Goodwill Toward Men???

When FOX News began having stories about the so called “War on Christmas” I almost bought in completely. I was mad at Wal-Mart, and Sears, not mad enough to boycott mind you, but in my usually slightly over the top way, I was indignant and let those around me know it. Then the other night I saw a report, again on FOX, about a group of Parents who were suing a school district because the school was “Removing” the religious words from “Silent Night”. Then as the news story went on, it turned out the song was part of a skit, and the tune just happened to be “Silent Night”.

Now, I have accused many of my Politically Correct friends of looking for stuff to be offended about. But it appears to me that in this case this group of parents was being way too over-sensitive. Now, I know that there is a real Culture War going on out there, and there are groups that are trying to remove Christianity from public life. But does it serve the purpose of those of us who want to preserve the history and importance of Religion in this country to be getting upset about a clerk in a Wal-Mart saying “Happy Holidays”, instead of “Merry Christmas”.

I think that it undermines our credibility when we try to fight for the more important things, like our Freedom of Speech in the workplace, at school, and anywhere in public. When we become this contentious we disobey Paul’s admonition to live a peace with all men:

Heb 12:14-15

14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
NIV

When we become contentious about these little things we are injuring the image of the Christ we claim to represent. We should try to live lives that attract people to us, so that they will see the Joy, and Contentment we have that they may be missing. Think about your witness when you complain to a store manager that that the clerk said, “Happy Holiday”. He is going to think, “There goes one of those crazy Evangelicals”.

Remember that the reason for Christmas is the Christ. The Angels said “Peace on Earth, and goodwill towards men”, when they announced His birth. If his Disciples don’t live that out, especially at this time of year, then how are we to give Hope to those who do not know him?

No Global Warming in OKC

OK it was 15 degrees today, coldest it has been since the 1980’s here in OKC. Ya’ll can stop worrying about Global Warming now. (My shortest Blog so far LOL.)

Please - Stop Acting Like Children

I have been so disgusted with the whole political scene lately the Dems attacking Bush on Prewar statements, and whether or not he lied. Then closing down the Senate to “Force the Republicans” to have an investigation that has already been going on. The House Republicans staging a vote on if the US should immediately pull out of Iraq, when they know no sane person is advocating that, Cindy Sheehan not withstanding. I listened to Rep. John Murtha’s comments about leaving Iraq, and he was not advocating an immediate pull out, but a gradual and measured drawing down of the troupes and staying in the area if the Iraqi’s need our help. This is far from a “cut-and-run policy. I am not sure it will work, but I digress.

I think the debate has become way too political with each side looking at how their public statement will play with the people in their state, not at what is best for the country. At this point I am not sure what is best for the Country, but I do know that many of us are very confused and concerned.

As Senator John McCane said in an interview the other day, When We pulled out of Vietnam, they were not coming here if we pull out of Iraq early, they will. I am not sure why we went to Iraq; I am not sure If my President lied, or if the Intelligence was just faulty. But what I do know is that our people are fighting over there and we need to stay until the job is done, and done successfully.

This requires that both sides in this country stop acting like fourth graders who are having a dispute on the playground, that politicians stop worrying about vote counts, and start worrying about how we correct this thing. I think we can disagree in this country, and still realize that we are Americans first, not Republicrats or Democans. Party shouldn’t matter in this case, it is too important. I hope and pray that by next Christmas most of our men and women in Iraq are home with their families as they should be.

9/11 - Four Years later

It was a bright clear Tuesday morning. I was running late for work, again. I had just turned onto the street out side my subdivision. I am a news Junkie, I was listening to local talk radio station KTOK. The host was talking about some local issue; I don’t remember what it was. It was a little before 8:00 local time the local news segment would normally just be starting, when they broke in and announced that a passenger jet had just hit one of the WTC towers. I remember thinking something about a drunken pilot. I have such a dark and sarcastic sense of humor, of course that is where my mind went first. How could a plane hit a skyscraper in New York? For just a few minutes even the radio announcer was speculating that it was an accident.

Then – the unthinkable – just as my mind was getting a handle on a passenger plane hitting a building, the announcer said that a plane had hit the other tower. Now everyone who heard that knew that it was some kind of attack. No more jokes in my mind, just a mixture of horror, anger, disbelief, and sadness. Living in Oklahoma City, my mind leapt back to April 19, 1995. I could not believe something like this had happened again. I knew at that moment, my life, and everybody else’s would never again be the same.

When I arrived at work, every one in the office was standing watching the TV in our lobby in disbelief, as they announced that the Pentagon had been hit by yet another plane. I thought “When is the horror going to stop?” The days that followed are a blur. I don’t think much work got done in our office that week. We were all stunned and angry.

The feeling I had 9/11/01 has never gone away, though it has been pushed to the back of my mind most of the time. Four years later, as I watched the Memorial Service while getting ready for church this morning, I had to fight back the tears. Fox news showed pictures from that day, and it still seems surreal. Then as the names of the victims were being read, even though I did not know anyone killed personally, I felt as if I had lost family members.

The anger and sadness welled up inside me, breaking through the barrier I had built against it. I wondered why, 4 years later, we still have not brought bin Laden to justice, why the most powerful country in the world does not go into Pakistan, where we all know he is being harbored, and bring him out. I don’t care what the Foreign Policy ramifications are. We have the right as free people to capture, try and execute the man responsible for the largest terrorist attack on US, or any other soil. We can sort out the political consequences later.

During the Fox coverage of the Memorial service, there was an interview with one of the family members of a victim, he was talking about the plans for a permanent memorial at ground zero – how the “blame America first” crowd wants hijack the sacred site and put in an exhibit displaying all of the “atrocities” committed by the US throughout its history. America has made its mistakes, we have grown from those mistakes, we must remember those mistakes, so as not to commit them again, however the hollowed ground on which nearly 3,000 innocent people died is not the place to do it. It should be a place to contemplate, and remember those who have given their lives defeating terrorism.

Compassion?

com·pas·sion Pronunciation: k&m-'pa-sh&nFunction: nounEtymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin compassion-, compassio, from compati to sympathize, from Latin com- + pati to bear, suffer …: sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it
- Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

I have been accused recently of having no compassion for the evacuees of Katrina, due to the one of my previous posts. What is compassion? Is it just feeling sorry for someone? Well from the definition above, it is more than that. Compassion includes a desire to alleviate the suffering.

How does one help alleviate another’s suffering? Let’s examine that for a moment. If I had a good friend who had a drinking problem, I would tell him what I thought. But, not just tell him, I would also try to find some way to help. I might even have to do an intervention. An intervention might seem harsh or cruel by an outside observer, but sometimes it is the most compassionate thing to do.

If someone is walking into traffic and does not see a car coming and the only thing you can do is knock him down to save his life; Then you knock him down. Now if someone walked up and saw you just as you pushed him, they might believe that you were mugging him, because they did not know the whole story.

I had a married friend in college. He and his wife had a 3 year-old boy, this boy was very active. When they went out in public, she would keep him in a harness with a leash, people would stare, and some even made comments about how cruel this mother was. I say she was doing a very compassionate thing, she did not want her son to hurt himself by running off, she was protecting him.

Sometimes we have to do the hard thing, or even the painful thing in the short term to be better in the long run. It is misplaced or even false compassion to allow someone to continue to do something you know is going to be worse for them in the long run, because you don’t want to hurt their feelings.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think what I said in my earlier blog is going to change or even help any of the evacuees. I am not that conceited to think I have that much influence. But I do think that some one might read it, and maybe consider it and possibly incorporate it into their life.

John Roberts

Well as we get closer to John Roberts become Chief Justice, I would just like to say: Fellow conservatives be careful what you ask for. Now before I go on, I support Roberts for Chief Justice. I believe from all I have read and heard that he will be an Originalist. I do not think he will legislate from the bench. However this means that some conservative causes could be in danger.

Think about it, as I understand it, the Constitution requires that a contract made in one state must be honored in all states. So, if a homosexual couple get married in Massachusetts where gay marriage is legal, and they move to Oklahoma then Oklahoma must honor that marriage. You all know that eventually one of these cases will come before the Supreme Court. If John Roberts is a true Originalist, he must put his personal conviction aside and find to up hold such a union. To do anything else would be to be an activist.

I know there must be other examples, but that is the prevalent issue right now that comes to mind.

Sometimes we conservatives, in the name of principle loose battles, and that is just fine. Because, I believe that as long as we have our principles, we will win the culture war.

A Veiw From Lake Charles

I was asked to Post this e-mail From a Relative in Lake Charles LA:

I've tried to keep up with the NO disaster coverage as best as possible and I truly feel for those people. But I also feel the same way as you do. I said the very same thing in fact. Most of these people had able bodied legs & feet to walk out themselves. It doesn't cost money to walk! Granted there are the elderly, sickly, etc, that can't. What's wrong with calling the police? The Red Cross? Your church? The Salvation Army? I could go on. Someone in any of those would have found a way for those incapacitated to get a ride out.

If the governor had seen miles of walking people, walking side by side, next to a hundred mile line of vehicles or greater that could move only 5-10 mph, believe me, she would have done something about it. But the storm victims just stayed. Warnings were given two days or more before the storm to get out of town. I can walk a long ways in two days on a pocket full of change and a few dollar bills living on Slim Jims, peanut butter crackers, bottled water and fruit juice, if that's all you can afford. At least those things have some nutritional value. Get a wagon at the Dollar Store and carry some goods with you, anything but just sit in your doomed home to be washed away.

There are those that say "why live on the coast?" Disasters happen all over the world such as quakes, tornados, land & snow slides, shifting earth, flash floods, tidal waves, fires, lightning, etc. But if you notice anything about those things, these events don't give any fore warning, they just happen within a few minutes or even seconds. We can see hurricanes coming DAYS IN ADVANCE and can prepare and or evacuate. That fact alone disqualifies many excuses for not getting out of the way of a deadly storm such as Katrina. And it doesn't mean that people shouldn't live on the coast. Again, disasters happen all over the world, no matter where you live. Now we do have lightning and fires. Tornados are rare or come with hurricanes as well as floods, but the rest are near impossible to get here in Louisiana just due to the nature of the land. So you really can't go anywhere in the world to be 100% safe from natural disasters. So the negative critics shouldn't blame the people for living in Louisiana or anywhere on the coast.

There are those that even blame the people for living in NO itself. I guess they'd also blame then entire population of the Netherlands country as well, because most of their country is below sea level too. So they (the critics) would have those people abandon their way of life and property for the same reasons? I don't think so. NO has been an established community since the early years of the birth of this nation. If there was a time to decide not to build NO, it was then, in the beginning, not 200 years after the fact. You can't "unring the bell".

If there is any blame to be slung, I'd blame the powers that be, in not making the levee system better, improving the pumping systems, etc. But those problems existed decades before anyone alive today were ever born. If you blame anyone in office today for not fixing them, then you have to blame anyone and everyone that held those positions before as well, no matter what party of politics they represented.

Let's face the facts. Katrina was a NATURAL DISASTER. Communities in Mississippi and Alabama were wiped out even more so than in NO, and they didn't have a levee problem!

People keep trying to place blame in any way or form to make it political or racial in some nature. And that burns me no matter who's in office. The President didn't create the storm and tell it where to go. That's insane! I don't blame the President no more than I blame the buildings that fell in 9-11. And yes, there are those that do. But let me tell you this. Can you imagine if the buildings weren't designed to collapse the way they did? They would have toppled instead and there would have been multiples more of damage and loss of life if they fell differently. I actually commend the twin towers designers. But you say they fell anyway!?! They were hit by jumbo jets loaded to capacity with fuel that burned for hours. No different design of a building would have kept people from dying or the buildings from being lost in that scenario. REMEMBER, 9-11 wasn't an accident! Nor was it a natural disaster. And you can't design something that is full-proof against anything and everything. It's impossible.

To the negative critics. This is far from anytime to criticize the Katrina disaster. It's time to pray for both the victims and the ones that are helping in the efforts. It's time to help those that need help. Remember, the WORLD is watching us and listening more than ever now.

Important Corrections

When I write these things, I edit on the fly and sometimes I forget what I have cut and what has been added, it is tough being your own editor and proof reader. That being said, 1 correction and one omission from last night’s rant:

The correction first: Initial news reports were incorrect; the mayor of NO did stay in the City.

Now the omission, with out my wife there the times of unemployment might have been much longer and I would not have been as motivated, to do those things I had to do, she stuck with me when many women would have given up and left. She is a strong, capable and courageous woman who knows how to take charge and get the job done. If she had not been there to kick me in the butt when I needed it, I don’t know where I might be today. She is my strength, my guide, and my best friend.

Additional Reading...

You might want to read the article Here before reading the post below.

My Thoughts on Katrina...

I have been reading Random Blogs the last few days. It’s amazing to me the number of people who blame George Bush for everything bad that happens. I am a Republican. I voted for George Bush twice. I did not vote for Clinton either time he ran, the 90’s were not good to me. I struggled financially, barely got by, I lost several jobs, was unemployed for several long spells. Did I blame Slick Willey? No, I got up off my butt and found another job.

Let me explain something, as my Profile says I am a T-6 paraplegic, that means that I am paralyzed from the chest down. When my accident happened in 1990, I was on Welfare and Social Security for two years. I went back to school to finish my Bachelors Degree. I could not wait until I could go back to work and I did what ever I could to make it happen. Let me repeat I did everything I could to make it happen. Now I do admit that I had help from the Government. My tuition was covered. But, I had to go back to school and I had to do well in my classes. Many people told me that they would totally understand if I just stayed on Welfare, and drew Social Security for the rest of my life. This was before ADA fully took effect, I went to a School that was not very Handicapped friendly. Many of the disabled students on campus complained about the problems. I worked with the Administration to fix things on campus.

I don’t say these things to get sympathy, I say them to show that sometimes, make that most of the time, no make that all of the time, when tragedies happen the only way to make sure we survive is to take action.

I hear people saying, “Well there were a lot of poor people who did not have the means to get out of the City – THEY HAD FEET DIDN’T THEY. I saw a lot of people who were able bodied who, for whatever reason, chose to stay when they could have left. The city government knew there were people in hospitals that needed to get out, why didn’t the Mayor send buses and Ambulances to evacuate these people. It amazes me that all of these things are the President’s Fault.

But, I should not be surprised. One of my jobs in the 90’s was with a Ministry that helped unemployed people find jobs. I was Director of Skills Training. I was floored the first time someone came in my office and started telling me all the reasons they did not have a job. Here I was working full time, sitting there in my wheelchair, and this person was standing in front of my desk making excuses as to why they were not showing up in my classes, which were provided for free, and why they could not find work. The most astonishing thing is it is never their fault, it is their family’s fault, it is Society’s fault, or just plain circumstances.

One thing I have learned in my short 43 years on this earth is – you make your own circumstances. Everyone has bad things, no horrible things happen to them. Why is it that some rise above it, while others break under the pressure? It is the people who take responsibility for doing what they can do, that rise above.

When a hurricane hits, you do what you can to help yourself and the people around you to survive. When you are doing this, and not waiting for someone else to help you, you don’t have time or energy to complain about what Society didn’t do.

Don’t get me wrong, I am doing all that is in my power right now to help the victims. It is a horrible situation, and I would never wish it on anyone. But, people need to do what they can for themselves as well.

I will end with a story a preacher shared in a sermon once:

A hurricane hit a major city, the flood waters were 9 or 10 feet deep. A man had climb up on his roof to get above the water.

He began to pray, “Lord, Please save me.”

Soon a small boat came by the people on the boat said, “Get aboard we’ll take you to safety.”

The man said, “No, God will save me.”

The boat went on to rescue others. The man prayed more loudly “LORD, Save me! The water is rising and I may drown.”

Shortly, a bigger boat came by, the man waved it on. “God will save me.” He said.

Then a coast guard Helicopter flew over, they lowered a rope. He waved it on, yelled, “God will save me.” Eventually the man was overcome by the water, he drowned.

When He got to Heaven, He was very angry and confused, “God,” he said ‘I prayed three times for you to save me, and you never came?!?”

“What else did you need,” said God, “I sent you 2 boats and a Helicopter.”

Now after watching news footage on TV, it is amazing how many people we saw waving the helicopters on.

Great Blessings

I have always wanted 2 cars in my life, a Ford Mustang, and a Jaguar Convertible. At one point in my life it was to the point of obsession. I knew if I just got one of these cars I would know I had arrived. Well in 2000 I got a 1997 Mustang.

And you know what? It was just a car, it has to be maintained and I have to buy gas for it, just like any other. And the mileage isn’t that great, I get 20 on a good day. And right now that gets expensive – unless you live less then a few mile from where you work. My wife doesn’t like the car, she is not comfortable riding in it, especially on long trips. I was sitting in traffic the other day and right next to me was a Jag Convertible, we were we were stuck on I-35 between OKC and Moore when I saw him it dawned on me – here he was driving this $75,000 car, and yet he wasn’t getting anywhere any faster than I was.

Today as I was listening to flood coverage on the radio, I heard about an interview where the reporter asked the obvious question “So how devastating was this?” (The man had just lost his house, and everything he owned had been washed away). I was thinking what a stupid reporter question, Duh!!, he has nothing. But the man smiled and said to the reporter “My family survived, nothing else matters.”

How selfish and materialistic can I be? Here I am complaining about my life, my job, my car, when I have been blessed beyond measure. I have a wife who loves me deeply and puts up with all my little faults (and I only have little ones). God has saved me from myself more times then I can count. I have roof over my head and a comfortable bed to sleep in.

What more could a guy want, even if gas just shot up over 3.10 a gallon. Next time you are feeling sorry for yourself just look at the pictures of the Gulf Coast. Then count you blessing and hug your loved ones a bit tighter then normal and be glad that God has seen fit to put you where you are.

Change The Code.....

Something I have believed for a long time is Income Tax is an immoral tax. Now I am not one who does not pay taxes, or advocates that people don't pay. I am not ready to go to jail for this view, but I do believe that taxing productivity is very wrong. When something is taxed, it discourages the activity that is taxed, therefore it follows that if you tax income, it discourages people from making more money and encourages those who do make lots of money to find ways to avoid paying those taxes.

This is why our tax code is so complicated, the politicians have written in "loopholes" to allow people who make lots of money to legally get out of paying taxes. Consider the following from The Virginia Chapter of the National Retail Sales Tax Alliance:

When the income tax was instituted in 1913 the tax form was four pages long and you would had to have earned more than $300,000 (in 1994 dollars) to be even required to file a return. In 90 years this is what it has come to...

• The average tax burden borne by Americans in 2000 was 33.5%
  In the year 2000, the 1040 form was 70 lines long and had 117 pages of instructions.
  
• Individuals and businesses waste nearly $200 billion a year filing their taxes. We bear this burden through higher prices and lower wages.
  
• The IRS prints some 280 instruction forms to explain how to complete nearly 480 tax returns.
  
• The tax code is so large that each year the IRS mails enough pages of forms and instructions to circle the earth nearly 28 times.
  
• The number of IRS employees has more than doubled in the last 30 years.
  Half of all filers hire someone else to do their taxes.

Now, what we need is a tax code that is simple, fair and does not discourage productivity. One such plan, which has been around a while, is the Flat Tax. The Flat Tax is a good start, but there are problems as I see it, first it is still income tax, which I have already said I believe is immoral. However, it would simplify what we have now, and remove the need for much of the overhead now needed for tax collection, thus lowering the expense of the Federal Government. It would also cut the cost of filing taxes for most people.

The best alternative is a national Sales Tax. Also known as the Fair Tax there are many advantages to the Fair Tax. The biggest one I see is the pressure it would take off every employer, and employee on their budget. The proposal before Congress, as I understand it, is to completely remove all federal level payroll taxes, including Social Security, and replace it with an "embedded" sales tax. The theory is that this will free up money, as we will be able to bring home everything we earn, and since companies will no longer have to pay those payroll taxes, prices will drop, so the new sales tax will not raise prices as the cost of the payroll taxes will be offset. Part of the proposal also allows for a "Prebate" of Sales Tax each month based on your income, to offset those taxes paid on necessities, such as food and clothing, that would be expected for the month. This offsets the effect the tax would have on the poor.

Now a Sales tax is a fair tax, because the consumer decides when to pay it. It would spur the economy and lower prices. It would also abolish the IRS, which by itself convinces me to support the Fair Tax. Contact your Senator, and Congressman to let them know that we need to have a fairer more simple tax code.

FAIR TAX PETITION: http://www.fairtaxvolunteer.org/opinion/elec_petition.html