Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Some Christmas thoughts

I'm sure you've seen the news reports. People complaining about certain retail stores posting "Happy Holidays" messages, and front door greeters expressing "Holiday" wishes. Sure, it bothers me too that Christ is being left out of Christmas, but I think Christians are fighting the wrong battles. Christmas doesn't belong in a retail store anyway.

Christmas belongs in our homes.

What we should be trying to change are the minds of those people who read "The Night Before Christmas" to their children instead of Luke Chapter 2, on Christmas Eve.

We should be trying to change people that teach their children about Santa Claus, but don't teach their children about the birth of Jesus.

We should be changing the hearts of people who sing "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer," while forgetting to sing the praises of our Lord in hymns like "God rest ye merry, gentlemen" or "Silent night".

What we should be trying to change are people who pride themselves on all the gifts they purchased for their friends and family, but fail to share with their loved ones the greatest gift ever given to humanity by our Lord Jesus Christ. When you give your gifts this year, tell the people you love that your gift is in rememberance of the gifts of God. Of the gift of His only begotten Son.

We are so blessed to live at a time and in a nation where we can worship freely and openly. We should remember that so many of our Christmas traditions were adopted by Christians who were desperate to hide the fact that they were celebrating the birth of our Lord, under fear of death. I will gladly display a Christmas tree, and decorate it with tinsel and lights, and remember those brave people who found a way worship the Lord even in times of persecution.

And I will remember that the Lord himself was humble enough to come into the world as a helpless infant, that we could learn from his example. That God loved us enough to sacrifice His only begotten Son, that we may be forgiven of our sins, that we will be ressurrected, and that if we choose to, we can live with Him again someday.

Merry Christmas.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Sariah and Aaron's song


Extraordinary Way by Conjure One



What I have is nothing to my name
No property to speak of
And no trophy for my game
Intangible and worthless
My assets on the page
My coffers are empty
Any offer of safety has faded away
But what I have
What I have is

On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You take what I can give and you treasure it
On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You turn to me and say, I believe in this

That makes me lucky
God, I'm lucky, so much luckier than I ever thought I'd be
'Cause what I have (what I have)
Means so very little to this world
A promise that I kept and a bridge that I saved before it burned
The sacrifice that I made
Brought me to my knees
A choice that cost me everything and set somebody else free
But what I have
Is the value that you see in these things

On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You take what I can give and you treasure it
On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You turn to me and say, I believe in this

That makes me lucky
God I'm lucky, so much luckier than I ever thought I'd be
'Cause what I have
Is the value that you see in these things

And everytime I forget those things you bring them right back to me

With your patience
When I'm blinding mad
And your passion
When I'm really, really bad
And your eyes
Taking in everything I am
And your body and soul and the way that you know
How I treasure you

On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You take what I can give and you treasure it
On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You turn to me and say, I believe in this

That makes me lucky
God I'm so lucky
So much luckier than I ever thought I'd be

On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You take what I can give and you treasure it
On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You turn to me and say, I believe in this

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!!

Hey, enough negativity already.

It's the holidays, and I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Whether you spend it with friends or family, enjoy the holiday. Give thanks to God for all we have been given.

Let's remember for a moment why we celebrate Thanksgiving.

The true story as chronicled by Governor William Bradford in his book, "Of Plimouth Plantation".

The Pilgrims set up a communist system in which they owned the land in common and would also share the harvests in common. By 1623, it became clear this system was not working out well. The men were not eager to work in the fields, since if they worked hard, they would have to share their produce with everyone else.

Bradford wrote that their experience taught them that communism, meaning sharing all the production, was vain and a failure

The Pilgrims changed their economic system from communism to geoism; the land was still owned in common and could not be sold or inherited, but each family was allotted a portion, and they could keep whatever they grew.

Their new geoist economic system was a great success. It looked like they would have an abundant harvest this time. But then, during the summer, the rains stopped, threatening the crops. The Pilgrims held a "Day of Humiliation" and prayer. The rains came and the harvest was saved. It is logical to surmise that the Pilgrims saw this as a sign that God blessed their new economic system, because Governor Bradford proclaimed November 29, 1623, as a Day of Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

iPOD Porn

"For the busy pervert who just can't wait 'til he gets home"

There's only one comment I can make -
Is there really a need in this depraved society for pornographic videos on the go?

Monday, November 07, 2005

Thou Shalt Not Bootleg



As I've indicated in previous posts I am an enthusiastic lover of music. I especially love live performances, if a group or artist can't give a good performance live then they should find a new career. As such, I attend lots of concerts. Something I enjoy doing is taping the Concerts for my own personal listening for many years to come.

Let's be clear, I have never sold a CD or Tape in my life. I believe music should be shared freely. At no time would I ever tape a show for my own personal financial gain, and would never endorse such a practice. I also avoid copying or downloading music that is copyrighted.

Another thing I want to stress is that this practice, contrary to what some people would have you believe, is not illegal. TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 113 > § 2319A of the US code states, "Whoever, without the consent of the performer or performers involved, knowingly and for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain fixes the sounds or sounds and images of a live musical performance in a copy or phonorecord..." Therefore, unless you intend to record a show for personal gain, you've got no problem. Unfortunately, each concert venue has their own rules regarding recording shows, as I found out Saturday night.

In 5 years and about 40 concerts worth of recording I have never before been caught. Saturday night, I attended a Journey concert in Houston, and had a couple of disadvantages in trying to conceal my recording devices. One, I was wearing a white shirt, it had been hot earlier in Dallas and I know Houston is usually even hotter, so I chose to wear a short sleeved white shirt. Two, I hung the microphone from a cord around my neck and left it on the outside of my shirt in plain view. I worry that placing the microphone under the shirt might muffle the sound. Third, the seat my ticket put me in was on an aisle, a very busy aisle where lots of ushers and security people passed me all night. So, during the final song of the concert I was approached by a security grunt and asked to come with him.

He took me out of the main seating area to an open vendor area near the exits. At that point I was surrounded by about 5 of these Security people. I then started telling blatant lies that I had forgot to bring a disc for my minidisc recorder, that I hadn't actually recorded anything, that the mike was hanging around my neck because I had forgotten that it was there. When one of these low wage security punks asked me if I thought they were stupid, I had to fight hard the urge to tell him just how stupid I thought they were. These guys were just absolutely jumping up and down, you'd think they'd caught Osama Bin Laden or something. Now at this point, I realised that the only way I was going to leave without further trouble was to give up the disc I had ejected from my recorder in secret and hidden in my belt.

There is a reason I use a minidisc recorder rather than some kind of digital recorder. With a minidisc recorder you can eject the disc. This comes in handy when you are caught; if you bring an extra disc, you can give the security guys the extra blank disc, and keep the one with the actual show recorded on it. Well after 40 shows and never being caught I had grown complacent and had failed to bring an extra disc. So to get out of there without any more hassle I gave up the disc, even though I was completely within my rights to refuse to give them anything.

Now I confess all this for a reason. I think my days of recording shows like this may be over. Even though this is not a crime, it is certainly against the rules of the venues where these concerts are held, and I'm sure the band and their management would not want this happening either. So, after some weekend soul searching I felt that this form of dishonesty, although a victimless crime in my opinion, isn't in keeping with the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I ask the forgiveness of everyone who feel my actions and dishonest practices have harmed them in any way.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Democrats Are Against Free Speech?



Yesterday, Nov 2nd, the House Democrats successfully voted down the Online Freedom of Speech Act.

77% of the House Democrats voted against the act, or abstained from voting, in contrast to the 78% of House Republicans who voted for it.

The Online Freedom of Speech Act ammends Paragraph (22) of section 301 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. The 1971 Act regulates disclosure of Election Campaign finances. Paragraph 22 of this act defines Public Communications, such as television, telephone, mail, newspapers, etc. The purpose of the amendment voted on yesterday was to exclude internet communication from the list of Public Communications. Essentially making all internet communications exempt from all Election Campaign finance rules.

I'm inclined to agree with the Democrats on this one. This vote was not about free speech as some people would have you believe. I agree with a lot of the limits set on what candidates can and can't do during Election Campaigns, and I would hate to see the Internet become an unrestrained vehicle for politic ads. Lets keep the internet focused on its main purpose, the distribution of free pornography.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Singing Mice

Here is a really interesting article about mice:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,174173,00.html

Apparently male mice sing to the female mice. I guess I must have mice genes in me, because since I found my eternal mate, I can't stop singing.

Music, being the 4th greatest thing in the world, is an important part of my life. Singing is something I enjoy a great deal. But, for the last 3 years I really haven't done much singing. I just haven't been in the right state of mind, or so I thought. Turns out I just hadn't met the right mouse who makes me want to sing.

A little over a week ago I decided that I wanted my future bride to hear my singing, so I spent the weekend recording songs for her. At times I was up until 4:30 in the morning singing for her. I'm sure my neighbors loved that. In the end I ended up with a CD of 14 songs that I was pretty proud of. Some were better than others, and some were off key. But, I felt it was representative of how I've been feeling.

Just call me Mickey and give me some cheese.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Calvin and Hobbes, I miss you.

I remember reading my very first Calvin and Hobbes cartoon in a newspaper while sitting in the waiting room of a Dentist's office. Following my appointment, I just had to show it to my Mother. I started collecting some of the funnier and inspired strips and still have them in a box in my closet.

Calvin and Hobbes wasn't just about jokes and making people laugh. It was about imagination, enjoying life, and seeing the beauty and fun in everything. It was about a 5 year old learning new things from his parents, and teaching them a thing or two in return. It was about friendship and love.

There has been no other piece of cartoon art that has touched me the way Calvin and Hobbes has. I miss those little black and white drawings the way I would miss an old friend.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Journey proves once again that they always have been and always will be a Rock band

Dateline Sept 28, 2005. Grand Prairie, Texas

I can't say enough good things about this show. The crowd was on it's feet for most of the show. Even jumping up and clapping along as Mystery Mountain was counted in. Every member of the band was in true form and rocked the house. From the jam band blues starting the show to the jam band blues that closed it I couldn't get enough. The Dallas crowd loved every minute of it.

And the stage set. WOW! That set, the backdrop lights, the psychedelic video projections. Whoever design this stage show needs to win awards. I can't wait to see the DVD.

Yes, its true they filmed tonight's show for a Television Special and DVD release. This DVD is gonna kick the 2001 DVD's Butt. This is the kind of show that I've been waiting for Journey to play for the last 20 years. And true to the Texas spirit the show was complete with Steve in a cowboy hat, and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

There's nothing holding these guys back.
Thank You Neal, Ross, Jon, Deen, and Steve. None of us are worthy.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

My letter to Senator Harry Reid of Nevada

Dear Senator Reid,

I want to thank you for spearheading the investigation into the causes of the current tragedy in New Orleans and the gulf states. As a concerned American I there are some questions that I hope will be answered by this commission.

1) What special powers has God bestowed on George W. Bush that allowed him to create a category 4 hurricane?

2) How did he manage to steer the hurricane into the gulf and then north to inflict the maximum amount of damage on the south, Biloxi and New Orleans in particular?

3) Did he choose these cities because of the utopian societies set up there by the many years of government led by elected democrats?

4) Did George W. Bush specifically time this event to coincide with the terms of the corrupt Mayor of New Orleans, Nagin, and the inept Governor of Louisiana, Blanco? Did President Bush do this at this time knowing that Mayor Nagin would fail to implement the city's emergency plan to evacuate the infirm, impoverished, and those without transportation? Did President Bush choose this timing knowing the Governor Blanco would fail to use her power as Governor to deploy the National Guard to assist in evacuation, rescue, and security operations before and after the storm?

5) Did George W. Bush use Cindy Sheehan as a puppet to distract the nation and hide the implementation of his secret Hurricane agenda?

6) What method did President Bush use to destroy the New Orleans Levies? Were bombs used? Were any military assets used?

I want these questions answered because as an American I want to be reassured that if the Nation had elected John Kerry in November 2004 the winds that blow across this great planet would have blown in a different direction. I want to know that this Hurricane would never have happened if George W. Bush was not President. I would hate to see the people of this nation elect anyone with such superhuman powers again.

Aaron R. Carter

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Capitalism at it's most evil

This is one of the most depressing stories I've read in a while.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/16/tech/main781387.shtml

We criticize Iraqi's for setting off bombs defending some ideology that we don't understand, and here we are in America beating each other with folding chairs for a 4-year old used laptop computer.

The people in this country need to abandon the consumer attitude. It's almost like an addiction. We work jobs that we hate to buy junk that we don't need. We buy gas guzzling SUVs that seat 7 even though there's only 3 people in the family, and complain when the price of gas goes up. Don't even get me started on Christmas shopping.


All around that dull gray world
of ideology
People storm the marketplace
and buy up fantasy
The counter-revolution
at the counter of a store
People buy the things they want
and borrow for a little more
- Rush, "Heresy"

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

It's been a while

It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted to my blog. I guess I just don't have anything interesting to say lately.

I'm going to post soon about how I think our nation needs a new feminist movement.

Okay I love you, bye, bye!

-Carter

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Harry Who?

In a rare post, here is something that I think is right with the world.

This week sees the release of a new Harry Potter book, number 6 in the 7 volume series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I wonder if people were as excited in anticipation of the release of each Narnia or OZ book.

Once again I will be waiting in line at a bookstore near me at midnight Friday. I love the hype, I love the excitement. I love hanging out with hundreds of other like minded parents and kids who just can't wait for the next chapter in Harry's unfortunate life.

And, one of the things about it all that I like the most, is that all this excitement is for a book. It's not for a movie, it's not for a new rock 'n' roll album, it's not for concert tickets. And not just any book, it's a book with good wholesome family values, morals and life lessons. I don't think there's been any other popular release in any format that has been more deserving of all this attention. If only other authors, filmmakers, and musicians would take a cue from J. K. Rowling and find a way to inspire the minds of the young and old everywhere.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

My advice to "Hollywood"

From ABC news -
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=906992&page=1

I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out the problem and the solution.

1) Make better movies. The last movie that I actually looked forward to seeing and couldn't wait for it's release was "The Village". There just isn't anything to get excited about anymore. Hollywood has completely lost it's imagination. Every movie coming out these days is a remake of something, or based on something else. The movies out recently - "Star Wars III" a sequel, "Batman Begins", a sequel / based on a comic book, "War of the Worlds", a remake / based on a book, "Fantastic 4", based on a comic book, "Bewitched", based on a TV show, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", remake / based on a book, "King Kong", remake, "Dark Water", based on a book, "Herbie, Fully Loaded", a sequel or remake depending how you want to look at it. Even "Cinderella Man" is based on a true story. Why would I shell out a single dime to see something that was better the first time? And it's not enough that they remake the hits of yesteryear, they remake the crap of yesteryear too, ie. "Bad News Bears" or "The Longest Yard". Come on!

2) Make fewer movies. If you insist on making so much crap, make it for DVD release only. I'm going to feel less irritated if I return a DVD rental unwatched, than if I have to walk out of a theater after wasting $20.00 on tickets, snacks and beverages. The movie studios need to trim the fat. Most manufacturers will lower the amount of product they are creating if demand for that product goes down. The movie industry has done the opposite. If there weren't 5 or more brand new releases to theaters every single week, it would be more of a treat to go to the movies when that rare must-see movie is released.

3) Lower ticket prices, I know ticket prices are set by the theaters, but obviously they set these prices based on what the studios are charging for each screen the theater shows the movie on. The other thing about ticket prices is that they are fixed. You expect people to pay the same amount to see "Star Wars III" as they pay to see "The Longest Yard". The product isn't the same why should I pay just as much.

4) Make more G and PG rated movies. For the most part parents won't take the whole family to the movies for anything rated PG-13 or R.

5) Stop casting Tom Cruise or any number of so called "stars" who can't even act. I wanted to see "War of the Worlds" but didn't want Cruise, Spielberg or anyone else involved to get a dime of my money. So, I bought a ticket to "Batman Begins" (a far superior movie) and went to see "War of the Worlds". Based on what I know about the movie industry, this really didn't matter anyway, since the studios get paid by the theaters for each screen they show the movie on, and ticket sales don't go to the studios.

I also have advice regarding the so called movie pirating scare. If DVD releases weren't overpriced then it wouldn't be a problem. I find it hard to believe that the industry really needs to sell a DVD movie for $20 or more when it only costs pennies to manufacture. There's no argument about the cost of marketing, or production of the actual movie, or anything else to convince me that they would be losing money by selling DVD for $10 or less. It's just Hollywood gluttony, and it's going to continue to bite them in the butt until they all end up as bankrupt financially as they are morally. This might be a good thing, though. Tear the entire movie industry down, then maybe we'll get something worth going to the theater for.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Justice Souter's home in danger.

http://www.freestarmedia.com/hotellostliberty2.html

This isn't a joke. As a result of the Supreme Court's ruling, on which Souter was part of the majority, he could lose his home.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

A Supreme Case of "What the @*%^# ??"

If you own property in the United States, pray that the government never decides that they have a better use for it than you do. The courts won't even help you.

Today the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the New London Development Corporation to allow them to "condemn" 15 properties that are privately owned in New London Connecticut. NLDC was contracted by the City of New London to develope an area near the closed Fort Trumball. The development came as a result of Pfizer (another heartless American corporation, don't get me started on this and other pharmaceutical companies) announcing plans to build a research facility in the Fort Trumball area. The City of New London realized, "hey the properties adjacent to the new facility would be prime area for businesses that will serve Pfizer employees." They purchased all of the parcels of land that they could, but when 11 owners refused to sell, all of the sudden the development of this area by private businesses is in the public interest. "Hey, we can condemn the properties that we can't buy and seize them under the 'emminent domain' laws if it is in the public interest." Sounds like Communism to me.

One of these families that is being evicted is a couple who have lived in that house for 60 years. The wife was born in the home and it has been in the family for over 100 years. I'm sure that when her parents bought the property they didn't anticipate losing it so the city of New London can lease the properties to fast food restaurants and build a Hotel / Conference Center. "We don't care if this has been your home, it's more important that the Pfizer employees have someplace nearby to buy sub sandwiches and hamburgers for lunch."

If only we could get the 5 Justices who voted in the affirmitive off of the bench. That would truly be in the public interest.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

The Da Vinci Deception

Read this author's blog about how Dan Brown plagarized his books when he wrote The Da Vinci Code.

http://davincicrock.blogspot.com/

After reading the legal filings, I'm pretty convinced. If you're not convinced read Lewis Perdue's original books, Daughter of God and The Da Vinci Legacy.

Monday, June 20, 2005

A Healthcare system that's worse than ours?

We complain about our healthcare system here in the States, but it could be worse. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely despise the medical insurance system. In my eyes Insurance is simply state sponsered extortion. Medical insurance was created as a way to gaurantee equal access to healthcare regardless of financial status. Great idea, right? Not!

On the flipside is a state healthcare system, everybody pays into it, via income taxes. Unfortunately, without the opportunity of being able to charge insurance companies and patients exorbitant and excessive fees for very little service, medical professionals have little incentive to offer quality care.

So, in Britain they have a state healthcare system and also allow private "self pay" healthcare. Well, in hospitals or clinics that offer both, guess who gets treatment first? The patient that can pay, and patients that are already waiting get to wait a little longer. Canada's supreme court just ruled against a ban on private care in that Country, and Canadians are justifiably concerned.

So, although we Americans face legal extortion whether we need medical treatment or not, I don't think we should look to Canada or Britain for answers. If only there was such a thing as a Doctor, Pharmaceutical Company, or Medical Equipment company that was honestly in the business of helping people.

Monday, June 13, 2005

Great idea for a reality show

I just thought of this and decided to write it down.

A songwriter competition, kind of like American Idol (I hate using this comparison, but it's the closest thing to what I'm envisioning).

Instead of a bunch of amateurs screeching to today's pop hits, the shows contestants would come up with their own songs which would be performed each week by established singers.

Each week could be a different genre of music, Country, Rock, Pop, Blues, etc. The contestants would know a week ahead of time the singer that they would be writing for, that way they can tailor the new song to the singer. Then a couple days before airing, the singer would come in and rehearse the new song.

One challenge that I have thought about is that there won't be a lot of current popular singers that would want to take the risk of being on the air and having to sing a really poorly written song.

Maybe there would be a group of a dozen singers and each week would rotate which singer is paired with which songwriter. That way the producers aren't trying to constantly sign up singers, and when the show is successful more singers would want to join in. Also, with a set group of performers, for the first episode they could have them perform one of their own hit songs, that way it sets the bar, showing what the singers are truly capable of.

And, a different take on the reality show, nobody is eliminated. Each week, each song is given points, by judges and by the audience and viewers. The very last show would reveal the winner, and they win a contract, or scholarship, or whatever.

This reality show idea is copyright 2005, Aaron R. Carter. Do no steal my idea you money grubbing jerks.

What movies make more money

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/13/entertainment/main701331.shtml

So, they suggest that hollywood make more G and PG rated movies because they make more money. By that same argument, hollywood should make more Science Fiction movies.

The top 25 grossing movies of all time:
1. Titanic (1997) $1,835,300,000
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $1,129,219,252
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) $968,600,000
4. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) $922,379,000
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) $921,600,000
6. Jurassic Park (1993) $919,700,000
7. Shrek 2 (2004) $880,871,036
8. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) $866,300,000
9. Finding Nemo (2003) $865,000,000
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $860,700,000
11. Independence Day (1996) $811,200,000
12. Spider-Man (2002) $806,700,000
13. Star Wars (1977) $797,900,000
14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) $789,458,727
15. Spider-Man 2 (2004) $783,577,893
16. The Lion King (1994) $783,400,000
17. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) $756,700,000
18. The Matrix Reloaded (2003) $735,600,000
19. Forrest Gump (1994) $679,400,000
20. The Sixth Sense (1999) $661,500,000
21. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) $653,200,000
22. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) $648,200,000
23. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) $641,107,697
24. The Incredibles (2004) $624,037,578
25. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) $614,300,000

That's 19 out of 25 movies that are Science Fiction / Fantasy films. Another 4 of the top 25 are Disney animated films. The last two are about a big boat and an idiot. Only 1 of the top 25 was rated R, and it is only in the top 25 because it was a sequel to a far superior movie.

Only one of the movies on this list was released prior to 1993 (Star Wars in 1977). This is partly a result of higher ticket prices and wider distribution.

This list is also only based on theater ticket sales. Taking into account Video and DVD sales and rentals would change this list significantly.

(list obtained from www.imdb.com)

Friday, June 10, 2005

Big Brother knows best

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/10/earlyshow/living/parenting/main700908.shtml

When did we, as Americans, lose our right to make our own decisions about the medical treatment of our children?

This is a 12 year old girl who can think for herself, and she doesn't want the treatment.

Now, admittedly I don't know these people, and I don't know to what degree her parents have influenced the girl's opinion. But, even if they are wrong, and the girl needs radiation therapy to cure her of the cancer, isn't it her right and the right of her parents to refuse treatment?

This is similar to another case in Utah about a year ago in which the State had ordered a girl taken from her family because they would not subject her to the medical treatment prescribed by her doctor. This also brings up thoughts of the Terry Schiavo case in which government officials tried to enforce their views regarding the treatment of a vegetative woman.

Disgusting, it makes me sick to my stomach. And to make matters worse the State officials had even considered removing the family's other three children and placing them in State custody. It's time to start another letter writing campaign, I think. Darrell Azar of Texas Child Protective Services is going to get an earful from me, along with whatever judge is assigned to the case.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

You are a murderer, your girlfriend is not.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,158783,00.html

Can someone please explain to me how two people can participate in the same activity to end the life of a baby, and only one is a murderer?

The actions of both of these people showed indifference to the life of their innocent victim.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Here I Am

Yes, that's right I'm here, at work, in Irving, TX. For those of you who were concerned, because I wasn't where you thought I was going to be. At least you didn't start a nationwide man hunt. I'd hate to have to pay $40,000 for a search I didn't ask for.

Why exactly does it cost $40,000.00 for a bunch of people to tromp through the woods and swamps of Georgia anyway?

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

The Evils of Caffiene

http://www.medpagetoday.com/tbindex.cfm?tbid=1091&topicid=43

According to this article: First-graders have more behavior problems on the days that they are exposed to caffeinated colas than on the days that they have caffeine-free drinks.

Exposure to caffeinated cola drinks impaired children's learning ability by causing restlessness, hyperactivity, and inattention. On the days that the children were drinking caffeinated drinks, their Connors scores increased an average of 5.5 points compared to the days that they were only drinking caffeine-free drinks.

Friday, May 20, 2005

Those poor persecuted perverts

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/family/4511059/detail.html

Six flags is now advising guests that it reserves the right to eject guests who are convicted sex offenders. I suspect this is more of a public relations ploy to attract more guests, than an actual attempt to keep deviants out of their parks.

The key here is that they will only subject park attendees to background checks if they are caught behaving inappropriately. I wonder exactly how they will accomplish this, since it would require the suspect to volunteer his identity, and so far as I know you don't have to provide identification to buy a ticket. I haven't been to six flags in years, being as I'm not a child anymore, so I could be wrong about the park requiring I.D. for entrance.

In short, although this sounds good, and the mainstream media loves this kind of P.R. B.S., I really don't see how this will solve any problems. Hopefully, these parks also have a policy of not hiring convicted sex offenders.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Dead Sea is Dying

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7902962/

According to this article the Dead Sea and Jordan River are drying up? This seems significant, it sounds like something that might be prophesied about in the bible. I'll have to look and see.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Kidney Transplants

Okay, so last night on Law & Order SVU the episode was about black market kidney transplants.

I was curious, so I looked up some statistics on ustransplant.org.

According to their reports there were 50,855 people on the kidney transplant waiting list at the end of 2002. It is also reported that there were 3396 people who died that year waiting for a kidney.

Obviously, with a US estimated population of about 288 million people, it would be safe to assume that there were at least 50,855 healthy people with kidneys out there that they could donate. The problem is, what is a person's motivation for donating a kidney?

The argument on LAOSVU last night was that if it were legal to sell kidneys then there would be a lot of people willing to sell their kidneys and lives could be saved. The other side of the argument is that if organs were for sale to the highest bidder, then only the richest people would get transplants.

I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. Obviously, it's against the law to sell organs here in the U.S., but should it be? In this country a lot of people argue about the right to do whatever we want to our own bodies, this argument is heard most often for abortion rights. I don't agree with this argument when it comes to murdering babies, but it could sway me when you're talking about saving other peoples lives. It is within our rights to donate organs voluntarily, it just isn't legal to benefit from it financially.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Newsweek

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7864705/

I feel like suing the editors and writers of Newsweek for lible. Their irresponsible "reporting" has further sullied the image of the American People. Don't Muslims have a bad enough opinion of us without making more crap up?

I know I'm mostly alone in this opinion but this is yet another example of why complete and total freedom of speech and of the press is a bad idea.

From the bill of rights -
Amendment 1: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

How did we get from these simple words the right to lie, the right to say and publish offensive material, the right to incite hatred and riots? Okay, so we don't abridge the freedom of speech, but does that mean we can't punish people who use their "free speech" to hurt others?

Unfortunately, the more pressure our governing officials puts on Newsweek to apologize or retract the original article, the more it appears to outsiders that the story is true and is being covered up. Keep in mind that a lot of other countries don't have the freedom of speech and of the press that we do. They may not understand that articles in Newsweek are written by individuals who are trying to sell advertising space in their magazine.

I don't believe that the Qu'ran was ever disgraced in the way described by Newsweek, but the thought of such a thing happening disgusts me, and I'm not even Muslim.

Ward Churchill

http://www.aimovement.org/moipr/cherokee.html

By the way, this honorary associate membership was given in the early 90's. Ward Churchill claim indian status when he was hired by C.U. as part of their affirmitive action program in 1980, 11 - 14 years prior to his supposed enrollment in the Keetoowah tribe.

Along with everything else, this man is clearly a pathological liar.

Ward Churchill

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_3783579,00.html

What an idiot! How does a person like this get a tenured teaching position at a major university? According to Churchill all it takes to be a Native American, or American Indian, is to say "I'm an Indian," have a couple of other people say "He's an Indian," and carry a membership card.

I wonder if I can use that same logic to become a cat. "Meow."
"Everybody wants to be a cat. 'Cause being a cat is where it's at."

I blame the University of Colorado for hiring this moron just as much as I blame the moron. "Who is more foolish, the fool, or the fool who hired him?" - Obi-Wan Kenobi (paraphrased)

Where to start?

Where does a person start when logging all the things that he or she sees wrong with the world? Orwell's 1984 seems utopian at times compared to the world we live in.