I'm very tired right now. We just completed a move into a new house. We lived in our old house for nearly 10 years, so we had accumulated a lot of stuff. About 6 weeks ago, we decided we were going to move. We loved the first house we saw, but decided to see a few more. After seeing several more homes, we decided to make an offer on the house we saw first. Thankfully our offer was accepted, and here we are in a new house that we now get to make a home.
I will be sending out a more personalized thanks. But I'd like to thank all the friends that came to help us move. I think we had close to 20 people throughout the last few days help us get our stuff moved the 2 miles or so from our old house. I am so grateful for these friends. I don't know what we would have done without them.
That's all I have tonight. Hopefully I'll get back to blogging more regularly very soon.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Amen!
Today at Mass, our pastor spoke out against the recent Health and Human Services decision on Obama-Care that will require all insurance providers to cover birth control and abortion. While he hit on important points like being active by letting our representatives know what we think about this decision, he also talked about the options the church has. First off, the church could go along with this, but that likely won't happen. Secondly, the church and affiliated organizations could cut health care to their employees, but again, that's not right for the employees. Third, if forced to, the American Bishops could refuse to comply, and then refuse to pay fines, and force the US Government to arrest them. How would that play on the 24 hour news cycle...a bunch of Catholic Bishops being marched off to jail for listening to their conscience and following the precepts of their faith? I can't imagine that there is any way the media could spin it so that the Obama administration wins that one.
But, prior to this President, I couldn't imagine living in a country where the Ruling Regime would force this kind of thing on us. As our Pastor said, "For evil to happen, good people must do nothing", and that was the main take away of the entire homily. For too long in this country, we've sat idly by while we let evil happen around us. When are we going to stop and say that we've had enough?!!!
Well, I for one, have had enough. I'm not going to apologize for my beliefs, and I'm not going to apologize for trying to teach my kids those beliefs. We all need to stand up and say that we've had enough. Start small...quit participating in entertainment that is unnecessarily degrading to a particular group of people. Spend time with your kids or your family. Teach your kids why abortion is wrong. Teach your kids why the Obama regime and a huge central government is wrong. Be good parents or grandparents. Frankly, it might be too late for our generation, but it's not too late for our kids. If we teach them to know right from wrong, there might be hope for the future. If we fail now, we are doomed to more President's like Obama, and probably worse.
Finally, get out there in 2012 and get Obama and his cronies voted out of office. Don't force the US Catholic Bishops to have to face jail time to make this point. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure most of them would be willing to endure jail time to stop this evil from happening, but let's try to stop it before that becomes necessary. Stop this the only way you can, with your vote! The primary mission of 2012 has to be to ensure that Barack Obama is a one term President. If we are successful in ousting President Obama, the next President's first act should be to sign an executive order stopping Obama-Care and all it's evil from becoming law. Let's make it happen!
But, prior to this President, I couldn't imagine living in a country where the Ruling Regime would force this kind of thing on us. As our Pastor said, "For evil to happen, good people must do nothing", and that was the main take away of the entire homily. For too long in this country, we've sat idly by while we let evil happen around us. When are we going to stop and say that we've had enough?!!!
Well, I for one, have had enough. I'm not going to apologize for my beliefs, and I'm not going to apologize for trying to teach my kids those beliefs. We all need to stand up and say that we've had enough. Start small...quit participating in entertainment that is unnecessarily degrading to a particular group of people. Spend time with your kids or your family. Teach your kids why abortion is wrong. Teach your kids why the Obama regime and a huge central government is wrong. Be good parents or grandparents. Frankly, it might be too late for our generation, but it's not too late for our kids. If we teach them to know right from wrong, there might be hope for the future. If we fail now, we are doomed to more President's like Obama, and probably worse.
Finally, get out there in 2012 and get Obama and his cronies voted out of office. Don't force the US Catholic Bishops to have to face jail time to make this point. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure most of them would be willing to endure jail time to stop this evil from happening, but let's try to stop it before that becomes necessary. Stop this the only way you can, with your vote! The primary mission of 2012 has to be to ensure that Barack Obama is a one term President. If we are successful in ousting President Obama, the next President's first act should be to sign an executive order stopping Obama-Care and all it's evil from becoming law. Let's make it happen!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
I Love Florida!
I just got back from a very brief business trip to Florida. I was near Orlando on the Atlantic Coast. This is now my fourth trip to the great state of Florida, and I have to confess that I love it!
This past week, the temperatures were in the 70s, with light winds and no rain. The seafood was fresh, and the smell of salt water was in the air. Given that my favorite place on earth, Disney World, was a mere 75 minutes away, I was a pretty happy traveller, despite having to work while I was there.
I do have some observations after having made a few trips to the Sunshine State. First off, it's really flat, but then what do you expect from a big swamp? Secondly, I like the Gulf Coast better than the Atlantic Coast. I love the white sand beaches and really clear water of the Gulf Coast near the panhandle.
Finally, you can get some really good food in Florida. We all know that the Seafood is really fresh and it is really delicious. But, what you don't realize is that there are enough transplants from around the country that you can get all kinds of good food. I had a great pastrami sandwich for lunch one day, and fantastic baby-back ribs at another lunch.
I don't know that I would ever move to Florida full time...I do love the Midwest, but I may have to snowbird when I get older. Well, if I got offered a job a Disney World I might have to take it. :-)
This past week, the temperatures were in the 70s, with light winds and no rain. The seafood was fresh, and the smell of salt water was in the air. Given that my favorite place on earth, Disney World, was a mere 75 minutes away, I was a pretty happy traveller, despite having to work while I was there.
I do have some observations after having made a few trips to the Sunshine State. First off, it's really flat, but then what do you expect from a big swamp? Secondly, I like the Gulf Coast better than the Atlantic Coast. I love the white sand beaches and really clear water of the Gulf Coast near the panhandle.
Finally, you can get some really good food in Florida. We all know that the Seafood is really fresh and it is really delicious. But, what you don't realize is that there are enough transplants from around the country that you can get all kinds of good food. I had a great pastrami sandwich for lunch one day, and fantastic baby-back ribs at another lunch.
I don't know that I would ever move to Florida full time...I do love the Midwest, but I may have to snowbird when I get older. Well, if I got offered a job a Disney World I might have to take it. :-)
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Goodness of This Movie is "Unknown"
Whoa! Two movie reviews in 1 week!!!My wife has been trying for the last 2 days to watch the longest tennis grand slam final in the open era. She recorded this match, as it was on in the very early morning hours of this past Sunday. But, when it's a nearly 6 hour match, it takes time to watch, even with being able to fast forward through commercials. So, I had the opportunity to watch my 2nd movie in a week last night. The latest is "Unknown", starring Liam Neeson.
In this thriller, Neeson stars as Martin Harris, a University Professor who awakes from a coma to find that another man has assumed his life. As Harris struggles to maintain his sanity, he allies with Gina (Diane Kruger) and Juergen (Bruno Ganz) to try to recover his life. What he finds though, may not be what he expects.
This is a very entertaining movie that I did enjoy, though it's really only a 3.5 star movie. The car chases are really well done, and Liam Neeson kicks butt as usual. Where it fell a little short is the plot was thin, and the (*****************spoiler alert!!!*******************) "Salt" like twist near the end was not as unexpected as it was in "Salt". If you haven't seen "Salt", then that wasn't a spoiler, and you should watch that movie instead of "Unknown" if you get the chance. Even if you have seen "Salt", that may not have been much of a spoiler.
Anyway, "Unknown" is fun ride that I would recommend for a night when your significant other is watching a seriously long tennis match, or just doing stuff without you.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Sci-Fi Western - the next great Genre!
I was thinking about writing another political blog tonight, based on a discussion I had today with an Obama disciple, but I am still too annoyed about that conversation to write a blog about it.So instead, I will talk about one of the new really fun movies out there. This movie would be "Cowboys & Aliens", which turned out to be surprisingly good. Will this usher in a new genre of Sci-Fi Westerns??? Well, I hope so, but if not, at least this was a really solid movie.
When I first saw the trailer for "Cowboys & Aliens" during the 2011 Super Bowl, I scoffed a bit. I was really skeptical, but I thought actors like Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig wouldn't be in a movie that is stupid, so I decided I would give it a shot. But, then I got busy and never got around to watching it, until a few nights ago.
"Cowboys & Aliens" opens with amnesiac gunslinger Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) alone in the desert. Soon, Lonergan wanders into the town of Absolution, and after "rocking the boat" a bit, gets caught up in a crisis when the town is attacked by demons (a.k.a. aliens). The aliens are kidnapping humans and experimenting on them. So, the townsfolk, led by Col. Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and Ella Swenson (Olivia Wilde), set out to track down the "demons" and get their people back. They are soon joined by Lonergan, who with his mysterious wristband weapon and flashback memories seems to be the key to stopping the invaders.
As Nuke put it, this movie starts out as a great western and Daniel Craig is an awesome cowboy. But then it gets weird when aliens show up and all of the sudden and POW!!!!...we have a Sci-Fi movie on our hands. I didn't find it weird at all...instead I really enjoyed the nice balance struck between western and sci-fi. As stated above, Daniel Craig is a really great cowboy. Harrison Ford is good in what turns out to be a very different role for him. The rest of the cast is solid as well.
I liked "Cowboys & Aliens" a lot. I almost rated it 5 stars, but then cooler heads prevailed and I settled on 4.4 stars. I highly recommend this movie to all Sci-Fi and Western movie fans.
Monday, January 23, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
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.
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.
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