The Digital Life

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:46:00 +0000

Roadtrip! Today (in a few minutes) I will embark on a couple of great roadtrips. I am not sure where we are going for sure, but do have a few plans. Trip one will be to take Sinclair to PCH to Strategic Intelligence Camp. The trip there should last about 12 hours, but I am sure that we will take longer. Then Peyton and I will get to spend a few days in New York City doing his Passport to Purity. Then Wednesday we head back and pick up the rest of the family and head back to PCH and get Sinclair then head to Colonial Williamsburg for a few days of relaxing time learning about early Colonial life in America. You can follow us at Twitter.com/TheDigitalLife, and of course the blog here at http://thedigitallife.net/blogger.html.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:19:00 +0000

When there are dark clouds, get out the umbrella: I am perpetually amazed at the ignorance that some people have when it comes to seeing the signs and not doing anything about it. Take Katrina. The people in New Orleans knew (and bragged) that they lived below sea level and that any severe hurricane could devastate the city. They had days to prepare and evacuate, but many chose to stay and paid with their lives. Some had the audacity to claim that they just never knew that the storm could be that bad.

When it comes to the economy people are just as ignorant. They don't want to admit that things are bad, or that they have the potential to get bad. This week the IndyMac Bank of California was closed by the government. They have been reporting problems for months and their stock has slipped from $30 to 28 cents. So what's up with all these people going to the bank on Friday trying to withdraw money and finding that the bank is closed? One of the guys that was interviewed admitted that they probably had over $100,000, more than that which is insured. That goes beyond ignorance.

US Bank closed at $25.80, so I guess I am safe for now.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:13:00 +0000

Maybe It’s Time for Some Change: I don’t mean change like politicians say it, I mean change like really doing things different. Politicians say change, what they mean is that they want their party in power and want to do things the same old way that their party has been doing it. But sometimes you have to just throw away the rule book and start all over.

What I am talking about is our dependence on foreign oil. I drove in today to see that the price was steady at $4.07 and I was actually glad. When we moved here it was $1.99 and that was considered high. And I really don’t see it coming down. So we have to do some drastic things. Some propose conservation, but conservation only helps a little. Some say alternative fuels, but they take a while to get to market and they are currently contributing to the global food shortage (who was the Einstein who thought taking food and making it fuel wouldn’t disrupt things?). We could drill off the coast, but that will take years to get to market. We could drill in ANWAR, but that is also years away.

I have an idea, let’s do it all! Seriously, if we take all of the solutions and adopt them all then we could really see some change. Let’s lower the national speed limit to 55MPH (and allow those who feel the need to drive at 45 MPH drive in the slow lane). Let’s start looking at raising the CAFE standard so that the next generation of vehicles get better mileage than what we have on the road today. Let’s back plans to install wind farms all over the Midwest so that our home electricity isn’t based on oil or coal.

If you know me you know that I don’t buy in to the global warming myth, so why all this talk about saving fuel? It comes down to money and dependence on others. One thing that I enjoy is not being dependent on anyone else. I long for a day when I can drive to work and then plug in at night so that the commute doesn’t cost me a dime (right now it is about $12 a day for the commute).

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:25:00 +0000

The Conflict of Data: Today I found this really fun picture of a floating city. While I love this kind of stuff, it is interesting why this "city" is being developed. The Lilypad cities are for "climate refugees". This is of course because the earth is going to be submerged because the oceans are rising because we have too many cows. The article states as fact that the oceans will rise 3 feet by 2100. This is of course in direct conflict with the global warm prophet Al Gore who has stated that all of Manhattan will be under water in 25 years. Of course, if Manhattan is 8" above sea level these two facts might not be in conflict, and my comments are all wet. Also in conflict, Charlotte broke a 123 year old record today, for the coldest July 3rd on record. Hmmm.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:48:00 +0000

We the People: Today the Supreme Court of the United States of America overturned a Washington DC ban on the ownership of handguns. The ban, which had been in place for decades, was said to be unconstitutional. What the court affirms in this ruling is that the 2nd Amendment specifically holds the individual right to arms. In a city that saw nearly 150 murders last year this can only come as a comfort for the millions of people who have wanted the right to protect themselves.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:52:00 +0000

A True Abortion Story: News out of England highlights a couple of things about abortion that really put it in the light of truth. The story is of woman who decided to abort her baby because she was told that it would be born with a kidney problem as her first two children have. Her birth control failed and instead of dealing with the problems of having another child with a difficult affliction she made the logical choice to kill the child.

However, the procedure failed and she found out later that she was still pregnant. The doctors did another scan to confirm the baby and found that while it did have a kidney problem it would likely survive and live a healthy life.

Welcome Finley to the world.

The things that I like about this article is the truthfulness of the article. She wanted to terminate the baby because she was told that the baby was defective. The doctors were wrong. Makes me wonder how many babies are killed on faulty advice from doctors. No where in the article is Finley referred to as fetus or tissue. He is a baby. And now he is alive. His right to live triumphed her right to kill. Doesn't happen a lot, but I love it when it does.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:33:00 +0000

Liberal Logic: Today Governor Steve Beshear accused large oil suppliers with "raping the public" with their high prices. It is now a well known fact that they yield about 8 cents per gallon whereas the state of Kentucky gets 36.9 cents. So if they are raping the public at 8 cents, what are you doing Governor at 36.9 cents? And why would he choose to use such violent and inflammatory language, something that is so offensive to so many people. He called for President Bush to stop price gouging, while even today Congress was hearing testimony confirming that the problem is not the oil companies but speculators. So while our Governor is insighting images of rape, those that truly can govern are doing so.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:52:00 +0000

NOAA – Those Prognosticators of Disaster and Gloom: This marks the third hurricane season since Katrina and the third year where the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted higher than normal hurricane activity. The year directly preceding Katrina brought record low levels of activity and last year was a close second. But it makes sense for them to once again try to pass off the high level of hurricane activity once again. First, they are going to be right some day and then they can tell the world that they got it right (the world will totally forget the previous predictions which were totally inaccurate). Second, its job security. If they say that the hurricane activity is going to be calm (as it was the past two years) then CNN won’t have anyone to run to and declare that the world is about to end. Finally, this continues to fuel the global warming myth because they can say that the high level hurricane activity is due to increased carbon emissions due to people flying around the globe telling people that the earth is warming. Guys like Al Gore as a matter of fact.

I have said this in the past, and will continue to campaign that the government needs to withdraw their funding. They are so incredibly inaccurate that it makes no sense to have them.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:07:00 +0000

Sometimes Even A Dictator Makes Sense: We tend to look at the things that are said from those we dislike, distrust, or hold with disdain are reflect that everything that comes from their mouth is evil, a lie, or a manipulation for their own benefit. I certainly feel that way about some people. But some times you can sort through the evil and find a kernel of truth or wisdom that makes you ponder it.
Today I had one of those "ah!" moments. Hugo Chavez, South America's most outspoken lunatic, came out last week against ethanol and said that it was a crime against the poor. Now granted Huge-O is a member of OPEC and wants to keep the world dependent upon his money train, but I would have to say that in this one area he might be kind of right. Look, it takes 400 pounds of corn to make enough fuel to fill one tank in a car. That is enough grain to feed someone for a year according to American Thinker. They show that the recent congressional mandate to produce 9 billion gallons of fuel requires about 1/3rd of our total corn output. So, there is little wonder that the price of corn has shot up to insane levels and there is a shortage.
So for the sake of saving the earth from emissions we are starving the poor. Sure, that makes sense.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:16:00 +0000

Moleskin II: I have been intrigued by the Moleskin Notebooks for some time. I bought one and have made some random notes on web sites that I want to visit (like when reading something in B&N), some photo things that I want to try, etc. I have recently just decided to get a little more serious about how I use it. I bought some little sticky tabs and decided to make individual areas where I can organize my thoughts. I just bought a second one that I will be using for my PoST thoughts (Prepare, Survive, Thrive). I realized that when the power goes out I won't have anything to keep track of my thoughts that I can easily pull up. So now when the PDA crashes (like it did last week) I won't have to worry about the SD card having the backup.

This is a big change in my thinking. Everything in my life is pretty digital. In my job if I have something that is paper I almost immediately figure out how to scan it and save it digitally. I have backups for nearly everything that is important, but there is something about having a notebook that has it all. The Moleskin isn't perfect, and that is part of the charm. Its like my Holga camera. The faults are what make it unique. I guess that is the same for me. I have faults, that is what makes me who I am. I will learn to work with the constraints of what I have, 192 pages of 3x5"and make it work.

Right now I am not sure exactly how I will divide this new one or how I will customize it, but it will be a fun challenge.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sat, 03 May 2008 20:34:00 +0000

My Vote for President of the United State - Boris Johnson, the mayor of London: I am fed up with the three that are being offered as candidates for President. Hillary is a prove habitual liar who will do anything or say anything to be elected, Obama is a racist who is now back-peddling as it is being discovered. His church has had as its mission statement (until very recently) several statements promoting the Black values. If I were going to a church that supported White Values I would be mocked and ridiculed, and rightly so. Their mission statement didn't say a word about Jesus Christ, rather odd for a Church of Christ, wouldn't you agree? That leaves McCain who is one of the least conservative Republican's that I have ever heard of.

So why Boris for the new President? Just read this statement from Boris and tell me what you think:

"It is time to reassert British values…That means disposing of the first taboo, and accepting that the problem is Islam. Islam is the problem. To any non-Muslim reader of the Koran, Islamophobia — fear of Islam — seems a natural reaction, and, indeed, exactly what that text is intended to provoke. Judged purely on its scripture — to say nothing of what is preached in the mosques — it is the most viciously sectarian of all religions. The trouble with this disgusting arrogance and condescension is that it is widely supported in Koranic texts, and we look in vain for the enlightened Islamic teachers and preachers who will begin the process of reform. What is going on in these mosques and madrasas? "When is someone going to get 18th century on Islam’s mediaeval ass?"

This man doesn't mince words. He has identified the problem in words that everyone knows and isn't afraid to do so. Islam is a menace in London, as it is in America. I didn't say Muslims, but Islam - the religion of Muslims. Those who are careful adherents to that doctrine are some of the worst people on the face of the earth. Not a week goes by where there isn't a story about how they have murdered a large group of innocent people. This past week they blew up a bunch of people in a wedding party and then followed up with a suicide bomber murdering those who came to help. All for the glory of Allah.

And does Mayor Johnson have a chance as President of The United States of America? You bet. While he is a citizen of the UK and an MP, he was born in New York and thus qualifies. And in the absence of someone who is honest, is conservative, and has a plan - I might just write him in.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:47:00 +0000

Balance of Rights and Freedom: Today the Supreme Court of the United States of America ruled that states have the right to require a photo ID to vote. The reason for such a common sense law is due to incredible voter fraud. I suspect that in Chicago alone we will see voting drop by 50%. The liberal side of our great country claim that this is unfair because it somehow discriminates against those who do not have a photo ID. This is true to a degree, and that is the point. If a person cannot prove their existence with the correct documentation then they should be prohibited from voting. I am all in favor of the right to vote for all. I am glad that we no longer have polling stations for a specific race. I am glad that women can vote. I am glad that not just land owners can vote – but so can the most impoverished. There is not test for intelligence (as is evident by the large amount of people who still vote Democrat). Our polls are open to all citizens who are over 18 who want to vote (except those who have forfeited that right through the commission of a felony).

Citizenship is easy. If a person feels so strongly the need to exercise their right to vote, get an ID! If you whine about your rights, but won’t do the basics of proving who you are then your vote is obviously not that important. While I have a lot of people who disagree with me, I am also glad, very glad, that there is a requirement to have a photo ID to fly in the US. Some have couched this in the argument that we have to have ID to travel, this is patently false. In fact, you can travel across the country without any ID. You can walk, take the bus, take a train, etc. But because of the incredible events in our RECENT past, we now need to assure that the person who is climbing onto that 200 passenger ICBM is not a potential threat to those who are flying, and thousands on the ground. If you feel that your rights to privacy are more important then take the Greyhound.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:33:00 +0000

Who I am: According to McCain I am out of touch with reality because I question the credentials and the friends of one of the candidates running for President. According to Clinton I am part of a vast right wing conspiracy because I believe in the truth. According to Obama I am bitter because I cling to my Bible and a gun. I will not be placed in a box by their weak rhetoric. Mr. McCain, you sir are out of touch if you feel that you can tell the leadership of North Carolina what kind of ads they can run for their local candidates. Ms. Clinton, you are a liar and I am tired of everyone dancing around that word. You knew what your husband was doing, you were in the White House when it was happening, and you knew that it happened with dozens of other women prior. You lied about Chelsea being around the WTC during 9/11 and you knew it. You lied about being under sniper fire in Bosnia. You are a liar. It is who you are. And Mr. Obama, you have sat at the feet of a racist, you embrace racism. You throw your mother and grandmother under a bus the first chance you get, but embrace your father’s heritage when he was the one who abandoned you. None of you are qualified to run this country as is evident by the way that you are running your candidacy. This isn’t a race towards excellence, it is a battle to see who will make the least amount of mistakes. Had John Edwards stayed in it he would be the candidate. Had ANYONE on the Republican side stayed in they would be the candidate.

Man, I miss Ronald Reagan.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:55:00 +0000

I was reading about Jimmy Carter's latest antics today and then the next article featured a story of B.J. Clinton cussing after an interview regarding his wife. It made me think about some of the things that I have seen with our past Republican candidates. George Bush (41) did work with Clinton shortly to help restore New Orleans, and of course he was seen parachuting on his 80^th birthday. That's it. Nothing else. No campaigning for his sons, no traveling the globe to seek out hugs from terrorists. Nothing . Then I thought of Regan and Ford. Pretty much the same. Regan went to almost immediate seclusion because of his Alzheimer's Disease and Ford just decided to stay out of the light. But Jimmy and BJ just can't stay out of the spot light. They had more than their 15 minutes of fame and they crave more and more.

What causes this insatiable desire to keep in the public eye. Is it because of their joyful disposition and the desire to make mankind better? Not the case with Carter, he is going without being asked to greet people declared an enemy of the state (and will someone please revoke his passport!). For Clinton I am sure that it is just part of the penance that he has to pay for past "indiscretions". I am sure that he would love nothing more than to be back home in Harlem cruising the strip.

While not the president, I have a good idea of how I will spend my retirement, and it won't be following the leadership of these guys. I might write my memoirs and hope to sell 2-3 copies. I will learn to fish better, I will spend time with my grandkids. And if I ever see a picture of myself like either of these two guys I think that I will move to Teirra Del Fuego.

CNN Totally Misses the Point:

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:57:00 +0000

CNN ran an article today that I think totally missed the point. They had their shot, and they blew it. The link on the front page said "Hybrids are the New Hybrids". The link takes disappointed readers to More People Buying Hybrid Cars. What would have been appropriate would have been to compare the guy tinkering with his car 40 years ago to make it faster to the guy who now works on his car to help it get the best mileage possible. That is the new "backyard mechanic". Efficiency is the speed. Who cares if you can go zero to 250 in 6 seconds. It is now more important to be able to make that 50 mile commute with a gallon of gas, or a half a gallon. There are hundreds of web pages out there for people tweaking their hybrids to get better mileage – that is the story. When gas is nearing $4 a gallon in California it is hardly newsworthy that more people are interested in buying a hybrid.

Fickle Issues:

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:45:00 +0000

ABC News does this weekly poll (page 8) where they ask people the most important issues that they consider when looking at candidates. Fortunately for Democrats the issue of integrity has always ranked low. This means that the American people will gladly elect a politician who lies, makes up stuff, is a racist, corrupt, etc. Al Gore was right (and the only time that I can find) when he said "It's the economy stupid". He was just about 4 years late. The issue of the war has taken an 18 point dip in the last 8 months but the economy has surged 30 points. And no wonder. So the question is do we want an administration that will reduce our taxes to stimulate the economy or do we want a party whose slogan is "You make it, we take it"? It bothers me that our country is so numb to the issue of taxes that it bothers less than 1% of the populace. This was the issue that caused us to make that big break from King George. Abortion also is a 1% blip on the screen. A country that would willingly kill hundreds of its own citizens for the sake of convenience cannot be assumed to survive very long. Health Care (Hillary's big issue) is now only a concern for 7%.

Of course the all of these issues are important to some degree, it is really a matter of ranking. When we are seeing rising gas prices, unemployment rising, housing stalled, and the steady march towards a depressed economy it is no wonder that the economy is so important. Hopefully we can get someone to turn this around and at the same time reverse this course of total immorality that has become America.

Patriotism in America:

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:22:00 +0000

I listened to a couple of talk radio shows today, and read a great article in Time that really clearly defined the difference between one party and the other. One party has as its presidential candidate a person who refuses to wear an American flag pin on his lapel and who's wife says that she has never been proud to be an American. He sees America through the lens of all the things that are wrong with it. He seeks hope because he sees it as a desolate wasteland. The other candidate has served his country since his youth and is proud to be an American and sees all that is good.

This defines the difference in the world as I see it. I tend to look at the world as "Hey, this is a great place. We need to fix a few things, but it is good, and for the vast majority." But I keep hearing from the major media about how bad things are. Regan hit it on the head when he said "Republicans believe that every day is the Fourth of July, but Democrats believe that every day is April 15^th." Where is that kind of leader today? One that inspires us to be better than ourselves without telling us what victims we are.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:40:00 +0000

The Tax Man Cometh: "[April 15] is the last day for filing income tax returns—a day that reminds us that taxpayers pay too much of their earnings to the Federal Government. And Americans will continue to pay too much money to the Federal Government until the Congress acts on our proposals to reduce tax rates across the board... While April 15 serves as a reminder, the people of the United States truly do not need to be reminded. They are victims of inflation, which pushes them into higher tax brackets. They are robbed daily of a better standard of living. They are discouraged from work and investment... Taxes are much too high to deal in half measures... The choice before us is clear. I strongly feel that the great majority of Americans believe that nothing would better encourage economic growth than leaving more money in the hands of the people who earn it. It’s time to stop stripping bare the productive citizens of America and funneling their hard-earned income into the Federal bureaucracy. Today is a day when the people reaffirm their commitment to our system by contributing a portion of their income to the Government. Americans have always been prepared to pay their fair share, but today they should make it clear to all elected officials that government has gone beyond its bounds and that the people will not tolerate the ever-increasing tax burden they have experienced in recent years.” —Ronald Reagan

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:55:00 +0000

Continuation of the Midwest Democratic Hypocrisy Tour: This week Barrack H Obama continued his attempts to alienated everyone in America when he described people in small towns in Pennsylvania as bitter people holding on to their guns and religion. Wow, guns and religion! Too bad the Constitution doesn't protect American's with the right to bear arms or the freedom of religion. Oops, it does. And it is obvious again that the Senator from Illinois hasn't read the Constitution. Hillary was quick to jump on him for his insensitive remarks until someone asked her when was the last time that she went to church or fired a gun. They were told that it wasn't relevant. Its only relevant when you are talking about someone else I suppose.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:33:00 +0000

Today's Hillary Gaffe: I just read a fascinating story about this really emotional story that Hillary tells of a woman who has no health care, is making minimum wage, and has a baby die because she is denied care because of the lack of insurance. Then the girl herself later dies. A heart wrenching story so typical of America today. Well, at least typical of Hillary because nothing in the story is true. The hospital denied that the girl was denied treatment, in fact was treated. And the girl had insurance. But, the liberal crowds will swallow this because the truth doesn't matter, only the reason for the yarn.

Meanwhile Al Gore will fly on a private jet somewhere to tell the world to use less oil.
John Edwards will sit in his multi-million dollar mansion drafting a speech on poverty.
Barrack Obama will listen to a message on the hatred of white people and think about unity.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:05:00 +0000

Church and State: There has always been a delicate tightrope of when the government gets involved in issues. Because of a strong faith and an understanding that our country was founded on the principles of religious freedom I tend to favor the religion in just about any situation where the government interferes. There are times when I adamantly disagree with the doctrine or practices of religious group, however I think that they need the protection from the state. My own faith has at its roots animal sacrifices, something that I find disgusting. But if the members of Santeria want to kill a chicken in the practices then they should have that freedom.

Where the conflict comes is when the religious practices fly in the face of the law and general common sense. I lived in The Bay when the Jonestown Massacre occurred. The government was correct what was believed to be a dangerous cult. They were right and 913 people died. The government was right to look into this, although they didn’t have the capability to stop the mass suicides. Then 16 years later I watched as the government raided the Branch Davidian compound at Mt. Carmel, TX. This was a situation where the government was responding to an accusation of abuse by a former member and used the guise of “Child Protective Services” to raid the compound. While there was no evidence that abuse ever actually occurred they went in. The Davidians, feeling that the apocalypse was happening open fired to defend their compound and the results were tanks rolling through their compound 51 days killing 76. Had the Davidians allowed the government to interview all the members maybe this wouldn’t have happened. But, the government has a responsibility to investigate claims of abuse.

This weekend the government staged a raid that is much larger in scope than Waco was. Again Texas is the site of a massive raid, this time on the 1,900 acre campus of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the well known polygamist cult who’s leader, Warren Jeffs, was arrested a couple of years on various charges stemming from his arranging of marriages. Arranged marriages have happened throughout the ages and still occur in many countries. This cult believes in polygamy as do many cultures across the globe. This church believes in child brides, as do many cultures around the world. The difference here is that our culture does not allow for these three practices (polygamy, child brides, and arranged marriages) and there is no culture of which I am aware that allows for all three of these practices. So in that, they have rather pushed the edge of tolerance. This cult should probably have found a culture that has tolerance for these beliefs and moved there. But instead they build a massive temple in the middle of Texas to shove it in the face of those who object.

When the Texas Rangers showed up with warrants to search, seize, and arrest those involved in alleged abuse the members of the cult did the right thing. They laid down their weapons (with really cool night vision scopes by the way) and opened the gates. They removed 52 children without incident.

The focus on the raid was a 16 year old girl who was married to a guy who is over 50 (creepy!) and fathered a child with her. It is apparent at this time that the girl didn’t want to be married and thus the child is a product of rape. This is probably a proper intervention from the government and a correct response by the cult. If this girl was forced into the marriage then now she can be free of this sex-slave relationship. I hope that the father of the girl is also arrested for allowing this. If I believe in arranged marriage (and I am not even getting into that right now) and I put a marriage together for one of my daughters and she objected, then I am just as much to blame as the husband, maybe more.

The government needs to respect the beliefs of a group, but there is a time for the government to investigate and prosecute those who break our laws.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:36:00 +0000

Obamination: This week the liberal heir-apparent for the Democrat part nod made another startling statement which reveals both his political views and his inexperience as a politician. He said “Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old . . I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby. I don’t want them punished with an STD at age 16, so it doesn’t make sense to not give them information.” I have “punishments” in my family. Some members have made decisions in the heat of passion that resulted in some of the most beautiful children in the world. I don’t know one single person who didn’t think “I wish that I would have waited”, but I also don’t know one of them who feel that the product of that passion was anything other than a blessing later. Out of love for these beautiful children I will not give specifics, but leave it that they are great people who have added wonderfully to our lives. At times I have wanted to embrace them, at times I have wanted to just smack them – but the same can be said for my own children.

The flaw in Senator Obama’s comment is that it is based on a plan for failure. He said that he is going to first teach them about values and morals, but “if they make a mistake”… This is the assumption that his leadership in the home will not prevail. Rudy struggled with this issue when he had a child who was supporting a liberal (don’t remember, doesn’t matter). As a parent it is my primary responsibility in life to raise those children in the best way possible. We shape their thinking to help them make good choices. Failure is not an option. But for the freshman Senator (and absolutely the worst qualified candidate ever to run for President) he plans to lead his family through failure.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:08:00 +0000

When the Sheep are Flying its Time to Run! When I was a young boy I remember my dad (at work) talking with my mom (at home). He said that he was looking out the window and could see sheep flying by his windows. Quick, what do you do? A lot of people might run to the car to grab a camera, most would probably go outside to look. A lot of people upon hearing this would dismiss it as a hoax. But, the few wise people would quickly run to an inner room and brace for the tornado that is about to destroy your building.

It is interesting to me the reaction that I have gotten from some people since I have become more open about my views of our declining economy. There will be many who want to pretend that nothing is going to happen, and if I am wrong then their life will remain unchanged. But there are some who would openly mock this view. I would welcome this kind of disagreement if there was any evidence to point that I am wrong. I would love that kind of hope! But I just don't see it. What I do see is more and more people talking about the potential of the future, and some are saying that the crash that I think is going to happen next year might be coming sooner.

Glenn Beck, the incredible CNN anchor and commentator compares it to a $53 trillion dollar astroid about to crash into the earth. The link will show you his math.
The Independent, a UK newspaper, is calling this the Great Depression of 2008. They report on our own governments projections of the highest number of people on food stamps since the program was started in the 1960's.

The Telegraph from India questions whether this is a short term depression or whether it is "deep and protracted". In their eyes it isn't even a question as to if it will happen (same with Beck and The Independent) but how had it will be. Regardless of when it happens or how bad it will happen, there is hope out there for those who feel that the government will fix it. There are already proposals from the presidential candidates offering their solutions. However all of them give the same solution - raise taxes and give it to those who have the least amount. That works when we only have 28,000,000 people on welfare, but what happens when it is 100,000,000 or 150,000,000?

To those who think that the government can fix anything, I would remind you that nearly 2-1/2 years after Katrina that New Orleans still has not been rebuilt.

The sheep are flying...what are you going to do?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:41:00 +0000

Deal of the Week!: I just bought a generic Bluetooth headset for $.99! The deal is like this, the headset is $59, but Buy.com is blowing these things out for $10.99. Then you use Google Checkout for the first time and get a $10 checkout. Use the free shipping option (will probably come sometime during McCain's second term) and it is indeed just 99 cents. Click here.

Tip of the Week: I was talking to my dad about this a few weeks ago and then Mary asked about it. So I did it and absolutely love it! This is the deal. Get your favorite MP3 client like Winamp, and then go grab a stream ripping program (like Stream Ripper). Now you go to your favorite online radio station like SmoothJazz.com or any of the channels on Sky.FM and then activate the stream ripper. It snags each song as an individual MP3 and saves them all in a folder to listen to offline or run over to your MP3 player. You will need to spend about a minute deleting the bumps and PSAs, but it is really incredible. Set your ripper to grab overnight and have a couple hundred songs in the morning. You can fill that new 160MB iPod in no time!

Quotes of the Week:

"I misspoke" -Hillary Rodham-Clinton on her lie about being under sniper fire in Bosnia.
"Had Wright not retired, I would have left the church" - Barack H Obama on leaving the church where his mentor and friend of 20 years had pastored espousing white hatred speech from the pulpit - but only when Obama wasn't there.

Favorite New Band: Science for Girls.

Best new software: I bought Sage's ACT! again. This isn't really new, but I have a new laptop so I am reconfiguring and really, really love this program. Organizes everything in my life. I also got Adobe's Lightroom, but right now don't see much that is that helpful that I can't do in Photoshop CS3. Will load some RAW files later and see if there is a big difference.

Site of the Week: Fathers.com, just a great site to help you be a better dad.

Song of the Week: Love is a Beautiful Thing, by Phil Vassar. First time a song has made me cry since Butterfly Kisses. (note to my daughters - I love you!)

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:32:00 +0000

Leadership - The Missing Quality: I have battled back and forth who I want to see as President in the next term. Here is where I am at a loss. On the Democrat side I see two candidates that are fighting like pit bulls for the nod in their party, they really want it. On the Republican side there is one choice, and he has nothing to fight for so he is laying low (which is smart). But, there is no leadership. There is no hope.

I believe our country is about to face some very difficult times. Regardless who is President, they will have to deal with the war, a failing economy that is at a tipping point that is almost too late, and who knows what else will pop up. I don't see any of these people as being able to take that lead. There are no leaders, there are only politicians. I don't see anyone who has a REAL plan that THEY put together. They have plans, they are reactive, and they are put together by their staff to get votes, not to fix a problem. Last night Obama gave his economic address and the solution was that the government should bail out the millions of mortgage holders who made bad decisions. To the millions of you who are on a fixed 30 year loan - you are screwed. You will have to continue to pay the loan. But for those who were looking at the very attractive ARM loans, you are going to get government help (meaning from my taxes) for your bad choice. That's his solution - the government will help.

If the government wants to help why not start with New Orleans? Why not use some of those billions to find solutions to our fuel problems? Why not put a stop to the insane pork projects that are approved each year?

I really can't find a single leader that I am excited about, who I can vote for. There are some great leaders out there, but not in my district, state, or at a national level. Where we live I have a lame duck Congressman who hasn't done a thing recently, or at least if he has he has kept it a secret.

Where is our Lincoln? Where is our Reagan?