Proposition 8

You can't ignore it. It's all over the news and in many of our back yards. The Gay rights rallies have turned malignant and the "true colors" are coming out. I have quite a few problems with how gays are handling the democratic process that our country was founded on.

1. Their argument that they don't have as many rights as straight couples is absolutely false. They have all of the rights bestowed upon straight couples since the advent of civil unions. They want to argue over the word marriage which for many of us is a sacred institution between a man and a woman. They've come up with all kinds of words for their lifestyle, why not just come up with a word to replace marriage for them? The fact that they can't call it marriage is NOT unconstitutional and in no way violates any of their rights.

2. Obviously the people of California and elsewhere for that matter don't want to change the definition of marriage. It's been voted down on more than one occasion. That leads me to my next complaint. Why do 4 Supreme Court Judges have the right to overturn the votes of millions of votes by good Americans? Seems like the people have spoken... again and again. What more is there to settle?

3. If we don't support the Gay position why are we seen as bigots and haters? Would that then conversely make them bigots and haters for not supporting our views? By their logic that would seem to be the case. We don't want to have their agenda imposed on us and our children. Can they respect that? Where is their tolerance? If they want love and peace so bad why do they deface public property and yell obscenities at passers-by? Since when does the average American have to accept something that goes against their personal moral code and ethics?

Let me be very clear. There are those on both sides that are very hateful and spiteful. That needs to stop. That being said, when the democratic process fails to bring about the desired results we shouldn't begin to spread hate and anger over it. Our country was built on a solid foundation laid before us by our forefathers. One that allows the voice of the people to be heard, not for the Judicial system to allow persons to sit upon their thrones and act as Gods. It is clear to me that the voice of the people has indeed been heard and I'm proud of the fact that people will still stand up for their values in a day when it is rapidly becoming unpopular. Stay the course and let not your hearts be troubled. Proper judgment will be meted out in due time.

Welcome to the "Nanny State"

I better blog right now while this is fresh on my mind and in my heart. To say I am disappointed at the citizens of the United States of America would be an understatement. Obama is our new president elect and there's nothing more I can do about it. Democrats rule the Senate and the House as well. The last time this happened briefly was during the first couple of years of Clinton and that didn't work out so well. Remember his health plan?

I'm trying my best to keep focused on something particular. I guess what disappoints me most about our nations choice is that apparently rhetoric and flowery speech are the order of the day. That questionable character and policies take a backseat to oratorial eloquence. I was always under the impression that my America consisted of more conservatives than liberals and I think this is still true. I believe Obama (with the help of the liberal elite media) was able to sway voters and put them in under an almost hypnotic spell– a hollow promise of "Change." We'll get change alright, but it's not going to be change in the right direction. Get ready for second rate health care and socialist redistributist economic policies that will run small to average sized businesses into the ground. I'll give his campaign managers credit, it was almost flawlessly run, much more so than the McCain campaign which seemed to lack real focus.

I can't get rid of the pit in my stomach that has been induced by the outcome of this race. For my sake and for the sake of my country I sure hope I am wrong about Obama. I hope he is able to make a hard decision for once. It will be easy for him to just go along with his party in passing legislation. I see nothing in his track record or his policies that would reassure me I'm wrong, but all the same I hope I am.

In the end I guess all any of us can do now is continue to live our lives the way we always have and pray that basic freedoms like speech, press and the right to bear arms still exist in their current form 4 long years from now. Pray that God will not smite this country for instituting same-sex marriage and legalized abortions without consequence. No great power has ever been defeated from without, but from within. This is still a great country and I will do anything I can to keep it so. Afterall it is still "We the People."

I'm going to JAIL!

Help bail me out! I will be participating in MDA's lockup on October 29th. Please paste the following link into your browser window and help me raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Together we can make a difference. Thanks!

https://www.joinmda.org/2008stgeorge/jake

Minersville Adventures

A couple of weekends ago we went up to Minersville to visit family. As usual we had a great time talking and watching the kids play. Put simply Jaron LOVES Minersville! Sometimes he begs us to go so he can "ride horses" or "rope cows". Seriously I don't know where he gets it!

Needless to say, he has to go to the farm at least once each time we go up. The kids also attended the Punkin Days festival on Saturday. They all had a fun time running around with the cousins. I captured some great photos. Here are a few of my favorites:

Are we supposed to eat these round orange things?

At what point does it stop being fun and become work?

At this point he couldn't be happier...

...except maybe right here!

Oh, I almost forgot one thing. We had a heck of a time getting to Minersville. Carmendee threw up in her carseat so we had to pull over and clean her up and then we smashed into what I believe was some sort of hawk (I'll let you judge from the picture).

Stupid bird, almost cracked my windshield! Pulling it off of my windshield wiper was gross enough to get Jessica to run away gagging!

I'm glad that my kids have a place to go where they can run around free and enjoy the small town atmosphere. There really isn't anything else like it. Thanks Mom and Dad and also my brothers and sisters-in-law for providing us with a place to stay and a good time to be had by all.

The Smells of Homesickness

I had an interesting experience riding my motorcycle to work this morning. It was a crisp, cool, overcast morning. As I cruised down the road, the sweet smells of the damp hay fields filled my nostrils. Smells of morning dew and diesel exhaust from a nearby construction site adding to the blend. The thought of early summer mornings on the farm sprung into my head and for a moment I felt a little homesick for it all.

Few things smell better than a fresh hay cube!

I'm sure it seems funny to my family that I would have these thoughts. After all, as far as they are concerned I'm a converted city boy. Truth be told however, I'm probably not as sold on city living as they may suspect. Sure I like the convenience of it, but I still have solid roots in Minersville; that part will never change. Besides, a part of my heart will always be wherever my family is. That's just how it works.

Proud to be from Minersville

And so for a moment I was pleased to take a stroll down memory lane and remember just how good it felt to be a hardworking farm boy with little care of traffic and billboards.

Da Bears are Frustrating

Anyone that knows me is well aware that I am a dyed in the wool hardcore Chicago Bears fan. It's been a pretty rough two decades since 1985 aside from the super bowl appearance of two years ago. This year after an impressive and unexpected victory over the Indianapolis Colts my hopes were soaring. The defense looked like vintage Bears D and they had a running game again! Orton didn't make mistakes and everything seemed to be chipper. That is until they take consecutive 2 score leads into the 4th quarter and blow it 2 games in a row! Are you flippin' kidding me!? Don't turn the ball over and you win! The formula was pretty simple really. I'm feeling pretty crushed right now. They can still make a run at the playoffs, I mean with any luck and a few different plays and they're 3-0 right now.

Instead I'm left with a sour taste in my mouth as I witness this great start to the season go up in smoke because of dumb mistakes, (I'm looking at you Olsen and Tillman). But at least Carmendee looks cute in Jaron's old bears shoes.

This was during the Bears vs. Colts game. Need to bring back the lucky booties!

Mission Almost Complete

Hello everyone. You'll notice there are some changes to my blog. I'm not done yet but this is a good start I think. It's a little more personal. I wanted it to reflect who I really am. I'll have a more interesting blog post coming but for now let me know what you think of the new look! – OUT