My Inner Author

Much ado has been made of Arizona’s recently passed immigration bill. It is set to go into law officially at midnight. The Federal Government is actually suing the state of Arizona to prevent the law from ever going into effect. Having read many editorials and seen news reports of protests and boycotts of Arizona, I decided to take a deeper look into the bill and see what the details are. My research and subsequent notes reveal some interesting tidbits I will share below. Like many political issues, I refuse to believe everything I see and hear on TV and the radio as absolute fact. If I believed everything in the news and popular beliefs of the day: the earth would have been flat for thousands of years, we were all going to die of a new ice age in the 1970s, and Barack Obama is really a bipolar president flipping identities between Lenin and Jesus. Just before I started my own process of research by reading the actual bill, a thought popped into my head which will simply not go aw...

I think bigoted Mel Gibson should be sent to live on a deserted island with the racist Black Panther guy. They deserve each other. I couldn't tell you how many of my friends are Jewish, Black, Hispanic or Caucasian. They are just my friends, period. Racism and bigotry sadly are still rampant in every demographic. As long as it exists, I hope people will still call those fools out, wherever they are. The sun needs to set on them and their archaic beliefs. I think LeBron James wants to win a ring, and good for him choosing his desired location over money. However, the ego involved in spending an hour on TV, flipping off Cleveland is bad form. Just have a press conference in Miami and donate some money to the cause. But, I sense a LOT of new Miami Heat fans. That is my yearly quota of basketball attention...next. Sorry Cougarific Twilight fans. I just can't understand how a sane adult woman can revert to a simpering female lap puppy over "sparkly" vampire...

Recently I completed reading “The Divine Commodity: Discovering A Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity” by Skye Jethani. I found the book quite stimulating to read and have enjoyed pondering the many thoughts he put forth on the path so many modern churches are on today. Whether you will enjoy reading and considering the many topics discussed throughout the pages will depend on several factors. Can you look yourself and your faith, your church and your beliefs, honestly and objectively, under the microscope? I have enjoyed reading many books over the past several years which make me think about my faith, and challenge me to be honest. At the core, this book delves into the premise our Christian faith and our churches are under assault from our consumerist culture both from without and within. Many less desirable trends and traits from society are now dominating the modern church and in some ways continuing to drive a man-made wedge between God and man. He intersperses the chapters with...

I recently heard an interview with an author, Brad Meltzer, talking about his latest book entitled "Heroes For My Son." He spoke of how when his first son was born, he found himself thinking about what kind of virtues, traits and values he wanted to share with his son. Indeed these are the kinds of thoughts many fathers have once they become proud parents of a boy. (Indeed many of us have the same thoughts with daughters, but admittedly we know daughters grow up into women, a group of people we die never really understanding.) So, I decided to seek out this new tome and see what wisdom it contained. What heroes did he identify with, and would I share many of the same folks, and what others would I want to include on my own list? Indeed the book is not long on details about each hero, it simply lists their names, a quote or two and a brief description of why Mr. Meltzer considers them heroic. I can only imagine how daunting it proved to be to compile such a list, you don...

Time to put up or shut up. So, to try and show I am not just some angry right-wing blogger simply complaining about Obama and Congress, parroting things on the radio, I have never been shy about putting my own words and thoughts out there. There are so many topics which cry out to me, and which generally make the average American go, yuck, politics, it's all so ...pointless. Sorry, but no, it isn't pointless. It is your civic duty as an American, and your kids future surely will depend on it, as well as your future. I know many of you say "God bless those soldiers fighting for freedom overseas", while at the same time you show them absolutely no respect at home by not bothering to educate yourself and take part in the electoral process. The very freedom they fight for, you simply give away because you don't like the process. You say politics is too confrontational, too much "spin control", too much corruption, too much work, and you don't have...

Well, to keep my Lord of the Rings metaphor alive, now it is time for Americans to make the trek to Mordor (in today's lingo called More of Yours, as in more of your money), and throw the sacred ring into the fires of Mount Doom. It only seems appropriate to think of casting out the lot of sorry sycophants in Washington into a place called Mount Doom. It is where we were headed from the moment the election results poured in back in November of 2008. Now, as I re-read and ponder my last rant (yes, I think it does qualify), I can see the raw emotion from the sense of betrayal and arrogance by our elected officials in Washington still present in my words. I hope my note also portrayed the passion behind my convictions and beliefs. Indeed it still courses through my veins. Perhaps you have heard Lord Acton's famous words: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is where our political landscape is today. Dubya and company had full control from 2001-2007...

Congratulations to the left. You got your precious Health Care Bill passed. I can truly picture our President and/or Pelosi as Gollum in Lord of the Rings, "Oh my precious, we wants it, we needs it..." Enjoy it for what little time you have. You see, you have awoken the sleeping giant of Middle class, average America. Sure this health care debate has angered me greatly. My own congressman lied to his constituents about his intended vote, and then waited until nearly 17:00 on Friday to announce it. Coward. Our own local Yellow Dog Democrat. However, it is but one small battle in the greater war for the soul of America. The Democrats spent every single bit of political clout they had, resorted to what is called bribery in the rest of the country for a few more votes, and at last, used its overwhelming arrogance in the media to get the bill passed by a margin of 4 votes (if 4 go the other way, it doesn't pass). Now begin the constitutional challenges. In November, the tsunam...