I'm afraid it has come to this...

Romans 1

18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

When I first started in education, kids, for the most part, seemed to come from homes that were much like the one I grew up in; not particularly well-off per se, but comfortable. We went to church every Sunday and grew up in the knowledge of God and His holy Word. Although I've testified before that our church was "dry" and more of a Sunday morning event than a lifestyle by and large, the experience planted seeds and I knew what was in the Bible overall, though, like many of my cohorts, I hadn't read it cover to cover; not at that point in my life. Anyway, I grew up knowing about God, His Son Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God's plan for salvation. Sadly, I think this sort of upbringing has become a thing of the past.

The kids I see now are being raised by MTV or BET. They think that there's nothing wrong with sexual expression of any kind, up to and including intercourse at whatever age they happen to have the opportunity. They dress provacatively, make moves at dances that would make "Dirty Dancing" look like a square dance, and write all sorts of suggestive, and not-so-suggestive things to one another. They see nothing wrong with this behavior for the most part. I'm afraid we've come the generation that Paul spoke of in the passage above. They know about God, but they do not fear Him or the penalty for disobedience. They chase after every sinful desire of their hearts. I'm afraid that the upbringing I had is now the exception, not the norm.

In public school, it's positively not allowed to proselytize or witness. I would be jobless and homeless very soon if I stepped over that boundary. However, I know that God can open doors that I cannot, so I pray for opportunities to answer student questions about my faith. I pray that such questions will come. They used to come fairly frequently; now...not so much.

Father God, open the eyes of the blind that they may see. Father, do not allow this generation to be lost, I pray. - Dan

Well, my "B" team finally got off that goosegg!

Yes, boys and girls, you may now go and buy a lottery ticket! Keep your eyes on the clouds; Jesus is coming back at any moment! My "B" team finally won a game!

I've told them for the last several weeks that they don't want to go down in history as the only team I've ever coached to go winless for an entire season. I don't know if that was the motivation, but they actually played a pretty well-rounded game, playing tenacious defense, rebounding well on their defensive glass, moving the basketball for an open look, etc. Although the score was 24 to 18, it really wasn't that close. I had to call a couple of late time-outs to settle them down; they weren't ready for their sudden prosperity! The other team got within 4, but then they settled down, went back to what they were doing before and scored another basket to go up by 6. In "B" team 7th grade basketball, 6 points is like 15 "real" basketball points!

My little point guard is hillarious! He's 3 foot nothing and I'll bet he has to run around in the shower to get wet! He's got a pretty furious temper, too! If a call doesn't go his way or if he thinks he got fouled and there was no call, his face turns bright red, the corners of his eyes turn down and his little mouth gets really, REALLY tight! He looks as though he's ready to kill! It's pretty entertaining to watch him fly around and bounce off of the floor! He always gets up, but the soccer player in him makes him milk it for all it's worth! It's positively a scream!

Anyway, they felt good about it and I felt pretty good that they never quit and kept working hard even without any tangible results. It paid off in the end! - Dan

Okay...so I was wrong!

The Giants WERE able to pressure Brady all game long and Eli was able to make plays down the stretch and the result is just what I said it would be if they were able to do those things (and keep New England's offense off of the field with ball-control offense); the Giants won!

I feel bad for New England. It's got to be hard to go a whole season without losing only to come up short for the most important game of the year. Unfortunately for those guys, I think that's the beginning of the end for their "dynasty." They're getting long in the tooth on the defensive side of the ball and, with the way they've finished the last several years, they're going to be drafting in a poor position. Who knows, though? They're so intelligent about the way they go about their business, they usually pull a rabbit out of the hat and no one thinks twice!

Well, it's the culmination of football season...

...and I don't really care how it ends, as long as its a good game.Here's my take. The Giants have a real chance to upset New England if they can figure out how to get consistent pressure on Tom Brady. Brady is a smart guy who knows his offense, reads defenses as well as anyone in the league, and progresses through his reads faster than almost anyone. Having been an offensive lineman, I can attest to the fact that pass blocking is much easier than trying to mount a rush as a defensive lineman. Asking defensive linemen to work that hard for four quarters is asking a lot. Can the Giants get it done? I think if ANYONE in the league has a chance to get it done, it's the Giants; they probably have the best starting front four in football. That's on the defensive side of the ball. On the offense, the Giants have to control the clock and move the football methodically, chewing up large amounts of the clock AND scoring with their possessions. This is going to require Eli to play the game of his life, but not try to do too much. If he goes out there and tries to win the game with big "Paytonesque" plays, he'll turn the ball over and ruin the Giants' chances. He's got to be Eli; NOT Payton. If the Giants can do this and keep the Patriots offense off of the field, they have a good chance of winning today.Will this happen? WILL the Giants win? I don't think so. I think the Patriots will win because the conditions I outlined above will not happen. First, Eli's never been in a game like this. He'll try to do too much and the Patriots will make him pay for it. Even IF the Giants can mount the kind of defensive pressure I mentioned, I don't think they can do it for a whole game and the Patriots will rise up in the fourth quarter and score as often as they get the ball. The bottom line; if the Giants can keep Eli in check and control the clock (keeping Brady and the offense off the field), they will win. As I said, I don't see it happening. Patriots 34; Giants 20.

An inglorious defeat, and a HUGE victory!

Well, last night, my basketball teams were defeated (an inglorious defeat) by whopping margins. The Dark team played like.....the Dark team (ball-handling atrocious, passing terrible, shooting worse, defense like statues, rebounding like Casper). Even though the Light team has been improving recently, they played last night as though it was their first time on the floor. Guys not knowing where to be or when they were supposed to be there; no one boxing out and rebounding; shooting horrific; defense in concrete shoes, etc. Next week is their last regular season game and the end of season tournament. I told them that I expect to come home with a trophy, albeit the Consolation Championship trophy (their first game is against the only undefeated team in the district; I don't expect them to win that one regardless of how well they play).

The victory (and a HUGE victory it is!) concerns rules changes for next year. Every since I started coaching 7th-grade, our district has required that we play "quarter teams," i.e., 5 guys play the 1st quarter, then a different 5 play the 2nd quarter. Subs are designated by quarter, and every player must play if he's suited out. After ANOTHER broo-haha about the rules last week, we had a meeting this morning and decided as a district coaching staff that the kids would be much better served if we just played basketball and forgot about trying to keep inordinate numbers of kids to fill the requirements of this ridiculous quarter system! Woo-Hoo!!! We FINALLY get to play basketball in 7th grade!!!!!

I'm so excited, I may not sleep tonight (literally!)!!! - Dan

Well, it looks like Giuliani's done!

As usual (at least as far as recent elections are concerned), the political fate of a nation came down to the voters of Florida, and they messed things up again!

Choosing McCain over Romney and forcing Giuliani out of the race for all intents and purposes, it looks as though the Republicans are poised to send a "status quo" guy (or at least that's how he'll be painted and perceived by voters) into the general election. Where's Newt when you need him? We need some "contract with America" fresh thinking to get the electorate energized! We need someone who's not thought of as a Washington insider who's merely "switching chairs," as Romney said when referring to McCain. I know McCain is a maverick thinker, more mainstream than most Republicans would like, but I think Republican are outthinking this one this time. Why be concerned with perceptions? Ronald Reagan didn't hedge his beliefs because he thought it's what people wanted to hear; he merely stated his case and it resonated with mainstream America! It's time for us to stop taking a poll before every statement!

I like Romney and what he stands for. I'd be perfectly happy with Giuliani, but he seems to be toast. Huckaby....well....he's named Huckaby for crying out loud! I like what he says, but no one's going to vote for a guy named Huckaby! My LEAST favorite guy in the Republican race is McCain and, with Hillary running as an outsider (yeah....RIGHT!), I think he'll have a hard time distancing himself from an unpopular President and what have turned out to be his unpopular policies.

Let's hope that Super Tuesday turns things around for the 'Pubs. Sadly, I don't see it coming to pass. - Dan

A Great "Chillin' " Weekend

Hello, there, Blogfans!

We're at the time of year when the grind has pretty much done me in. From the middle of August until the middle of February, my workdays go like this:

Out of bed at 5:30 (or, at least that's when the alarm goes off....), out the door by 6:10 or so. In the door at school by 7:00, work in my room (unless I have duty or a meeting - Friday and Wednesday respectively) until 8:20, when my first class rolls in. Teach classes until 2:30; coach during the Athletic period from 2:35 until 3:40. Coach after school until 5:45 or 6:00, depending upon what we're working on; get in the truck and drive home, usually by 7:00. On game days (Wednesday and Thursday during football; Wednesday during basketball), I usually won't be home until 8:00 or 8:30. When I get home, I greet my darling bride and then eat. She's so AWESOME!!!! She always has dinner waiting for me! After we eat, we clean up the dishes, then I have to pack my bag for the next day (gym clothes) and make my salad for lunch. I'm usually done with everything I have to do by 9:30 or so, so it's time for bed. Tomorrow, it starts all over again!

Anyway, it's exhausting after awhile even though I DO love it! I'm not the kind of guy who likes to sit around too much. I'd prefer to have a project going or something I can do to feel like I'm accomplishing something. I'm in the middle of building a dog kennel, for example. On that, we're just waiting for funds to become available so we can finish that up and reclaim the back yard!

Despite that, it IS good to simply relax and kick back every so often, so that's what we did this weekend; catch up on movies. Has anyone seen the Adam Sandler flick "Reign Over Me?" It was pretty intense, but I think Sandler did a really good job. Dealing with that kind of loss, especially when it's so unexpected, is seriously traumatic. As I said, IMHO, Sandler did a really good job conveying the turmoil such a loss could cause for the survivors.

Anyway, back to work. It was good to just chill for the weekend, but the grind is almost over! Woo-Hoo! Our last potential game day (tournament time for the A team) is Feb. 8! - Dan

Coordination

Is it just me, or does there seem to be times when a subject shines prominently in the public spotlight multiple times over several weeks and you'd either never heard of it before or it had been YEARS since the topic had been visited on such a universal scale?

Recently, there seems to be a lot of interest in the idea of planet Earth without people. "I Am Legend" investigates the topic quite nicely and now, on the History Channel, "Life After People" is doing the same. As if that wasn't enough, I saw glimpses of another show recently that predicts catastrophe for Earth as of 2012. If I saw what I think I saw, these predictions go back to Mayan astronomers and their calendar.

I find all of this stuff interesting, of course, since I happen to believe that Jesus will return on "the third day" (2 Peter 3:8 "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.") just as He said. There seems to be corroboration among secular sources if one can trust what's said in the media. So, even though none of this recent media blitz seems to connect the biblical account of the end of days with the secular accounts of the same, there seems to be growing interest in what happens to the Earth when people are no longer at the top of the food chain!

My friend Kathy and I have had this conversation many times. She is a "pan-millenialist," meaning that, to her, it matters not; it will all "pan-out" in the end." From a personal prespective, i.e., how it will affect me and those close to me, I agree. If Jesus comes back before I finish this, I intend and fully expect to "...meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:17) " However, theres a "great unwashed" to reach who, as predicted in scripture, go about their daily lives completely unaware. These are the ones who need to hear the message - that the Lord is coming, and that right quick!

So, just for the sake of discussion, let's say that the Mayans had an inside track on the truth and their calendar is correct - the world is going to end in four years. Are you like the 5 wise virgins or the 5 foolish ones? Have you made spiritual preparations? Will you be on the inside with enough oil for your lamp, or on the outside, wondering what happened? You know, there's no accidents in the Bible. Jesus told the parable of the 10 virgins immediately after explaining the events of His second coming in Matthew 24, so Jesus was talking to those "in the know;" those who should know about the signs of the end. So what does this mean? Are well-meaning followers going to be left out because they failed to prepare? Can true believers be caught unaware? I think it goes back to what Jesus said in Revelation: Revelation 3:15 - "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." It's entirely possible to call yourself a Christian and not actually BE one, according to Jesus. Jesus tried to warn us about this phenomenon before the Revelation to John. He said that trees without fruit would be cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 7:18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.") and He said that we would know other Christians by their fruit. I've written about being a "fruit inspector" before, but not in this context. How sad would it be to find yourself on the outside looking in, just as the five foolish virgins were, when you've lived your life AS a Christian, going to Christian events, calling yourself one, and hanging around with other Christians?

Oh well....enough about that. Back to the original question; who coordinates these "media blizes" anyway? How is it that, supposedly at random, more than several shows, public appearances, magazine articles, etc., all covering the same topic, show up at once? I don't believe in coincidence. I believe that God controls all things either by direct action or by omission of action, so, at the root of it, God is in control. I guess I would like to know HOW it happens rather than why. Any help out there? - Dan

My A team is getting better....

...but my B team is....well.....how can I say this nicely? Uhhh....they're horrendous! They have yet to win a game and their prospects are not looking very bright. They don't dribble well; they don't pass well; they don't shoot well; they don't play defense well, and they don't rebound well. Is there anything left?

Tonight, in the B team district tournament (we lost in round 1 so we went to the losers bracket), we played a team that lost for the first time this year last night, that to the only undefeated team in the district, and that by only three points. Well....I'll bet you can guess where this is going! If you'd like to see replays, you won't find them on YouTube, but you can find a reasonable facsimile at your local video store. Go the the "Classics" section, pick out one of those old "Christian Vs Lions" movies, and cheer for the Christians; that's us!

The game was 21 to 2 when I told them to just run the clock....with 4 minutes to go in the first half!!! The final score was 35 to 6. How we managed to score 6 I'm not sure. Don't you usually have to be able to get the ball across half-court to score?

Oh well....look up "hideous" in the dictionary; you'll probably find footage of this one in there! - Dan

Well, we won AGAIN!!! Woo-Hoo!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the boys pulled out another one!
Tonight, they played a team that is historically one of the weaker teams in our district, but one we cannot afford to overlook with our record! We've been working really hard on improving our rebounding since one of our biggest problems has been giving up multiple opportunities to the other team on their offensive end. Well, we must've done something right; we basically controlled the defensive glass and won the game by ten!
Woo-hoo! - Dan

Happy MLK day!

I'm not sure how Martin Luther King Jr. would have felt about his birthday becoming a national holiday, but I'm pretty sure he'd be upset that it's celebrated primarily as a black holiday and pretty much ignored or chastised by those of different races or colors.

As a middle-class white guy, I'm privy to the sort of comments other white and hispanic people make about this day. It's hard to tell if they mean anything by it, but you hear comments like "Definitely MY favorite holiday" or "why do we get a day off?" when MLK day is mentioned. Frankly, of all the leaders of nationally prminent movements of the 20th century, I'd have to say that MLK was in my top five. Why do I say that? It's pretty easy. He stood for non-violent protest of social injustice and longed for the day that race, color, creed, etc., would not matter. The only criteria for judging one person over another would be the content of their character. Sadly, MLK never saw it and, again sadly, I have yet to see it in my lifetime.

I DO think we're getting closer to a "color-blind" society, but we're still a long ways away. As long as I hear comments like the ones previously described, we won't be there. Then again, as long as we single out people like Dr. King for holidays, I don't think we'll make it, either. Why? Because Dr. King's accomplishments were in the arena of civil rights, primarily equality for African-Americans. If we celebrate the day and include a host of similar leaders in the celebration of every race and color, then it will be less about African-American rights and more about American equality for all. I think Dr. King would feel better about such a celebration and I think fewer Americans would feel left out if that were the case.

Regardless of perceptions, what MLK stood for was worth celebrating! So, happy MLK day! - Dan

Is Clinton Electible?

Well, Hillary won in Nevada, and it begs the question; is Clinton electible?

I sure hope not!

One thing you have to consider is the fact that Democrat primaries basically "poll" those who intend to vote Democrat, leaving the majority of Americans behind. I hope the people who watch from the sidelines don't read too much into a Clinton victory in the Democratic party. I mean, after all, Muskie, McCarthy, and a litany of other Democrat candiates, won the nomination of their party after the primary season and found that Americans don't buy into their notion of government first, last, and always. I hope we're seeing a replay of history. Sadly, my concern is that people are so fed up with George W that they'll seek relief wherever they can find it and that relief will take the form of a Democrat, whoever that is. If it's Clinton, I'm afraid we're in for at least four years of skyrocketing spending on social boondoggle that will generate little in terms of real results, but will make everyone feel good for the effort; at least those on the Democrat side of the aisle.

I abide by the original notion of the conservative; give a man a fish and he eats for one day: teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime. Let's teach America to fish. before the provision of fish bankrupts us all! - Dan

You may like to read...

MDB's blog. One of the things I love about Kim (among the endless items I could list) is the way she thinks about things. Her latest talks about people, both living and dead with whom she'd like to have a conversation. Some of the people she listed are unknown to me, but she's told me who they are/were. A conversation with them may prove interesting indeed. One was victimized by the Holocaust. The Bushs have been eyewitness to much of what shapes our country today; another interesting conversation! Bill Gates is another, but I'm not so sure I need to talk to him. He seems to be attempting to use his great wealth for the overall betterment of society, but I happen to feel that he and his foundation could do more if they chose to do so. I give him a lot of credit, though. In the same environment that saw the collapse of giants like Enron, Arthur Anderson, etc., his enterprise has done, and continues to do, quite nicely!

Kim loves to watch "ET" (Entertainment Tonight), so a conversation with Princess Diana and/or Donny Osmond makes sense from her perspective, but neither one interests me particularly. The others are members of her family or persons with whom her family has had connection, the sole exception being Abraham Lincoln. Now THAT'S a guy I'd LOVE to sit down with for however long he had to spare! IMHO, no President has EVER faced the sorts of problems that he faced, but he dealt with them with authority and grace and made the absolute best of it.

Here's some folks I'd like to talk with, other than the ones already mentioned:

Living

Billy Graham, Jim Brown, Jimmy Carter, Tom Clancy, Norman Schwartzkopf.

Dead

Albert Einstein, FD Roosevelt, the Apostle Paul, Ronald Reagan, Chester Nimitz.

I'd have listed Jesus first, but I carry on a fairly regular dialgoue with Him and I didn't know which list would be appropriate for inclusion. He's not alive in the generally-accepted sense, but He certainly is alive in Spirit and available for conversation to any who will listen.

If anyone's interested, I'll discuss why I'd like to hear from any of the above.

Read MDB's blog to keep track of her amazing mind! - Dan

Some of the people from the old IWon days are peeking in...

...so I thought I'd wax reminiscent for a moment.

I was working as a safety engineer at a mid-sized industrial facility in those days. My job had morphed into that of Training Coordinator primarily, and I was building a computer-based training program for the company. Since that required me to be at a computer almost all day for the most part, I took "breaks" by posting on the politics forum on IWon, along with several thousand of my computer-savee colleagues from other parts of the country. Of course, the primary topic was the election; who should receive our support and why. As I mentioned in my response to Suz, I don't think we changed any hearts or minds, but we certainly got a lot off of our collective chests, sometimes to the detriment of the discussion. We were coming out of the Clinton years, a time when personal attack in the name of political discourse had become acceptable it seems, and personal attack, rather than discussion of issues, is what IWon soon became, which is why many of us left that arena and gathered at other locations, primarily Network54. I started my own Christian forum, which was very nice at the outset because the people there were civil and truly interested in discussing things of mutual interest. Frankly, I think more than one seeker actually found an original relationship with Jesus because of it and for that I'm truly thankful. Unfortunately, that forum eventually became rather contentious as well when people who were more interested in disruption and chaos than seeking a relationship with God virtually controlled the forum, and I had to shut it down.

My friend Ross, who passed away several years ago, was the one who directed me to IWon initially. He knew I was a conservative and he sought a compatriot to assist with his online battle against the forces of those evil liberals! LOL! God rest his soul; Ross was one of a kind. He was truly committed to his ideals and he KNEW that his was the only correct way! It may have led him to an early grave. Like I said, God rest his soul. He was a true friend, and I miss him.

Note that I describe myself as a conservative and not a Republican. At one time, when conservatives controlled the party and conservative ideals were evident in the platform of the party, I may have considered myself a Republican. Now, I don't think there's a nickel's worth of difference between the parties; only the individuals who reside there. Frankly, almost any of the candidates who call themselves Republican could gain my support and, as I said, all of the Democrats who are running sing pretty much the same tune; "let us show you what government can do for you!" Frankly, I'm not too interested in what government can do for me, but I would be interested in a candidate who could get the government out of my back pocket and return my constitutional liberties! In this day and age (post 911), I'm not even sure if that's possible or advisable, but it's a nice thought, isn't it? Like I said, waxing reminiscent!

Well, that's enough for now! Good to see some friends from the old days looking in! Wax reminiscent in reply if you choose! Dan

Sometimes winning is not a good thing!

Yesterday's games were ugly. The team we faced, IMHO, was not even as good as the team we beat last week by 18, but we made them look like the Boston Celtics or something. Here's why I say winning is not always a good thing:

With a winless team, a win can do one of two things. On the good side, it will make the team hungry for some more of the good feeling that comes with being victorious; they'll try harder and work to improve even more so that they can beat even better teams than the one they just defeated. On the bad side, a win can make a team think that they're "all that," and stop working to improve, stop trying as hard in competition, stop doing the things that got them the win in the first place. I think that my team chose option two.

Now, we have to start all over basically, going back to the fundamental errors we made and trying to correct them. Unfortunately, we have another team next week that is traditionally pretty weak, so we're probably going to do the whole thing all over again; get a win, think we're all that, and get it handed to us the following week. I hope not!

Anyway, keep those cards and letters coming in! - Dan

I put a "hit counter" on Dan's Place....

...and there seems to be a lot more traffic here than I thought!

Come on, people! Write a response every now and again! I know this isn't a chat site or even a discussion forum, but it would be interesting to see what visitors think and start a discussion of sorts about some of the topics I visit.

This morning's headline "Romney wins Michigan!" was rather telling, especially in light of what I wrote yesterday. Apparently, a lot of other folks are tired of "business as usual" in Washington and are ready for some real change. As usual, the Dems are trotting out a host of "look what governement can do for you" folks. Romney seems to be the exception, telling people that government is too fat and needs to be curtailed. I agree. The thing that I'd most like to see is a genuine effort to make our tax system more equitable. Look, I know that taxes are necessary and that our government provides a lot of very important services. Most of those services could be performed just as well for a lot less money, IMHO. I know that the IRS is a necessary agency. There's a contingent of people out there who would go to extreme lengths to avoid paying anything at all, and that's why the system has to be changed. There are too many loopholes for people who have a lot of money such that they do not pay what they should. Should they pay 70% like they did at one time? I don't think so, but they should NOT be able to hide all of their cash in different "shelters" and pay nothing, either! I'd like to see us do away with income tax altogether and go with a straight sales tax. That way, people who consume in a big way pay big tax. Those who cannot afford to consume in a big way don't pay so much!

Anyway, I've got a meeting to go to, so I'll check in later. Respond, people! - Dan

Even though my bid for President doesn't seem to be...

..."getting legs," I'm hearing some pretty interesting things from some of the other candidates!

First, isn't it nice to hear the Dems imploding once again? Obama criticizing Clinton for playing the race card, Clinton criticizing Obama for NOT playing the race card, both of them taking pot-shots at the other for WHATEVER. As Artie Johnson used to say, "v-v-e-e-e-e-r-r-r-r-r-y-y-y interesting!"

Seriously, does anyone really believe that any card put forth by the Dems has a chance? If all they get is the "disgusted with the Pubs" vote, they'll get 25% tops! Of course, we all know how that works; the states that ALWAYS vote Dem will continue to vote that way (Mass., New York; the "solid south," etc.), but the bulk of the nation will vote Republican as usual and then it will come down to a count of the Electoral College, which is an antiquated agency that needs some serious re-consideration, BTW.

Of the Republicans running, I'm liking what Romney has to say moreso than most of the other candidates. Oh, we could go into a lengthy debate about religion here, but I don't see Romney mixing religion with politics, so why would any potential nay-sayers do so? Romney says a lot of the same things I've been saying. Run government like a business. If an agency has come to a place where there's no "value added," do away with it. People who are sitting at $80,000/yr jobs doing their knitting should be let go! Make agencies justify every penny they spend! Stop talking "billions" and start talking "thousands" the way the people footing the bills do! Install term limits for every elected official. Make government "lean" so that we can spend money where it needs to be spent constitutionally. Do away with "earmarks." He's been saying may ny of these things, and I like what I'm hearing!

Is that my official endorsement of Romney? Not yet...but stay tuned. I may come out for him eventually as the political season wears on! - Dan

A glimpse into why MDB is so AWESOME!!!

Kim, my darling bride (MDB), is absolutely the most wonderful person EVER in the history of the universe! Let me explain that categorization. First, she's not JUST the most wonderful woman ever; that leaves out half of humanity and her wonderfullness goes far beyond that. Second, she's not just the most wonderful person alive; that leaves out a whole bunch of dead people! Finally, assuming there's life on other planets, we have to take those life forms into consideration and I have no doubt that she would come out on top in that competition as well!

Why do I say all of that? Well, frankly, I'm a knot-head. This morning, not realizing it was Kim's day to "sleep in" (well...if you can call 6:30 "sleeping in"), I attempted to awake my darling angel at about 10 minutes to 6:00, fearing that she was oversleeping and would be late for work. A normal mortal would have turned over, screamed at me for waking her up on her "late" day, and rolled back over to sleep. MDB simple whispered "it's my day to sleep late" and returned to slumber. Well, I felt about 2" tall, but she didn't say a thing and, in fact, she said later that it was "no big deal." Is she awesome, or what?

Yesterday, we went to the boat show together. She had to work the event; I went along to keep her company and check out some stuff that we'd like to obtain one day (a travel trailer in particular). Looking at stuff with her and dreaming is AWESOME! She knows what she wants and she's not particular about making sure it's the fanciest or the nicest as long as it meets her needs. In her case, having a commode and shower on board is important; cooking area is important; and sleeping area (an adequate sized bed mostly) is important. Well, there's no shortage of trailers you could spend upwards of $40,000 on without batting an eyelash, but she's just as happy with one that was less than half of that!

Well....more later! Suffice it to say, MDB's the awesomenest person EVER!!! - Dan

Well, one week down, 17 to go!

Hello, friends!

I know that may be a pessimistic way of looking at the school year, but, the longer I teach, the more discouraged I get about today's young people. Oh, don't get me wrong. I LOVE to teach and I love coaching, and I won't be doing anything else for as long as I know, but it IS discouraging to face the fruit of what society is producing today and have a positive outlook for tomorrow.

Why do I say that? Back in the day, the outlook of most young people mirrored that of society. People of my generation were parented by the people who fought WWII. You know, people who knew what it was to sacrifice personal gain for the common good; people who knew what was written in the bible ("he who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted"); people who believed that the best way to get along was to follow the Golden Rule and treat others with respect and kindness whenever it was possible to do so. Today, all of that is on its ear! This is the biggest "me first!" bunch of whiners I've seen yet! They have no concept of building a better society just because its the right thing to do; its all about what can I get for me and how soon can I have it? They have no trouble tooting their own horn whenever they think they've got a little more coming and they have no compunction whatsoever about DEMANDING it regardless of whether they've got it coming or not. Treat others as they would like to be treated? They have no concept of what social grace or manners are whatsoever. You can be carrying on a conversation with another and they will break right in between you, interrupt, and blurt out whatever is on their mind at any time and for any reason! I'm telling you, it mindboggling! Although I must be as much to blame as anyone else who raised some of these kids, I can't help but think that its getting worse by the minute. It's time we reinvested in some of our past child-rearing strategies before its too late:

1. "Spare the rod, spoil the child" isn't in the Bible by accident. At the very root, kids are animals just as dogs are animals. The best way to train them is to create in their very psyche a deep-seated fear of getting in trouble and being punished. Sorry, folks, but "time out" doesn't scare me very much! Sorry....staying after school doesn't petrify me, either. My apologies, but in school suspension (which has become sort of a "badge of honor" for the thug generation we're seeing now), doesn't make me quiver a lot, either. Let's bring back corporal punishment, where we bring out the "board of education" for correction and give them something to think about before they mess up! If parents won't allow their children to be spanked by school authorities, send them home and do not give them the PRIVILEDGE of a free public education until they can abide by the rules and governing authorities of the school!

2. Get rid of all of this "everyone gets a trophy" nonsense! Only the winners get a reward and that's the way it is in life, so why make kids believe that all they have to do is show up and they'll be rewarded when that's not the case! You know what? Life is hard. Keeping your head above water is a struggle much of the time. The sooner we teach kids that they way to do it is to work hard and be responsible, the better off we all will be. Kids today have WAY too much handed to them without working at all for it and they think that that's how it's supposed to be as they get older, so they grow up expecting everything to be simply handed to them. What a shock it is when they get to my class and find out that I won't give them anything they don't earn! Many of them don't survive it and wind up with a consequence called summer school; one of the last bastions of hope for our society when it comes to making the little malcontents realize that there really are unwanted outcomes for less than acceptable performance!

3. If the atheists or antheist apologists won't allow us to teach straight from the Bible, then AT LEAST make a social graces/manners class mandatory! People of my generation went to church every week and attended Sunday School every Sunday morning. Most of us had to attend Catechism or Confirmation classes, and we learned the tenets of Christianity just like anything else that we learned in school or elsewhere. Let's go back to that, shall we?

4. By the way, how is it, in a country where "majority rules" is the backbone of our system of government, that atheists and their "separation of church and state" allies have managed to co-opt our rights to educate our children as we please? Most, if not all of the people who fund public education are Christian. Most, if not all of the educators in those institutions are also Christian. So please, tell me; why do we allow a minority to dictate to the majority? How is it that we can't educate OUR children as we see fit? I have an idea! If it's the money that they're contributing in the form of school taxes, give them a rebate check and let them educate their kids somewhere else! Send their kids to "Atheist Academy" or wherever they might go to be with other atheist children. What about muslim, or hindu, or bhuddist, or whatever else is out there kids? They can do the same thing as the atheist kids! You know what?! I'm tired of apologizing for being a Christian nation! In Saudia Arabia, nobody apologizes for being muslim! And, if you don't like what they have to offer, they'll tell you where to get off real quick, too! Maybe we could be a little more like that here. I know...I know.....turn the other cheek; forgive and you will be forgiven, etc. How about a little more of the "righteous indignation" Jesus, the one who turned over the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple! How about a loud and proud version for the whole world to see?! We're so busy trying to get along with all of these splinter groups and appease the minority all the time, we, the majority, are getting swept under the rug!

Well....that's enough rant for now! Don't be afraid to be who you are, fellow Christians, and don't apologize to ANYONE for it! We know the truth and, the sooner as we proclaim it loudly and proudly, the sooner we'll get what we have coming to US! - Dan

Once saved, always saved?

Those of you who read here often know that I like to blog about all kinds of things, but the stance of different Christian denominations and their interpretation of the Word of God is one thing that I really like to explore. Before I get started, let me say one thing; I am not a Bible scholar by any means. I haven't read the original Greek and Hebrew; I haven't poured through the Latin Vulgate, and I haven't even read every English version of scripture. That said, I have a limited window through which to peer. However, I trust the Word in the form it's been handed down to me and I believe that, in essence, it is the true Word of God.

Certain denominations offer scriptural evidence of the idea that, once a person receives Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, that person can never lose his/her salvation. This concept, in and of itself, is contrary to the very idea of free will; you know, the thing that got us in trouble in the first place! Free will dictates that, until death, we always have the right to choose what our eternal destination will be. The very people who tell us that "death bed" salvation is valid would have us believe that "life bed" rejection of Jesus at any time is an impossibility. I have a hard time swallowing that.

Not only that, but the very concept is not scriptural. Those who tout "OSAS" quote John 6:

35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

Read the words carefully! Jesus said "Whoever comes to me I will never drive away;" He did NOT say "whoever comes to me, I will never let go." This is an important concept! It is possible for the believer to willfully reject his/her salvation, but Jesus will never turn his back on those who believe! Keep reading. Jesus then said "this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me..." What does THAT mean? Well, the way I read it, Jesus is saying that those who have been called by God, known beforehand to have received Christ in eternity, will never be taken from Him. Now, God exists in all times and all places simultaneously. He KNOWS who will be raised before we, in our finite understanding and knowledge, have even made our decision! Therfore, what Jesus says is correct (Duh!); any who have been given Him by the Father will not be lost! So, how would we, once saved, be capable of losing that great gift that we've been given?

Free will! Hebrews 10 offers us the answer:

26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

I think this is pretty clear, but let me interpret. After one has received Jesus as Savior, it is still possible to return to the former ways, leaving no sacrifice available to that person! If you choose to "trample the Son of God under foot," there is no way to rectify that behavior again!

So, why would a truly blood-bought, born-again believer choose to "trample the Son of God under foot" anyway? Well, I think this is the question that our Christian brothers truly ask when the claim "once saved, always saved." They claim that, if a person is truly saved, that person would NEVER be ABLE to reject Jesus and return to his/her former life. This is the concept that troubles me. It does not allow for free will, and THAT is what got us into trouble in the first place!

Lord, I pray that any who have accepted Jesus, truly becoming new creations in Christ, would never choose to reject Him and trample Him underfoot! It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! - Dan

Woo-hoo! Finally got a "W!!!"

Well, it took ahwile, but my 7th-graders finally got a win tonight! Based upon past experience, I knew that we should be able to press the team we played, so we came out pressing HARD and jumped out to a 10-2 lead before they knew what hit 'em! Well, we never looked back and had s solid 10-point lead at the half. Even though they came out playing with a lot of energy and emotion after the half (oh, how I would like to have been a fly on the wall in THEIR locker room at the half!) we soon jumped out to a 20 point advantage and had to stop pressing (our league has a "mercy rule" that doesn't allow a press when the other team is up by 20 or more). Well, it didn't matter that much; they got back within 17, but that's where it ended.

Well, maybe that'll turn things around, but we have a tough game next week against a 4-1 team. If we can take the momentum from this one and translate it into continued improvement, we may be turning a corner! Woo-hoo! - Dan

Superman

A report came out recently, verified by reliable sources, that Superman used steroids to elongate his illustrious career of crimefighting. Long-time confidant, Lois Lane, implicated Superman during an investigation of Batman, Aquaman, the Flash, and other comic-book heroes, all of whom have admitted to using banned substances to enhance their crime-fighting abilities. "The CBA between authorities and the crime-fighters union had not banned these substances at the time they were used," stated one super-hero, who spoke under the promise of anonymity, "but I have to admit; I knew I had an unfair advantage while I was using, and I regret ever falling into the trap of easy gain." Superman, however, has adamantly denied ever using these substances, including steroids and Kryptonian Growth Hormone (KGH), and has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Lane, claiming defamation of character. "I've done so much for Lois; treated her like family," said Superman, "so I don't understand how it is she could implicate me in this thing." Superman, during a press conference, produced an expletive-laced audiotape of a conversation he and Lane had after the allegations became known but before the report came out officially. The tape really didn't do much to exonerate the Man of Steel, but it did make Lane appear as though she were telling the truth. "What do you want me to do, Superman? Go to jail? I'll go to jail if that's what you want" Lane was heard saying repeatedly.

Superman is slated to appear before a congressional committee next week and has vowed to tell all that he knows, but his pending lawsuit would make that difficult, if not impossible to do, according to those who know about such things.

So, did Superman actually do what Lane has accused him of doing? Here are the facts:

1. Lane accused Superman of accepting illegal injections of steroids and KGH on several occasions over a 6 year time period;
2. Lane had no motive for implicating Superman along with the other super heroes. In fact, Lane's only motivation for implicating Superman at all was the fear of extended prison time if she did not tell the whole truth about everything she knew;
3. Facing a faiding career and reduced earning potential, Superman had plenty of reason to seek aid from whatever source he could find;
4. Every other person implicated by Lane has come forth and admitted that Lane told the truth; why would Lane fabricate a story about Superman and tell the truth in every other instance?

The jury is out, and the truth may never come out. After all, with no way to verify the facts other than testimony from the accuser and the accused, it's a "he-said, she-said" situation. Who do you WANT to believe?

One thing is for sure. Today is a sad day for fans of comic books. We never want to believe that our heroes are cheating, but in the climate of big money for big performance, our heroes have done just that.

Dan

I've written about this before...

...but it seems as though the pharmaceutical companies invent a new "syndrome" almost everyday! Of course, only they have the cure! We can fix almost anything! If you have "ED," there's a pill for that! You can be cured of your ED for upwards of 36 hours at a time for when "the moment is right!" Of course, if you have "PAD," you may want to stay away from the other stuff because they insist that you must be healthy enough for sexual activity before you take their stuff! Naturally, you can get rid of your PAD with the right stuff from the pharmaceutical company, but it may make you "go," so you'll want to load up on Flowmax so you won't miss "the right moment" while on your ED medicine! Naturally, the PAD is probably because of high cholesterol, so you can take another pill for that!

I think I'll invent my own malady; of course, I'll be the only one who has a cure! I think I may have SFS ("Stinky Fart Syndrome"). My pill to cure SFS will not cure the ailment, of course, but it will cause clogged sinuses so that you won't notice your SFS any longer! My medicine will be called "Odorafix." Naturally, Odorafix has side effects. If you have red blood, a resting respiratory rate of 12-20 Breaths/Min, 20/20 or worse vision, clear skin, and a resting pulse rate of 60 BPM, you should not take Odorafix without the advice of a physician. Odorafix may cause a decrease in renal function, elevated blood pressure, enlarged prostate, loss of bone mass, ED, and, in certain extreme cases, instant and permanent death.

Of course, you can take Levitra for part of that.

Oh, and Flowmax may help with the enlarged prostate, too...if that instant and permanent death thing doesn't get you first!

Dan

Well...I got to play the last couple of days!

Last time we went to mom's, I noticed that her garage was basically falling down. Hers is a detached garage and, over the years, the soil surrounding it rose to a place where it was above the foundation and contacted the siding on most of two sides. Well....I probably don't have to tell you...when soil contacts wood, termites are soon to follow! In any case, on top of significant termite damage, someone (mom) had run into the back wall with her car and knocked the bottom plate off of the concrete curb upon which it should rest. Whooh!

Yesterday, I took care of termite damage on one side, replacing one entire stud and "sandwiching" a second after replacing the bottom plate. Today, I removed the bottom plate for the entire length of the back wall and jacked up the wall a section at a time, eventually replacing the bottom plate along the entire length. Then, with the jack in place, I screwed a section of 2x6 onto the wall and used a come-along to pull the wall back into place, securing it to the bottom plate as I went. Naturally, this was a time-consuming and exhausting enterprise and I'M TIRED!!!

Well, I hope your new year is going well! I'm worn out already! - Dan

Well...I hope the rest of the country is as smart as Iowa...

Hhmmmm....Obama in first; whoever in second; Hillary in THIRD!!! Woo-hoo! There IS a collective brain in Iowa!

Hhmmm....Huckabee in first; Thompson tied with Guliani......There IS a moral conscience in Iowa!!!!

I PRAY that the rest of the country (starting in News Hampshire) has as much sense as Iowa showed!

Meanwhile....I liked a lot of what Huckabee had to say. "Get rid of the IRS" I believe is what he said. Did I hear that right? Americans are more afraid of the IRS than of a terrorist attack? REALLY? I'd have never thought it (Uhhhh....yes I would!). "Create a flat tax with no loopholes" Is that what I heard? I think it was! Woo-Hoo! It sounds like common sense has returned! Was that RR or Huckabee?

Oh, my! This is going to be interesting! - Dan

Okay, it's time for all the 7s to become 8s!

You know...everything you're used to writing "2007" on, you'll have to get used to writing "2008" on, and that right quick!



I have a good feeling about this year! The last three-quarters of last year (sounds funny saying that already...) was FABULOUS, so I have a really good feeling about 2008!



I know everyone likes to make a list of goals that they call "resolutions" at this time of year, but I choose not to lie to myself or anyone else, so I choose to call them "proposed objectives" instead. You know why, of course. I KNOW I'm not the only person on the planet who has an electrostatic stair-climber or a "total gym" laundry organizer, so I refuse to make promises that I either cannot or will not keep! Regardless, here are the things I'd like to get accomplished this year:



1. I want to lose 30 pounds and get back to below 200 again;

2. I'd like to get the garage cleaned out and finish getting it organized;

3. I want to build a storage building in the back so I can get #2 accomplished;

4. I want to love MDB more at the end of 08 than I do now (this is gonna be a tough one; I don't know if its POSSIBLE to love someone more than I love her right now!!!);

5. I want to put it a garden and grow a lot of our own vegetables;

6. I want to find a buyer for my house and buy a lot somewhere close for a boat storage facility;

7. I want to plan and execute the best anniversary (6-7), birthday (8-27), and Christmas EVER! MDB TOTALLY surprised me for my birthday! She bought Rockets tickets and took me out to dinner, so the bar's been set pretty high!

8. I'd like my kids to know that I love them and I'd like nothing more than to have a close relationship with them.



There are other things I'd like to do as well, but I think it would be a pretty successful year if I can get these things done!



Let's start it with a prayer:



Father God,



You alone are holy, Lord! You are the most high God, the One who spoke the universe into existence and the One who upholds it by the power of His Word! Father, I fall before your presence as dust and ashes! Lord, You said that by the imputed righteousness of Jesus that we could come boldly before Your throne to let our petitions known. Lord God, I trust Your Word and I call on Your promise now as I ask for these things. Father, first and foremost, I thank You for bringing Kim into my life! I know that this is Your doing because You are perfect and all good things come from You! Lord, I ask You to watch over her and protect her! Lord, I ask You to guide her and give her Your strength and Your wisdom, and I ask you to heal her of her infirmities both now and in the future. Father, You know what things trouble her, but she needs healing of her upper respiratory tract right now and healing in her left knee, Father. Lord, You know also that she suffers from fibromyalgia; I ask for Your healing of this ailment as well, Father!

Lord, I've got a number of things I'd like to see happen this year, but none of them can be accomplished without You, Father. Lord, I need you to send someone to buy my house. Lord, I know it's not the Taj Mahal, but it would make some young couple a good place to start their family! Please, God! Send someone to buy my house! Lord, I need Your will to be done in my life and I need the strength of Your will as I try to lose weight and accomplish my other goals! Lord, guide me and protect me! Watch over me and lead me, Father! Lord, help me to be more like Jesus every day and help me to be an example You would be proud of for those You entrust to me! Lord, I cannot do these things in my own power; I need Your power and the strength of Your will to accomplish these things! Lord, grant me these requests I pray, asking it in the name of Jesus!

Father God, You are AWESOME, Lord! You said that we have not because we ask not! You said that You would never give us a stone when we ask for bread or a snake in place of fish! You said that it is Your good pleasure to give us the things that we need! Lord, You said that anything we ask in the name of Jesus would be granted Lord, I ask for all of these things in the name of Jesus! - Amen

Well...today's the day!

I had my birthday the other day, but MDB chose to celebrate it today. I have to admit...she's pretty good about keeping a secret and I have no idea what I have in store (very mysterious!!!), but I DO know that we're going in to Houston for this activity (whatever it is) and I can wear jeans (don't have to get dressed up....Hmmmmm.....)

I'll report back with details later, but for now....I have NO IDEA!!!!

I DO know one thing; I'm tired of the writer's strike already, but not for the reason you'd probably think. Shows are starting to cave and reach agreements with the writer's guild, and that's not necessarily a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Maybe, without a television telling us what and how to think, we could actually come up with an original idea of our own occasionally. We might even (perish the thought!!!) pick up a book! OH NO!!!!

More later! - Dan

I'm trying to be the bigger person....

...but my 13 year-old 21 year-old is about to drive me around the corner with her "gimme-gimme" ungrateful attitude!



Two nights ago(23rd), all four of my kids came over for a birthday dinner in their honor. Kim worked like a dog preparing a wonderful meal and a "from scratch" birthday cake that was simply marvelous (Kim's an AWESOME cook!). All of the kids seemed to enjoy it, but I could tell when "present" time rolled around, my youngest was upset that she only got a token gift for her birthday (recall that she used up her Christmas/Birthday goodwill on overages on her cell phone, which is paid for by ME lock, stock, and barrel) instead of the nice cash gift that I gave her sister. Her twin brother got the same treatment - I'm having to pay the deductible for his knee surgery, so I told him that Christmas/Birthday wasn't going to be any great shakes and he understood! Anyway, a couple of them asked me if was sending Christmas home with them two days before Christmas, and I told them no - if they wanted a Christmas present, they needed to come and see me on Christmas!



I said all that to say this - last evening, the thirteen year-old called me and asked if she could return the boxes she'd borrowed when Kim and I moved her back into her mother's house. I said, uh....sure, I suppose; timing's a little strange, but I guess you can return boxes right about now if you like. Anyway, I knew it was just a lame excuse to come and get their Christmas presents. So, after we put the boxes back into the garage, they came inside (my oldest, Lauren made the trip with her) and just sort of waited. For that matter, Lauren never did sit down! So, I said, "well, since y'all are here, why don't you open your Christmas presents!" So they did and then, within no more than another 2.5 minutes, they were gone!



We were remarking about the strangeness of the event when the phone rang. "Dad!" (it was Katelyn) "I just wanted to make sure that I didn't drop some cash or leave some in a crack or something - there was only $5 in this envelope, is that right?" (subtle child!) "Yes, Katelyn, there was only $5 in your envelope - your Christmas was my paying your $135 overage on your cell phone bill....remember?" (Katelyn) "Well...how much did Lauren get?" (Me) "Frankly, Katelyn, that's none of your business! What I give Lauren is between me and Lauren and it's nobody else's affair! I will tell you this - her birthday and Christmas together didn't add up to $145, which is what you were given altogether!" (Katelyn) "Oh....well I was just wondering; I wanted to make sure I didn't lose any if there was more." (Me) "No, that's all there was; you're safe! Merry Christmas! I love you!" (KK) "click"



Oh, I see how it is. I'm supposed to forget the $135 cell phone bill that I had to pay over and above the regular cell phone bill AND give you the same amount for Christmas that I give everyone else, is that it? Hmmmm.....Cameron's deductible is $187 so, according to that logic, I ought to just give everyone the same and no one would feel left out. Hmmmm....that's $748 just on the four with whom I share DNA; if I extended that package to the other two (we'll call it $150 for Christmas and $37 for birthday), that's an additional $300, for a grand total of $1048 just for the kids, not to mention parents, party expenses, hostess gifts, gifts for friends, etc. Uhhhhhh.....my name's not Gates! I can't afford that kind of expenditure for Christmas, which is why I told the little ingrate that her cell phone bill WAS her Christmas and birthday!



I think I'll pay the $75 fee and have her line disabled. I wonder how she'll feel about paying for it by herself! Merry Christmas! - Dan

Must be Christmas! The kids came to visit!

My Darling Bride, Kim, with my youngest daughter, Katelyn, and her daughter,

Lexie (our granddaughter [Duh!])

Me and Lexie (I must've just told her one of my jokes...she's giggling pretty good!)

My oldest son, Ryan, Lexie, Me (the fat guy in the striped green shirt), Katelyn, my
oldest daughter, Lauren, and Katelyn's twin brother, Cameron. MDB is behind the camera!

Maybe in the next day or two, I'll show you the rest of my family. Kim's son Chris is coming in on Monday, so you'll get a look at Kim with Chris and her daughter Casey.

Merry Christmas! - Dan

Salmon

I may have posted this particular sentiment before, but it bears repeating.

I never noticed satan or his minions until November of 1996, when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Almost from the start, I noticed "resistance" to my salvation; people being ugly to me unecessarily, people driving strangely, making obscene gestures without reason; strange and rude behavior from people who'd been at least civil before, that sort of thing.

I say that to say this; today, MDB came home from a trip to the store VERY frustrated and harried. When I asked what was the matter, she told me that a lady had cut her off on her way through the parking lot to get her eyebrows done and then given her "the high sign" when she honked to warn her of her presence (the lady obviously didn't see Kim - she almost hit her in the parking lot and then took the space Kim had been inching toward) and then, at Wally World, she was again inching along and a lady SCREAMED at her to slow down because she may splash her!

Look....I KNOW Kim; she's a very cautious driver under the best of circumstances and, after a rain in a parking lot, I can believe her when she says that turtles were passing her in the parking lot! So, for a lady to scream at her to slow down is just totally ludicrous!

I told her that she must be especially close to God right now, because I never noticed any resistance from satan or his minions until I became a salmon and started swimming opposite the "flow" of worldly desires or goals and it sounded to me as though people were treating her the way I was treated in those heady days after my salvation! Good news all around!

God bless you, lady who cut Kim off! I hope your eyebrows came out looking really great and I hope Jesus comes into your heart this Christmas and gives you His love to share with His other children! God bless you, lady who called Kim a "B----h" and screamed at her about driving faster than the speed of dust; I hope you got into Wally World totally dry and found everything you were looking for. May God grant you the grace of His love and melt your heart of stone so that you have a more positive outlook in the future.

But then, I pray that God will grant His peace to all of His children and give us His love to share with all. - Dan

Jason Whitlock should run for president!

I mean, seriously!

Jason Whitlock is perhaps the soundest thinker I've ever read. His latest column on Fox Sports.com has to do with "Teflon" Roger Clemens and the predicament he finds himself in with the steroid allegations of the Mitchell report. Frankly, his analysis is flawless, but I don't think I agree with the conclusion. For years, people have said of Pete Rose, "If only he'd have told the truth from the beginning! Americans are a forgiving people; his indiscretions would have been forgiven and he'd have been in the hall of fame by now!" Now, they're saying the same thing about Roger; just tell the truth! If you did steroids at the time that they say you did, they weren't even banned by baseball at that time! Just come clean and stress that there was no banned substance used, and all will be forgiven! Uhhh.....what?

One thing that troubled me in Whitlock's article was this line:

"Clemens is Mike Lupica's Mark McGwire mulligan, the pawn Lupica can use to detract attention from the fawning book he wrote about Big Mac's magical summer of '98 when no one — and I mean no one — had ever heard of steroids."

Uhhh....what? Never heard of steroids? Anyone remember Lyle Alzado? What about Brian Bosworth? Maybe the transition from football to baseball was outside the bounds of most people's thought processes, but steroids were a well-known commodity in the athletic community as far back as the early '70s. Alzado became the poster child for steroid abuse since he died at an early age from a brain tumor that he claimed had been caused by the drugs. Alzado admitted to using steroids since his college days. Since he was drafted in '71, that would indicate that steroids have been around for a very long time; much longer than the 8 years claimed by Whitlock!

In any case, what to do about Roger? How can we even feign shock when we've watched this guy for so long and watched as he changed from a skinny fireball throwing prodigy into a hulking split-finger throwing magician? I'm sorry, but people don't normally change their body style without help. One's head doesn't expand two sizes without aid of some kind! Oh, and people don't normally pitch into their forties without some form of assistance. Oh, there's guys like Hoyt Wilhelm, who pitched well into his forties, but he was a knuckleball pitcher. Those guys throw at the speed of dust, not the speed of sound! Should Roger just come out and admit that he did it and move on? Frankly, I have to disagree with Whitlock again, which is unusual. ABSOLUTELY Roger needs to come clean. He should admit that he did it, admit WHY he did it, apologize for misleading all of those Clemens-jersey-wearing kids out there who idolized him, promise to cooperate with MLB in every way possible, and lead the effort to permanently ban the substance from organized athletics forever. You know, everyone stands up and applauds when an alcoholic admits to his addiction and then proclaims his "clean" status for however many days its been. People love it when other people overcome the demons that haunt them and help others to do the same. How many "Livestrong" bracelets did Lance Armstrong sell? People will support someone who's turned things around and fights for good instead of evil.

Roger, here's your chance. Come clean. Admit that you did it, tell us why you did it, apologize to all of your fans for letting them down, and do what you can to clean baseball up. Baseball's done an awful lot for you. Maybe you should return the favor. - Dan

In three days...

...I'll turn 50. When I was much younger, I always thought of a 50 year-old guy as being mostly over-the-hill; physical ability almost gone, eyesight fading, mental lapses increasing, etc. My dad died at the tender age of 57, so I've always sort of lived my life with that thought in the back of my mind. What if I die at 57, too? What regrets would I have? What did I do that I'd like to take back, or what did I NOT do that I wish I had done?

In the regret category, I don't have any, really. I've lived a pretty full life thus far. I am married to the most wonderful woman that God ever put on the planet; I have a great job that is very fulfilling personally if not financially (but the money is a secondary consideration as far as I'm concerned anyway!); I have six great kids and one terrific little grandchild; I have my health, and I have the love of Jesus in my heart! How could anyone regret any of that?

In the "wish I'd done that" category, there's still a lot of things I'd like to accomplish. I'd like to be a published author one of these days. I've always wanted to learn how to fly an airplane. I've always wanted to learn how to scuba dive and then go as often as possible. I've always wanted to buy and restore a '51 or '52 (same body style) Ford F-1 pickup truck (flathead V-8, four on the floor). I've always wanted to buy a rifle and go deer hunting. I'd like to attend a concealed carry permit class and get licensed to do that. I'd like to buy a place in the country and then build a house on the place. I'd like to learn to play guitar. I'd like to have a large garden and grow all of the vegetables we consume. I'd like to coach a district champion one day (I've been assistant coach on a district championship team, but I haven't been the Head Coach in that situation). I'd like to get to a place where money isn't a concern and just buy anything and everything for all of the people in my life who are dear to me. One day....maybe.

I guess I'd better make 100. I've still got a lot of things to do! - Dan

B-U-S-Y ! ! ! ! !

Like a lot of folks, I'm very busy at this time of year. We're coming to the end of the first semester and it's time to get grades finalized for all of my students. We're smack-dab in the middle of basketball season and, even though we're not very good and hopes for the future look pretty bleak for this group, we've got to continue to try to get better and work on the mistakes that we're making (which are numerous!). Of course, Christmas is right around the corner and there's always the preparations for that; food, parties, church get-togethers, gifts, etc. On top of everything else, three of my four children were born on the 9th, which means we've got to have a remembrance of that special day AND, my own birthday is on the 24th, which means those who care about me typically feel that they have to do something to remember that day as well. In short, there's a lot of stuff going on and the pressure mounts continually right up through the end of the year!

Basketball report - Uhhh....how can I say this nicely? My team isn't very good! Last night, despite intense practice to correct mistakes made previously, we made all of the same mistakes again and lost ugly! I told them before the game that the team we were facing was going to be very athletic and extremely fast. I told them that, in order to win, we must get back quickly on defense, control our defensive glass, hit our free throws, and execute our half-court offense. Very shortly into the game, with the score 10-2 in their favor, I called time out. I informed them of the fact that, of the 10 points they had, 8 were from stick-backs on offensive rebounds which meant that we were NOT boxing out and controlling our defensive glass; one of the absolutes I gave them before the game ever got underway. I swear, sometimes I think they believe that I tell them things just to hear my voice bounce off the wall! The good news is that we've now faced most of the toughest teams we'll see and, if we actually fix the things that are broken, we may win a couple of games before we're done!

Meanwhile, I remain optimistic. I'm married to the most wonderful woman in the universe and nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can ruin the marvelous mood that she keeps me in! I feel as though I'm without air when we're not together and I feel like a king when we are! She's God's very special blessing to me and I praise Him with everything in me for giving me such a wonderful blessing at this time in my life!

Out! - Dan

I'm rather beside myself!

Hello again, boys and girls!

I'm in a giddy mood this morning. It's December 16 (Sunday), and I have much to be thankful for.

First off, I am a born-again believer in Jesus Christ and in His saving sacrifice for us all. My whole life and everything that I am revolves around this one simple fact. Frankly, if I had nothing else, my life would have meaning simply because of the great gift God has given me. Reason number one for being giddy!

Number two. On February 15 of this year, I met the love of my life. We spent three hours talking over coffee when we first met and have spent virtually every moment available together every since. We were married on June 7th ("gosh that was fast!") and are more in love now than we were yesterday! Our lives get better every day! We are a perfect match; we totally "get" each other! I know it's trite or whatever, but she absolutely completes me and she feels the same way about me! I used to watch movies or whatever where the actors portrayed people who were totally in love and had that empty feeling well up inside, wishing it was me and the way I felt. NOW, it IS me, and I DO feel that way about Kim! It's absolutely marvelous and a miracle of God and His timing for our lives! I cannot see anything but a very bright future for us and our love together and it makes me totally giddy!

Three. As if those weren't enough, my beloved Cleveland Browns are in the playoff hunt for the first time in a long time! They are actually playing pretty good football and, if things keep going as they have been, they'll make the playoffs this year as at least a wild card. Keep your fingers crossed - they still could win the AFC North if the black and gold of that evil empire to the east stumbles and we win out! What a marvelous occurrence THAT would be! One week at a time, though. Today's Buffalo, and they have a pretty good team that's coming together at just the right time from everything I'm reading. If we take care of business against Buffalo, we're pretty much a lock with only two games left! Woo-hoo! Giddy!!!

More giddiness later...got to get busy! - Dan

Well, we're three weeks into the season....

...and we have yet to win a game.

The way this is going, we may go 0 for season, and that's not a good thing!

The bright side - we never quit hustling and our fundamentals ARE getting better, just not where they need to be for us to win just yet. We did a much better job last night of getting back on defense, but we were not consistent in the effort and gave up way too many points in transition. We did a better job on the offensive end, but we couldn't sink free throws when we got to the line (cost us BADLY in both games!). We rebounded better, but the other team STILL got way too many second and third chances at their basket and we were not boxing out like we've practiced and were therefore not creating any space under the basket. These were the reasons we lost again and they're the same reasons we've lost every game so far and will continue to lose until we fix them.

Otherwise, it was a great night!

Oh, and then there was "the call." My youngest daughter is upset with me because, several months back, her car broke down and she called me and asked if I could hook up my trailer and come pick her car up. I told her that I really couldn't; it was late already and we were about 40 minutes away from the house at the time. To hook up the trailer and take it all the way across Houston would have taken another hour and a half and then the trip back would've added probably another two hours, putting me in bed at about 2 in the morning. Unfortunately, I had to go to work the next day and I just can't function if I get into bed so late, so I recommended that she call a wrecker. Towing is covered under her insurance policy, so I didn't think it was an unreasonable request. Not only that, but, one of these days, "CallDaddyForBail-Out.com" is going to be out of business and she's got to learn how to deal with life's little problems using her own wherewithal and resources, so I genuinely believed it would be a good experience for her to solve her problem on her own. My mistake. Now, I'm Satan and my intestines are seriously disliked if not loathed. Part two - on the cell bill last month (I pay for her cell phone - a fact that she conveniently forgets as much as possible) she went over on her minutes MONUMENTALLY! What is usually a bill of around $100 per month shyrocketed to over twice that, so I broke her off a call and told her that I expected her to pay for her overage just as we agreed when we set this deal up. Well, my "excuse bag" is overflowing! Apparently, she got into her mother for a lot of cash and had to pay HER back first - this despite the fact that our agreement preceeded that with her mother by over a year! So, after some considerable consternation, I told her that I would forgive her debt as a birthday/Christmas present but, if it ever happened again, her phone would be turned off. Somebody help me with these horns, will ya? Oh, and this pointed tail and pitchfork is getting a little cumbersome as well!

I don't think I'm being unreasonable, but then, I'm dealing with a 21 year-old who hasn't grown up and expects everything to be simply handed to her all the time. Uh...... I don't think it's coming from this direction, thank you very much!

Stay tuned for future travail! It can't get much better than this! - Dan

Science versus Christianity

We've had an interesting series going on the last couple of weeks at ACoC concerning Science and the Bible.

Our preacher and a member of our congregation who happens to be a PhD astrophysicist, teamed up to present the series.


As a teacher of Science AND a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, I followed the series with great interest. You see, I have been of the thought for years that Science and Christianity are NOT mutually exclusive entities. There are questions that science can answer, that is true; but there are many more that science can NEVER answer, and that is where faith comes in.

What questions can science not answer? The origin of life, for one. Scientists tell us that life simply sprang forth from the primordial soup once the right mixture of chemicals and proteins were synthesized. Really? If that's the case, we should be able to re-create it in the laboratory, right? I mean, we know what compounds must exist for even the simplest forms of life to spring forth; we should be able to pull them all together in whatever condition supposedly existed in that "primordial soup" and re-create the scenario, yes? Well, boys and girls, we can't do that because only God breathes life into the lifeless! We can put together all of the elements and compounds and expose it to heat, electricity, pressure, vacuum, or whatever conditions supposedly existed and still not make it live. Only God can breathe life into it and only God DID breathe life into it!

Another question - the origin of the universe - is supposedly answered by "The Big Bang." Well, where did the energy and matter that formed the Bang come from? It may in fact be true that billions of years ago, all of the known matter in the universe converged in a tiny single point in space and then exploded, but where did that energy and matter come from? The Bible says that God created everything that was created and that He upholds it by the power of His word. Scientists have recently discovered that the universe is not expanding at the same rate now as it did when first created. They say that "Dark matter," or "anti-matter" is the culprit. Could it be that God's word is the force that they cannot see? Could it be that God did in fact create all that is created and that "Bang" is what we call His creative might at work? I think it's as good an explanation as any and it is the one I believe.

So, if I place so much faith in the Biblical account of creation, how could it be that the universe was created biblically in 6 days when we know chronologically that it's 6 or so billion years old? Uhhhh....who's to say what a day is in God's timing? Maybe the whole universe is more "galaxy-sized" to Him and it revolves around Him much as our solar system revolves around the sun? We equate a "day" in terms of how long it takes for our earth to make one revolution on its axis. Perhaps God's "day" is the time it takes for the universe to revolve around Him one time, who knows? One thing's for sure; it's a question that cannot be answered scientifically because it cannot be recreated to test it. Science depends upon proof. You must be able to quantify and test in order to prove and we cannot quantify numbers so vast. We cannot find the absolute value of Pi for example, even though super computers have been working the equation for years. It's not quantifiable, and neither is God. It's truly a matter of faith!

Well, okay....some things are just a matter of faith, then. Suppose I choose to place my faith in Science and my suppositions are more or less based upon what we know to be true (allegedly). Isn't it just as viable to believe that life simply sprang forth from the primoridal soup as it is to say that God created it? Isn't it just as viable to say that the forces of gravity caused all of the known matter in the universe to converge 6 or so billion years ago and that the resultant explosion created the universe? Well, I suppose you could go that route, but if you choose to go that way, you still have some very basic questions that are left unanswered. Where did the matter and energy come from in the first place? It's a cop out to say that it was just there; that's the line that Christians use! If you're going to believe in Science, you have to take it to the end of the road and answer ALL of the questions that present themselves and until that happens, NONE of your suppositions hold water! It's rather like building a house. Unless your foundation is firm, it won't support the roof and walls and it will come down with a crash eventually. Building a scientific case is the same way. It must be built on a firm foundation or all of the conclusions that are based on that foundation will come crashing down when the foundation is found to be flawed. I say that all of the matter and energy in the universe was created by God and that, until He spoke it into existence, it wasn't there! "But Dan!" you say, "that flies in the face of all we know! The Laws of Conservation of Energy and of Matter state that neither can be created or destroyed but only changed! Are you saying that God doesn't obey the laws of His own creation?" Well.....YES!!! That's pretty much it and PRECISELY it! Every read the story of Jesus walking on water? That's not physically possible, yet there were eyewitness accounts of it happening! It's not possible to change water into wine, but we have numerous witnesses of that physical impossibility too, don't we? How many other times did Jesus produce scientifically impossible deeds? How often did God Himself do so? Matter obeys His Word because He is master if all that is seen and unseen. Our "laws" of physical behavior mean nothing to God because He does not exist in one dimension at one time only; He exists in all time and in all places simultaneously and He directs the "laws" that hold our universe together.

Is it ungodly to believe in science? I don't think so. God gave us minds and the knowledge of being so that we COULD discover Him. We are curious by nature. We want and NEED to answer these questions. God wants us to answer them with Him and to KNOW that no other answer satisfies the questions that we pose. I believe that science is a useful tool for answering some of the questions that present themselves to us, but I also believe that only God is the final answer and, when we come to that conclusion, we'll know all of the rest of it in His time! - Dan

Playing the race card

Race relations in America are in a quagmire and, until African-Americans leaders stop looking for racism in every and any situation that arises, it will stay that way.

Here in Houston, we have our racial advocates just like every other metropolitan area. Ours are a self-appointed "racism under every bush" Sharpton wanne-be named "Quannel X" and the United States Congresswoman from the 18th Congressional District, Sheila Jackson-Lee.

Quannel goes by X in the tradition of Malcolm X, who ostensibly started the trend by rejecting his "slave name" and adopting "X" as his surname as a tribute to his unknown ancestors. I actually understood Malcolm X and why he did what he did. He lived in turbulent times and the creation of a squeaky wheel was necessary and just in his day and time. His autobiography was a fascinating read and a book I'd highly recommend to anyone who seeks deeper understanding of race relations in America. I'd like to say that Quannel has similar reasons for his transformation, but I think his motives are more sinister and selfish than that. He never saw a camera that he doesn't like and he seldom fails to find that camera in any situtation where he can be seen as the savior of black causes here in Houston. Almost without exception, wherever you find Quannel, you'll find that other camera hound, Sheila Jackson Lee.

Lee is the Congresswoman from the 18th Congressional District here in Houston. Anybody got a Congressional district map out there? A look at the 18th will supress any question you may have about how it is Ms. Lee continually gets re-elected. Its more gerrymandered than the famous Tom Delay district - a ploy that was brought under constant scrutiny and harrasment by those opposed to Delay and one which is seldom mentioned when connected to Lee. Jackson Lee has done more, in my opinion, to keep her constituents shackled by the chains of "charity" than any slavemaster ever did. There is now no more independent effort going on in that district for the betterment of its citizens than there was during reconstruction; perhaps less. Yes, as long as Lee keeps them dependent on the largesse of government for their sustenance, they will keep her in office. In any case, Lee shows up just about any time Quannel does and the cry is always the same - "Racism!" Of course, it's the cry of the boy shouting "Wolf!" and its not to be listened to by any sane person within hearing.

What am I talking about? Here's a couple of examples. Not long ago, an HISD Elementary campus was having trouble with indoor air pollution, probably because of black mold. Many of the children and faculty were getting sick and had to leave the school. As fortune would have it, the population of the school is predominantly African-American, so Quannel and Sheila promptly jumped on the opportunity to grab a camera and declare that the school needed to be demolished and rebuilt so that the poor children of that school could attend in a healthy environment. Uhhh....what? Doesn't Clorox work as well in black schools as it does in hispanic or white schools? Don't certain environmental remediation companies make a good living cleaning up black mold? When did black mold become a race issue, anyway? Where was Sheila and Quannel when I had black mold in MY room last year? Yes, that's right, boys and girls, last year, every time it rained, I had a waterfall down the back wall of my very own classroom and the constant moisture led to a black mold problem which, by the way, was handled by removing the sheet rock and treating the underlying structure with bleach - problem solved! I guess the Sheila and Quannel show only perform when a black school is at risk. Hmmmm....who's the racist in THIS picture?

The other event occured recently as well. A homeowner, charged with watching his neighbor's house while away, called 911 and requested police assistance, stating emphatically that several African-american intruders were burglarizing the home and he was going to take his shotgun and solve the problem. The 911 dispatcher implored the man to NOT take matters into his own hands and wait for police, but he went next door, exercising his right to keep and bear arms and protect his charge from harm, and quickly dispatched the men who were invading his neighbor's home. In the aftermath, Sheila and Quannel incorporated announced that it was the most blatant form or racism they'd ever seen AND that these were basically good men who were gunned down in cold blood by a racist gun-toting mobster. Uhhh....what? Excuse me, but GOOD men don't go around breaking into other people's homes looking to steal their possessions! That's the sort of thing that BAD men do and, like a lot of guys before them, someone caught them in the act and they paid the ultimate price.

Now, was that something I would have done? I don't think so. I mean, who's to know until you fact that situation. But I DO know this; if they had awoken ME while breaking into MY house, they would surely have met the same end as the fellows in that sordid tale and no one, and I mean NO ONE, had better call me racist because of it.

Look - There are bad people of all races, just like there are good people of every race. Bad does not know color, nor does good. Was it a racist act to gun those guys down? Frankly, I think he'd have shot them if they had been white just the same. He was protecting the property he'd sworn to protect and THAT is the bottom line here - not the race of the perpetrators.

Here's the moral of this story. STOP looking for racism in every case! Racism, white against black AND black against white DOES EXIST, but it's no different than any other form of hate that rises from the human heart AND it's no less stupid! In the immortal words of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"

I have a headache!

I'd better get this gig as President; apparently, I'm not much good at coaching basketball....

...at least not to the current bunch of kids I've got!

We got worked again tonight. Both games were total blowouts and my guys looked, once again, like they'd never seen any of the stuff we've been working on - frankly, I'm embarrassed!

So, back to work tomorrow to see how many of the leaks we can plug in this dam before the whole valley is flooded!

I'm beginning to wonder if it's going to make any difference; our kids aren't very athletic, they don't follow instructions, they don't do what I ask them to do in timeouts, they are out of shape, they don't make their shots (even from point blank range!), they play lousy defense (especially in transition), and they all have halitosis (just kidding about that last one).

Well, we've got to play one of the weaker teams in the district sooner or later, don't we? Yes, I suppose so, but its not next week. Next week we play one of the perenial powers in our district and its probably going to be as ugly, if not moreso, than tonight.

Anybody got any aspirin? How about stock in Bayer? A Haldol drip? A sturdy length of rope? Perhaps some rusty razor blades?

See you next week (I hope!) - Dan

I'm running for President!

Hello again, blogfans!

Since me, my wife, and Casper are the only people who read here, I thought I'd take this opportunity to announce my candidacy for President of the United States.

It'll be a write-in campaign - I don't think I'll actually find my way onto any of the official ballots out there.

I EXPECT Casper to vote for me in every state - he finds a way to vote in Illinois every four years.

Here's my platform - stop whining and get to work! Stop looking to the government to solve all of your problems all the time. Constitutionally, the government is responsible for the national defense, promotion (NOT provision) of the general welfare, and assurance of our individual rights as citizens. I don't think it said anything in there about provision of services or rights for non-citizens, so I think we should issue a thumb-print identification card for every legal citizen and require it for any service of the government. No ID card; no services. THAT would stop all of this ridiculous drain on our resources by persons who have no business being here and enable us to redirect resources to those who really need them. Second, I'd send out a directive to every department head in the government and REQUIRE them to justify every nickel they spend. If they don't have a good reason for their current budget, it'd be cut. Oh, and I don't mean a "Washington-speak" cut, either. You know, a reduction in the amount of increase they get - a true reduction in total dollars. When government is run like a business (and I DO mean like a business - profit centers are taken care of; drains in revenue are reduced or elliminated), it will be more efficient and more able to provide services that are truly necessary. Oh, and people who work for the government will have to justify their existence just like people who work for private industry. Now, I KNOW that most of the people who work for the government are necessary and productive. However, I don't think it should require an act of Congress to fire someone in government as it does (practically) now and I don't think that a government job should be an automatic guarantee of lifetime employment like it is now.

So, when government is properly aligned with what people who are employed by the private-sector have to deal with, what comes next? Well, first off, there are some really stupid laws on the books that need to be revisited and I think I'm just the one to lead that agenda. Second, I think that some of the "untouchable" departments in government need a little outside scrutiny just like every other department (Defense; State; Justice; etc.). Finally, I think that Congressman and Senators ought to have mandatory term limits just like the President. When Congress was envisioned by the Founders, they never invisioned Congressman living there full time and turning their gig in Congress into a career; I think we should return to their version and can the modern rendition.

Vote Dan! He's the man with the plan!

Well...basketball season is upon us!

I've been working pretty hard for the last several weeks trying to get my basketball teams ready to play their first game, an event that occurred this past Wednesday. We played a team which is usually pretty similar to us; no size, but big numbers of kids who are generally pretty quick. We stayed pretty competitive in the B game, losing by only ten, but we got demolished in the A game. Sadly, it looked as if we'd never practiced at all; they kids basically just ran up and down, didn't set up their half-court offense, didn't run their press break, didn't run their defense the way we've taught it, etc. In short, it was ugly. Well, there's always next week.....