Freedom of Religion?

This blog is to my fellow Catholics.  You know who you are...you are the liberal Catholics that supported President Obama in the 2008 election and John Kerry before him.  You are the Catholics who told me that we didn't need to worry about Obama's pro-choice public stance because privately he is pro-life and that he is open to conversation about the pro-life issues in a way other Democrats have not been.  You are the Catholics that told me that the social programs widely supported by the Democrats and Obama were the most important reason to vote for Barack Obama.

You didn't listen to me when I told you that Obama was a Democrat first and foremost and that he would toe the party line, no matter the cost.  You didn't listen to me when I said that Jesus didn't tell us to vote for people who would "feed his sheep" (see John 21:15-17), he told us to do it.  We aren't free of our responsibility because we voted for some guy who promises to take other people's money and give it to the poor...we still have to get off our butts an act.  I wonder if you wish you would have listened to me a little more carefully?  Or are you one of those people who still blindly believes what Barack Obama says.

Here's why I ask...late last week, the Obama administration through the Health and Human Services (HHS) department, essentially declared war on religion and specifically the Catholic Church.  This war stems from a mandate requiring all employers to provide health insurance for their employees that not only covers birth control and sterilization, but practically makes them free.  Before this ruling came out, Obama called Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York to give him the news.  As a supposed olive branch, the Obama administration gave the Catholic church an extra year to implement this.  Archbishop Dolan said something along the lines of "President Obama gave us an extra year to figure out how to violate our conscience."

I can't imagine that many of you Catholic Obama supporters are thrilled with this.  Even the most liberal Catholic leadership is speaking out against the President.  Cardinal Roger Mahoney, archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles and a known liberal said that he "cannot imagine a more direct and frontal attack on freedom of conscience" - and he has urged people to fight this law.  Another liberal Catholic, Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, FL has vowed that he will drop insurance coverage for diocesan workers rather than comply.  They are joined in outrage by the leaders of Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities, which combined employ approximately 70,000 people nationwide.

So, liberal Catholics everywhere?  Are you happy with this decision by the Obama administration?  Are you happy that the President has basically given the middle finger to the idea of freedom of religion and conscientious objection?  You should be outraged.  You should be giving all the Republican candidates a hard look right now.  You should be praying that Obama will be voted out of office later this year.  Finally, you should write President Obama immediately and tell him how disgusted you are with this mandate!  People like me will never be able to stop this madness, but when Obama loses you, his precious supporters, he will have to take notice and listen.

Not Newt!!!

So, Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary.  What once looked like a runaway for Mitt Romney became a race this week after Iowa recounted the votes and found that Rick Santorum actually won, and then Newt won South Carolina.

Newt Gingrich makes me feel icky all over, and now my nightmare scenario seems to be happening.  Whoever wins South Carolina generally wins the nomination.  If Newt wins the Republican Nomination, right now, I fee like I have to vote 3rd party.  I know that Newt cheated on his previous wives and was reprimanded by Congress for ethics violations.  If you will cheat on your wife, what won't you cheat on?  What wouldn't you do to get elected? 

I read today that many Conservatives don't support Romney because he has been bad on abortion in the past and he signed health care legislation in Massachusetts that is similar to Obamacare.  He has repeatedly said that he is Pro Life and that what was right for Massachusetts is not necessarily right for the entire country.  People don't believe Romney has changed, despite evidence that overall Romney is a good family man and someone who could be trusted to do what he says he will do.  Newt on the other hand has given us no reason to trust him, yet for some reason, "Conservatives" say they believe he will be better than Romney.  I just don't get it!!!

As a Christian, I know I should forgive Newt and give him a 2nd chance.  Because of that, he will have an opportunity to show me that he's changed, but it's going to take some serious evidence of repentance for past mistakes for me to support Gingrich for the highest office in the land.

If the election were today, and my choice was between Barack Obama and Newt Gingrich, I'd vote Constitution or Liberatarian party in a heartbeat.  I'm done voting for the lesser of 2 evils...and frankly if the choice were Obama or Gingrich, I'd have a hard time deciding which is the lesser of 2 evils.

Spongebob

My children are addicted to Spongebob!  We hadn't watched this show because we thought it was just stupid potty humor, and frankly, it is a lot of stupid potty humor, but it also has some really funny moments.  Every chance the kids get, they turn on Netflix and watch an episode of Spongebob.  Given that my wife and I have been sick and we're preparing to move...well, they are getting more chances than normal to watch TV.

At some point though, I hope they'll grow out of this phase.  While Spongebob is a funny show, it's no Phineas and Ferb.

That's all for this quick post today. 

Will There Be a Sequel?

The Denver Broncos season ended last night at the hands of the New England Patriots.  I'm convinced Patriots coach Bill Belichick is evil, by the way.  I mean, who would put up 45 points on Tim Tebow, other than someone who is evil?  But that's a story for another blog. 

The Broncos never showed up last night...and lost 45-10.  It was one of their worst games of the season at the wrong time.  Tim Tebow was chased all night by the Patriots defense and really struggled.  The Denver defense, meanwhile, fell apart.  They were never able to get a pass rush on Patriots QB Tom Brady and he destroyed them.  I am so sick of QBs like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning standing back there having all day to throw the ball against the Broncos defense...again a story for another blog.

What I'm wondering is will there be a sequel of Tebowmania next season?  Obviously, Tim Tebow needs to improve.  He needs to become a better passer...he completed about 45% of his passes this year which is awful by any standard.  But, he brings an element other QBs don't, so if he improves as a passer he will be really tough for opposing defenses. 

The Broncos can get him some help too.  They need to get him a big, pass catching, tight end.  They need to get depth at running back, because starter Willis McGahee is 30, and that's ancient for a running back.  They need to bolster their defensive middle so they can get pressure on quarterbacks like Tom Brady.  Finally, they really need to spend the offseason coaching Tebow on the finer points of quarterbacking. 

I'm excited, despite last night's loss, because I don't think the Broncos are that far from being a top flight team.  For the rest of this season...go Packers or whoever is playing the Patriots.

The Return of Tebowmania

With the Broncos unexpected playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend on the strength of Tim Tebow's left arm, Tebowmania has officially returned.  Yes, Superman has gotten his Tim Tebow pajamas back out of the drawer after not wearing them during the Broncos recent 3 game losing streak when Tebow didn't play well.

Even Nuke, who doesn't follow sports, talked to me about Tebow today.  Though it was around the fact that the deeply religious Tebow threw for 316 yards on 10 completions for a 31.6 yards per completion average.  The crazies out there, and even some sane people are pointing out that John 3:16 is one of the most quoted Bible verses and the verse that Tebow used to write on his eye black in college.

Anyway, with the return of Tebowmania, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Tebow one-liners.  Some of these are the same as the Chuck Norris one-liners, just using Tebow's name instead, but it's still fun. 

Santa Claus used to wonder if Tim Tebow was real.

People with Amnesia still remember Tim Tebow.

Referees created instant replay so they could admire Tim Tebow more than once.

When Batman is in trouble, he turns on the Tim Tebow signal.

Michael Jordan buys Tim Tebow's shoes.

McDonald's brought the McRib back at Tim Tebow's request.

Tim Tebow and Chuck Norris once had a talk.  Chuck Norris walked away a better man.

Friends don't let Friends hate Tim Tebow.

Lord Voldemort tried and failed to kill Harry Potter.  He didn't even attempt to mess with Tim Tebow.

Chuck Norris wears a Tim Tebow jersey.

and possibly my favorite...

The NFL is not challenging enough.  That's why Tim Tebow waits until the 4th quarter to start playing.

I have really enjoyed this season by the Broncos, and I think it's really fun to have Tim Tebow as my favorite team's starting quarterback.  I am looking forward to next weekend's showdown with the hated Patriots.  Nobody is giving the Broncos a chance, but I have a good feeling about this game...I think they have a shot.  We'll know by Saturday at 11:00 pm.

Caucusing like Crazy

On Tuesday of this week, we had the famous Iowa Caucus.  You know, that was the vote where Mitt Romney (a.k.a. the Mittster), beat Rick Santorum by 8 votes.  Despite rumors that the vote count was wrong, Santorum has taken the high road and said that it doesn't change the fact that the Iowa Caucus was essentially a tie.

The caucus is kind of a crazy process, and I can't really describe it for those who haven't gone.  Ours lasted about an hour and featured lots of commentary from the voters.  As Iowans, I think we did our duty...we weeded out the field.  Michelle Bachman, who I really like, is out, and I think Rick Perry will follow soon.  I really hope Bachman is the pick for VP by the eventual winner.  By finishing 3rd, I think we're assured that Ron Paul won't be the nominee.  Though I like Paul on a lot of issues, I just think he's too crazy in a few areas to support.

In general, I think the consensus at the caucus is that we had a good field of candidates.  Nobody was really against any one specific candidate, which I think bodes well for the general election.  We all have to keep in mind that defeating Obama in this the most important thing.  I believe any of our candidates would be able to do that, though I am not a Newt fan.

In my opinion, we are left with a 3 man race, with the Mittster as the clear favorite, Santorum as the underdog and Newt as the darkhorse.  Romney has the most money and the best infrastructure to win.  What remains to be seen is can he withstand the firestorm that Newt Gingrich is in the process of causing.  Newt was really upset with the way Mitt's groups went after him in Iowa, essentially costing him the state.  Newt is almost out of money, but he's staying in at this point to trash Romney, which may give Obama ammo to use against Romney if he wins the nomination.  Newt has to be careful here.

This leaves us with Rick Santorum, who I really like.  I think he's a true conservative, but also willing to be pragmatic when needed.  I love his tax plan, which would really simplify things by reducing it to 2 tax brackets (28% and 10%) among other things.  He also has a strong plan for deficit reduction and is a big proponent of "Made in America".  I supported Santorum in the caucus because I felt he best represented my total vision for the country, both fiscally and socially.  Ron Paul is stronger fiscally and it's possible Bachman is better socially, but no candidate brings the entire package like Santorum.

I normally advocate that we should select former governors as our Presidential candidates because Executive experience is important.  That is one reason it took me so long to come around to Santorum.  But in an election year where we only had 2 Governors to choose from, The Mittster and Perry, I had to go in another direction.  Don't get me wrong, I like both Perry and The Mittster and I would support both in the general election against Obama.  I just believe Mitt is a little too moderate on social issues to support when there are more socially conservative candidates, and Perry just didn't get me excited...hard to explain why.  In the end, I just felt Santorum more aligned with what I believe on all issues.

Check out Santorum's webpage if you are interested.  If you aren't, that's ok.  I do like Romney as well and I think he is a strong leader.  I will strongly support Romney if he wins the nomination as I expect he will.  But I want to do my part to give Santorum a chance. 

The media is now out in full force against Santorum, calling him a big government Republican and a racist, among other things.  They are taking quotes out of context and using them against him.  I just encourage you to do your own research and come to your own conclusions.  The media wants Romney to win this nomination, which I don't fully understand.  I believe Romney will easily beat Obama and may steal some conservative Dems away from Obama.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so.

Another BBQ Adventure

I love my new smoker!  On Friday, I had a friend coming over to watch the Iowa-Oklahoma Bowl Game.  I decided I wanted to smoke something, and that something was pulled pork.  So, I bought a pork shoulder (3.2 lbs, boneless) and dressed it up with my favorite Pork Rub and let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours.  Here's the rub recipe (I use it for ribs as well because it just works for pork):

Pork Rub:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne

Just mix it all together and you have the magic pork rub. 

After 24 hours, I took the pork out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature.  While it was doing that, I preheated my smoker to 225 degrees...I tried really hard to keep the smoker between 225-250 degrees on this one.  Then I threw on the pork shoulder and added the hickory wood.  I added more wood chips every 45 minutes or so for the first 4 hours.

After 2 hours, I started spraying the pork with a "mop" that was really simple...1/4 cup water and 3/4 cup cider vinegar.  This helped keep the pork from drying out.

After 4 and a half hours, the pork was at 145 degrees...you want it at 190, so I wrapped it in the foil and put it in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour to git 'r done.  I figured this was ok since after 3-4 hours, you really don't impart much smoke flavor.  Plus, it was getting cold outside which was making it more difficult to keep things warm.

After the pork reached 185, I pulled it from the oven and let it rest for 1 hour.  During this time, it came up to 192 degrees.  After an hour I shredded it and served it on white junior hamburger buns with my homemade barbecue sauce.  I also provided pickles for those who wanted it.  My friend and my wife both ate some, and gave it rave reviews.  The next day, my son had a sandwich, but used Famous Dave's Devil's Spit sauce instead and loved it.

I thought it was a really good first attempt at pulled pork.  I'm excited to try a full, bone-in, pork shoulder next.  That will take all day to cook.  I am thinking I might need to play with different woods too, though I really like the flavor I get from hickory.  Also, I learned an important lesson about smoking when cold...it takes longer!  I should've known that.

Anyway, another great experience with my smoker.  That was a great investment!