Friday, October 31, 2008

Naive....


Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle. Franklin D. Roosevelt


So.....

Once again its getting close for us to chose a president of the USA.

There has been SOOOO much written about how wonderfully naive all of Obama's supporters are and how we are drinking the kool-aid.

I have tried real hard for the past few months to not "knock" McCain supporters. I dont agree with his politics but I realize that they are as passionate about their man as I am about mine...

But the main thing is I respect them and really dont begrudge them in their choice for president.

That brings me to this ....We have been vilified, mocked, laughed at and ridiculed from people on the right because of the man we happen to support.

That is harmful and hurts the fabric of the democratic process... in my opinion.

We have been called socialists, we have been called baby killers, we have been called stupid.

Any why ? because we chose to believe that someone can POSSIBLY bring real change to Washington??

That after 8 years of sliding consumer confidence and lost wages we should vote for a man who might do something different...something that could bring a renewed sense of self worth to this country.

I am a Christian man and I would like to think that Jesus would be more concerned about feeding those who cant feed themselves...lifting those up, who for whatever reason cannot do it themselves....That he would love us all, regardless.

I cant speak for Christ....but his message is one of Love ....and I am sticking with that.

We should not be a country known around the world as a place that invades and takes over....imposes our ways on them...makes them become something they are not.

We should build our nation up and help places by showing them how great it is to have the best schools in the world ....showing them that with the best work force in the world you can feed the planet . We should lead by another example.

We should let democracy speak for itself.

I am sad to hear people question a friend who has supported Barack Obama longer than anyone I know. This is not him jumping on any bandwagon. He was telling me 4 years ago that this man is good and represents something different.

But ...it would not matter if Hillary was the person on the ticket....It would not matter if it was Jon Stewart ...or the Pope for that matter....

The right has torn apart good decent individuals for years and it will always continue ....

John Kerrys patriotism was questioned 4 years ago with the swift boat ads....for what ? He came home from fighting in a war that George Bush avoided, that Dick Cheney avoided...and he came home and voiced his opinion that the war in Vietnam was wrong and should be stopped.

In Georgia 6 years ago Saxby Chambliss questioned the patriotism of his opponent, then current US Senator Max Cleland .....he said he was not pro american....Max Cleland served several tours in Vietnam and as a result he lost not one...not two ...BUT THREE LIMBS!! Guess who lost that election??? Sen Chambliss is in a though fight this year to hold his seat ....

I think the reason is this ...folks are just tired of the status quo....They are tired of the crap they have heard for 8 long years. When people are worried and scared the first instinct is to lash out ...I think thats what we are seeing ....McCains camp is trying hard to revive the Rev Wright talk ....cause thats all they have. People want to hear how you are going to fix things not what you think is wrong with your opponent.

Most economists and leading financial experts have said that Obamas plan makes sense in the long run. While its not perfect...its better than the other side.

We need something different.....call me naive!

and for poops and giggles ..here are some more quotes that I like
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."-Theodore Roosevelt, 1918
"Because I am tired of working for candidates who make me think I should be embarrassed to believe what I believe, Sam. I'm tired of getting them elected. We all need some therapy, because someone came along and said that liberal means "soft on crime." Soft on drugs. Soft on communism. Soft on defense. And we're gonna tax you back to the stone age because people shouldn't have to go to work if they don't want to. And instead of saying, 'Well, excuse me, you right-wing, reactionary xenophobic, homophobic, anti-education, anti-choice, pro-gun, Leave-it-to-Beaver-trip-back-to-the-fifties!' we cowered in the corner and said, 'Please. Don't. Hurt. Me.' No more. I really don't care who's right, who's wrong. We're both right, we're both wrong."

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

A Night In Lake Wobegon.....


So....

Last night I had a chance to go to Birmingham and see Lake Wobegon's most famous resident, Garrison Keillor.

He was doing a one man show at the Alys Stehpens Center at UAB. Let me say ...IT WAS AMAZING!!

If you are a fan of this man then you know how wonderful his voice is and how amazing his delivery of jokes, stories and songs is....

The ticket to see him was going to be expensive but thanks to a good friend who works at the ASC he got me in for free (thanks Heath).....

I was sitting about 7 rows out and it was surreal to begin with that he was standing about 25 feet from me while he was performing

More than once I sat there thinking about how much my Daddy would have enjoyed seeing GK in person.

YOu see it was my Daddy who got me interested in public radio at a very early age....We used to sit on our back patio out in the country and listen to Prairie Home Companion. Daddy was a DJ when he was in high school so he always had a love for all things radio.

He would have really really enjoyed being in Bham last night to hear Garrison Keillor.

Anyway it was a great night ......

Sunday, October 26, 2008

157

So....
This has been quite the long weekend around my parts....I wont go into any long detail but I will say this ...I have not been this tired for sometime.
In the past 24 hours I have slept for a total of 2 hours maybe ...and of course at this time I cant seem to will myself to get into the bed for sleep. Its like I have mental blcok from going to bed or something ...Blech.
I am working tomorrow morning then going to try and take off in the afternoon.
Nothing exciting here ...sorry guys

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Undecided Vote.....

So....
I really enjoy David Sedaris. He has been one of the funniest authers over the last 20+years...Enjoy.


"I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?

"To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

"To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."
- David Sedaris, writing about undecided voters in New Yorker.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

THE LATE SHOW .......

So....
Maybe David Letterman should have been the moderator at all of the presidential debates this year.
If you have not seen the show from October 16...find it online and watch it ...
Good Night.

My Heart Is In The Highlands.....


but I am going to Georgia...

So....
Tomorrow I am taking a quick weekend trip up to Stone Mountain in Georgia to attend the annual STONE MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES.

It will be my first highland games in about 4 years...ever since the Alabama games were cancelled a few years back I have not been able to attend any southern games. I am excited to be going.

My Clan name is MacGregor and our family crest bears a lion with the words "S'Rioghal Mo` Dhream" translated from Gaelic it means " Our Race is Royal" or "Royal is our Race"

Our family motto is " While there are leaves on the trees and foam on the river, MacGregor despite them all shall flourish forever"

Should be a good weekend.....

On a sad note I will helping with a funeral tomorrow at church before I head out of town....It will be the first time that I have helped with a funeral since my Dad died two years ago ...Tomorrow will be tough for all involved.
The debates are over and I have decided to vote for McCain. Yep...you betcha!! HA
I saw this quote from CS LEWIS the other night and close with it ....
"Let's pray that the human race never escapes Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere"
Amen Mr Lewis.

Monday, October 06, 2008

CRIME, BOY, I DONT KNOW ....


So...


At 7:05 this morning I get a call that our church, the place where I work, was broken into over the night. This is the second time in less than 10 months that it has happened. They broke out windows and messed up the ceiling (dont know why), they broke door handles and pryed open cabinets. Unlike last time they walked away empty handed this time.

I will not even bore you with things like ..Why ? People sometimes break in places just to tear crap up....

My concern is this ....There was not one sign of forced entry into the building, much like the last time someone broke in....I was the last to leave Sunday night.

The police asked were doors open before I left and I said yes ...They think someone knew our routine ...came in while we were there and just waited till we left the building.

I was at the church with about 12 youth sunday night. They were mainly in the youth room on the 3rd floor but a few went to the kitchen for drinks, two girls went to the second floor to talk in private....it concerns me that someone was possibly lurking about in the building while we were there....after the youth left I went about turning out lights and shutting things down. I was in the building alone for maybe 10 minutes.....gives me the creeps.

What a Monday.....Keep us in yalls prayers.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

The USATODAY, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE NY TIMES , THE BOSTON GLOBE, THE MIAMI HERALD,THE ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS,THE JUNEAU EMPIRE


So.....

I was talking to someone tonight at church and as is the way things go lately the talk turned to politics.


It was a civil nice talk about things until I brought up the fact that most polls are showing Sen Obama with a lead. Key states are starting to show fairly big leads....CNN was reporting that as of today Sen Obama leads with 250 electoral points to Sen. McCains 189.

This person I was speaking with was THRILLED beyond comprehension a few weeks back when Gov Palin was picked to be the running mate for Sen McCain. It was the best choice. There was no mistaking that this was going to lead to 4 more years in the White House for republicans.

Tonight ...no so much the same tune was being sung.

He told me he was not so sure it was a wise decision to pick her but he still thought that with her on the ticket the "core" of the republican party would turn out on November 4 and that it would lead to a victory. Ok...fair point.

I told him it was actually hard to watch Gov Palin in interviews anymore....it's gone beyond being cute and funny. It's terrible. She knows nothing about Sen McCains record in the senate. She only seems to know campaign catch phrases. She could not say if it was a problem that Sen McCains main guy running his campaign, Rick Davis, had a conflict of interest since he worked a lobby for Fannie and Freddie. She could not even tell Katie Couric what news papers she reads on a daily basis. Really ??


I am no where near an expert on foreign affairs, I dont know Sen McCains record in the senate, but you would think Gov Palin would know SOMETHING.

My friend I was talking to tonight said the he kinda hoped that Sen Obama would win in November and then he said it ....The main reason he wants him to win is so he will fail!!

He said it will show people how incredibly wrong they are to have voted him in office. That in four years people will be running back to the republican party.


Is that what we need to be hoping for right now ? That the person elected in a month FAILS??

I dont envy either person ...but I honest to God will tell you that I hope and pray that they succeed while in office. I hope they bring something to the White House that has been lacking for years. I hope that which ever gets in there will have a strong group of men and women behind him who will push them and help them lead America back to something better.


Our economy stinks, we are fighting a war on two fronts, we have millions without health care, jobs are being sent overseas at an alarming rate,we are so divided on things it's hard to see what we agree on and business owners are being forced to close. It makes me sick and mad that the best thing some of us can hope for is that if Sen Obama is elected to be our next president he will fail. Who does that help ....I mean really ?