Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Is there a problem here?...

The problem with the most Churches today is they expend a majority of their resources keeping their existing congregation entertained. They’ve made the relationship with God into just another thing to do. Week in and out, you go and get your religon-card punched and call yourself faithful. Dare I say it; Churches are more concerned with keeping their existing congregation coming to Church rather than spreading the Good News. I find this to be an incredible contradiction to the very foundation of our Faith. If the goal is to grow and to spread the Gospel, then to maintain headcount by preventing attrition is in contradiction to that goal. Here’s the Truth, the message will keep them faithful if it’s truly faith your are providing.

Even in my own professional arena we hit our current constituency with approximately 90% of our own messaging. That leaves roughly 10% of the resources left to grow constituency. However, our goal is to grow constituency by adding 2 million more names. Anyone else see the flaw?

Reverse that number and concentrate instead on growth. Get out into the community and provide interactive services to at risk or people in need. Expose all people to the Church by providing for the needy, offering quality family entertainment, and most of all, live as an example of Christ. Use popular media to promote the great things you are doing, and people will begin to associate what you are with positive feelings. Those feelings should grow into a curiosity to find out “why are these Christians so happy all of the time, how can they accomplish so much good in this world?” Here are some ideas I came up with on the fly:

Forget having the latest Christian band to play for your congregation; spend that money on a ‘free’ ski bus to send a group of folks up the mountain (seriously, you’d have a captive audience to witness to. Money well spent if you ask me).

Cancel that world renowned speaker you have scheduled and provide a ‘free’ street breakfast downtown.

Don’t put all of that energy into create 100+ small groups (my own Church has well over 200 small groups); reconfigure them to be community volunteer groups who actively seek opportunities to serve at soup kitchens, donation centers, hospitals, and even at city hall or the DMV.

If you concentrate on growth, spreading the Good News through your own actions, you will no longer need to worry about attrition. The growth will create more opportunities to be active and through this you can change your community for the better. After all, would Jesus be scheduling speakers, forming small groups, and booking bands for his congregation? Or, would he be out and about in the community touching as many lives as possible?

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Where in the world is....?

Where is BHO on Gaza? Vacation of course. Why not? He still has the old “one president at a time” rule to fall back on. While the Middle east falls further into turmoil BHO can relax, on vacation, in a $9 mil home, where he can be free to finally ‘mourn’ his Grandmother (aka: ‘the rock’ of his family) 2 months after her death by showing his abs and playing golf.


This apparently has the world losing patience as well, see: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1102951/Shhhh-As-world-waits-Obama-voice-opinion-Gaza-Americas-President-elect-hits-golf-course.html

I just wonder why I am not surprised. After all, we are talking about a community organizer here, not some powerhouse politician. It’s also possible with all of the power troubles in Oahu they couldn’t get enough juice for a teleprompter.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The sound of one hand clapping...

My mind is better off now that I’ve seen the arguments for Intelligent Design, and I would say the same for the youth of america. It interesting to see how absolute scientists are regarding Natural Selection. I have to say, that if scientists were so absolute on Newton’s Laws the Einstein’s Theory of Relativity would never have taken hold.

I’ve never seen so adverse a reaction as when you even mention the ‘possibility’ of Intelligent Design into a scientific conversation. Last I remember the purpose of science was to hypothesize, then test, objectively. That part that really gets me on the subject is there are unexplained issues and flaws within the Darwinists theories, but somehow, through scientific community’s insistence, they are beyond reproach; such as: the failure to account for the origin of life from non-living matter, or the failure to account for natural selection’s demonstrable inability to produce any new genetic information, or the failure to explain immense complexities like the single cell, the eye, or the ear (problem of irreducible complexity). If you cannot admit to the possibility, then science itself is doomed.

I personally believe in God, and God as our creator. But that does not mean I can’t look at both sides of an argument. I believe the issue of the scientists is they have to admit that there is a possibility of a God to be able to enter into such a conversation. Which is so weird because some of these guys are die-hard sci-fi fans and dress up as Romulans, study Klingon, and dream about slaying dragons. However, the chance that there might be an omnipotent creator…well that’s fantasy. I also love how that actually removes the possibility of alien intervention, something most of these guys do believe in. How can you support both UFO’s and Natural Selection? Laughable…now go play with your Spock ears.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Conspiracy theory…

I’ve held a suspicious conspiracy theory for about [3] weeks now. Want to hear it? Here it goes….

The Broncos will have to play the Chargers to decide the AFC West. Amazingly, it has happened, it is not longer a theory but an actual occurrence. You may ask yourself, then why is this a conspiracy theory, what events could possibly lead you to believe in more than chance itself? Here’s my take:

Jay Cutler vs. Phillip Rivers

These two have had a long standing feud ever since 2007 when the two exchanged taunts. I personally remember seeing Rivers start it, but hey, I am also biased. Every sport needs a rivalry (Earnhardt v Gordon, Yankees v. Sox, Avalanche v. Red Wings, etc…); it doesn’t hurt that these two young QB’s came into the league around the same time, play in the same division, and are both quite charismatic.

The feud has even gotten press as recent as 12/4; Yahoo! Article: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cr-badblood120408&prov=yhoo&type=lgns ; A google search will turn up quite a bit more on this ongoing feud.


Come from behind/Cinderella story

The Chargers were down [3] games and were counted out. The Broncos have held the division lead since the 1st game of the season. No one expected to see the Chargers in this situation. Yet, here we are, they have played tough, and put themselves in a position to do something that has never been done. Everyone loves an underdog.

Ratings

What a ratings machine this will be. NO TEAM has ever lost a division lead when up by [3] games; well, the Broncos have officially done it. The winner of this weekend’s match-up will win the Division, and host a play-off game. In an era of declining ticket sales, the recession, and lack of an exciting story; The NFL has managed to produce a week 17 match-up that actually matters. Seriously, when most teams will be playing their benchwarmers to stay healthy for the play-off, and most fans tune out for lack of interest. Now there is something to buzz about in the NFL, imagine that. THIS JUST IN: The Broncos/Chargers game has just been moved ot prime time. Kickoff is not 8:15pm ET (From 4:15pm ET)

You tell me if this is all mere coincidence ;-)

Friday, December 19, 2008

Honoring Christmas…

Some of us forget that this season, for many of us who would call ourselves followers of Christ, is all about the birth of our Savior. With all of the commercialization and ‘sensitivity’ around the even mentioning the word, it can take us away from why we really celebrate Christmas. I personally am on a mission to change that a little.

How? Simple, I have made a promise to be overly kind, generous, and spread a little peace on earth in the name of our Lord. I challenge you to as well.

We can all simply modify our behavior just a bit in favor of kindness, and Christmas. Here are some examples….

  • Hold the door for a stranger, then wish them a Merry Christmas
  • Buy a stranger a coffee at your local coffee shop, and wish them a Merry Christmas
  • Give up your place in line to a stranger, and wish them a Merry Christmas
  • Write Merry Christmas, on the top of your credit card slips as you sign your
    name helping the business recognize your appreciation for Christmas.
  • Honestly, in everything you do, try to include a Merry Christmas…and be kind
    to one another.


Oh, and I truly wish you and yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The power of Twitter…

The power of Twitter…

I’ve been on Twitter for about as long as I’ve held this blog (http://twitter.com/frmrdj). I’ve found the key is to be active on Twitter, and for that sake, I have only been active for a week. It all started with curiosity, but now I’m finding it to be a useful way to spread information. I also think it takes advantage of need for quick spurts of information due to our ever shortening attention spans.

I have [3] examples of creative uses of Twitter:

1st; #TCOT, or True Conservatives On Tweeter (http://www.topconservativesontwitter.org), have been incredibly active with a ranking function to identify who is the Top Conservative; they have recently launched a new campaign that is getting tremendous buzz. Operation: Three Little Piggies (re: The piggies being: CEO of Chrysler, CEO of GM, and UAW President)

http://www.tcot-otlp.org/

2nd, Babycenter.com had an interesting interactive way to drive a targeted audience to their site. Why not? Who wouldn’t be curious to predict the height of their baby?

http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/child-height-predictor?scid=pcbulletin_20081216:2&pe=4wFnVD

3rd, You may have heard of the Comcast stalker; well, in a sense it is a proactive way to meet a client’s needs before they call you. They have an agent, or agents sift through the “tweets” looking for people mentioning Comcast, and proactively call them if they mention trouble with their service. It’s a good idea and other service industries should take note. (GM, Southwest, and JetBlue have since followed suit)

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2008/tc2008095_320491.htm


I honestly feel this is just the tip of the Twitter iceberg as several new ‘tweeter-apps’ are being released daily to further the ease of use…such as:

Twurl
http://tweetburner.com/
(To shorten URL’s since you are limited to 140 characters per tweet)

Outtwit
http://www.techhit.com/OutTwit/
(Enables you to use Twitter from MS Outlook)


Many others can be found here:

http://twitter.pbwiki.com/Apps

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Chalk one up...

Chalk one up to Live Action Films. It was announced today that another Indianna Planned Parenthood employee was suspended as a result of an undercover video produced by Live Action Films. (latest video below, for as long as YouTube will allow it)

http://www.liveactionfilms.org/



"The release of the video today led one lawmaker to urge Attorney General Steve Carter to investigate and to ask the Family and Social Services Administration to suspend Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood of Indiana.

Planned Parenthood says it has suspended without pay a counselor shown in the second video while it investigates the matter. Planned Parenthood fired an aide at a Bloomington clinic after the release of a similar video two weeks ago by Live Action, which has three chapters in California and one in Oregon."

I'm obviously appaled at the brashness of these so called counselors. I can only imagine how many times this has happened prior to these videos being released. The only victory here is that it is being exposed and the funding is being suspended, albeit, temporarily.

Another wrong being commited is YouTube's banning of these videos. They outright censor them. Yet I can hear all about japenese martial aides or extreme defication. Some of the most disturbing videos in the world are published to YouTube every day and these videos from Live Action Films get censored. Silly....eh?

Let's look at the irony of it all, lawmakers make it nearly impossible fior a child to have bendryl at school; yet these counselors can tell our children how to get an abortion without our knowledge. Ar you hearing me AG Steve Carter? I'll say it loud and clear "Throw the book at these people".

Life is a gift....

This is the time of year when folks go to 'holiday' parties (how dare they call it a Christmas Party, wouldn't want to offend anyone), and their CEO or President tells them all about the wonderful work they've done all year, highlighting sucessfull projects and milestones, and talks about how they look forward to next year. "Were going to have a great year, team!"

The following is excerpted Cecile Richard’s (of Planned Parenthood) annual report to stakeholders…

  • We provided medical services to more than three million people and helped prevent an estimated 621,000 unintended pregnancies in the U.S. alone.
  • Our activists and supporters helped convince 11 more states to decline federal abstinence-only funding, bringing the total to 26.
  • We helped defeat anti-choice legislation and ballot initiatives across the country, including 33 of the 34 abortion ban bills introduced in state legislatures in 2008.


Sobering; 621,000 lives ended this year and PP is rejoicing over another successful year. 621,000 mothers, for whatever reason, would not keep their babies. I will pray for them and hope they will find comfort. I wish I could be upset, but I’m really just saddened.

Saturday, I was driving around town, doing the usual holiday routine, not thinking about anything other than the weeks to come. Then, as if it were a five-story stop sign planted right in front of me, I was stalled. I saw a billboard with an incredible blue eyed, blonde haired, smiling baby on it. It had a bright white background with only [5] words on it:

“Smile, your mom chose Life”.

That was all I needed to remind me that there are bigger things in this world. Larger than my Christmas, larger than what days I may need to take off for the holidays. It is Life itself.

[8] years ago I had never really bought into the pro-life movement. I always said, abortion is not for me, but who am I to tell others what to do with their bodies. That means for twenty five years I went through this world non-stop, not seeing the signs, or at least not taking the time to read them. That is, until two things happened in my life.

First, I had a child. It’s amazing what a joy that is. Words cannot describe the happiness in my life all a direct result of having children. I have [2] now and they are both incredible. In fact, my wife and I are looking into fostering and adopting to help bring the joy of family into others lives.

The second was listening to a very compelling testimony from Gianna Jesson (I’ve mentioned her in a blog before). It is incredible what this young woman had achieved and terrible what she had to go through as an abortion survivor.

http://www.giannajessen.com/EPK/bio.html

It’s those two moments in my life that helped me realize that Life is amazing. It is a gift, and an honor to be alive. Use your time here wisely, and never, ever, take that gift from anyone else.

Monday, December 15, 2008

It's always money...

I’ve decided not to talk about the Broncos. I do not need any reminders of a terrible outing vs. a very good Carolina team. My prediction of a 1st round play-off loss still stands. That is, if the Broncos make the play-offs; this very well could come down to the final game of the season vs. Sand Diego and re-ignite the Jay Cutler/Philip Rivers feud. Rivalries can be good, high blood-pressure and heart break aside.

On to BHO; I read results of a recent Zogby poll stating 71% of “born-again” Christians opposed the Freedom of Choice Act; yet many of these “born again” Christians are the very same people who voted for BHO. I know I keep going back to this, but with the media distortion I felt many Christians weren't able to see the policy vs. the personality difference. They were, in effect, led astray. The rude awakening will be when they figure out that many of BHO’s policies are indeed in direct conflict with the Christian faith. Ex: BHO’s campaign promise to Planned Parenthood to sign the Freedom of Choice Act as “the first thing I will do as president”. This act virtually removes all State and Federal laws regarding abortions, such as parental notifications in the case of a minor (that's right, you're daughter can have a Federally funded abortion and you'll never know), and informed consent for women. Remember, this is a bill that BHO co-sponsored in the Senate.

Then there’s the 81% of “born again” Christians that support the ban on partial birth abortions, yet BHO voted against such a ban [4] times while in the senate.

Then there’s the say one thing yet do another; BHO’s position of saying he does not support gay marriage but making another campaign promise to strike down the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. Why? This is not a reflection of many deeply held religious values by Christians, Jews, or Muslims.

So you might ask yourself, what purpose does it serve? I know, I know; money, of course.

PP has turned abortion into a cash-cow. With Federal and State tax dollars they’ve been able to create a considerable cash surplus. Since they are a “non-profit” that money has to be spent. Wait, so why do my tax dollars support this industry again? They obviously have more than enough money to continue their mission of infanticide. Oh, that’s right, they can put that money back into the hands of the politicians that keep granting them the funds. That makes sense? Huh? What?

We get upset at oil companies for their ‘windfall profits’ and demand the government ‘do something about it’ by taking away their tax breaks; why do we not get upset at other government tax breaks and funding to companies making profits? As long as abortion remains birth-control for the immoral, and population control for children who may be born with special needs, it will continue to grow and remain profitable for those who support it. The excess is then funneled into politics, and there you have it, an endless cycle.

People get militant at the thought of mixing religion and politics, here’s a thought, get militant at mixing money and politics. Then, maybe, your government will actually work for you.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Burning ants and dancing....

Excerpt from and Alexander Burns article (12/11/2008; http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/16481)


“Over a period of fewer than 10 days, Democrats have seen their nominee go down in defeat in the Georgia Senate runoff — eliminating the prospect of a filibuster-proof majority — lost two winnable House races in Louisiana and witnessed House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) sink deeper into ethics trouble.


Then there’s the still-unfolding Illinois Senate debacle, which exposed Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s tawdry attempts to auction off President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat and forced Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) to hold a press conference Wednesday denying any inappropriate discussions with the governor.”


I’m not going to say I take anything gleefully away from these happenings, but I do see a small shard of light. And with that light, when properly magnified and focused you can burn more than just ants. I also have to agree with many of the bloggers that if there is any way that BHO made it through Chicago Politics corruption free; I’ll gladly put on a tutu and perform the nutcracker in the middle of Millennium Park center stage of the Jay Pritzker Pavillion.



Trust me, I’m not going tutu shopping anytime soon. We’ve already been privy to Rezko and Ayers, there’s more…there’s always more. You simply can’t come out of nowhere, to a national stage without owing/doing favors. (see the 20+ Harvard alumni already on staff in BHO’s transition teams) I wonder what role Oprah has in the new admin? ;-)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Are the Broncos cursed at RB?

Those familiar with the NFL have likely heard of the ‘Madden Curse' and the 'Sports Illustrated Cover Curse', but who would have ever thought the Broncos were cursed at Running Back (RB)? With Peyton Hillis being their latest RB to hit the Injured Reserve (IR), that makes [5]. Yes, I said [5] Running Backs for one team have all sustained season ending injuries.

Most teams only carry [3] RB’s into a season without even a thought of ever having to hand over your offense to the 3rd string guy (sometimes a 4th RB is placed on the Practice Squad Roster, which is separate from the Active Roster).

The Broncos have used [6] different starting RB’s, and [8] have seen significant playing time due to injuries. Wow, imagine the personnel department and what they have had to go through. I’d be hesitant to sign with the Broncos for fear of going down. ;-)

The last man standing (limping really) is Selvin Young, who has had [1] carry in the last [7] games, due to an injury that was re-aggravated on the single carry. Luckily, he has not been placed on IR.

They brought in Tatum Bell a couple of weeks back, and he appears to be the starter for now while Selvin Young is recovering. They must be feeling very comfortable with Tatum and Selvin for the remainder of the year as when they placed Peyton Hillis in the IR they signed another Tight End (TE). My advice, start scouting another RB. I tend to use historical trends in predictive modeling. If that is the case, the Broncos need to get someone signed and their nose in the playbook as they are losing a running back every 2.16 games. Is there any good news? (Do I need to invite Little Optimist for this one?) There is; there are only [3] regular season games remaining, though the Broncos can clinch the division with [1] more win or a San Diego loss which would guarantee them at least [1] playoff appearance. That said, see my earlier prediction of a 1st round playoff loss. If this is true, they have exactly enough RB’s to play out their season according to my numbers.

Don’t even get me started on the injury plagued Defense….

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Worse before it gets better…

Since Obama is never really clear in what he is saying, I wonder if this is what he was referring to? ;-)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081209/ap_on_re_us/blagojevich_corruption_probe

I have to admit, I didn’t know much about the IL Gov, but (and here’s the media for you) this article makes him sound like hardened garbage can sludge. I can’t wait for the wire-taps to become public, this will be a popcorn moment.

In other news, I am wary of this so called Fairness Doctrine. I agree that it is outdated, and unnecessary. I believe it does violate the 1st Amendment. However, I am not a Supreme Court Justice. So my opinion only matters with my vote. Which, I take very seriously and never miss poll, primary, or election. Over the next 4 years I plan to hold “election parties” in my home where family, friends, and even strangers can gather at my house, we’ll drive to the polls together, vote, and return home for food and fellowship. That’s another story for another time though, especially since I haven’t told my wife yet ;-).

Back to the Doctrine; Here we have a legislation that was repealed in 1987. In 2005 Dem’s started bringing it back into the limelight. Now, here it is again. The Fairness Doctrine basically requires media to provide opposing views regarding ‘Controversial’ subjects. If passed, it will have the greatest affect on Conservative and Christian Radio. Where everything is often deemed ‘Controversial’ to someone. Providing a pro-choice and pro-homosexual opinion would just turn these audiences off, if not outright offend them, since much of this audience holds deeply religious views. It will also adversely affect those who advertise on these stations, which in turn adversely affects these stations revenue.

I think Stewart Shepherd says it best in his video clip:



More of Stewart here:

http://www.citizenlink.org/videofeatures/A000008831.cfm


If only I could trust executing the Fairness Doctrine would be done in a Hannity & Colmes fashion I’d be more accepting. Since I realize this is the media we are talking about, I become more concerned.

Now here is my little optimist dropping by to say a little something:

“Hi guys, I’m Rob’s optimist ;-) Isn’t it a great day!?!? It sure is. There are two good things, potentially, that can come from the Fairness Doctrine that the liberal media may be missing. 1st, they too will be required to present a conservative view…yep. Oh Happy Day, and good luck to you CNN. Also, since Blogging is still unregulated, perhaps the conservative voice will go underground and we can begin talking sense to the masses as they likely will cancel their newspapers (wait, that already happened), turn off their TV’s (which is a great thing if you ask me), set all their radio stations to sports talk radio (since everything else will be too confusing), and subscribe to my blog! Yaaaaaayyyy!”

Thanks little optimist, you’re always so chipper!

“Thank you Rob, you’re always so darned handsome and well spoken!”

Well said….here, here.

Monday, December 8, 2008

What, no change?

So first, euphoria, remember the “mortgage lady” Peggy Joseph?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P36x8rTb3jI

Then there were the excuses…people began saying “give him time” and “...most change will take longer than his 1st term”. Even Oprah rang in with her request for leniency. (I wish I could find a transcript)

Now, I see the left is actually worried that there is no ‘change’. Even upset about it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081208/pl_politico/16292

I stand by my earlier statements or as I like to call it "BO" (Before Obama) statements; you elect inexperience, you get inexperience. Or, if you order fish from a menu, you often get fish on your plate. Moral: Know what it is you are asking for.

I saw a bumper sticker the other day, it was very simple, but it really spoke to me. It read:

"Even I have more experience than Obama"

Forget the bumper sticker; I'd like the T-Shirt please. Size 2T, for my daughter.

Friday, December 5, 2008

More Polling...

Remember the “How Obama Got elected” website I’ve referred to in the past? The site continues to provide updated information including a new ‘Wilson Research Poll’ which duplicated the ‘Zogby Poll’ questions. The results, relatively unchanged, and virtually identical. It’s amazing I love analytics so much since I truly disliked statistics in college.

Maybe it’s like vegetables, the popular opinion is they are yucky, but they are so good for you. And, when you actually research for yourself, not all of them are yucky. I’m assuming there is a “media bias” leading us all to hate vegetables too. Anyway, see results below.

See the video from John Zeigler’s appearance on ‘Hannity & Colmes’.

Wilson Research Poll

The 12 "Zogby Poll" questions were duplicated; one on the Keating scandal was added for extra balance. The results from Obama voters were virtually IDENTICAL in both polls.

Here are the highlights:

35 % of McCain voters got 10 or more of 13 questions correct.

18% of Obama voters got 10 or more of 13 questions correct.

McCain voters knew which party controls congress by a 63-27 margin.

Obama voters got the “congressional control” question wrong by 43-41.

Those that got "congressional control" correct voted 56-43 for McCain.

Those that got "congressional control" wrong voted 65-35 for Obama.

The poll also asked voters to name all the media sources from which they got information.

Those “exposed” to Fox News got "congressional control" correct 64-25 (+39)

Those “exposed” to CNN got “congressional control” correct 48-38 (+10)

Those “exposed” to Network news got “congressional control” correct 48-39 (+9)

Those “exposed” to print media got “congressional control” correct 52-37 (+15)

Those “exposed” to MSNBC got “congressional control” correct 55-35 (+20)

Those “exposed” to talk radio got “congressional control” correct 61-29 (+32)

Voters in the "South" had the best response rate on “congressional control” (+22)

Voters in the "Northeast" had the worst response rate on “congressional control” (+9)

Those “exposed” to Fox News voted 70-29 for McCain.

Those “exposed” to CNN voted 63-37 for Obama.

Those “exposed” to MSNBC voted 73-26 for Obama.

Those “exposed” to network newscasts voted 62-37 for Obama.

Those “exposed” to national newspapers voted 64-36 for Obama.

Those “exposed” to talk radio voted 61-38 for McCain.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Tolerance...it's ok.

It seems that in the world today tolerance is ok, as long as you agree with me. Take the Prop 8 backlash for example. A portion of the homosexual agenda is to promote their message of tolerance, that is, until you disagree with them. Then they become intolerant. I don’t blame them entirely. It’s not like they are the only group who says one thing and then does another. However, It reminds me of a line in an Austin Powers Movie (I wish I could remember which, agreeing that they are all pretty much the same plot and content, only the villains change)…

” There are only two things I can't stand in this world. Those who are intolerant of other people's cultures... and the French.”

Here’s where I often get criticized for my personal beliefs. I have a family member, who is gay. I love that family member. I wish they weren’t gay, but I don’t love them any less. It’s because I have strong moral and Judeo-Christian values I can love them, but still disagree with their lifestyle. The family member I am referring to knows how I feel, and still loves and appreciates me. Our relationship as a family is fine, we don’t send white powdery substances to one another, and we don’t burn each others homes down, or protest each others places of employment. We just simply disagree. In fact, I’m sure a lot of families have disagreements, and learn to live with those disagreements.

This is what I call tolerance. I encourage you to try it.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

We're in trouble...

I was reading a report online about how Americans have lost our civic knowledge. Then I was directed to the video below.

http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/ifmedia.aspx#flashcontent2

All I can do is shrug. I can no longer ask myself about “How Obama was elected?” It seems the average Joe (Six Pack), possibly even Joe the plumber himself, may not have enough information about “how stuff works” to even know why they are voting, let alone who they are voting for.

I’m appalled. Two quotes come to mind:

“Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it. — "George Santayana

“Mediocrity is forgiven more easily than talent. — “Emil Krotky

It is my opinion that Education, Morality, and Righteousness seem to have little value in these United States. To think I once called Canada, America Jr. We in the US are quickly becoming Canada Minor, or France-West, or Sweden’s Love Child. The irony is most American’s wouldn’t even get what I am saying, worse, I doubt whether more than 50% would be able to correctly identify Sweden on a Map. We are indeed in trouble…


Monday, December 1, 2008

Excited? Sort of…

It’s all about the Broncos; here’s what one Yahoo columnist wrote: (Michael Silver’s Morning Rush, 12/1/2008)

“So you think you have the Broncos all figured out? Yeah, sure you do. Here’s what this playoff-bound team did in November: Lost at home to the Dolphins, pulled out a wild road victory at Cleveland, upset the Falcons in Atlanta, got blown out at home by the Raiders and, on Sunday, ended the Jets’ five-game winning streak at chilly, rainy Giants Stadium by a 34-17 score. Another stealth MVP candidate, Jay Cutler, had a monster game (27-of-43, 357 yards, two TDs, one interception) that set him apart from John Elway in one way: Elway, one of the greatest players in football history, absolutely hated throwing a wet ball. Conversely Cutler, coach Mike Shanahan told reporters, “embraced throwing in the rain. He likes it. There is nothing that seems to bother him. Some guys it bothers, others it doesn’t.” Like the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals, Denver, despite its inferior divisional competition and choppy campaign, has an offense explosive enough to make it a potentially dangerous playoff team.”

It’s amazing how up and down the Bronco’s season has been. It feels like the ’93 season where they had an explosive offense, but played to their competition. The takeaway differential was much more favorable in 1993 at +3 than this year’s lowly -12 (horrendous), plus Elway was sacked 39 times that year to Cutler’s mere 7 this year (amazing).

I suppose what I’m trying to illustrate is, save subtle balance issues, the teams are eerily similar. That said, the Broncos lost in the 1st round in 1993 and I very much see a similar outcome this year. Given all of the Bronco’s injuries, well you have to hope they can get healthy in time for the playoffs. If not, I predict a 9-7 record (just as in ’93) and a 1st round playoff loss.