It amazes me that there can continue to be so much symbolism over actual substance with such regularity.
And so, in honor of Earth Hour, tonight I turned on more lights so I could have some fun with my children on a weekend. I also had the heater on along with my fire, because I don't want my children to get cold on this chilly March night. And my computer is plugged in as well, so that I could be ready for this blog.
Happy Earth Hour!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Truth, Please
Apparently, it turns out that Christopher Dodd is following the example set for him by John Kerry back in 2004. He was actually for the bonuses to AIG before he was against them.
On Tuesday, Mr. Dodd told Fox News and CNN that he did not add an amendment to the stimulus bill that would specifically exclude bonuses to executives that signed their contracts before the bill was enacted. ON Wednesday, Mr. Dodd ‘fessed up that he had actually done exactly what he had said the day before that he had not.
Really, I don’t have as much of a problem with the amendment in the bill as I do with Mr. Dodd’s complete and blatant lack of integrity. He explicitly lied to two major news organizations and my guess is that he had to confess because of the evidence being exposed against him.
And now he is staring to point the finger at someone else, saying the Administration and Treasury Department (one and the same) pressured him to add the language in the bill. It’s always someone else’s fault, isn’t it.
Just be honest with us, Mr. Dodd. If you did something that turned out to be wrong or different than what you thought it might, it can be very often be changed or corrected. Just don’t lie to us.
Who knows? Maybe that whole truth-telling thing will catch on in D.C..
On Tuesday, Mr. Dodd told Fox News and CNN that he did not add an amendment to the stimulus bill that would specifically exclude bonuses to executives that signed their contracts before the bill was enacted. ON Wednesday, Mr. Dodd ‘fessed up that he had actually done exactly what he had said the day before that he had not.
Really, I don’t have as much of a problem with the amendment in the bill as I do with Mr. Dodd’s complete and blatant lack of integrity. He explicitly lied to two major news organizations and my guess is that he had to confess because of the evidence being exposed against him.
And now he is staring to point the finger at someone else, saying the Administration and Treasury Department (one and the same) pressured him to add the language in the bill. It’s always someone else’s fault, isn’t it.
Just be honest with us, Mr. Dodd. If you did something that turned out to be wrong or different than what you thought it might, it can be very often be changed or corrected. Just don’t lie to us.
Who knows? Maybe that whole truth-telling thing will catch on in D.C..
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Silence Is Golden
The Market has finished with gains for each of the past four days.
I guess Mr. Obama hasn't made any public speeches in that stretch.
It's probably just as well. I think the teleprompter needed a rest.
I guess Mr. Obama hasn't made any public speeches in that stretch.
It's probably just as well. I think the teleprompter needed a rest.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Broken Promises
Ok, the first 50 days have come and gone, and quite frankly, I'm not really surprised.
Seriously, I really did give Mr. Obama a chance. I mean, I agree with Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and Mark Levin in the thought that I do want him to fail. I don't want the liberal agenda with socialistic ideals to succeed and ruin my country. But I did give him a chance to do things that would be of benefit to Americans, including myself and my children.
But Mr. Obama has not taken that opportunity.
Instead, he has not only taken my United States in an entirely different direction than the Founding Fathers intended, but he has started breaking promises to even the blind and ignorant folks who voted for him without possessing a shred of evidence of what his true character is.
During the campaign, Mr. Obama said that "we also have to shed the spending we don't need." He also said, "In these challenging times, when we are facing both rising deficits and a sinking economy, budget reform is not an option. It is an imperative. We cannot sustain a system that bleeds billions of taxpayer dollars on programs that have outlived their usefulness, or exist solely because of the power of a politicians, lobbyists, or interest groups. We simply cannot afford it. This isn’t about big government or small government. It’s about building a smarter government that focuses on what works. That is why I will ask my new team to think anew and act anew to meet our new challenges.... We will go through our federal budget – page by page, line by line – eliminating those programs we don’t need, and insisting that those we do operate in a sensible cost-effective way."
Page by page. Line by line.
And then today he signed into law a bill with over 8000 earmarks for spending in it that were not necessary to keep the federal government up and running.
"Line by line," he said. He didn't get rid of even ONE line with over 8000 opportunities.
As far as I'm concerned, that's a broken promise. I'm sure that more are on the way.
Seriously, I really did give Mr. Obama a chance. I mean, I agree with Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and Mark Levin in the thought that I do want him to fail. I don't want the liberal agenda with socialistic ideals to succeed and ruin my country. But I did give him a chance to do things that would be of benefit to Americans, including myself and my children.
But Mr. Obama has not taken that opportunity.
Instead, he has not only taken my United States in an entirely different direction than the Founding Fathers intended, but he has started breaking promises to even the blind and ignorant folks who voted for him without possessing a shred of evidence of what his true character is.
During the campaign, Mr. Obama said that "we also have to shed the spending we don't need." He also said, "In these challenging times, when we are facing both rising deficits and a sinking economy, budget reform is not an option. It is an imperative. We cannot sustain a system that bleeds billions of taxpayer dollars on programs that have outlived their usefulness, or exist solely because of the power of a politicians, lobbyists, or interest groups. We simply cannot afford it. This isn’t about big government or small government. It’s about building a smarter government that focuses on what works. That is why I will ask my new team to think anew and act anew to meet our new challenges.... We will go through our federal budget – page by page, line by line – eliminating those programs we don’t need, and insisting that those we do operate in a sensible cost-effective way."
Page by page. Line by line.
And then today he signed into law a bill with over 8000 earmarks for spending in it that were not necessary to keep the federal government up and running.
"Line by line," he said. He didn't get rid of even ONE line with over 8000 opportunities.
As far as I'm concerned, that's a broken promise. I'm sure that more are on the way.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Down, Down, Down...
Has anyone else noticed that every time, without exception, that Mr. Obama speaks the Market goes down?
Every single time.
Every single time.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Happy Veteran's Day
Thank you veterans for all that you have done!
God bless you! You are appreciated!!!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
I Have A Dream. And This Isn't It.
I’m sure that I’m not the first person to recognize this, but I want to go on record all the same. This is not the dream that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of so many years ago.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Mr. Obama received 52% of the popular vote on Tuesday. Many voted for him because they were frustrated with economy and wanted to take it out on the Republicans. However, many thousands – in fact, hundreds of thousands - of people voted for him because of the color of his skin. This is not the dream of which Rev. King spoke.
And as to the content of his character … we still don’t know. Even the most partisan and biased media-types in the mainstream admit that Mr. Obama is still a mystery in so many ways. And no wonder. Anyone who asked anything about his character – his judgments, his associates, his voting records, his religious beliefs – was completely thrown aside. No one was allowed to discuss the content of his character. All records that could be obfuscated were. This is not the dream that Rev. King spoke of.
Say what you will about the election. Congratulations are in order for Mr. Obama and his win. Say what you will about the campaign. The campaign staff and workers were very diligent in their efforts. If not always ethical, they were still very diligent. Say what you will about the current direction of the country. Just don’t say that this is the fulfillment of Martin Luther King, Jr’s dream. It is not.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Mr. Obama received 52% of the popular vote on Tuesday. Many voted for him because they were frustrated with economy and wanted to take it out on the Republicans. However, many thousands – in fact, hundreds of thousands - of people voted for him because of the color of his skin. This is not the dream of which Rev. King spoke.
And as to the content of his character … we still don’t know. Even the most partisan and biased media-types in the mainstream admit that Mr. Obama is still a mystery in so many ways. And no wonder. Anyone who asked anything about his character – his judgments, his associates, his voting records, his religious beliefs – was completely thrown aside. No one was allowed to discuss the content of his character. All records that could be obfuscated were. This is not the dream that Rev. King spoke of.
Say what you will about the election. Congratulations are in order for Mr. Obama and his win. Say what you will about the campaign. The campaign staff and workers were very diligent in their efforts. If not always ethical, they were still very diligent. Say what you will about the current direction of the country. Just don’t say that this is the fulfillment of Martin Luther King, Jr’s dream. It is not.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Spread the Wealth
Mr. Obama actually said that he wanted to "spread the wealth around." He actually said it!
Are there any more questions at this point??!!
Aside from the multitude of moral issues that are at hand here, can anyone who actually believes in capitalism still vote for this man in good conscience.
And by the way, Mr. Biden, I do not consider paying higher taxes to be a form of being patriotic – whether I am the one who is doing the paying or if it is someone who is currently wealthier than I am. I believe that it is honorable to pay what is required of me, but this does not make me more or less someone who is patriotic. Granted, there are those who will do a lot to avoid paying what they owe. But in this, I question their honor, not their patriotism. There are many who pay 40 or 50 percent of their earnings or more (and I know that you would like for it to be more), who are constantly blaming the U.S. for all that is wrong in the world and are far from being patriotic.
So get your phraseology straight, Mr. Biden. And I know that words don’t seem to come out of your mouth right very often. Maybe you could use the teleprompter that your campaign has arranged for Mr. Obama. If only he had been able to have someone carry the teleprompter in front of him when he answered Joe the Plumber’s question. He might not have revealed his true socialistic soul…
Are there any more questions at this point??!!
Aside from the multitude of moral issues that are at hand here, can anyone who actually believes in capitalism still vote for this man in good conscience.
And by the way, Mr. Biden, I do not consider paying higher taxes to be a form of being patriotic – whether I am the one who is doing the paying or if it is someone who is currently wealthier than I am. I believe that it is honorable to pay what is required of me, but this does not make me more or less someone who is patriotic. Granted, there are those who will do a lot to avoid paying what they owe. But in this, I question their honor, not their patriotism. There are many who pay 40 or 50 percent of their earnings or more (and I know that you would like for it to be more), who are constantly blaming the U.S. for all that is wrong in the world and are far from being patriotic.
So get your phraseology straight, Mr. Biden. And I know that words don’t seem to come out of your mouth right very often. Maybe you could use the teleprompter that your campaign has arranged for Mr. Obama. If only he had been able to have someone carry the teleprompter in front of him when he answered Joe the Plumber’s question. He might not have revealed his true socialistic soul…
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Word For Today Is...
The word for today is vetting. Can you say vetting? Do you even know what vetting is?! Well, it’s being thrown around your TV set all day and all night by political candidates and reporters and studio talking heads and now everyday folks.
According to Webster, to vet is to evaluate for possible approval and acceptance for a position. Currently, the position-du jour for vetting is the Vice Presidential candidate for the Republican and Democratic parties. And both parties desperately need something good to go along with the name that will be on the top of the ticket.
The issue today is the casual dispersal of the word vetting. Have you ever noticed that when the media collectively learns (or pulls out of mothballs) a new word or phrase that it must be used ad nauseam. It is as if the only way a reporter or news gathering organization can make it sit with the popular kids in the cafeteria is that they repeatedly say the magic word.
A few years ago the word was embed. When the news folks sent reporters in the fray with military units to report from Iraq, they were appropriately given the term embeds. Was it the right word for the situation? Of course! But when one news story can find a way to incorporate that “new magic word” 12 times in one segment, it’s a bit much. Can you say, “overkill”? [Well, I guess you could, but you might fall in to the overused word trap.] Actually, it’s more along the lines of “I learned something new and I’m going to make sure that you know how smart I am.” And “If you don’t use my phraseology (how’s that for a great word) then you are clearly behind the times.”
Think back. Remember these great words (and phrases) that have been, for a brief faddish period of time, the word of the day: disenfranchised, venue, hanging chads, paradigm shift, malaise, electability, seat on the bus, metrosexual, nuance, post 9/11, blogosphere, and of course, the ever popular bling. Don’t you just want to use these words right now? No wait, the popularity of most of these are past, with the exception of the certain words that are dutifully recycled due to this being an election year.
But I’m starting to digress…
According to Webster, to vet is to evaluate for possible approval and acceptance for a position. Currently, the position-du jour for vetting is the Vice Presidential candidate for the Republican and Democratic parties. And both parties desperately need something good to go along with the name that will be on the top of the ticket.
The issue today is the casual dispersal of the word vetting. Have you ever noticed that when the media collectively learns (or pulls out of mothballs) a new word or phrase that it must be used ad nauseam. It is as if the only way a reporter or news gathering organization can make it sit with the popular kids in the cafeteria is that they repeatedly say the magic word.
A few years ago the word was embed. When the news folks sent reporters in the fray with military units to report from Iraq, they were appropriately given the term embeds. Was it the right word for the situation? Of course! But when one news story can find a way to incorporate that “new magic word” 12 times in one segment, it’s a bit much. Can you say, “overkill”? [Well, I guess you could, but you might fall in to the overused word trap.] Actually, it’s more along the lines of “I learned something new and I’m going to make sure that you know how smart I am.” And “If you don’t use my phraseology (how’s that for a great word) then you are clearly behind the times.”
Think back. Remember these great words (and phrases) that have been, for a brief faddish period of time, the word of the day: disenfranchised, venue, hanging chads, paradigm shift, malaise, electability, seat on the bus, metrosexual, nuance, post 9/11, blogosphere, and of course, the ever popular bling. Don’t you just want to use these words right now? No wait, the popularity of most of these are past, with the exception of the certain words that are dutifully recycled due to this being an election year.
But I’m starting to digress…
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Well, here goes...
The time has come.
I must now enter the world of the Blog.
I must now enter the world of the Blog.
First, a little about myself. I am a Christian and extremely thankful to be so. I'm married to a beautiful girl and we will be celebrating 15 years this October. I have five incredibly awesome children, for which I am also grateful.
I am a minister of the Gospel, work in media in many and various outlets, and am also a basketball coach.
With all of this going on, what on the planet makes me think that I have the time for a blog? Honestly, I'm not sure. I'm just going with what I feel. Maybe it's just an outlet for the sarcasm that seems to be building up. [Currently, I'm on a recovery program; I'm trying to quit the stuff and it doesn't seem to be taking.]
As far as The Crest goes, I really like that title. It's the high point, the summit, the peak. And from this vantage, everything is visible and fair game. Please don't take yourself too seriously. Live and learn and enjoy the ride; you get only one trip anyway. Make the most of it with what God has given you. And for the love of Pete, have a sense of humor!
Anyway, now that I've got some of the character development out of the way, I'm sure that subsequent installments might be more interesting to the casual reader.
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