Patriotism will soon be unconstitutional

Far fetched you say? I think not! In a ruling by San Francisco Judge Lawrence Karlton, it is now unconstitutional to say the Pledge of Allegiance in schools.

Leave it to a California judge to take a symbol of patriotism and state that it's not constitutional. He based his ruling on the fact that the words "one nation UNDER GOD" violates a school child's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God".

The lawsuit was first brought to the court by a Michael Newdow, an atheist, on behalf of his daughter but was later rejected on Procedural grounds from the Supreme Court due to the fact that Mr. Newdow did not have custody of his elementary school daughter whom he sued on behalf of.

It's this type of attitude that really gets my blood boiling. First of all, the pledge of allegiance is not an affirmation of god, but a patriotic pledge to your country. This country was founded on the premise of religious freedom, but was also founded on the ideals of Christianity. What this means is, we are a Christian nation whose starting laws and ideals are based on Christianity, however, if you choose to follow another religion, it will be allowed without fear of retribution or rebuke. However, in recent times, this idea of religious freedom has seemed to take on the theory that there must be a complete abolition of all religious thought.

The answer to this issue is very simple. Follow your ideals, but leave others alone. If you disagree with the words "Under God" simply do not state them. I have had it up to my eyeballs with every minority in the nation attempting to dissolve the very foundations that this country was built on. The concept of God was a corner stone of our founding father's belief system and you will find it in almost aspects of our nation. What is next? Will all things that contain the word God be declared unconstitutional?

Our money contains the words "In God we trust", surely that offends your delicate sensibilities. Therefore, I request Mr. Newdow, that you take every bit of this atheist offending currency and send it directly to me. I will make sure to dispose of it in a way that I see fit so that you shall never have to be so offended as to have anything with the word "God" disgrace your wallet.

Churches can be see on almost any road in America that you choose to drive down. Therefore, Judge Karlton, I request that you remain confined to your home so that you may never have to drive down the beautiful streets of America and be offended by having to look at foundations of American faith. Surely the fact that Christian churches even exist violates your right to be able operate a car without having religion "crammed" down your throat.

I understand the reasoning that our founding fathers had for the separation of Church and State, but it pains me to see every liberal quack in the world using that to tear down the moral foundation of America on an almost daily basis. Our founding fathers wanted to ensure that anyone would be able to practice the religion of their choosing without interference of the government, but the placing the words "God" in a majority of our official documents, etc does not infringe on that right. You have the ability to worship Allah, Buddha, or no one at all to your heart's content, but you must respect the right of the country to practice the belief system it was built on. If you don't want to say the pledge, then don't. You have that right, but to take that away from the children/people who do believe in god is unjust and cowardly.

Once, just once, I would like to see the left actually practice the theory of "tolerance" that they so often preach, but I'm sad to say, their idea of tolerance is "practice only what we want you to practice". ~Sigh~

Jurgen Trittin: Were you born an asshole or did you have to work at it?

Looks like the soldier I wrote about in my last post may be psychic. Sure enough, Hurricane Katrina is all Bush's fault according to German Enviromental Minister Jurgen Trittin according to a brief in USA Today.

A top German official said the United States had itself to blame for Hurricane Katrina. [sic] Minister Jurgen Trittin said President Bush had “closed his eyes” to the dangers of pollution and climate change, blamed by some scientists for adding to the intensity of hurricanes and other severe weather.

While I've never been a big fan of the Krauts, this is an all time low. I honestly don't know if I should be offended by Trittin comments or just laugh them off.

One the one hand, I'm kind of flattered by the amount of power that the rest of the world thinks lies in the hands of our president. Think about it, Germany's leadership believes that George Bush has the power to control the weather! If only Bush would have followed Trittin's "Kyoto II" green plan, we could have avoided all the mayhem and destruction that is now occuring in my beloved south. With his one signature, GWB could have altered the weather and Katrina would have went and picked on some other country.

On the other hand, I'm appalled by the apparent lack of intelligence that this world leader exhibits. To blame one man for the destruction of a natural disaster is ludicris. Are you so offended that America put an end to the German plan of world domination that you will spew out even the most asinine of comments to try and belittle it's leader? Or are you trying to befriend the Islamic Extremists who are stating that Katrina is part of their Global Jihad in an effort that your anti-american ass kissing will buy you a temporary reprieve from the people that you are too afraid to face on your own?

Finally, a question to Chancellor Scroedor. Is this really the man that you want voicing the opinions and stances of your goverment? If so, then you lack even more fortitude than your Environmental Minister.

America will make it thru this tragedy as we have others. While it may test our strength, we will endure thru it as we have all other challenges that have we faced and be made stronger for it. We will overcome and rebuild on our own as we have in the past. We will not beg others for charity, nor critize those that don't offer it freely. I hope that Germany never experiences a natural disaster such as this, but if you do, rest easy knowing that the country that you so strongly critized today will be there to help you through your suffering, as we have for every other country in the past.

Funny statement from a soldier in Iraq

Every week, I get an update on the situation in Iraq from a Marine Reservist who is deployed there. This week, in addition to discussing the reconstruction projects that he has going, he talked about Hurricane Katrina.

He went on to talk about how several of his fellow reservists will be requesting emergency leave to go back home to check on families and their homes. He also said that one good thing about Katrina is that it gave the media something else to focus on besides the war for a little while. I can definetly understand his point. Despite the destruction that was the result of Katrina, this has been the quietest time in the media concerning the "wasted effort in Iraq".

However, the statement that got me rolling was the following:
"We (the reservists) surf the internet daily looking for more updates about Katrina. Ten bucks says some moron will blame Hurricane Katrina on George Bush and demand that we immediately withdraw all of our meterologists from the National Weather Center"

Is this a man that knows the main stream media or what?!?! You keep your $10 brother, cause there is no way I'm taking that bet!

My father is going to Iraq

Just found out today that my biological father is going to be going to Iraq. Robby has been a cop or in a police related field his whole life and has taken a job to go over to Iraq to help train Iraq's new police force as well as help keep order until Iraq is prepared to fully take over.

I have mixed feelings about his going over meaning, that on one hand, I'm extremely proud of him for doing this, but on the other, I worry about his safety. Robby, while getting on up there in age, is extremely fit and is very good at his job. I would match him with just about anyone half his age and wager my bets on him. So I know he will do a good job and I know that the Iraqi police will be better off for having him over there.

Hopefully, he will be smart and stay on the compound, but knowing him like I do, he will more than likely go where ever he is needed and get mixed into something, but know he has the skills and mindset to get himself and his partners out such things safely. Truth of the matter is, this is something he needs to do because he just won't be happy until he has the opportunity to serve his country. He was kept from VietNam due to a vision problem, and I know that he has always regretted that. His brother served, but he was unable, so this is opportunity to make that right with himself.

So good luck and god speed old man. You come back home safely!!!

Welcome the Obviously Absurd

Just wanted to take a second and welcome the Obviously Absurd to the blogshpere. The writers of this blog are close personal friends of mine and I consider them one of the closest things to family I have up here in the great liberal land that is the northwest.

You should go over and check out their site at The Obviously Absurd and give them a read. I eat dinner with them almost weekly and can tell you that they will not only give good insight into today's topics, but will do it with a sense of humor!

Time to help our troops, with Xboxs!!!!

I received an interesting call today from Nadine Gillette who co-founded Operation Support Our Troops with her daughter. She now has three grandsons, I believe, defending our freedom in Iraq and has done countless hours in support of our troops. Anyways, she called to ask me for my help in supplying our boys and girls stationed in Iraq with some Xbox consoles and more importantly, games for the consoles they already have. She has received numerous letters from our soldiers stating that Xbox is one of the ways that our boys pass the time when they aren’t busy defending our nation.

I had the pleasure of meeting Nadine when a group of 35 soldiers wounded in Iraq were invited to tour the Microsoft campus on August 3rd. Nadine is a lovely lady who obviously takes the welfare of our troops to heart and has done great things to support our toops. In the roughly 2 hours I spent with the group, about 30 minutes of that time was spent with my arm around this great lady. Truth be told, she reminded me somewhat of a grandmotherly type, and just being around her made you smile. One of the things that I noticed from this meeting was the overwhelming response of some of the soldiers to Xbox. I heard more stories about their Halo2 adventures than of their real life toils in Iraq, so I can testify that Xbox was seen as a vital pastime to these brave men and women.

So when Nadine asked for my help, I felt obligied to try and rise to her calling. I, along with some of my fellow bloggers, are now in the process of trying to get this started. We haven’t picked out a name yet, but when we do, I will be sure and let all know. The goal is to try and get as many games and consoles as possible into the hands of Operation Support ourTroops as soon as possible. Nadine set a lofty goal of 3000 games and didn’t specify a number of consoles., however, I would like to set that number at 100 consoles to start. Feel free to contact me for more information if you would like to help out with providing our soldiers with a little bit of fun during their stressful times.

Ode to the Fathers

This sunday people every where will celebrate a day that honors those men who do a often thankless but easily the most important job in the world: Fathers Day. This is a day where we get a chance to thank those men who perform the most important service in the world which is only equaled by the mothers of the world. In support of this day, I thought I would take a minute to talk about my father.

When I was very young (2 or 3 yrs), my mother and biological father seperated leaving my mom to raise 3 boys. When you start off with a sentence like this, most people will think how awful that is, and I'm sure that at the time it was awful for my mother. However, things have a way of working for the best, because that's when she met Larry Pike. After a normal courtship, she later married that man and he became the father of not only two boys of his own, but also a father to me and my brothers.

I call my step dad my father for a couple of reasons. One, he's the only dad I've ever really known. I know my biological father and he is a great friend, but Larry was the one that raised me, taught me right from wrong, and provided the foundation for me being who I am today. Second, Larry officially adopted me when I was eight years old and made what we both already knew legal, he was my dad.

One of the things that I find so amazing about this man is that he willing accepted the responsibility for raising 3 boys that were not his own, both emotionally and financially, and as far as I know, he never even balked at the idea. This man took the responsiblity for the livelihood of 5 boys and did a job raising us that any man should be proud of. I don't think that there are alot of men out there that would do this so willingly or put such an effort into doing it right. He never treated us (me and my brothers) any differently than his own sons and I think the reason for that was, that in his mind, we were no different. We were his sons. I consider this man my only father and I know that my brothers feel the same.

Recently I took a road trip with my father which is something that we had never done before. The purpose of this trip was to spread the ashes of my favorite uncle over the land where he and my father had grown up. It started off as fulfilling the final wishes of a beloved family member, but it ended up being so much more. While this trip was a short one of just a couple days, I learned alot about the man who was my father and gained an insight into how he became the man he is today.

The road trip stated off in Arkansas, where my parents now live, and ended in Sudan, Texas, at my father's childhood home. It was 10 hours one way of just my father, me, the radio and the open road. You have to understand that neither me or my father are that much for talking. Our phone conversations are short and to the point. We say what we have to say and we end it, but on this trip, the radio was played infrequently during that 10 hours as we spent that time just talking. I got to hear stories from my dad that I had to swear I would never share with anyone else, especially my mom. All those things that I use to catch hell for when I was kid, I found out that my dad had done as well, or in some cases, even worse. I guess that's how he knew I was headed for trouble and he got on to me, because he had already done those things and knew the outcome. However, the most important thing about those conversations, was that dad had trusted me enough to tell me. As most sons know, when conversations like these happen, you now know that you are a man in your father's eyes. Sure, you are are still his son, but you are also a man, an equal. A man who can be trusted to learn the secrets and inner workings of the man who has long been your hero. I can think of few things that can mean so much to son.

When we arrived in Sudan, it was something to watch the expressions on my dad's face as he looked at the house he was raised in. To most people, they would have just seen this place as a broken down home on a flat, dusty piece of land in a barren spot of Texas, but from the look in my dad's eyes, he was back home. To the right of the house, there was a old cotton gin where my grandfather worked, and where apparently, my father and uncle spent countless hours of play. Dad took the time to explain to me the workings of this decrepate cotton gin, even though it was little more than a junk yard of parts now, but in his explanation, this place was worked just as well as it did when he was a kid. He talked about the stucco work that my grandfather did on the house, how granddad went about it, and the amount of time it took him. I don't think Dad saw the same broken down house that I did that day. I think he saw the house exactly as he remembered it. A home that his father took pride in and in return, my dad had pride. Sure he made comments about how small the house looked to him now that he was grown, but I don't know that he believed that. He looked at house and dusty land the same way I look at my parents house every time I go home. It was a place of happy memories and love shared with family.

After we left the house, we went drove by dad's old high school to let him relive those days. In doing this, we found the office of the local newpaper. On a whim, we walked thru the door and asked the man behind the counter how far back they kept archives of the newpapers. Turns out, they had newspapers all the way back to dad's high school days. We spent the next hour or so looking thru these old, yellowing copies of news for clips about my father and uncle. Dad has always told us boys about his glory days of football, but for the most part, we thought he was full of it. I come to find out that day that dad wasn't as full of s*&t as I thought he was. He never lied to us about his athletic skills, though he may have exaggerated a bit. :) It was nice to watch dad read those newspaper articles about his high school football days and relive that time in his mind. A several points, dad would point out an exceptional journalistic byline of some distant game that documented my dad's football skills and make me promise to remember the wording so I could tell the rest of the boys about how he was "the man" in his day. I wish I could have taken each and every one of those articles home for him just to see him smile the same way he did that day.

I know this story may not be that important to most people out there, but this was the greatest trip I ever took. I think it's important for children to know where their parents come from and the way they lived. I now know why my father believes in hard work and fought to instill that in me. He was raised that way. Hard work was just a matter of survival in his day. They didn't have the luxuries that I had growing up, but you could tell through his stories and expressions, that they made the best out of what they had. Yet another lesson my dad taught to all us boys. Crying about what you don't have never does any good, you have fight and work for what you want.

So take the time this sunday to find about the man you call your father. Ask him about his childhood and sit back and listen to the stories he has to tell you. Those stories will give you insight into yourself. As the old saying goes, "To know where you are going, you have to know where you came from." I now know what that saying means after this trip. You guys can have your Caribbean cruises and European holidays, I will take a trip back to a dried out, sagebrush filled, tumbleweed infested plot of land smelling of cow manure with my old man any day!

Repost: Support our troops

I was asked to republish a rant that I posted on another forum back some time ago. Please keep in mind that this was originally posted approximately three months ago and was the catalyst that got me started on this whole blogging thing. Even though it was written months ago, the relevance is still there today, if not more so.
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WARNING – Tone, attitude, and language in this rant might not appeal to all people. It is a long read and was done more so to get things off my chest. If you don’t read it, I understand, but if you do, you might just agree.

Last night I went and had dinner at a place called the Japan Ginger Teriyaki restaurant in Issaquah. When walking in, I noticed that there were two army sergeants in fatigues sitting at a table talking as friends do. After ordering my meal, I walked over to their table and after excusing myself for interrupting their meal, asked if I could shake their hands and buy their meal for them tonight as a show of my appreciation for them being in the military. After about 15 – 20 seconds of stunned looks from the both of them, they said there was no need to buy their meal, but would I please come join them.

Of course I accepted and a conversation started that took the better part of two and half hours. They wouldn’t stop thanking me for just taking the time to say thank you to them, much less offering to buy their meal. They went on to tell me how rare it was for someone to do that in this part of the country. The things we talked about during that 2 ½ hours really got the fighting side of me riled up. I simply couldn’t believe some of the stories they were telling about how they’ve been treated up here in the “great” northwest.

One of the guys was 30 years old and had been in the Army about 8 years. He was married and had been for about 4 years with a newborn baby not even a year old yet. The other guy was a bit older and said he had been with the army going on his 18th year. He was also married and had 2 kids, one fixing to start high school and the other just starting college.

The younger guy told be about how he had just come home from Afghanistan about 4 months ago and was hurt by the way his wife had been living. Apparently, she hadn’t gone off base for nearly most 8 month deployment. Seems that she refuses to take off a pin that she received from USO when he left that says, “I’m a proud army wife of a deployed soldier”. Well shortly after he left, she went out shopping at the Tacoma mall and was verbally abused by some of the people with the mall when they saw her pin, berating her for being proud of a man who was participating in an illegal war and killing innocents. I didn’t here specifics of what was said to her, but you could see that this soldier wasn’t happy about the things his wife had told him. After that incident, his wife stayed on base for the rest of his deployment. Luckily, these bases are small cities and she could get everything she needed right there. He went on to tell me, that while patriotism was high in the areas immediately around Ft. Lewis, if you got out past the base, he too felt some of the sentiments of the people who hated the war and him for “participating”.

The older guy told a similar tale of how, when he goes out with his family, he always wears a baseball cap to cover up obvious military haircut for much the same reason. He went on to say that he didn’t do it because he was ashamed to be in the military, or that he was afraid of being attacked by the liberal minds in the area. He did it so as not to subject his wife and youngest son to the sentiments of “people who obviously don’t appreciate the freedom he helps provide.” His words, not mine! He didn’t want his son to see and hear people that thought being in the military, serving your country, and being patriotic was a bad thing.

Needless to say, I bought their meals and wished them the best after apologizing profusely for the attitudes of people I couldn’t influence. I went on to tell them that I knew many people that not only supported them, but prayed for them nightly. I wished them safety in their future deployments and again expressed my gratitude for them doing a thankless job. After another handshake and round of heartfelt thank you’s from the soldiers, they went on their way.

When I got home that night, I thought more about the stories they had told me. The more I thought about it, the madder I got. I don’t mean figuratively mad, I mean actually so mad that I wanted to put my fist thru my living room wall. These guys are placing their lives on the line to ensure that we have the freedom and prosperity and they are being treated like 2nd class citizens. These men and women place the freedoms and safety of strangers before their own and that of their families, and they are berated for doing it.

Who is to blame for this? Is it the Liberal media that takes every opportunity to point out the slightest mistake of the military? The same media that sensationalized the “tragedy” at Abu Garhib? Please! Tragedy my a$$. They put panties on their heads and made them stand in a naked pyramid. Was it wrong? Maybe, but certainly not worth the price the military paid for it. No other country has more oversight or regulation in the treatment of prisoners of war than the US. With all the countries out there that deploy actual torture methods like the breaking of fingers, legs, etc to retrieve information, our military is condemned for doing something that caused no physical harm to any prisoner. When the enemy is beheading and sending the video out for the world to see, our media chooses to concentrate on the fact that there were detainees with women’s underwear on their heads. What about the guy that they made stand on a box with electrical leads attached to his testicles saying that if he came of the box he would get shocked? THE LEADS WEREN’T ATTACHED TO ANYTHING! It was a psychological ploy. It’s not any different than a police officer telling a suspect that he is going to jail for life if he doesn’t cooperate. If attaching electrical leads to the enemy’s testicles brings just one of our boys home safe, then by god, I say, red is positive and black is negative. Light him up!

We have a soldier now on trial for murder. A soldier at war on trial for killing the enemy, now someone please explain that to me! This soldier, just the day before, watched 2 of his comrades die, and he himself wounded, at the hands of an insurgent pretending to be dead then releasing a grenade in a room. Did the soldier bow out of the fight after being wounded? No, he was back at his duty the next day. A day that may for ever change his life for the worse. When entering the room, an insurgent was found pretending to be dead. I don’t blame the soldier for killing him. They had just got out of a firefight, there was no way to know if the guy was armed and prepared to do harm. Let us not forget, these are the same people that will walk into a crowded restaurant or bus and blow themselves up to injure and kill others. It’s an honor to them to die in that manner. So god bless that soldier for helping this insurgent be “honored” by his peers. However, there was a journalist imbedded in the unit that happened to get video of this insurgent being shot. That journalist released the footage and I’ll be damned if the liberal America didn’t jump on it and begin to systematically smear this soldiers reputation. How easy it is to judge when you aren’t there! Who really knows if the actions of that soldier didn’t save a life that day? I say to the soldiers still over there, if you happen to be in that circumstance, 2 in the chest and 1 in the head!

We have a navy seal commander also on trial for “abusing” prisoners. This seal commander has been recognized by his peers and commanders as an exceptional leader and soldier. The report that got him in hot water, that he was observed “punching an insurgent in the arm”. For craps sake, I got hit like that in middle school, but none of those bullies were placed on trial. The person that made the report was a seal member that was kicked out of the service for stealing and “underhanded personality”. Yet the media took the story and again used it as a stick with which to beat our military.

I sometimes wonder what side our media is on. With the exception for Fox news, I don’t trust any media outlet, and I’ve even questioned Fox news from time to time. CBS? Man what an appropriate name for that network because I definitely SEE BS every time I turn it on. Newsweek magazine has become nothing more than an anti-American rag. I don’t know when journalism became synonymous with Anti-patriotic, but it is. Our problem is that, as a country, we are too honest and open. We air our dirty laundry for the world to see and our media outlets take that and use it to beat our fellow country men to a bloody pulp. They don’t focus on what we are fighting, they focus on any little thing they can find to demoralize our public. Terror attacks against our people abroad get a small blurb on the back page of the news, but a soldier punching someone in the arm takes front page for weeks. The media keeps a running tab of the soldiers killed in action, not to honor the fallen or express sympathy for the families, but to demoralize the John Q Public. Where is the running tab of the innocents that were taken?

I’m not saying you have to support the war or President Bush for that matter, but for god’s sake support the men and women who are risking their lives so that we can sleep safe at night. Take the time to say thank you to a service member if you see one. Buy them a beer, I guarantee you will get a good story in return. Give them hope that they are fighting for a people that appreciate their sacrifices. Let’s try to make the anti-patriotic in this country the minority. Support your troops cause the life they give, they give unselfishly for you! Take time to write the media outlets and let them know that you, for one, support our military and are PROUD of them. We can’t sit idly by and let only the liberals and anti-military post replies. Our children learn from what they read and see. If we don’t take action and make the other side heard, all they will see is anti-American sentiment, and make no mistake, I see anyone that posts negatively against our troops as anti-American. I see every war protestor that is at an airport or outside a military base as anti-American. We need to take our support out into the public, not just those areas around Military bases. The louder our voice, the more that will hear and be influenced. It’s time we not just take a stand in support of our troops, but rather, get mad at the fact that they are not treated like the heroes they are!

God bless each of you in the military. God speed and safe return to each of you. Look me up when you get here; I will have a cold beer and a handshake for each of you I see!

Call to arms: We must not forget!

Today I was forwarded an article from the Opinion Journal written by Debra Burlingame about the plans of the International Freedom Center (IFC) to turn the 9/11 World Trade Center memorial into a “high-tech, multimedia tutorial about man's inhumanity to man, from Native American genocide to the lynchings and cross-burnings of the Jim Crow South, from the Third Reich's Final Solution to the Soviet gulags and beyond.” I will not go into the full details of what the IFC has planned for the WTC memorial, as Ms. Burlingame explains it far better than I ever could. To learn about it, please go read her telling article here: The Great Ground Zero Heist. What I want to talk about is why this poorly disguised propaganda machine should not be allowed on this site and that any attempts to continue with this disgrace should be twarted by all means.

9/11 is my generation’s version of the Kennedy assassination or Space Shuttle Columbia in that it is a frozen moment in time for people. It is an event that everyone will remember, but not a comparison of the gravity of the events. It is the worst attack against American soil in history and everyone I know can tell you in great detail where they were and what they were doing on the morning of 9/11. I was sitting in my truck waiting for a local golf course to open so I could get a round in before work when news of the first airplane strike came across the radio. At first, I thought this was just a horrible accident, but when news of the 2nd plane came in, I knew that someone had waged an attack on us. I also remember being crammed into that small golf clubhouse gathered around a TV watching the news unfold with about 20 other fellow golfers. I remember the angst that I felt and calling my mother just to check in on her and ensure she was safe, even though I knew she was thousands of miles away from this tragedy. I remember an old man breaking down in tears saying that this reminded him of Pearl Harbor in so many ways and how the thought of it was almost too much for him to bare. All of these memories are permanently burned into my mind and I know that I will never lose them. These memories are as much a part of me as my right arm, and just as important.

Even more than the images of that day, I will forever remember my feelings the days, weeks, and months afterwards. I was angry and wanted to re-enlist in the military. I wanted to take up arms in defense of my country and make those responsible pay for their crimes. I felt extreme pride and sadness at the same time for the heroic members of the FDNY and NYPD who walked into burning, crumbling buildings to try and ensure that those still alive were able to go home to their families. I wanted to go to New York and lend those heroes, who were working 20+ hours a day searching for and saving the survivors, a hand, if only to allow them 20 minutes more rest during thier toil. I wanted to do something, but I just wasn’t sure what should be done. I never did do either one of those things, and that is something I know I will always regret. I did nothing when my country was hurt and needing me. I could have provided help and relief, but I did nothing. I still feel ashamed every time I think about it and that embarassment is something that will haunt me forever.

This is why I so look forward to the completion of the 9/11 WTC memorial. It will provide me a place to go and pay my respects to those that we lost that day. However, more important to me, it will allow me to go and offer my apologies for not doing more when I had the opportunity. I know that not everyone feels the same way I do, and that everyone will have different reasons for wanting to attend the memorial, but for me, it will serve, in some small way, as my penance for letting my country and its fallen children down during its hour of need. I want to see the names of our dead and ask for their forgiveness for not doing my part to ease their suffering and the suffering of their families. I do not want to go to the memorial and be confronted by the political ideologues from either the left or the right. I just want to pay my respects to the lost and honor their memories as I see fit. I do not want a history lesson in all of humankind’s failures, I just want to remember that day and see the names of those heroes that gave the ultimate sacrifice to their country and its citizens. I want to meet other people that are attending the same day as me and listen to the stories of their loved ones as they remember them, not be present during a speech that decries the political policies of the country on that day.

Let us keep the memorial for its true purpose: A place of remembrance for one of our countries greatest losses. Let us keep this as a place for families to go and visit the souls of their loved ones in peace and to remember them in their hearts. If the IFC gets their way, the World Trade Center memorial will be turned into a visual political billboard that showcases ideologies that needn’t be present. When members of the board of IFC make a comparison between 9/11 and the Abu Ghraib scandal, then we have a clear picture of the road that the IFC’s board intends to head down with this so called museum. If you must have a showcase of this sort, so be it, but pick an appropriate location. To place this on the location where so many of America’s mothers, sons, fathers, and daughters lost their lives is a disgrace. America shouldn’t disrespect our lost in this way, we should honor their memories, and the IFC has no intention of doing that.

If you feel as I do, then visit the Take Back the Memorial website. They have provide many links in which you can write the media and our government to voice your outrage at this horrendous disrespect of our loved ones, and I hope you use do use your voice. This is not about politics; it’s about the absence of politics where they have no place. I stood idly by on 9/11 when this site was under attack, I will not do it again. Please do not be mistaken, this is a second attack on the WTC. Maybe it’s not a physical attack, but it is an attack on the memory of what happened there, and an attack on the people who died as well as their families. Do not allow IFC to disgrace their memories. Take a stand and let IFC know that we will not allow them to disrespect our dead by using them as a vessel to push an agenda.

How to steal an election and get paid for it

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I posted anything, but I'm back for now. What can I say? Work has a tendency to take up a lot of my time and when I get home I just want to relax. :) Now on to today's topic (a few days overdue) which is basically a political text book case on "How to steal an election and make money at the same time."

As many people know, there has been a major battle in Washington state over the Governors seat that is now held by Christine Gregoire. This battle stems over the fact that many feel that this election was stolen by the Democratic party thru the practice of fraudulent votes and political meanderings. The backline of this story is that Dino Rossi won this election, but the Democrats demanded a recount due to the small margin of victory held by Rossi. After the second recount, Rossi won yet again, but still the Democrats weren't happy and demanded a third recount and ponied up approximately $730,000 dollars to ensure they got it. During this third recount, scores of votes miraculously appeared, mostly in King county, which largely supported Gregoire. In addition, this third recount was a hand recount which is statistically less accurate than a machine count, and it was this third recount that finally showed Gregoire as the winner. By state law, this meant that Gregoire was the winner, as there is no provision for more than 2 recounts, however, Rossi decided to take the battle to the courtroom (rightfully so) arguing that it was fraudulent votes and gross negligence in the Washington state voting process that finally determined Gregoire the winner.

Personally, I don't understand this whole battle and truth be told, this whole ordeal has left a sour taste in my mouth over the "political" process present here in the US. How is it that a person who wins an election twice, loses the seat to a person that won once? I guess this whole situation is proof positive that if you count something enough, you will finally get the results that you want. How is it that votes that are found "in a desk drawer" are allowed to get counted in an election that has already been finalized? The voters of Washington state made their voice heard not once, but twice in this election, only to have their voice discarded by the political measures of one party. Washington state has long been a strong hold of the Democratic party and I guess they couldn't bear the thought that the residents of this state were ready for a change.

Where I am really amazed is that the republicans of this state expected any sort of justice by taking this battle to courtroom. I predicted the outcome of the trial before a lawyer ever filed a brief. I knew that the judge would rule in favor of the Democratic party before a single person ever stepped in front of the judge. How did I know this you ask? I knew it because of my extreme distrust in the legal system that is currently in existence in America. Our legal system has become extremely left leaning in the last decade and I no longer trust the ruling that come from a majority of the benches across the country, but I digress. The legal system is not the topic of today.

Now, to top it all off, the Democrats are demanding that the $730,000 be paid back to them with interest at the rate of 12%. According to state law, the party demanding and paying for the recount should be reimbursed should the outcome of that recount change the election results. So whether the recount was based on fraudulent votes or not, by state law, they are owed that money. However, to be demanding an interest return of 12% is asinine in my opinion. Not only did they win the state government by losing an election 2 to 1, now they are wishing to make money on this fiasco. When is the last time any average citizen gained a 12% return on any investment that they have made? Come on Dems, you stole an election by "finding" lost votes, by accepting votes from beyond the grave, and by allowing felons a voice when they have no right to such a voice. Can't you just be happy with that? Why must you further screw the people of Washington state by forcing us to pay you this exhorbant amount of money that is NOT owed to you. Is this the Democratic party's way of making the voters of Washington state pay for the fact that we voted them out of office? Is this their way of chastising us for making them go thru the indignation of having to manufacture results in order let them hold their political power?

To me, the Democrats are now doing nothing more than political extortion. We are in power, and we will get our money from you one way or another. It really makes me question my right to vote. Why bother with voting if the results can be overturned in such a way? Does my voice really count? This whole ordeal leads me to believe that it doesn't. A friend of mine told me, when I stated the above, a quote that says, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." There is also redneck logic that states "If you bang your head against a wall enough, you will eventually hurt your head". :) So I'm in a quandary. Do I give up on the process or do I refocus my efforts to try and ensure that nothing like this happens again. While I'm inclined to concede, that's not how my parents raised me. I was taught to stand up and fight for what I feel is right, even if it comes to my detriment. So I imagine I will do just that. I will fight to ensure that the Democrats don't get a paycheck for stealing an election. I will fight to shove the Democrats gas tax back down their throats, and I will fight to ensure that Christine Gregoire gets kicked out the Governors office so hard next term that she will never even consider trying to run for public office again.

So for all of you dishearten people like me, it's time to start preparing. Go to your closet and brush off the steel toed boots of the American Voter and start perfecting your kick. If we start preparing now, we can ensure that we boot them so hard that their asses will be far too sore for them to even consider stealing an election from us twice.

The pussification of America.

I often listen to talk radio on my way to and from work and one of the topics today got me thinking about what the men in this country are becoming. The subject of this show was on the rights/wrongs of women in combat positions with the military. Now I'm not going to talk about women in the military today, but I reserve the right to address that at a later date. The part that really got me thinking was a comment from a caller who serves as a military recruiter for the Army. He commented "It's not that we prefer to recruit women in the military, it's just that there aren't many men out there now days willing to join."

These comments just floored me and got me thinking, are American men in such a state that they shy away from the call to duty? I hate to admit it, but I'm leaning towards Yes. I'm starting to believe, against my every being, that America has taken to pussify its male population and that we are no longer raising men to be the warriors that they once were.

I don't think it was a sudden change that cause this, but more of an erosion of Maleness over the years. I think it all started with the prevalence of divorce in this country and the lack of a male influence in many of our young men’s lives. Parents would separate and our young men were left to be raised solely by their mothers. Don't take that the wrong way, as I'm not knocking the job that single mothers have to deal with, but men need a male influence in their lives. By nature, women are more emotional and in touch with their feelings than are men. Women have a caring and nurturing nature that we, as men, love, but this is not a trait that we want handed down to the male youth. Men should be able to show emotion and be caring individuals, but this should come secondary to what it is to be a man, and that is a rough and tumble, protect your loved ones, never back down from a fight when it’s needed, beer drinking, swearing, and lack of social grace addition to the human race.

Men are hunters and gathers. They provide protection and food for their families. They need to have that warrior spirit just to fill the role that they are genetically predisposed to do. When young men have no role models in which to show and expand this trait, it begins to get lost as we see today. Think of what state this country would be in if World War II were to happen today. Do we have men of the same caliber that protected our country then living with us today? There are some, but I think they are a lot rarer than they used to be.

A secondary cause of this feminization phenomenon is the whole "metro sexual" fad that is now endangering the male population. I firmly believe that "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is largely responsible for the pussification of America's men. This show turns men into the very thing that men hate the most. However, this show glorifies the idea that women want a man that spends time and resources to better his appearance. It implants the thought that women are more attracted to a man that is "in touch" with his feminine side and more like them. Let's be honest, there isn't much a guy wouldn't do to attract someone of the opposite sex and I know, everyone is more attracted to someone that is easy on the eyes. For some of us, that takes more work than others, but is that something that we really want our men of today concentrating on? Ladies, and I need you to be honest with me here, which would you really prefer more: A man who is a bit rough around the edges, but steps in front of a thug on the street to protect you, or a man that cries over the fact that you used the last of his moisturizing cream when you showered that morning? Wouldn't you be more turned on by a man with a five o'clock shadow than a man with a seaweed facial mask and cucumbers on his eyes?

So there really shouldn't be a debate on whether women should be allowed on the front lines of the military. If America's men were still men, our military would be fully staffed with more than enough tough SOBs who are willing to place themselves in harm's way to protect this country, that there would be no need for women to be placed there. If our young men had the male influences to teach them how to be the warriors that their fathers and grandfathers were, this topic would have never come up.

Somehow I fear that it may be to0 late, as the "metro sexual" of today will be having boys of his own to perpetuate this "demasculinized" version of the male species that is alive today. The only way that we can change what, I fear will soon be an epidemic, is for the men that are left to take a stand. Throw away the idea of potpourri in your living rooms and go back to leaving your dirty underwear on the bedroom floor. Forego the frou-frou shampoos and go back to washing your hair with good, old fashioned soap! If you respond to that comment, "But that will give me split ends", then you are exactly the type of man that I'm ranting about. Quit ordering cosmopolitans at the bar and start knocking back whiskey and beer. Above all, wrestle with your sons. Teach them what it means to be a man and not to be afraid to act like one. Sure, the women of this country will protest for a short time, but I believe that they really want to have the strong male image back. What women wants a man who they feel they could more than likely take in a fight? Our families deserve the right to feel protected by the head of the household, and the only way they will have that feeling is for America to de-pussify the male gender.

That being said, I'm off to the bar for some Jack Daniels on the rocks and to watch Ultimate Fighting Championship on TV. ARGH ARGH ARGH!

You use the name Rednex?

Why would I pick the name Rednex as a moniker? Aren't you afraid that people are going to label you a racist bigot? You must approve of slavery and all that goes with it to use a name like that! Nice name Strom Thurman wannabe!

These are all questions that I've been asked or comments that have been made to me because of the nickname I go by. Am I embarassed by the name or am I promoting racist behaviors by choosing it? Of course not! Anyone that believes that is just as ignorant as they claim me to be. I chose the name Rednex because I am a redneck and very proud of it!

The term "Redneck" originally came about to describe southern boys who worked out on the farms all day. With all those hours spent in the sun farming, they would get sunburned and thus have a "red neck". However, in modern society, this term has taken on a taboo meaning to describe anyone who is seen as a racist, uneducated, or opposed to any sort of change. If you look up the term in Encarta's online dictionary, you will first get an advisory that the definition could possibly offend, then it goes on to state that this is a taboo term to the effect of what I said above.

So, you ask, with this modern definition, why do you chose this name? Well, I choose it because of I'm extremely proud of my southern roots. I was born and bred in the south and I feel blessed to have been. Does this mean that I'm a racist bigot that believes white people are the only true race? Please, I'm not even going to answer that. Were awful things done under the banner that is now the confederate flag? Of course there were, but you will be hard pressed to find any flag that wasn't flown in the course of horrendous events including the American flag. This fact does not make me value the Confederate flag any less. This was the same flag that flew over the states that opposed a over-powered federal goverment. This was a flag flown by people who laid down their lives in support of an idea that state goverment had the power to determine the course of it's people not the federal goverment. In a way, the Civil war was the grass roots of what is now considered the Libertarian movement.

My childhood was a happy one. My greatest moments were spent on a back porch listening to my father, grandfather, uncles, etc telling stories of their youth. We commonly had parties were neighbors and friends would gather around a fire in the backyard playing music and visiting while the kids ran around playing. People waved to you when you drove down the street and strangers would strike up conversations with you just because you looked in their direction. Hank Willimas, Waylon Jennings, and George Jones served their time as my musical babysitters. Potluck dinners after Sunday service were to be expected and enjoyed. Families spent time together working on the land they lived on during the day and watching tv or playing board games at night. The south was a god fearing, patriotic place where the 4th of July was celebrated with parades in even the smallest cities. Rodeo's were our version of "rock concerts" and you could almost always expect to see the whole town in attendance. Childern were taught to respect their elders and every kid had atleast 2 to 3 "grandparents" that had absolutely no relation to them. People spoke their minds even if they knew that people disagreed because they felt it was a duty to speak out on things that they felt were wrong. Good manners weren't just a niceity, they were a religion and things like holding the door open for those behind you, male or female, were expected but also appreciated.

These are the values that I consider to be redneck. So I ask you, why should I be embarassed of that term? I'm not, I'm proud to be a redneck. I think if more people grew up "redneck", this world might be a different place. A place where family values are strong and people have strong ties to their community. So to all of those people that belittle me because I'm a redneck, you go right ahead. You won't hurt my feelings. You call me a redneck as an insult and I will lift my head in pride. You call me a bigot because I'm proud of my heritage, and I will call you ignorant for not taking the opportunity to get to know me before making such an absurd statement. Being a redneck made me who I am today, a person whose friends always know they can count on me when they are in need. Someone who isn't afraid to speak his mind but at the same time tries to treat everyone with respect. I'm not ashamed of who I am or where I come from. I wear your "taboo term" with honor.

What is "diversity" anyways?

Recently there has been alot of talk about diversity and the promotion of such. Some states have even gone so far as to recommend the passing of laws requiring that companies include "diverse" hiring practices.

Let's talk about diversity for a second. Diversity is defined by Encarta as social inclusiveness: ethnic variety, as well as socioeconomic and gender variety, in a group, society, or institution. Simply put, this means the inclusion of people or ideals that are different from the perceived norm. For a company to be considered "diverse", it must include in it's hiring practices the principal that no person shall be excluded from consideration due to their ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, or econmic standing.

Washinton house bill 1515 wishes to put this definition into law and make it illegal for any company use any sort of discrimination in it's hiring practices. Sounds good and fair right? Sure, it sounds like a winner on the surface, but take a closer look and you can see just how assine this bill really is.

This bill is aimed solely at the small business sector. Big companies that reside in Washington State, such as Microsoft, Safeco, Boeing, etc, do not need a law that tells them that they "have" to hire without a discriminatory bias as they already have well defined diversity policies in place. Big companies do not care about wether or not what race a person is, whether they are gay, or from another country, they only care about what is best for their shareholders. In other words, in hiring people that will best do the job and increase their revenue.

Where this bill would have hit the hardest is the small business owner with say 7 employees or less. This bill is effectively giving an ultimatium to small business owners saying that you will hire anyone, regardless of whether it's in the best interest of your business or not, or risk breaking the law. For example, the owner of a Christian bookstore would be required to hire a gay teller, should one apply, even tho the ideals of the business owner and the teller differ greatly. An Korean owner of a small community grocery store would be required to hire a middle class caucasian youth, even though the store owner would prefer to offer the job to Korean youth residing in the same neighborhood in order to provide them with opportunity.

Now I don't necessarily believe that diversity is a bad thing, but I do feel that it is being overused and directed. The topic of "diversity" is being used as a hammer to inflict the will of the few on the many. A small business owner should have the right to refuse employment to anyone should they so choose as they are the ones that will have to live with the rewards or the consquences of that decision.

Take the case of the owner of the Christian book store, should he/she be required to hire someone of differing ideals, then he also risks alienating a large majority of his clientele. His business deals solely with people who, on moral/religious grounds, disagree with the lifestyle of the teller. This fact may drive off a large portion of his business and he knows it, yet he would no longer have control of who is in him employee for fear of breaking the law. In retrospect, he may drive away the gay christian following that visits his store, but that is his consquence to deal with. It should be his decision on how he runs his business.

To me, this is just another case of the federal goverment sticking it's nose in some place it doesn't belong. If you don't like the hiring practices of a small business, then you have the right to frequent an establishment that has practices you do agree with. That is the great thing about America, you have the freedom to make decisions about who/what you spend your money on. I think all too often people forget that they have the right to simply go somewhere else. If you see an email you don't agree with, delete it. You hear a radio personality that offends you, change the station. We have to quit trying to make the country a "diverse" place where everyone agrees. America is a melting pot of all different races, ideals, and religions. If you don't like what someone is doing, it's only a short move to get to somewhere where the people are more like minded. We don't want everyone to think/act/believe the same. The differences in this countries people is what makes America great!

If you truely want to be "diverse", then that means respecting other peoples differences and either living with them, or ignoring them. Diversity is NOT forcing anyone who is different than you into following your way of thinking. If a goverment forces someone to live by the ideals of another, then they are not diverse, they are a dictatorship.

Where is the respect for our military?

As I sit and catch up on the news stories of the past week, I always find something that gets my blood boiling. This week it is a story in the Seattle PI about a lady by the name of Amy Hagopian who is working to have Military recruiters banned from high school campuses.

In Mrs. Hagopian's words, "Given the seriousness of what they are requesting people to participate in, we'd just prefer they not be on school grounds, which are supposed to be protected space for students." Well she's did get one part of that statement right, what the recruiters are asking our young folk to sign up for is serious. It's as serious as anything that could ever be asked of a person and that is to stand up for their country and possibly pay the ultimate price in defense of their nation. We are asking young people to defend the rights of people like Amy Hagopian to ridicule and mock a profession that has provided her with a comfortable and free life in which she can state the things that she says.

What is our country coming to when being a soldier is seen as a bad thing? Like it or not, this country was forged on a great principal of freedom and alot of bloodshed to ensure that freedom. I can think of no person that should be more honored in our society than those that choose to place their lives on the line to protect people that they know and those that they don't. This is what a soldier embodies.

All across America, we are seeing the Mainstream media and academia denounce the very people that make our way of life possible. Every day we see the abuses of the military in newspapers and television like Abu Garhib. Don't even get me started on those so called abuses, but that is a post for another day. Every day the media reports on these atrocities perform by the hands of our military on the front page, but how often do we hear the stories of the soldier that helped rebuild a church or that saved a human life? How often do we see pictures of a soldier who took the time help a child in the country that they are fighting in? Oh the stories are there, sometimes, if you look on the last page in the small print, but where is the front page recognition of the good that our military provides?

All of this "anti-military/anti-American" free press crap is taking it's toll on our youth. They no longer respect the people and professions that make this country great. Instead, we have small groups of students brainwashed by this mindset that are preventing military helicopters from landing on school grounds. Never mind the students that could actually benefit from a term of military service. Many a student has been saved by a term of military service, myself included. It provides an honest means to college or out of a way of life that could have led them down the wrong path. No, the voice of the few affects the will of the many. Yet another freedom that is protected by those in the military.

Mrs. Hagopian, you see photos of those that have been hurt in war and wish to abolish the military recruitment process. I see heros who have give more of themselves to protect your freedom and way of life than will ever be possible from you. You say that the decision to join the military is a "life and death decision" and for some people, you are correct, but then again, so is the decision to walk down a back alley of any major city in the world. Quit trying to pussify our youth and let them make their own decisions. I will never fault anyone for choosing not to join the military, but I find great fault in those people who wish to disparge and belittle the people who decide to do so. Any person who decides to protect this country is a hero and deserves to be treated as such, and what you are doing belittles their sacrifice. Our youth see the actions of people like you and choose to adopt them because protest (of anything) has become fashionable in this country.

What will this country become if you get your way? We become an indefensible people with no conviction. With no one to protect your right to live free, that right will soon disappear. While I'm sure you think you do this out of intelligent thought, take a step back and consider the consquences of your actions. The next time the bad guys come to blow up our buildings or take the lives of our countrymen, it will be a soldier that you turn to protect us and they will do so, even if you have tried to convince our youth that thier job is unnecessary. When all that stands between you and death is a soldier, will you still feel they aren't worthy of your respect? Hopefully we will never have to find the answer to that question, because somewhere, a soldier is ensuring that risk never finds you.

Let the rants begin

So I decided to start this blog after reading a post from a friend of mine on his. Japher69 had a post about societies dependence on technology and where it all ended. As I read it, I told him that he was startin to sound alot like me with this random rant, as most of his blog entries are comments about what is going on in his life at any time. Well based on that and comments from a few friends and aquaintances who like what I have to say from time to time, I've been talked into creating a blog that will house each and every one of my random, sometimes politically incorrect, often strongly worded, but more than likely, dead on rants.

If you aren't a big fan of strong spoken people, or you are one of the extremely left leaning liberals that seem to be in over abundance here in the northwest, you might want to steer clear of this blog. Chances are I will offend you (which I live for btw). However, if you decide to stick it out and read the posts, you might find I make a lot of sense.

Of course, don't be surprised to see a pic of my pup every once in a while. She is the CUTEST DOG EVER!!