I want this on a t-shirt

BH Obama = Most Stylish Man

BH Obama was voted the most stylish man in the world from a list of 3000 challengers. To put it in perspective, Brad Pitt came in second. I’m sure the Obamaniacs are circle-jerking this latest victory by the entity of their adulation. I guess it’s a good thing to have a President who has a first-class sense of fashion although I’ve never noticed anything special about Obama in this regard. IMO, we certainly wouldn’t want some sleeveless- jean short wearing- tornado bait- rube shaking hands on behalf of America with other heads of state. With that in mind, I’m sort of obligated to say ‘bravo’ to the person or persons dressing BH Obama. The linked article lists the top 20 pop idols from the survey. Elvis came in 16th place which leads me to believe that rotting corpse will be the new “brown” for fall.

Loophole for Gay Marriage

Conservatives Warn Quick Sex Change Only Barrier Between Gays, Marriage

I'm on a roll

I can't help it. These two videos need to be included in my video posting frenzy.



(Language in this next one. I met a guy just like this at work one time.)

Astronaut Jones

Hilarious!

Astronaut Jones
Uploaded by djgreenuts - See more comedy videos.

Jesus is a Friend of Mine

Someone posted a link to this recently. I LOVE it!. My favorite is a two way tie between the fat guy back up singer and the guitar player.

ENJOY!

(BTW, this song might get stuck in your head)

FYI

Madison's surgery went well Thurs morning. We got to Cook's at 6:30AM and they started the operation at about 8:50AM. The doctor came out and told us everything went well at about 9:20AM. They removed the rod that had been placed in her arm when she broke it back in August 2008. We were home by 11:00AM. She has to have her arm in a sling for a week and can't do any PE for a couple of weeks.

..and now you know...

American Idol: Observations from Finale

I've been watching American Idol all season. Last night was the finale and here are my thoughts on what went down.

If I'm voting on 1st song alone I think Adam did the best. I dig the Mad World song and think it was right up his alley. Kris's choice "Ain’t no Sunshine" was alright but not as good IMO.


Simon Fuller, the show's creator, supposedly hand picked "A Change Is Gonna Come" for Lambert and "What's Going On" for Kris Allen. These are some of the worst possible song choices for these two and thus began what was a steady hour long decline in to an abysmal show.

The Coup de Grace for this display of musical mediocrity was the utter abortion that was the third song, called “No Boundaries”. It was a song co-written by the brainless hack and 4th judge, Kara Dioguardi. First, “No Boundaries” is probably one of the cheesiest titles ever conceived for a song. Second, the lyrics sound like a love letter from an emo 7th grader. Third, all I could think while watching the show live was: “This sounds like something Dirk Diggler sang in “Boogie Nights” when he was trying to cut his rock album”.

Here are the lyrics. I listened to the show and typed them out. In doing so, I realized that Kris forgot the lines and did some pretty remarkable improvisation. Here goes:

Seconds, hours so many days
You know what you want but how long can you wait?
Every moment lasts forever when you feel you’ve lost your way
What if my chances are already gone
I started believing that I could be wrong
But you gave me one good reason to fight and never walk away
So here I am still holding on.

Chorus
With every step you climb another mountain
With every breath its harder to believe
You will make it through the pain
Weather a hurricane
To get to that one thing
Just when you think the road is going nowhere
Just when you almost gave up on your dreams
They take you by the hand and show you that you can

You can go higher
You can go deeper
There are no boundaries above or beneath you
You break every rule
But there is nothing between you and your dreams.

Chorus


BUAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!1!!!!

It’s so dreadful it’s almost good. It is overflowing with clichés and has a unique glam rock flare. I don’t mean to keep piling on here but doesn’t this song sound like something that would be played in the closing credits of an 80’s “teen angst” movie? What say you?
_________________

RE "Enemy Recon Plane is Fueled and Ready"

Update: As of now, I'm off this game. No more playing it. I'm only posting this here so that I will be less likely to go back on my word having made a public announcement. After a month, if I feel the same way about it and have lost all interest, I will sell it at Game Stop.

Life is too short.

(BTW, I know how crazy this sounds. To help put it in persepctive, it would be like giving up recreational internet or television use to the average American.)

"Our Recon Plane is Fueled and Ready"

As some of you may know, I just turned 32. There comes a time in a man's life when he stops and takes inventory of his situation. Birthdays seem to pull that out of me. So away we go...

I bought Call of Duty: World at War in the middle of December and started playing online sometime around Christmas. I really sucked when I started out. Most players on there had been playing the prequel, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for over a year by then and other first person shooter games like Halo etc. Not me. Quake, Perfect Dark and 007 on the Nintendo 64 back in the mid/late 90’s was my only previous experience with first person shooter. BTW, “first person shooter” is a style of game where you only see a hand holding a gun and the perspective being shown on the television is supposed to be you in the “first person”.
Video games have come along way in the last dozen years. The speed of the games has increased tremendously coupled with being online versus other people and not just playing the computer. People can be unpredictable and random and therefore more challenging. Online play is a whole level of difficulty above the alternative.
Now, I’m not a complete retard although that is probably debatable. Bottom line: I suck at this game. No, no, it’s true. I really do suck at the game and it’s taken me several months to realize it. If you compare my play time versus other players, I should be ahead of them by leaps and bounds in the amounts of kills, wins, points etc. But I’m not. I’m neck and neck with some people who have spent half the time playing this game. What does that mean? It means I spend a lot of the time wandering around in some World War 2 video game battle field, not killing people, not scoring points and not winning team matches. And for what? I don’t know! Why am I playing this gawd forsaken game? Why don’t I just put it down and walk away? The game is absolutely fun to play and I’m 200% better than when I started playing. BUT, (big but) I’m not great and I don’t know if I ever will be. I don’t know if I should keep pursuing something if I can’t achieve a desired level of skill. I think this is the beginning of the end for me on this game but don’t quote me on it.

[BTW, don’t you wish you had my problems…then you’d have nothing to worry about. :-) ]

Clouds

We went out to eat tonight as a family. In the car on the way home we saw the sun set with the most amazing looking clouds. We were all looking, pointing and commenting when my 7 year old asked, "What are clouds made of"? Her mother responded, "Water". To which the 7 year old replied, "So we are living under water?"

:-)

Ten Arguments Against Same Sex Marriage

My responses to Ten Arguments Against Same Sex Marriage. These arguments are a synopsis of the book by Dr. James Dobson, Marriage Under Fire and was found at this LINK.

Away we go...

Argument #1.
The implications for children in a world of decaying families are profound. A recent article in the Weekly Standard described how the advent of legally sanctioned gay unions in Scandinavian countries has already destroyed the institution of marriage, where half of today's children are born out of wedlock.
It is predicted now, based on demographic trends in this country, that more than half of the babies born in the 1990s will spend at least part of their childhood in single-parent homes.

--The “Weekly Standard” is not exactly the greatest example of an unbiased news source. Second, according to CNN , “Nearly 40 percent of babies born in the United States in 2007 were delivered by unwed mothers, according to data released last month by the National Center for Health Statistics. The 1.7 million out-of-wedlock births, of 4.3 million total births, marked a more than 25 percent jump from five years before.” Straight Americans are choosing to have children out of wedlock. It has nothing to do with gay marriage. In this particular situation, gay marriage is being used as a scapegoat.

Social scientists have been surprisingly consistent in warning against this fractured family. If it continues, almost every child will have several "moms" and "dads," perhaps six or eight "grandparents," and dozens of half-siblings. It will be a world where little boys and girls are shuffled from pillar to post in an ever-changing pattern of living arrangements-where huge numbers of them will be raised in foster-care homes or living on the street (as millions do in other countries all over the world today). Imagine an environment where nothing is stable and where people think primarily about themselves and their own self-preservation.

--Again, we are talking about straight couples making these choices. This has nothing to do with gay marriage. In fact, one ironic solution could be that maybe a gay married couple could adopt some of these poor disadvantaged children and give them some stability.

The apostle Paul described a similar society in Romans 1, which addressed the epidemic of homosexuality that was rampant in the ancient world and especially in Rome at that time. He wrote, "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless" (v. 29-31, NIV).

--See previous blog post for response to this.

It appears likely now that the demise of families will accelerate this type of decline dramatically, resulting in a chaotic culture that will be devastating to children.

--This is a false conclusion and is also the classic slippery slope argument. A slippery slope fallacy is one that claims that something is bad or wrong because it could snowball into something that is bad or wrong. It ignores middle ground or other possible outcomes and relies on a magic crystal ball to foretell the future. Not to mention, the person making this particular argument has yet to prove causation with the idea that gay marriage somehow takes away from “traditional” marriage.

Argument #2
The introduction of legalized gay marriages will lead inexorably to polygamy and other alternatives to one-man, one-woman unions.

In Utah, polygamist Tom Green, who claims five wives, is citing Lawrence v. Texas as the legal authority for his appeal. This past January, a Salt Lake City civil rights attorney filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of another couple wanting to engage in legal polygamy. Their justification? Lawrence v. Texas.

The ACLU of Utah has actually suggested that the state will "have to step up to prove that a polygamous relationship is detrimental to society"-as opposed to the polygamists having to prove that plural marriage is not harmful to the culture. Do you see how the game is played? Despite 5,000 years of history, the burden now rests on you and me to prove that polygamy is unhealthy. The ACLU went on to say that the nuclear family "may not be necessarily the best model." Indeed, Justice Antonin Scalia warned of this likelihood in his statement for the minority in the Lawrence case.10 It took less than six months for his prediction to become reality.
Why will gay marriage set the table for polygamy? Because there is no place to stop once that Rubicon has been crossed. Historically, the definition of marriage has rested on a bedrock of tradition, legal precedent, theology and the overwhelming support of the people.

--There are at least 3 fallacies at work here. First, there is appeal to tradition. Appeal to tradition is when you assume something is right or true because it has always been done that way. It’s like saying “We have been burning fossil fuels for years so it is obviously the best way to power a vehicle.” An example of this fallacy is evident when he says that “Despite 5,000 years of history” and “Historically, the definition of marriage has rested on a bedrock of tradition, legal precedent, theology and the overwhelming support of the people.” That last statement “overwhelming support of the people” is a fallacy of appealing to the majority. Appealing to the majority is when you claim a proposition is right or true because so many people believe it. In reality, a thing can be true even if no one believes it. Next is the fallacy of slippery slope where gay marriage opens the flood gates of polygamy (I’m for polygamy, BTW. Perhaps I will explain that in another post.).

After the introduction of marriage between homosexuals, however, it will be supported by nothing more substantial than the opinion of a single judge or by a black-robed panel of justices. After they have done their wretched work, the family will consist of little more than someone's interpretation of "rights."

Given that unstable legal climate, it is certain that some self-possessed judge, somewhere, will soon rule that three men and one woman can marry. Or five and two, or four and four. Who will be able to deny them that right? The guarantee is implied, we will be told, by the Constitution. Those who disagree will continue to be seen as hate-mongers and bigots. (Indeed, those charges are already being leveled against those of us who espouse biblical values!) How about group marriage, or marriage between relatives, or marriage between adults and children? How about marriage between a man and his donkey? Anything allegedly linked to "civil rights" will be doable. The legal underpinnings for marriage will have been destroyed.

--The first paragraph is future forecasting and appeal to fear. The last paragraph is one giant slippery slope. It’s beyond ridiculous. He makes the leap from two committed people getting married to some sort of orgy and some dude getting together with a donkey? What? I also chuckled when he said “rights” at the end of paragraph 1. The quotations around it made it seem to me like that word should be read as if it was a word uttered by a poor soul who just stepped in dog crap. Is it just me? Then he says, “those who disagree will continue to be seen as hate-mongers and bigots”. He’s probably right about that.

Argument #3
An even greater objective of the homosexual movement is to end the state's compelling interest in marital relationships altogether. After marriages have been redefined, divorces will be obtained instantly, will not involve a court, and will take on the status of a driver's license or a hunting permit. With the family out of the way, all rights and privileges of marriage will accrue to gay and lesbian partners without the legal entanglements and commitments heretofore associated with it.

--I’ll have to take his word for this. I’m all for divorces being obtained instantly. Why not? In my opinion, people should be free to make these choices for themselves. I’m not saying it isn’t a sad thing when two people get divorced. I am saying that when two people want to get divorced they should be able to get divorced without expensive court fees and lawyers. I’m still not very clear on what this has to do with gay marriage other than accusing the “homosexual movement” of somehow destroying the “marital relationship”. I don’t think much of a point is being made in argument 3 so I’ll move on.

Argument #4
With the legalization of homosexual marriage, every public school in the nation will be required to teach that this perversion is the moral equivalent of traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Textbooks, even in conservative states, will have to depict man/man and woman/woman relationships, and stories written for children as young as elementary school, or even kindergarten, will have to give equal space to homosexuals.

--LOL. What? Where to start? Appeal to fear, slippery slope and crystal ball forecasting. A recent study found that about 7% of men reported having sexual contact with another man in the last year in the United States. That ain’t that much. Why are we assuming that this will open the flood gates to “equal space?” Also, what exactly is the fear here? Does homosexuality cease to exist if people prevent their kids from hearing about it? What happens when these kids grow up and step out into the real world? Do the words found in a book on a school library shelf trump the teachings of a parent? Is this really a concern?

Argument #5
From that point forward, courts will not be able to favor a traditional family involving one man and one woman over a homosexual couple in matters of adoption. Children will be placed in homes with parents representing only one sex on an equal basis with those having a mom and a dad. The prospect of fatherless and motherless children will not be considered in the evaluation of eligibility. It will be the law.

--OK…and? If you want to adopt a child you need to show that you are more capable of raising that child than the competition. If 2 gay dudes win that contest then more power to them. Guess what? In the courts view, you would suck as a parent. Sorry. Remember this: Just because you got 2 people with opposite “plumbing” doesn’t mean you are automatically more suited to raise a child. There are plenty of bum straight parents out there.

Argument #6
Foster-care parents will be required to undergo "sensitivity training" to rid themselves of bias in favor of traditional marriage, and will have to affirm homosexuality in children and teens.

--OK. So people will have to stop thinking for themselves and start promoting the agenda of “big brother”. Argument 6 is moronic.

Argument #7
How about the impact on Social Security if there are millions of new dependents that will be entitled to survivor benefits? It will amount to billions of dollars on an already overburdened system. And how about the cost to American businesses? Unproductive costs mean fewer jobs for those who need them. Are state and municipal governments to be required to raise taxes substantially to provide health insurance and other benefits to millions of new "spouses and other dependents"?

--Go with me back in time. Can’t you just hear this argument being made in the 1860’s? “We can’t free these slaves! What about our labor costs? How will we turn a profit on this cotton? This will ruin us financially!”

Argument #8
Marriage among homosexuals will spread throughout the world, just as pornography did after the Nixon Commission declared obscene material "beneficial" to mankind.11 Almost instantly, the English-speaking countries liberalized their laws against smut. America continues to be the fountainhead of filth and immorality, and its influence is global.

The point is that numerous leaders in other nations are watching to see how we will handle the issue of homosexuality and marriage. Only two countries in the world have authorized gay marriage to date-the Netherlands and Belgium. Canada is leaning in that direction, as are numerous European countries. Dr. Darrell Reid, president of Focus on the Family Canada, told me two weeks ago that his country is carefully monitoring the United States to see where it is going. If we take this step off a cliff, the family on every continent will splinter at an accelerated rate. Conversely, our U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear that it looks to European and Canadian law in the interpretation of our Constitution.13 What an outrage! That should have been grounds for impeachment, but the Congress, as usual, remained passive and silent.

--More slippery slope. At this point I don’t even care anymore.

Argument #9
Perhaps most important, the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be severely curtailed. The family has been God's primary vehicle for evangelism since the beginning.

Its most important assignment has been the propagation of the human race and the handing down of the faith to our children. Malachi 2:15 reads, referring to husbands and wives, "Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are His. And why one? Because He was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth" (NIV).

That responsibility to teach the next generation will never recover from the loss of committed, God-fearing families. The younger generation and those yet to come will be deprived of the Good News, as has already occurred in France, Germany and other European countries. Instead of providing for a father and mother, the advent of homosexual marriage will create millions of motherless children and fatherless kids. This is morally wrong, and is condemned in Scripture. Are we now going to join the Netherlands and Belgium to become the third country in the history of the world to "normalize" and legalize behavior that has been prohibited by God himself? Heaven help us if we do!

--Appeal to tradition and slippery slope.

Argument #10
The culture war will be over, and I fear, the world may soon become "as it was in the days of Noah" (Matthew 24:37, NIV). This is the climactic moment in the battle to preserve the family, and future generations hang in the balance.
This apocalyptic and pessimistic view of the institution of the family and its future will sound alarmist to many, but I think it will prove accurate unless-unless-God's people awaken and begin an even greater vigil of prayer for our nation. That's why Shirley and I are urgently seeking the Lord's favor and asking Him to hear the petitions of His people and heal our land.

As of this time, however, large segments of the church appear to be unaware of the danger; its leaders are surprisingly silent about our peril (although we are tremendously thankful for the efforts of those who have spoken out on this issue). The lawless abandon occurring recently in California, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Washington and elsewhere should have shocked us out of our lethargy. So far, I'm alarmed to say, the concern and outrage of the American people have not translated into action.
This reticence on behalf of Christians is deeply troubling. Marriage is a sacrament designed by God that serves as a metaphor for the relationship between Christ and His Church. Tampering with His plan for the family is immoral and wrong. To violate the Lord's expressed will for humankind, especially in regard to behavior that He has prohibited, is to court disaster.

--Appeal to fear, slippery slope, appeal to tradition. I’m spent.

Gay Marriage

In Christianity, the Bible is used as a guide for setting moral standards for society. Today I was talking with my brother about homosexual marriage and I rhetorically asked, “Why are we using obscure passages from an archaic book to dictate laws (whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to marry) in America?” It was pointed out that Paul condemned in Romans 1. I admit, I was more thinking of the Pentateuch passages dealing with this “abomination”. It was also pointed out that Paul is responsible for most of modern day Christian thought since his books, in number at least, contribute the most to the New Testament and also that his legitimacy was reinforced by Peter. I guess the word “archaic” is subjective in that the OT is 4000 years old versus 2000 years old for the NT. Either way; it is a long time ago and we are dictating law for our present day society with ideas from thousands of years ago in a completely different society.
The Romans passage says this (NIV):

“24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:
25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.
28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” ---Romans 1:24-32

This could be interpreted that homosexuality, according to Paul, is at the very least “unnatural”. So, don’t be gay. This is a home run for the Christian heterosexuals. That’s like asking me to not ever have a menstruation cycle. I CAN AND WILL FOLLOW THAT COMMANDMENT. Check that one off the list and let’s have a law that says that men can’t marry men and women can’t marry women.
Here is where the “pro-family” Christian movement loses all credibility. I’ve not heard of many (outside of Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church) supporting any of the following. Even the most fundamental of Christians aren’t calling for laws supporting these passages:

Ex. 22:20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
Lev. 24:16 And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death.
Ex. 31:15 Whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Ex. 21:15 He that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
Ex. 21:17 He that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
Ex. 22:19 Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.
Lev. 20:13 If a man lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death.
Lev. 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, the adulterer
and the adulteress shall be put to death.
Ex. 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Mal. 2:1-4 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name,...behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces. (Will Jesus do the spreading of the dung??)
Deuteronomy 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so [are] abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Leviticus 12:2,5: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean… 5 But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.

But that is the OLD Testament! Modern day Christianity follows the NEW Testament. So it’s OK to have a law for something in America today because it is in the New Testament? Paul also wrote:

1 Corinthians 11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
Romans 7:2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to [her] husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of [her] husband.
1 Timothy 2:9 – 15: 9. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
1 Corinthians 11:7 – 9: 7 For a man indeed ought not to cover [his] head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. 9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
1 Corinthians 14:34 – 35: 34. Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but [they are commanded] to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Peter says:

1 Peter 3:1 -3: 1. Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation [coupled] with fear.
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

In my opinion, the vast majority of Christians do not want a law for any of the above. Furthermore, very few believing Christians follow the above with any amount of regularity. But those same people want a law so that homosexuals can not be married. Why doesn’t the Christian community take the advice of Jesus and remove the plank in their own eye first? The arrogance and hypocrisy of the “pro-family” movement is this: They decide for everyone else and seek legislation based on their own beliefs, preferences and predilection without considering what life would be like if the shoe was on the other foot. And, all the while they decide to ignore and disregard other passages that are less convenient and relevant. In my opinion, this sort of thinking falls somewhere on a continuum of myopic and tyrannical.
One of the great things about our country is that we protect the minority from tyranny of the majority. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if 99% believe that a Holy Book is telling them that women shouldn’t be able to vote or that dark skinned people should drink from a separate but equal water fountain. The law should protect the rights of the 1% regardless of the religious preferences of the majority and not the other way around. This is so fundamentally important to our free society. Freedom of religion also includes freedom from religion. In my opinion, we should nurture that idea or we may eventually risk the possibility of a theocracy and we may or may not get to pick the God.

(More Later)

Update

I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. Really, I'm still alive. I'm just up to my neck in a 4 month long call of duty binge.

My wife made me write that. Hope to blog soon....

(that's not true, I'd really rather play COD)

Charlie Bit My Finger

This one reminds me of my two nephews....you know...if they were from England and one of them was named "Charlie".

SNL Wii

I laughed until I cried watching this. Check it out.

Emergency Spending

Tax cuts
Total: $288 billion
Tax relief for individuals
Total: $237 billion
• $116 billion: New payroll tax credit of $400 per worker and $800 per couple in 2009 and 2010. Phase-out begins at $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for joint filers. [30]
• $70 billion: Alternative minimum tax: a one year increase in AMT floor to $70,950 for joint filers for 2009.
• $15 billion: Expansion of child tax credit: A $1,000 credit to more families (even those that do not make enough money to pay income taxes).
• $14 billion: Expanded college credit to provide a $2,500 expanded tax credit for college tuition and related expenses for 2009 and 2010. The credit is phased out for couples making more than $160,000.
• $6.6 billion: Homebuyer credit: $8,000 credit for all homes bought between 1/1/2009 and 12/1/2009 and repayment provision repealed for homes purchased in 2009 and held more than three years.
• $4.7 billion: Excluding from taxation the first $2,400 a person receives in unemployment compensation benefits in 2009.
• $4.7 billion: Expanded earned income tax credit to increase the earned income tax credit — which provides money to low income workers — for families with at least three children.
• $4.3 billion: Home energy credit to provide an expanded credit to homeowners who make their homes more energy-efficient in 2009 and 2010. Homeowners could recoup 30 percent of the cost up to $1,500 of numerous projects, such as installing energy-efficient windows, doors, furnaces and air conditioners.
• $1.7 billion: for deduction of sales tax from car purchases, not interest payments phased out for incomes above $250,000.
Tax relief for companies
Total: $51 billion
• $15 billion: Allowing companies to use current losses to offset profits made in the previous five years, instead of two, making them eligible for tax refunds.
• $13 billion: to extend tax credits for renewable energy production (until 2014).
• $11 billion: Government contractors: Repeal a law that takes effect in 2012, requiring government agencies to withhold three percent of payments to contractors to help ensure they pay their tax bills. Repealing the law would cost $11 billion over 10 years, in part because the government could not earn interest by holding the money throughout the year.
• $7 billion: Repeal bank credit: Repeal a Treasury provision that allowed firms that buy money-losing banks to use more of the losses as tax credits to offset the profits of the merged banks for tax purposes. The change would increase taxes on the merged banks by $7 billion over 10 years.
• $5 billion: Bonus depreciation which extends a provision allowing businesses buying equipment such as computers to speed up its depreciation through 2009.

These are all fine and good but they aren't really "tax cuts" because they are part of a spending bill. It is simply money not paid now that will need to be paid later. They aren't decreasing the governments income. Rather, they are just delaying it. This is really a 288 BILLION dollar welfare handout. Thankyou BH Obama!

Healthcare

More than 11% of the total bill is allocated to help states with Medicaid
Total: $147.7 billion
• $86.6 billion for Medicaid
• $24.7 billion to provide a 65 percent subsidy of health care insurance premiums for the unemployed under the COBRA program
• $19 billion for health information technology
• $10 billion for health research and construction of National Institutes of Health facilities
• $1.3 billion for medical care for service members and their families (military)
• $1 billion for prevention and wellness
• $1 billion for the Veterans Health Administration
• $2 billion for Community Health Centers
• $1.1 billion to research the effectiveness of certain healthcare treatments
• $500 million to train healthcare personnel
• $500 million for healthcare services on Indian reservations

This is certainly not an "emergency" to get our economy running. This is political opportunists working towards socializing the nation's healthcare system. This is a step in that direction and a huge $150 BILLION mistake for this country. Remember, all this money has to be paid back and it all has to come from somewhere. If it comes from the "rich" or large corporations then those people will simply charge the "poor" more for goods and services. There is no escaping the fact that everyone will have to pay this back eventually either directly to the government or through private exchange. Thankyou BH Obama!

Education
Total: $90.9 billion
• $44.5 billion in aid to local school districts to prevent layoffs and cutbacks, with flexibility to use the funds for school modernization and repair (State Equalization Fund)
• $15.6 billion to increase Pell Grants from $4,731 to $5,350
• $13 billion for low-income public schoolchildren
• $12.2 billion for IDEA special education
• $2.1 billion for Head Start
• $2 billion for childcare services
• $650 million for educational technology
• $300 million for increased teacher salaries
• $250 million for states to analyze student performance
• $200 million to support working college students
• $70 million for the education of homeless children
Aid to poor, unemployed and retirees (including job training)

Again, this is a $91 BILLION dollar politically opportunistic spending frenzy and nothing else. This does nothing to stimulate the economy. It throws more money at the best funded and most under achieving school programs in the modernized world and I'm sure the teacher's unions are thrilled at this part of the bill. None of the above should be able to qualify as "emergency spending" but it certainly does according to BH Obama. Thankyou BH OBama!

Unemployment benefit expansion and food stamp increases are the main social funding parts in the final bill
Total: $82.5 billion
• $40 billion to provide extended unemployment benefits through Dec. 31, and increase them by $25 a week
• $19.9 billion for the Food Stamp Program
• $14.2 billion to give one-time $250 payments to Social Security recipients, poor people on Supplemental Security Income, and veterans receiving disability and pensions.
• $3.95 billion for job training
• $3 billion in temporary welfare payments
• $500 million for vocational training for the disabled
• $400 million for employment services
• $120 million for subsidized community service jobs for older Americans
• $150 million to help refill food banks
• $100 million for meals programs for seniors, such as Meals on Wheels
• $100 million for free school lunch programs

Why do unemployed people need more money? Honestly, did it get more expensive to be unemployed? More welfare programs for those on the government tit. It's pathetic. $83billion dollars so that unemployed people don't have to live as poorly as unemployed people used to live. Thankyou BH OBama!

Infrastructure Investment
Total: $80.9 billion
Core investments (roads, bridges, railways, other transportation)


Highway construction is the biggest single line infrastructure item in the final bill
Total: $45.2 billion
• $27.5 billion for highway and bridge construction projects
• $8 billion for high-speed rail projects
• $6.9 billion for new equipment for public transportation projects
• $1.3 billion for Amtrak
• $750 million for the construction of new public rail transportation systems
• $750 million for the maintenance of existing public transportation systems
Investment into government facilities
Total: $20.7 billion
• $4.6 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers for environmental restoration, flood protection, hydropower, and navigation infrastructure projects
• $4.2 billion to repair and modernize Defense Department facilities.
• $4 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (wastewater treatment infrastructure improvements)
• $4 billion for public housing improvements
• $2 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (drinking water infrastructure improvements)
• $890 million to improve housing for service members
• $250 million to improve Job Corps training facilities
• $240 million for new child development centers
• $150 million for the construction of state extended-care facilities
• $100 million to improve facilities of the National Guard
• $240 million for the maintenance of United States Coast Guard facilities
Supplemental investments
Total: $15 billion
• $7.2 billion for complete broadband and wireless Internet access
• $1.5 billion for competitive grants to state and local governments for transportation investments
• $1.38 billion for rural drinking water and waste disposal projects
• $1 billion to the Bureau of Reclamation for drinking water projects for rural or drought-likely areas
• $750 million to the National Park Service
• $650 million to the Forest Service
• $515 million for wildfire prevention projects
• $500 million for Bureau of Indian Affairs infrastructure projects
• $340 million to the Natural Resources Conservation Service for watershed infrastructure projects
• $320 million to the Bureau of Land Management
• $280 million for National Wildlife Refuges
• $280 million for the National Fish Hatchery System
• $220 million to the International Boundary and Water Commission to repair flood control systems along the Rio Grande
• $220 million for other public lands management agencies
• $500 million to update the computer center at the Social Security Administration
• $290 million to upgrade IT platforms at the State Department
• $50 million for IT improvements at the Farm Service Agency

Parts of this section grow the federal government so I pretty much disagree with them on principle. The other parts pay for things like Highways and bridges. IMO, we ought to be paying this money to our state and local governments and allowing them to decide what to do about our local bridges and highways. Instead, we give it to Washington and they give it back if we comply with their federal programs. It's poppycock to say the least. This is another 20 billion dollar shot in the ass. Thank you BH Obama.

Energy
Loans and investments into green energy technology is a significant part of the final bill
Total: $49.7 billion
• $11 billion funding for an electric smart grid
• $6.3 billion for state and local governments to make investments in energy efficiency
• $6 billion for renewable energy and electric transmission technologies loan guarantees
• $6 billion for the cleanup of radioactive waste (mostly nuclear power plant sites)
• $5 billion for weatherizing modest-income homes
• $4.5 billion for state and local governments to increase energy efficiency in federal buildings
• $3.4 billion for carbon capture experiments
• $2.5 billion for energy efficiency research
• $2 billion for manufacturing of advanced car battery (traction) systems and components.
• $3.2 billion toward Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants
• $500 million for training of green-collar workers
• $400 million for electric vehicle technologies
• $300 million for federal vehicle fleets, to cover the cost of acquiring electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrid vehicles.
• $300 million to buy energy efficient appliances
• $300 million for reducing diesel fuel emissions
• $300 million for state and local governments to purchase energy efficient vehicles
• $250 million to increase energy efficiency in low-income housing
• $600 million to cleanup hazardous waste that threaten health and the environment
• $200 million to cleanup petroleum leaks from underground storage tanks
• $100 million to evaluate and cleanup brownfield land
• $400 million for the Geothermal Technologies Program

50 billion for energy. Yipee! Thankyou BH Obama!

Housing
Total: $12.7 billion
• $4 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for repairing and modernizing public housing, including increasing the energy efficiency of units.
• $2.25 billion in tax credits for financing low-income housing construction
• $2 billion for Section 8 housing rental assistance
• $2 billion to help communities purchase and repair foreclosed housing
• $1.5 billion for rental assistance and housing relocation
• $510 million for the rehabilitation of Native American housing
• $200 million for helping rural Americans buy homes
• $130 million for rural community facilities
• $100 million to help remove lead paint from public housing

Can I make a prediction here? None of this $50 billion dollar "investment" will do any good. Why? Because if green energy was profitable, it would already be in the market and consumers would be buying it up. This is the American tax payer subsidizing research/development that could not and would not exist or be sustained without the subsidization. The same is true for all non-metal recycling. It would not be economically viable for private companies to recycle non-metal materials if the government did not pay for it to survive. This is a complete waste and has a track record of epic failure. Thank you BH Obama!

Scientific research
NASA is among the research centers receiving additional funds under the Act
Total: $8.9 billion
• $3 billion to the National Science Foundation
• $2 billion to the United States Department of Energy
• $1.3 billion for university research facilities
• $1 billion to NASA
• $600 million to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• $580 million to the National Institute of Standards and Technology
• $230 million for NOAA operations, research and facilities
• $140 million to the United States Geological Survey

How is this an "emergency"? 9 billion dollars! Thankyou BH Obama.

Other
Total: $17.2 billion
• $8.8 billion: State Block Grants: in aid to states to defray budget cuts.
• $4 billion for state and local law enforcement agencies
• $1.1 billion for improving airport security
• $1 billion in preparation for the 2010 census
• $720 million for improving security at the border and ports of entry
• $650 million for DTV conversion coupons and DTV education
• $210 million to build and upgrade fire stations
• $150 million for the security of transit systems
• $150 million for the security of ports
• $24 million to improve security systems at the Department of Agriculture headquarters
• $150 million for an increase of claims processing military staff
• $150 million for VA general operating expenses
• $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts to support artists
• $50 million for the National Cemetery Administration

I like the 24 million to improve security systems at the DoA headquarters. First of all, WTF does that have to do with anything? Second, how is it an "emergency"? Third, doesn't 24 million seem like a lot of money for security in a building? How much does a few cameras and monitors cost? But, it is typical of this whole bill. It is a complete and total waste of future tax money. We will all pay the price in the future.

Thank you BH Obama!

A Falling Star?

Source

For the first time since Gallup began tracking Barack Obama's presidential job approval rating on Jan. 21, fewer than 60% of Americans approve of the job he is doing as president. In Feb. 21-23 polling, 59% of Americans give Obama a positive review, while 25% say they disapprove, and 16% have no opinion.

Approval ratings are down 10%. Turns out, Hope and Change and $5 will buy you an overpriced cup of coffee but not long term satisfaction with the Commander in Chief. Sure, it is still early and he could top out at 95% by the end of his term but I doubt it. IMO, he peaked before he was even elected and his popularity was due more to a hate of the previous administration rather than earned by achievement and track record. Thus, he has no where to go but down. Granted, “down” for Obama is a long way to travel but he might just speed up the journey once America realizes that he is full of empty promises and bankrupting the country with his massive spending. I just hope they realize it in 4 years instead of 8.

EPIC FAILURE: NASA fires off a 273 Million Dollar Bottle Rocket

check out this article

A satellite launched from California failed to reach orbit today, crashing into the sea near Antarctica and dooming a $273 million mission to study global- warming gases.

“The mission is lost,” National Aeronautics and Space Administration spokesman Steve Cole said in a telephone interview from the launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The satellite was going to shed new light on what happened to a over 400 billion tons of man-made Carbon Dioxide. The article says:

The craft contained a monitoring device designed to collect 8 million measurements every 16 days. Scientists hoped to use the data to find out how much carbon dioxide is absorbed by the forests, grasslands and oceans, which are collectively known as “sinks.”

Man-made carbon dioxide, which traps heat in the atmosphere, is largely produced by power plants, vehicle engines and factories.

The data gleaned from the satellite was intended to help guide government global-warming policy, NASA said.

“An improved understanding of carbon sinks is essential to predicting future carbon-dioxide increases and making accurate predictions of carbon dioxide’s impact on Earth’s climate,” NASA said on the mission Web site. “If these natural carbon-dioxide sinks become less efficient as the climate changes, the rate of buildup of carbon dioxide would increase.”

Natural Sources

Technology allows scientists to distinguish between carbon dioxide that is generated by humans and that which is emitted from natural sources such as decaying plants, according to NASA.

Between 1751 and 2003, human activities released 626 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere, NASA said. Yet only about 192 billion tons of the gas remained in the atmosphere, according to the agency.

Helping to find out where the missing carbon dioxide went was one of the satellite’s missions.

I think Albert Gore sabotaged the mission. They were on to him.

Acutal Sentences in Patient's Charts

(I don't know the history of any of this or even if it is real. I got it on a handout at work with the same title as above. I thought it was funny.)

1. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.
2. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
3. On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
4. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
5. The pt has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
6. Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.
7. Healthy-appearing decrepit 69 year old male, mentally alert but forgetfully.
8. The patent refused autopsy.
9. The patient has no previous history of suicides.
10. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
11. Patients medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40 pound weight gain in the last three days.
12. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
13. Between you and me, we ought to be able to get this lady pregnant.
14. Since she can’t get pregnant with her husband, I thought you might like to work her up.
15. She is numb from her toes down.
16. While in the ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.
17. The skin is moist and dry.
18. Occasional, constant, infrequent headaches.
19. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
20. Rectal examination revealed a normal sized thyroid.
21. She stated that she had been constipated for most her life, until she got a divorce.
22. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
23. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
24. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
25. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
26. The patient has to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stock broker instead.
27. Skin: somewhat pale but present.
28. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
29. Patient was seen in consolation with Dr. Blank, who felt we should sit on the abdomen and I agree.
30. Large brown stool ambulating in the hall.
31. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.