Musings from JenX

I am Jonah

2011-11-04T05:14:00.000-07:00

So everyone thinks of Jonah and the Whale. Big Fish. Whatever. But lots of folks forget why he got swallowed up in the first place – because he was running from what God wanted him to do. And what was it God wanted him to do? Go preach to the people of Nineveh. Who were Assyrians. Low-down, stinking, no-good, barbaric, cruel, torturers-of-the-Jews Ninevites. And Jonah didn’t want to. He didn’t think they deserved God’s abundant mercies. He didn’t think God should give them a chance to repent from their sins. He thought he knew better than God about the deserved fate of those people.

I’ve come to realize I’m more like Jonah than I thought.

There are some people in my life that I think make consistently poor decisions. There are people in my life that I think don’t behave in a way appropriate for their age. There are people in my life that I think need to show more maturity and wisdom than what they do. I want to deal with them as little as possible and don’t really want to talk about the Bible or Jesus Christ with them, in part because there is open hostility to such talk.

But therein lies the problem – thinking you know better than God about a situation. I mean, He flat out tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that His ways and His thoughts are so much higher than ours. He sees a big picture we can’t even imagine or comprehend. Yet I’ve been so insistent that I know better – if not best.

Now, instead of being told to head out to Nineveh, Nineveh is coming to me. I’m just thankful He didn’t throw me in the belly of a beast for three days to figure this out. So like Jonah (finally, during the second chance God gave him) I’ll obey. And hopefully these people will respond just like the Ninevites did. Unlike Jonah though, I plan on rejoicing with the angels if any happen to repent and thanking God for His mercies upon ALL of us that are so undeserving of His favor and kindness. Maybe especially me and Jonah.

Is there anything in your life where you think you know better than God? If so, maybe ponder on Isaiah 29:14 for awhile:

"Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

Thank goodness for wake-up calls

2011-10-18T05:44:00.000-07:00

And I’m not talking about the hotel ones, either, though they have certainly come thru for me on more than one occasion. I mean the life wake-up calls that God hands you.

A friend’s mom, who is a sprite 84, recently had a stroke. The Great Physician took it upon Himself to assist in a recovery that the regular ol’ human physicians have labeled “miraculous.”

Within just a couple of days Mom had recovered her speech, the use of her left side and was getting herself in and out of bed without help. I would have loved to see the look on the nurse’s face when she entered the room expecting to see an elderly, bed-ridden, stroke victim, and instead saw a patient who had gotten herself “up and at ‘em” calmly waiting in a chair, eager to start her day of therapy!

My friend, thankfully, has a strong relationship with her mom and both are women after God’s own heart (go read I Samuel 13, especially verse 14 if you’re not sure what that whole heart thing is about, or Elizabeth George’s book). But it was a wake-up call for my friend nonetheless. Mom isn’t going to be there forever. Now, she’s so healthy she may be with us on this earth for another decade. And my friend has the joy and confidence of knowing she will spend eternity with her mom someday. But still – aren’t there things in this life that you want to say, or want to do, now?

My dad was diagnosed with leukemia (specifically CLL) over a decade ago. As the youngest of four, and definitely Daddy’s little girl, this was devastating to me. But the good that has come out of it is I’m not afraid to ask my dad questions, because I never know when I’ll get another chance, which have led to wonderful, thoughtful conversations. And I end every phone call with “love you Daddy!” – it’s as much for me as for him. Because when he’s called Home to Heaven, I’ll know that HE knew how much I valued and appreciated him. I don’t want any regrets in that area.

Have you had a wake-up call recently? Is there something you’ve been putting off, that you should deal with? Do you need to make a call and tell someone you love them, or offer forgiveness and start some healing? Or do you just need to jump online and book that 10-day Alaskan cruise you’ve always said you would go on “someday”? Do yourself a favor – give yourself a wake-up call today.

I HATE WEEDING

2011-10-12T05:39:00.000-07:00

It’s the worst chore ever. When I was single and living in an apartment, I thought it was dusting, but once I got married and moved to a house in the suburbs, where you have to have things like “landscaping” (but no budget for a full-time gardener – drat!), I have discovered the single worst chore in the world is weeding. I truly, truly hate it. I want to move into the city, where land is covered in concrete and glass just so I never have to pull or spray another weed again. I am not kidding.

I think I loathe it because it takes so much time and work. Now, before all the gardeners jump on me, I am fully aware that if I would just expend a little bit of effort every week, instead of saving it all up and weeding once a… quarter?... I could save myself tons of grief.

Funny how weeds are almost exactly like sin, hey?

If I would just recognize sin in my life right away, when it’s small and easy to uproot and remove, how much agony would I save myself? Instead, noooooo, I let the sin get all big and dug in and rooted and then it’s work to remove it from my life. Sometimes there is stuff that sprouts up that I don’t even recognize as a weed, er, sin. But if it chokes life out of my spiritual garden it’s a sin that needs to be removed in order for God to flourish.

Maybe I need to start on a weekly weeding program that I also use as a time to inspect my spiritual garden. Anyone else do this? (I promise, you don’t have to continue the garden metaphor) What do you do to stay on top of the sin in your life? Do you have a regular time of confession and prayer with God? Or is it more of a when-you-notice-it sort of thing?

Figuring it out. Or not.

2011-10-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

What do I need to leave behind so that I can go and fulfill God’s call on my life (ala Peter, Andrew and Elisha)? This was a question at the end of one of the day’s of a thirty day Bible study I am doing. And what a great question. But since I can’t even seem to figure out God’s call on my life, I have no idea what I need to abandon to fulfill it.

Does it ever seem like everyone has a purpose but you? I return again and again to Jeremiah 1:5. And I Peter 4:10. I’ve read 48 Days to the Work You Love and The Purpose Driven Life. And I emerge from them feeling… directionless and purposeless. Not really what the authors were going for, I don’t think.

Why is it so easy for me to believe that God has a purpose for every life but mine? I truly believe in those passages of Scripture – for everyone except me that is. I get so stuck when the discussion turns to purpose and talents. Where I am normally chatty, suddenly my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. Whether it’s fear, or self-doubt or having beat myself up for so long for being prideful that I now have nothing to be proud of, I don’t know.

All I know is that while I read God’s Word about using my gifts for Him, I acknowledge them with my head but I don’t believe them in my heart. Or, even more accurately, I believe the words for everyone except me. I know the danger of such sad, discouraging, negative self-talk. I try to obey II Corinthians 10:5b and “take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.” But I’d still really like to know what I am good at.

I always feel like I look around and see someone else already doing things I could potentially be interested in, and doing it so much better than I could, that I feel like I have nothing further to contribute. So is that fear, self-doubt or both? And aside from taking a bunch of multiple-choice quizzes, how do I learn what talents I have? And what God wants from me? Does anyone else ever struggle with this??

I love a good story, even when I think I don’t have one

2011-09-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

I’ve never thought I had a particularly compelling testimony. When you accept Jesus as your Savior and acknowledge Him as the Son of God when you are a wee one of four – well, frankly there just wasn’t a whole lot of depravity into which I could have sunk.

Mischief? Yes. Naughtiness? Sure. Disobedience? You bet. All of which I needed Jesus’ sacrifice for. But depravity? Not so much. I wasn’t an alcoholic or a drug dealer or a gang member. I didn’t turn tricks or have teen sex and a baby out of wedlock. I likely sassed my mom, and I KNOW I pestered my older siblings after being told not to. That’s about it – my sin hadn’t had a whole lot of time to mature, if you will. And oddly enough I’ve always felt sheepish about that!

I sometimes wonder - are we as Christians so focused on the conversion story that we forget the angels rejoice when every person comes to Christ? The Bible doesn’t say they cheer louder when the abortion provider asks Jesus to forgive her or when a pimp falls to his knees to beg for God’s mercy. Those angels cheer for every one of us. I might not have been Saul on the road to Damascus, or even just in jail for a DUI, but I needed the Lord just the same – and I can see God’s hand on my life just as surely.

Do we do a disservice to God and to the church by not recognizing that every conversion is special? I know everyone loves a good story – myself included – but if the angels can cheer just as loudly for the pre-K set as those adults at the bottom of the pit – shouldn’t we? I mean, why else do we pour so much time, money and effort into youth programs, if not to bring them into an early fellowship with Jesus? It’s what every Christian parent prays for, right? An early and consistent walk with the Lord versus the prodigal?

So today, tell your testimony to someone. Even if it’s just sharing with a fellow believer how you came to Christ, share your story. Let someone cheer you like the angels did! Don’t minimize or belittle or apologize for it – praise Jesus for however He got a hold on you!

The coming storm

2011-09-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

As the people sat in their coffee cafes in the capitol city, did they know trouble was coming?

As they went to dinner with friends, shopped the boutiques, headed to the market to pick up items for dinner, did they feel unease? And if so, what did they do with it? Push it aside? Dwell on it? Act on the fear?

How do you prepare for the coming storm when you aren't even sure what the storm is or how bad it will actually be?

I recently finished a book by Erik Larson – In the Garden of Beasts – about the U.S. Ambassador to Germany in the early 1930s. Hitler was chancellor, but not yet completely in power. And I started to wonder if any of the people in Berlin had any unease? Were any nervous about the movements of the government? What did they do or think as they went about their daily living?

Then I realized I was wondering these things during our own time of unease, as I was sitting in a Starbucks just outside of Washington, D.C. sipping my iced coffee.

It's scary right now. Financial trouble around the world and here in America; recent riots in London and Philadelphia; our troops still in serious peril on a daily basis; new, unknown regimes in the Middle East; China owning almost all our debt. All that without even touching on the weather that rocked us this summer or the cultural decline we are most clearly in.

It is beyond reasonable to be concerned with all of these issues, if not uneasy or even scared. How does one person even remotely begin to affect change, when these situations are so huge and global?

And yet. And yet God gives us the antidote to these poisonous fears.

Psalm 62:1-2 – My soul finds rest in God alone… He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

I John 4:17 – There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

II Timothy 1:7 – For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but rather a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline.

Psalm 62:1-2 are my life verses. But if I find myself leaning to worry or fretting (which I HATE to do!) I’ll definitely remind myself of the other two. What verses do you remind yourself of in times of trouble?

New Beginning

2011-08-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

I started this blog ages ago, and I never really kept up on it. I was never a kid to be able to keep a journal on a regular basis either, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to learn I couldn’t keep a blog up regularly either.

That said, I’ve recently decided it’s time to dust it off and give it another whirl. I’m at a point in my life where I have a little more time than I used to (though I’m sure I’ll continue to procrastinate as well as ever) and I also really want to write more.

I’m going to change the focus of the blog a bit though. Before there really WASN’T a focus – so having a focus is a change right there! I still might start another blog for all the stuff I am randomly interested in – but this one I’m giving over to God. I have zero doubt I’ll get some stuff wrong, and I hope people will gently correct me if I do. But I hope that I can be an encouragement to others with my questions and my thoughts – that as Christians we’re not in this alone.

I know we’re never alone in the spiritual sense, that the Holy Spirit is a constant part of our lives – but sometimes it’s nice to be able to talk (or type) with other believers in Christ, isn’t it? Well, I think it is at least, and hope you chime in on the posts that make you think.

Stuck

2009-12-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

So there is a blog I subscribe to via my Google Reader (Meme Express) that delivers a daily prompt - one that most would-be writers are always in desperate need of, and that is a "topic."

I don't feel like I am an actual writer. It always seems like everyone else's words flow so much more easily than mine do. I have writing envy fairly frequently when I look at the posts of my more creative friends. Since I seem to have an incurable case of writer's block, the daily prompts from Meme Express are immensely helpful in just giving me something, anything, to go with, in the writing-is-a-skill-that-must-be-exercised kind of way. Some days are more difficult than others. Other days you think you know exactly what direction you will take and the next thing you know you are someplace completely different. I like those kinds of days.

Which is precisely what happened when they delivered "Baking" into my Reader:

I loved Grandma Z's cookies. The cinnamon, the spice, the molasses. The battle with my much older and bigger cousin over who would get more. He usually won because he lived in the same town as Grandma, whereas my family lived two hours away. These are simple cut out cookies - no fancy cookie cutters, just a glass. The ingredients are rustic - no butter or shortening, but honest-to-goodness lard. Not to mention strong, cold coffee. And they are amazing. They are even better one or two or more days after they've been pulled from the oven. The spices deepen and mellow and blend into the best ginger cookie you've ever had.

Having her recipe now, making them just like she did, decades after I first fell in love with them, reconnects me to a part of the family that isn't very connected. For a variety of reasons we aren't close to mom's side. It'd be easy to blame one person or side or family unit, but it's never that simple or easy, is it? More it's along the lines of you can pick your friends but not your family. Probably needless to say, but I doubt any of us would pick the others to be friends.

But Grandma's cookies somehow breach that gap. My aunt was so excited to share the recipe. We mail them out to family in California. We share them with the next generation, as a way to connect to the ones before.

Turns out that's what my grandmother was doing too. Come to find out all these years later the recipe was actually her mother's. It's no wonder my great-aunts and their kids loved them as much as we did - it was part of their family tradition as well. So technically they aren't Grandma Z's cookies, but rather Grandma C's.

The branches in our family tree will never be close - at least not in that idealized, Norman Rockwell sense. But we'll always have that recipe to bind us together. It's comforting to know that if all else fails, all other attempts at conversation falter, we can always come back to our love of those cookies.

Positive TV

2008-10-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Because honestly, there is enough of the negative. I know, I know, negative works. And I agree. But sometimes isn't it nice to say something nice?

The first decision is a telling one

2008-08-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

When people run for President of the United States of America, they spend a lot of time making speeches, informing voters of their goals and their vision for America. They tell you what they are going to do in the future. Then the opposition usually takes it upon themselves to tell you what they have done in the past.

However, you can get a glimpse of the type of person the candidate is, and the type of decisions he (or someday she) will make, when confronted with choosing a running mate. You see what they consider important,and what type of person they want running with them.

In the case of 2008, apparently Senator Barack Obama considers it important to be connected to career politicians and seen as a Washington, D.C. insider. For a candidate to build his entire campaign on the words "hope and change" to then pick a running mate who is so clearly the antithesis to them has to be a bit... deflating for his followers. Senator Joe Biden has a long and distinguished career as an elected official - emphasis on the long, as he has been an elected official for 36 years. He's been a politician for longer than - 40%? - of the voting age population has even been alive. Apparently Barack Obama thinks he needs to reach out more to the liberal, white, upper-middle class, East Coast, straight-Democrat-ticket voters of America.

On the other hand, Senator McCain caught everyone off guard in his masterful pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Senator McCain, with his pick, told America this - I value women, I value blue collar workers (her parents were and her husband is). I value hard work, I value family (she has 5 kids!), I value Life, and I value the ability to stand up for what's right (her first act as governor was to put an end to the state of Alaska's participation in the ridiculous "Bridge to Nowhere," calling it a "waste of money.")

In other words, McCain showed America hope. And change. And he didn't resort to mere rhetoric, but demonstrated it through actions.

Like I said, the first decision is a telling one.

Do you know enough?

2008-08-26T10:15:00.001-07:00

Taken for granted

2008-07-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

That would be our first amendment rights - freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right to peaceably assemble here in this country. People say stupid stuff here all the time that drives me nuts, but dang it, they have a right to say it. We have no idea what others have to go through to make their words heard... including prison.

Remind me again how China, that paragon of virtue and human rights, got to host the Olympics?

RIP, Estelle Getty

2008-07-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

So I didn't love everything about the late 80s sit-com The Golden Girls (mainly because, hello, in the late 80s I was a teenager who couldn't really relate to the "golden" part of the girls), but Estelle Getty was one of the funniest comediennes out there. Her Sicilian grandmother character Sophia Petrillo was priceless.

So in honor of her willingness to do anything for a laugh, I leave you this:

Trading in the City of Washington for the City of God

2008-07-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

Mr. JenX and I were remarking on what great "air time" God has received recently on calling two very public, and very publicly faithful, men Home.

We lost Tim Russert on June 13; we lost Tony Snow almost exactly a month later on July 12.

These two men - giants, really, in their professions, were admired, in part, because they were in the public eye. They seemingly had the world at their respective feet. But to me it is remarkable that each is remembered for so much more than what they did for a living (not an easy feat in the political world!).

They are remembered for their beliefs; their kindness; their sense of humor; their love of life; their love of friends, family and God.

The faith that each man lived out daily was well documented. Tim and Tony were the same people with those that loved them as they were with those that... didn't love them as much. That so many, from so many different walks of life, knew of the faith that Russert and Snow both held, is a tremendous testimony to each man, certainly, but also to the Lord they loved.

When God called each one home to Him, Washington saw an openness about faith and the role of God in both our public and our private lives that it hasn't experienced in a long-time. One could even say God generated some good buzz about Himself...

The president concluded his eulogy of his friend, Tony Snow, with “Tony Snow has left the City of Washington for the City of God.” (hat tip: K-Lo), and the same can be said of Tim Russert as well. Though I live in the Washington, D.C. area now, I look forward moving into their neighborhood some day.

Play that ol' slide

2008-07-16T06:33:00.001-07:00

Haven't blogged in awhile, don't feel like I have much to say. So I'll leave you with this video to enjoy. Take 3 minutes and relax to an excellent little trombone solo:

The Olympics

2008-06-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

I've been struggling with the whole China-is-hosting-the-Olympics thing. On the one hand, they have a horrible human rights record, imprisoning political dissidents and persecuting Christians. Should we really be accepting that? And feting them, their country, their government?

On the other hand, I remember the U.S. boycotting the 1980 Olympics in the Soviet Union, and them returning the favor in 1984 when they were in L.A. What, precisely, did that accomplish?

Back to the first hand, you have this and this making pretty strong arguments on their own about why we should be upset that China is hosting the Games. They limit the very freedoms that we hold so dear here in America. No freedom of speech, no freedom of religion, no freedom to petition or protest. They are also hacking into the computers of members of OUR government, looking for the names and addresses of political dissidents who have fled that oppressive regime.

I want to support our athletes - but I want to protest Beijing. How does one square the two?

Global warming is good! No wait, bad! No wait, the earth is cooling!

2008-06-10T10:48:00.001-07:00

Seriously, what's a girl to believe? Well, I'll tell you this much. There's enough scientists out there who don't believe in the myth of man-made global warming. And there's enough data out there that shows the earth warms and cools naturally, with no regard to man-kind. And this article shows that increases in carbon dioxide are also helping increase vegetation on the planet.

Could it be we're not nearly as important as we think we are?

But if that's the case, then what would Little Jackie sing about?

Clearly a lack of D.C. landmarks

2008-05-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

I was on the Web site today of one of my favorite restaurants in the city, Central by Michel Richard. (Stay with me here, this isn't a restaurant review, though I would give it a good one).

Anyway, as I was looking for some information, I noticed something odd -- this Washington, D.C. restaurant has, featured prominently all over it's site, the Statue of Liberty. You know, the one in NEW YORK CITY.

I guess Washington, D.C. doesn't have any recognizable landmarks? I mean, it's not like we have the White House. Or the Lincoln Memorial. Or the Washington Monument. Or the Capitol of the United States of America. Bummer that a restaurant in our city has no landmarks of its own to promote on its Web site.

This is seriously going to bug me until they fix it, but as there is no way to contact someone via the Web site, they probably won't ever know. Sigh.

I am an apple

2008-05-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit to being one those people. You know, the type that takes every personality quiz known to man. "Which Jane Austen character are you?" "What color are you?" "Are you an introvert or an extrovert?"

Yadda yadda yadda

But the following quiz nailed my personality better than any other one I've ever taken.

For the record, before you take it yourself, I'll disclose that I am an "apple."

THIS IS QUITE REMARKABLE, PLEASE DON'T CHEAT!

In the middle of the table is a round food tray with five kinds of
fruits on it. They are:

A. Apple
B. Banana
C. Strawberry
D. Peach
E. Orange

Which fruit will you choose? Please think VERY carefully and don't
rush into it. This is great, I was astounded! Your choice reveals a lot about you!

Test results: Please SCROLL DOWN

If you have chosen:

A. Apple: That means you are a person who loves to eat apples

B. Banana: That means you are a person who loves to eat bananas

C. Strawberry: That means you are a person who loves to eat
strawberries

D. Peach: That means you are a person who loves to eat peaches

E. Orange : That means you are a person who loves to eat oranges

I hope you find fulfillment in this new insight about yourself. May it bring you peace and understanding, tranquility and all that other profound stuff.

Angst

2008-04-28T10:19:00.001-07:00

There's been a lot of hand wringing and angst amongst my fellow conservatives over the rise of John McCain as the presumptive GOP nominee. Some have even seen his rise as the death of conservatism.

Do these people really think so little of our cause? Our beliefs? Their fellows?

I understand where the angst comes from - but I'm not here to argue about whether a "good" conservative can vote for McCain or if one who does is actually a "bad" conservative (or, as is implied in many quarters, not a conservative at all).

My beef with these arguments, at the end of the day, is how demeaning and belittling they are to those of us who are in the conservative "movement" (whatever THAT even means).

How in the world can people imply, with a straight face, that conservative beliefs and ideals will fly out the window with the election of John McCain? How in the world can they think so little of the various causes and supporters of those causes in America, to think they would just *poof* disappear?

So on Wednesday, November 5, the pro-life movement will cease to exist? The tax reform movement will cease to exist? The home-school network, the private property rights, the defense of marriage, the kill-the-death-taxers will just crumple and die? They will just curl up into a fetal position and take whatever whipping given to them by the Moderate Establishment President John McCain and the RNC?

Give me a break. Anyone who tries to make that argument, in my opinion, simply doesn't have a real working knowledge of these groups, the people running them, the members and most importantly the passion that drives them.

I don't know if John McCain will be good for the conservative movement. Maybe (likely?) he won't be. But I'm not prepared to write the obituary for the conservative movement yet. Maybe, just maybe, we've been too fragmented and he'll accomplish something unforeseen - he'll unite us.

The importance of cross tabs

2008-03-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

So many people look at a poll of public opinion and just see the top numbers. Candidate A has 55%, Candidate B has 45%. They never look into the particulars of where that support comes from (otherwise known as cross tabs) for each candidate.

That's why this quote from the March 5 edition of the New York Times is so intriguing:

"Mrs. Clinton maintained an edge over Mr. Obama among women, whites, Hispanics, older voters and those with less education. Mr. Obama continued to edge her out among men, blacks, younger voters and those with more education, according to an exit poll conducted statewide by Edison/Mitofsky for the National Election Pool."

So she has trouble with blacks and younger voters, and he has trouble with older voters. This is significant. If she gets the nomination, all his new support is disenfranchised and doesn’t go to the polls. If he gets the nomination, the old folks look to McCain because "he’s one of them."

Hmmm. While November 2008 is a long ways off, suddenly I’m thinking it might not be so bad to be a Republican.

Joel

2008-02-20T11:36:00.000-08:00

As a kid, no one could entertain me more than my cousin, Joel (well, except maybe my Dad and brother). From balloon animals to just plain, stream-of-consciousness humor, he is one of the funniest people I know.

SO glad I found his older stuff on YouTube, so I can always get my dose!

So cool (literally!)

2008-02-20T05:53:00.000-08:00

Video footage from an expedition in Antarctica. You need to check out these sea creatures, including one never seen before! What a mighty God we serve!

Shortest speech ever

2008-02-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

Will be delivered on February 18:

Ex-Pres. Carter will give a speech on "the Carter presidency's greatest moments," (hat tip: Powerline) during a Presidents' Day event 2/18 in Plains, GA.

Thanks to the National Journal for bringing this to our attention!

What the world eats

2008-01-31T14:56:00.000-08:00

Absolutely fascinating Web site that shows various international families and what that family eats, and the cost, for a week.

The American one is typically depressing (everything is processed or refined, basically). I was surprised at the cost for the Germans, though. And check out the soda consumption for the family in Mexico!

Ah, punctuation

2008-01-31T09:03:00.000-08:00

And people think that they'll never use the grammar and punctuation they are forced to learn in school (item 4).

I know he's brilliant, but it's nice to see other people know it too!

2008-01-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

Jim Geraghty over at Campaign Spot on National Review, gives a shout out to my favorite blogger in the whole wide world: my husband!

:-)

Check out both links!

Norm!

2008-01-29T13:19:00.001-08:00

Yes, I support Norm Coleman for Senate. And yes, this is a great commercial. But it's an even better story. Nice that Norm could help bring this family together:

Time to reflect, not react

2008-01-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hat tip: Right Cross Puns

And we're off...

2008-01-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

Obama. Huckabee.

The Republicans:

I admit that in these closing days leading up to Iowa, I thought that Mitt's Millions would close the gap and maybe put him back on top of Gov. Huckabee. McCain must be dancing (or, well, whatever McCain would do if he would dance) in New Hampshire right now. Despite coming in third/fourth at the caucuses, McCain has been pulling back in New Hampshire, and seeing his biggest rival in NH (Romney) fall is only good news for him. As Mort Kondracke mentioned, it's like a baseball pennant race - you always want the guy who is ahead of you in the division to lose, so you can move forward. Huckabee should certainly spend some more time in New Hampshire now, but he also needs to pour a lot of time and money into South Carolina. And let me tell you - Mitt's folks on the ground in SC will not take this lying down. Huckabee for President better be ready for the gloves to come off down there, and be prepared to get their knuckles a little bloody too.

The Democrats:

But Obama. Wow. This is a huge day in American politics - an African-American man won Iowa. You know, Iowa. The 95% Caucasian state in the middle of the country. It's not like Iowa has a huge minority population to put Barack Hussein Obama over the top. HRC and her minions must be shaking in their boots right now. Oh yeah - and the son of the mill worker is done. D.O.A. One silver lining I am hoping that comes out of this Obama win is it hopefully puts the first (final?) nail in the coffin of the divisive politics of race that come from the ilk of Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. I hope they see his win as what it is - a rejection of them, not as black men, but as liberal, fear-and-hate mongering cretins.

I Heart Huckabee

2007-11-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

Boo Hoo - Clinton can't have it both ways

2007-11-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to write about this for days - ever since it happened really - but real life and work seem to have a funny way of getting in the way.

Let's re-cap:

All the Democrats running for president were in a debate. A question came up about whether they were supportive of Governor Spitzer's (D-NY) plan to give legal, government-issued driver's licenses to illegal aliens. Each candidate got to say what they thought. Except Hillary. She was for it, sort of, against it, maybe, understood why he would propose it, I guess... In other words, she answered this question like all the others - she didn't. But this time was different - she wasn't let off the hook. The moderator (Tim Russert, I think) asked her to clarify her position. Her fellow candidates jumped on her for not having a "yes" or "no" answer. So finally she says she's for it.

Only to say the next day she wasn't. Or was it the other way around?

See, it doesn't matter. Because in typical "I want it all" Hillary-fashion, the next day she came out swinging. Or whining, actually. About how all the "boys" had ganged up on her.

What is appalling to me is not her stance on the issue (OK, it is actually, but it's not the point of this post) but on her immediate retreat to hide behind her own skirts. I got news for ya' lady - you think that the boys here in America are tough? Wait until you get onto the world's playground! You think the "boys" in Iraq, North Korea, Iran and China are going to treat you like a fragile little doll? If you can't handle debating with men who mostly agree with you, how are you going to defend America against the plots of the people who want to overthrow it?

It's completely offensive that the first words out of her mouth were about gender, and how she was essentially being picked on. Hard to imagine a real female leader crying like Hillary was. Bet you wouldn't have seen Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher or Indira Gandhi pull that nonsense. They would put on their big girl panties and realize that they were leaders first, foremost and only.

Hillary can't have it both ways - she can't want to be the most powerful woman in the free world, and cry about how the boys are picking on her.

What color is the sky in their world?

2007-10-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

Stories like this abound. Women choosing to have their babies in rural Montana hospitals instead of their native Canada, because that's how bad the hospital system is there. People diagnosed with brain tumors being told they have to wait 6 months or more for an operation to remove it, because that's how long the wait list is. Britons removing their own teeth, because they can't find a dentist who can them as a patient.

What do all these people have in common? They live in countries with a government-run health care system.

And yet, despite all the evidence, the Democratic geniuses here in America want to move towards a nationalized health care system. At what point do we burst their bubble and tell them utopia doesn't, and won't ever, exist? I have no doubt that the sky in their world has many pretty, shiny colors in it, but at some point don't they have to wake up to it not being REAL?

While the American health care system may not be perfect, and we certainly need to do something about the uninsured (particularly kids - adults need to figure that out for themselves), I'll take my doctors and my system ANY day over theirs.

I don't see any of our esteemed Democratic leaders going to Canada, England, Cuba, etc for their health care. If it's not good enough for them, why should it be good enough for us?

What is WRONG with these two?

2007-10-02T14:27:00.000-07:00

I mean, seriously. They have 2 adorable, innocent little boys and yet neither parent can get their own personal act together. Britney looks like she is on the verge of losing it, and K-FedEx is now the responsible parent??

I just hope there are grandparents involved in the little boys lives somewhere, to maybe, MAYBE give them some sense of normalcy. On the other hand, do we really want the adults responsible for giving us Brit and K-Fed to get their hands on 2 new victims?

And here's to hoping this is the last thing I ever post on either of these two twits.

Fascinating

2007-09-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

So this little boy in England went through a tough time - complained of headache, had a fever, then a seizure only to discover there was an abcess on his brain caused by a rare form of meningitis. What an absolute nightmare for him and his parents.

HOWEVER - read the article! Not only has he made a full recovery, but he's also learned to speak again - but with a completely different accent! Medicine and miracles go hand in hand in so many ways.

He gets this one right

2007-09-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

I think it's well-documented (OK, well maybe not documented, but certainly well KNOWN) how I feel about Senator John McCain. But being intellectually honest means admitting when someone totally nails an issue on the head, even if you don't necessarily like that person:

ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain made the following statement today: Senator Clinton said that believing General Petraeus' testimony requires a 'willing suspension of disbelief.' I think it willingly suspends disbelief to not repudiate an advertisement run by a radical left wing organization that impugns and dishonors the integrity of a man who has served his nation with dedication all of his life. If you're not tough enough to repudiate a scurrilous, outrageous attack such as that, then I don't know how you're tough enough to be President of the United States.

Hat Tip: The Corner

The dust waits

2007-09-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

An acquaintance of mine shared the following yesterday:

*****

On September 11, 2002, I appeared on the Kean University radio program “Poets On Air” (http://www.kean.edu/~kuradio/segments.html ) to read a poem I wrote shortly after 9/11/01 for the families left behind. To commemorate the sixth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I am sharing my work for those who may not have seen it …Never forget.

CB

*****

THE DUST WAITS
(to the families left behind)

The dust waits
shrouding sidewalks
anticipating footprints
that will never come

There are no cell phones in Heaven
sound-bite from a mother/daughter conversation
belonging in some far-off future
not a five year-old’s now

In a suddenly unfamiliar living room
a mother holds on
to a silent cell phone
that final connection
with a husband
whose death she just heard

Replaying in her mind
those last words of love
she listens to the decomposing static
until three hours later
the battery runs out

An interconnected network of empty beds
with permanent holes on one side
will remain

like the family photographs and wedding videos
capturing lives that will never be again
stared at so intently
in the hope of somehow pulling out
that one last piece of a soul
and touching it ever so briefly

until the warmth fades into memory
like the September 11 sun
before 8:46 AM

Woof

2007-09-06T09:00:00.001-07:00

As a lover of all things critter (ok, well actually just the mammals - and anything non-mammal but cute), I have had an incredibly hard time understanding the motivation behind Michael Vick and his dog fighting activities.

I just don't see this as a sport, sorry. Breeding animals to be vicious to each other just doesn't strike me as a good idea. But what I am absolutely incredulous about are those people who are attempting to defend him and the activities as CULTURAL issues.

Take, for example, Whoopi Goldberg's words: "Goldberg said that 'from where he comes from' in the South, dogfighting isn't that unusual.
'It's like cockfighting in Puerto Rico,' she said. 'There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of the country.'"

Well sure, but that doesn't make them RIGHT. First of all, the manner in which she defended him is absolutely insulting to all Southerners. There was a time when the "cultural sport" in the south involved burning crosses in certain demographic groups front lawns--maybe preceded or followed by a chase through the woods. That was certainly "southern cultural" at the time - it didn't happen in the north. Why not defend those heinous activities as "cultural"?

Secondly, not all "cultural" things are equal. It was cultural for the Romans to capture people and make them fight as gladiators to the death (sound familiar?) - doesn't mean it was right. It was cultural for ancient Mayans and Aztecs to sacrifice virgins to the gods - doesn't make it right. It's cultural even today for women in many Islamic countries to be treated as second class citizens (or worse) - barred from going to school, working, owning property, voting. Just because these things are part of one's "culture" doesn't make them OK.

This is the problem with the liberal worldview. In their "anything goes, all things are equal, I'm OK, you're OK" world, there is no room for discernment, critical thought or - heaven forbid - judgement of values. Right and wrong still exist in this world, whether liberals choose to believe it or not.

It is not right what Michael Vick and his friends and family did. It's also not right to try and paint this as a cultural issue.

Where did we get off track?

2007-08-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

"When good news is awful news," by Wes Pruden, is a must-read in its entirety. However, I'll do you a favor and pull out the most demoralizing and infuriating quote regarding the war in Iraq and the reaction of some of our elected (!) officials:

'Nevertheless and grudging or not, things are reported to be better than they used to be, and seem to be getting a little better every day. It's enough to make a partisan Democrat weep. Some are. Nancy Boyda of Kansas, a freshman in the House, was so unnerved by good news from the front that she stalked out of a committee hearing when a retired general described developments in Iraq as encouraging. Good news like that, she said, only "further divides the country." Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the Democratic majority House whip, was even more revealing: If things improve in Iraq, that would be "a real problem for us [Democrats]." '

No, Mr. Clyburn, you are wrong. Iraq improving is not a problem for any one. Period. It is a good thing for Iraqis, a good thing for our troops and a good thing for Americans. Your myopic view of our country, your ability to only see it in terms of blue and red (that is, the election map), has caused you to lose sight of what is truly of value. Freedom. Life. Liberty. Before our troops, the average Iraqi had none of those. Now there is at least hope - another value that was in short supply in the Saddam years.

As for Ms. Boyda, I can only hope that her constituents throw her out of office. Not because she is a democrat, but because she is, to be kinder than how I really feel about her, not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

Hear, hear

2007-07-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

I admit that normally Susan Estrich, a regular Fox News contributor as well as a professor at USC's Law School, drives me nuts. Her personality and her politics do very little for me, and I don't think she ever actually contributes to the debate, merely the argument.

However, in the best sense of "even a broken clock is right twice a day," Ms. Estrich hits the nail on the head with this commentary about Lindsay Lohan.

Ms. Lohan needs to be responsible for her own actions, and she is going to soon discover that even the adorable kiddo from The Parent Trap is not above the law. Good riddance

Awww... look at the baby!

2007-07-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I think this is very cool (no pun intended).

Nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, good-bye

2007-07-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

Wow. So Senator John McCain's presidential bid looks like it's on life-support right about now. With the departure of his campaign manager, his campaign adviser, his deputy campaign manager, his political director and now his top Iowa staff, I don't know how the guy goes on.

I admit I am not a McCain supporter at all (thanks for that campaign finance disaster Senator), and have actually been heard to liken him to the angry old man down the street - "hey you kids get off my lawn!"

You never say never in politics, but it's hard to see how one mounts a comeback after this.

God save the Queen!

2007-06-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Or, well, female pharaoh in this case.

Wait, I thought the planet was getting warmer?

2007-06-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

Seriously, while I want to be a good steward of the environment, I also don't want to be a chump and fall for the newest televangelists out there -- the global warming movement.

Read about the snowfall in Johannesburg (that would be in SOUTH AFRICA) and the coldest June day EVER on record in Australia.

At what point can reason enter into the climate debate?