"A Nation of Cowards"

The quote in the title above is from our new Attorney General, on 2/18/09. Wow, I feel better!

You know what this new administration reminds me of? College. In College, you get a fresh start. You leave H.S. behind and you can take what you learned and what you want to be and forge a new identity. For many it's good. BUT, there is this group of people that gain a little leadership or position and they are flat gonna ride it and use it like there ain't no tomorrow. I was in a fraternity and I specifically think of some guys who got a pledge pin then become brothers and instantly decide to LORD it over the new pledges, acting like absolute power drunk jackasses.

Seriously, I think there are some bright people in the new administration and hopefully they get their sea legs soon. The last thing we need right now is insecure, belligerent leaders of our to large government.

Battle of the Messiah's

Alright, chime in, who is your current favorite chosen one?

Barack Obama or Tim Tebow?

Tell me who and why. You can write another in, but your not allowed to use the real one, Jesus, because what people want is something new, something fresh.

(I know this is a risk as I currently only have 4 readers, but it's the best I've got right now - the holidays did me in..)

Christmas the Giving Season

I love Christmas. It's tough not to. People are rushing around a lot more and it is too commercial for sure, has been for a while, but it is a great time. The lights, great decorations, cooler weather (at least in the northern hemisphere) and a giving spirit. That last one is the real reason right? Giving? God gave us Jesus, and that is the greatest gift all, coupled with Jesus' sacrifice to gift us with grace.

So we give at this time of year especially to honor that memory, that lesson. I at this time of year think more of how I can give, and I am assuming that is how most people think through this season. And when I do, I feel good, I feel pride in it. Do we feel it too much though?

I found myself wishing, this year in particular, that I had more to give. But then something struck me. Why? After all it's not mine to begin with. What does it matter how much I have to give? It's not mine anyways. Would I really feel better if I gave $1 jagillion if I had $10 jagillion? I don't know if you have noticed, but if you live here in Florida where I do, that the Lottery is up to $60 million or so. I wondered what I would do if I won that. Well I would give generously with it for sure, right? Right! Especially considering I would need an act of God to win it. But haven't I been given everything I have already? I believe so.

So where does the pride in giving come from if it has all been given in the first place?

Be generous, because we are generous recipients, every one.

Merry Christmas!

The Fastest 3 Months of the Year

...happen to follow the former fastest 3 months of the year which are now the slowest. Let me explain.

When I was a kid, summer's were the best, beach, mountains, Disney vacations, laying around watching TV... and then BOOM! School is starting again! It sucked....

Now I am all grown up, and summers are like any other time, in fact living in Florida, they might be the slowest, as they are the hottest and most uncomfortable days of the year, and we can't wait to get to fall. Why? Cooler weather? Maybe a little bit. The real reason? College Football. And now it is over again, except for the Bowl Season which does give some good games (including the BCSCG this year w/ my beloved Gators!), but not with the normal pageantry and excitement of the regular season and its rivalries.

So, BOOM! It's over once again, and it really does suck.

Entitlement

Is entitlement ever good? What role has it played in our present? These are a couple of the questions that are flowing through my head right now.

I think we here in the US have gone through roughly 60 years of unprecendented growth and prosperity. There have been downturns for sure, but looking at the whole, it has been phenomenal. I don't think I am different than most people in that when things go well for me for a period of time, I tend to relax. I am thankful for sure, but I relax, I get in a mindset that this is the way it is and going to be. A sense of entitlement. I act and do a little differently as time passes. It is not really a conscious decision on my part but it just turns out that way.

Now is that possible for a nation? A people as a whole? I think so. The overriding belief as we go through a tough time for our economy and nation is disbelief. "But this is what my life is like." "This is what I make." " This is how my job/industry works..." It's kind of like the frog in the pot of water that slowly turns to a boil and stays in.

Have we not seen this through history? The Roman Empire, The French/Russian/Spanish (etc) Monarchies. Through the church? I mean the King James Bible is after all the only real and true version of the Bible. Hymns from the 15/1600's are the only songs to sing in a church service. Right? Right...

So then what to do!?!? Should we not challenge our assumptions, what we are "entitled" to? This is a hard thing, in fact I don't think we know all of the assumptions we have made about our lives. Where do we start? Our jobs/professions, our possessions, our time. Are these things even "ours"? I think I am only scratching the surface, but I believe it a worthy exercise. One that will result in the right kind of change. In fact I think it will be freeing, because unlike the frog in the pot, we can escape being cooked.

the more things CHANGE...

I found it a bit funny how former President Bill Clinton had to go through the wringer once again - this time from his own party - in order to insure Hillary's appointment as Sec. of State. Which brought me to this question - How many times can a guy be neutered? Apparantley with him a lot, he sure is a regenerative fellow.

With one party being so much in the limelight, you tend to forget about the baggage of the other party. Well it didn't take long for the UAW to come storming back into our psyches. Over $110k for welding and riveting? No wonder the Orientals and Euro's are kicking the Big 3's tail's right into bankruptcy.

Driving around, it appears that we have switched from the perpetual W bumper sticker to the Obama '08 one with the faux US flag logo. Although it is not that long after the election, I will be surprised if many come off, because it just seems like a lot of people treat politics like football, you know, that whole wear your colors deal. If you think about it, that may just be one of our problems, "I'm right, you're wrong..."

As for me I will stay with my rear window, stenciled, "Screaming Pickle" Gatorhead logo, even if the 'Noles do beat us this weekend!

Later...

Why am I doing this?

In short, the answer is that I always thought I would write a book, but I don't know how, and I am usually short and to the point. So, it would be a poorly done short book. Still though I have things on my mind and or heart that come up which I feel like sharing.

Some are observations about the culture, like the one I have for today - What a waste of money a video camera is for most people. Seriously, it is a rare thing when someone actually goes back and looks at Johnny's 2nd grade Thanksgiving program (or sarah's soccer game, or riding on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disney, or when Brad and that other yahoo switched drivers going 60 up I-75 in a motor home, or...), and if you are in the 5 percentile that does, 95% of you are wondering if keeping it is worth more than the storage space on your hard drive. I mean isn't that right? Seriously, how much video do you have that you have never looked at?

So why do so many of us have them? First and foremost, because they do, then there's the - I have to do this, this and that in order to be the best parent I can be and video camera is on that list, and another is that you just really never know what might happen... I mean I might be there when a meteor falls out of the sky and hits a guy on the sidewalk right outside my office window, and then I can post it on YouTube.

So there you have it, join me in freeing yourself from video camera hell today my friend, and you'll enjoy those moments so much more than when you have a piece of electronics stuck between you and the real thing.

Oh, one more thing, feel free to comment (or not) positively or negatively, just show cooth. Later!