Democrat? Part 2

Some of you have read the previous post entitled Democrat? If you haven’t read that one yet take just a moment before you continue here as it is important to this story. As I sat talking to this woman she continued to list off the litany of problems plaguing this country as she sees it as a prominent older woman. Some of those problems included the war in Iraq, our economy, welfare, poverty, housing market... etc.

I have told you already that this woman is a democrat. But I didn't tell you her other solution to all these problems. Put women in charge. That is why she is voting for Hillary. Not any woman will do though. It must be a woman over the age of 50, through menopause, and not taking ANY hormone pills. Her reasoning, they are all *mean. (*her wording was far more crude)

Aside from her reasoning being absurd is she on to something. What kind of world would we live in if women ran the country? Can a woman run the free world? I think so. Are there inherent differences between men and women? I think so. Would those differences have an impact on the ability of a president to function? Maybe. Should a woman be elected solely due to her gender?

How Whites Get Everything

This is the secret white people don't want blacks to know. When we are born after a dna test to confirm there is no black dna that has crept into our bloodline we are bestowed a manual. This is a handbook designed to show you how to get the advantage over other races in all situations. Unfortunately there is no section in this book regarding how to dance, dunk a basketball or sing the blues. Apparently those are sections our white ancestors failed to master.


In reality I've been reading lately in a few blogs about "white privilege". In the name of full discloser, I am a white guy of Scottish ancestry. That doesn't mean I wear a kilt and play bagpipes in the same way a black person doesn't automatically eat watermelon.


Here are my thoughts on the subject of white privilege. I didn't ask to be born white. I'm not going to feel guilty about something that I can't control. I think there is some modicum of racism left in America. It is not what it used to be. It is getting better with each passing generation.


Part of the definition of "white privilege" describes this as an advantage not shared by all. A person who didn't grow as tall also shares a disadvantage they can't control. Normal sized models have a disadvantage. Bald actors share a disadvantage when it comes to getting leading roles in major motion pictures. I am not saying that these are all equal but they have the same premise. A person with a disadvantage being discriminated against by the general population.


Here is what I want those complaining about race to understand. You are not helping your cause when you group white people into a category that is deemed "racist". Not all whites are racist. In fact most are not. Not all whites are rich. Many of us don't have much money at all and live paycheck to paycheck. So when we hear that whites are granted jobs/money, we wonder why we were left out. Am I not white enough? Many of us had our own handicaps that caused discrimination. Perhaps the discrimination you encounter is worse.


I don't know of a law that can be changed that would make things more equal. In the letter of the law things are equal, even if not in its enforcement. When it comes to the masses there may still be prejudice lurking within. That is easing with the passing of time as whites and black spend more time with one another and with the Asian and Hispanic. That is what the United States is all about. The melting pot. What is black is American. What is Scottish is American. What is Mexican is American. America takes what is great from all of us and makes it her own. We are all Americans and we are in this together. Life is hard enough with out seeing the hyphenated race.


So from one white guy. Will you please stop calling me racist? If you have a problem with an individual, even me, call him by name. You might be surprised how many white people join along side you.

Democrat?

The other day I was sitting at the bar of a well known chain restaurant waiting for my take out food. The place was quite packed for a Monday evening. As I sat sipping on a pepsi the conversation around the bar turned from casual sports chit chat to politics. I promise I was not the instigator of this conversation. It was a matronly woman sitting one over to my right. I believe with the exception of the bartender she was the only woman in our little section of the restaurant.

The first statement had to do with the recent visit from Barak Obama to a local high school then to an Indian Reservation. The woman glowed as she spoke about how he dripped with charisma. I thought for sure I was in the presence of an Obamamaniac. However, she followed this up by saying, "of course I'll be voting for Hillary in the primary". This is when her husband got up and left.

Those of you who know much about me understand that holding my tongue is only rarely a quality which I espouse. This was not one of those occassions. As I proceeded to grill this woman about what she believed, why she believed it, and why she was voting democrat, this is what I learned.

She's voting for Hillary because:

She is tired of the government handouts.
She believes in the swift enforcement of the death penalty.
She doesn't belive in abortion.
She believes gun rights should be protected.
Wants lower taxes.
Wants to secure the border.

Wants to end the war.
Wants free healthcare.

She has never voted republican. Hates George W. Bush. I wonder how many other democrats don't know what their party really believes.

Kennedy has Tumor

Senator Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Prognosis: Not Good. Survival rates are 1 year for advanced aggressive tumors and up to 5 for the slower kinds. Most pro-life, defend the border, cut social program conservatives have found Sen. Kennedy to be one of their biggest hurdles in the past. So I ask, is your compassion for this man bigger than your desire to see your political agenda come to fruition? I hope so.

Obama Wows Em

Living in Montana I have learned something very quickly. As a resident of this state you have no say in presidential politics. At least until this year. With Hillary vowing to take this the distance both candidates have been spending a good deal of time in Montana. Barak Obama spoke here yesterday at a local high school. This morning the headline reads, "Obama Wows Em". http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/05/20/news/local/18-obama_s.txt

What strikes me there is the blatant opinion of the editor. Obama Wows Em. All of them? That is impressive. Surely this reporter didn't interview everyone at the event. Perhaps that one little statement isn't so bad. After all the whole point of that headline is to sell newspapers. Then I got into the body of the story where I found the following....

He got a standing ovation Monday for calling for more school, more homework and on a 70-degree day less than two weeks before graduation.- Not bad. This is a fact.

When he declared that no military veteran in America should ever be reduced to sleeping on the street in a cardboard box, the crowd roared as if they'd all, at some point, put cheek to concrete in exhaustion. - This is colorful, but presumptive.

Even when the boo birds booed, which they did when Obama evoked high oil prices and tax breaks for the rich, their catcalls flattered the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. - Translation. Obama can do no wrong.

With all that said, after the first 4 paragraphs the writer for the Billings Gazette was factual and striaght foreward. Not appearing to take sides. Problem is most readers don't get past the first few paragraphs of the story where things are wrapped up in a neat little bow.

This isn't the worst example of opinion creeping into journalism by any stretch. It occurs everywhere, Yes including fox news.

I attended a workshop at the Missouri School of Journalism where the professor told those in attendance that the reporter has the duty to explain for the reader/viewer whether the results of the story are good or bad for them. I couldn't disagree more. That statement encourages reporters to editorialize their work. This is supposed to be one of the best journalism schools in the country.

That statement works off the basis that readers/viewers are to stupid to understand the ramifications of the story. If it is complicated bring in experts to explain. That is not the job of a reporter.

Life Isn't Fair

What a load of crap. Seriously where in the world do these people get their law degrees. What is wrong with the justice system today when "paper money" discriminates against the blind. We will now follow the fate of Russia as we spend our country into the toilet attempting to right every wrong that has happened through out life.

You will be forbidden from speaking because you might be discriminating against a deaf person in the room. At first you will think sign language is the answer but, no, there may be a blind person in the room missing out. The last straw will be the systematic adjustment of all toilets to a mere 11 inches off the floor. Sure it will be uncomfortable for you, but all those midgets around the country will be far more comfortable.

Terrible things happen. You can't fix them all. That is life. When I was a child a can remember crying because my brother had gotten more (insert whatever here). I bawled to my mother who told me "life isn't fair". Was my mother the only person in the country teaching this lesson?

The Gun

This is a 50 caliber Barrett sniper rifle. It's range is pretty much limited only by the curvature of the earth. Okay, so maybe I'm exagurating a little, but not much. It was a birthday gift for my friend at a cost of roughly 7 thousand dollars. As shown it would probably sell for around 6 thousand, but this one is custom built.

What on earth does a private citizen need with a gun like that. Well, I'll be honest. You don't "need" it. There is nothing in the United States that can be legally hunted with this gun. It isn't practical for home defense. Unless of course you are Randy Weaver (search Ruby Ridge).

Still, I want one. I am told shooting this gun is amazing. The change in barometric pressure alone is like being slapped in the face.

At 3 dollars a round this isn't a cheap hobby by any stretch. So, I think I'll wait for now. Hopefully it won't be outlawed by time I get around to affording it.

My List

I was "tagged" by Godfather at The Slow Bleed. I don't normally participate in things like this, however, I am making an exception for the following reasons.

1. I like The Slow Bleed and want to promote the site and ideas found therein.
2. I enjoyed finding out a little bit more about the individuals who responded.
3. It only takes a minute.

So here goes. And just one more thing according to the rules I am not required to explain any of the following.

1. Family
2. Good friends
3. Riding my motorcycle
4. Playing baseball/football
5. Children laughing
6. Adrenaline
7. Good Debate
8. Flying
9. Being outdoors
10. Making a difference

No tags on this one. Hope you enjoyed the list.

Blood Sport

Let men be men. Lets face it, guys enjoy fighting. Most guys anyway. We enjoy the battle even if we lose. On May 24th I'll be watching the latest Ultimate Fighting Championship fights. Yes it is brutal and sometimes bloody. So what is wrong with that.

Stop feminizing men. Let us be warriors. Let us fight for what is right. Let us celebrate what it is to be a man.

To be a man you should;

Show love to your family sometimes through physical affection.
Support your wife if you have one.
Encourage your kids if you have them.

Some would like to end the list there. However, There is more to this story.

Be the provider for your family. (Shelter, food, clothing..etc)
Be the spiritual leader for you family.
Protect your family from harm.
Fight for what is right.

Usually fighting for what is right just means standing firm and using words. On occassion, however, it means using force.

This was not a complete list. Feel free to ad to it if you like.

A Scope We Do Not Understand

In the United States of America we were devastated on 9-11 when the world trade center buildings were struck by terrorists and came crashing to the ground ending the lives of around 3 thousand people. This was one of the most horrific scenes we had ever seen, and one of the most deadly on our soil ever. Then came hurricane Katrina and we lost another 1500 or so in Louisanna and Mississippi. Thousands more were displaced from their homes. A disaster, yes.

However, In other countries when natural or man-made disasters occur the death toll often rises much higher, much faster. In China right now 15,000 have been confirmed dead following a massive earthquake. Another 40,000 are buried under the rubble. Many of those are likely to be confirmed dead in the days following.

In Burma the International Red Cross is estimating a death toll between 68 and 127 thousand. What!? To put that into perspective for you that is more than 42 times the death toll of the attacks on 9-11.

What causes the death toll to rise so dramatically. I can pinpoint a couple factors. First is the concentration of population. With more people in the area you are no doubt going to have a higher casualty rate.

Second is wealth. In very poor areas you don't have warning systems on television and radio blaring instructions for you to take cover. If you did you wouldn't have a basement in which to take cover. You can forget about evacuation because there are so few roads in and out of these places, and the number of individuals owning vehicles is very slim. When it comes time for rescue efforts, there are fewer helicopters, boats, generators for light, equipment.. etc to enhance the ability of the volunteers, military or other rescue staff.

In this country we simply do not understand magnatude of these disasters. You can say what you will about how our government mismanaged the response to Katrina, however 90 percent of those in the area were evacuated. Something not possible in other countries. There was warning of the impending threat on television and radio. Something not available in many countries.

Were there mistakes, sure. Should "Brownie" have lost his job, not for me to decide. I can say however, that had this been another country many more would likely have lost their lives. For that I am thankful.

Economy Depressed?

Factor number one on the minds of most Americans today is the economy. Lets just clear something up to start with. We are not currently in a depression. We might be heading for one. It may be inevitable, With out a doubt our economy is slowing down. We are not in a depression. Yet.

I have a couple of theories on this. First is the election cycle. In my theory the election cycle causes economic slowdowns through self fulfilling prophecy. Polititions on both sides of the aisle berate how the other side is going to hurt us financially. When that happens americans pull closed the purse strings.

Second, we have as a country and individually borrowed ourselves into oblivion. At some point we must pay the piper. Whether or not you agree with the recent wars on terror, we have spent alot of borrowed money to finance it. We spend money as though there is an endless supply. There is not. It comes from the pockets of hard working Americans. Our leaders would do well to remember that.

So, other than end the war, how will our democratic candidates fix our economy. Through healthcare, through allowing more immigrants into the system, through government subsidies on stem cell research, and research into alternative energy sources. All I have heard are options that cost money.

On the other hand I'm not sure McCain has a sure fire solution to the economic situation either. The one thing I know is that spending money in the form of loans to the Chinese that our children must repay is not the answer.

Blast from the Past

I hopped into a vehicle recently with an associate of mine. It was a beautiful day, the top was down and a song from the above album was playing in his stereo system. A couple thoughts ran through my mind. The first was, "this cd has to be at least 10 years old". I had listened to this "way back when". Now let me say first and foremost that this is not a good wholesome cd. The lyrics are littered with sexual perversion, vile language and every sort of filth you can imagine. When I was 15 I loved it.

My second thought was, "What is a 33 year old man doing listening to this garbage?" When I called him on it, He said, "oh listen to that, It's about the beat". However, he knew every word. Just as I once did. And he seemed to relish the stories of sexual conquest in the music.

Soon I realized, this is what I could have been. This could have been me looking in the mirror, if it had not been for Christ in my life. It is tempting to judge when you see youngsters, or in this case middle-agers, listening to such filth.

Some would theorize that listening to such music transforms us into the fowl mouth hooligans that it is safe to say I resembled at that age. While I'm not saying it doesn't have an effect, I would argue that it is a symptom not a cause. As our minds are already in that vain we seek out that which will make us comfortable. Thus the answer is not in the breaking of cd's or burning of books. The answer is found in Christ alone.

The Post that Never Happened

Originally I was going to post about abortion and the death penalty today. My original thought had to do with how strange it is that liberals want to kill an innocent fetus but save a guilty criminal from the death penalty. Seems strange doesn't it. I had my points all ready to go, including a personal story to make it more relatable. However, as I was about to start I thought I'd ad a picture of a "fetus" at 10 weeks. The first picture that popped up was of an actual abortion at 10 weeks. I cannot in good conscience put that picture on my blog.

I have heard people say that they are against abortion personally, but they won't force their beliefs on anyone else. What!? With all due respect, that is ia cop out.

Some things are up for personal decision. Whether or not to eat meat, driving a hybrid, praying in the morning or evening. Abortion is not one of those things. You can only be on one side of this fence. You can even be undecided, but you can't say "I wouldn't do it, but I won't say that you can't."

Listen to how that sounds for other moral decisions. I would never steal, but I'm not saying you shouldn't. I would never commit adultery, but I'm not saying that you shouldn't. I would never murder, but I'm not saying that you shouldn't.

I too am pro-choice. The only difference is when that choice occurs. I believe the choice happens before conception, not after.

If you believe abortion is a good option for a mother not wanting a child that is your right. However, I would ask that you see for yourself the "fetus" that is removed.

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