Compassed About Me

Of Aliens and Global Warming...

If you are someone, like me, who thinks the Global Warming Emperor has no clothes, then you will appreciate this article by Michael Crichton. 

I call it:  Here's What Happens When Scientists Do Politics.

Chris

Memorial Day...

The poet Stephen Crane wrote this in 1899:

War is Kind

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.

Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky

And the affrighted steed ran on alone,

Do not weep.

War is kind.

Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,

Little souls who thirst for fight,

These men were born to drill and die.

The unexplained glory flies above them,

Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom --

A field where a thousand corpses lie.

Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.

Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,

Raged at his breast, gulped and died,

Do not weep.

War is kind.

Swift blazing flag of the regiment,

Eagle with crest of red and gold,

These men were born to drill and die.

Point for them the virtue of slaughter,

Make plain to them the excellence of killing

And a field where a thousand corpses lie.

Mother whose heart hung humble as a button

On the bright splendid shroud of your son,

Do not weep.

War is kind.

I first read this poem in 2005, I think, and it's impression upon me has been lasting.  As I put myself into Crane's shoes, those battles that he witnessed in the latter part of the 19th century  where the utter disregard for men led to wasteful killing fields for no apparent purpose other than to satisfy the ruling class' lust for political power, I can see why he wrote War is Kind. 

Our country has seen it's share of wars and although as I consider them I think we, most of the time at least, went to war for noble purposes, it doesn't change the fact that, as Crane so aptly illustrates in the contrast between the visual imagery of the war machine versus its effects on the folks back home, war is very costly.  It is costly because it, by NECESSITY, dehumanizes the soldiers that participate in it, and it leaves in it's wake shattered families and communities. 

I think these truths leads me to two conclusions:

1.  That, knowing the cost, I think should be very careful in determining when to send our young men and women off to war, and

2.  That the fact that we HAVE HAD and still DO HAVE young men and women fighting wars, on our behalf by the way, brings me to a place of considering what they have fought and are fighting for and therefore coming to some conclusions about what that should mean to me and how that should affect my life.

To remember the fallen and the injured and to let that play a major role in shaping how I live as an American citizen, to honor them by honoring the things they fight for:

That is a REAL Memorial Day.

Chris

From the "People Who Don't Get It" Dept.

I was driving down the highway the other day and had my doors blown off by someone in a PRIUS who must have been going at least 90mph.

What?  Does he figure he'll still get 28mpg at that speed?

Chris

From the "This Hasn't Been Thought Through" Department...

On Facebook

MEDICAL COVERAGE FOR BREAST CANCER GENETIC MARKERS TESTING FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS.

About this Petition:

The photo is of my sister and I. We are among the many thousands affected by breast cancer. My sister is survivor still in treatment and I am someone, like many thousands, who have a history of breast cancer in my family and unable to afford breast cancer genetic marker screening. It is deemed a novelty by insurance companies. We disagree.

The photo is of my sister and I. We are among the many thousands affected by breast cancer. My sister is survivor still in treatment and I am someone, like many thousands, who have a history of breast cancer in my family and unable to afford breast cancer genetic marker screening. It is deemed a novelty by insurance companies. We disagree. (show less)

The Desired Outcome of this Petition:

We hope that this petition will spark a debate with our government and the medical insurance companies regarding genetic marker testing as an early detection tool in breast cancer screening and treatment 

First of all, let me stress:  I think all means should be made available to women to prevent and treat breast cancer.

But, suppose Insurance Companies start paying for these tests and then start DENYING PAYMENT for treatment because this test proves you have a PRE EXISTING condition and even more, just start denying coverage ALTOGETHER once they find out you have tested positive for the marker?

Be careful what you ask for, you just may get it. 

And a whole lot more you didn't count on.

Chris

The Prosperity Gospel is no Gospel at all...

Prosperity Gospel?

These are some pretty strong words but true words often are.

I agree with them 100%....even when my life doesn't always reflect them.

Chris

Happy New Year!

We the People face a challenging year in 2009. 

There is no doubt in my mind that God is using the current, man-made economic turmoil that we are experiencing to demonstrate that it is indeed foolish to build houses on sand.  There is only one good foundation to build on, and, as Jesus said, that is rock.  He, of course, is that Rock. 

There was once a time that this country prospered, in every way, as a byproduct of faith:  People ordered their lives according to what they believed, and prosperity came.  But, and this is where I believe there is a great divergence with the "prosperity gospel" being served up today, the focus was on God, not on what God can do for us.  We should not love God for what He can do for us...He should be loved because He is God. 

It is my prayer that this coming up year, God will bless you richly in Jesus by teaching you, if you don't know it already, this incredibly important distinction, and that you, like the apostle Paul, can say:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Happy New Year from Lea, Christopher and myself!

I got this in my email today.

Obviously, I am not against prayer, and I do pray for my country:

[1Ti 2:1  First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
1Ti 2:2  for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ]

but I have to wonder:

Will the American Church EVER learn that salvation and economic prosperity are not the same thing, nor are they even really related?  [BTW, I grow especially weary of people who take Old Testament texts which applied to the nation of Israel under the Old Covenant and try to make those same texts apply in the same way to America under the New Covenant....They DON'T]

I mean:

did JESUS have money? 
did PAUL,
or PETER,
or JOHN? 

Was there something that they needed to REPENT of so they could enjoy the blessings of God Almighty?

I don't think so.  I think they were blessed beyond measure and probably didn't spend a lot of time worrying about money, unless they needed some to help the poor.  To borrow a phrase from our recent past:

It's [NOT] the economy stupid...

Its the SOUL.

Chris

Well, How About That!

I was at my parents house today, [Pics will be up soon on Lea's blog!] and my mother mentioned seeing this short essay by Cal Thomas.

I swear I was unaware of it before I wrote my previous post. 

It does feel good, however, to be validated.

Chris

Here's some IRONY for you...

One of the things I dislike about the modern liberal movement [and believe me, there is a huge difference between what liberals espouse now versus what they stood for at the time of the founding of our country] is their predilection for sidestepping the will of the people by doing an end run around the electoral process via the courts.  Their goal is simple, to get laws passed by any means possible so that they can enforce their views on an otherwise unwilling majority through governmental coercion, ie LAWS.

As I have thought about this I have come to a stunning realization:  Christians are guilty of the very same thing!

No, we didn't do an end run to get laws based on our beliefs put in place.  This country and its laws, the cries of liberals notwithstanding, was founded upon the firm bedrock of Christianity, tempered a bit by Enlightenment thinking.  Of course, Enlightenment thinking is just Christianity with God removed, so really that only leaves Christianity as the defining foundation of our laws.

So, how are we Christians so much like modern day liberals?  I'll tell you how:

We both are relying on Government and the Law to maintain our worldview.  Ours is eroding and the liberals is ascending [not in reality, but in terms of the law of the land] and each group if focusing its efforts on the courts and legislation to maintain power.

If you are a Christian who believes in Christ and believes the Bible is true in all it affirms, can you see the problem with this? 

We are fighting in the wrong arena, and we have been there for a long, long time.  Instead of spreading the Kingdom of God by means of our witness for Christ, and thereby influencing other people that way, we have been content to let the government and the law do our fighting for us, for about 160 years now, [the end of the Second Great Awakening] by controlling people's behaviour by force.  No wonder we are in the societal mess we are in today! 

Is there a solution, and I mean a real solution for what is going on? Well sure there is.  Start living and doing the things Jesus commands for starters.  Because you love Him. 

If we as Christians do this, does it mean that everything will get back to "normal"?  Eventually, yes.  But let me offer up some perspective.  It took about 300 years for the Christians in the Roman Empire to win the culture war, and quite a few were martyred in the process. 

Is it worth it?  Sure, if you desire real Godliness instead of a form of Godliness.

Chris

We the People...

Rom 13:1  Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

In Paul's time the Romans, and this is certainly who he is referring to in Romans 13 as the governing authorities, were in absolute control, apparently deriving their authority from force of arms.  I say apparently because Paul is quick to point out that it is actually God who has given them their authority and therefore to obey the Romans is to obey God. 

Some people like to draw a parallel between the Roman government and ours, but their is a crucial difference:  WE THE PEOPLE are the ones from whom the consent of governance is derived and so when Paul says that we are to be subject to the governing authorities we are to be subject to ourselves and each other!  Not to the folks in Washington who think they are in "charge".  The ONLY reason they are there is because WE PUT THEM THERE!

If you don't believe that, then you have given away your birthright as an American citizen and you are part of the problem

We should be about the business of governing every day, not just Election day.  That is how we show respect for God's authority.

Chris

A Crucial Difference...

Yes, I'm a little behind the times, but I did want to comment on the passage of Proposition 8.

California:  Good for you!  I don't hate homosexuals and I wouldn't discriminate against them, but their lifestyle, according to a plain reading of Romans 1, is a sin.  The very basest, or maybe basic is a better word, of sins, one that strikes against the very image of God:

Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them...

and indicative of a person's complete rejection of God as the Creator.  Because of this:

Rom 1:24  ...God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
Rom 1:25  because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Rom 1:26  For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
Rom 1:27  and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Like so many other sins, people know this one is wrong but they continually subvert the truth of God's revelation in order that they might do what pleases them. 

No surprise there.

Unfortunately for them, in the Kingdom of God there are no elections to determine what is right and what is wrong.  The rules have already been signed, sealed and delivered and will never change.  The only change that can be affected is through the mercy of Jesus in the hearts of sinners, which causes them to repent of their sins...

ALL of them. 

He is their only hope.

They may realize gains in this world, although California is a stunning exception, but they certainly won't in the next.

Chris

Just Unbelievable...

It doesn't bother me at all that we have elected a black man as President.  In fact, it makes me proud that many of the last barriers to inequality are falling away.

It does bother me, though, that we have elected a man President who is preeminently unqualified to be one. 

He won't be able to vote "present", as he did 136 times, when there are tough decisions to be made, as he did in the Illinois State Senate.  He also won't be able to hit the campaign trail to get away from Washington to miss 45% of the votes when the going gets tough, as he did as  a US Senator.  No, he'll have to actually LEAD, a quality that he has yet to show any sign of.

We sure picked the wrong guy to make a social statement with. 

Chris

Social....Security?

Can it be that there is anyone who still thinks that, given the out of control, greed driven market meltdown, that privitization of Social Security is a good idea?

With apologies to Ben Franklin, government run pension plans are the worst kind...

Except for all the others.

Chris

Insanity...

As a follow up to the previous post:

Albert Einstein once said:

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

Republicans and Democrats each trot out their various candidates each election cycle and we congratulate ourselves when our candidate wins, as the case may be, but we never stop to think:

Has anything really changed?

I got this off of Wikipedia, regarding bureaucracies:

• Rigidity and inertia of procedures, making decision-making slow or even impossible when facing some unusual case, and similarly delaying change, evolution and adaptation of old procedures to new circumstances;
• A phenomenon of group thinking - zealotry, loyalty and lack of critical thinking regarding the organisation which is perfect and always correct by definition, making the organisation unable to change and realise its own mistakes and limitations;
• Disregard for dissenting opinions, even when such views suit the available data better than the opinion of the majority;
• A phenomenon of Catch-22 (named after a famous book by Joseph Heller) - as bureaucracy creates more and more rules and procedures, their complexity rises and coordination diminishes, facilitating creation of contradictory and recursive rules
• Not allowing people to use common sense, as everything must be as is written by the law.

If these dysfunctions don't apply to our two major political parties, which are bureaucracies by the way, then I don't know what does.  One of the other major dysfunctions of a bureaucracy is this:

• More and more as it progresses in age and complexity, it seek to continue its own existence, even if that comes into conflict with the basic premise upon which it was founded.

I don't need a source to tell me that statement is true.  Just ask any third party candidates about getting on the ballot in North Carolina, for example.

Chris

My "Wasted" Vote...

I didn't vote early this past week but I will be voting this coming Tuesday. 

I can only promise one thing:

I am going to "waste" my vote. 

Yes, that's right.  I am going to "waste" my vote on someone other than the two liberals who are running for President of the United States of America.  And make no mistake, you have to be sold out on the premise of the book "1984" to doublespeak and doublethink your way into calling McCain a conservative. 

I have heard that a vote for a candidate who is neither a Republican or a Democrat is a wasted vote because a third party candidate has never won.  Well, that's true, but please tell me:

What do I gain by voting for a candidate who has no interest in my opinion?  Or even more important, no interest in what is best for the country?

And the answer is:  NOTHING. 

The fact of the matter is that this country is headed towards socialism and the ONLY difference between the policies of the "big two" are how fast we are going to get there. 

A stray thought today:  I was thinking about the movie, "The Matrix" today.  You know, the one where nearly the entire human race is hooked up to the machines, basically as big organic batteries, to provide power for them.  The machines keep the humans under control by running a program in their heads that makes it seem like they are living a real life.  And I thought to myself, "Self, this is what our country is turning into.  A bunch of people who who are trading in a real life for the empty promises of a government who can't do ANYTHING right but offers up the illusion of prosperity, safety, and security.  It is this illusion that most people think is the real America."

Well, I for one am not interested in getting hooked up to the government trough.  I want to  work when I want, how I want, where I want, and I want to reap the rewards for doing so. 

Apparently, Liberals seem to think this is Mexico, [sorry, but your economy does suck. I like the people though!] where there is no opportunity. 

GIVE ME A BREAK!  There is opportunity here! You can still do whatever you want in this country.  Yes, there are risks, but LIFE is a risk!  But I do understand, the siren song of big brother is seductive. 

I have a word of advice for all of you out there who think we need a nanny state to take care of us:

Man up.  Quit whining and start doing.  Break a sweat.  Quit expecting everyone else to provide for you.  Get over the mindset that aid of any kind is a right.  It isn't. 

So yes, I am going to vote for someone who is on the same page I am.  I am going to vote for someone who has the interests of the country at heart.  I am NOT going to vote for more of the same kind of drivel that I have seen for the last 60 years [except from 1994-96] from both sides of the aisle. 

To continue down that same path...

To me, THAT is a wasted vote.

Chris

Presidential Politics...

I remain unconvinced that America is willing to elect a black man President. 

I think all one has to do is look at poll numbers of LIKELY voters [the only polls that have any relevance] to see that this race is a statistical dead heat.  How can this be?  The Republicans have certainly frittered away whatever credibility they have,  a process that began with the election of George Bush.  They thought they could out-democrat the Democrats in spending money and thereby hold on to power, but all they have done is alienate their base. 

In spite of this, Obama is unable to seal the deal.  [Of course, he did back into his party's nomination in the first place, right?]  Where is the passion?  Where is the support?  Of course, part of the problem is that Obama simply isn't presidential material.  I wish someone would explain to me what his credentials are, because I don't see any.  6 years as a nearly anonymous Illinios state senator and 2 years as a Senator, most of which time he has spent running for President does not a resume make. 

The paradox of this situation is that, all things being equal, if Obama were white then Hillary would be the nominee.  I find it ironic that the very party whose socialist policies have gutted black families now have the audacity to trot out a black man as proof of their racial enlightenment.  Of course, this same party demonizes any and all blace Republicans, so their hypocrisy is evident for all to see.

On election day, Democrats along this land are going to head into the voting booth and they are going to decide they just can't pull the lever for Obama.  The are going to look at the situation in the Senate and the House of Representatives and decide that control of those two houses, along with a conciliatory Republican in the White House will be good enough for the next four years. 

At least I hope so.  We don't need to elect a novice to the Presidency simply to make a point.  We need to elect someone who really deserves to be there.

Chris

Brass Tacks...

Let's see if I understand the current economic situation correctly:

1.  Banks involved them themselves in high risk investments to make more money.
2.  Banks got caught with their pants down when the real-estate market went bust.
3.  Banks asked for a bailout from the American people.
4.  The American people said no.
5.  Banks then ridiculously tightened their credit policies, in order to scare the American people.
6.  It worked and now we are bailing out the banks.
7.  Nothing has changed because the Banks are using the bailout money to save their bottom line rather than keep credit flowing.

Have I missed anything?

See, you really don't need a degree in Economics to understand what's going on...

Chris

The Stand...

I don't post about politics much here, but this topic deserves comment. 

I came across this post on Drudge.

Here are the comments I agree with:

"It is now imperative that Congress come together and develop a response to the crisis facing our financial markets that reflects the American people's belief in personal responsibility and fiscal discipline." — Rep. Mike Pence, Republican.

"I have been rushed to judgment by the Bush Administration before. There hasn't been enough time to evaluate the impacts this legislation would have if enacted, or to consider alternatives. Congress deserves time to weigh the benefits and the potential pitfalls of borrowing this money." — Rep. Baron Hill, Democrat.

"We are now in the golden age of thieves. And where I come from we put thieves in jail, we don't bail them out." — Rep. Pete Visclosky, Democrat.

"I am bothered that Secretary Paulson offered an immediate government solution rather than taking the time to explore effective private sector and market based solutions. The Paulson plan was an unprecedented infusion of government power into the private financial sector." — Rep. Steve Buyer, Republican.

"I believe this particular bill would be devastating to the economy and create an inflationary nightmare. We must also ensure that we are not inadvertently purchasing bad debt from China or other countries." — Rep. Dan Burton, Republican.

"While I do agree that action must be taken to solve our nation’s engrossing economic crisis, it is essential that the right action be taken. There are systemic problems with our nation’s economy and regulatory policies. Systemic problems that require a solution that is more developed, balanced and curtailed to the needs of everyday Americans." — Rep. Andre Carson, Democrat.

Thank you, gentlemen, for taking a stand that makes sense.

And now for the ones I don't think much of:

"Ultimately this is about that worker in Vincennes who is wondering if his pension will be there in the future; the single mother in Greencastle who dreams of sending her children to college; or the small business owner in Boonville who is trying to meet payroll. These are the Americans that have everything to lose if Congress fails to act." — Rep. Brad Ellsworth, Democrat, in statement before the vote.

Congressman, maybe if you did YOUR JOB on a daily basis then average Americans wouldn't have to worry about these things.  Why in the world do you think you were sent to Washington, anyway?  DO YOUR JOB, SIR and provide the proper congressional oversight.

"When there are serious people discussing the possibility of another economic depression, it is time to act. The rescue plan was not perfect, but it was necessary. And while no one took any pleasure in voting for it, the alternative — doing nothing — is potentially disastrous and therefore unacceptable." — Rep. Joe Donnelly, Democrat.

This analysis doesn't even rise to the level of common sense.  Something might happen so let's do SOMETHING, no matter how ill advised?  I feel sorry for the people in your district, Congressman. 

I am sure the Senate is breathing a huge sigh of relief at this hour.

I congratulate the House Republicans, at least the 2/3's who voted against this bill, for breaking their spines out of the mothballed storage lockers they have been in the past several years and putting them to good use. 

Chris

Why I Could Never Write Radio Ads...

I could never write radio ads because most of them don't make a bit of sense.  Take this one for example:

Hi, I'm Paul, a McDonald's Dollar Menu-naire [ok that part is clever], standing outside a concert hall.  80 bucks a ticket is a bit pricey.  So what do I do?  Go see a cover band for 4 bucks...close my eyes and I'm there at the real concert..open them and I'm in a bowling alley...

Whatever...

Another great value?  The Dollar Menu at Mcdonalds...

Now that retelling catches the gist of the commercial, even if it is not word for word.  So here's the deal, if you were going to take the illustration from the rock concert and apply it to McDonalds, here's how the second part should go...

Hi, I'm Paul, a McDonald's Dollar Menu-naire, standing outside a fine restaurant that serves real food.  80 bucks for dinner is a bit pricey.  So what do I do?  Go to McDonalds and spend 4 bucks on items from dollar menu...I close my eyes and concentrate on the muzak and I'm there eating filet mignon...I open them and I'm chewing on something akin to Soylent Green...

Whatever...

See what I mean?  I could never write radio ads...

I'm not that stupid.

Chris

I Can't Drive 55 Part Vier: Vortekz - The Photo ...

Evidence that vortekz actually do what they are supposed to do:

If you look closely you can see the "V" shaped wedges in the condensation on the back window.� They actually run all the way across the window, but you can't see them because the light from the car behind me obscures them.�

It seems evident to me that the air coming across the roof of the car is being directed downward across the glass, which would indicate that the turbulent pocket of air that usually forms as its flow delaminates from the car window has been reduced.� In other words, the air is following the glass down to the trunk lid and from there off the back of the car, like it should.�� I am wondering if it would help to put another row of these on the back of the trunk lid?� Hmmm.....

So the real question is:� do they work?� My initial readings from my Scanguage are encouraging but I will wait until I have gone through a couple tanks of gas to draw any firm conclusions.

The mileage results from my last tank of gas is:

546 miles on 16 gallons of gas = 34.12 mpg.�

A little disappointing but it has been HOTT [the two "t"'s are for effect, not because I can't spell!] and while I am looking to be environmentally responsible I am not going to arrive at jobsites and home soaking wet from driving around in 95+ degree temps with the relative humidity at 90%.� Yes, the air conditioner has been running this week. � I am green, but I am not a masochist.

Sorry Algore.

Chris

I Can't Drive 55 Part Tres: Vortekz - The Beginning ...

First things first:

For my last three tankfuls of gas, here are the results:

452 miles on 12.4 gallons = 36.45 mpg
514 miles on 13.9 gallons = 36.97 mpg
588 miles on 16.0 gallons = 36.75 mpg

Not bad for a car that is EPA rated 30 mpg Highway and 21 City, I would say...

My driving [pun intended!] principles are simple:

A.  Start slowly
B.  Accelerate smoothly
C.  Get into high gear ASAP without violating A or B.
D.  Maintain a Maximum Cruising Speed of 55 mph, or the legal speed limit as the case may be.
E.  Maintain a Minimum Speed of 50 mph unless the speed limit is below this.  You may wonder why this is so, so I'll tell you.  I have found that in the hilly terrain the lowest speed I can drive my car up most hills while keeping the transmission in Overdrive is 50 mph.  If I am going slower than that, the transmission downshifts into 4th gear and I immediately lose at least 5 mpg.  So for example, if I can keep it in OD at 50 mph, I might get 20-24 mpg depending on the grade.  If I go 45 but in 4th gear, mileage drops down to 14-18 mpg, so this is one case where to go a little faster saves gas.  My advice is to get a manual transmission, which I will do when I get my next car.

Now for my new mpg endevour:

Vortekz. 

Yes, that is kind of a silly name, but I suppose that you can't copyright "vortex".  Here is what they look like:

Here is how they layout:

I really don't know how they work, but it has something to do with the fact that when the air going over the card reaches the back window, instead of following the window down to the trunk lid, it "tears away" and forms a large area of turbulence that causes a lot of drag.  The vortekz pieces, as you can see from the diagram, disrupt the air before it gets to that area of turbulence, directing the air towards each side of the car.  This still makes some turbulence, or vortices [hence the "vortex" based name] but this turbulence is much less severe than it was without them. 

At least this is my story and I'm sticking with it.  I'm going to run a few more tankfuls and see what happens. 

You may wonder why I am so focused on mileage.  Well, there are three reasons:

1.  I like to save money.  I calculated that I have saved nearly $100 in the past 4 weeks.  Of course, I drive a LOT, but hey, $100 is $100.
2.  That's $100 less dependent that the US of America was dependent on foreign oil last month.  Let's get real folks, aside from Israel we have NO REAL FRIENDS in the Middle East, and that goes especially the Saudi's.  The sooner we can stop importing oil, the better off we will be.  You know, I think Al Gore is a real idiot concerning global warming, but even though his motivation is suspect, his call 100% renewable power generation was right on target.  The thing is, we just need to do it, and don't wait on our government to decide how they may want it done. 
3.  I believe God wants us to take care of our planet.  He gave us dominion over it and I do believe there will be an accounting someday.  I am not driven by fear in this regard, but by thanksgiving, and the best way to show that is to take care of what you are giving thanks for.

Until next time...

Chris

A Good Start...

Jimmy has this open letter on his blog. 

Things must be getting serious if Democrats and Republicans can come together in recommending what I feel is a very constructive energy plan.

The only question that remains is: Is it enough?

Well, in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, it is not, and let me tell you why:

This is the land where We the People are the ones who ostensibly run things and if there ever was a time for all the summer soldiers out there to wake up then it is now. 

When the Declaration of Independence says that:

 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...

I think we need to remember that there's a really big word that starts with an "R" that lurks just beneath the surface of that fine language, and that word is RESPONSIBILITY.  The signers of the Declaration didn't just sign a piece of paper and then shut it down.  The did what it took, and in the end there was a real USA, and they set the precedent of ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things...all without someone "in charge" having to tell them to do it. 

We may not be trying to build a new country here [although this one needs some serious repair work!] but nevertheless we face a serious challenge regarding energy.  I think that while it is perfectly proper to ask:

What are WE going to do?

It is even more important to ask:

What am I going to do?
 
Am I going to continue to use energy like there is an infinite supply [there isn't!]...

Or am I going to start, RIGHT NOW, doing what I can do?

I am not going to tell you what to do.  There are literally thousands of websites that can tell you how to save energy.  Google it.  What I am going to encourage you to do is ACT.  The same God who gave you those rights I quoted earlier also gave you the brains to use the resources He has supplied you with responsibly.  Get with the program.

Start a new revolution today.  Maybe once we get this energy mess straightened out we can move on to all the other things that need attention.

Chris

I Can't Drive 55...Part Deux...

An update on the mileage front...

With gasoline now hovering around $4 a gallon, [although with the wholesale price dropping 40 cents a gallon this past week that might soon change for the better!] I am coming dangerously close to becoming a hypermiler. 

Well, not really.  One thing I did do, though, was buy a little device called a Scanguage.  It plugs into your OBDII connector and gives you all kinds of useful information, the most important of which are engine rpm, gallons [of gasoline] per hour, instantaneous mpg, and mph.  If you really want to know, you can see your coolant temperature, intake air temperature, and even how many pounds of pressure you are putting on your gas pedal!  It also can display mpg per tank, per day, per trip, etc.

Now, a lot of cars have a lot of these functions displayed on the dash or elsewhere but I don't think any car has ALL of these functions.

I have had this little device installed for 2 weeks now and here is what I have found:

1.  Driving 55 REALLY does save gas!  Seriously, call and write your Congressmen, Senators, and the President and tell them we need to IMMEDIATELY change the nationwide speed limit to 55mph.  I did.
Their email addresses are easy to find. 

2.  Driving without the air conditioner on saves quit a bit as well.  I can tell because when I am driving along the interstate on a level surface and the instantaneous mpg is 40mpg it drops to 33mpg when I turn on the air.  I'm glad this summer is relatively mild!

Here's another interesting thing I have found:  driving has become relaxing again.  I just get in the car, ease [!] it out of the driveway, get it up to 55 as smoothly as I can, and put it in cruise.  Believe me, I NEVER run up on someone's rear bumper any more.  My tailgating days are over.  The windows are down, the radio's on, and I'm totally relaxed.  I'll get there when I get there.  As for the other drivers out there, the good thing about me going 55 is that it won't take them too long to get by me.  I just shake my head as I think about all that money they are wasting as they blow by me.  To each his own, I guess.

By the way, I got 36.3 mpg on my last tank.  That is 15% better than what I used to get in the "old" days.  Saved $13 on gas last week. 

It just gets better and better.

Chris

Happy Birthday America!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

With these words America began the improbable, and at times I'm sure it seemed to the men who signed this document nearly impossible, journey towards independence.  I love reading about the beginning of our nation and thought that always hits me the hardest is this:

How in the world did it ever happen? At every turn it seems that one wrong decision, one wrong move would have forever doomed the effort.  Thirteen colonies, which in reality were Thirteen countries, could barely agree on anything.  An army, led by a general who lost many more battles than he won and staffed by men who, until the spring of 1778 couldn't even properly be called soldiers.  A populace which was more or less evenly divided:  Tories and Patriots. 

And yet the raod was traveled and the dreams were realized, I think, because the words of the Declaration meant something to these men.  They represented a reality that had been born in the Magna Carta and had been nourished in the British culture, ironically the one they found themselves struggling against.  I wonder sometimes if the real reason the British gave up after Yorktown was because, despite the fact that losing America was a blow to their pride, they couldn't help but see that they had in a very real sense BIRTHED America, and in that fact they could take some satisfaction.

Two Hundred and Thirty Two years later not a whole lot has changed.  We are divided in many ways and the cultural landscape is ever changing.  I look back over our history and remain amazed that our country has made it this far.  But when I ook at the words of this amazing document I find they still resonate in my heart, just as they resonated in the hearts of Jefferson, Adams [both of them!], Washington, and all the others who pledged live and property for their dream.  

...all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

May it ever be so and may we ever be ready to assert these rights.

Chris

 

A State Extends it's Thanks...

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2007

H                                                                                                                                                    1

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 2793

 

 

 

 

Sponsors:	Representatives Bryant; and Coates.
Referred to:	Rules Suspended, Placed on Calendar Pursuant to Rule 32(a), Passed First, Second, and Third Readings.

June 9, 2008

A JOINT RESOLUTION honoring the members of the 1132^nd military police company of the north carolina national guard.

Whereas, on June 16, 2007, the 1132nd Military Police Company of the North Carolina National Guard, with armories in Rocky Mount, Tarboro, and Mount Olive, departed for the Army mobilization site at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, prior to deploying to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; and

Whereas, this deployment was the first time that many of the soldiers of the 1132^nd would be assigned to a combat zone; and

Whereas, on September 12, 2007, the 1132^nd, augmented by a platoon of soldiers from the New Hampshire National Guard, departed for Kuwait; and

Whereas, on September 29, 2007, the unit arrived at its Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Eastern Baghdad, where it fell under the operational control of Task Force 95^th Military Police (TF 95^th MP), part of the18^th Military Police Brigade; and

Whereas, as part of TF 95^th MP, the soldiers of the 1132^nd teamed with the Iraqi Police Service as Police Transition Teams (PTT), providing training and oversight of Iraqi Police operations; and

Whereas, daily operations for the 1132^nd included the planning and execution of combined mounted and foot patrol in partnership with Coalition Forces, the Iraqi Army, as well as the Iraqi Police; and

Whereas, in February 2008, the 1^st Platoon was relocated to a camp about 27 kilometers from downtown Baghdad; and

Whereas, the platoon operated under the 108^th Military Police Company from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was assigned to a Police Transition Team mission with responsibility for multiple Iraqi Police stations; and

Whereas, throughout their deployment, the soldiers of the 1132^nd provided the critical security and law enforcement expertise needed in order to ensure their Iraqi Police counterparts were fully prepared to assume all local law enforcement duties; and

Whereas, due to the nature of their assignment, several soldiers of the 1132^nd suffered injury, and five soldiers lost their lives in service to their country; and

Whereas, Sgt. Lance Oliver Eakes of Apex, North Carolina; Sgt. Thomas Columbus Ray II of Weaverville, North Carolina; Sgt. David Blakeley Williams of Tarboro, North Carolina; Staff Sgt. Emanuel Pickett of Wallace, North Carolina; and Specialist David S. Stelmat, Jr. of Littleton, New Hampshire, were killed in the line of duty; and

Whereas, these fallen soldiers should be honored for their valiant and heroic efforts in protecting the national security interest of the United States and upholding the principles of democracy and freedom; and

Whereas, as the 1132^nd completes its mission and returns to North Carolina, it is important to pay tribute to the soldiers of this unit who bravely rose to the challenge of serving their country, while leaving loved ones behind and putting their careers on hold during their deployment; and

Whereas, it is also fitting to recognize the family members of the 1132^nd who, while enduring financial hardships and sacrifices, provided continuous support for their loved ones during their deployment; Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

SECTION 1.  The General Assembly expresses its gratitude and profound appreciation to the soldiers of the 1132^nd Military Police Company of the North Carolina National Guard for their service during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

SECTION 2.  The General Assembly honors the memory of members of the 1132^nd Military Police Company of the North Carolina National Guard and the New Hampshire National Guard who gave their lives while rendering service to their State and nation and extends its deepest sympathy to their families.

SECTION 3.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to Captain Leland George Pearson, Commander of the 1132^nd Military Police Company of the North Carolina National Guard.

SECTION 4.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.

A New Twist to an Old Joke...

Q:  Why did the chicken cross the road?

A:  To get away from the IED he just planted and get back to the house where the family he is using as human shields lives.

Just had to get that out of my system...

Chris

Campaign Speeches I'd Like to Hear...Part 1

Hi, I'm Chris Eaton and I want to be your President.

People often ask me why I want to be President.  This is a great question, for it makes me examine my deepest motives, my most profound dreams, and my greatest ambitions. 

Here is why I want to be President:

Power.

Pure unadulterated, unvarnished power.  Power with no limits.  Amoral power.  Power for power's sake. 

I've had money, I've had women, I've had property. 

But let me tell you:  They are NOTHING compared with the ability to command other people.  It is absolutely intoxicating.  I don't care if I age 20 years in the next 4.  It will be worth it. 

Quite simply, I want to run the country, I want to run the politicians, I want to run the military, I want to run businesses through regulation...

I want to run your life.

Vote for me and there will be no surprises.  You'll get what you vote for, I PROMISE!

Stay tuned for part two coming soon...

Your Future Leader,

Chris

I Can't Drive 55...

You know you are getting old when....

You feel the need to write an article about saving money on gasoline.

I guess if there ever was a time to do it though, it is now. 

Gas today was $3.39 a gallon for regular. 

Check out http://www.bloomberg.com/energy/ for the latest gas futures.  Gasoline is up $.30, wholesale, in the past 30 days.  Wow.

So, to the point:

How can you save money on gas:

1.  Buy a car that gets good gas economy.  I bought a Toyota Camry like the one pictured above.  32 mpg in a mix of highway and city driving.  With the air conditioner running!

2.  Drive 55.  Unlike the days of my youth, I CAN drive 55.  I have changed my driving habits quite a bit in the last 4 weeks.  I have been keeping track of my mileage very carefully.  If I drive like I used to, I get 28 mpg.  If I drive conservatively, i.e. 55 in a 55 zone, 60 in a 65, and 65 in a 70 [after all, driving too slow is a safety hazard for all those morons screaming by at 80!], I get 34 mpg highway.

3.  Pay attention to what's ahead.  Every time you put on your brakes you are wasting gas because all that kinetic energy is transformed into heat by your brakes.  Looking ahead, you may be able to simply let off the gas and not have to hit the brakes.  This can save quite a bit if gas.

4.  Use synthetic oil.  I put Mobil 1 in my car 6 tankfuls ago.  Mileage went up 1.5 mpg in mixed city/highway driving.  Yes, it costs more, but the interval between changes is much greater.  I paid $15 to change my wife's car with regular oil.  I paid $35 to change mine with synthetic.  Synthetic lasts more than twice as long, so it's a wash.  Also, there is the added benefit of decreased engine wear.  Don't bother with any other brand name oils that call themselves synthetic, such as Castrol Syntech...they aren't.  They are only more highly refined conventional oils and don't provide the benefits of true synthetic oil.

5.  Get a credit card that offers rebates on gas.  I have two: a BP card and a Hess card.  They each give a 5% rebate on gas purchases.  Of course you have to be disciplined and pay your balance every month to really reap the benefits.  I felt a little better today knowing that out of the $50 I spent I would get $2.50 back.  I generally buy 2 tanks a week, since I use my car for business travel, so it adds up. 

Well, that's it for now.  Get out there and save some gas!

Chris

The Ethanol Fallacy 2.....

Corn Hits $6 a Bushel on Tight Supplies

---

 

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080403/corn_at_6.html?.v=6

In the past, from time to time, I have heard on the news about the elderly having to choose between taking their medicine or buying groceries.

I guess now they can have more "options":  They can choose between taking their medicine, driving their cars, or buying groceries.  Nothing good is going to come from taking FOOD supplies and diverting them to be used as FUEL.  This latest price spike is just the beginning.  It WILL go higher. 

There needs to be a recognition, and a rejection, of a fundamental flaw in the way we Americans approach "things".  It is this:

"I can AFFORD something, therefore I have the right to WASTE it". 

Instead of making more fuel, we need to conserve what we have.  We need to be considerate of the billions of OTHER PEOPLE who live on this planet. 

They need to eat, too.


Chris

Things On My Mind...

A couple of issues in my head that I have decided to expose:

The North Carolina Education Lottery...

It makes me smile on the inside [and on the outside for that matter] to see the lengths the North Carolina lottery commission is having to go in order to sell lottery tickets.  Special promotions, higher payouts, and having to depend on WRAL Channel 5 in Raleigh to be their de facto public relations/marketing division exposes the underlying weakness of the whole lottery system in this state. 

I love it. 

They'll get no sympathy from me, since the lottery is really nothing more than a back-door tax that preys on the poor:  the very people that the state has done so little to actually help since Reconstruction.  And no, throwing welfare money at a group of people is not how you help them.  The Governor and the State Legislature ought to be ashamed of themselves for passing the law establishing the Lottery.  It needs to be repealed immediately.  To take advantage of people who are in such bleak economic straits by dangling the hope of a big payout in front of them is just plain reprehensible.

Speaking of dangling out hope, that brings me to my next thought:  Why aren't banks and other lenders being held legally responsible for their roles in the sub prime mortgage fiasco?  Making loans that they KNOW people won't be able to repay [and yes Virginia, they do know and they have the statistics to know] is immoral and should be illegal.  The proper remedy for this situation is to make the LENDERS responsible for the mess, not the the LENDEES.  If nothing is done, then once this mess is cleaned up then it will be back to normal for the financial sharks to prey among the schools of consumers whose only desire is to provide their families with SHELTER that they OWN. 

Am I saying that the people who buy lottery tickets and sign on the dotted line should escape criticism?  Of course not.  But it is a classic case of well-oiled machines facing off against ordinary people.  Who deserves the most protection and who should bear the preponderance of the responsibility for the results?  There's no doubt about the answer to either one of those questions, in my mind.

Chris 

It has rained...so now what?

The way I see it, God has done us a big favor by showing us the limitations of the water supply in the greater Triangle area.  Twice now in the past 5 summers, the reservoirs have been drawn down significantly and there's no good reason to think this may not be the start of a trend. 

State and Local officials, from the Governor Easley on down, have made water conservation "Job 1", and rightly so.  The question is: will this lead to a real plan for water conservation that is ongoing, rather than only for times of crisis?  And what of the water users, which would be us?  Are we willing to change our habits?  I think there is a disconnect in most people's minds concerning where there water comes from.  Although I am sure they do know better, their attitude seems to be: "as long as water comes out of the tap and I can pay for it, I can use, and/or waste, as much as I want."  They seem to forget that the water treatment plant doesn't manufacture water, it can only treat water it draws from the lake, and once that water is gone, there is no more.   It won't matter if you can pay for it or not.

I have a well, so the fact that Falls Lake is nearly 9 feet below full pool [a fancy term for "full"] or that Kerr Lake is about 7 feet below full pool doesn't affect me all that much.  Even so, I realize a lack of surface water will eventually affect underground aquifers, so I have been more careful about how I use water. 

So now God has brought the rain, and because of that the reservoirs will get a boost. How will we react to this act of mercy?  Will we hear what He is saying, and take care of what He has provided?  Or will we continue on our previous reckless path?

Only time will tell.

Chris

People We Don't Mind Being Out of Work...

As violence falls in Iraq, cemetery workers feel the pinch.

Chris

Immigration: The Victimless Crime? Part 3

Ben Posted:

Another word on the subject…I just can’t help playing the empathetic boob here. Playing that part requires, of course, to imagine myself in Mexican shoes. And we safely assume that we are talking, for the most part about Mexicans, when we are tackling this issue. If I am Mexican man and my country lacks opportunities, a real wage and for that matter the existence of a middle class. If have the choice to either work to make barely enough money to let my family eat without ever having enough left over to get ahead, much less try to emigrate to the US legally. If I hear the stories about how the US does not enforce its own laws and hear that illegals rarely get deported. If find out that the border is really not that difficult to get over any night of the week. If I find that I can work, have a decent place to live, send my kids to school and escape the squalor of my current home. I have to be honest, I will be jumping the fence. They have done what I would do myself. If all of those “ifs” were, one by one, shut down and things didn’t look so attractive from Mexico; I would probably consider the risks a little more. Right now the is almost no risk!

I may not have made this plain in other posts so I will make it so here:

I am pro-immigration.

The history of the United States shows the great value of and the benefits we have reaped because of our willingness to welcome those of foreign descent to our country.  Our country is largely unique in this regard and I believe it should continue along this path.  Ways need to be found to make the immigration process less cumbersome and we need to see if we can allow even more legal immigration if that is possible.

Having said that,  if we are going to be empathetic then I would suggest we should not only be so towards the illegals but also the citizens of our country who are being affected by them.  These are the people I care about the most.   

I think for me it all boils down to this [and your scenario makes this plain]:  Illegals know what they are doing is illegal.   They know it's wrong and yet they do it anyway. 

There are a lot of things we can do that aren't right in our lives, and we could probably get away with them, but we don't do them.  We don't do them because we know they are wrong.  It really doesn't matter what the circumstances are and how many people are around that make it easier for us to break the law and get away with it:  We don't do it. 

Integrity has a cost. Aas far as immigration is concerned, that cost is being willing to fill out the applications, jump through the hoops, and wait until our government tells you it's ok for you to come into our country. 

When illegals decide that they don't need to follow our laws, when they decide that their personal circumstances put them above the law, they hurt our entire system.

Chris

Immigration: The Victimless Crime? Part 2

Ben responded to my original Immigration post:

With 4 hypothetical situations illegal aliens might find themselves in and how we should respond to them.  Here are the last two.  I wanted to focus on these because they are the most difficult to untangle.

3. Marcellino is just turned 15. He has lived in the United States since he was 3 years old when his parents jumped the border. Marcellino attends public school, speak fluent English and Spanish, the Atlanta Braves are his favorite baseball team. He has never been back to Mexico and knows nothing about life there. Marcellino is worried about his future because he knows that he, like his parents, is an illegal and could be subject to deportation.

4. Finally…This person is not an illegal alien but her situation is important when the government tries to sort out this mess. Mariana is 10 years old, she was born at Wake Med in Raleigh NC. She is an American citizen, but her parents are illegal aliens that have lived in America for 12 years. Mariana is a little worried about the immigration legislation talk in the neighbor. She hears that illegals may have to return to Mexico and somehow come back in a legal way. She wonders what that means for her.

I am sorry that this “comment” is getting long, but I thought I would stick in my 2 cents. The immigration problem is largely our own fault. It has been allowed to get out of hand; that is what happens when we don’t enforce laws that are already on the books.

Yes, lets punish the law breakers but we cannot forget that many innocent people are woven into the lives of those law breakers. We will need to find a solution that will not unravel families and chew up innocent children and spit them out. Like in any recovery program we need to put “First Things First”. Lets secure the border to the best of our ability . If a water pipe bursts in your house, you don’t sit around thinking about what you are going to do with all that water in the house; you shut of the main valve, then tackle the water problem. In the words of Forrest Gump, “that’s all I got to say about that”…..for now anyway.

Posted by: Ben P | August 26, 2007 at 09:58 AM

 

Ben raises very valid scenarios, I think.

I fully agree that the first thing we need to do is "shut off the main valve", as Ben observes.  I think part of that has to be a revisiting of the 14th Amendment, which is the basis under which people who are born here are considered citizens.  It would have been nice if the Supreme Court had at some point shown some common sense and distinguished between the children of those who are born here of legal residents as opposed to those born of illegal residents, but they didn't.  Equal protection under the Law doesn't mean much if there are those who deny the law in the first place.  The ironic thing is that the very people who flout the law in coming here illegally are the very ones who will assert their rights [or, more precisely, their children's rights] under it when it suits them.  If the amendment were clarified in this manner, then there would be less of an incentive for illegals to have children here.

What really ticks me off about these two scenarios is that these parents knew what they were doing when they came here.  They knew the generosity of most Americans and they went right ahead and took advantage of us. 

So what do we do?  To tell you the truth, I don't know.  I don't want to see families split up, although it must be noted that if parents do end up being deported then there's nothing that says the children can't go with them.  I suppose at that point the parents are going to have to decide which is more important: having their child with them in their own country or having their child without them in a better country.   They had to know in their hearts when they came here illegally that this was a possible outcome.

I simply can't see simply granting these people amnesty.  We did that back in '86 and it didn't fix anything.  I think everyone who is here illegally must go through the residency process and that means facing the prospect of either being deported or having to leave the country and apply for residency.  Since we do bear part of the responsibility for getting ourselves into this mess, I don't think it would be unreasonable to set some lighter standards for the parents of these children.

Of course, this whole discussion is a moot point unless we are willing to enforce the laws on the books.  The unholy alliance between conservative big business who desires cheap labor and liberal multiculturalism which thinks that we don't have the right to borders is dead set against those of us who want to see the immigration problem fixed.  We have quite a struggle ahead of us.

Chris

Immigration: The Victimless Crime?

As I have participated in discussions on message boards concerning immigration, one of the attitudes I see most often among Christians is this:

We should not throw up any barriers to illegal immigrants coming here because we are bound as Christians to care for all people.

At first blush, this statement would seem to be a decisive blow to all attempts to keep people from illegally coming into the United States.  But is it?  Consider this:

There were 1,266,264 immigrants who were granted  legal residence in 2006 in the United States.  That is a lot of people to be sure, but that number is not just pulled out of a hat.  It is significant, and I'll tell you why:  It is the number of people that our government has determined can be assimilated into our country without causing social or economic problems.  In other words, we all know that the economy is growing, and so we actually NEED these people to come in and take their place, wherever that might be, in it. 

So what has that to do with us, ss Christians?  Well, the Bible says we are to obey our leaders.  This passage is especially relevant:

Rom 13:1  Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
Rom 13:2  Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Rom 13:3  For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
Rom 13:4  for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
Rom 13:5  Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
Rom 13:6  For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.
Rom 13:7  Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Simply put, our leaders have worked out a plan that allows people to immigrate into this country in a controlled way.  Since they are the people whom God  has put in charge of our country, we should be honor their decision by following the pertinent laws and also be able to appreciate their reasoning for handling immigration in the way they have. 

So, someone might say: We don't care what the government says, we are going to break the law and promote illegal immigration.  We are the richest country on earth.  It's immoral for us to turn our backs on these people!

Really? 

Here is what is so sadly lacking in that attitude:  An empathy for the citizens of this country who are already here.  We might quibble over the figures.  Maybe the law could allow a few more legal immigrants but then again we might be allowing too many.  The point is, there is a number of immigrants that this country can absorb and when that number is reached, every illegal immigrant who comes in displaces, in economic terms, a citizen who is already here. 

Suddenly, the rationale for letting immigration happen will-nilly loses much of its appeal, doesn't it? An illegal Mexican immigrant comes into the country and, because he is willing to work under the table for $4.00 an hour for a landscaper, the African American landscaper, who can't afford to work for less than $7.00 an hour loses his job.  On a macro scale, unionized factories in the Northeast shut down and their owners reopen them in the Southwest.

There is a reality here:  The American Pie is big but it is nowhere close to being infinitely big.  More workers chasing the same number of jobs results in incredibly large downward pressure on wages.  It's supply and demand in reverse. 

So really, rather than being the the moral slam dunk many people think it is, we find that the issue of illegal immigration is morally neutral.  No matter what we do someone gets hurt.  If we follow the law, it is the Mexican,  who is deported and has to go  back to Mexico to live in substandard conditions.  If we ignore the law, it is the American, who is displaced from his job because the Mexican is allowed to stay and will work for 50% of what the American can afford to work for.   Not great outcomes in either case but I would submit that  Americans should be more concerned about the fate of their fellow countrymen than the fate of foreigners.  Likewise, the Mexican government and the citizens of Mexico should be more concerned with the welfare of their own people.

The ironic thing about this whole situation is that as we allow more and more illegal immigrants into our country there is less and less ability to bring in LEGAL immigrants, for our system is already saturated with workers.  The ultimate conclusion will be that we will be forced to cut the quotas for legal immigration, leading to more illegal immigration, thereby fostering even more disregard for our nation's laws.

Chris

The Ethanol Fallacy...

A lot is being made of asserting our energy independence through the use of "homegrown" fuels such as ethanol. 

This is an idea that is nowhere near to being thought through.  Take a look at these figures:

According to http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/quickfacts/quickoil.html

U.S. Petroleum Consumption 
20,802,000 barrels/day  or
873,684,000 Gallons per day

http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/pub..._NO_115=137162
1 Bushel of Corn yields 2.8 gallons of ethanol

To replace all oil usage with ethanol from corn means we would have to grow

873,684,000gallons/2.8gallons/bushel=312,030,000 bushels of corn/day

But, ethanol's energy content is 75,700 btu/gallon while gasoline's is 114,100

75,700/114,100=2/3 [in other words 3 gallons of ethanol are needed to replace
the energy content of 2 gallons of gasoline] so we actually need
312,030,000 * 3/2 or 468,045,000 bushels of corn/day or

170,836,425,000 bushels/year

US production of corn in 2004:

http://www.corn.org/web/uscprod.htm

11,807,217,000 bushels/year

I hope everyone can see the problem.  We are currently only producing enough corn to
replace 7% of our current demand for gasoline.  Can we really say that there is 14 times
more arable land that can be converted to corn production in the United States?  And has
ANYBODY even begun the think about the inevitable conflict that will arise when we
have to choose between fueling up our car or EATING?

Chris