Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Love Log Cabins!



How I would love to own a Log Cabin.

I have always had a desire to own a log house or cabin every since I can remember. My wife and I spent the weekend in one this past, for our 7th wedding anniversary. We had a very nice, peaceful, relaxing weekend. It rained a good bit and it beat down on the tin roof like a million tiny drummers.

The mountains around Asheville, NC are full of these little vacation getaways and for a small fee you can rent one for a weekend or longer. We hope to go back and do this again each year until we finally buy one for ourselves to escape to and perhaps rent out to others for them to enjoy. What a life it must have been in years past to live out in the wilderness with no cars, TV's, computers or airplanes buzzing overhead. Only the sounds of the critters that lived near you to pierce the night air. It was hard to sleep due to the change in sound from the city to the country.

Our anniversary was one to be remembered and we took a few pics of the cabin and the surroundings. I'll post a few here if I can get them transferred to this computer.

Farewell and a long life to you all...

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Iraq, United we Stand?

It seems that today one of the greatest dividing issues in America is the War in Iraq. Many Americans feel that we should not be there and that we have focused too much of our energy on Iraq and not Afghanistan. Perhaps the latter part of that statement is true yet if you look at this battle from a Macro perspective I think you come away with a different POV.

First, I have heard many say that we should engage the radical elements of Islam in a diplomatic way. Talk to them, try to understand why they hate us and work in a humane way to change their minds. Many on the left say this is they way to deal with the terrorists and if they do not respond we should arrest them and put them on trial here in America. Of course they also want to give the terrorists the benefit of the rights afforded Americans under the US Constitution. This will not work and is a dangerous approach.

Now take a look at what President Bush is doing. He is trying to plant the seeds of democracy in Iraq which is in the heart of the middle east. If he is successful in this extremely difficult task those seeds could grow and spread across the entire region. Once that happens you may see the radical elements of Islam shunned by their own people and discarded into history as the fanatics that they are much as the Nazi's were after the fall of the Third Reich.

Unfortunately this quest is one that will take many years, perhaps decades to complete. If we are to change the hearts and minds of the people in the middle east we must radically change the way the people are governed in that part of the world. Democracy is the best chance of bringing about that type of change. When people taste freedom they want more. When they experience the financial benefits of capitalism they also want more. We can bring these elements to the middle east with the plan that Bush has in place but it will take patience and hard work along with the sacrifice of Americans and our allies.

Remember the sacrifices made in WWII. We lost about 200,000 soldiers in that conflict. Yet America saved the world from a lunatic and his perverted vision of molding the world into something he had declared was God's will of a Nazi rule. This current struggle is eerily similar to that bleak time of our history. The Islamic fundamentalists want to mold the world into their perverted view of what their God wants. They want to subjugate us all into Islam or slavery to Islam. If not then we die, that simple.

President Bush has decided that if we plant the seeds of democracy and freedom in the middle east it is the best and brightest chance of spreading change throughout that region. It is the only hope for the world to defeat their radical view of dominating the west. If we can unite the worlds free peoples to rise up with us and help in this endeavor we may have a chance of stopping the forward push of the Islamic maniacs and their carnage. Keep in mind the radical Muslims have declared that Osama Bin Laden himself has marked Iraq as the place where the deciding battle for Islam against the west is being faught.

Once democracy takes hold and spreads perhaps a more moderate government will emerge in these areas and education will change as well as the poverty that grips the common folks. If they have jobs and can provide for their families they may have a reason to live instead of martyring themselves for money. If kids are taught to respect America in their schools instead of the hate that is taught now, then in a few generations the whole attitude of the people might become friendly towards the west.

Yes this is a tough struggle and will be a long one but if we unite it will make it easier for our side to win. Think about it and decide which side you want to be on if the battle comes to your neighborhood.

Can we win this war? You bet, but we will have a better chance if America unites behind it's leaders to fight it together.

Monday, September 11, 2006

9-11 2006

I am home this morning watching all the coverage on 911. I have watched the replay of the Twin Towers being hit and coming down and the Pentagon on fire after the plane slammed into it, as well as the plane downed on the field in Pennsylvania. I had a chill as I remembered how I felt that day watching it for the first time.

I watch this on the heels of watching the movie last night called "The Path to 911" and it really gives you a new perspective on the years leading up to that terrible day. Most of us regualr citizens really had no clue that our government was already aware that Osama and his minions had declared war on America. We went about our business and enjoyed the bounty and abundance America provides without really being worried we would be attacked by suicide bombers in jetliners. Now that I have seen this movie I see that it was there being plotted and planned as we vacationed, worked, went to the movies and out to eat, never imagining an event like 911.

So what do you do five years later? Do you keep sniping and laying blame Right vs Left, Conservative vs Liberal, Democrat vs Republican? Or do we find a way to unite the country and fight a common enemy?

I think we all know the right answer to that question but can we unite and put our differences behind us? Will the power brokers in Washington lay down their rhetoric cannons and pick up an American flag and march together towards a solution? Can they stop their own pursuit of personal power long enough to defend America?

I hate to think what will happen if they do not.

I will pray for all our leaders, both Red and Blue staters. I hope they can get their priorities in order and stop the blame game long enough to save America from a nuclear or bio attack from the lunatics that want to destroy what we have here in the USA.

I hope you will too.

God Bless America!

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Censorship

Today's Topic - Censorship


It seems that our former President William Jefferson Clinton is a bit uneasy about the upcoming Mini Series called "The Path to 9/11". In fact he wants it banned and not shown on TV at all.

I remember a couple of years ago a movie that was released in theaters that made the Republicans and President Bush look incompetent and somewhat responsible for 9-11 made by Michael Moore. I did not here anyone from the Bush Whitehouse call for it to be banned or not shown. In fact the writer/director/star was heralded by the Democratic party and was an honored guest at the Democratic political convention that year with a prestigious seat right next to Mr. Jimmy Carter.

Freedom of speech is our first right under the constitution. We allow folks to protest our government, burn our flag and go to colleges around the country calling America an evil capitalist pig of a country, many say we deserved 9-11 and worse. We do not censor these folks, we let them speak and then allow the capitalist market place to do it's own kind of natural censorship.

So should we then not allow this filmmaker to show his movie that gives a point of view that calls into question the actions of a certain President and his administration?

What say you America?



Here is a letter from the Clinton legal team to the ABC/Disney producers of "The Path to 9/11".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Dear Bob,

Despite press reports that ABC/Disney has made changes in the content and marketing of "The Path to 9/11," we remailn concerned about the false impression that airing the show will leave on the public. Labelng the show as "fiction" does not meet your responsibility to the victims of the September 11th attacks, their families, the hard work of the 9/11 Commission, or to the American people as a whole.

At a moment when we should be debating how to make the nation safer by implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, "The Path to 9/11" calls into question the accuracy of the Commission's report and whether fabricated scenes are, in fact, an accurate portrayal of history. Indeed, the millions spent on the production of this fictional drama would have been better spent informing the public about the Commission's actual findings and the many recommendations that have yet to be acted upon. Unlike this film, that would have been a tremendous service to the public.

Although our request for an advance copy of the film has been repeatedly denied, it is all too clear that our objections to "The Path to 9/11" are valid and corroborated by those familiar with the film and intimately involved in its production.

-- Your corporate partner, Scholastic, has disassociated itself from this proect.

-- 9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean, who served as co-executive producer on "The Path to 9/11," has stated that he raised concerns about the accuracy of several scenes in the film and that his concerns were not addressed during production.

-- Harvey Keitel, who plays the star role of FBI agent John O'Neill, told reporters yesterday that while the screenplay was presented to him as a fair treatment of historical events, he is upset that several scenes were simply invented for dramatic purposes.

-- Numerous Members of Congress, several 9/11 Commissioners and prominent historians have spoken out against this movie.

-- Indeed, according to press reports, the fact that you are still editing the film two days before it is scheduled to air is an admission that it is irreparably flawed.

As a nation, we need to be focused on preventing another attack, not fictionalizing the last one for television ratings. "The Path to 9/11" not only tarnishes the work of the 9/11 Commission, but also cheapens the fith anniversary of what was a very painful moment in history for all Americans. We expect that you will make the responsible decision to not air this film.

Sincerely,

Bruce R. Lindsey
Chief Executive Officer
William J. Clinton Foundation

Douglas J. Band
Counselor to President Clinton
Office of William Jefferson Clinton

Friday, September 01, 2006

Random Thoughts on a Friday


I can remember younger days when we practically lived for Fridays. Especially in school but even after that. Now it is not such a big deal but at 45 I still enjoy knowing I have my weekend ahead of me to relax, go to the movies or work around that house a little (very little). hehe

I have my business set up to where we do not work on weekends so I can still take advantage of the opportunity to be lazy. We do travel often so that also gives us some mini vacation time too. We like to go to the beach now and then or visit relatives, maybe drive up to the mountains and look at log houses. (we love them)

Of course our dream is to buy a piece of land in the mountains and build our dream house (log house) and spend our golden years sitting on the porch watching the sunrise or set, drinking coffee and working in the garden. Have a couple of horses and some dogs running around, maybe a goat or two. Yep I said it a goat!

Life is good here in America where a boy from cabbage town can grow up without finishing high school, start his own business and make a good enough living to make a dream like that come true. My wife comes from a different kind of upbringing but her dream is the same as mine. She is a bit more educated and was raised in a more middle class world but we are a lot alike in our dreams. We both want to live a laid back lifestyle, not the party people but the stay home and watch football kind of people.

Let's hope the bad people in the world do not stop us and millions like us from achieving these dreams.

I just hope I live long enough to see it all happen. I go back to the cardiologist today for another round of tests to see how well my heart and all the arteries feeding it are holding up. So far I have had the stress test, ultra sounds, EKG's and MRI's. NO results yet (except the EKG, it was normal) I suppose I get those next week. I should finish up all my testing today with a couple more ultrasounds on my legs and neck. All you liberals out there can just hold your breath to see if one more conservative is going to bite the dust.

Truthfully I am not really concerned. I know who holds the key to my eternity and I am not afraid of dying in fact I welcome it. This old world can be cruel at times and I have had my share of it. I will gladly relinquish the bonds that hold me here and move to the next life. It will be much, much better. Yet if I am destined to stay here and deal with the devil a while longer I will enjoy the fight and take what it gives me until that final day comes. Praise God!

Well no political comments today, SURPRISE! Although I do have a few in mind I will wait until another time.

Farewll my friends.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your laborday!