Bird Watcher

Our first cat, Ralph, was a true hunter. Even in winter, he dreamed of being out there, catching prey.
Ralph died about four years ago of squamous-cell carcinoma--caught from too much sun exposure. Well, actually he was dying from it when we had him put to sleep. But he was a great cat with superb feline reflexes.
This is looking out the south window of our house. The trees are quakies, and I believe the birds are finches.

This was me, just after finding my first geocache. I'm looking kind of bald in this picture, but it's only because my Peruvian hat was pushed back. This is in Arizona, on the slopes of Mt. Graham.

Out Near Middle-of-Nowhere

This is near my home in Middle-of-Nowhere. The mountains in the background are the Oquirrh Mountains, and the mine is Bingham Copper Mine.

This is Scout.

Scout was named after the little girl in "To Kill a Mockingbird", one of my wife's favorite films. Scout's actually a pretty cool cat--she rarely brings home mice, but I think our previous cat did more than his share in that area. Anyway, in this picture, Scout is looking out our front window.
More pics to come.

Conservatives Are Nicer Than Liberals

Okay, okay. I know you're out there cursing at me, saying how ignorant I am about the reality of it all. I mean, don't conservatives want to keep the poor from getting food and shelter? Don't conservatives want to take away rights for gays to get married? Aren't conservatives more often than not, in favor of capital punishment? Well, the answers are a bit more complex than that. Conservatives want to feed the poor, but they want to do it by private donations, not tax dollars. We believe that the best form of charity is that that is given willingly, and not forced upon us by a tax increase. In my second example, yes, conservatives are much more in favor of not changing the definition of marriage to include two people of the same sex. Marriage, by definition, is the union between two members of the opposite sex. On the other hand, most conservatives are in favor of extending gay couples all the legal rights that married couples have--a position with which gay entertainer, Elton John, concurs.
Finally the third example--capital punishment. Yes, conservatives by and large, are much more interested in seeing vicious murderers, or even child rapists, killed. Conservatives are much more interested in using punishment to "fit the crime" instead of using it to rehabilitate the offender.
So that brings us to, why I think liberals are meaner. This is why: because they use every means possible to push their agenda upon the country--including enlisting the press. Despite contrary protests, it is a given fact that there were more positive news stories about Barack Obama, and more negative news stories about John McCain in the days leading up to the recent Presidential election. Liberals also regularly complain about their rights being violated, but when a majority of citizens of California voted for Proposition 8, the liberals on the left were the first to try and take away these citizens rights to vote for something they believed in. Liberals are in favor of free speech, as long as it's their free speech and not conservative free speech--just see how many of them want the "Fairness Doctrine" implemented.

I think Americans as a whole worry too much about what the rest of the world thinks of us---and the vast majority of Americans focus too much on the press and how it interprets the way things are going in the country. Worrying too much about a national self-image is going to lead to the demise of our country. We need to forget about it.

It's Crunch Time

Thomas Jefferson once said, "And to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude." How true that appears now, as we look back with perfect vision hindsight. Did the Founders have vision to last through the ages, or was the document and nation they created, an entity destined to last only a couple of centuries? I've watched the march through history, the increasing intrusiveness of the welfare state, the plodding toward the removal of "freedom of speech" from our society, the steady trudging away from that divine document, and toward a "living and breathing" interpretation which allows for nearly any kind of change of the original intent.
Sad to see that our nation, once proud and free, is quickly becoming a mirage of her former self, our freedoms ripped from us with ever increasing frequency as we march toward socialism with slumbering steps. Should we haste its demise with a poor election choice, or try to slow the collapse with a one that might not be perfect, but might stall the slippage of our liberty. You make the call.

The Failing American Press

The institutions which the Founders of our great country thought would protect us against the corruption of government, namely our newspapers and other sources of news, have become the American equivalent of Pravda. I don't say this lightly, but the news sources of today have become left-wing propaganda machines, many of them openly routing for Obama to win the presidency. Pravda Amerika now rules the roost and has played a huge role in this year's election. I haven't seen a single investigational report on Barack's ties to Bill Ayres. Not one. And if anyone tries to bring it up, it's pooh poohed as bringing up the past. "Forget about that," they seem to say, "we've got a black man running for president for the first time. A legitimate candidate at least."
Which brings up my next point. Why are we so concerned about skin color in this country? Many are voting for Obama only because he's black and it's time for a black man to be president so we can prove to the world how far we've come as a nation. Have we become so insecure that we need to vote in thisblack man? The other day someone I heard on a radio program made the analogy that if O.J. Simpson were somehow running for president, would people vote for him simply because he's a black man? I find that ludicrous. Vote for a person because you agree with him or her politically, not because he's black, white, or because she's a woman. Think instead of immersing yourselves in the constant blathering of Dancing With the Stars, House, or American Idol. This isn't some kind of popularity contest, or a game we're playing here. It's the future of our society as we know it.
Another thing that's troubling me is that too many people are letting their emotions rule the way they're voting. They're angry because of the economy, or the war, or whatever else. Wow, I let me anger rule my decision once, and I threw a lawn spreader and then needed surgery. That's the kind of thing that impulsive emotion gets you. Think and reason calmly. Turn off the cell phones, the video games, the TV, and make an informed decision. It will be the best thing you could do for your country.

Congressional Wimps Fighting to Save Our Country and Their Votes

The recent financial crisis in the U.S. Is the result of several years of neglect and greed. Neglect by the very people we vote in to protect us from things like that, and greed of the banking and mortgage industry in trying to bring in every possible dollar from every prospective home buyer. Once again our do-nothing Congress has let something slide that should've been handled years ago. Looming on the horizon is the Social Security crisis, which Congress again refuses to do anything about, and the illegal immigrant crisis---again, Congress neglecting their responsibility. Though there are a few good and courageous members of Congress, for the most part, they are a collection of moral cowards whose soul goal of staying permanently in office precludes them from making any hard decisions that might alienate voters. And now it has brought us to the verge of a financial meltdown. Thanks cowards. I appreciate all you've done for the future of my children and grandchildren. Geez I wish I had the money to run for Congress.

Can George Blanda Still Kick It?

George Blanda turned 81 on September 17th. Fans of the NFL know who Blanda is, but for the uninitiated, he was once a quarterback/placekicker for first, the Chicago Bears, second the Houston Oilers, and third, the Oakland Raiders. Blanda once threw for 7 touchdowns in a game, while with the Oilers, and became the oldest player in the NFL. I remember him kicking field goals when in his fifties. I wonder if old George could still kick it now. He's probably out there practicing a kick or two.

Which of course brings up the question, how long should we be doing things like sports and other activities? And the answer, as long as we want. As long as we like what we're doing, there's no reason to stop other than injury. So my message is--keep following your dreams.

Authentication

Okay, this is here for authentication purposes only: Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Why We Vote

A few weeks ago I heard one woman, being interviewed by a reporter say that she couldn't decide if she was going to vote for Obama, because he's black, or if she'd vote for Hillary, because she's a woman. Wow. I wonder whatever happened for voting someone because you believe in their policies. No wonder our country is in trouble if we vote for some based upon the color of their skin, or their sex. Or maybe even voting for a particular candidate seems the popular thing to do. That really saddens me. We already have enough of the do-nothing types working for our federal government without voting for people for the wrong reasons. Just my take.

Sorry for the Length Between Posts

Well, we had a wedding in May (my son Ben got married), and then in May all of us got sick, especially my wife who ended up in the ICU for 8 days with pneumonia and 11 total days in the hospital beginning June 2nd. So it's been a harried last couple of months and posting to my blog hasn't been tops on my list. I hope to post on a continuous basis now.

One thing I'd like to mention is the best banjo players website. That's banjohangout.org
It's got great tips for the beginner to the experienced banjo player. I'll be posting more later, probably tomorrow. I feel the need to vent.

China Demands Apology

Well, well, well. China has demanded an apology from CNN's Jack Cafferty for calling them "thugs and goons". Here's the link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/15/cnn.china/index.html

Cafferty should apologize. He should apologize for not calling them thieves and murderers as well. I'm going to apologize for him. China, I'm sorry that you poisoned people in Latin America, by cutting costs. I'm sorry you murdered those people. China, I'm sorry you put lead in many products you shipped to America and around the world. I deeply apologize for that. I'm sorry that you fill the air with more pollution than any country in existence. I feel real bad that you swindle software makers by not cracking down on software piracy. I'm sorry you are using the Olympics as a propaganda tool, reminiscent of the Nazi propagand machine of the 1930s. I'm sorry you keep killing children if they aren't male. I'm sorry you oppress millions, including, but not limited to those who dare protest in Tienemen Square, and the people of Tibet.
Hey China--if one of your blue-coated thugs tried to brutally stop me from getting too close to the Olympic torch in my own country, he'd be in the hospital. I'd apologize for that of course.

The Cowards of the Country

Once again Congress shows its spinelessness in passing a huge budget without reductions in earmarks. Our beloved representatives also would pass on to us an increase in taxes, again, failing to reduce spending. Here's a related article from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-03-13-senate-tax_N.htm?csp=34
Of course, what else is new with the Cowards of the Country?

Now everyone considered them
the cowards of the country.
They never did one single thing
to prove the country wrong.


I can hear that tune now, as sung by Kenny Rogers. Just think of how our country would be if the federal government got back to Constitutional principles and only had their fingers in those things that they are supposed to have their fingers in. Geez, how did it get to this point? I'll tell you how. The do-gooders found an outfit that actually had the power to help everyone--at least so they think. Never mind that this isn't the responsibility of our government, but the responsibility of the citizens themselves. These are the same liberals that think society has more of a claim and responsibility for children than parents, and increasingly, the generational effect of this mindset is reaping its destruction amongst America's families. These are the same liberal, teacher's union supporting freaks that have taken away home-schooling rights from parents in California--creating a law in which parents who would teach their children at home must have a teaching degree. Never mind that many of the people who have such degrees couldn't teach a kid how to butter bread.
So with the cowards in charge, anything and everything is happening. And it ain't good.

We the Sheeple

I keep wondering what the attraction is for Barack Obama. He's done nothing to make anyone think he could be a good president. His one message is repeated constantly--albeit, it's a hopeful message, but what substance is there behind it? Have we become a nation that's so easily fooled into doing the foolish? Do we respond so readily to the emotion and enthusiasm of a train that is on tracks to who knows where, simply because he's a fresh face and speaks words of encouragement? Are we so bereft of our own optimism that we need to grab on to whatever form of optimism comes our way? We seem to have become a nation of unthinking, idol-worshipping, Hollywood idolizing, followers instead of people who spend some time thinking. Put away the cell phones, the ipods, the headphones, the American Idol, and actually do some thinking and looking at the issues as they really are. Stop following like sheep or lemmings some leader whom you know nothing about. I guess charisma is what drives people these days---instead of well-though out selections at the voter booth. May God save us all.

Now That's Funny!

I was listening to the Dennis Miller radio show the other day and a caller called in and said that Mike Huckabee reminded him of the black knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, because he virtually has no arms or legs and he's still trying to win. Funny!

For Some Good Music. . .

Consider listening to Blackmore's Night. It's a band formed by former Deep Purple Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, and features his wife (I forget her name), as the lead singer. It's really kind of an acoustic, classical band, very melodic and easy to listen to. Here's a youtube link, but you could also just go to youtube and type in the bands name yourself. Anyway, here's the link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7I49R72EnSQ

Super Tuesday - Fat Tuesday for McCain

So my thoughts on McCain taking a commanding lead in the Republican Primaries of Super Tuesday? Well, I'm a bit ambivalent on McCain. I vote for him, but in Utah, 90 percent voted for Romney, so I basically tossed my vote out into the wind. I think I'd have voted for Romney if he'd had any chance of beating Clinton or Obama. He just couldn't make himself well-known enough, and I think in large measure it was due to the negative campaign commercials he ran, instead of running strong ads that showed his strengths and his passion. He hasn't ever infused the public with any fire--there's nothing that he's laid out a strategy to accomplish. I feel bad for the guy, really. I think he's a good man. What I don't think is good is the number of Mormon bashers that are still out there. What a bunch of bigots.
Anyway, once this primary season settles down and McCain is firmly the Republican candidate, conservatives must unite behind him to stop whichever of the Democrats is nominated. Look at this for example. At American Conservative Union, McCain has a lifetime 82 rating, while Clinton's lifetime rating is 12, and Obama's is 8. That should be enough to scare you.

It Takes a Village

After the polls came out showing Barack Obama leading in the New Hampshire Primary, Hillary did an interview in which she appeared to nearly break down and cry. I'm not sure if she was going for the sympathy vote or not, but Hillary, never fear. If Obama wins, you can still be part of the village.

I used to be a big Mitt Romney supporter--and I still like the man. But one thing about me really bothers him--actually there are more than one, but this one disturbs me tremendously, and that is that he seems to get rattled very easily. I'm not sure I want a man at the head of the greatest nation on earth that gets easily rattled. My bet's on McCain for today's primary.

This political year is interesting. No one seems to be grabbing the primary season by the horns as of yet--though Obama has caused quite a stir. Still, remember Howard Dean in the last elections? He looked good to the dems at the beginning too--then he self-destructed.

When Bill O'Reilly moved a really big dude out of the way of his cameraman the other day, I thought it was actually a good thing. All other major news services were having no problems taking footage of Obama--so why was this Barack supporter trying to keep Fox from filming his guy? That's in violation of Constitutional principles guy.