Looking for a church

Sorry for my extended hiatus but my computer crashed recently and then when I got it back from the repair shop I was swamped and haven't been able to write. Which is too bad because I had a lot of good material I could have covered but now none of it seems very timely. So instead of covering topics in the news I am going to give a little personal update.

Some of you have known that I have been a little restless recenlty and that I have been looking for a change. This restlessness has been on display in most of the areas of my life but particularly with my church. That is why I have decided to leave Faith Church and look for a new church here in Lansing. This has not been an easy choice to make but probably one that is long overdue actually. I noticed over the past year that my involvement and service at the church was on a precipitous decline and that I wasn't able to buy into the direction the church is going. This is not to critique the church or its leadership who I am sure are pursuing what God has called them to do. In fact, I expect that Faith Church will continue to flourish and grow over the next couple years. It's just that I have come to the conclusion that one can outgrow a church, even a healthy church and that is what has happened to me. I love Faith Church and have made some great friends and done a lot of good work there but it is simply time for me to move on and do something new.

Let me tell that looking for a new church is quite difficult. And unlike West Michigan, Lansing's choices are fairly limited. So far I have been to two non-denominational churches, one vineyard, one Christian reform and the other Wesleyan church here in town. So far I haven't quite found my fit yet. Although, it does take more than visiting one service to truly know if the church is the right one. What I like least about my search is going by myself. When I first moved to Lansing I had my roommate Craig that I could go with and also my Kristie and so we could go and compare notes and talk about the church. This time around I am going alone and I have no one to discuss and debrief with.

One observation I have made is that most of the services are well planned and programmed but kind of sterile. It seems like all the churches follow a similar formula and I am looking for a different formula. I don't know exactly what that looks like but I haven't found it yet. My main goal in my next church is finding community. And by that I don't mean some greet your neighbor for 5 minutes during the service but real relationships. I have learned that I perform much better when I am surrounded by like minded people who can spur me on and encourage me.

I hope to have that network of relationships at my new church but so far it's not looking too likely. I am amazed at how unfriendly some of these churches are. If I wasn't already a Christian I would be turned off by the lack of hospitality at some of these places. Not all of them are that bad but at one of them nobody said one word to me and I had to go out of my way to ask the usher for a program and he looked inconvenienced when I asked him. I don't plan on going back to that church.

So this week I am still debating what church to check out. It's either going to be one of the larger seeker friendly types or try an African American church near my house. It will probably depend on my mood when I wake up as to which one I will pick. Pray for me as I make this decision. It was really difficult to leave Faith but I know that I could not stay any longer and expect to grow. Hopefully, I can quickly find a new place where I can grow.

Derby Day

Even though I know very little about Horse Racing I still enjoy watching the Kentucky Derby and putting a few dollars down on a horse or two. This year's field of 20 is a tough group to pick from and given my lack of knowledge I typically choose horses that are good at closing and hope the speed horses burn out from starting too fast. The advantage of this wagering gives me hope all through the race so that even if my horse starts out near the back I know that he will eventually make his move. When I pick the speed horses I get all excited when they get out to the early lead and then I am crushed as horse after horse passes them in the backstretch.

The Favorites this year are Lawyer Ron, Brother Derek and Barbaro. All three are very good horses who have been on a roll lately. The problem with betting the favorites is that they seldom win the Derby. The Derby is a unique race because of its length and the size of the field and I think this disrupts a lot of the favorite horses. Of the three I like Brother Derek the best.

The trendy value picks are Point Determined, Sinister Minister, Bob and John, Sweet Northern Saint and AP Warrior. This means that these are good horses who have a chance to win but you get better odds on your money. I also like to play these types of horses but I might stay away from this group this year. The only horse I like in this group is Sweet Northern Saint. Supposedly he has had the best week of training of all the horses in the race.

The surprise winners could include Jazil, Steppenwolfer, Showing Up, Cause to Believe and Storm Treasure. This is the group with the closers that I like and I will probably pick one of them to show and include them in my trifecta. Doing that is a nice way to increase the value of the trifecta bet. I fully expect Jazil to be the best of this bunch as long as he can stay close enough to the leader and stay out of traffic.

This year's longshots are Keyed Entry, Sharp Humor, Private Vow, Bluegrass Cat, Deputy Glitters, Seaside Retreat and Flashy Bull. These are all bad horses and the only one I like is Seaside Retreat but that is simply because of the name.

Without further ado here are my top 3 picks:

Sweet northern Saint
Brother Derek
Jazil

Good luck this year and remember the good thing about horse racing is that anybody can pick the winners and you don't need to know anything about the sport. All you have to do is pick the horse you like and cheer wildly for two and a half minutes.

Current Odds as of noon Saturday.
Jazil
30-1

Steppenwolfer
30-1

Keyed Entry
30-1

Sinister Minister
12-1

Point Determined
12-1

Showing Up
20-1

Bob and John
12-1

Barbaro
4-1

Sharp Humor
20-1

A.P. Warrior
15-1

Sweetnorthernsaint
10-1

Private Vow
50-1

Bluegrass Cat
30-1

Deputy Glitters
50-1

Seaside Retreat
50-1

Cause to Believe
50-1

Lawyer Ron
4-1

Brother Derek
3-1

Storm Treasure
50-1


Flashy Bull
50-1

A Christian Nation?

Today is the national day of prayer and all across the country millions will gather to pray for our nation. This year the event has gotten me thinking about the religious status of our country. A couple weeks ago, I was watching CSPAN and a guy named Kevin Phillips was on discussing his new book in which he fears that the Republicans are being taken over by the far Christian right with the goal of turning America into a modern day theocracy. While I don't fully agree with him on this point I do think there is some element of truth in his argument.

Over the past 20 years, millions of Christians have become more active in politics and this is a very good thing. Abortion was the initial driving force and lately the battle against gay marriage rallies Christians of all denominations to the polls. We need Christians to be involved in Government and especially to engage in holding back the advancing cultural mudslide that is taking place in our country. This rises from the idea that if America's elects leaders who are Christians and right on the social issues then our country would be more Christian. I do not agree with this premise. Electing Christians should not be the goal in itself but it should be the by-product of a truly Christian electorate. Let's look at the facts. We have a Christian president who is the most outspoken president we have had regarding his faith in Jesus. Furthermore, we have a US congress that has more pro-life, pro family members than we have had in the past. Yet, when I look around our society is no more Christian than it was 12 years ago when the Democrats controlled Congress and Clinton was President. Conversely you could make a strong case that we are less Christian than before we elected Bush.

It appears our political victories were just that. Political victories. They didn't advance the spread of the gospel but instead advanced political agendas and there is a big distinction to be made between the two. I wonder if our efforts have been somewhat misguided. Have we become so wrapped up in politics that we have put our hope in a worldly institution rather than in the supernatural Christ? I fear many Christians would prefer winning elections as a way of advancing the Christian faith more than traditional evangelism and service.

So if politics is not the answer than what really does make us a Christian nation? In a recent poll over 80 percent of Americans call themselves Christians. This high number astounds me because I didn't think that many Americans could agree on any one thing in particular let alone religion. The answer for this large number lies in the details as we see that although we have so many self proclaimed Christians, that term means different things to different people. Leave out the fact that Christians don't agree on a lot of issues, what's even more startling is that a majority of Christian Americans don't attend church regularly and can't even name more than 4 of the 10 commandments. I always assumed even non-Christians could name more than 4 of the commandments just by recalling which ones they had broken. This general lack of knowledge and commitment leads me to question if we can be called a Christian nation just because most people choose to label themselves Christian.

At that heart of my question is what truly defines Christianity. What are the barometers that measure one's true faith in Jesus. I am going to begin compiling a list of characteristics and traits that one would assume Christians possess if they are truly committed to following Jesus. I am then going to see how we as a nation measure up compared to other religious and secular nations in regard to these characteristics. I am interested to see where we stand and if we deserve the title of a Christian nation. If you have suggestions for what characteristics I should use, I am open to ideas.

Grading the draft

I managed to watch the entire first round of the draft and while I love the draft it was tough to stay awake for all 6 hours of it. It especially rough after Pittsburgh traded up and I had no one to cheer for until the Lions pick in the second round. What's funny is that I watched it with my friend Aaron and his family but I think he could have cared less while the rest of us were trying to guess which player would come off the board next. Anyways here are my initial thoughts on the winners and losers of the draft:

Winners:

Matt Leinart - yes he fell to number 10 and that probably cost him 20 million dollars but he goes to a team loaded with offensive talent and he won't be thrust into the starting position right away. He also has a great QB coach in Dennis Green so I suspect Leinert will be very successful and might actually turn the Cardinals into a winner someday.

The Jets - They did the smart thing and refused the temptation to mortgage their draft for Bush and instead chose the two best offensive linemen and also got a good QB to groom for the future. I suspect that the Jets are a team on the rise with their new leadership.

The Eagles - Similar to the Jets, they were able to fill key holes with quality players. Getting Winston Justice in the second round was a steal. And Bunkley would be the next Warren Sapp but without the mouth. Look for this team to rebound this year.

Ohio St - They had 5 players taken in the first round and 7 taken the first day. It is obvious that this team was loaded with talent and the future looks bright for the buckeyes.


Losers -

Houston - I still have no idea why they chose Williams over Bush. They took a guy that nobody had even heard of three months ago and wasn't even the player of the year in his conference over the most dynamic player to come out of college in a decade. It's decisions like this that get GM's fired and nobody in Houston will be sad with he is fired. This draft pick will go down as the worst since taking Mandarich over Barry Sanders.

Lendale White - I really thought he was the real deal but apparently his lackluster attitude and rumored drug use turned off a lot of teams. And while I usually put more stock in how a player played during the season than how he acts off the field I do understand why he fell. He was facing the biggest job interviews and he failed to take them seriously enough to get into shape. If he doesn't take that seriously when millions are on the line how seriously will he take practice?

Bad Characters- White was not the only one to fall this year because of character issues. It seemed like their were several players that had first round talent but 7th round character and finally the NFL teams decided to avoid these pitfalls early. I am surprised and pleased because how many times can teams get burned by suspensions, trials and types of distractions. Maybe this will be a wakeup call for the younger athletes to stay out of trouble.

The Lions - When your best two QB's are a perennial backup and an Arizona cast off you can't have that much confidence in you're passing game even if Martz is now the coach. So why the heck did they pass up a franchise QB for an undersized linebacker with a history of concussions? It's mistakes like this that keep Detroit from ever being a legitimate football team.

Michigan- How far has the program fallen that no players are chosen on the first day and only three altogether. For years the problem with Carr was that he didn't get enough out of his talent. Well apparently, he doesn't even have talent anymore. How many more years of mediocrity can Michigan afford before they decide to hire a better coach.

Political Parties

One thing I have been thinking about lately is how we reform the political system. It seems like the public is becoming less and less satisfied with their leaders and quite frankly our leaders are becoming less and less worth following. Instead of thoughtful debate on the issues we have two parties bashing each other to gain political advantage and people both inside and outside the system are getting sick of it. And while talk of lobbying and election reform sounds nice they don't really address the real problem.

The dirty truth about both politics is that Republicans and Democrats are only concerned with one thing and that is Power. Either they are fighting to maintain power and control or they are working to regain it. The policy implications of what happens in government become just a pawn in this battle. And unfortunately, the start of a third party is not the solution. It would be impossible for a third party to become a major player simply because the two main parties have stacked the system against them. And besides the third parties are usually just one issue parties and lack broad popular support. But even if the green party or libertarian party were to win they would simply become just like the Democrats or Republicans in their quest for power and control. The old axis is right when is says that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

So what is the solution? I will get in trouble with several of my friends for suggesting this but the real solution is dissolving the political parties. Let each candidate run on his own merits and ideas without the party infrastructure pulling the strings. We could save a lot of money by eliminating the primary elections and simply have one election where winner takes all.

I am convinced there a lot of really good candidates out there that don't fit neatly in the Republican or Democrat box. They might be conservative in some areas and liberal in others but they will never be able to run for office because they couldn't get the nomination. Instead we get a lot of people who are nothing but idealogues who can't even think for themselves getting elected. And even if someone was able to get elected without being a party line person, they would constantly be pushed by the party to conform and vote a certain way for the sake of the party or because they owed the party their election.

If people could freely run on their own issues and vote their own conscience the quality of government would greatly improve. Instead of partisanship, each legislator would find others that agreed with on a certain issue and work together instead of against them. I know several Democrats that like my boss and agree with him on several issues but will campaign against him simply because he is a Republican. And it goes both ways.

One last problem with the current system is that it pigeonholes people into one group or another. I often get asked what I do and when I tell them I work for a Senator the very next question is what party. When I tell them, I get either a sigh of relief and a grateful smile that my boss is Republican or I get a shrug of disbelief because I work for a Republican. They have no idea who he is or what my boss stands for but they just assume he is either good or evil based on a party label. Political labeling has created such a lazy voting public. A lot of people just vote for Republicans or Democrats regardless of who the person is. So I guess the voters are getting what they deserve.

I realize that my plan has no way in hell of actually coming to fruition because it would shake the roots of power in this country and too many people would lose their positions of influence. But I do think this is the best solution and would have popular support among the voters. Most people are becoming independents and moving away from being a member of either party. Unfortunately, the parties will do everything they can to prevent changing the system that keeps them in power.

NFL Draft

I love the NFL draft and am very excited about this weekend. I have been studying all the different mock drafts and athlete bios for the past several months trying to prepare for the draft. It used to be only Mel Kiper but today there are whole websites dedicated to the draft almost all year round. The past two years I haven't been able to watch the draft because I had a wedding one year and then my nieces birthday last year. Finally I get a free weekend to sit back and enjoy the draft.

The other thing about the draft is that the day is full of hope for every team. We all think if we can only draft such and such a player that our team's fortunes will turn around. Just ask Detroit Lions fans because every year they think they have a great draft and every year the reality on the field does not match the expectations. But at least the Lions have that one hopeful day each April. But sometimes the draft can change a franchise. Two years ago magic happened when Ben Roethlisburger fell into the Steelers lap at pick number 11. Finally Pittsburgh has a quarterback and as expected he did lead us to the wonderland and gave us one for the thumb. Who will be this year's Big Ben? My guess is that AJ Hawk on defense and Reggie Bush on offense will have the most impact on their new teams.

On the flip side who will be this year's Tony Mandarich. For those that don't remember he is the fat excuse for a lineman that the Packers took ahead of Barry Sanders. Nobody wants to be that team having to explain their malfeasance to their fans. This year it looks like that team is Houston for choosing Mario Williams over Reggie Bush. I have no idea what they are thinking. They took a guy who had an okay season but wasn't even the defensive player of the year in his conference over the best player in all football last year. I am sure that Williams has that dreaded thing called potential but why not choose a sure thing in Bush. Mark my words that Houston's general manager will be fired by next year because of this stupid choice.

By taking Williams last night, now all the mock drafts on line are worthless and the draft hasn't even started yet. I also heard several people on TV speculating on trades but it seems like every year the trade talk is mostly hype. I would guess there is less than 3 trades in the first round today.

Here is my wishlist for the Steelers. I am praying that LenDale White falls to them at 32. People are down on him because of his attitude and injuries but whenever I watched him play last year he looked great. He led the nation in touchdowns while sharing the backfield with Bush. I am also hoping that Donte Whitner or Darnell Bing falls to Pitt in the second round because they need help at Saftey.

One final thing, what I don't like about the draft is how overhyped some of the players become. If I hear one more time how Jay Cutler is better than Vince Young or Matt Leinart I am going to scream. How good could Cutler be? Granted I didn't watch him play one down last year but then again neither did all the experts who are hyping him. Production in college counts for something. In fact it is much more important than how tall or how fast the guys are.

I will come back Monday with my draft grades. Until then sit back and cheer on your team's selections.

Politics and the Media

I was a little surprised today when I read that Tony Snow will become the new spokesperson for President Bush. As many of you know, Tony Snow is a news commentator for Fox News and also hosts a political radio show. When I first heard his name floated as a replacement for Scott McClellan I thought it was wishful thinking but apparently Bush wanted him to the be the next voice of his administration.

At first blush I have concerns that taking a reporter and moving him to the other side blurs the lines between those making the news and those reporting the news. There have been other crossovers but usually the spokesperson becomes a reporter. Think George Stephanopolous and we all know how that turned out. David Brinkley must be rolling over in his grave.

Then I realized that there already is a blur between politicians and the news networks and that hiring Tony Snow only confirms what everybody already suspected. Instead of reporting unbiased news stories, today's reporters want to be part of the story. They are activists who want to help shape public opinion and therefore public policy. And so they can either shape it working at Fox news or CNN or in the whitehouse. It's all part of the same game with the same goal just different sides of the field.

The problem with this new type of activists and politically charged media is that the average American doesn't really know who to trust or believe anymore. Most people are not politically motivated and they simply want the truth behind what is really going on in the world. Unfortunately, truth is hard to come by in the new media and that is why you see a decline in viewership and readership among the large networks and newspapers.

My suggestion is to watch more than one station and choose shows that cater to both liberals and conservatives. Don't just watch Fox News or CBS News but watch both. The internet can be helpful but don't just read conservative or just liberal websites. Even the best ones have an agenda and sometimes the truth is not part of that agenda. Reading multiple sites and watching different channels can help you be an informed citizen instead of a sucker in someone else's political game. And of course if all else fails you can always read the fetzer files to get the true scoop.

Liberal Lunacy

There were two recent incidents on college campuses that expose just how out of touch college professors have become. The first episode happened at Ohio St. Mansfield. A librarian at the college name Scott Savage recommended a book for Freshmen to read and apparently one professor thought the book was inappropriate and files a complaint against the librarian. The book that was assigned is called the Marketing of Evil and the subject is how the gay rights community is attempting to advance their agenda. Apparently Professor JF Buckley is a gay man and took great offense to this book and sent Mr. Savage the following email:

"So, I am not shocked, only deeply saddened and THREATENED that such mindless folks are on this great campus. I am ending now, with the hope that I have seriously challenged you Scott, and anyone who thinks as you purport to do. You have made me fearful and uneasy being a gay man on this campus. I am, in fact, notifying the OSU-M campus, and Ohio State University in general, that I no longer feel safe doing my job. I am being harassed."

What a fricken pansy. Since when did recommending a book equate with a making a threat? I thought colleges were supposed to be a discussion place for the great debates of the day. Apparently, this professor only wants his side of the story told. Is he so weak in his convictions as to let a book scare him?

Thankfully the school cleared Mr. Savage but they apparently instructed him not to retaliate and suggested he take diversity training. Guess who instructs the diversity training? If you guessed Professor Buckley you are correct.

The other story revolves around a memorial that a pro life group build on campus. Northern Right to Life built a memorial to honor all the unborn children by placing white crosses into the ground. They receivedeved permission from Northern Kentucky University but apparently professor Sally Jacobson did not get that memo. Instead she instructed several of her students to vandalize and destroy the memorial.

When she was caught encouraging this behavior she attempted to justify her actions by saying "Any violence perpetrated against that silly display was minor compared to how I felt when I saw it." She then went on to compare their actions to citizens taking down Nazi displays. It is hard to believe someone actually thinks this way let alone that they would be in a position to teach young people. Thankfully, Northern Kentucky fired Ms. Jacobson. I am surprised that they had the guts to do the right thing but given her thuggish actions I guess they had no choice.
Both of these examples signify that college campuses are certainly at the front line of the culture wars. And while these professors clearly overstepped their bounds and were caught espousing their radical views, I wonder how many other professors are more cautious in their indoctrination. It's their influence on young minds is what worries me the most.

NBA Playoffs

For some reason I am not as excited about the playoffs beginning as I should be. Maybe it's how long the regular season is. Or maybe it's because I don't like the best of 7 format. Don't get me wrong, I love the Pistons and have cheered for them since the mid 80's but I am not setting my schedule around their playoff games like I have done in the past. Maybe success breeds complacency and their recent performances have lulled me into a false sense of security. I fully expect that they will not have a challenging series until at least the conference championship but even then I doubt it will go 7 games. They are just that much better than all the other teams. The only concern I had was depth and with Delk coming off the bench I feel a lot better about that.

As for the western conference, it looks pretty wide open. I am looking forward to seeing how the Clippers do in the playoffs. My guess is that Dallas wins the conference because I don't trust San Antonio this year. Duncan and Ginobli are both less than 100 percent healthy. Dallas could give the pistons some problems and they beat them during the regular season. So my prediction is Detroit over Dallas in 7 games.

One last thing, I am sick of all the Kobe for MVP hype and hearing how great a job Phil Jackson did coaching this year. Okay Kobe is very good but he does not make his teammates better. That's my criteria for being an MVP. I would much prefer Lebron, Nash, Chauncey or Dirk winning the award. Having said that, how good a coach do you have to be to squeak into the playoffs if you have the MVP on your team. All Jackson did this year was tell Kobe to shoot the ball and cash his paycheck. Heck anybody could have done that.

Fun With Words

Over the past several years I have attempted to broaden my vocabulary by learning new words and incorporating them into everyday conversation. It's very satisfying to find just the right opportunity to use a relatively obscure word in the proper context. It is especially fun when the person I am conversing with has no idea what the word means and I get to demonstrate my verbal superiority.

In fact, to show off your intelligence or to hide your lack of it, there is nothing more important than the use of a vibrant and robust vocabulary. That is why I am providing a list of ten fun and often under utilized words that you can use to impress your friends. Just by using new large words you will be amazed at how smart people think you have become .

1. Feckless - Weak and ineffectual
example: The Pittsburgh Pirates are the most feckless team in baseball

2. Ramshackle - A structure that is poorly constructed or in disrepair
example: I currently live in a ramshackle

3. Boondoggle - an unnecessary or wasteful project or activity.
example: Much of the legislation that gets introduced in the Senate is nothing more than a boondoggle

4. Spurious - Similar in appearance but lacking validity
example: The link between high school grades and college achievement is spurious

5. Fastidious- Excessive or meticulous attention to detail
example: My friend Sarah keeps fastidious track of her finances

6. Debacle - A total, often ludicrous failure
example: My attempt at salsa dancing was a complete debacle

7. Esoteric - Confined and understood by a small group of enlightened people
example: If you use these words you're friends will think you are speaking esoterically

8. Precipitous - Extremely steep, rapid, hasty, or abrupt
example: The Republicans majority in Washington is headed towards a precipitous conclusion

9. Rapscallion - A deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
example: Why would anybody vote for that Rapscallion Ted Kennedy

10. Droll - Amusingly odd or whimsically comical
example: I enjoy my friend Don's droll sense of humor

Nerds

The other night my friend Ryan and I got together to watch the Pistons vs the Cavaliers. The game was a blowout and we were looking for something else to do halfway through the third quarter. Ryan is a big fan of Star Wars and has been collecting the new line of attactkix battle figures. He invited me downstairs to see his collection and it is quite impressive. The new figures are much better than the old one's that we grew up with. What is especially cool, is that they are designed to be used in a game and each piece has a certain number of moves they can make or powers and weapons they can use. So we get out our favorite characters and decide to play against each other. Ryan's wife is happy that I am there so he has someone to play with.

I choose Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett and I go against Anikan Skywalker and the rebel soldiers. It was a well fought battle but in the end Jabba prevailed. Then we tried out other characters including the tuscan raiders, the jedi nights, Darth Vader and his storm troopers and the droid army. All in all it was a fun night considering that I won a few times. Usually I lose when we play xbox.

Afterwards I got to thinking of how funny it is that two thirty-something men who used to play star wars when we were kids still enjoy playing star wars as adults. I guess once a nerd, always a nerd.

Lake Mead Poetry

I survey a vast gulf between me and beauty
I see it and want to hike or swim to it
But I know deep down it will not happen
Instead I get to view it from a distance
And if I could get there
Will it be as good as it looks from a far
Will I appreciate it more or less
I will never know the answer to such questions
For even though it in within my sight it is beyond my reach
But at least I know exists
Then I realize that is exists closer than I think
I do not need to travel one more step
Because beauty is sitting just beside me and traveling with me

I'm Back

I just got back and had a great time on my trip. I spent a couple days in Las Vegas which was fun but different from my last trip in that I was with my family this time. I tried my hand at another poker tournament and did awful and so I am re-evaluating my dream of becoming a professional poker player. One thing that I got to do this time that I didn't do last time was visit the stratopshere. The view from up top is fantastic and especially at night with the lights and all. For some reason four of us decided to risk our lives by riding the ride at the top of the tower. The ride's name is insanity and it lived up to it's billing as it spun us around as we dangled parallel 900 Ft above the city. Thankfully we all survived. Looking back it was a rush but not something I would do again.

Better than Las Vegas was Lake Mead. The view from Lake Mead was more beautiful than I anticipated. We took our houseboat toward the grand canyon and made it as far as we could before the water became too shallow. And while the water was freezing cold, the weather was sunny and warm. Each night we would find a cove to dock the boat. We would hike up the mountains and then have a campfire or watch the stars. The best part of the trip was that there were no other people around. It was just us and nature which was very cool. Our last night on the lake we stopped at a place called Mushroom Rock and hiked about two thirds of the way but stopped before darkness fell. As we were dangling our feet over the edge and gazing out over the cliffs, I told my sister in law that the scenery demanded to be captured by a poem. She held me to this task and I will post my poem in a few minutes.

It is good to be home but I could go easily go back. There is something soothing about the mountains and the water and the warm desert air. At least spring is coming this way shortly.

Vacation

I am leaving tomorrow for a weeklong vacation with my brother and his family. We are renting a houseboat on Lake Mead which is between Nevada and Arizona. I am looking forward to getting away for a while because work has been unbelievably busy lately and this will be my last break before the election in November.

This trip will be different than most of my other adventures because I will actually be traveling with other people. Usually I go alone and have gotten used to that feeling. Now I will be with 7 others on a boat all week. What's really nice is that my Brother and I don't often vacation together and I look forward to spending some time with him and beating him in race for the whitehouse. It will also be good to spend quality time with my nephews who have been wrestling with a lot of teenage stuff lately. I wish I lived closer to them so I could see them more often but this week I will be living especially close to them.

I am taking my laptop but I don't know if they will have wi-fi out there or not. My guess is I may be dark for a few days but I will try to post if I get a chance.

American Idol

I hate to admit it but I have become a fan of American Idol. This is the first year that I have actually followed the show from tryouts until now. I used to make fun of my friends who had to rush home to watch it but I have become one of those people. So far this is how I rank all the contestants: Katherine, Elliot, Mandisa, Chris, Paris, Taylor, Lisa, Bucky, Ace and Kelly.

Tonight's show was just okay with the best performances from Mandisa, Elliot, Paris and Katherine. But by and large I thought the performances were below average and that the contestants looked tired. I think part of the problem was that they had to sing something from this decade and unfortunately they didn't have much good to choose from. Today's music industry is more about marketing and performance than about the actual integrity of the music. And that showed today as each contestant tried to put their own spin on songs that were written for very specific artists. Compared to last week, it was obvious that Barry Manilow's efforts really helped the contestants and they could have used his help again this week.

Another revealing part of tonight's show was how critical the judges were of Mandisa. It was obvious that they have no interest in Christian music. In fact Simon admitted that he just doesn't get it and he is right. If someone isn't a person of faith then Mandisa's song might not come across well. But to those of us who are Christians, the song was really powerful. I guess the judges contempt for Christian music is similar to my disdain for country music.

Anyways, I think that Lisa is going home tomorrow night. I hope I am wrong and that Kelly is voted off. But apparently she has a lot of fans that must be as dumb as she is to keep voting for her. I also wouldn't mind saying goodbye to Ace who is only in the contest because of his good looks. It certainly isn't for his singing ability.

Revelation

A thought came to me over the weekend regarding faith. I was praying for a family member and in the middle of my prayer I realized that I often want God to demonstrate his power and then as a result of that demonstration my faith will be increased. The reality is just the opposite. When my faith is increased that is when his power is more fully demonstrated in my life. This is not a new concept to most of us but it is something that I continue to wrestle with. I forget all the works God has done for me already and judge him by what he has done for me lately. I want to have faith but I want God to prove himself first. And then I wonder why he doesn't provide the answers that I want. I am reminded of James, Chapter 1 when it says that if a man lacks anything he should ask God who gives generously to all. But when he asks he must believe and not doubt or he is like the waves of the sea tossed and blown by the wind. Lately I feel more like the waves then I prefer. So I guess I am going to try out this new approach of believing first and receiving second. Accordingly, I am expecting big things to happen in my life.

A Great Sports Weekend

I love weekends where all I have to do is watch sports. Friday night I went to the Nuthouse which is local watering hole and watched a really good game between Villanova and Boston College. Then the next day, I went to my parents to do laundry and watch the basketball games on the big screen. I actually flipped back and forth between the LSU-Texas game and the Golf Players Championship. Both were highly entertaining. LSU has some unbelievable athletes and I love Big Baby Davis. Not only is he big and very quick for his size but he seems like a smart, funny guy in the interview. Could we have the next Charles Barkley?

As for the golf, I love the last two holes at Sawgrass. Hole #17 is an island green par three and 18 is the hardest par 4 on the PGA tour with water down the left hand side. This guy named Olberholser who I had never heard of before went to 17 with the lead but plunked his tee shot into the water and made a triple bogey. Then he hit his drive on 18 into the water and double bogeyed that hole. It was one of those times when I could totally relate to a professional athlete.

Then Sunday came and I watched little George Mason play Connecticut. I have to say I have not liked Connecticut all year because they play with no heart. Tons of talent but no heart. George Mason played the game of their lives including knocking down 6 straight three point shots to begin the second half. The game went down to the wire and when they let Connecticut tie game and send it to overtime I told my friend Jason that the Connecticut was going to win. But George Mason played great in overtime and held on to win. They now tie the 1986 LSU team as the lowest seeded team to advance to the final four. Since my bracket is now in shambles I am officially on the George Mason bandwagon. And on the subject of brackets, in my office pool with just under 200 people only one person has two final four teams and only 17 have one team left. What a crazy tournament.

To me there is no better time than March for sporting events. Basketball, Golf, the start of baseball season and even the NFL draft is just around the corner. For sports fans this past weekend is as good as it gets.

What the heck is wrong with Yale

I was recently reading a couple articles on-line about what is happening at Yale University. For some inexplicable reason Yale has recruited a former Taliban official named Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi to attend their university. Rahmatullah was the spokesperson for the Taliban before their fall in Afghanistan and to this point he has not apologized for their legacy of brutality and murder.

His acceptance to the university, coupled with his lack of repentance, has caused quite an outrage among Yale alumni. Some of these alumni have formed a group that is encouraging donors to send press on nails to Yale instead of donations. The nails are a symbolic gesture in reference the Taliban's pulling out the nails of women that wore nail polish. I hope this protest works but so far it has only served to infuriate Yale officials.

Apparently, after reading about their efforts the assistant director of giving at Yale sent an email to one of the alumni behind the group's efforts. Here is the text of that email:

"What is wrong with you? Are you retarded? This is the most disgraceful alumni article that I have ever read in my life. You failed to mention that you've never contributed to the Yale Alumni Fund in your life. But to suggest that others follow your negative example is disgusting."

Let me get this straight, at Yale they feel it is disgusting to protest the school by not sending money but they don't find it disgusting that they recruited and admitted a totalitarian thug who contributed to the torture of women. It's hard to believe that such a shocking attitude could come from one of America's most prestigious universities. But then I remembered this is the same school that sued the federal government because they didn't want ROTC recruiters on their campus.

Somewhere along the way Yale has gone seriously adrift and lost all sense of moral clarity. It's sad that our country's best and brightest minds are submitting themselves to learn in this type of environment. I pray that these future leaders are innocuous to Yale's repugnant view of right and wrong.

One last thing, if you want to join the protest against Mr. Rahmatullah , you can send a nail to the following address:

Yale University
Office of Development
P.O. Box 2038
New Haven, CT 06521-2038


Footnote: I borrowed information for this post from Clinton W. Taylor and John Fund whose articles appeared on Townhall.com and Opinionjournal.com

Discipline Schmiscipline

I was talking to my friend Aaron last night and we got on the subject of discipline. We both agreed that we need more discipline in our lives but we didn't come up with an acceptable answer for accomplishing that. For those that know me well, it will come as no surprise that I have almost zero discipline spiritually, physically or financially. And usually I don't mind that because being undisciplined allows for a lot of free time and temporary enjoyment. But lately, I feel a bit a drift and wonder if that's because I don't have that structure and focus in my life. However, the mere thought of adding discipline makes me just want to crawl back into bed and forget about it. How does one get discipline if they have none to begin with? It seems like the old adage about money; it takes discipline to make discipline. So I guess I am asking for some advice, preferably from other slackers who were able to overcome their lack of discipline.

March Madness Part 2

I know the games have already started but I wanted to get my final four picks on record. Thankfully none of them have lost yet. Picking the bracket was a big challenge and I have no feel for what I am doing this year. I am in two pools and ended up with two completely different final fours which is not something I normally do but I think it might help spread the risk. In the pool at work which is actually for money I have Connecticut, Duke, Kansas and Ohio St. I picked Ohio St over Kansas in the final game. In my online pool with friends and family which is just for pride and bragging rights I have Memphis, Texas, MSU and Villanova. In this pool I picked Villanova over Memphis in the final. I know that most people are picking Duke and Connecticut to win so I wanted to be different. But don't trust my judgment. This morning, a friend of mine with limited basketball knowledge emailed me his picks to look them over and make sure they weren't way out there. I wrote back that they looked good except that he picked Montana to beat Nevada and I told him to change it. Well, Montana did beat Nevada earlier today in the first real upset of the tourney. Well, half time is almost over and I have half a dozen more games to watch tonight.

First Date

Last night I had my first date since August. It went very well and I am already looking forward to a second date. I met Amy through work and soon discovered that we have similar interests. A couple weeks ago, I called her to ask her out but she had other plans and took a raincheck. Last night I was finally able to cash in that raincheck and took her out to dinner.

The night didn't start out as planned, as she had to work later than expected. Then, I discovered the restaurant I wanted to take her to was out of business. I guess there isn't much of a market for French food in Lansing. I ended up calling my ex girlfriend in a panic to come up with a backup restaurant. Finally, at 7:00 p.m. Amy and I ended up at some hole in the wall Mexican place which turned out to serve good food. But better than the food was the conversation and companionship. Amy is particularly bright and witty and I really like that in a woman. We spent much of the night in playful banter discussing all things from religion to politics to books we were reading. I enjoyed having someone who shares as many common interests. The last woman I dated flunked the political test I give to all new dating interests by not being able to identify her US Senator. Amy is a welcome change and I appreciate that.

We stayed at the restaurant for a long time. They actually closed the place and started turning up the music in the background as a hint that it was time us to leave. The one awkward moment was at the end of the night as I wasn't sure how to end it. So we simply said goodbye and drove away. No hug, no handshake, no nothing. I am not sure really what happened. All I know is that it was going well up to that point and then "see ya".

Today I am trying to figure out my next step. I sent her a short email telling her how much I enjoyed the evening but now I would really like to call her. But I don't want to come on too strong or seem too desperate. So I guess I will wait to see if she writes back tomorrow. When she does write back, I need to have a plan in place to ask her out for a second date. I don't want to rush things but I also don't want to go so long in between dates that she forgets how charming I am. Plus, the second date is always a very important date for me because I can usually tell if there is any long term potential or interest by the end of the second date. It's usually by the fourth date that I begin to regret having gone on the second date. Let's hope that is not the case this time.

You know I have to say it feels nice to go on a date again. I've missed it and forgot how much fun they can be. I like the butterflies in my stomach. I like the nervous anticipation of waiting for her to call. I liked sharing and laughing at the restaurant. Although I have no pretenses for this relationship other than enjoying her company it's refreshing to be excited at the possibility of a relationship.

I'll keep you posted. That is, unless she finds out that I am writing about her. In that case, you will probably have to call me to get the scoop.

Weekend Update

Since my last two posts a few things have happened. First Bill frist won the Republican Presidential straw poll which is somewhat expected since it was held in his home state. What wasn't expected was Mitt Romney placing a strong second. Maybe there were a lot of Mormons at the conference. The supposed front runner John McCain finished a distance fifth. So the race goes on and on and on........

As for college basketball, I was not shocked that Michigan didn't make it to the tournament. Maybe they will do well in the NIT. What did surprise me was how poorly the committee did seeding the tournament. Gonzaga, Pittsburgh and George Washington all got screwed while the committee somehow rewarded teams like Tennessee, Syracuse and Indiana. For the record I am picking against all three in the first round. I am not sure about the rest of my picks yet but if you want to fill out a bracket, go to http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/men The league ID# 57015 and the password is freckles.

March Madness

Today is selection Sunday and one of my favorite days of the year. It's like a holiday. I love that we now have the internet because back in the 1980's I used to have to tape record CBS and then watch it over and over to write down all the brackets or wait until the next morning for the newspaper. Now I can go on-line and read about the macth up of every game. It's so cool.

I have been staying up late this week watching crappy games like Pacific vs Long Beach State trying to determine who my sleeper will be in this year's tournament. This year I like Nevada, San Diego St, UNC Wilmington and Wintrop as my uspet specials. Having said that they will probably all lose on day one.

What I love most about the brackets is that everyone plays, including people who are not big basketball fans. Every year I think I have an edge on those people but every year some 20 year old college girl who is an intern wins our office pool by choosing her favorite colors or something crazy. This year, I am going to go with my initial gut instincts when filling out my bracket instead of second guessing myself and overthinking every possible match up.

Thursday and Friday are the best two days in all sports because there are 16 games that start at noon and run until midnight. It's like binge drinking for basketball fans. It's fun to check the results throughout the day and compare my bracket to others. We will all huddle around the TV in our office to watch the last 2 minutes of an early round game because one of our final four team is down by 3 to some team we've never heard of and we are hoping our bracket is not completely screwed. I also love picking the right number 12 seed to upset a number 5 seed. It happens every year and sometimes I get it right and sometimes it bites me in the butt. I especially like to call my friends as soon as their final four pick loses so I can rub it in.

Without further ado, here are my top four seeds:

1 seeds Connecticut, Duke, Villanova, Memphis
2 seeds North Carolina, Texas, Gonzaga, Ohio St.
3 seeds Kansas, Illnois, UCLA, Pittsburgh
4 seeds LSU, Florida, Iowa, Boston College

One last thing; Michigan may or may not get in the tournament but regardless, they do not deserve a bid. They have played awful over the past month and will lose in the first round if they do happen to get in. I like Tommy Amaker as a person but it is time to make a change at coach.

Let the race begin

This weekend the Southern Republican Leadership Conference is being held in Memphis Tennessee. This conference includes important movers and shakers in conservative southern politics and is also drawing a lot of interest from presidential hopefuls. John McCain, Mitt Romney, Bill Frist and George Allen are all attending and giving speeches. The most important part of the event is the straw poll where the delegates get to vote for their favorite candidate. As I was watching hardball which is broadcasting live from the conference, it got me thinking about the 2008 race. Here are some questions that need to be answered before we get a clear view of how the race will shake out.

1. Will conservatives be so afraid of Hillary that get behind a mainstream secular candidate like John McCain or Rudy Guliani? These two both poll among the leaders in every internet poll but neither are trusted among conservatives. McCain rankled a lot of feathers by pushing through campaign finance reform and by striking a compromise to avoid ending filibusters on judicial nominations. Guliani is both pro choice and pro gay rights. Both issues are anathema in republican primaries. We are already seeing McCain gaining support especially among conservative senators in the south including Trent Lott and Lindsey Graham.

2. If conservatives don't support a moderate candidate will they be able to coalesce around one conservative candidate or will they end up splitting their vote and give the nomination to a moderate anyway? The two most likely persons to rally the true blue conservatives are George Allen and Sam Brownback. Allen is good looking and from the south. He is currently a Senator from Virginia. Brownback is a conservative Sen. from Kansas and he speaks aggressively to traditional evangelical issues. Allen has the better chance of winning the nomination but Brownback really connects to the base.

3. Will conservatives overlook the character or theological flaws of Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney? Romney is Governor of Massachusetts so he obviously can win in supposedly blue states which makes him appealing. I have seen Romney speak in person and he is good on the campaign trail. He is solidly against gay marriage and is becoming a lot stronger on the prolife issue. Having said that, he is Mormon. Evangelical Christians may not want to put a Mormon in the Whitehouse even if they agree with him on the issues. Newt is the most well spoken of all the candidates and has obvious political skills. The more I listen to him in interviews the more I like what he has to say. The problem with Newt is that he cheated on his wife with a staffer and left the speaker's office in disgrace. Will conservatives overlook his personal shortcomings? Another thing against Newt are his extremely low poll numbers in the 1990's. Will Americans give him a second look or have they already made up their mind about him? Between the two I like Newt better but Romney has the better chance of winning.

4. Will Condi Rice run? Dick Morris has been talking her up for President for a long time. She has a great resume and is probably the smartest person in the running. She should help bridge the gender and racial gap that have hurt Republicans in the past but it is not clear just how much she will cut into these key constituencies. In addition because she is from California she can bring that state into play which would create big problems for Democrats. My guess is she just likes the attention and is not a serious candidate. Having said that she would certainly be open to being the VP.

5. What role will Bush/Cheney play? Usually the sitting VP is the presumed front runner but that is not the case with Cheney. I have heard recent rumors that he may retire after the mid-term elections and if that is the case, Bush could pick who he wants to win the nomination. It would be almost impossible for the party to not nominate his handpicked successor. Under this scenario it is likely that he would pick Rice because he certainly trusts her and she would continue his legacy. But the chances of Cheney resigning are only about 20% and Bush will stay on the sidelines and wait for his brother Jeb to run in 2012.

6. What issues will take center stage? If same sex marriage is the hot issue, that benefits Romney who has the led the fight against it in Massachusetts. If immigration is the issue, that helps a darkhorse named Tom Tancredo, an outspoken Colorado Congressman. If the war is the key issue, that helps McCain, Guliani and Rice. Of the three it helps Giuliani the most because of his 9/11 cult status. If abortion is the issue, it helps Brownback the most but basically hurts all the moderate candidates more than it helps a specific conservative. Keep an eye on the South Dakota anti abortion law because that could be going to the Supreme court during the nomination process. If winning is the issue, it will again help McCain and it probably helps Allen because he is seen as the most electable of all the conservatives. Rice could capitalize on this as well. Finally if the issue is about the recent scandals and election reform, this definitely helps McCain. My prediction is that immigration will be the dominant issue.

7. Will the lower tier candidates stick around or will they get in line behind the leaders? I would put Bill Frist and George Pataki is this category. Both are good Republicans and have impressive enough resumes but neither is going to win the nomination because they are both kind of boring. They represent different regions and wings of the party and could drag support away from other legitimate candidates. The longer they stay in the more they hurt Allen and Guliani. If they drop out they could swing their support behind their preferred candidate. But both will probably stay in the race much longer than anyone wants them to.

My early odds on the race are as follows:

McCain 3-1
Allen 8-1
Romney 15-1
Guliani 20-1
Gingrich 25-1
Rice 30-1
Brownback 35-1
Frist 50-1
Pataki 60-1
Tancredo 100-1
The field 30-1

Buffalo Cheese

Every once in a while I learn something new at work. This week, we had a couple of constituents come to Lansing to explain a project they are working on in our district and to see if the state could provide any incentives. The project is to bring water buffalo to Newaygo County and process the milk from the buffalo into high quality cheeses. Supposedly there is a growing market for this type of product. I had no idea. In fact, I didn't even know you could milk a buffalo until they told me. They tell me this is very common in parts of Europe and Italians don't consider mozzarella cheese real unless it is made from Buffalo milk. I imagine somewhere in Italy some youngster is shocked to learn that milk can also come from cows. How funny, that we only know what we are familiar with.

Buying Votes

I was recently watching Fox News and they were running a story about a ballot proposal in Arizona that would create a voter lottery. The plan would be to enter each person that votes into a drawing to win $1 million from their state lottery. The story claimed that most people interviewed supported the proposal. Of course they do, but I wonder if it will actually pass and if it does pass, what that means for the rest of the country.

While it is a creative idea to get more people to vote and participate in Democracy, I am not sure this is the right approach. I would like more people to vote and am usually shocked and saddened when I speak with friends who are not voters. The problem is that by turning voting into a lottery you could end up getting a lot of uninformed voters to participate which would sway the results away from voters who actually are informed.

There was a recent survey taken that found out more Americans could name the characters from the Simpsons then could list the rights protected under the first amendment. Are these the people we want picking our President? Do we really want to encourage and reward ignorant voters by giving them a chance to win a million dollars? Shouldn't participating in democracy and choosing your own leaders be reward enough? Many people around the world live under the rule of crooks and despots. My guess is they would love to vote for their leaders and they wouldn't need money as an incentive. Just look at the Iraqi voters who risk their lives just to go the polls and vote.

If this proposal does pass, I fear that other states will soon feel the pressure to offer their own incentives and gimmicks to lure voters to the polls. I hope the people from Arizona choose to maintain the integrity of the current system. Turning the election into a get rich quick scheme only serves to cheapen the process.

No More Fast Food

Is it just me or does it feel like time is flying by this year? As I look at the calendar I can hardly believe it's already March and the start of Lent. The past few years I have given up or tried giving up certain things for lent that held a power over me. Last year it was TV and while it was difficult, I appreciated the break and began to use my time more wisely. This year I have decided that I am giving up fast food. I tried this a couple years ago and only lasted a couple weeks but I am feeling up to the task this time.

Giving up fast food should help me in two ways. First of all it should help me lose a little weight. I noticed a few weeks ago that I had put on quite a few pounds and I hope that by cutting down on my late night taco bell runs, I can get into a little bit better shape. Secondly, I am hoping to save some money. I tried keeping track of all the money I spent on food and it was discouraging. So if I can eat at home more often I should see a little extra money in my pocket.

I look forward to the next couple months as I prepare for Easter. When I look back at what God has done for me, giving up fast food is hardly difficult in comparison.

Booker T Washington Quotes

The following are some great quotes from Booker T. Washington

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome."

"Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company."

"Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him."

"I let no man drag me down so low as to make me hate him."

"Character, not circumstances, makes the man."

"One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him."

"There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up."

"Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work."

"No man, who continues to add something to the material, intellectual and moral well-being of the place in which he lives, is left long without proper reward."

"The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts."

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."

"There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs -- partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do do not want to lose their jobs."

"No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. "

"No greater injury can be done to any youth than to let him feel that because he belongs to this or that race he will be advanced in life regardless of his own merits or efforts."

"Character is Power"

Footnote: These quotes were taking from the following websites: wikipedia.org and about.com

Black History Month

In lieu of Black History month I decided to do some reading on famous black Americans. There are many such leaders to choose from and though I was already familiar with their names I didn't really know a lot of specifics. During my reading I came to really appreciate Booker T Washington.

For those that are unfamiliar with him, he was born the son of a black slave but his father was white. He never knew his father and after the civil war he began studying at a school for teachers. While at that school he made an impression on Samuel Armstrong who was the school's administrator. So lasting an impression that when a group of investors decided to start a school for all blacks in the south, Armstrong recommended Washington to be in charge. The Tuskegee Institute was a big success and helped equip blacks with practical skill sets and prepared them to enter the workforce.

Because of this success, Washington became a leading educator and spokesperson in the black community. He also became a beloved figure among politicians and earned multiple trips to the whitehouse. But this success also earned him criticism among many leaders in the black community who saw Washington as a sell out to the white man. You see instead of sparking political change like they wanted, Washington wanted to create an independent working class of black people. He thought if they could work and support themselves, they wouldn't need the government to support them.

What I find so fascinating is how applicable his life and his worldview are today. One of the reasons he was able to succeed in life was because an older man believed in him and gave him an opportunity to make his life better. With the growing number of black children being born into homes without a father, today's black youth are dying for such men to invest their lives. This illustration also shows me that even though Samuel Armstrong is footnote in the history books, he still made a significant difference. Sometimes it is not what we do with our own lives but what we do to help others that makes the most lasting impressions.

The other major thing I learned was that the criticisms of Washington go to the heart of the current political debate today. Should blacks put their efforts into gaining power in government or should they focus on improving the black economy? Now I realize that many people will say we need to do both, but one of these visions will certainly take precedent. Sadly, today's black leadership still prefers government as the solution to their problems. And worse, they still prefer attacking any black leader that doesn't espouse the party line. Clarence Thomas and other conservative black leaders face the same kind of derision that Washington faced.

One final thing that intrigues me is that Washington did not teach the classical liberal arts to his students but instead focused on trade skills. He took some criticism for this as well from his fellow black leaders. In Michigan, we are currently debating what skills should be needed to graduate high school and there is a growing divide between college prep courses and career and technical courses. Maybe Washington's success will shed some light on this debate so we can determine what's best to prepare all kids for their careers.

I am glad that we have February set aside to study black history. There is a lot to learn and apply to our current day. I have certainly gained a lot of respect for and knowledge from Booker T. Washington.

Proud to be American?

The Olympics have been a complete bust for America this year. I really don't care that we haven't won the most medals but what I do care about is how selfish and annoying our top athletes have been. Has there ever been a worse winner than that Shani Davis? Doesn't he realize that he could have been a marketing star for being the first black athlete to win a gold medal in the winter olympics? Instead he is a jerk in the interview after he wins the gold and before that he held out of the team competition which potentially cost the US a medal. Thankfully, because nobody cares about speedskating we can all forget about him at least until NBC reminds us of him again four years from now.

Then there is Lyndsey Jacobellis who was going to win the gold in snowboarding but decided to show off and ended up falling and only taking the silver. That event signifies the mentality of today's athlete perfectly. All flash and no substance. The worst part of her stupid stunt was that I was starting to enjoy the snowboard racing but she ruined it.

There is also Bode Miller who I thought was a good skier but apparently he sucks because he hasn't won a thing this year. I guess he should try skiing sober in the next olympics. Before the games started I had hoped to cheer against him everytime he raced but he lost so often that I stopped caring.

Finally, there is Mike Modano from that successful 1-4-1 hockey team. First he complained that he had to book his own flights and hotel rooms. Yeah, I can see how difficult that could be and how that might impact your performance. Then he calls out his coach for calling a timeout in the final game and says that he thought the team played pretty well. Apparently, they didn't play not well enough to win and this with a roster of professional NHL players. No wonder nobody watches the NHL. Then to top it all off he decides to skip the final team meeting and fly home. Good riddance.

Whatever happened to American heroes in the olympics? If this crop of losers is the best we have to offer, I am not proud to be American.

Is Bush Stupid?

Let me preface by saying that I really like President Bush. I voted for him twice and respect him for being a man of principle even when a majority of people disagree with him. Unfortunately, this one of the times which I agree with the majority who have concerns over the recent transaction to turn operation of several of our ports over to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Last week, under a secret agreement with the administration, the company called Dubai Ports World purchased the rights to operate the ports in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia for $6.8 billion. Previously, the ports were run by the London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. which is a publicly traded company. Dubai Ports is solely controlled by the UAE government. Thus, this transaction essentially turns over control of our major ports along the east coast to an Arab country.

The Department of Homeland Security has made repeated statements in the past on the need to improve security among our ports. So why are we simply handing the keys to one our most vulnerable access points to a potential enemy? There are stories coming out daily regarding the UAE's ties to terrorism including Osama Bin Laden. Now I have no idea how serious these accusations are but it doesn't take much of a leap to assume that they could be true. Arab countries have a long history of at least giving aid and comfort to terrorist regimes if not outright supporting them.

When Congress found out about this deal, many politicians from both sides of the aisle became alarmed. But what was Bush's response? Instead of determining that he made a mistake and backing away from the agreement, he has dug in and decided to hold his ground. He has even gone on the attack against those who oppose the deal as being anti-Arab. Well yes Mr. President I am anti-Arab in the sense that I don't trust Arab countries with our national security and I have a difficult time understanding why you would trust them. What has the UAE done in the past to earn our trust?

And while this is a policy error, it is an even larger public relations and political debacle. Bush's one strong point is protecting our homeland from terrorism. People might not like him personally or agree with his domestic agenda but they do trust him when it comes to the war on terror. Now all of the sudden that trust has been shattered by a deal that doesn't appear to benefit anyone other the UAE. Bush gets nothing out of this deal accept ceding the high ground on security issues to people like Hilary Clinton. This is exactly the opportunity she needed to flank Bush from the right and finally make herself look like a moderate.

I hope that Bush's ego or at least his advisors finally come to their senses and see this as the losing proposition that it truly is. It took several weeks for him to abandon Harriet Miers but eventually he saw the writing on the wall and we ended up with a very good judge in Alito. Maybe he can salvage this situation as well but by the looks of it, Bush is looking to fight a battle he cannot and should not win.

The book on dating

I have often thought of publishing a book on dating. Using examples from my own dating experiences it would be a mix of genres including biography, comedy, philosophy and horror. But before I start writing,I need a title. The following is a list of potential titles for my book.

1. And you thought your lovelife was bad?

2. All theory, no practice

3. The good, the bad and the ugly

4. A series of unfortunate events

5. I love you Jeff, But..........

6. I'm just not that into you

7. Cobb's Law. How everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

8. Dating debacles, disasters and other boondoggles.

9. I'm not gay; I am just bad with women

10. What was I thinking?

11. Dating kissed me goodbye

12. Much ado about nothing

13. Celibacy; the gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving

14. You've got no mail

15. So why aren't you married yet? And other annoying comments made by married people

The Olympics

With apologies to my friend Todd who participated in the Olympics, I have come to the conclusion that I don't enjoy watching the games anymore. Some people are already buzzing about how cool it will be to wacth the winter games this year but I just don't get it. It seems to me that if you enjoy professional or major college sports that the olympics pale in comparison.

First of all I hate the TV coverage of the games. It's ludicrous that into today's 24 year global market that they show the games edited and tape delayed. Nothing ruins a sporting event more than chopping it up over several nights or showing it hours after most people have read about the winner on the Internet. I also detest the awful human interest stories. I really don't care if a the swedish skier grew up in poverty and had to ski up hill both ways to school. So what? Save the lame stories for the lifetime network.

The second problem with the olympics is that they are only every four years and feature sports that are not exactly mainstream. How many other times during the year do we watch skiing or curling. Even there marque sport of Ice Hockey is only the 4th or 5th most popular sport in America. It is hard to become passionate followers of these sports because we only see them every fours years or so. I couldn't tell you a single person on the bobsled team or a single speed skater. Why then should I turn on my TV and root for them? What made the Steelers victory so special last week were the previous 30 years of following that team. I have been through the ups and downs and identify with them. I cannot say the same thing about the olympics.

Finally, since the end of the cold war there is no enemy to cheer against. Beating China doesn't necessarily inspire the same hostility as beating the Russians once did. In fact, this year the only person I am rooting against is Bode Miller because he is such a pompass donkey. It's just not quite the same as when I was growing up. I remember beating the russians in hockey in 1980. Those were good times, but until Al Queda suits up a team we will not have an enemy worth rooting against.

Why the left pisses me off

The other day President Bush attended the funeral of Correta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King. During the funeral instead of honoring her, the Bush haters could not resist the opportunity to take cheap political shots at Bush on such topics as wiretapping, weapons of mass destruction and hurricane Katrina. It's amazing how strong their hatred is that they choose to make such untimely and inappropriate remarks. Why can't they simply praise a woman for her work in civil rights without making a political statement. Funerals are not the time or the place for such extreme partisan rhetoric. And if they wanted to talk about civil rights why not mention that Bush has appointed more blacks to high level roles in his administration than any previous president including Clinton and Carter.

But since they brought these issues up, I feel compelled to respond to their attacks. First of all, they try to make the moral comparison between Kennedy spying on Martin Luther King and Bush listening in on terrorist conversations. These are two distinct incidents with one being indefensible and the other completely defensible. The democrats spied on King and his wife because they feared his power in domestic politics and wanted to gather information to discredit him. That is not something the federal government should be doing and they deserve to be shamed for that black mark in our history. But that was not done by the Bush administration but by the Kennedys. Where is the hatred for Kennedy?

Bush on the other hand has authorized listening to phone conservations between Americans and known terrorists groups. According to the left you would think that he is authorizing listening to yours and mine conversations but that is not the case unless you are talking to terrorists. I know I am not and have nothing to hide so why the fuss? What's really happening here is that when we capture terrorists we often find cell phones and phone numbers. The CIA wiretaps these numbers to track and spy on terrorists but they have to do it quickly before of news leaks on CNN about the capture. At that point, the enemy will dump their cell phones and the information becomes useless. Sometimes, this can happen in the span of a couple hours and that is why the Bush administration does not want to wait and get court ordered approval.

What confounds me is why so many people are so upset by this practice. Our government has a duty to protect us from foreign enemies and that is precisely what they are doing. Shouldn't the democrats reserve their moral outrage for things that are truly frightening like say Iran getting nuclear weapons or Muslims rioting in the streets over cartoons. Now those are things Americans should be passionately opposing. But instead all left seems to care about is hating George Bush.

The second issue brought up at the funeral was the lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. This issue is about to take a turn in the President's direction. I have been a firm believer that these weapons did exist in Iraq before the war and I am amazed that we have not yet found them. I realize that only Bush and I share this same conviction but I just heard on the radio that tapes of Saddam Hussein speaking about his weapons are about to be released to the public. Apparently these tapes were discovered in one of Hussein's palaces but they were not listened to originally. On the tapes, he supposedly discusses his weapons of mass destruction program and how to hide them from inspectors. Currently, the tapes are being reviewed by the Congressional intelligence committee. Then on February 17 they are going to be released to the public at an intelligence summit in Washington DC to be verified by third parties for their authenticity.

While these tapes don't necessarily tell us where the weapons are currently, they certainly lend merit to the idea that they existed at one time. What will be interesting is whether this information will make its way to the mainstream media or whether they will bury it because it doesn't fit their agenda of Bush Lied-People Died. When the news of these tapes do break, remember you read about it here first.

Finally, one short comment on Katrina. The democrats want to make a racial issue out of this which I find morally repugnant. Not only do I detest using other people's suffering to score political points, but they are just plain wrong on the facts. Now I can't speak to New Orleans but I can speak to my own experience in Mississippi. And from what I saw the Hurricane attacked all races of people indiscriminately. Katrina didn't care if her victims were white or black and neither did the response and rescue teams. I noticed in the area where I volunteered that a majority of the victims were white. I am sure in other areas that were hit by the storm that a majority of people were black. So what? They were all victims of the same storm. I wish the politicians would move on from arguing over whose fault the storm was and what color the vitcims were and start working on rebuilding the neighborhoods that were affected.

Love Monkey

I have discovered my new favorite TV show. It's called Love Monkey and stars Tom Cavanaugh who used to star as Ed. I watched it last night and what I like about it is how they make the single life look so appealing. Most of the main characters are hip, single and in their 30's living in NY. They all have cool professional jobs. Despite their careers the four main guys in the show still find time to hang out and play basketball. How cool is that? That is the life I like to portray as a young hip single person myself.

The main character is interesteing because although he is successful and confident he still seems like one of the guys. He has a relationship with two women on the show and both are captivating. One woman he works with and is attracted to but he is still awkward around her. Who can't relate to that? The other is his gal pal who is dating some other guy. I find myself relating to that situation more and more.

Overall it's a good show with good music and a compelling vision of what it should be like as a single person.

The persecuted church

Sunday morning my pastor preached from the book of 1 Peter. It was a good sermon about having hope and peace during times of persecution. The Christians of that day were being persecuted by the Roman empire and many lost their lives. This got me to thinking whether or not we face persecution in America. I know many people today who do think Christians in America today face persecution but frankly I just don't see it that way.

Most of what drives the debate on this issue is the political and cultural war that is being waged against Christianity. I agree that the secular left is trying to purge anything Christian from the public culture. I know lots of Christians who get so upset about these cultural issues but don't have the same zeal for Christ in their personal lives. They would rather complain about the lack of prayers in the public schools than pray every morning themselves. And while cultural and political issues are important I don't know if they are tantamount to persecution. These trials certainly don't rise to the level that our fellow Christians experienced throughout history or in even in other parts of the world today. I recently read an article that more Christians were martyred for their faith last century than in all the other centuries combined. That's a pretty staggering statistic but almost all of the killings were in foreign countries. In fact, I cannot think of one documented incident in which a person in America has either been killed, beaten or threatened because of their faith in Jesus.

What we consider persecution( no school prayer, banning the display of the 10 commandments, calling Christmas vacation Holiday vacation instead) doesn't really seem to measure what is happening in other parts of the world. Comparatively, we have it pretty easy here and I wonder what impact the lack of persecution has had on the American church.

There is an historical argument that supposes persecution is good for the Christian faith because it weeds out those who are not sincere and because it shows just how committed true Christians are to the cause of Christ. Tertullian, an early church father once said the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church. Historically, when the church has been persecuted, they have seen it's numbers and it's spiritual fervor increase. Conversely when the church was in power and not being persecuted, the church has experienced corruption and complacency.

What's interesting is that while the church's influence in the west is fading, the church appears to be flourishing across the globe especially in Asia, Africa and south America. Whether this growth is tied to persecution or not I don't know but I do think there is some merit to that theory. On the flip side could the reason the church is struggling in America be because we have become too lukewarm and comfortable? Has the church become so inoffensive that we don't merit a passionate attack from our critics? Maybe if we are not facing trials we are not living out our faith as strongly as we should? Can the church truly live at peace with those who do not share our beliefs?

For the record I am not advocating seeking out persecution or martyrdom. But I do wonder if the church wouldn't be stronger in the face of more adversity. I welcome feedback on this important issue.

Where were Bradshaw and Montana?

Before last night's game they introduced the previous superbowl MVP's. It was a cool ceremony especially when Franco Harris whipped out his terrible towel and waived it for the crowd. But two MVP's were markedly absent. The first was Terry Bradshaw. I know that he has had a rift with the Steelers in the past but he still should have been there. He stated he wanted to spend the game with his family. If that's true I guess I can respect that but I bet if Fox was showing was the game he would have been there. However, worse than Bradshaw's excuse is Montana deciding to skip the event because the NFL wouldn't pay him $100,000 appearance fee. What a jerk. The NFL enabled him to earn millions of dollars and he can't give one evening back to the game. How selfish can one person be? No wonder I always rooted against the 49ers back then.

One last note on someone else who missed the game last night. Seattle's coach Mike Holmgren's wife and daughter were in Africa on some type of relief mission. Despite not checking the calendar ahead of time to prevent the scheduling conflict, they had a real reason to miss the superbowl.

Oh what a night

Wow. So this is what it feels like to win the big one. After two decades of waiting it is sweet to enjoy the Steelers victory. It is also cool to send the Bus out on a high note. He is a class act and we are going to miss him next year.

As for the game itself, it basically came down to who made the big plays and the Steelers were able to capitalize when they had to. I have already heard from one Seahawk fan that they got robbed by the refs but the refs didn't miss two field goals, throw an interception in the red zone, mismanage the clock at the end of both halfs, give up a 75 yard TD, and didn't give up a third and 28 to set up the first TD. Yes the pass interferrence in the end zone was a bad call but that isn't what won or lost the game. And while Ben played his worst game in months he did make some big plays with his legs and showed pocket presence. Despite the bad numbers he still became the youngest QB to win the superbowl and that's pretty impressive. Oh and how good is Hines Ward? To think he held out in training camp but all's well that ends well.

The only bad part about tonight is that the season is over. There is no more football until August and that seems like a long time away. The memories of tonights championship will have to endure until next fall.

Oh for all you people who watched the game for the commercials here is a link to watch them again. Personally, I thought the secret fridge was the best one.
http://sports.aol.com/nfl/superbowlads

Nervous Energy

Two and a half hours til kick off and I am stir crazy. I even finished cleaning my bathroom hoping that would kill some of the down time because I don't know what else to do with myself. I have been watching NFL films of the previous Superbowls with the Steelers. I still remember Superbowl 13 and 14 but the memories are pretty vague as I was only 6 but I remember I couldn't fall asleep after the game when they beat the Rams. My Mom let me stay up until the 11 news to see the highlights. (This was pre ESPN) What's funny is that my Mom is not a big sports fan mostly in retaliation to my stepdad's obsession with the subject. But she is a Pittsburgh girl and those roots run deep and she's been rooting for the Steelers this year. Tonight I am going to their house to watch the game with the rest of my family and small group of friends. I hope I can relax and enjoy both the game and the company but most likely I will be a nervous wreck pacing, yelling, sighing and tossing my terrible towel at the TV. And that will be before the game even starts. Okay, I gotta go. I don't want to miss the snacks before the game. My final prediction is Steelers 38 Seahawks 24.

First Friday

Today I went to my first mass in a long time. My buddy Tom from work invited me and I decided it might be fun. I have been learning a lot about catholicism and wanted to experience a service firsthand. It was a little intimidating not knowing all the prayers and songs by memory but I still enjoyed it. It's a lot of rituals and tradition but those things are good if those practicing understand the meaning behind the practices.

Today they celebrated St. Blaise who was a bishop around 300 AD. He was healer of animals and healed a child. He later died a martyr. It was also first friday which is a tradition in the catholic church of taking mass the first friday of every month in remembrence of Christ's death on Good Friday. This is not a tradition we have in the protestant church but I think it's good to remember what Christ did for us once a month. I also like the idea of having mass at noon so you can go on your lunch break.

One thing I like most about being protestant, is the freedom to experience other styles of worship. God is so much larger than any particular brand or denomination of Christianity and each one plays a role in presenting the true picture of his fullness. Who knows, maybe I will go to mass on First Friday from now on.