Yeah, Right, Whatever

Lance Cpl. Samuel Joyce, from Boston, accepts a bagfull of toys during the Toys For Tots 5k Run at Fleet Activities Yokosuka. Runners donated new toys to the local Marine's Toys for Tots program.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Have Every Right To Dream Heroic Dreams. Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Personally? I can take it or leave it, but... if it's free?

Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality. The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.
"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."
Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

Yes, I'm a little surprised that Axl got his act together long enough to get this album (cd?) released. And just in time for Christmas, no less.

Here are some reviews of Chinese Democracy. Joel Stein from Time gave it a B+ overall. Jeff Vrabel calls it "playable." Rolling Stone critic David Fricke thought it rocked. EW's Andy Greenwald had mixed feelings about it, but settled on a B-.

I love how Chuck Klosterman began his review:

Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It's more like reviewing a unicorn. Should I primarily be blown away that it exists at all? Am I supposed to compare it to conventional horses? To a rhinoceros? Does its pre-existing mythology impact its actual value, or must it be examined inside a cultural vacuum, as if this creature is no more (or less) special than the remainder of the animal kingdom? I've been thinking about this record for 15 years; during that span, I've thought about this record more than I've thought about China, and maybe as much as I've thought about the principles of democracy. This is a little like when that grizzly bear finally ate Timothy Treadwell: Intellectually, he always knew it was coming. He had to. His very existence was built around that conclusion. But you still can't psychologically prepare for the bear who eats you alive, particularly if the bear wears cornrows.

I was kind of a GnR fan way back in the day (By "back in the day," I mean "before summer of '91" and definitely "before The Spaghetti Incident?") . I lost any and all respect I may have had (and I doubt there was much to begin with) after the St. Louis riot and the Metallica incident. What did those incidents have in common? Axl, acting like a stoned, spoiled brat.

Will I run out and buy Chinese Democracy? uh... no. I'm not even sure if I'll take the time to hear any of the tracks. I'm not going to give Axl my time or money. Will I have a Pepper on the company because Axl kept it together for a few minutes? Sure... why not?

... you get the idea.

Joy Behar opened her mouth today and shoved her foot in up to the knee cap. Here's a link to the video clip, if you're interested. (Embedding code was disabled by request. )

The jist, if you don't want to wade through 7 minutes or so of The View to get to her stupidity, is that Joy thinks that homeschool kids are "demented" and "afraid of other children." She also thinks that homeschooling is "all about mommy and daddy telling them what to think."

Well... she does have a point. Homeschooling is all about parents imparting, indoctrinating even, their world view to their children. It's about not letting an outside entity who disagrees with your belief system dictate your child's education. It's about doing it yourself instead of relying on someone else.

But are my kids demented? Not really. No more than their mother, anyway. To quote John Bender, "social... demented and sad, but social."

Talk about dirty tricks... fortunately, it didn't injure the QB or mess with the final score.



I'm not an OSU fan (duh). I'm even less of a CU fan...

This has been around for a week or so, but I haven't mentioned it yet. There's a website called "How Obama Got Elected," and it just proves how many people voted stupid in this election.

In a nutshell, they asked a group of Obama voters a series of questions about the election and videotaped their responses.

Here are the questions:

1. Which party currently controls Congress?
2. What do you think of Barney Frank? Nancy Pelosi? Harry Reid?
3. Which candidate wore clothes that their political party spent $150,000 to purchase?
4. Which candidate has a pregnant teenage daughter?
5. Who said they could see Russia from their house?
6. Which candidate had to quit an earlier presidential campaign because of plagiarizing a speech?
7. Which candidate won his first election by getting opponents from his own party kicked off the ballot?
8. Which candidate claimed to have campaigned in 57 states?
9. Which candidate said his policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry and make energy rates skyrocket?
10. Who said that Obama would be tested in his first 6 months in office by international crisis?
11. What do you think of Bill Ayers?
12. Which candidate said that government should redistribute the wealth?
    

Here's a video from the site:


If you go here, you can check out the Zogby results.

(FYI... T1 scored 9/12 (didn't know who Barney Frank was and didn't know #s 6 & 7) and T2 scored the same. Yes, I got them all right. I'm a political junkie, and there is no 12-step program for me.)

Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody
55 years old from Fort Belvoir, Virginia


Call it breaking the brass ceiling. Ann E. Dunwoody, after 33 years in the Army, ascended Friday to a peak never before reached by a woman in the U.S. military: four-star general.

At an emotional promotion ceremony, Dunwoody looked back on her years in uniform, said it was a credit to the Army—and a great surprise to her—that she would make history in a male-dominated military.

"Thirty-three years after I took the oath as a second lieutenant, I have to tell you this is not exactly how I envisioned my life unfolding," she told a standing-room-only auditorium. "Even as a young kid, all I ever wanted to do was teach physical education and raise a family.

"It was clear to me that my Army experience was just going to be a two-year detour en route to my fitness profession," she added. "So when asked, `Ann, did you ever think you were going to be a general officer, to say nothing about a four-star?' I say, `Not in my wildest dreams.'

"There is no one more surprised than I—except, of course, my husband. You know what they say, `Behind every successful woman there is an astonished man.'"

You can read the rest of Gen. Dunwoody's story here.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

I could give lots of excuses, but... yeah, I'm in a bit of a post-election slump. This weekend, the boys' basketball team is having a dinner/auction to raise money, and I'm helping with that. I'll get back into the swing of things after that.

While I'm out doing other stuff, check out my blogroll. Good stuff.

Spc. Kenneth W. Haines
25 years old from Fulton, New York
2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
December 3, 2006


Spc. Kenneth Haines joined the United States Army in September 2000 as a fire support specialist and had been assigned to his unit for just over three years. He deployed to Iraq in October of 2006.

During his time in service, he received several military awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and National Defense Service Medal.

Spc. Haines was killed by an IED that was detonated near his vehicle while on patrol in Abu Hishma, Iraq.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

A couple of young women were in Starbuck's this morning, wondering why the bank was closed. And that strikes me as sad.



Here is a history of Veteran's Day in America.
For those of you have served, thank you for your service to our country.

Today is the birthday of the U.S.M.C.

From the halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From the dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job
The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And have never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.

h/t to Mike the Marine for the video

Here's what I found when I wandered through the interwebnettubes.

• Hostage rescue done right.
  
• EEWWWWW. Shall we play "guess the party"????
• Nice to know the EU isn't biased or anything.
• Surprisingly, though, not everyone in Europe has over-indulged on the Obama kool-aid.
  
• Obama's aunt is on the run. Are we surprised?
• BDS suffers will have plenty of relief once Obama is sworn in... he's going to undo over 200 of Bush's policies ASAP.
• And it's nice to know that The One has Poland's back.
  
• Has The One ever actually explained how he's going to pay for all of this?
  
• The Dems don't think you can manage your 401k. I mean... it's worked so well in other countries. And it's not like our market has tanked or anything already.
• I guess they're just setting things up to make sure that Biden was right.
• The creepiness factor just keeps climbing.

Finally... one great football play.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

I originally wrote this a few years ago on the anniversary of my "other birthday."

The Gift

If you were to ask me what the greatest gift I'd ever been given, the answer would be easy. If you take away the BIG ONES (life itself and salvation), the greatest gift I've ever been given is my family- my parents, if you want to get specific. Most people are just stuck with the family they were born into. Not so in my case.

My biological parents were young and in love (or as in love as you can be at 18). When she found out she was pregnant, he was all set to "do the right thing" (this was a couple of years before Roe v. Wade, and it wasn't an ethical option for them, anyway). They told his parents, then she told her parents. Her parents decided that "doing the right thing" was not an option, and they shipped her off to live with her aunt in Illinois until "it was over." (If I sound bitter toward her parents, I guess I am, a little. Not because they didn't want me to be a part of their family - I like mine just fine, thank you very much. I just hate what they put their daughter through... she has psychological scars that I'm not sure she'll ever recover from.) So, against the young man's wishes, she moved to Illinois and stayed with her aunt and uncle until it was time to give birth.

At the same time, a young couple in Illinois was trying to adopt a baby. They had been married the year before, and because of medical problems, she couldn't have "her own" children. Pregnancy would have probably killed her and the baby. And, because of her medical problems, they started the adoption process right away, knowing how long it might take, and knowing that there was no way of knowing how long she would have before she would become too ill to adopt. They were "next in line" for a baby... but when he was born, he had a few problems and was "temporarily unavailable for adoption." Still in the front of the line, they waited.

Late in the afternoon on November 3, 1969, they got the call. "How would you feel about a baby girl?" "Great!" They called their families to spread the news- there was a new member of the family. The grocery store where his mom worked announced over the PA "June... Dick just called... it's a girl! You have a granddaughter!" Four days later, they took me home. I might have been born on Nov. 3rd, but I became "me" on the 7th. Until that day, I was "Infant Dependent Lamb." On that day I became Elizabeth Ann Jordan, daughter of Dick and Lin.

All said, I had the best of both worlds. I had biological parents who were willing to raise me, but who were also willing to let me go to be raised by others more able. From them I got my dark hair, my fair skin, my freckles, my hyper-extending elbows and my high blood pressure (uh... thanks, Jim... I think). And I had another family, who loved me before they even knew me. From them, I got my love for tradition, my need for close family ties (growing up, the farthest any cousin lived from me was 30 minutes), the roots of my faith in God, the basis of my political leanings, and my taste for licorice. Not a bad combo.

So, 35 years have passed since they brought me home. A lot has happened- Mom had a kidney transplant and had a baby- Steph is no more and no less a daughter to them than me. I grew up in what seems today to be an atypical family- my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all lived within 30 minutes of each other, and we didn't have a divorce in the family until I was in college. I moved to Oklahoma to go to college, then got married and moved all over the place (but I still miss my family every day, even though it's been 17 years since I moved away- I get back as often as I can and talk to my parents almost every day.) I had twins. I found both of my biological parents ( stories for another day). But still, every once in a while, I'm struck by just how blessed I truly am.

One of my grandfathers once told me that I was their Gift from God. That might be true, but I will always believe that they were my Gift from God.

So... maybe I'm not the biggest Huck fan, but... Zo's got a point. Or two...

We've had our day of stunned silence, and our time of "woe is me." As conservatives, now we need to look at what went wrong and how to fix it. Then FIX IT.

Congratulations to Senator Obama on his victory. The nation has chosen... now we'll get what we deserve, I guess.

As an American and as a Christian, I will support President Obama and the office he holds. I will pray for him. I refuse to behave like the people I've mocked the past 8 years for the way they demonized President Bush and every other Republican.

I won't agree with him most almost all the time, and I will be part of the (hopefully very vocal and forceful) loyal minority. I will respect the Office, even when I can't stand the policies of the man who holds it. It's how our Republic works.

I look at it this way. We survived Clinton. We survived Carter. We survived FDR. We'll survive President Obama.

... the Cornyn, Williams, Jefferson, Wainwright, Johnson, and McCaul Victory Party!

I'm all set up, glass of wine in hand, ready to let you know every comment uttered from the candidates' mouths...

Who am I kidding? I'm here... I finally got the internet set up... and... well, yeah... I do have a glass of wine. Just spent some time talking to Robbie. I'll give you a wrap up as the night goes on. I'm not going to slave over this keyboard for your voyeuristic pleasure. I'm trying to figure out what exactly the plan is for the evening.

More later...

UPDATE: (8:25pm) The candidates should be here soon. Just visited the main room. Controlled chaos seems to be the theme of the evening. Media is setting up for the big event- BIG bright lights (I guess it doesn't really matter that the BIG bright light doesn't quite reach the stage, but oh, well...) At least it's keeping us toasty. Bonus: the shrimp quesadillas are yummy.

UPDATE: The candidates victors just finished giving their speeches. First, Representative McCaul thanked a very Democrat Travis County for re-electing him. Then Senator Cornyn thanked Texas for sending him back to Washington.

Governor Perry stepped to the podium then, praising Texas. He pointed out some facts and figures about Texas that many might not realize. Texas has more Fortune 500 companies than any other state. It is the largest exporting state in the Union. We have the 2nd largest economy in the nation and 15th in the world. Of all the new jobs created in the US last year, over half were in Texas. When he concluded his remarks, he introduced Lt. Governor David Dewherst, who spoke on the accomplishments of the Texas legislature.

Lt. Governor Dewherst welcomed Chairman Williams to the stage. He thanked Texas for once again electing a "bald man who wears bow ties and cowboys boots" to the Texas Railroad Commission. He then called Chief Justice Jefferson and Justice Wainwright to the podium. He pointed out that the media is talking about the historic nature of the Obama victory, but that history had already been made in Texas by re-electing three African-Americans to high office. Justices Jefferson, Johnson, and Wainwright wrapped up the evening with their thank yous.

It was a good party, if a bit bittersweet. The GOP faithful that attended the party had obviously hoped for a McCain/ Palin victory last night. They celebrated the Republican victories around Texas, and I'm sure that more than one person's thoughts went to planning for '10. It's what the political parties do, right?

Are we sheeple? Have we, as a nation, looked at the issues and really contemplated how different policies will impact the future of our nation? Do we really care?

I'm still praying... I will be all day. The students at the homeschool co-op will have a mock election (and I'm 99.999% sure how it will turn out). Tonight I will be going to a victory reception... I'll tell you more about that later.

A few days ago, Senator Cornyn posted a video about the importance of voting in this election and what is at stake:

Senator McCain sent out this e-mail, asking for support:

My Friend,

From the time I entered the Naval Academy at age seventeen I have been privileged and honored to serve my country.

Throughout my years of service, I've been faced with challenges where I could have taken the easy way out and given up. But I'm an American and I never give up. Instead, I choose to show courage and stand up and fight for the country I love. Today, I am asking you to stand with me and to fight for our country's future.

Our country faces enormous challenges and our next president must be ready to lead on day one. My lifetime of experience has prepared me to lead our great nation. I'm prepared to bring solutions to our economic challenges, bring our troops home in victory and improve our nation's healthcare system.

Time and time again, my country has saved my life and I owe her more than she has ever owed me. I have chosen to show my gratitude through a life of service to our country and tomorrow, you will have a choice before you.

I humbly ask you to make the choice that will allow me to serve my country a little while longer by casting your vote to elect me as your next President of the United States.

Finally, I ask that you never forget that much has been sacrificed to protect our right to vote. We must never forget those Americans who, with their courage, with their sacrifice, and with their lives, have protected our freedom. It is my great hope that you will exercise your right to vote as an American tomorrow.

I thank you for your kind support, your dedication to our cause, and most importantly I thank you for your vote.

With sincere appreciation,

John McCain

If you haven't voted yet and are legally allowed to do so, GO VOTE!!!!

Unless something major happens, that is.

I kind of dropped the ball when it came to writing posts leading up the election encouraging prayer for the election. The last few weeks would have been "just keep praying," which was important. I just didn't have much more to say.

In two days, our nation officially goes to the polls. (According to Travis County stats, we are going to have a HUGE turnout here, and a larger than expected percentage of registered voters have taken advantage of early voting.) There are groups of people gathering at various times over the next 72 hours (until polls close in Hawaii) to prayer for our nation. Before I explain how I will be praying, I'd like to give you a few verses about government, leadership, and citizenship. (All verses of ESV.)

• Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (Psalm 2:10-11)
• Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. (Ex 18:21)
• Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips. (Pr 25:19)
• If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked. (Pr 29:12)
• Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness! (Eccl 10:17)
• Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. (Pr 29:18)
• Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. (Pr 11:14)
• When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Pr 19:2)
• Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Heb 13:17)
  
• Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. (Romans 13:1-7)
• Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:13-17)
• ...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chron 7:14)
  

I know I threw a lot of verses at you... and that's not even all of the ones I have, honestly. The prayer suggestions I list below are based on those verses, for the most part.

• Begin with thanksgiving for our nation.
  
• Ask that hearts will be open, that we (both individually and a nation) will humble ourselves before God. Ask that revival sweep over our country.
  
• Pray for wisdom of the electorate, that citizens will take their responsibility seriously and selflessly.
  
• Pray for safety for poll workers and voters.
  
• Pray that hidden schemes, conspiracies, and cheating will be brought out into the open and dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. (There are many verses about consequences of bad behavior, starting with the story of the creation in Genesis to Psalm Pr 6:27. Pr 14:12, and the list goes on.) Some web sites talk about how much control Satan seems to have over our country and over this election. Those sites say to pray that strongholds (enemy fortresses) are torn down. They also suggest praying that demonic power be bound and cast away.
  
• Pray for calm and peace in the days and weeks following the election.
  
• Pray that the nation will stand behind the new President of the United States and his administration, holding him accountable, yet giving him the respect that his office used to deserve (and pray that the office will once again deserve that respect).
  
• Pray for the new President, that he would do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before God (Micah 6:8). We pray for wisdom, for good health and safety, and that he will seek God and seek wise and Godly counsel. (Pray the same for all elected officials. That link has more suggested prayers of intercession for elected officials.)

Did I forget anything? Let me know additional Bible verses and prayer requests/suggestions in the comments.