The More Things Change...

...the more they stay the same. Isn't that what you've always been told? Well, it's true. I just heard a portion of this song on the Glenn Beck Program and was amazed at how true the words to the song are even today.  The song, I'm No Communist, was written by Carson Robison in 1952 and talks about how out of control the government was then.  Just take a look at these lyrics and you'll see what I mean.

We're living in a country that's the finest place of earth
But some folks don't appreciate this land that gave them birth
I hear that up in Washington they're having an awful fuss
'Cause Communists and spies are making monkeys out of us

The bureaus and departments have been busy night and day
They're figuring out just how we gave our secrets all away
And Congress has appointed a committee so they said
To find out who's American and who's a low-down Red.

They call them up to Washington to speak for Uncle Sam
But when they ask them what they are, they shut up like a clam
I wish they'd take and put me on the witness stand today
I'd yell so loud old Stalin could hear me all the way

Refrain: I'm no Communist, and I'll you that right now
I believe a man should own his own house and car and cow
I like this private ownership, and I want to be left alone
Let the government run its business and let me run my own

Our government is bigger than it ever was today
The more they hire to work for it, the more they have to pay
Our public servants should be proud and honest you would think
Instead of taking bribes and dressing up their wives in mink

The taxes keep on going up of that there is no doubt
But still they just can't take it in as fast as they dish it out
Our national debt is monster size and growin' every day
Our children's children, still unborn are gonna have to pay

Our dollar used be the soundest money on this earth
But now two bucks won't even buy a good old dollar's worth
Unless we stop inflation and take care of what we've got
The Communists may win the fight and never fire a shot

He wrote this song with 1950's dollars in mind.  Just imagine what he'd think if he saw what was going on in the country today.  The government has taken over private industries (GM) and the banking system.  They've worked towards socializing our health care in an effort to remove the insurance industry from the picture all together.  President Obama has said many times that the Bush tax cuts that helped to grow the economy in the early part of the 2000's will not be renewed.  They've outlawed incandescent light bulbs and have mandated that everyone will use compact fluorescent bulbs by 2012. 

The government continues to hire workers and they're setting up new positions all the time.  The IRS is growing in size to help deal with the healthcare issue.  New positions are set up that circumvent the traditional procedures.  The media calls them "czars" but they're not officially called that.  They oversee a department of the government and report directly to the president.  During the term of Ronald Reagan there was one person with that title.  Currently there are 36 people under President Barack Obama referred as such. 

The United States was designed with the rights of the individual in mind.  Private Property, the right to run business as they saw fit.  The right to own that business.  That's all slowly being taken away, and the government is no longer trying to hide the fact that they're socializing everything.  They're out in the open.  The general public in America is starting to wake up to that fact and they're not liking it very much.

So make sure you stay informed.  Keep current with everything going on and make sure you let your representatives know how you feel.  Make sure your neighbors know as well.  God told us to help out our fellow man and the environment.  It's not up to the government to tell us how to do that. 

It's My Birthday

Today’s my birthday. I’m no longer in my 20’s. I’ve hit the big 3-0. My kids say I’m old. I can tell you that I don’t feel old. I feel much like I did yesterday when I was still in my 20’s. I’ve never made a big deal out of my birthday. It’s just another day of the year. I get to add another number to my age, but other than that it’s not any different than any other day. If you know me, then you know I’m a big fan of history. I’ve been interested in history since my days in high school and that’s carried on since then. So I did a bit of research and found out some stuff that’s occurred in the past on the day of my birth and I thought I’d share it with you.

My most favorite point in history, aside from the time of Jesus and his life has been the American Civil War. It’s without a doubt one of the biggest turning points in our history and one I’ve looked back at over the years and my viewpoint has changed from time to time. I’m fascinated with the reasons we went to war then and the things that occurred during that time. On this day in 1863 the SS Georgiana, said to have been the most powerful Confederate cruiser, is destroyed on her maiden voyage with a cargo of munitions, medicines and merchandise then valued at over $1,000,000. Amazingly exactly 102 years later the wreck of this famous ship was discovered by a teenager and archaeologist E. Lee Spence. The wreck is said to be valued at over $50,000,000 dollars today.

Pluto was photographed for the first time in 1915. At the time it is not recognized as a planet and the poor hunk of rock in space has gone through turmoil throughout it’s years. It has been, but no longer is, classified as a planet.

This past week I’ve talked to people about how much I hate daylight savings time and think it’s pointless in today’s world. At one time it might have been useful, but I don’t feel that way now. But back in 1918 the U.S. Congress established the time zones for the United States and approved the creation of Daylight Saving Time.

Gambling was legalized in Nevada on this day in 1931.

People who know me also know my fascination with World War II. I’m a bit of a military history buff. This date has had some significance to the history of that most famous of wars. Two notorious Nazi leaders were born on this day. Albert Speer, Hitler’s chief architect, was born in 1905. He’s most famously known as the Nazi who said sorry for the crimes of the Nazi regime at the Nuremburg Trials and in his memoirs. The other, Adolf Eichmann, was born in 1906. This man was considered the architect of the Holocaust that resulted in the deaths of millions of Jewish people, as well as millions of others. He was captured by the Israeli Mossad in 1960 and hanged for his crimes in 1962.

Other dates during World War II were on this date in 1941. The Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-black unit of the Army Air Corp were activated. This was a huge moment in the nation for men of color. Towards the end of World War II Nazi forces began the occupation of Hungary in 1944. One of the events that signaled the end of the war in Europe was on this date in 1945 when Hitler issued his “Nero Decree” All industry, military installations, shops, as well as all transport and communications facilities in Germany were ordered to be destroyed.

Another big event in history for our nation’s men of colored occurred in 1966 when Texas Western became the first college basketball team to win the Final Four with an all-black starting lineup.

There were also some very famous people born on the same day I was. Here is a list of a few of them.

1590 – William Bradford, Pilgrim and First Governor of the Plymouth Colony (d. 1657)

1734 – Thomas McKean, American lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1817)

1848 – Wyatt Earp, American policeman and gunfighter (d. 1929)

1947 – Glenn Close, American actress
1955 – Bruce Willis, American actor
1958 – Andy Reid, NFL Head Coach (Philadelphia Eagles)



Along with birth comes death and there were also a few famous people who died on the day I was born.

1721 – Pope Clement XI (b. 1649)
1783 – Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1713)
1950 – Edgar Rice Burroughs, American author (b. 1875)
2008 – Sir Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction author and inventor (b. 1917)

So there you have it. A bit of history to go along with this day that marks another page in my future. It’s been an interesting, exciting 30 years and I look forward to many more to come.

Two Stories Connected By Christianity, Or Apparent Christianity

Fox News is reporting that a man, Trevor Keezer, was fired from his job at Home Depot for wearing a pin that displayed the phrase "One Nation Under God, Indivisible".  His brother is in the Army and he started wearing the pin 19 months ago as a way to show support for the troops. 
The pin, despite being against company dress policy, was apparently not an issue until Mr. Keezer started bringing his Bible to work.  Home Depot responded saying, "“The company’s dress code policy states that we do not allow non-company buttons, regardless of their message or content.”  However, I do not know of any company that will fire you for violating the dress code policy, at least not without a number of warnings first. 

There very well may, and usually is, more to the subject, but Home Depot has not commented on the reasons for his release, due to company policy. 

The other story comes from Penn State University where the shirt design you see to your left is the center of a "major" controversy.  The shirt is a design submitted and chosen by students of the university for their annual White Out football game where more than 100,000 Penn State fans gather to create a virtual see of white.  The design, according to Stephanie Bennis the shirts creator, is based on the stripe that adorns the football team's helmets.  She said wording generally runs straight across the chest and that's why the words are placed where they are. 

The university has received six complaints on the design and a number of people contacted by Fox News for the story have said they will not buy the shirt based on the religious overtones in the design.  I personally immediately saw that the design was shaped like a cross, but also being a football fan noticed that it was the same design that is featured on their helmets, which are solid white with a single blue stripe down the middle. 

I find it ludacrous that a person is so blatantly looking for religious overtones in everything they refuse to buy a shirt because it "might" look like a cross.  Even after they understand, from the shirts creator that it is not a cross, but simply a design inspired by a football helmet.  Liberals in this country tout freedom and diversity and tolerance, yet if it goes against their belief it's automatically targeted.  Christianity being the biggest focus of their attacks.  Yet Christians, who are labelled as bigots and intolerant openly welcome religious diversity, freedom and tolerance. 

Do we see the hypocrisy that the left shows in this country? 

My Thoughts on a Successful Marriage

I've been given a beautiful gift by God the Father. It came in the form of a woman, and her name is Heather. God blessed me with her 9 years ago and we've been married for almost 8 and a half of those years now.

I recently read an article about a man describing the hedges in his life he put up around his marriage to protect it. Of course these aren't literal hedges, but symbolic ones. I thought I'd take a few minutes to share some of those barriers I put up around my marriage.

First, make her last: The first person I see in the morning is my wife. I'm up early so she's usually asleep. I say a quick prayer that simply says, "Thank you Lord for the gift of my wife." When I go to bed at night the very last act of my day is to kiss her and tell her I love her. She's always the last thought in my head before I fall asleep.

Never get in an elevator alone: It may sound silly, but I work in an office with 97 people. 93 of those people are women. I do not get in elevators at work alone with another woman alone. That saves a lot of headaches and temptation. It also removes the simple perception that I'm interested in someone to the gossipy women at the office.

Do something simple: Every morning before I leave for work I try to do one thing that makes her day better. It usually is something simple like sweeping up a mess in the kitchen floor, doing the leftover dishes from the night before or picking up a stray towel in the bathroom. It may be simple, but it's one less thing that she has to do during the day and makes her life just a tiny bit easier.

Leave the intimate details at home: I don't ever talk about important things with people outside of my home. I have friends I talk to at work and many times it's about what's going on with each other's family, but leave intimate details at home where they belong.

Pray: And do it often. Many times when I leave for work after I lock the front door, I stop and say, "Dear Lord, please protect this house while I'm gone." If you get the feeling during the day that you need to say a prayer for your wife, do it. It doesn't have to be long or involved, just say, "Lord please be with my wife. I don't know why, but she needs you."

Call her: Just to say hi. I love the sound of Heather's voice. It has a very calming effect during the hectic part of the day. If things are going rough, or even if they're not I'll make a call just to say hi and tell her I love her.

Stop to Listen: This goes for anytime of the day. If she needs to talk or my kids have something to say everything stops for them. I can't count the number of times I get a phone call during the day because my son has to tell me something he did. It may not sound important at the time, but to that person, at that moment it is. So listen to what they say.

Love her: It sounds so simple, but I think so many people make it hard. Tell her you love her. I do, probably more than she wants to hear in a day, but I never want anyone to say they didn't hear me tell her I love her.

Like Her: This is probably even harder for a lot of people. I think it sounded silly the first time I told her "I like you." But so many people are in love with people they don't like. Make sure she knows you like her. People will look at you funny if they hear you say that, but she'll understand and maybe someone will hear you and start to say that to their spouse.

Open doors for her: There aren't enough gentlemen in the world anymore. At least that's what I hear. Open the car door for your wife. Open the door to the restaurant for her. It's almost become a race to us now after eight years of marriage and it's a silly game we play, but I think it's important to do little things like that for your wife. She'll appreciate it. If she doesn't, she should.

I'm sure there are many more things I could think of, but these are just a few things I do in my daily walk to help make life with Heather and my children just a little bit nicer. I love my wife. She's the greatest blessing I could have ever received and I thank God every day for her.

I love you so much, Heather Dawn.

Horton Could Teach Us Something

If you don't know me, and maybe even if you do, you should know that Horton Hears a Who! is one of my all time favorite children's stories. I loved that book growing up and was excited when I found out it was going to be made into a full length film. Back then I was only excited because I was getting to watch one of my favorite stories on a movie screen. I was watching that movie today on my iPod at work and discovered another reason to love that story even more. It's relevant to what's happening in America today. Let me explain.

In the story Horton, an elephant, discovers a small world on a speck of dust. He then makes it his mission to protect that speck of dust and will risk everything, eventually including even his life, to protect that community. Meanwhile the Mayor of Who-ville is noticing that things aren't quite right and consults with one of his trusted friends who says their world could be destroyed if they cannot find a "safer, more stable" home. The mayor, and his friend are the only ones in town who believe this. The city council believes things should go in another direction and do everything they can to show that the mayor is crazy and is not to be believed and that everything is "just fine". They even do things during the movie to distract the citizens of Who-ville everytime the mayor tries to bring it up.

In Horton's world the local "authority", the Sour Kangaroo, is trying to discredit Horton as strange and unstable. The population of the Jungle of Nool not wanting things to be disturbed go along with their "government". During one scene the following dialogue is spoken:

Sour Kangaroo: "Are we going to let troublemakers like Horton poison the minds of our children? When Horton tells our children about worlds beyond the jungle he makes them question authority, which leads to defiance, which leads to anarchy!"

The crowd: "We have to do something....for the children! FOR THE CHILDREN!!"

Eventually things begin to happen, such as snowing in summer, strange earthquakes and unusual winds and the citizens wake up and understand that the mayor was right. Once the citizens know the truth they stand up against the government that is telling them something else. The citizens voices are finally heard and both creatures trying to bring the truth to the population are vindicated and the civilization survives.

If that's not a perfect parallel to what's going on today, I don't know what is.
We have a government trying to force legislation through many times attached to education bills and other laws to protect the children. We have them doing things to distract us like dealing with a birth certificate or giving us cash for clunkers or global warming. Things that in the grand scheme of things are stupid or irrelevant, or a waste of time and money. They're setting things up to get us dependent on the government.

We have people trying to get the truth to people. Great Americans like Glenn Beck, or Sarah Palin, or Ben Stein, or Sean Hannity. The people's voice is slowly being heard and things like healthcare are falling apart because it's not what the people really want. The government is trying to do things before the citizens have a chance to react.

Authority is meant to be questioned. Not to defy them, but to know the truth. Never take anyone at their word. Trust them, but do what you can to learn the truth. Questioning authority does not lead to defiance or anarchy. It leads to understanding and the truth.

When the citizens voices' are heard, the government has no choice but to listen. When the citizen's voices are heard, their world can be saved.

President Obama Pledges to be Champion to Gays

America was a country founded on Christian principles. President Obama campaigned as a Christian man wanting to be the leader of a country of Christians. America is not a Christian nation, we are a nation of Christians.

Because of that many of our laws are based in Christianity. The Bible says, "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." (Leviticus 18:22)

If you hold that the Old Testemant no longer applies because of the coming and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, the New Testemant offers its words as well:

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders....will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 4:1)

God did not created homosexuals, though they like to champion that argument despite the fact that many do not believe in God. Homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of God, as well as many men and women.

While it is a sin, homosexual men and women should be protected from discrimination. You wouldn't keep a man who committed adultry from a job based on that fact alone, neither should you refuse a homosexual man a job.

This agenda is being forced down the throats of the American people day after day. The media portrays this as a natural thing and something that should be seen as normal.

President Obama said, during a White House meeting with gay leaders, that "I want you to know: You have our support. I will not only be your friend, I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you."

He continued, "I know many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough. And I understand that," Obama said. But he added: "I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by promises that my administration keeps."

While I do not hold anything against a person for being homosexual, I hate the sin, and love the sinner, I do not expect my President to be a champion for a cause he claims to be against by labeling himself as a Christian.

Should homosexuals be afforded the same rights as other people? In most cases yes, but not in all. They want to change the definition of marriage, the definition of a word that has been unchanged for thousands of years. I cannot, and will not stand by that. If they are affored the benefits of marriage then the slide down the slippery slope begins. The next thing to go is the man who wants 6 wives, then the man who's in love with a horse, then the man who loves children.

I am glad that I live in a nation of Christians. A nation that is open to the idea of loving their fellow man. The founding of this great country was based on Christian principles, but none of our laws require you to be a member of that religion. That is the beauty of the country. We love everyone, everyone is welcome to practice what they believe, but you must adhere to the laws of the country or you must suffer the consequences under the law.

We also have a Republic that respects the right of the individual. Too often, though, the case has been that unless you are a member of a special interest group, or a minority your opinion is invalid. That is not something that can stand in this country. We are ruled by a government of the people, by the people and for the people. The only problem now is that the people are the ones being left out of that equation.

Thank you!!

While the resolution passed in the House of Representatives and moves on to the Senate, I want to say thank you to the 212 members of the House of Representatives that voted no on H.R.2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, or better known as Cap & Trade. This bill would amount to the largest tax increase on businesses in U.S. history.

Congress is essentially using the environment to place taxes on the amount of carbon emissions that are produced by businesses in the United States. The science of global warming is not fact, the debate should still be going on.

I'm not going to get into the debate right now over whether global warming is man made, or a natural cycle (my opinion), but I do want to thank the men and women who stood up against this horrendous tax increase, especially the ones who represent the State of Oklahoma.

They are Representatives Dan Boren (D), Frank Lucas (R), Tom Cole (R), Mary Fallin (R). Those men and women show that it's not about the letter after your name. It's about whether the issue is right or wrong. I will be sending a letter to each of the Representatives in my state and I encourage you to do the same.