealing with the legal realm. Social concerns and recognitions are outside their jurisdictions. What would we Christians think if suddenly the government stepped in and said "no more baptism". We would be pretty stinkin mad don't ya think?

Now for my own personal views: Gay marriage = bad. God says so. I believe that as my creator, God's word is law, and that the laws He makes are because He cares what happens to His creation. That being said, even though I do believe that secular government has no role in prohibiting social actions like marriage, it is up to Christians to oppose it socially and not legally. We should not go to the government to complain about what is going on, we should try to go to the people who we believe are in the wrong and present to them what harm we think is happening to society and the world we live because of their actions. For Christians, I think that is the right way to act.

Now it looks very much like I am connecting morals with religion. I am. I pointed out earlier that without standards, there can be no morals period. It just doesn't work. So morals must be connected to some set standard, or you can't have them; whether your morals are based on religion, or science you base them on something.

Now I'm going to say some disrespectful stuff.

~Laini
"Homosexuality is not "a behavior" any more than heterosexuality is, any more than race or gender are. It is part of who a person is, and you are setting yourself up to decide who can be allowed to BE, and who cannot. That's scary stuff, and in the extreme it leads to very bad outcomes, like genocide."

Prove it.

your time would probably be better spent helping people who really need help, say, domestic abuse victims, child abuse, etc...It is fascinating to me how many so-called religious people get so up in arms about unborn children, but yet actually do so very little to help people after they are here, whether they are straight or gay, poor, etc. I think Jesus would be horrified at what people spend their lives focusing on and doing in his name. Jesus hung out with prostitutes, was a community organizer (the very thing Palin tried to demonize in her convention speech)..meanwhile the Republican party, which has been hijacked by the Christian Right, fights against paying more taxes even in a time of war, when btw, the Bible itself states you are supposed to give a whole lot of alms and all. Hwalk, if you are so deeply religious, wouldn't your time be better spent volunteering at a domestic abuse shelter than further stirring the pot of discrimination and human abuse laws?
-Alexandra

Um... well, apparently according to the viewpoint Alexandra is agreeing with, homosexual couples don't need help. Let me put this in perspective for you. When you kill a unborn child, you are denying him/her the right to choose to be gay or straight. Chew on that for a bit. Jesus did hang out with prostitutes, and He loved them, because they were people, just as we should do, but he did not condone them or encourage them to keep doing their stuff. I have met openly gay people, and I can honestly say that I treated them with as much respect and love as I would any other person. Their lifestyle disgusted me, but as a person, they were just as kind and friendly as anyone else regardless of what I view as "their mistakes." As for the Republican party, it proposes reforms before taxes. And, The Bible says to give for God's work, but also to "render to Caesar what is Caeser's", meaning to pay taxes. One refers to what you give back to further what we view as "God's work here on earth", the other refers to what you give to the government what it demands whether good or ill that he has placed over you. Republicans pay taxes too. That doesn't mean that we can't appeal to Caesar to lower taxes. If you don't like the law, try to change it, and if you can't change it obey it or leave. Well, Republicans try to change tax laws they don't like, same as Democrats, and if they can't chagne it, they still pay the taxes.

~Laini
Hwalk, thanks for your comments. I see you are deeply indoctrinated in a worldview of intolerance, and you feel good about yourself for it. It makes me sad when people who don't sound evil or cruel embrace intolerance with a smile and a chest thump of moral rectitude. Your beliefs aren't "trivial" to me; they are disheartening.

I'm sorry Laini that you have been too biggotted to go beyond you ant-christian "bubble" and accept that someone else's "opinions" may be just as valid as your own unfounded ones. You have nothing to base your morals on, so you can't have anything but opinions. You, Laini have been indoctrinated by the world. You use the word to sound like brainwashing, as if she didn't have a choice, and you did. Well, if Hwalk has been indoctrinated, then you have too. She by her church, and you by your world and your liberal education.

I am proud of Hwalk for standing up to what she beleived was wrong, whether you. Laini believe her stupid or not. I think that she made very good points and presented what I consider to be Truth so that any open minded person could understand. I guess you and your readers aren't of that type. I'm truly sorry. It saddens me. I can still love you as a person, but I can not respect you opinions.

~Somnite
If you find it offensive, I'm probably doing a good job.

Disgusting

2008-10-21T21:27:00.001-07:00

Oh, this indeed embodies the American ideal of a color-blind non-racist vote. If a white person votes for McCain, its racist, but 96% of the African-American population can vote for Obama and nobody thinks anything of it.

Interesting Chain Mail

2008-10-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

This just popped into my inbox this evening. Yet to be verified as true, but from what I've seen personally, this is all accurate.

TO ALL MY FRIENDS....LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE...FYI only.

George Bush has been in office for 7 1/2 years. The first six the economy was fine.

A little over one year ago:
1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3) the unemployment rate was 4.5%.
4) the DOW JONES hit a record high--14,000 +
5) American's were buying new cars,taking cruises,vacations overseas, living large !...

But American's wanted 'CHANGE'! So, in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress and yes--we got 'CHANGE' all right. In the PAST YEAR:

1) Consumer confidence has plummeted ;
2) Gasoline is now over $4 a gallon & climbing!;
3) Unemployment is up to 5.5% (a 10% increase);
4) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 TRILLION DOLLARS and prices are still dropping;
5) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.
6) as I write, THE DOW is probing another low~~

$2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS HAS EVAPORATED FROM THEIR STOCKS, BONDS & MUTUAL FUNDS INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS !

YES, IN 2006 AMERICA VOTED FOR CHANGE...AND WE SURE GOT IT ! ....

REMEMBER THE PRESIDENT HAS NO CONTROL OVER ANY OF THESE ISSUES, ONLY CONGRESS.

AND WHAT HAS CONGRESS DONE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

NOW THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT CLAIMS HE IS GOING TO REALLY GIVE US CHANGE ALONG WITH A DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS !!!!

JUST HOW MUCH MORE 'CHANGE' DO YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND ?

2008-10-10T20:07:00.001-07:00

Another interesting article

Several Issues Not Related to "Race"

2008-10-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Economic Crisis

From the end of this article

In the new Obama ad, an announcer says: "Our financial system in turmoil. And John McCain? Erratic in a crisis. Out of touch on the economy."

The ad, slated to start running Monday on national cable, alludes to McCain's response to the nation's financial crisis. He briefly suspended his campaign, called for a White House summit meeting that ended chaotically, and showed varying degrees of support for the massive rescue bill Congress passed Friday.

Republicans say McCain's actions showed leadership.

"In the midst of it all, I think you saw Sen. McCain, unlike Sen. Obama, come off the campaign trail, because that's John McCain in the middle of a crisis," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent-Democrat who backs McCain.

Well, well, well, and what did Obama do during our financial crisis? Campaign. Use the crisis to point out another persons weaknesses. Really, don't you think if there was something that Obama had done that had magically solved everything, don't you think it would have been mentioned? McCain suspended his own personal struggle to try to accomplish something better for the country that he saw was falling apart. He suspended what was important to him for what was important to his country.

Fundraising

This is a touchy issue, especially after Obama promised to accept public funding and then turned it down, an incident which every reporter has seemed to forget. (McCain made the same promise, and please notice that he kept his and is therefore limited in his funds)

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the McCain campaign has had to return over $1.2 million to donors who potentially violated the law with their contributions, including money from foreign nationals. "Our campaign has shattered fund-raising records with donations from more than 2.5 million Americans. We have gone above and beyond the transparency requirements," Burton said.

I beg pardon. I this guy now claiming, because Mr. Popular has come along with a brand new way of getting money that is harder to manage and keep legal that he is above accountability? McCain has somehow been able to figure his own financial records out and return $1.2 million. Obama should be able to keep track too shouldn't he? The article points out that Obama must return at least $11,000 from two donations alone. How many more are there that are being hidden? A different article I was reading mentioned that come companies have given company money to their employees to donate to Obama. Hardly ethical I say.

And now I shall post only headlines from two articles...

2008-10-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Obama slams McCain for sordid attacks amid economic peril

Campaigns get personal, McCain called 'erratic'

Now tell me that is being consistent.

And again...

2008-10-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

I am sorry to keep coming back to this subject of race, but I am determined to respond to every stupid article that Google Reader presents me with. On this article, I think I will take separate paragraphs and comment on them individually.

The whole article should you wish to read is Here.

"The Illinois senator, 47, earlier this year said racism was an issue the United States could not allow itself to ignore. But in the White House race it has been deliberately and carefully addressed in a limited way."

Limited? It has come up at every turn! true: Obama doesn't need to mention it, because he has his pets the media doing a grand job of it without him dirtying his reputation with cheap-shots that are not based on fact.

"'Race is a factor for those who would vote for and against him,' said Gary Weaver, an American University professor who leads its Intercultural Management Institute."

But it take it that it is not an issue for those that would vote for him? Do you deny that there are people that would vote for him simply because of his "race"?

"In California, for example, there is no one majority, but rather a mix of hefty minority groups of Asians, Hispanics, whites and blacks."

And California is the perfect community where everyone is sensible and rational about things, because they have a balanced population to make it see things clearer.

"They (young people) went to schools that were integrated and learned that the US is supposed to be a multicultural, pluralistic society where everyone is equal. Thus, they view Obama as the obvious representative of this society."

This made me downright stinkin, punchin people mad!!!! This implies that if you were private, Christian, or homeschooled that you were not integrated, and didn't learn about the nature of our culture, and that you therefore must be racist and ot thinking clearly in the election. This also presents the conclusion that Obama is the only reasonable representative of this society BECAUSE HE IS BLACK!!!! Tell me that is not racist! I am a homeschooler. I am proud to call many black people my friends. I grew up right outside what most people would call "the ghetto". I went to art classes at a vocational school in said "ghetto" every day. Here at college I have black friends who are some of the most outgoing and friendly people here! I guess because I did not go to these schools where you are taught about integration that I must be a racist jerk who is too blinded by my prejudice to vote clearly! Obama, it is true, does represent very much what young people have been taught is socially and politically acceptable by their liberal schools. He is the dream of all liberals. But he is not the man who will lead our country. Take him as your Mother Thereasa, take him as your Al Gore, but don't leave him in fontrol of a country he has no clue how to run. Let him inspire you to dream bigger, let him represent the new generation, but until he gets experience and a better idea about how to keep our country both safe and sovreign, leave it to someone else.

"Although the US government has made reparations to groups harmed on the basis of race -- such as ethnic Japanese held in detention camps in the United States during World War II -- it has not done so to the descendents of African slaves.

Some argue against the idea saying slavery was not the fault of the current leadership; others argue the government perpetuated slavery and denied millions civil rights for centuries, with longlasting social and economic fallout."

Thank you for the little head nod, but those "some" are darn right! We owe African-Americans no reparation for the period of slavery. This makes me sound mean, racist, whatever, but its true. This is the country where we judge you on the basis of what you have done, not on what your father was or did. Now it is one thing to restore property and make reparation to first generation recipients of abuse like that, but it is far too late now. I mean, of course it is still possible to repay the detainees of WWII, because they were still alive. Back to the earlier statement about being equals that they made: does past injustice justify the inequalites attempted to be forced on us today? A little story: My sunday school teacher back home once told us about his experience in middle-school. There was one class where "race" decided your rankings, but it wasn't what anybody would call racist, and nobody could sue for it, because it did not violate what is socially or politically correct. My teacher would have to work "his butt off" to get a C in that class, while being African-American guarunteed you an A however much work you did. These students saw this, and did absolutely nothing in that class. When my sunday school teacher asked ahbout this, he was told it was because "we owe them for all the years of slavery and injustice." Is this the kind of society I want to grow up in without attempting to change? Where I cannot attend the elite black only schools? Be on BET? Have my future children recieve fair grades in schools? I say it again: Does past injustice justify the inequalites attempted to be forced on us today?

I will proudly state that I will not vote for Obama. It is not for the reason that I am racist, it is because I truly and sincerely believe that this is not the man capable of leading our country.

McCain Defends Himself!!!!

2008-10-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is an excerpt from an article, of which the headline said:
"McCain turns irritable, sarcastic in interview" (my commentary at the end)

Meeting Tuesday with the editorial board of The Des Moines Register, McCain was asked why he picked the Alaska governor, someone "who doesn't have a lot of experience."

"Thank you, but I disagree with your fundamental principle that she doesn't have the experience," McCain replied before citing Palin's work as a PTA member, city council member, mayor and governor. "You and I just have a fundamental disagreement, and I am so happy the American people seem to be siding with me."

When it was suggested that Palin's lack of experience worried voters, McCain turned sarcastic.

"Really? I haven't detected that in the polls, I haven't detected that among the base," he said. "If there's a Georgetown cocktail party person who, quote, calls himself a conservative who doesn't like her, good luck. I don't dismiss him. I think the American people have overwhelmingly shown their approval."

At another point, McCain was asked if he's strayed from his "straight talk" image with advertising that some have labeled deceptive. McCain dryly responded, "It would be valuable if you gave some examples for an assertion of that nature."

He went on to say: "I have always had 100 percent, absolute truth, that's been my life and putting my country first. I'll match that record with anyone and an assertion that I have ever done otherwise, I take strong exception to."

As examples, a questioner at the Register noted a McCain commercial that suggested Obama favored comprehensive sex education for kindergartners and assertions by his campaign that a "lipstick on a pig" comment Obama made was a reference to Palin. News media fact-checking the sex education ad deemed it deceptive and a distortion of Obama's position.

"It certainly is your opinion and I respect your opinion, but it's not the facts," McCain said in the interview. "I respect your opinion. I strongly disagree with your assertion."

Finally the man who thinks he can lead our country is sticking up for himself in an interview. He doesn't need teleprompters, a cheat sheet, easy questions or any other stuff like that. He stated with force what was factually true, instead of a media distorted image. Please notice that even the liberal new reporter could not come up with a way to spin the story and show that McCain was proven wrong with solid examples. The writer pointed out that he was irritable and sarcastic and moved on. A reporter tried to make McCain stupid, by asking him opinion questions, then when that didn't work turned him into a mean old man who can't get along with anyone.

Do we really need four more years of liberal media and reporting like this? Maybe before we can bring change, we need to break the grip of the media and present "just the fact ma'am."

I hit because they hit first...

2008-09-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

...and as long as they continue on their power trip and manipulate the American public, I shall bash them and hit them with ever inconsistency and lie that they throw at us.

"By using their formulas, the researchers were able to conclude that race was a factor in how people vote, independent of their other political views and their demographic characteristics. They then used the formulas to predict how much support Obama is losing because of his race.

The result: Obama would receive an estimated 6 percentage points more support if there were no racial prejudice. While the model was exhaustive, it is hard to know if it included every variable that could have an impact in this election."

This whole thing is a ridiculous "white guilt" scheme. This survey only measures how "racist" whites are, and how they are "stuck in the past" and have a "supremacy" attitude. Their stupid one sided surveys only show how many white voters are swayed to McCain by race, while completely ignoring and drawing attention away from the fact that black voters are just as "racist" and just as likely to vote for someone of their own skin color.

I have decided that I will stop using the term "race" without quotation marks. We are really one race (well, I won't except in cases like that). Skin color is all that it is. Melanin. Stupid people can't see that.

You know, I had to sit through a lecture just this morning, where the lady who was speaking told us that if you think you have no racial prejudices, you are in denial. I wanted to stand up and scream. White lady telling me that I am racist at heart and just trying to hide it from myself, and telling me that I need to accept all kinds of people. Tell that to her. Tell her that I am equal in my white skin and that I am not to feel guilty because of the sins of my grandparents' grandparents. I am proud of my heritage as much as any person of dark skin color.

But maybe I should show a little more tolerance of other people's feelings, and maybe embrace their culture and terminology a little bit. I think I will! Hide your eyes if you're afraid of racist terms, because I'm going to use one.

I'm proud to be a "Cracker"!!!!!

And So, the Race Card is Played!

2008-09-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

Poll: Racial views steer some white Dems away from Obama

By RON FOURNIER and TREVOR TOMPSON, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks — many calling them "lazy," "violent," responsible for their own troubles.

Quoted From Here.

Absolutely disgusting. Nobody needed to know this except to make people feel guilty, and to place a stain on the American voters is McCain wins.

We Beat Kent!!!!

2008-09-18T13:16:00.003-07:00

Intramural soccer prelims were this afternoon. Beta 1 South, my hall, beat Kent Hall, the upperclassmen dorms. B1S has only freshmen and 2 sophomores. Kent is all juniors and seniors. Woot!!!

I ♥ B1S!!!

First official practice of the G----- College Cheer Team is tonight!! Oh, that's something nobody knows about yet... Me and my roommate tried out for the cheer team as lifters, the people who throw the other people up in the air and stuff. So yeah, I'm a cheer leader, but they gave me $1,000 for doing it and will give anothe $1,500 next year and so on. Its worth it.

College Life

2008-09-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

So I should probably post something about me rather than about politics.

College life has been a challenge so far. Everyone was so friendly during welcome weekend, but it faded, and people started to bond into their little groups. Making friends is becoming more of a challenge here, but I think I found one good one who I can relate to, and who I can talk to about anything. Honestly I never expected to find him in my roommate.

Classes are going well I guess. English class has two papers due every week. Bible has reading assignments every day. Drawing assignments are fun. Healthy Lifestyles has been a big drag and a literal pain in the butt. But overall, that's the reality of college life.

I don't know what else to say really.

A Quick Video

2008-09-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

This was new to me. I found it interesting that the movie offered no commentary, just straight video clips of events so that there could be no distortions. Granted some are taken out of context but still....

Compare and Contrast

2008-09-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

	Sarah Palin	Barack Obama
Office being sought	Vice President	President of the United States and Leader of the Free World
Full name	Sarah Louise Heath Palin	Barack Hussein Obama II
Nickname	Sarah Barracuda	Barry Obama; “The One”
Public opinion	Smoking hot in a “naughty librarian” sort of way	May be The Messiah
Age	44	48
Children	5: two sons, three daughters	2: two daughters
Religion/Church attendance	Evangelical Christian;attends Juneau Christian Center when in Juneau and grew up attending Wasilla Assembly of God	Attended Trinity United Church of Christ for 20 years, a “black liberation theology” church formerly led by Rev. Jeremiah Wright and governed according to the Black Value System
Current Job	Governor of Alaska	Junior Senator from Illinois
Previous Public Jobs	Mayor of Wasilla, AK (1996-2002); President of Alaska Conference of Mayors;City Council member (1992-1996)	State Senator (1997-2004);Community Organizer
Executive Experience	Governor for 2 years;Mayor for 10 years	None
Foreign Relations experience	Governor of state that borders two foreign countries (Canada and Russia)	Chaired Senate subcommittee on Europe but never called it into session;once gave a speech to 200,000 screaming Germans
Military Affairs experience	Commander in Chief of Alaska National Guard;Son is enlisted Infantryman in U.S. Army	None
Private Sector Experience	Sports reporter;Salmon fisherman	Associate at civil rights law firm
Speaking ability	Beautifully executed initial stump speech in Dayton, OH hockey arena without a teleprompter	An enter…wait–did you say without a teleprompter??
Spouse’s name	Todd Mitchell Palin	Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama
Spouse’s occupation	Salmon fisherman;Former North Slope production supervisor for BP Oil	Vice President for Community and External Affairs at University of Chicago Hospitals;former Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago;former Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies;former Assistant to the Mayor of Chicago;former associate at Sidley Austin law firm
Reaction to spouse’s political success	Quit 17-year BP oil job when BP became involved in natural gas pipeline negotiations with wife’s administration	Promoted and given 160% pay raise by UofC hospitals within months of husband’s election to U.S. Senate;Employer received $1,000,000.00 federal earmark, requested by husband, after her promotion
Coolest thing about Spouse	Tesoro Iron Dog Snowmobile race champion (longest snowmobile race in the world);In 2008, while defending his championship, was injured when he was thrown 70 feet from his machine. He was sent to the hospital but still finished in fourth place	Sister of Oregon State University head basketball coach Craig Robinson
Most Courageous Moment in Public Service	Resigned in protest from position of Ethics Commissioner of Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in order to expose legal violations and conflicts of interest of Alaska Republican leaders, including the former state Attorney General and the State GOP Chairman (who was also an Oil & Gas Commissioner), who was doing work for the party on public time and supplying a lobbyist with a sensitive e-mail.	Gave an anti-Iraq war speech to a crowd of anti-Iraq war demonstrators in Hyde Park in 2002
In Current Office Because…	Upset sitting Governor in GOP primary due to public support for her efforts to clean up corrupt government establishment	Republican opponent, who was leading in the polls, was forced to leave race after unsealing of divorce records exposed a sex scandal
Theme:	Change and Clean Government	Hope and Change;”Bringing Change from Outside Washington”
What they’ve done to live that theme:	Replaced entire Board of Agriculture and Conservation because of conflict of interest;Resigned from position of Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in order to expose corruption among members of own party	Selected 36-year incumbent Senator as running mate
Family Affairs	May have removed State Public Safety Commissioner as part of effort to protect sister in messy divorce and child custody battle	Often says, “I am my brother’s keeper”;Brother lives in a hut in Nairobi on $12 per year
Union affiliation	Union member, married to Union member	Endorsed by a union
Iraq and Troop Support	Formerly (pre-surge) critical of apparent lack of long-term strategy for Iraq;Visited wounded U.S. soldiers in Germany;visited AK National Guard soldiers deployed to Kuwait;Son deploying to Iraq on 9/11/08 as Army infantryman	Gave an anti-Iraq war speech to a crowd of anti-Iraq war demonstrators;almost visited wounded troops in Germany, but decided to go shopping in Berlin instead
Bipartisan/”maverick” credentials	Married to a non-Republican;Exposed corruption within own party;Campaigned for Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell against corrupt GOP congressman Don Young;Called out Sen Ted Stevens (R-AK) to “come clean” about financial dealings that are under fed investigation	Talks about bipartisanship
Legislative Record	Passed a landmark ethics reform bill;Used veto to cut budgetary spending;Prevented “bridge to nowhere” that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars.	Voted “present” over 100 times as IL state senator
How they dealt with corrupt individuals in home city/state	Exposed legal violations and conflicts of interest of Alaska Republican leaders;Campaigned against corrupt GOP Representative;Ran against and defeated corrupt incumbent governor in GOP primary	Launched political career in home of unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers (and still refers to him as a part of “mainstream Democratic Chicago”;Purchased home with help of convicted felon Tony Rezko
Guns	Lifetime member of NRA and avid hunter;video can be found on YouTube of Palin firing an M4 at a military firing range	Worked to pass legislation in Illinois that would prevent all law-abiding citizens from owning firearms
Earmarks	Opposed “Bridge to Nowhere” project;Said Alaska should avoid relying on federal money for projects;Campaigned against porker Don Young (R-AK) in 2008 primary	Secured federal earmarks for wife’s employer and for campaign bundlers
Abortion	Pro life;gave birth to 5th child knowing that he would have Down’s syndrome	Pro-choice;only IL state sen. to speak against the Born Alive Infant’s Protection Act, which required medical care to be given to live infants who survived abortions
Energy	Believes energy independence is a matter of national security;For drilling in ANWR, which is in her state	Says Americans should “get tune-ups” and “check tire pressure”;Says “we can’t expect the world to be okay with” our use of heating and air conditioning
Environment	Chair of Alaska Conservation Commission (2003-4);Announced plans to create sub-cabinet group of advisors to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in AK	Talks about the environment a lot
Athletic prowess	Runs marathons	Has reporters tailing him to the gym

Eureka!!! Wordy Liar!!!!

2008-09-02T16:51:00.001-07:00

Read This!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a little long, but totally worth it.

Does Not Equate

2008-09-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

What in the world?????

John Kerry all over again, or just an obnoxious and wordy liar? You decide.

Article 1.

Article 2.

You don't even need to read the whole of the articles to figure out the inconsistencies.

Breakout groups again.

2008-08-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

So tonight my breakout group went to the home of my group leader, just to hang out. We played crazy icebreaker games for 2 hours, and laughed all the way to our next orientation session.

My Group leader and her husband are amazing people. They invited our group over to their house at any time, just to hang or to study or whatever. They are willing to get involved in games and stuff and to take off work if one of us needs to talk.

(no title)

2008-08-31T04:42:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid I must recant my previous expressions in favor of a new sentiment.

I ♥ my breakout group!!!!!!

College Update: 2

2008-08-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

I'm here! At the school this time, sitting in my dorm room with my roommate, all moved in.

Breakout groups coming up at 4:00. x-p

Bush's Fault

2008-08-30T04:23:00.000-07:00

>Edit: My mistake. I said Obama was a second term senator. I goofed. He still has 2 years left in his first term.

I was watching the DNC the last couple nights and each sentence makes me more and more angry. Let me explain something, and I want everyone to listen very closely, and then share it with people. NO POLICY MISTAKE, EXCEPT THE WAR IN IRAQ, COULD BE PINNED ON BUSH. And I am not just saying this because I am a Bush supporter. I am saying it because it is true, and the truth is why I support him.

Right and left the Dems are bashing Bush for his failed policy, his terrible laws and administration, and his failure to get anything done. This amounts to them calling you, the American public, stupid. And really, they think you are a bunch of hill-billies (who actually care more than your average people) if they are trying to pass this off on the American public. What's so sad is that people believe them.

You see, here is the problem: BUSH DOES NOT THINK UP NEW LAWS AND DECIDE TO ENACT THEM. That is the job of congress. Nothing gets set on the desk of the President for signing that does not first pass through both houses of congress. So Bush only gets to pass on what congress has already approved. Ok, so now let's take a look at congress. Who has the Majority at this time? Wonder of Wonders!!!!!! It's the Democratic party!

The Democratic Party is making our laws and putting them on the desk of the president to sign. They are the ones who give the President the choices on what to pass into law or veto.

Lets narrow the view a little bit. By 2005, the end of Bush's first term, Congress had set 377 pieces of legisation before the President for him to sign or veto.Guess how many of these Democrat written laws he vetoed? 0. That is right Z-E-R-O. So they can't even say that he has impeded their work by vetoing all of the laws that would make our country a better place.

Now let's look at this term. I don't know how many piece of legislation were passed, but I do know that Bush vetoed (get ready for it) 12!!!! (and the nice people on wikipedia hace graciously compiled lists and statistics that you can see for yourself) Of those 12, four were overridden.

Summary: All these policies and laws of his they are saying failed. Democrats wrote them, voted on them, and approved them in a Democrat controlled Congress. Whose policies and laws have failed to improe our country? Bush's or Congress'?

College Update: 1

2008-08-29T15:30:00.001-07:00

I'm here. Not at the school, but at a hotel about 5 min away. I don't check in until tomorrow morning, so for tonight nothing more exciting to announce.

I started and finished GG on the way here.

Obama Outrage

2008-08-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

*is disgusted*

I think I said it before, but still... This is outrageous. Foreign leaders have no say in who we choose for our president. The media is trying to point out that Obama leads in the international polls and that to make our neighbors happy, Obama is the more acceptable choice. It is truly disgraceful and unconstitutional.

Joy and Jubilation!!!!

2008-08-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

I have a plot!!! So I have begun writing again. I have scrapped my old novel (if you can call 10,000 words without a plot a novel) and started over. I'm reusing some names and stuff but now that I actually have a story to write I think it will be much easier to actually do this.
Another thing that will make it just a bit easier to stay motivated is that I have a laptop to work on. Not mine technically, but a loan from the parents for college years. It is portable and I can adjust to a comfortable writing position rather than at a makeshift desk.

dies

2008-08-18T14:32:00.001-07:00

THE FILMARILLION' by WHISTLER

Regarding the Making Of the Megabucks

"Great were the wonders of the Golden Age! For the people, in those days, purchased for themselves Seeing-Boxes, filled with light; and from within that light the Wise Ones spake unto them, and gave them counsel. And Uncle Miltie spake; and Lucy, who is called the Red-Haired, and also Amos and Andy, who are called the Politically Incorrect and are named now only in the whispers of the Ancient Ones.

And that age passed; and the people settled for a while in the Land of Mayberry, and they said unto themselves, 'Shall not another Wise One come? For wherewith now shall we be entertained?' And some of them departed unto Beverly Hills, and joined themselves to the tribe that is called the Hillbillies; and some came unto the House of Samantha, who is called the Nose-Twitcher, and there waited.

And in that time, as if in answer to the cry of the people, came Roddenberry, son of Roddenberry. And from the mind and will of Roddenberry sprang forth the Federation, and the Federation of Roddenberry begat the Trekkies, who are called among themselves the Trekkers, and among others the Geeks. And the people were glad of the Federation, and of its heroes. And among these were Spock, the Almost-Elven, and Kirk the Overdone, from whom sprang Picard of the Shining Head, and likewise the valiant ones of sundry spinoffs.

Yet in time the Federation spake no more from the Seeing-Boxes, for the people grew restless and looked instead to the greater lights that shone within the multiplexes. And the Federation was made manifest, after a time, in the multiplexes; and the people were glad. After a time Roddenberry traveled, as is the fate of Men, the Road of No Returning; but, lo! The Federation died not, but continued for a time beyond his passing, though many of its sons grew vast in girth and purchased, in the time of their fading, toupees of great worth.

And in these days came Lucas, who is called the Almost-Spielberg. And Lucas said unto himself, 'Truly hath Roddenberry gone where no man hath gone before; yet a greater thing shall I bring forth than that which was wrought by Roddenberry; and with it shall I make the Megabucks; and all shall tremble when the Megabucks are made.'

And Lucas brought forth the Force, and truly made the Megabucks; and Lucas brought the Megabucks unto the Film Executives, and they worshipped them and said, 'Truly art thou king, for the Megabucks art brought forth by thee.' And Lucas brought forth Happy Meals, and plastic action figures, and other wondrous treasures, and offered them unto the Children of the Force, and all were content, and the Megabucks grew greater.

Then did the Trekkies make war upon the Children of the Force; but after a time they said among themselves, 'Why war we thus? Truly, some are of the Federation, and others of the Force; yet are we not all Geeks?' And so they ceased to war, and the numbers of the Geeks were doubled, and they filled all the land.

Others then said unto themselves, 'Are the Megabucks for Lucas alone?' and they sought for themselves the Megabucks. Among these was Lynch, who is called Creepy, Even By Hollywood Standards. And Lynch brought forth Dune, and perished in the making of it; and the Megabucks came not unto him, and Dune was left to wither and decay upon the shelves of the Temple of Blockbuster. Likewise fell many other heroes.

And Lucas brought forth the Force again, and yet again, and yet again; and still the Megabucks came unto him. And Lucas said, 'Forever shall the Megabucks be mine; and if the people like not Jar Jar Binks, then shall I weep all the way to the bank.'

But some of the people said, 'Is there not a greater than the Force?' and in answer came Jackson, who is called the Townsend-Sacker. And Jackson said:

'A greater song have I than that of Roddenberry, or of Lucas. And if the Megabucks are brought unto me, then shall I bring forth that song from which the Force was partly sprung, and all shall marvel. And Lucas shall bow before me, and likewise Spielberg, who is called The One.'

Then were the Megabucks brought unto Jackson, and Jackson called unto himself many of renown to serve him. Among these were Liv of the Pouty Lips, and Viggo, who is called Should Have Been a Marx Brother; and also came Ian Of the Alternative Lifestyle, and John, who is called the Big Fat Guy.

And the people said, 'Truly Jackson maketh a good thing, or so it seemeth. And if he doeth well, then shall the Megabucks come unto him, and all shall praise him. But if he doeth ill, or bringeth forth the like of Dune, then shall we rend him asunder, and his house shall fall, and great will be the stench of its burning.'

So began the tale of which the ending is not known to the Sons of Men."

********************************************************

The Filmarillion, Concluded

Lo! It came to pass that Jackson, after much travail, brought forth the Three Great Pillars that comprised the Great Work, and he placed the Three Great Pillars at the feet of the Film Executives. And the Film Executives were glad thereof, for straightway they perceived that therefrom the Megabucks did flow most bounteously.

And the Film Executives rejoiced in the Megabucks, wherewith they purchased for themselves condos in Aspen and chariots with four-wheel drive. And also they purchased for themselves costly hookers and snowy white powder from Columbia, whereof their nostrils were glad.

And they said unto Jackson, Truly art thou greater than Lucas, for never hath any such like as an Ewok besoiled what thou hast fashioned. And get us not started on those dudes who wrought the Pillars of the Matrix, wherefrom we derived much vexation and naught else. Come therefore now and let us bring sushi unto thee, and also Perrier and Brie, and other such trendy victuals as are common to our tribe. And let us do deals, that always we may have an abundance of jet skis and Jaguars and Mexican divorces. Now we trust thee fully, for the buttocks which we risked for thee art saved by thee. And there was much gladness among them at the saving of their buttocks.

Then the critics came unto the Pillars, and praised them with great praise. But Ebert the Anointed One, upon whom was placed the curse of the director of The Brown Bunny, praised them with fainter praise and somewhat kindled the wrath of the Geeks. Yet the Geeks said, more wrathful still do we grow at Rex Reed, who is called Myra Of Breckinridge, because he hath deigned not even to cast his eye upon any of the Pillars. Yet why care we aught for his judgment, seeing as he hath praised Michael Jackson in The Wiz and panned Marlon Brando in The Godfather? Verily, he is a dipstick who careth for little, unless it hath show tunes.

All the kingdoms hailed the Three Pillars, and those having Minibucks added these unto the pot wherein the Megabucks were gathered. And those with the Minibucks purchased for themselves all manner of doodads pertaining unto the Three Great Pillars. And they purchased for themselves life-sized Orlando Bloom cutouts, and rare Caradhras snow globes, and action figures fashioned of that substance which above all is prized among the Sons of Men, which in the common tongue is called plastic. And the people were glad to be parted from their Minibucks, for most were of the tribe called the Suckers.

And the spouses and the parents and the brethren of the Suckers said, what is the deal with thee? For firstly thou purchaseth the Pillars' Theatrical Editions, then straightway thou purchaseth in their stead the fancy-schmancy Extended Editions with forty-two hours of bonus material. And when the Extended Editions art thine, thou useth thine Theatrical Editions as coasters. Why rather waitest thou not until the Extended Editions art come? But the Suckers answered not, and neither did they mend their ways, for folly is ever the way of the Suckers.

In those days the Cyber-Geeks, among whom were Suckers in very great numbers, spake to one another from their seeing-boxes. Many tribes numbered themselves among the Cyber-Geeks, the greatest of which were the Nitpickers. And the Nitpickers said such like as, The bluescreen in the coronation scene looketh cheesy. And those of the other tribes spake unto the Nitpickers and said, Why saith thou so? For it looketh okay to us. And the Nitpickers spake again and said, We have taken a course in film, and know much of this art. And the other tribes answered again and said, Is it so? For if it be so, then why dost thou live on Hot Pockets and sleep in thy parents' basement? And why do the Film Executives bring not the Megabucks unto thee, that thou mayest bring forth a greater work than Jackson hath wrought? Then were the Nitpickers silent, for they knew not so much as they had boasted.

Now, among the Cyber-Geeks were two great tribes, which were called among themselves the Oldbies and the Newbies. And the Oldbies were wise with much lore, having seen many ages pass; and oftentimes they warred with the Newbies. For the Newbies spake oft with little wisdom regarding Tom Bombadil and Balrog wings and Arwen at the ford, and the Oldbies waxed wroth at such words and bade the Newbies be silent, else they be smitten with sore Terms Of Service violations. And oft the Oldbies did besmite the Newbies with sore Terms Of Service violations, whereunder the Newbies were crushed and torn asunder. Yet some among them spake against the Oldbies, saying, Who hath died and made you guys the Valar? And at times of such strife would come The Locking Of the Threads, whereafter would all and sundry weep with great weeping.

And the Great Age of Fandom passed over time; and many who numbered themselves among the Oldbies sought solace in the West, and sailed thereunto. And lo! With much sorrow did they learn that in their long absence their daughters and sons had sworn fealty unto strange religious cults, and that their spouses had divorced them and married themselves unto Coppertoned lifeguards with buns of steel.

And the Oldbies said unto themselves, Truly are we screwed, for too long have we blindly dwelt among the Cyber-Geeks, paying little heed to aught save Jackson. Now Jackson's Great Work hath been our bane, for naught have we now save the pink slips delivered unto us by our former lords and masters. Verily the cake by this is taken! And the Oldbies rent their garments, and grew mad, and straightway starved and perished, and so was come an end to them.

And so is come an ending to this tale, lest a Newbie in his folly take it up again.

No Facebook

2008-08-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

Alright, so there shall be no facebook for me.

So I'm having a pity party. My house 4:00 tomorrow. (come as you are)

Ok, so I'll be using AIM profile instead, which I guess is ok, because you don't have the vast interconnected workings and extra gadgets that come with facebook.

My IM is Somnite.

Flossing.

2008-08-08T04:42:00.001-07:00

Hmmmpf. Getting ready to go to the oral surgeons, afterwhich I am supposed to be dead for a day. Ah well, Epic Movie Month is facilitated by bedrest and little head movement. (doctor's orders)

70%

Life's Little Joys (and some less-than-joys)

2008-08-07T10:09:00.001-07:00

So Tuesday and Thursday nights I work from 4:30 to 8:00 and I always take supper with me (microwave meals). Well, lately I have been taking these little individually wrapped sausage and biscuit breakfast sandwiches. Tuesday night I unwrapped one and wonder of wonders instead of only one sausage patty on my sandwich, there were two. Happy moment in my work life. :-)

On a more serious note: "Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we..." have our wisdom teeth cut out. No solid food for several days and nothing after 8:00 tonight. x-B

Worship

2008-08-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

This post has been a while in my thoughts, sparked by COTH.

Monday night at COTH was one of the most amazing worship experiences of my life. It was truly the first time that I had the opportunity to gather together with people who truly desired to worship God with all their thoughts and energy. As we were singing the feelings of the presence of the Holy Spirit were incredibly strong. Sometimes when I sing, or read a certain passage I get this feeling, an intense joy, almost like a chill, lasting a few seconds then going away. This was constant during the evening. It was really almost impossible to describe the emotions and thoughts that went through my head but I didn't want them to stop. This wasn't even rock music that the other teens would be so "into it"; these were old hymns mixed with some contemporary, but all of it respectful and purposeful.

Fast-forward to the next Sunday: I'm back from COTH and in church on Sunday morning. We are singing and wonder of wonders, it's three of the same songs in row that we sang at COTH. We sang them, and it was beautiful, but terrible. The music was perfect, there were well trained voices everywhere, but there was no strength or emotion put into it. The faces were dead of feeling, and the people around me were putting words into sounds, but not worshiping. I wanted to cry. But then I thought. What do the people around me have to do with anything? Does their lack of worship have anything to do with whether or not I give my whole self to the moment? No! I determined then that no matter if the people around me chose to honor God or not, I would. And immediately I got that intense joy again. I remember the quote from Eric Liddel when asked why he ran the way he did, and in that wonderful Scottish accent he replied "because when I run; I feel his pleasure". That is why when we feel worship truly, we feel this way, because we are doing what we are meant to do and God smiles on it.

The next day, was Monday. Monday afternoons I work, with a half hour drive to get there. I sing on the way, with radio or without. Well, again as I sang these songs, not remembering even what they were, I felt that pleasure of God, like I could never be sad or angry again. Whenever I experience that it truly makes me wish that I could never do anything else. When so much fulfillment can got simply gotten by singing the praises of God, why do we need to go to the movies or to amusement parks? Christians, imagine then what it will be like when we get to heaven and 10,000 years will pass and we will be simply worshiping all the time. It is indeed a good thing that we will have new bodies, for will our old ones be able to contain the euphoria thta comes with an eternity of worship as we were meant to?

My Week at COTH

2008-07-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

WAS ABSOLUTELY AND COMPLETELY AWESOME!!!!!!

To start out the week we were dropped off at LBC on Sunday Afternoon. We had a very hot and heated game of ultimate frisbee and then were sworn in as Pennsylvania State Senators. We heard speakers from around the country who gave us lessons on living with faith and the nature of truth.

We had sessions on public speaking and debate, as well as learned parliamentary procedure. I guess I should first explain what is typified at COTH. Well, the first three days are study time and sessions teaching us stuff for the future. The last three days are debate time. We go through the lawmaking process as state Senators, debating real bills in committees and on the actual senate floor of the State Capitol building (it is a rare honor to even be allowed onto it, much less sit at te desks and use the mics and gavels). We campaigned and politicked for positions, including President Pro Tempore (who presides over the debates on the senate floors) Party leaders, and party whips (who make sure everybody votes the way the party wants them to). Chair positions were appointed to oversee committees (yay for committee 3!!!!) (though I did end up acting largely as leader and whip along with some other 2 term senators because we had freshies as both whip and leader in my party)

Each student is given 3 bills, one that they study to debate and have passed, and two more to study the weaknesses of and try to "kill".

I passed with a perfect record in committee (I did not get to preside over my own bills), I killed my opposition bills and passed my support bills.

So we went to Hershey Park and Wednesday and had an amazing time. I found out that one of these guys was best friends with my cousin and another friend I had met at camp.

Pics will be forthcoming. Talent shows, all-nighters etc... The donut bill, a senate lip-sync resolution, chivalry, "bromance", and "L-O-V-E"..... and..... I MISS YOU ALREADY COTH!!!!!! I shall probably volunteer as staff next year because they won't let me come back.

Very confusing I know, but it was so amazing and sleep deprived that I can't remember it all to tell you guys. I'd be happy to answer and questions you have. YOU MUST GO NEXT YEAR!!!!!!

BTW the video is from last Sunday evening after we got there the first day. The woman is Dr. Wilson, the most amazing and engaging speaker I have ever seen. The guy is me (no, not the bald one), but I need to work on my tv internet skills.

COTH NEX T WEEK!!!!!

2008-07-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

So Sunday I am leaving to rival mismatchedsockgirl's amazing time at camp.

I'm going to be at COTH (City on the Hill). It's a "camp" that *get's* (forgive me, bu the event warrants it) teenagers involved in state government process. It is a week filled with speakers who teach us our role as Christians in government, how to write and present speeches, and how to understand bills that are in the process of being made into laws. The week kicks off with a huge game of ultimate Frisbee, followed by a rather sweaty group of teens being sworn in as Pennsylvania State Senators. We follow parliamentary procedure in everything from punishments for items left behind, to who speaks first.

We elect leaders and representatives and study our bills to be debated. On Wednesday we are divided into committees (I was a committee vice chair person last year, but this year I am campaigning for a chair position) and we present our bills in front of them. Thursday we move to the State capitol building where we use the authentic committee rooms complete with mikes and panic buttons. On Friday we turn the real senators out of their desks (some of them leave candy behind, and I got to eat a Democrat senator's stash of peppermint patties) and we use the senate floor to debate the bills that passed the vote of the committees. (mixed in this week are the Hershey Park trip on Thursday night and the 1:00 in the morning game of capture the flag on Friday after a banquet) All in all an amazing experience muchly fun! So that's going to be next week.

So I will probably not be posting at all this weekend, what with packing and the carnival at the library where I work.

Another Shout-Out

2008-07-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

Alright, so some people have left comments on here that I haven't seen on my blog before. (thanks guys!)

Just wanted to know who else is lurking.

Please post?

More election stuff...

2008-07-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

alright, so some of you might be tired of hearing me bash Obama, but really, if McCain did anything worth bashing you'd hear about it, because I don't entirely like him either. Right now he is the lesser of two evils.

Read This, or at least skim it please.

The problem I find with this is that like the article says it is inappropriate for Obama to even attempt to do this. It displays a lack of tact and foresight, that are so necessary for our President to have.

There are actually two reasons that this is inappropriate and disgraceful.

#1 Like the article cited, there is a certain lack of sensitivity in using another nations symbol of unity and patriotism for the personal and political gain of a person from another country.

#2 Runs deeper. Why is Obama campaigning in Germany at all? Does the German public have the right to elect the president of the United States? No. Here is my theory on what Obama is trying to do. This is theory and conjecture only, but quite serious if it is true. By courting and winning the favor of the populaces of the foreign countries he can portray himself as the choice of the "World Community" to be our next leader, or at least as an acceptable and approved of man by the other people of our planet. This ,Obama needs since he is incurring the wrath of the Muslim countries by forsaking his Muslim birth. (I shall need to tell you about that sometime)

This is downright wrong, unethical and irrelevant. The choice of our leader belongs to the American public and to the citizens of our country alone. By campaigning in another country, Obama is trying to undermine a vote that may perhaps go against him. (again, this pure conjecture and theory but a likely one you must admit) This is as much wrong as it would have been for President Bush to accept the endorsement (I can't remember in which election) of the French President.

I don't understand...

2008-07-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Foul language. An odd topic for a post, yes? And don't worry, I shall not actually say/type any of it. I just wonder what is foul or profane about it.

I can understand some forms being considered unspeakable (thought of mostly today as the milder ones actually) Biblically, we are commanded to not take the "Lord's name in vain". But what about the other stuff, the S words and the C words and the B word and the all terrible F word. What makes them dirty? Who was the first person to declare that a perfectly acceptable word for (forgive me) human excrement was too foul to utter in the presence of anyone? If you have read the memoirs of James Herriot, the British veterinarian, you would here numerous sentences from farmers using these words without shame or guilt and without fear of offending any sensitive ladies who happened to be standing nearby. Why? Because the words had a straight forward practical meaning exactly like they do today.

So what is the problem today? To many self-righteous people determined to restrict the uses of perfectly harmless words simply because their parents told them it was "dirty".

Now please note that I will not be saying any of these things just because I can in good conscience. Teachers adults church leaders would never understand and they would be super offended and not even bother to listen to reason. So yeah. Basically all I am going to do about is not be offended and treat it as a perfectly normal word when I hear them. I just wanted to rant is all.

A Social Outrage

2008-07-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

Well, at least I thought so.

This is going to be a somewhat politically incorrect post, with no attempt to be anything other than straight truth as I saw and observed. This post creates racial profiles and makes not attempt to be "color blind". I shall not try to keep from offending people, because anybody who is offended by what I shall say shall more seriously offend me than that type of people already have. I must say that that was very refreshing.

Alright, so I was invited to attend the Independence Day Celebration at Independence Hall in Philly this morning. Before the celebration, there was a breakfast where I was given the opportunity to meet Mayor Nutter and talk briefly with him. I find that I liked the man's personality, ideals and sense of humor very much.

The ceremony was the most horrendous mockery of a celebration of our country that has ever been seen on public television, and I had second row seating for the whole thing.

Complaint #1: Sunoco sponsored it. I have no problem with companies supporting a celebration like this instead of the money coming from private sources or taxpayer money. Not that I see any money at all necessary, why can't business "donate" equipment for the 6 hours it takes to set up, have a program, and take down stuff? Why do they need to be reimbursed for contributing to the community like that on a day that should be above others in the recognition of the need for a greater awareness of community and what we can all do to make life better for each other out of our own free will instead of communist compulsion. But I got off on a tangent there, sorry. Well, Sunoco put their logo on everything. Signs, name tags, banners, podiums (thankfully not the main podium). That definitely annoyed me. Is there sense of patriotism so small that they will only agree to support something like this if they can get their publicity and advertising (distastefully from my artist's perspective) plastered everywhere. Why can't they give out of their own bounty that the people supplied them with, without all the ugly logos and publicity. Has the recognition of the birth of our country come down to a publicity stunt for an oil company?

Complaint #2: The speakers. Most would call it "politically correct". I call it absolutely disgusting. Every speaker, save one, gave a lecture on civil rights and how all the injustices of the past are coming to an end (but only if we elect a black man to president) and how their is more racial equality being shown in events like these (Nutter very clearly and intentionally brought to attention how many black mayors had come before him, but it was also interesting to note that there was only one white person who was given the opportunity to say something other than a token sentence or two) . Nutter highlighted his initiatives to make sure that "people of color" have more opportunity for educational advancement, and spoke of how the politics of the past were now coming to an end with Obama as Democrat nominee and himself as mayor. A (black) woman with the President House Project spoke of how George Washington held slaves, and about how he signed the Fugitive Slave act, demeaning one of the most loved men in our nation's history, and also tactfully ignoring how Washington freed all of his slaves. There were others too. We are supposed to be color blind, we are supposed to be the society that doesn't care what color your skin is, but here they were highlighting their black culture in a celebration that is supposed to be representative of the feelings we all are supposed to share and express. (please note that I have restrained myself from my rants on BET, and other such equality hypocrisies) No speaker highlighted the true cause for our presence that day, which (in case from watching it you have become confused) was to honor the signing of the Declaration of Independence 232 years ago.

Complaint #3: The music. I sat there and watched, and the only word that came to mind was: Irreverent. The program said that the agenda was to "feature patriotic songs". During the opening, they played country guitar music. Oh, there were two songs. They played the national anthem (black singer) and then moved on to "Somewhere over the Rainbow". Now I shall boldly call "stupid" whoever thinks that "Somewhere over the Rainbow" is a patriotic song. A nostalgic and wistful song of dreaming for the ideal country, but never patriotic, they distort and demean the meaning of the word. All this was turned into another "civil rights" as well as a cultural statement when it was sung by "Patty LaBelle's Boom Boom Choir", very black, very obnoxious choir who sang the song so that you could not understand the words, and any beauty that you remembered from Judy Garland or some other artist singing it was lost. I proudly say that though there were cheers from around me, I did not applaud or smile. I call it disrespectful junk that disgraces a ceremony of that repute (although it fit in rather well with the other disgusting motions they went through). Later, the same choir sang "He's Got the Whole World". It is a very nice song that paid tribute to God, but was sung just like the other. With no attempt to put any beauty or dignity into it. They were dancing and bouncing to the music, screaming all the time. I did applaud that time, because instead of paying attention to the bouncing people on stage, I was more focused on the sign-language translator. She got as much into it as the singers did, but she was a more dignified (white) person going completely out of character and going along with the beat. She was very entertaining and amusing and therefore, even though not as dignified as the ceremony deserved, worthy of applause. The other patriotic song was played as people filed out of their seats to go home. I think it was America the beautiful. Oh well.

Complaint #4: The wanton disrespect of the military, by not only people in the program, but also the crowd. Symbolic of the willingness of the soldiers who were serving, there was a brief ceremony where a soldier reaffirmed his oath to serve his country. This was met with token applause from the crowd. (and he got almost no introduction to the stage) Both spectators and participators made it clear that this sort of thing was not politically correct or welcome at this event.

I shall not be participating in any future ceremonies of any kind hosted in Philly, especially by Mayor Nutter. The words that would best describe me this afternoon are: outraged, disgusted, incensed, and disappointed.

Again, you don't have my apologies if you are offended. Call it revenge? :-p

Update on Kansas City

2008-06-30T06:50:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm back.

Kansas City is a really cool place, lots of fountains, huge convention centers, odd hotels and stuff. The hotel the the Pennsylvania Delegation stayed at was connected to a mall and another hotel with a 30ft waterfall in the lobby. We never had to go outside in the 90 degree weather to get lunch or anything, and we could (not that we did) eat at a different restaurant for every meal.

Before anything else, a little word about what SkillsUSA is. SkillsUSA is an organization primarily in College and Vocational schools across the country that gets students involved in networking with each other, and practically helping them to prepare themselves for their future. SkillsUSA hold the annual SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference and Skills Competition (in Kansas City for the last several years, but Louisville, KY just won the bid for the Conference in 2015).

So I got their a day early for everything and got settled in Kansas City during the first day. The second day we checked into "Headquarters" and had a Delegation meeting. I was the "Keynote speaker", apparently it is tradition for the Prepared Speech competitor to give his speech in front of the Delegation at the opening meeting. So I gave it in front of over 225 Delegates, Competitiors and Advisors.

Before I write any more, I should explain that any time not accounted for was not TV time. You see, every state delegation has a state pin. Many people buy extras of their own state pins and then attempt to collect all the other pins by trading. You get blue fabric maps and pin your collection onto them, and race around one of the convention centers trying to catch those elusive Montanans, South Dakotans, and Hawaiians. I must say proudly that I collected all the pins from the United States, except Montana and Hawaii (however I did get the Navajo Nation pin and did not even attempt to get the Canada, Guam, or Virgin Islands pins). The Hawaiians were used to being mugged for their pins apparently, and they would only release 5 of them each day, demand exorbitant prices and give you little leis if they were out of pins for the day. So this is what 90% of my down time was filled with.

Tuesday we had orientation, where we went to our competition areas and called up Miss America style to check in with the technical comittee who was overseeing the Preapared Speech Competition. After Many redundant questions they let us go.

Tuesday evening was also the Opening Ceremony. I can tell, there is certainly a lot of pomp and ceremony for a student run thing like it is. It is held in Kemper Arena, the only place in the city big enough to hold 11,000 people. So you can hear the music even from outside the stadium, and once you get inside there is the roar of thousands of people cheering and clapping. You walk up the steps on one of the upper balconies and you see a sea of flashing lights (each state does something for "state spirit" Texas wears cowboy hats, Washington wears umbrella hats, Maryland wears crab hats and various other states do flashing necklaces or hats or something) Strobe lights flash, patriotic music blares and the masses of red suits waves and flows. (the official SkillsUSA attire is a red blazer or windbreaker and is required at all official functions) Spot lights wave, and it is really an amazing feeling for the the first half hour or so. There is the emblem ceremony and the introduction of the officers and those are always exciting, then there was the mini game of deal or no deal in which SkillsUSA won the one million dollar case. There was some more stuff and then they introduced the speakers. This was an hour later. You see the Midwest is not known for mild summers and the "peanut gallery' doesn't get that much air-conditioning. And we were getting rather warm in our polyester blazers; so when they still hadn't introduced the keynote speaker we slipped out along with hundreds of other people and took the shuttle back to our hotel along with a couple other bus-loads of people. We got ice cream. :-)

Wednesday I had Preliminary Competition which went well. I only stuttered once.

Wednesday evening was the Champions Festival which included a dance, a blowup slide, an obstacle course, a gladiator arena and some other stuff. I spent the whole evening chasing people for pins, and racing another Pennsylvania guy for all the continental U.S. Around 10:00 that evening we found out I had made the finals, so it was early bed for me X-p while my advisor stayed up to starch my shirts and iron my blazer.

Thursday morning into afternoon was finals. They went perfectly; no mistakes, no stutters, no stumbles.

Thursday evening we went to the Worlds of Fun amusement park. It's not quite Hershey Park, but still fun with a bunch of other teenagers.

Friday I had to be in the lobby of the hotel at 7:00 to catch the shuttle bus to head off to the annual Community Service project. My group spent the day in the woods creating hiking trails through a National Wild Area. We blazed, clipped and hacked over a mile of walking paths (we had permission and careful supervision).

Friday night was closing and awards. None of the people I traveled with medaled, but I am proud to say that there were 99 competitions and Pennsylvania brought home 10 gold, 9 silver, and 9 bronze medals. (again, we skipped out midway, we only waited to see the first 3 hours of the ceremony. this time we went and got supper)

After the losers who stayed for the rest of the awards got back there was an icecream social where we got certificates for our participation, and found out how us non-medal-havers had placed overall.

I placed 12th out of 12 finalists (out of an original 43). This was unacceptable, and even more so when my mother called saying that final scores had been posted online.

Between preliminaries and finals, my scores dropped dramatically so much that I would not have even come close to being a finalist if that had been my preliminary score. Here are the major drops.

Organization: Dropped 50 points (for the exact same speech)
Closing: 30 points (again for the exact same speech)
Appearance: 10 points (remember, between preliminaries and finals we starched my shirts, polished my shoes, ironed my blazer, and put makeup on my face)

The other drops were not as significant.

We are looking into what happened with those scores and are trying to challenge the placing.

The flight home was smooth, even if we had to be up at 5:00 in the morning to catch it (as opposed to last year when we had to be up at 3:00)

So that was Nationals and an account of my week. I wonder how many people actually made it through this thing?

Away

2008-06-22T05:18:00.000-07:00

For the next week I will be in Kansas City, MO for the SkillsUSA National Conference. I'm competing in Prepared speech. Scary, someone could figure out who I am from that. Anyway, that explains my absence. Bigh all!

A Shout out...

2008-06-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

I know some of you use Google Reader, and that this is going to be a nuisance maybe, but I just wanted to know who reads this. So if you could post a comment, please, it would be much appreciated. Thank you.

I'm not racist

2008-06-09T07:25:00.001-07:00

Check this out...

Alright, so I really don't have a problem with this. What I have a problem with is the protests and the moves to shut this down. That is a restriction of our freedom of speech. It is not slander, it is not a bunch of lies that fall under the constitutional exception, it is merely an expressed political view that people don't like. (the fact that this political view is expressed in a humorous way is merely what got people stirred up)

And really, if Obama can't take it, why doesn't he quit. The President is historically the man most slandered and spoken against in our country. He wants to be the next President, but he refuses to take what comes with it. Take his wife for example she goes around shouting for him and offending people, and then when she is attacked and pointed out as pushy etc... he tells everyone to just "leave her alone". Suck it up, or maybe we will have the first black woman president....

I probably sound very racist here, and maybe a little chauvinistic, but it is not intentional, and I make no apology if I am. I am using my right to freedom of speech and expression, not forcing anyone to conform to my views, or saying that you're wrong and I'm right. I am just letting you all know how I see a very subjective issue. (I can do this because the issue is subjective and not objective. I rant on absolute truth is forthcoming)

As a side note, I found this rather interesting.

Rule this unconstitutional... (to be added to later)

2008-06-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

Our Government. Based on our Constitution, is it not? Not really. You see, we live in a country very different from what our founding father's intended. Most of this comes from the national government taking on powers that are not its own. (please bear with me?)

Here is a list quoted directly from Article 1 Section 8 in regards to the Legislative branch of the government.

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Please notice now, how many of these powers include farm subsidies, medicaid, social security, or even imply that it is within the power of the government to begin such programs. Only the last one. Which is the phrase of this document most used by legislature to take on all these programs, pork and expenditures. the Foregoing Powers = the powers listed before. Now, how is it necessary for the government to institute those programs to fulfill these "Foregoing powers". It isn't. That's anticlimactic. Now, to look at another Government function gone astray: the power of the government over the states.

Let's see what the Constitution says about that.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

There now, how does the national government get around this? Were we ever meant to have a large central government that took care of us? No. This can be clearly seen in our method of electing a president. What we have today is the remnants of what once was. Wouldn't it make more sense to have a popular vote selection instead of the electoral college? Well, it would if we were meant to have a central government with state borders being merely geographical like they almost are today. Instead, the popular vote in the state decides where all the electoral votes go. Doesn't this rather imply that the way the nation used to be, there were a bunch of independent state/countries much like the EU is today? With open borders, a continental council of policy makers and treaty signers (please note, that the meeting of the FF (founding fathers) was called the Continental Congress, not the national congress) and a common currency? But back to the question, how does the federal government get around this? Because of our ignorance. People these days just don't care about what happens. They want their government handouts, subsidies etc... and vote into office those people who they think will give them to them. These are the statesmen who turn around and take freedom from the people and turn us more and more into a Marxist communist state. These are also the people who believe that we should be working towards a one world unity and government.

Now we come to another question (please read on?) What is wrong with one world government. If you are a Christian, read your Bible. If you are non-Christian, read 1984, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451. Super states with unlimited government power of censorship and laws. The very people who make their grand speeches about tolerance silencing the publication of any opinion or truth whatsoever, or worse silencing by force those who disagree with the commonly held practice. If it were in only one country, such as Russia or China, people could flee elsewhere, but with a one world government, if you disagreed to such an extent that you could not in conscience live under circumstance, you could not speak out because of fear of reprisal from a restrictive government, then there would be no place to flee. No place to speak your mind and to be tolerated. Everyone would live under the same restrictions and rules. The very human nature defies it. We must do all we can to prevent such a time.

T Shirt Design Competition

2008-06-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

I have entered the Designbyhumans.com t shirt design contest. It is a perpetual competition for which a winning design is chosen and printed each day. 25 new entries are put up each day for voting, and this morning my design was chosen as one of them!

I would muchly appreciate votes, it takes an account, but it is very easy to do. My design is the eagle shirt entitled "Soar".

http://www.designbyhumans.com/vote/detail/16493

That is the link directly to my shirt. Every day a winner is chosen as the "Shirt of the Day" the designer gets $500 + $250 worth of tshirts from the site. (Haha! I'm funding college with shirts!)

Thank you all. (sorry, some of you have already gotten an email with this)

What I'm reading

2008-06-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm working my way through a book on immigration policy. It was written in 1996, but the information has not been outdated, though some of the statistics are rather old Very Interesting.

I was recently told about a cool website that is a perpetual t shirt design competition, that i plan to use to fund college. designbyhumans.com 2 designs I've done have been rejected so far, but I have one awaiting approval, and two more that I am actively working on.

Posts have been short lately, I know. I am not a skilled ranter like Anilee.

Always Flipping Pages

2008-06-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

So here's what's looking like a cool new website for writers, readers, and potential authors?

Always Flipping Pages' grand opening was today!

Check it out!

Always Flipping Pages Home

The weekend's over...

2008-05-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

I can finally return to *normal*.

I got to finally meet Anilee/Madison, and Mismatchedsockgirl. I must admit that it was kinda awkward at first, but they are amazing people, the same in person as online. (Madison, you don't talk too much, it's just plain cool seeing someone who's enthusiastic like that in real life, and not just online.) *amazing part of this weekend*: MADISON GOT ME A SIGNED COPY OF GG!!!!!!! WITH A PERSONAL NOTE IN IT FROM SHANNON HALE!!!!!!! Very excited on that point.

I also muchly enjoyed reading The book of Useless Facts... Most educational... Did you know that it takes more calories to chew and digest celery than it gives you?

As a side note, I got my highschool diploma..

It's been a while...

2008-05-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

This week has been super hectic, what with competitions, work, graduation prep and the like.

I found time to sit down and re-read River Secrets. I am still looking for that book at a Borders, they never seem to have it. The BoB are still the only books I have purchased new for myself. (though I have bought used at library book sales and yard sales.)

We had an awards night at the votech and I came away with $1,800 towards my college tuition. YAY!!!!

Anyway, the most exciting part about graduation is *I FINALLY GET TO MEET ANILEE AND MISMATCHEDSOCKGIRL!!!!!*

Short this is, because I need to get lunch and then help a friend with her commencement speech as well as write my own!!! GAH!!!!

A Few of the world's most famous (or infamous) men speak on our public education system and our government's role in it...

2008-05-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, that was a long title.

When an opponent declares, “I will not come over to your side,” I calmly say, “Your child belongs to us already.... What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community.” - Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), German dictator. speech, Nov. 6, 1933. Quoted in William L. Shirer, “Education in the Third Reich,” ch. 8, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1959)

They have taken the care and upbringing of children out of the hands of parents, where it belongs, and thrown it upon a gang of irresponsible and unintelligent quacks. - H. L. Mencken

s better to tolerate the rare instance of a parent refusing to let his child be educated, than to shock the common feelings and ideas by forcible asportation and education of the infant against the will of the father. - Thomas Jefferson.

"Of the people, by the people, and for the people..." no longer

2008-05-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - In a monumental victory for the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage Thursday in a ruling that would allow same-sex couples in the nation's biggest state to tie the knot.
Domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage, the justices ruled 4-3 in striking down the ban."
The last time California voters were asked to express their views on gay marriage at the ballot box was in 2000, the year after the Legislature enacted the first of a series of laws awarding spousal rights to domestic partners.
Proposition 22, which strengthened the state's 1978 one-man, one-woman marriage law with the words "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California," passed with 61 percent of the vote.

Here is the most recent example of the trend you can get, and it is not just happening in California. Our government taking more and more action against the greatest threat to world power and social downfall: the people. Most of the people in government think of "the people" (and probably say it in private) as "proles". The commoner is thought to no longer know what they want, so the Supreme Courts must decide what is best. This is in violation of the very principles that our country was founded on, that one group of people should not have absolute rule of the populace. Whether you believe that gay marriage should be allowed or not, this is an outrage that cannot be tolerated. We who are coming into power soon as adults and voters need to take the initiative to not vote on laws, but to make constitutional amendments that are so clear in their language that the courts are left with no other option than to "interpret the law" like they are supposed to instead of writing new ones to fit their own personal beliefs. REMEMBER: Judges are appointed, they are not chosen by voters. They do not require your approval, and so they may be ill qualified for the positions. The only way to ensure that we get judges and justices who will fulfill their constitutional duties is to get wise and constitutionally minded men in government, especially as President and Governors. When voting (if you are of that age) remember to vote with someone you know will have the best interests of the common people at heart, instead of those that appoint justices to over-rule the will of the people.

I must end this short discourse, with a couple quotes I found very appropriate, by people I have (over the last day or two) come very much to admire for his subtle political views:

"I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves.": August Strindberg (1849 - 1912), A Madman's Diary, 1895

We must take back our nation from all the people who think that anything that offends them should be removed. - Unknown American

The shepherd always tries to persuade the sheep that their interests and his own are the same. - Stendal

Writing slump...

2008-05-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

I really want to, honesty! I want to sit down and start into the fifth chapter! MY biggest writing problem is motivation. I can never let my characters rest and find a place where they are comfortable. If I had been Tolkien, LotR would have ended in Rivendell. If I has been Shannon Hale, Ani would have stayed with Gilsa and been a farm girl. They were safe for a moment and did not have any immediate goals.

So where I am: My main character is in a city, with friends after a long journey. There are no known enemies near by. I have no motivation to finish. My character is not on a mission at the time. I have no reason to move him on, I am not excited to write about him. I'm thinking now would be a good time for the maiming to occur.... I also have no plot at this time. I have a conflict already that is connected to a larger one, but I have no clue what will happen with the larger one, or when, or how to introduce it.

Would it be ok if I emailed some of you what I have written so far and asking you to guess what would happen next logically, knowing that I shall completely trash your ideas and do something completely illogical and unexpected?

Book Closest

2008-05-12T04:34:00.000-07:00

Alright, I decided that since I was tagged by mismatchedsockgirl while sitting right next to my French Vocabulary Text book, I shall look for the closest book *now*

The book is actually across the room on a bookshelf, but as it is sticking out off the shelf, i figured it was closest. It's called "Fatal Voyage"

"Commodore Norman C. Gillette had been Chief of Staff of the Philippine Sea Frontier Command since October 1944, and had temporarily replaced the regular commander, Vice Admiral J.L. Kauffman, only a few days earlier when the admiral went on leave. Gillette himself would later explain his own reaction towards tardy combatant ships: 'We did not feel that we were vitally interested or directly responsible or that we should take any unusual action.' This was the fleet commander's headache."

Very boring indeed.

I tag edge.

Sunny with a few clouds

2008-05-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

YAY!! I don't know why I'm so excited about nice weather there have been a bunch of days this week so far.

I just got TWITTER!

I only have French left to finish up for the school year, and am now starting to really read again. I got three books one week, six books the next and have already read 3 but am falling behind and have a long list of books I want to read this summer. *sigh* Why don't adults take reading seriously? I mean "yeah its a good way for kids to learn" but why can't they appreciate the joy of fiction and just veggetating every once in a while, especially when they are shoving "Giants in the Earth" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" one minute and calling it a waste of time when you want to read "Once and Future King" and "Ben-Hur" the next?

GAH!!!!!

2008-05-03T05:15:00.000-07:00

So I was lying down in the grass yesterday, just enjoying the sun and trying to get a tan, and my cell phone slipped out of my pocket. I didn't realize it at the time, and didn't even realize that my phone wasn't in my pocket until little brother goes out to mow the grass and hits something, stops the mower and picks up the poor phone..... Goodbye: screen, battery, battery cover, and front panel.

So I had to get a new one. Still prepaid from tracphone, but it's the razer model.

Algebra done

2008-05-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

So I got very motivated today and did two days worth of algebra in one to finish it off. What a relief to finally have that over with.

I'm still getting used to the idea of real blogging, telling other people about my life every day. I mean, sitting here wanting to share I don't come up with much that is happening to me. Some of you are just full of those little things to share, and I struggle, cuz I think I need to give you something profound to think over. blah blah blah.

Ok, so I'm planning on staying up late again tonight, midnight on a school night, to get maybe a little more writing in. If I feel super energized, I'll finish chapter 5 tonight. I'm being really gutsy with my writing this time. I am "putting my inner editor in the kennel". I got the book by the founder of NaNoWriMo and am taking a lot of tips from it. I really want to do this this summer. I don't know why I think of going off to college as the end of the world, or why I'm creating this "bucket list".

This summer I want to be an amazing speaker and win the orator award at the political sciences camp I am going to. I want to finish my novel. I want to work out some sort of economic plan for the country, in preparation for the upcoming 2032 election (assuming the country is still around then and we aren't bowing down to big brother who now rules the world). SOMNITE FOR PRESIDENT IN 2032!!!! I plan on running as an independent with the goal of aboloshing the party system if it is still around. Be ye warned, this is not a joke. I have the speaking skills, I have the visions, and I feel like I have God's approval. (though He may be throwing me a curveball and putting ideas of presidency in my head to prepare me for something else). All this not mentioning that I have already started making it known my plans and an early and unique campaign start always helps.

Today Revisited

2008-04-29T04:28:00.000-07:00

Today, I am counting down the days until graduation: 25.

Today, I am counting down days of algebra: 4

Today I am looking forward to getting more hours at the library where I work.

On the sbject of that, I am not looking forward to having the only other young employee leave. She was a college grad, but we were basically equals, and she having been working there since she was 14 was able to give me all kinds of tips and pointers for after she left. She gave me the rundown on library politics; ugh! She also convinced me to start using Twitter. So that shall be coming up, and I shall let you all (is anyone reading this?) about that.

Other than that, today I am just enjoying the sunbeams.

Calendar of events:

May 20th: Computer Fair

May 24th: Graduation

June 22nd: leave for speech competition in Kansas City, MO

July sometime: City on the Hill Youth Leadership Conference

August 31st: Report to Grace College for orientation!

And some of you know, I was going to send out a monthly friends update so that people could keep in touch even after splitting up during the summer. Yeah, I tried that last May and did one email. That failed, but I hope I can do that with this blog.

Right now, I'm also really thinking about a dear old friend who I haven't had contact with in a long time. K.D. were here initials, some of you should know her. Good 'ole PHAA times.

I'm also getting ready to really start seriously into my novel. I got some books and have been reading up getting ready for June. I'm going to try to do my own little novel month. I already have a start, but with my schedule I am still only hoping for 50,000 words. Like Anilee, I will probably send out some chapters to people.

Also, I'm considering starting up an online youth ministry that I've been praying over for a while.

Today

2008-04-22T09:12:00.001-07:00

Ok, so maybe I've lost the concept of what a blog really is. A blog is to tell friends about your life, not scare them with intellectual topics, or preach doom and gloom (I haven't have I?)

Well, right now I'm printing out invitations to my graduation party and so forth. If you're reading this you're probably invited and will be receiving one whether by email or by snail mail.

Today we're doing serious spring cleaning. We just replaced all the glass with screens and are letting in the breeze. I'm Wearing shorts!!!

We're planning on making a new computer desk for me too, in the basement. It's kinda dark and damp down there but it will work out for what I need to do.

I'm mentally preparing myself for college. It really is scary. I will be driving 11.5 hours to get to a place where I will be assigned a roomate who I do not know. Calling home is long distance. There is no respite if I am sick, no mom to bring my soup or tea. There is no call out to get the time of my next appointment with whoever. It will be just me. My family was spoiled by my sister. She is going only 45 minutes away. She can come home on weekends and on some evenings. I will have nothing and it is scary. The one comfort is that email will work just as fast over 11.5 miles of road, and blogs still function from other computers. Meanwhile, I'm bequeathing those personal belongings that I cannot take with me.

Justified (original post Easter Sudnay 2008)

2008-04-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

I wrote this this afternoon, It is obviously fiction, and yet to be refined, but I anted to post this on Easter.

I cannot begin to describe the journey after my eyes closed that last time. I remember only that it seemed an eternity, something I little understood then. I guess it must have been so short that I had no time to glimpse the tunnel with the light at the end. I know only that I was there.

Until you see it for yourself you cannot comprehend the wonder and awe of seeing the immortal, all glorious God face to face. I wanted to worship and kneel before him, but I could stand there only, simply, with my hands at my sides and an expressionless face.

The air around us, if air it could be called, was tense, and I could tell that something terrible was about to happen. The Almighty God sat on His throne, King of all His creation, and He was sad. His eyes looked at me and they pierced to my soul. They were full of love and compassion I had always heard of and had come to know, but mixed with those sweet emotions was the anger and wrath of an Infinite Being who had been betrayed and hurt by a servant whom he loved dearly.

He brought out the great book of my life, a record of all the charges that were to be brought before me in this great, eternal courtroom. I guessed that perhaps that this was to be merely a reading, a tribute to all that He could forgive. I looked up to the face of God, and could not meet his gaze. How could I look Him in the eye and declare that this was irrelevant because I was forgiven by His Son. The book was heavy and the list of my misdeeds long. Every thought, every deed, every feeling was there.

The book was opened and it was read. I soon realized that this was no mere account of my life, this was a trial, my trial, my final accounting before God. As charge after charge was laid on me, my lusts, my greed, my pride, I wondered: “Where was the Son who had died that there might be forgiveness for all this.” But the accusations were read, on and on. The burden grew on my heart and I realized just how many of them there were, and even the smallest of these was like a burning coal thrown into my soul until it burned from what filled it and overflowed, and piled around it. “Where, oh where is the Savior for all this.” I cried. “Where is the one who makes intercession for me as promised.”

The reading continued and I fell to my knees and wept. I cried for my iniquities, which I knew nothing but the blood of The Son could cover over. The reading ended and there was silence in that great hall but for my agony.

All the faces of the heavenly bodies turned and I lifted my face from the floor and beheld the Son. He had been there, unnoticed since the beginning of the reading and now, he came forward. He declared to all that these charges were unfounded and that it was not I who had committed them.

My heart overflowed with gratitude. I had given my life over to Him in the trust that He would do this, and He had. I wanted to sing my praise and love of Christ so that all could hear, but I was stopped.

Jesus was looking at me with a sad smile. He could see into my soul and saw the joy there, but His eyes were full of tears.

“It was I.” He declared to the Father. “I was the one who was proud. I lusted. I was the selfish one, and the one who was violent. There is no fault in him who is before you.” He bowed His head like a criminal who is pleading guilty to a charge against him, and a shining droplet fell from His face and splashed onto His feet. I could think nothing, form no words in my mouth. A dread gew on me; what was he doing? Why was he saying this? Hs blood had covered over all sin and removed it, “as far as the East is from the West”, the scrptures said.

An angel came forward bearing the great book of the Law of God. It was open and the flaming letters therin burned my eyes, as the demands of holiiness shone out from the pages. In a voice free of emotion and expression the voice of the great angel intoned, “The Law finds that He is guilty of sin.”

The dread and fear in my heart grew and became anguish and suffering as a great cloud of witnesses appeared and one by one pointed at The Christ and said “I am witness that He is guilty.”

One after another they came, each saying the same thing. I saw that perfect One, who loved me over His Own life, taking on Himself the weight of these charges. I called out in anguish “Stop!, It was I, you cannot say that!” But the witness continued to come and make their proclamations for all to hear. My soul was weighted more than ever before as now those burning coals of my sin were transferred to the immaculate Son of God. I knew that from this new trial, there could be no happy ending.

“Why?” I sobbed. “Your blood was supposed to accomplish the forgiveness of my sins! Where is that forgiveness now?”

“The eyes of the Son turned on me again and He said simply, “Forgiveness was never promised only Justification.”

The last witness filed past and I could not lift my head again to look at the Halls of Heaven, which I now could enjoy while Jesus carried my blemishes.

God then declared “Enough, this man is Justified, he is found guilty of no fault. Another must now be condemned for His sins against me, and the wrongs He has done.”

I knew he meant my Wonderful Jesus and my hearted ached and my soul cried out for mercy, but it received its answer: there is no mercy for sin.

The declaration of Righteous Justness came from the mouth of God then. “The only punishment that will pay justly for such crimes is death. Since this Man is found guilty, the sentence must be carried out.”

Jesus again stepped forward towards the Father, and for the first time I saw the wounds. I had long dreamed of Heaven and seeing these for myself, and seeing truly how much He had suffered for me, but not like this. How could I bear to see them like this, but I looked and as I saw them, they looked fresh, as if only a few minutes old. For the first time, I noticed the trail of blood that Jesus’ feet left as he walked, and the blood that seeped through the side of His robe. He held out His hands to His Father and showed him the marks of the nails, still dripping those crimsondrops, each more precious to me now than all the treasures of Earth had been.

“The punishment has already been carried out.” God declared. “No further pain or death needs be suffered.”

And then my heart was truly free from all burden,as I saw that now there was no sin left that could not be paid for by the death of my Christ.

Later as I sat on the lap of my Savior, I asked Him what had happened. “Why was there no forgiveness why did you still have to take my sins onto Your shoulders?” I will carry his answer for all the eternity that I now understand.

“Forgiveness was never promised, only Justification. You were not declared forgiven, you were declared ‘not guilty’. You were blameless before God, because I took all your faults on myself, because I was the only one who could ever die and erase that condemnation. Someone must die for every sin committed. You gave that burden to Me, and I took it willingly. That is how much I loved you. God cannot forgive sin, - it is against His nature - but you were Justified.”

On the subject of instructional and doctrinal books...

2008-04-22T09:07:00.002-07:00

Alright, I finally made time to sit down and type this out.

I find no problem with doctrinal books and the sermons of men in their nature. I, in fact, find them to be rather helpful and insightful in many ways. I come in conflict with my conscience when men take and study these human works to the extent that it takes away from God's word. I even have seen some study exclusively the writings of others concerning God's Scriptures.
How can we in good faith do this and ignore the command to study for ourselves. The Bereans whom Paul ministered to were not just content to hear one of the greatest evangelists of all time, one of the apostles of Christ; they took his teachings and then studied God's Words to really see what God's will for them was. All men will make errors and mistakes in their own interpretations. If we then take this flawed writing or sermon as our guide, we will, like all humans, make errors and misinterpret that teaching, so that now the flaw is multiplied to twice its original magnitude.

Think of a carpenter building a house. If he cut's trusses or supports for a roof. If he uses his pattern to cut piece1, then uses piece1 as the pattern for piece2, the flaws and misshapeness of the first piece will be multiplied in the second. But if he goes on to cut piece3 using piece2 as a pattern then that flaw will be even greater. After all the pieces for the roof are cut in this manner, the carpenter may be short of supplies, and the pieces will not fit together properly, and so with the body of Christ.

The Church cannot function when all the members are believing and basing their beliefs on another person's flawed thinking. God's word has only one meaning, and the closer we are to that meaning, the better we will be able to live together without disagreements and the discord that comes from a disunified Church.

"All scripture is God breathed...." God spoke these words in our Bible, indirectly though they often are. This scripture is our only insight into the mind of the All Powerful, All Knowing God. We need to make sure that we are not deceived in any of it. We must study on our own, and take lessons from the great theologians, who have studied more than we, but we must always compare these teachings to the original scripture for accuracy.