Wednesday, May 31, 2006

WANTED ....DEAD OR ALIVE !!! or something like that..


Alright by now you folks reading this little bit of fluff know that I am what you would call a Democrat. BOO HISS GRRRRR!!! HA ..... It is the party of the people. Long held traditions of working with the common man (sorry Ken Lay), raising taxes to pay for things like running the federal government. Jefferson, FDR, Kennedy. You get the point ...well anyway if it seems at times like I am bashing President Bush ...well I am sure that I am. I did not vote for him. Would not vote for him.

I am not saying I am a very smart guy Lord knows I am not, so I wont be running for the presidency anytime soon. That job needs a man who can inspire the people. A man who appears to at least be smart on some level. A friend of mine told me last weekend that he kinda likes the fact that Bush comes off a little dumb....it keeps people guessing???? WHAT ?? I would rather him not be able to get dressed in the morning BUT at least maybe appear smart. Say what you want to about Bill Clinton, he was a very smart man. Most people today dont realize it but FDR was not the smartest man to ever hold the office BUT he surrounded himself the best and brightest. Reagan was the same way he packed the West Wing with smart folks. The Bush White House is a comedy of errors!
Last week Bush said in a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair that some things he said in the past were a little "much". President Bush is not known to be introspective about things but he said he regretted his cowboy talk after 9/11. His wanted "dead or alive" descrition of Osama and his "bring' em on" challenge to the Iraqi insurgents. He went on to say that in many parts of the world his words were " misinterpreted"

First of all, how do you get "wanted dead or alive " wrong ??? I mean you are either dead or alive . RIGHT ? Most gradeschoolers know that you dont taunt. It makes things worse. And last time I checked Iraq was not some playground at recess. These people are radical extremists with tons of money from other countrys that hate us and they also got friends like Iran and they dig enriching uranium to make BIG HUGE BOMBS. If any yall believe that they are gonna be powering houses with their new stuff ......I got some used Edsels you might be interested in buying. (Bravo if you know what an Edsel is ) These people dont give a second thought to killing innocent men, women and children on a daily basis.

Folks say that Bush took the war to them. Got it off our soil and on theirs...perhaps but is an american life any better than an Iraqi life? or a Brits? Would we be here today if say 9/11/01 had happened in Paris,France.
So much has been lost in this war. The loss of human lives is a terrible price to pay and those men and women who have died in this war..may God bless their souls. They gave the most. I respect and admire the men and women of our military more than anyone will ever know. We have also lost so much more, a general respect for our leaders (anyone remember a little country in southeat asia ...Vietnam?) our freedoms have slowly eroded. In a telegram dated Nov 21, 1943 Winston Churchill said the following " The power of the executives to cast a man into a prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him any judgement of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or otherwise" We Make mistakes. But our system of democracy with its checks and balances makes the system so great. Habeas Corpus, the balance between congress and the courts and our right of free speach. It is what makes us different from the Taliban and the bombers and from the Nazis of old. We cannot disregard our liberties in wartime. We are tying to bring a nation to democray while detaining people for years with out ever letting them see the inside off a courtroom. Is this right ? As the old saying goes " Do as I say not as I do" Thanks for reading ....and GOD BLESS AMERICA !!!

Sunday, May 28, 2006

A few things on my mind .....


Glad to be back in Bama, music was great at church today , Bush never gets it, I bought a killer watch on ebay, after much thought I actually think I dig my iPod, I forgot how far it was to Dade City,Florida, margaritas on a sunday afternoon with your family might sound like a GREAT idea at 3:00pm but at 10:50 ....NOT SO GOOD UGH!, an orange grove without oranges on the trees still smells ALOT like fresh oranges, for two years in a row I have spent time visiting in a DISNEY themepark and both times I never once saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald.....no one....I am 32 years old and it amazed,shocked and kinda pissed me off ....what does it do to a 8 year old ??, watching people who think they can dance is a funny thing , the British are pretty cool folks , I like and use words like ....facinating , fantastic, marvelous, corridor , britches, indeed and lovely, discrimination in any form is wrong...plain and simple....this applies to blacks whites hispanics asians gays straights ...if you are denied something because you look different or live your life different than those "making the rules" then its wrong, ask anyone who really knows me ---I HAVE WEIRD MOVIE RULES, dont ask me to go to the beach and walk...I prefer the mountains, I think that if you really planned it right revenge could possibly be served hot, Is there a greater singer in the last 100 years than Frank Sinatra?, all we need is love, my nephew made the all star team, I REALLY missed my Daddy on my birthday today, nature vs nurture, I might never whitewater raft again, I spend some part of each day wishing I lived anywhere but here,I am trying to put my money where my mouth is , my grandaddy said that Santa was real and I believe him, Dave Ramsey for the most part if full of S*@T, they need to update EPCOT CENTER, cafe risque, western world -Thousands of boots for sale and "FRESH ORANGES" next exit are the only signs on the intersate in Florida,Divorce sucks, and for the last time ---I have never been married...never divorced......Camille was a hurricane in 1968 not my ex-wife. These are just a few of the things in my head tonight ....no wonder I cannot sleep...If this is hard to read ....SORRY...

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The Sunshine State....


This will be ever so brief.....I am going to Florida tomorrow morning for a few days or R and R .....Might even pay Mickey Mouse a visit....who knows ....but anyway for those out there reading this ...lift up those travel prayers and I will see yall when I get home....

Saturday, May 20, 2006

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL........

I spent two nights this past week going to graduations. Ryan and Drew both graduated this past week with honors. They are two of the smartest, funniest guys you will ever meet and I have had the pleasure of watching them grow into the fine young men that they are . Now before you go start thinking that they are perfect angels ....LET ME STOP YOU.....They have given me more grief than I care to remember but I suppose thats all part of the journey known as "teen boys". We all, in the course of our lives, will have some type of chance to be a part of someones life. For some of us its much later in our lives for others its RIGHT Now. I think a question that many of us will ask at some point is this ....Is what I am doing or have done the right thing? Will I make some impact on a life ? If I am being honest I have to say that I think about that all the time . Do I make a difference in what I am doing? Most anyone who reads this knows me and what I do. We all have that little ego that needs to be stoked from time to time ....we love hearing folks say nice things about us.....we give the "Aw shucks" routine but we do dig the attention. One of the guys graduating this past week has become over the last few years one of my best friends. He is a mature, smart and witty guy who is vastly older than what his age says . I have had conversations with him that I really dont think I could ever have with some adults three times his age. I sat the other night watching him graduate and I thought......Will he remember anything we talked about 15 years from now ? Will he remember that I have begged him to think for himself......to live a Christ centered life.....Will he remember that although Metallica is a fantastic band it all begins and ends with FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA .....there is more to a weekend than making Drano bombs ...that it is ok to take a position on something and STAND UP FOR IT ...I could go on for pages ...I just wonder what impact we make on folks .....I can count on one hand the folks in my life that really truly changed me ....Not someone who gave earth shattering advice...but the folks who have guided me and taught me by examples.....without some of their guidence I dont know where I would be today ..... I am going to be taking a few days off next week ......I dont pretend that I work hard .....I dont pretend that my job requires much skill(although answering the phone seems to come in handy) but I need a small break ....I went to NC a few weeks ago but that was a short trip that actually revolved around work ....this time I am going somewhere to just get away .....and I am going to Florida .....*GASP* FLORIDA you say?? Yeah FLORIDA ....I know I have said time and time again that I am not now ...nor will I ever be a fan of the beach but there is a tremendous amount of Florida that is miles and miles from any beach ....and thats where I am going ...Near Orlando actually . A good friend of mine has family there and he wants someone to ride with him so I am riding with him .....Its a long drive but thats cool .... So I am loading up on flip flops and short britches .....taking extra SPF suntan cream and heading to the Sunshine State .....Talk to Yall soon .............................

Monday, May 15, 2006

Tired......


I am tired . I get up every morning, get ready, go to work, work, go home or to a meeting or to a function related to my job, I get home take a shower ,read or watch television, then go to bed ...Notice I did not say I go to sleep....sleep usually comes a few hours later ...if it does come at all....I wish I could say that the events of the last 7 weeks play a large role in my not sleeping but they really dont ....they may have added a small bit of fuel to the fire....but for the most I have never slept very good ....so then I wake up and my day begins ....
I am human. A human who fears and dreams and worries and loves just as much as anyone else. I believe in God and I believe I am created in His image just like you. I have a family that I love and friends that are the rock of my life. I cuss . I am a Democrat always will be . I love good music. I pay bills. I worry about money. I read a lot. I dont dig hospitals. I dont like shaking hands . I dont like touching door handles. I am going to miss The West Wing. I have blue eyes . I can sing. I might never get married. There have been times in my life when i have struggled and there have been times when life just flowed by like a cool mountain river. I shop at Wal-Mart because its really the only place to shop. When did immigration law reform become "ALL MEXICANS MUST DIE" Does any of this sound familer? Probably.
Because on some level I am just like you. Of course there are stark differences but thats what makes us a great race of human beings. Sometimes being different equals out to hatred. Some people hate out of fear and ignorance. Part of me wants to be an activist and shout from the rooftops and part of me wants to hide in a cool comfort zone, be quiet and just blend. I am sure from day to day what part to listen to....both are pretty damn loud.
I will be 32 years old in 13 short days. Jeffrey, my brother turned 36 last Thursday. My Nana will turn 86 on Wednesday. In the last 5 months I have had major knee surgery and most likely my knee will never function the same ever again . My Dad died suddenly after a very brief illness and for all intents and purposes my Nana is gone also. In three months her mind has gone from pretty good to nonexistant. She had to go through losing her mobility, moving to a nursing home and losing her oldest child in the span of 5 days.
She asked us yesterday on three seperate times if He was going to get by to see her . I hate lying but I cannot tell her the truth on this matter. I just told her that he was not feeling good .
These things are hard . These things make me sick to my stomach. I have the best support group in the world in my friends .They have been with me to the very bottom. They have helped me more than ANY doctor ever could. Like I said I am tired.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Something to keep you up at night ....


So I power up my computer today and what do I read ??? A few things that make me very very concerned and worried ....
1. George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush both said that they believe the current Gov. of Florida,Jeb Bush should make a run for the Oval Office in 08. Alright first of all....he is the Son of a former president and the brother of our current president. HOW MUCH MORE OF THIS FAMILY CAN THIS COUNTRY ENDURE?? Both Bush presidents oversaw a government that spent wildly on military while using a deficit spending approach to their madness. !st Bush did manage to raise taxes while he was in office but it was only after he and his economists realized that they actually needed money to run the federal government. Dont get me wrong I am not all about TAX AND SPEND gov. BUT come on....when you cut taxes and keep spending money it usually just dont all add up in the end . Current President Bush continues to amaze me in his total lack of ANYTHING .....and then just today he defends phone tapping again ????? "The idea of collecting millions or thousands of phone numbers, how does that fit into following the enemy?" said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and thats from his own party leaders HOW can he do it??...How is it right for any part of our federal government to spy on its citizens? I have heard the Right say that it done to protect us from attack in the future ...I have heard good friends of mine say that they are ok with the government doing this as long as they are doing it legally .....all I can do is shake my head at that one...When did the leaders of our nation stop being held accountable for their actions ???
Let me add this ...I have talked with friends who live in Florida and think that Jeb is a great guy...a good leader of their state ....and I think I even remember reading somewhere that Barbara Bush said Jeb was the best political mind in their family ......having said all that I still dont know if I will sleep any better tonight ....BUSH III? As my nephew says "Oh Lord , Have Mercy"

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Imagine coming home to this .....

Nick posted this week about our trip to Asheville .....Asheville and the mountains of Western NC have long held a special place in my heart.....the Mountains are not just a place for me to visit ...for me its like home....My paternal grandfather was born and raised in Boone,NC, when he was 23 years old he joined the army and became a pilot trainer for the army air corps and that took him to Tuskegee,Al...I spent my summers visiting my great-Grandparents house in Boone and visiting with all my cousins .......it is almost unreal the pull and attraction I feel towards these wonderful places ........George Vanderbilt also felt this pull when he first visited the Asheville area in the 1880's...If you have never visited his home that he built there you owe yourself that pleasure....and when you stand outside that house and think that it is still owned by the Vanderbilt family heirs...Not a trust ....not some corporation, it is still a family home that from time to time hosts dinner partys , wedding receptions for heirs and holiday celebrations...Check it out the next time you are in the area......Right up the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville is Mt.Mitchell State Park.....at 6684 feet in height, Mt Mitchell is the highest peak East of the Mississippi river.... with tons of hiking trails and camping facilities its another WNC treasure...Check it out somtime http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/momi/history.html

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

The only thing we have to fear .....

I dont ever remember as a child my being afraid of much .....and then at some point I grew up and became a pansy about so much .....ghost stories,scary movies , creepy old houses with hidden doors, cats....well cats dont scare me but I sure dont like um ..... I am almost 32 years old and I cannot tell you how many "scary movies" I have walked out of .....I think what bothers most people the most about this stuff is the unknown....Right ? I mean for years people would not venture too far out into the ocean for fear of sea serpants and falling off the edge of the world...Columbus cleared that up for us and we gave him his own holiday....FDR said in his first inaugural "that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself".... I have recently finished A Grief Observed by CS LEWIS and the first line of Chapter one says "No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear."......I am scared to death right now ....about so many things ....I am scared to go to sleep at night ....I am scared when my good friends and family leave my presence..Its not the "scary movie" fear its the "nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror" that FDR spoke of ..I would like to think that I know why I feel this way but I am never sure but CS Lewis makes the above comment about fear and its like a EUREKA moment for me .....I sorta understand better now.....I remember when I was about 7 years old I got lost in the Eastdale Mall, it was around the same time that Adam Walsh had been kidnapped in a Hollywood,Florida mall and I was TERRIFIED .......and then as suddenly as it happened there was my Daddy ....I still to this day remember how Ifelt in the instant that I saw him .....He calmed my fears and made me feel protected and he took away my fear ......I am scared to death right now and I dont have anyone to take away that fear .....and I dont know who or what will ever take it away ....its the not knowing thats killing me ....for me the unknown = FEAR ....Like I said this is just me talking ...

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Never say never......


I have fought the Blog world for almost two years ...ever since a a friend of mine in California started one and encourged me to do the same....I never thought I had anything to add to this so very full medium of communication and I have to say I still don't think I have that much to add but anyway ....Never say never !!
First of all ..If I am to blog then I will do it as I do much of the other forms of online Communication ---pretty much free of correct punctuation, spelling, etc ....Shoot I still use the I before E rule on many words .....Like a teacher once told me "you are not dumb just real lazy sometimes"
Second-I love to read Blogs....it is amazing to see the wide scope of ideas out there in our world, having said that .....I might never post again HA ...who knows ...It might go back to my being lazy about things...
Third -This is not some creative outlet for me ...its just an outlet ...no hidden agenda...the past 4+ months have been long and tiring in my life (especially the last 5 or so weeks) ...Sometimes I think I have hit the bottom only to realize I was just bouncing off the sides on my way TOWARDS the bottom... I am using this to just talk .... Frank Sinatra said many years ago that "Ya gotta love living baby, cause dyin's a pain in the ass" .....It is time to start living ....Again !! Alright BLOGGERS tear me apart !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!